AGE 743
–"Grandpa! Grandpa! Look at me!" A little kid, around 6 years old by now, happily jumped through the branches of the trees surrounding his new home.
–"Ma-Makoto! Wait up!" A voice below him shouted worriedly.
The elderly man that had adopted the little speed devil chased after him, his brow and even his bushy white moustache furrowed from the worry of the kid falling from the trees.
–"I'm doing it! Just like you do! Aahaha!" He swinged around like a literal monkey before grasping another branch.
SNAP
Sadly, the branch had given up from his weight (He wasn't that heavy!) and collapsed, leading to the little kid to begin freefalling.
–"O-Oh! Oooowaaaaaaaaah!" He started wailing, his arms swinging uncontrollably as he fell in fear. He closed his eyes and hoped to brace against the worst that could happen.
However, at one moment he stopped falling, and he was too busy screaming to realise. Only when he stopped to breathe in some air did he stop screaming to consider how long his fall was being, only to see that he was now in his Grandpa's arms.
–"Grandpaaaaa!" He happily hugged the neck of Gohan.
–"Oh… what am I gonna do with you, Makoto…"
After that, the two of them went back into their home, Gohan preparing their baths for them to clean up.
Only after drying up and getting into their casual in-doors clothing was when Gohan began to think about something.
–"Hey, Makoto! Come here for a little bit!" He called out from their couch.
–"Going!" He heard from above him, noticing how Makoto quickly climbed down the stairs of their upper floor. Fully clothed with his own set of casual wear. He was glad he had teached him to stop running around naked.
–"What is it Grandpa?" He asked, and Gohan signalled him to come over.
–"Come here, listen, listen."
The little kid followed, sitting on a chair beside Gohan's couch.
–"There's something I want to talk to you about."
–"What is it, Grandpa?"
Gohan stood a little serious after that, ready to voice out his concerns to him.
–"One day, I want you to go out, and meet lots of people. People that can become your friends. Kids your age to play with. I don't want you to stay stuck here in the middle of nowhere."
–"But I like it here! I like it here with you, Grandpa!"
Grandpa Gohan heartily laughed at his grandson's words.
–"Oh? Well, I'm very glad you do. But… I'd feel awful if I were to rob you of your future on this planet. I don't want you to stay behind just to take care of your old man."
–"But I want to! You aren't robbing anything from me, Grandpa! You are far too nice for that!"
Grandpa Gohan chuckled with his words. He didn't understand what he was meaning but, it mattered not.
–"Very well… but listen. I'm going to teach you one very important thing."
–"Yeah?! What is it?!"
–"I want you to learn some manners. You are a very clean kid, but you are still far too energetic for your own good."
The little boy tilted his head.
–"Manners? What are those, Grandpa?"
–"They are the correct way to behave in front of certain people. As an example." He raised a finger.
–"The day you meet a girl, you will NOT play with her the same way you do with the animals 'round here, got it?"
–"A… girl…? That's… what was that again? Some cat?"
His grandpa raised his hand to correct his kid, then stopped just a second to think on what his kid just said.
Being fair to the kid, for some people, his answer wasn't too far off…
With a shake of his head, he recomposed and continued.
–"Listen here. Most girls are fragile compared to you. And most of them will not like the things you like."
The little Makoto seemed to understand what he said, but he had a question.
–"But… If they don't like what I like then… How can I befriend them?"
The older man smiled, seeing how those were his first thoughts.
–"Well, that's not a real problem, Makoto. You two will just have to find what you two have in common to like. And in the worst case, you can try or create new ways to share things to enjoy with her. And the same can be applied not just to girls, but with anyone you meet. Do you follow, Makoto?"
–"Yes, Grandpa! I promise you, the day I meet a girl, I'll treat her real good!"
His grandpa believed his words, but he wanted to make sure he understood.
–"Real good isn't gonna cut it! You will treat her like a princess!"
–"Prin…Cess?"
Oh… he's still too young,
Grandpa Gohan chuckled before explaining.
–"They are the daughters of the kings. It's an expression to say that you'll be as polite as you can to them. Do you copy?"
At the mention of kings, the boy's eyes sparkled with excitement, reminding him of the countless telltales his grandfather told him about them. Like how he once told him how he was friends with the king of a mountain!
–"Yes! I will treat them like princesses!" He said with an earnest smile, grinning ear to ear with joy, his monkey tail furiously wagging behind him like a dog.
That sight, struck something within Gohan.
"I must keep Makoto away from him at all costs."
"His innocence cannot be lost!"
He vowed to make sure that that would never happen, whilst Makoto stared at him, a little confused at how his grandpa had suddenly raised a fist in the air.
AGE 749
–"Here we go!" A kid with spiky black hair clasped his hands together before jumping into the lake before him. After diving right in and, only after a couple of seconds and bubbles of air to escape from beneath the water, a huge fish flew out of the lake, landing straight into the ground.
–"Alright!" The kid jumped from the water as well, landing beside the giant fish! "What a find! I'll have enough for lunch and dinner!"
He began dragging it from it's tail, not even caring to check if the fish was still breathing…
The way the kid walked showed how familiar he was with the roads around him. He trekked through a path that, while unlikely, lead straight back to his home. He marched without a care in the world of what was ahead of him.
–"I sure hope nothing comes to try and steal this fish today! If I'm fast, then I can get home before they–"
brrruuuuum
–"Huh?"
In the distance, a rectangular type of figure seemed to be rapidly approaching the kid, making loud grumbling voices all the way it moved.
This was a car, of the latest technology the market could offer…
It was a small greyish truck, "TURBO" written on the doors at its sides. To be fair, it wasn't a fairly common car that any driver would be willing to drive in, but it made job.
A little more unique than this car though definitely was its driver, as it was a seventeen year old with light blue hair (or purple, pick your poison.) wearing a pink dress with "BULMA" written across her chest. She was handling the… handle of the car, driving it without a care in the world of what was ahead of her…
…This sounds familiar…
The girl pulled a little white device with a green screen to look into it. When she pressed the button that spiked up above it, the device came to life with a constant beeping that highlighted the position of some yellow orbs in its screen.
The device wasn't a map though, as it was in fact a radar, one that the girl before you crafted herself.
–"Hmm… From what I can see… The closest one looks to be a couple more meters up northwest, but… the road only goes straight ahe–"
–"AAAAAAAAAAH!" She was terrified with the sight of a little boy standing on the road.
–"AHHHHHHHHH!" She hastily stepped on the breaks before she would run over the kid.
The hovercar rapidly lost speed, but not enough to stop altogether before striking the poor kid harshly, sending him flying away against one of the trees.
–"Oh my god…" The girl brought her hands to her mouth, believing that she had just caused a tragedy. "Oh my god, ohmygod, ohmygodohmygod OH MY GOD!"
She was… not even sure what to do! Should she step off the vehicle? But what if she was attacked by some beast?! Leave the kid behind?! But what if she's charged with hit and run? What if–
THE KID!
What was she supposed to do now? She couldn–
Her panic subsided a little when she saw the boy across her holding onto the tree he had just crashed with. His eyes widened in fear.
He was… alive…?
–"W-What a weird elephant…" He left out in between breaths.
Elephant?!
–"Hey, You should be more careful on the road, kiddo!" the girl sticked her head out of the window to scream at the little kid. She had gotten the scare of her life just now.
–"T-The weird elephant can talk?!" He staggered back in surprise.
The girl sighed, realizing this was a country bumpkin in front of her…
–"Haaah… Doesn't matter." She said as she stepped off the vehicle.
However, at every action that the girl did, the little boy hastily moved to stand in front of the fish he had hunted.
–"H-Hey you! I don't know who you are, but I'm not giving you my fish, you monster!" He said as he protectively stood in front of the giant fish.
–"Monster?" She chuckled. "Kid, I'm not a monster, I'm a human like you are."
The little kid blinked at her words, but his frowning didn't cease just yet.
–"A-Are you…?" He asked in a low voice, more speaking to himself than asking her. He scanned her up and right, but he couldn't make sense of the differences between the two. "But you're not though! You don't look anything like me or my grandpa!"
–"What do you mean?"
–"You look a lot more… curvier and softer than me…"
–"Well yeah, I should hope so! I mean, you are a young boy and I'm a fabulously beautiful girl!"
–"A…. A girl!?" The boy asked in surprise. "You are a real girl?!"
–"Wow, talk about a country boy. Don't tell me you've never seen a girl before."
The little kid scratched the back of his head, used to doing so while nervous…
–"W-Well… Besides my grandpa, I've never seen another human 'round here…"
–"Aww… Do you live with your grandpa here?"
The boy's eyes dropped a little, avoiding her gaze for a second.
–"I did… But… Grandpa said that if I ever met a girl, I should treat her like a princess."
The girl chuckled, bringing a hand to the back of her head and winking at the boy.
–"Well, we can't argue with your grandpa now, can we?"
–"S-So… Uh… How do I treat a princess then?"
Bulma's smile dropped at the boy's comment.
–"W-What do you mean?"
–"I- I mean… My grandpa told me that but… I've never seen a princess, I don't know what they are! I've never met one before."
The girl sighed, but it was no real issue.
–"Don't worry about that. I myself have never met a princess either… or a prince…"
–"Prince?"
–"Nothing, it's just…" She thought well of how to explain it as she crouched to the kid's height. "It means that you just treat her well. But, being extra careful, do you copy?"
–"Y-Yeah!"
–"Well then…" The girl stood up straight again. "This was quite the distraction, but I need to go. I'm looking for something."
The little kid felt that he hadn't fulfilled his promise to his grandpa with this girl… so he asked in the hopes of "treating her well".
–"H-Hey, if you are looking for food, then you can eat this fish with me!"
The young girl stared at him, but didn't look very interested.
–"Sorry, but I don't really like raw fish."
He immediately fired back.
–"I-I'm going to cook it, obviously! Grandpa said that raw meat can be unhealthy and bad!"
The girl really wanted to be off on her own way, however, she wasn't exactly sure where to continue…
The road only led straight ahead to the next city, and what she was looking for was nowhere near there.
So… It couldn't hurt if she sidetracked a little, could it?
–"Alright… I'll eat with you. But it better be good, okay?!"
–"Yeah!" The kid smiled. "My grandpa teached me this recipe! It's going to be the best fish you'll ever have!" The kid exclaimed as he took hold of the fish's tail once more, who definitely was out for the count by now.
He started to march back to his home, but stopped when he noticed that the girl wasn't following him.
–"H-Hey! My home is this way!"
–"Coming! Just a sec!" She said as she turned back to her car. She pulled a little capsule thingy and pressed a button on it.
Before the little kid could react, the big weird elephant vanished into smoke! The little kid's eyes widened in fear from the sudden act of magic!
–"W-What did you?! W-Where did that elephant go!?
After picking up the capsule from the ground, the girl in the pink dress huffed a little annoyed at his insistence of her car being an elephant...
–"T-That! It's not an elephant you moron, that's my car!"
The little kid blinked at her words. He believes he has heard that word before…
–"Car…? Like… the ones from the cities?"
–"Yeah!" She smiled, learning that the boy didn't seem completely clueless. "Like the ones from the cities. I come from West City."
–"R-Really?" He asked a little surprised, but then frowned in confusion. "H-Hold on… But the west is…" He said pointing at his right.
–"Don't mind about any of that! Let's go!" She said as she catched up to him. Then, the both of them started walking together.
Through their path, as they left the road, the little kid decided to ask.
–" , Um… How did you do that?"
–"Do what?"
–"That magic where you made your elephant– I mean, you car to vanish."
–"Oh, that?" She tilted her head and gave him a smile. "That was a Licensed Patented DynoCapTM A Capsule made by Capsule Corp!" She explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world…
Meanwhile the little kid could barely keep up, not understanding what the TM meant…
–"License… Patented? So it's not magic?"
–"It's not magic, you silly. It's technology! My dad made these in order to carry anything we want around."
–"A-Anything?" He asked. "S-So you could like, carry my fish in there?"
–"Yep! But it needs prior preparations. We can't store anything and everything out the gate. I'd need a different device to prepare that fish to go in one of these." She said as she pulled the capsule she had stored her car in for emphasis.
–"W-Woah! That's so cool!" His eyes sparkled at the possibilities. "So… Could I carry my grandpa's house in one of those?"
Her eyes widened at his thoughts.
–"Yeah. It is possible. If one day, the two of you wanna move out from this place…" She said while eyeing around in discomfort. "...you can just get one of these from my family and store it up."
However, instead of exciting the little kid, his eyes drooped down, glueing them to the ground.
–"I… I see…" He said, not very thrilled with the idea.
That made the girl blink, but she got out of her stupor from a thought she suddenly got.
–"Hey… say… I haven't gotten your name just yet…" She dropped the ball for him to catch.
And he did. The kid's head raised and turned to the girl, stopping in his tracks.
–"O-Oh! W-Where are my manners!" He left his grasp on the fish and gave her a bow to greet her.
–"M-My name is Makoto! Son Makoto!"
She chuckled at the sudden sight.
–"Oh, what a polite boy…"
–"Th-Thank you! My grandpa did his best!" He said, still in his bow.
The girl kneeled in front of the kid for him to see her.
–"Nice to meet you, Son Makoto. My name is Bulma."
"Bulma?" He thought. "Like… Bloomers?"
He shook his head and stood straight, changing the subject all together from his mind.
–"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Bulma!" He said to her, making the girl have a smile.
–"Well, with that out of the way, how about we continue?"
–"Yeah!"
And so they did.
The walk wasn't that long, but it still gave them some time to greet one another.
However, Makoto decided to ask a question he's been having since he saw her.
–"H-Hey, Bulma?"
–"Yes?"
–"Why do you have no tail?"
She had to blink to understand his question.
–"What do you mean?"
–"Why do you not have a tail!? Like how I do!" He said, his face unchanged.
Bulma didn't immediately notice, but she felt how she felt something like fur touch her leg. She looked down to see how there was a little branch of fur that was lightly touching her ankle. Seeing where it came from, the branch of fur came straight from the back of the kid's waist, as if it were some kind of…
…Tail…
Bulma stood frozen, blinking a couple of times. This worried the little kid, asking her about it.
–"B-Bulma?"
–"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
Her screeching was unlike anything else Makoto had heard before. Throwing himself to the ground and clasping his hands on his ears barely did anything to subside the pain from that glass shattering scream.
–"Y-Y-You have a tail?!"
–"Y-Y-Y-Yeah… I do!" He said, some tears threatening to come out. "I've always had it!"
–"But… But… How?" She wondered. This was not making any sense!
–"D-Do girls don't have them?"
–"NO, NOBODY HAS TAILS!" She answered.
"At least… not that kind?" She thought in confusion.
But the little kid didn't believe her outright
–"Y-You are lying! My grandpa had a tail!"
–"HE DID?!" She asked in surprise, just what pair of aliens had she encountered?
At her question though, the little kid visibly deflated…
–"I-I mean… I've never seen it myself…" He said, his two index fingers meeting each other. "He said that his fell off because he was old…" He tried to argue, but then glared back at her. "But he wouldn't lie about that! Lying is bad!"
Bulma deadpanned at his words, not knowing exactly what to even answer.
"Maybe he and his grandpa are just some weird type of crossbreeds but… I've never heard anything like that before…"
She sighed, as it doesn't exactly matter. It bothers her as in logically, but there's nothing else to be made about it… for now…
–"Just…" Sigh… "Just take me to your home…" She said, visibly tired from this weirdness.
The boy stopped glaring and trekked on.
–"Sure thing!" He went on ahead a couple of steps.
As he did, the girl took out her white device and checked again on the green screen, seeing how she was getting closer to one of the yellow orbs.
She then eyed back to the kid in front of her.
–"Come on, Bulma! You are lagging behind!"
"Could it be…?" She thought before saving the device on her pockets once more.
–"Going!" She hastily walked up to him.
And so, the adventure for the two of them began.
The first thing Bulma noticed when they arrived was how modest the kid's house was. It was a fairly simple home, but it was very tidy for it to be right in the middle of nowhere. She had to give some props to the kid… or most likely to his grandfather for keeping it all well together.
The little kid threw the fish at a unlit campfire, leaving it to cook later. Then, he signaled the girl to enter his home.
–"Come on, come on! Don't be shy, this is my home." He told the light blue (or purple) haired girl.
The girl smiled a little at the boy's attempts of "treating her like a princess" but she wasn't rubbed the wrong way just yet.
Makoto then opened the doors of his house to let Bulma walk in, who immediately started scanning it's interior. It didn't look like anything stood out, however, it was quite a normal household, but considering where this house was placed, for her to feel any remote type of familiarity, that was an accomplishment.
However, she quickly noticed how the host of the home had gone very quiet all of a sudden. She turned back to him to see how his eyes were locked looking at something. His brow furrowed in concentration and… confusion.
She followed his gaze and… Spotted it!
The Dragon Ball! The one she was looking for! It was right there, shining almighty!
–"Yes, I knew!" She exclaimed with a smile as she quickly went to fetch it. "I knew it was around here."
However, the host of the Son household didn't like what she had done.
–"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" He walked up to the girl and complained. "Don't touch that!"
–"H-Huh, why?"
–"Give it back!" He demanded, but his tone seemed more hurt than angry.
The little girl could only comply when she saw his face, slowly returning the magical sphere back to the little kid.
Once he had it on his grasp, he immediately focused on it again, worry filling his face entirely.
–"Oh no… I-It's not broken, is it?"
–"Broken?"
The kid brought the orange sphere up for her to see.
–"I-It's shining! I've never seen it do that before! Is that bad?!"
At that, the girl smiled, realizing that he wasn't aware of what was going on.
–"Oh, no silly. It's not broken." She laughed. "Here… take a look." She said as she brought her hands to her bag.
Makoto was confused by what she was doing, but to lo and behold, she pulled out two identical sphere to the one that he had!
–"These shine when they are close to one another! Yours is just reacting to mine."
The little kid stared in disbelief, bringing his Dragon Ball closer to hers to see her words for himself. He noticed how his sphere glowed more the closer it got to Bulma's pair of spheres. This was the first time he had seen it do anything like this. Much like how he saw that more of these were around.
–"What the?! Why is it doing that?!"
–"Well, legend says that when all of the Dragon Balls are gathered, something real special happens."
–"Special?" He asked.
However, Bulma didn't immediately want to reveal what that was, as she didn't want to run the risk of the kid not pursuing the same goal.
–"Anyway, would you mind giving me your Dragon Ball?" She asked with that coy smile of hers, trying to "charm" the little kid in front of her.
However Makoto… wasn't fond of the idea…
–"Of course not!" He said, immediately snatching his Dragon Ball away from her, closer to him to protect it. "I'm not giving it to you!"
–"Oh, come on! Why not? Your grandpa told you to treat me like a princess!"
–"Yeah! But he also taught me to not let people walk over me!" He retorted.
However, even with gritting teeth, Bulma had an idea,
–"Oh… well… maybe we can do a trade…?" She said suggestively.
–"Trade?"
–"If you give me that Dragon Ball…" She said, as once she left her Dragon Balls in her bag once more, she reached for the skirt of her dress, lifting it just slightly to reveal to the kid her undergarments. "I'll let you have a peek…" She said, with a victory smile.
However Makoto…
–"Why would I want to look at your underwear?" He asked, blinking in confusion.. "It's not like anything special, I also wear them."
–"IT IS SPECIAL YOU BUM! NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE THEM!" She immediately snarled with pointy teeth, as if she were some growling wolf.
–"I-It is? But I just saw it just now! It was white with pink dots!"
–"Sh-Shut up! I meant it like…" Glowing red as a tomato, she faltered she covered her face with her palm, immediately regretting everything he did.
With not much interest, Makoto turned back to the table that he had left his Dragon Ball, neatly placing it back on its pillow, where it belonged.
–"I'm sorry, but I'm not giving it to you, Bulma." The kid said. "My grandpa left it to me, so I'm taking care of it."
At the mention of him, Bulma scanned around the house, trying to see who this mysterious grandpa was. She was able to find a couple of pictures around the house, but not many. One of them was of three people, bunched up together for the picture. She couldn't recognize a single one of them, and it being black and white didn't help much. The second was, now a colored pictured, of a little baby with quite the recognize spiky black hair, profoundly sleeping. And lastly, a picture of what looked like a younger Makoto next to a an elderly man.
The elderly man in the picture wore a traditional outfit, an orange robe along with a dark green hat that sat neatly atop his head. His face carried a warm, gentle expression, his white mustache slightly curling at the ends. He stood with an arm draped over Makoto's shoulders, the younger boy looking up at him with clear admiration. Just looking at the photo, Bulma clearly saw how he had been an important figure for Makoto.
She decided to ask the doubt she's been having just now.
–"Say… Makoto? Where's your grandpa? Is he sleeping?"
Once she turned to the boy, she saw how his features turned a little… sad.
–"i… I don't know…" He said, leading to Bulma to raise her eyebrows in confusion.
–"What… What do you mean with you don–"
–"Hey, l-let me cook you that fish! I'll finish it in a bit!" He quickly said, scurrying out of the house in an instant.
Bulma was left confused by the kid's words but… couldn't do much about it.
Then, her eyes glanced over the Dragon Ball. It's four starts enticing her to just grab it and leave right there….
However, even as her hand moved towards it, her mind nagged her from the inside, instinctively making her turn again to the picture of the two.
In second thought, she began to retract her hand, looking again at the picture.
Then, she noticed something else. Next to that picture stood what looked to be a short red bo staff, neatly saved inside a leather sheath…
–"Bulma! Come out, or you won't have a piece."
–"G-Going!" She quickly left the house, letting the Dragon Ball stay where it was. It's glow slowly fading as the girl walked out.
Bulma had to admit that, despite her prejudice, the little kid wasn't a bad cook.
The both of them were currently chewing on some slices of the roasted fish. Bulma slowly ate what slices Makoto had prepared for her, stabbed through a wooden stick for her to handle as she ate. As she finished chewing what was her second piece, she decided to turn to the little kid, wishing to thank him for cooking this meal for her.
–"Mmh… rhey, Mhakhoto…?" She said as she finished chewing the last bits as she turned her head, only to see how the little kid DEVOURED the rest of the fish at speeds that could honestly match that of her truck running at full speed.
GULP
–"He-HEY! SLOW DOWN! YOU ARE GOING TO CHOKE LIKE THAT!" She hastily warned the little kid as she managed to gulp down her food. The little kid, stopped his eating spree to look at the light-blue (or purple, again, pick your side) haired girl.
–"H-Huh? B-But I always eat like this with my grandpa!"
–"Didn't he teach you any manners?!"
–"Y-Yeah… but we don't have dishes here and… It's only faster if I eat like this."
–"Well! If you eat in front of me, at the very least be conscious of how you do so! Don't eat as if you were a dog ravaging through some junk!"
gulp
–"R-Right… sorry Bulma…" He relented, as he slowed down on his feasting.
Bulma, huffing a puff of air in victory, chewed on the next piece of meat. As she finished eating that piece as well, she decided to ask.
–"Hey, Makoto? I saw that there was some red stick inside your house. What's that?"
Chewing through his fish slowly now, he turned to Bulma to answer.
–"Ish mah ghranhd–"
–"Don't eat with your mouth full!" She chastised, as Makoto realized his mistake with widened eyes.
–"Sh-Showwy." He gulped down his food and spoke again. "Sorry, I was saying that it's my grandpa's 'power pole'. A weapon he used in his younger days."
–"Now that's better." She said with a slight frown from his awful manners, however she noticed how quickly he was to rectify them. Perhaps his grandpa has had these battles with him before.
–"So, a weapon? How so?"
–"It's like a staff, but he said that he could change it's size whenever he desired."
–"Really?" She asked. "How long can it reach then?" She didn't fully understand the logic on it but, she decided to humour the kid to see what he said.
–"W-Well… I don't know. I've never seen him use it."
–"Really?"
–"Yeah. He said he was too old to keep using it, so he hasn't used it in a long while.
Bulma understood but couldn't help herself.
–"Then why don't you use it?" She said leaving Makoto a little in thought.
–"Well, Grandpa said he'd leave it to me but…"
His words died on his thoat before he could speak them out.
Bulma noticed this and decided to try to push the little kid into voicing his mind.
–"But…" She tried to have him follow suit.
–"It's just…" But he wasn't entirely sure about speaking about it, and she could feel it.
Bulma sighed as she considered her next words.
–"Hey, Makoto? You still haven't told me about your grandpa. Is he around?"
He immediately turned to her.
–"He is!" He exclaimed. "It's just…"
He turned to see the girl beside him, willing to listen to him, and then he just… sighed, leaving out his concerns.
–"I don't know where he is…"
–"How so?"
–"He… He left one night and… he never returned." He finally revealed it to the kid.
That caused Bulma to feel a little sad for the little one.
–"But I know he's still around! He wouldn't leave his home alone, he wouldn't… he wouldn't leave me here…" He mostly said sure and determined of his words, but the last few…
Bulma tried to reason things out for the kid. Perhaps understand something he didn't.
–"Did he say something? Warn you that he would leave?"
–"No…" He shook his head. "Sometimes… he left during the night in fear that some animals would come in and damage our house or his garden at night…"
"They had a garden?" Was her immediate thought
–"But he never let me come out with him. He said that it was dangerous for kids like me to be out at night."
–"And he's kind of right, kid… You never know who or what's around, especially at night."
–"But I'm not scared! I'm strong! O-Or… at least I think I am."
She lightly chuckled at his words.
–"Yeah, strong enough to fish and carry that thing I suppose." She offhandedly commented about their meal.
However, her mind quickly went back to the moment her car struck him. She had quickly brushed it off back then but… How was Makoto even alive just now?
–"Thank you! My grandpa trained me to be strong like him! Or at least we tried. I've never won a spar against him."
That brought Bulma out of her thoughts.
–"You two sparred?"
–"Yeah!" He said with a little excitement. "And my grandpa was strong! Very strong! The strongest in the world!"
Bulma didn't really buy what he was saying, but she got what he meant at least.
After that, the two of them finished up their food for good. Bulma stood up and dusted off her dress from any dirt that could have gotten to it while sitting on the log turned to seat she sat on.
As she did, she noticed how… weird the ground beneath her looked uneven, almost as if it had been disturbed. Some patches looked softer than the rest, while others had faint indentations, as if something heavy had pressed into it. Bulma frowned, her curiosity piqued.
–"Hey, what's up with the ground here?" she asked, glancing at Makoto.
Makoto, still stretching after finishing his meal, followed her gaze and blinked.
–"O-Oh…" He realized where she was talking about.
–"It looks like something big stomped around here. Or like... I don't know, maybe something was dragged? It just looks weird." Bulma gestured at the ground below her.
Makoto hesitated for a moment before sighing.
–"A-Actually… this patch has been like this for a while now. Four years, to be exact." He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the dirt in conflict.
Bulma raised an eyebrow.
–"Four years? What, did your grandpa dig up a new garden and forget about it?"
Makoto shook his head.
–"No, it wasn't dug up. It used to be a footprint. A huge one." He knelt down and traced the edges of the uneven dirt with his fingers. "It was way clearer back then… but over time, the wind and rain wore it down and some grass… well, grew back."
–"A footprint?" She asked. "From what, some giant b-beast or something?"
Makoto didn't answer right away. His hands clenched into fists as he stared at the ground.
–"I… I think there was some kind of monster here." His voice was quiet, like he wasn't sure if he even believed himself.
Bulma gulped, stepped back a little and even began to feel how her legs began trembling a bit.
–"W-Wait, think? You mean you think there's a monster but you didn't actually see it?"
He shook his head in denial.
–"No. But… the night my grandpa left and didn't return… the next morning, this footprint was here." His voice wavered slightly, and he quickly looked away. "I always thought he left because… cuz of the monster, but…"
Bulma clearly saw the doubt in him. He wasn't dumb to not connect one with the other, and neither was she, not a chance!
However, the mention of a big monster capable of casually stomping a print big enough to crush the house behind them made her suddenly very eager to continue her journey.
–"Very well! I think I've made myself too comfortable around here…" She said as she quickly prepared herself and her items. Makoto turned to her.
–"Huh? What do you mean?"
–"Listen, Makoto. I'm travelling around the world to find the 7 Dragon Balls." She started explaining.
–"S-Seven?!" He staggered back, even more surprised now to see that there were not just 2, but 6 more identical spheres to the one that his grandfather left.
–"Yeah. I'm gathering them as I go and, with yours, it would be the third one I get. So please, please please please! I ask you to give it to me…" She clasped her hands together and asked for dear life. There was no dirty trick this time, she genuinely said what she was aiming for.
However, while Makoto didn't immediately shoot her down this time, neither did he comply with what she asked.
–"...I don't get it." Makoto said unsure. "Why are you doing this? Collecting the spheres I mean." he asked.
Bulma nervously laughed, trying to dodge around the topic…
–"Well… they are very pretty and… I found mine on my dad's basement so… Thought I'd find the rest y'know, hahaha?"
Makoto didn't buy her words though.
–"Just… because they look pretty?" She quickly nodded at him, and Makoto was still unconvinced. "Then what about what you said when they are gathered? That something 'real special' happens?" She winced realizing how much she had left out…
With a sigh, she started explaining…
–"Li-Listen… When the 7 Dragon Balls are gathered, and you say the words "Come Forth Divine Dragon and Grant My Wish" the almighty dragon Shenron will be summoned and it will grant you one wish."
The little kid's eyes sparkled in wonder, reminding him of his grandfather's telltales.
–"Woah… A-Any wish?"
–"Any." Bulma repeated. "So I'm gathering them to make a wish."
Makoto nodded, understanding now.
–"Wow… I'm surprised my grandpa never told me about it…"
–"Perhaps he didn't know." She suggested. But a quick thought came over Makoto.
He quickly ran back to the house, surprising the girl he left behind.
–"Makoto?" She followed after him when he suddenly started moving.
He went inside his house and as she was about to enter as well, the door slammed shut. Confused, she tried opening the door herself, only for it to harshly close again. She now frowned annoyedly
–"Now what's going on here!?" She said, trying a second time to open and go through this door, this time doing so successfully.
She spotted Makoto gripping onto the Dragon Ball, keeping it close to his chest, intending to keep it away from her.
–"Wh-What are you doing?" She asked. And Makoto fired up at her.
–"My grandpa was no fool!" He roared, confusing Bulma even more.
–"W-What?"
–"He wouldn't hold over something this important just for nothing! He's way smarter than that!"
Bulma… wasn't sure from where did this behavior of Makoto come from as… she hadn't challenged his grandpa's intelligence just yet… She barely said anything about him, limiting herself to make questions only. Just what was he thinking?
–"O…Kay….? " She tried to comply with him just to know what in the world he was talking about. "And he would keep something so important to…"
–"To protect it from anyone that would have a selfish wish! Like taking over the world or… plummeting it to despair!"
…
…
…Shi–
She left a fake laugh at his words, CLEARLY not disturbed of the possibility that her wish wouldn't be deemed selfish…
…she hoped.
–"W-Well, I don't plan on wishing anything nefarious like that so… It should be fine if you give it to me right?" She said, as she tried to reason with him.
–"No, I can't trust you just like that!" Makoto said decidedly. "If my grandpa kept this all this time to prevent someone bad to make a wish with it, then I'm gonna keep his legacy alive!"
This was beginning to irritate the girl, who gritted her teeth against one another.
–"Makoto, come on! You know me now! I'm not a bad person!"
–"Maybe! But I still won't give it to you like that!"
The girl tightened her fists angrily, however, all that energy would go when the kid asked her one question.
–"What is your wish?" Is all that he asked, but the whole world seemed to slow down for the girl.
She was… she was trapped now…
What did she do?! If she said the truth, then it would obviously lead to the little kid not giving the sphere to her. But if she lied, saying she would wish for world peace or something, then he might not even believe her! What does she do, what does she doooo?!
She was about to risk saying something like… "I wish to end world hunger" but she immediately held back when she saw straight through his onyx glare. Those eyes just… warned her that he would be able to spot any lie she made. She felt as if she were in court, forced to only speak the truth, and only the truth…
And so… she did…
–"I wish to have a boyfriend…" she said, barely a mumble, the little kid couldn't even catch it.
–"W-What was that?"
One of her eyebrows twitched as she glew red as a tomato.
–"I-I WANT TO WISH FOR A BOYFRIEND! THERE, I SAID IT! YOU HAPPY?!" she suddenly shouted, her voice cracking with frustration. She wanted the earth to swallow her whole. She wanted this entire conversation cease to exist.
But fate was one cruel lady.
–"Really? Just that?" He asked, tilting his head, almost confused. Then, with a bright smile, he added. "But I'm here though!"
Silence.
Steam practically erupted from her head. "Did—Did he just—Did he—"
–"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What do you take me for?!" she stammered, body glowing red with pure mortification. "I—I—IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! I-I-I-I-I'mm-m-m-mmm…. I-I'm not l-like that!"
But he just frowned, his brows knitting together in worry.
–"But… if you want a boy to be your friend, then I'm right here!"
She froze.
She suddenly came to a full stop.
–"...What?" Her voice falling flat, an immediate shift from her wailing just seconds ago.
The boy swallowed some saliva then, suddenly unsure.
–"W-Well… I am a boy, a-and I wanna be your friend!" He exclaimed loudly for her, however, he immediately backed down. "O-Or is that not enough? D-Do you not want to be my friend?"
The heat in her face didn't fade, but now, there was something else mixed in. The way he said it—so small, so vulnerable—made her anger fizzle into something softer.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why… How is he like this…?"
–"N-No, it's not like that I… I would love to be friends with you, Makoto."
His eyes widened and his smile expanded in joy to never reached heights before, but Bulma had to stop him before she got an ulcer from his sweetness.
–"B-But… I still want to make my wish, it's… a different type of… boy friend… a special one, y'know?"
The little kid blinked, but he kind of understood.
–"Someone… special." He repeated, as if he could understand if he did.
–"Yeah…" Bulma fidgeted a little, but dared to ask. "Is that… too selfish then?"
"Dammit!" She chastized herself for being too obvious.
–"I mean… maybe." Makoto pondered in thought, making Bulma sigh defeatedly. However he quickly added up. "But I don't see anything bad with it."
Bulma immediately raised her head at his words.
…
"Roll with it."
–"Really?!" She asked with newfound excitement.
–"Y-Yeah… I would also like to wish for a special friend if I could. Someone like how grandpa is to me, so I can't fault you for something like that…"
Bulma stared at him for a moment, caught off guard by his sincerity. She had expected some childish dismissal, not this level of understanding.
"Tch. This kid really is something else."
She crossed her arms, looking off to the side.
–"Well, since you get it, I guess that means you won't mind giving me your Dragon Ball, right?"
Makoto blinked at that.
–"Huh?"
–"The one you have," she clarified, pointing toward the sphere in his hands.
–"Since you don't have a wish in mind yet, you don't really need it, do you?"
Makoto instinctively clutched the pouch, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
-"I-I mean I don't but… but it's my grandpa's."
Bulma's lips curled in frustration. He just wouldn't budge would he?
–"Oh, come on," she huffed. "Don't give me that! I'm sure your grandpa wfather wouldn't mind it anyway!"
Makoto stiffened at that.
–"Wh-what do you mean?
Bulma noticed the way his grip on the ball tightened and how his shoulders tensed, but she didn't think much of it. She just kept going.
–"I mean, it's not like he's here, right?" she added offhandedly. "If he left you here and didn't return, then he probably didn't mind much about it anyway..."
Makoto's head dropped low, and Bulma tried to squeeze in her reasoning just a bit more.
–"And hey, he could've gotten too busy with the monster, meaning that he didn't return because he…"
sniff
Bulma blinked at the sound beneath her, she turned back to the little kid, who was now trembling.
–"Are… Are you alright, Mako–"
–"MY!" He shouted, his voice raised the highest it's been.
Bulma stepped back a little, wincing at how hard he had just shouted her.
The little boy raised his face, allowing her to see how tears were now coming out of her eyes.
–"My… My…. My grandpa isn't dead!" He shouted, with even more tears threatening to come out. "My grandpa is the strongest man I know, and I know he wouldn't fall to anyone in the world! I know it!"
Before Bulma could say anything, he turned and bolted.
–"W-Wait—!"
He began running towards the forest, leaving her in the dust, clutching onto the Dragon Ball as if his life depended on it.
Bulma stood there, frozen, as she saw his frame disappeared. She began replaying what had just happened in her head once he no longer had his silhouette to follow.
–"...Crap…"
She was now left alone, without a Dragon Ball, and with this gut wrenching feeling that pierced her harder than she had expected.
She turned back to the picture of the younger, happier little kid that was framed in his grandpa's home, and compared it with the sight of the kid that broke in tears in front of her.
…
"Dammit…"
Without giving it much thought, she stomped after him, cursing both her luck and her big mouth as she disappeared into the woods.
–"Makoto!"
Bulma had actually stepped into the dense forest that laid around them, something she had promised to herself she would NEVER do, as she would be alone in a place where ANY beast could come out to ambush her.
But… here she was! Trying to fix something that her big mouth messed up…
The forest was… terrifying for the young girl. Considering that this was the first time she left her home city for a big period of time, she wasn't exactly too familiar with nature…
And neither was she too fond of it…
–"Makoto! Come out! It's getting scary in here…" She pleaded, beginning to tremble with how dark everything was getting as she went deeper and deeper.
However, she began sniffing… something. It had a rotten smell, one that you wouldn't want to be near of.
She crossed her arms and shivered, the dense forest around her alive with the sounds of chirping insects and the distant rustle of leaves. The sunlight barely broke through the canopy, leaving her surrounded by shadows, even if there still was daylight out.
Then, she caught the smell again. It was faint but undeniable—a sour, putrid stench carried on the night breeze.
–"What is that?" she murmured, covering her nose with her sleeve. Bulma glanced around nervously, debating whether to keep going or turn back toward Makoto's house. But she had to keep searching… She had to find Makoto..
Following the scent, she soon came across a cave. She had this nagging feeling in her to OBVIOUSLY not go there.
…But she did…
If this was, by any chance, Makoto who had gotten dirty out here, and was now hiding there… She had to try and find him…
Breathing in some air to arm her with courage, she stepped inside the dark cave. As light began to disappear the deeper she went, she pulled out her beeping device from before, it's screen thankfully glowing just enough to see her immediate surroundings, only now hued in a mix of green and yellow.
The cave was dead silent though, as the only thing she felt was that horrible smell growing larger and larger.
–"Ma-Makoto…? Are you in here…?" She asked, her lower lip beginning to tremble, soon the rest of her body would follow.
She rounded up a little "corner" per say, and the smell reach a maximum high, it sensed decomposed and… absolutely disgusting.
She walked just a couple of steps closer until she felt something hard with her boot.
She froze right there, and then lowered her device's screen to see what was on the ground beneath.
And she saw it.
A pile of tattered clothes. For just a moment, she thought it was just discarded rags, maybe an old traveler's belongings. But as her eyes adjusted, she realized the truth.
Beneath the faded, torn fabric, there were bones.
Bulma gasped, stumbling back a step. Her hand shot to her mouth as the full image burned itself into her mind: a skeletal figure, hunched awkwardly against the stone wall behind it, one arm outstretched as if it had been reaching for something. The tattered remnants of a familiar hat sat nearby, partially ragged, partially mold.
Her trembling hand reached out toward the hat but stopped short. Her pulse thundered in her ears, and her mind raced.
"no… this—this can't be…"
It hit her like a crashing wave. She remembered the photograph in Makoto's house—the one where he was smiling! The very same that wore that hat.
This was Makoto's grandpa.
Bulma's knees wobbled, and she nearly fell.
–"No way… it's him. It's really him…" Her voice cracked as the awful reality sank in.
He hadn't left his grandson. He hadn't abandoned him. He'd died out here, alone, and had been lying here all this time.
A lump formed in her throat as she stood there, staring at the remains of the man who'd raised Makoto. Her mind swirled with questions, but one thought stood out above all others:
How was she supposed to tell him about this…?
She… she had to tell him…
–"I… I better get out of here." She mumbled scared, Stepping backwards not wishing to be in this forest a second longer than needed.
However, she felt something on her back that sent a spine chill all over her body.
She felt someone or something stopping her path.
She slowly turned over her shoulder to spot a giant beast creeping up on her. It's figure towering over her. Menacingly.
A bear.
GRRRRRRRRRR He growled his fangs to her, rabidly wishing to take her down.
The bear raised one of his claws, intending to strike down the girl with it's sharp end.
–"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
She screeched as loud as a banshee for the second time in the day, managing to actually hurt the bear's hearing, forcing him to wince in recoil and halt his preying altogether.
–"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Bulma quickly ran out of there, quickly going to the exit as fast as she could.
But the bear wouldn't allow to be left there ridiculed, no. The bear gave chase after her.
Bulma exited the cave and, right soon after, the bear followed after her. With eyes wide as dishes, Bulma ran as fast as she could for dear life.
–"PLEASE, I DON'T WANNA DIE, I DON'T WANNA DIE, I DON'T WANNA DIE!" She ran as fast as she could, but the bear would easily outrun her, she knew.
"Bears can run up to 30 miles per hour while the average man can run at only 6! And I'm not even a guy, I'm a girl for crying out loud, I wasn't made for this! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP MEEE!"
Despite her thoughts, she was doing decently well running against the bear. Adrenaline surging in and all that.
However, she would quickly realize how it would become the end of the line for her…
Literally.
As after running for so long keeping an eye on the bear preying her down, she turned to see in front of her and noticed…
A cliff.
She will have nowhere to run.
Fated to be mauled down by this bear.
She stopped just in time from not falling over said cliff, however, the bear was still intending to take her out for dinner.
His, at the very least.
–"W-Wait!" The girl pleaded. "Y-You are too big! I-If you come near, then yo–"
The bear didn't listen to her though, it was a bear after all, what did you expect?
Ignoring her pleas, the bear gave one more step towards her.
And the ground they were stepping on, fell off. Leading to the two of them to begin falling down the cliff.
ROOAAAAAAAAAR
–"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Bulma screamed, bringing her hands to her eyes in order to not see how she fell.
However, no matter how long her lungs allowed her to scream, she… Never met her demise?
She moved her palms away from her face to see how her leg was being grabbed by… something's claw?
She looked up, fighting against her own skirt to see how a giant pterodactyl had its hold on her, flying off to Kami knows where.
The beast moved one eye to her, and smirked.
–"Hey there." The pterodactyl said with a gruff voice as his tongue ran through its lips.
–"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
The little boy was sitting atop of a branch of a tree just now.. He was holding onto his grandpa's Dragon Ball. His smile was gone, and he was absolutely saddened just now.
–"Where… are you grandpa?" He asked, running his free fist through his eye to clean his tears.
–"Y-You didn't… leave me, right?" He numbly asked. "I was… a good kid right…?"
…
…
…
Meeting no answer, as expected, he sighed, as he stepped off the branch and fell to step the ground once more.
–"Of course I'm not… I didn't even treat Bulma properly…" He said, disappointed in himself as he marched back to his home.
He slowly made his way back, already used to the forest having visited almost everywhere he could, only avoiding the places his grandpa considered dangerous.
He wanted to follow his words and teachings, even when he wasn't around anymore. So he took charge of cleaning the house, hunting and cooking food and taking care of his grandpa's garden (sadly, most flowers died as he didn't know how to properly take care of them.)
Once he arrived back to the plain grounds that surrounded his home, he scanned around in search of the purple (or light-blue, catch ya lacking.) haired girl, however no sight of her was inbound.
–"Bulma? Where are you?" He asked, but of course, met no answer yet again.
He sighed in disappointment. Disappointment of himself as he failed, yet again, to follow his grandpa's words.
–"Perhaps she's already left…" He mused, The first and only friend he's made had probably left him…
Just like his grandpa…
"…Why does everyone leave me…?"
–"I should have just given her the Dragon Ball… You probably would have given it to her anyway, would you grandpa?" He wondered, looking into the sky in thought.
It was by chance that he spotted the flying birds above him. This brought him good memories when he and his grandpa would stay at the rooftop to just look at the sky or the stars. Those were… good times…
Absolute peace, nothing bad happened, and they sighted all the types of things that flew above them.
Parrots, Pelicans, Plovers, Piculets, Penguins, Pigs, Pterodactyls.
"Those were a lot of Ps, huh?"
"Wait, Pterodactyl has a P, but it's silent, those that count?"
…
…
"Hold on, a Pterodactyl? What's that?!" How does he even know that what's up in the sky is a–
–"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK"
The familiar screeching sent Makoto reeling, as he tried to focus more onto the pterodactyl, he noticed that it was carrying one familiar human…
One that wore white underwear, patterned in pink dots and a pink dress that read–
–"Bulma!" The kid's eyes widened in realization. "H-Hold on, I-I'm coming!" He quickly started to run after the pterodactyl in the air.
…But… he wouldn't be able to reach it…
–"But I can't give up! I'll save you Bulma, I promise!" He said, his run becoming unrelenting.
He wouldn't give up. He would save her!
He won't fail the promise he made to his grandfather.
CRASH!
–"Oof!"
The pterodactyl swooped down, flinging Bulma onto a massive nest with a harsh thud. She groaned, dazed, as the beast landed beside her, its talons sinking into the wood.
–"Now then," it rumbled. "Just gotta wait for my kids to wake up."
Bulma blinked, trying to push herself up.
–"W-What...?"
She turned—three massive eggs sat nestled in the center of the nest, their cracked shells shifting ever so slightly.
–"They'll be here soon," the pterodactyl mused. "But..."
Bulma gulped. Slowly, she turned back to the monster.
–"They won't mind if I take a little taste first, right?" It bared its fangs, one glinting ominously.
Bulma's whole body trembled.
–"N-Nooo! Please! D-Don't eat me! I-I'm—"
–"Delicious?" The beast grinned. "I bet."
It leaned in, hot breath washing over her face.
–"Thank you for the meal… Now open wide—"
Bulma closed her eyes in fear, regretting not having a boyfriend before she died.
Its jaw stretched open, sharp teeth gleaming—
BLAM!
–"GLUHKK!"
The beast lurched back with a strangled gasp, his eyes widening in shock.
Bulma's own eyes snapped open—and standing between her and the monster, gripping a wooden branch, was—
–"Makoto!" Her voice cracked in relief.
The boy planted his feet, his grip tightening on his makeshift staff as he glared at the towering beast.
–"Stay back, Bulma! I'll handle this bully!"
The beast rubbed one of his wings on his throat in irritation.
–"Hey, listen. I found her first for me and mah boys to eat. So if you wouldn't mind!"
He swung one of his talons at the little kid, who reacted in time to dodge and push Bulma back for her to avoid getting hurt.
–"You won't eat my friend! She's looking for a special someone!"
–"MA-MAKOTO!"
He didn't listen to her though, as he swung his branch at the beast's hard head,
SNAP
However, this caused his weapon to break in half.
–"W-What?!"
–"Heh, you gonna have to try harder than that, kid. I am one hot-headed guy, so you ain't."
–"Shut up!" He threw each branch to the beast's eyes, landing perfectly to temporarily blind him.
–"Ah! My eyes! My beautiful ey– UGH!"
Makoto swiftly delivered a kick to the beast's stomach, making him reel in pain.
–"Yeah, let's go, Makoto! Hit him harder! Give him hell!" Bulma cheered on from the sidelines, enjoying how the beast was now being pummeled by her new guardian.
CRACK
However, she heard a noise behind her, causing her to turn around.
There, she stood in fright to see how the three pterodactyl eggs began cracking uncontrollably, which sent several spine chills to crawl up her back.
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
Soon, she was face to the three off spring of the pterodactyls.
–"Ahaha…" Bulma nervously laughed, scared to set these kids off. "H-Hey–"
–"DADDY! DADDY! DADDY! DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!"
–"DADDA! DADDA! DADDA! DADDA! DADDA! DADDA!"
–"DADHY! DADHY! DADHY! DADHY! DADHY! DADHY!"
Their high pitched voices gave Bulma a run for her money as they screeched harder and harder
–"DADDY!"
–"DADDA!"
–"DADHY!"
The pterodactyl broke his concentration off of his fight with Maktoo and turned to his kids.
–"Mah baby bois!" The pterodactyl jumped from the nest, causing Bulma and Makoto's ground to shake in the process.
With a resounding boom and a mini earthquake, the parent beast landed next to his offspring.
With now it's back given to the other two, Bulma mumbled in fear.
–"W-What do we do?!"
–"We run!" He exclaimed.
–"Huh?"
–"Grab my hand!" He said, but he took hers instead and began running to the edge.
–"Oh, I'm so happy now! My triplets are now born and I know I'll be proud of ya. Oh, y'all see. I have your whole life planned out!" The beast happily chirped, whilst the three offspring smiled at their father, however, they didn't lose sight of the two humans escaping.
–"Daddy?" One of his kids asked.
–"Yall go to college…" But their father didn't listen, listing out their plans.
–"Dadda?" The second followed.
–"Become accountants, find love…"
–"Dadhy?" And the third one tried as well…
–"And I'll be a grandfather! Oh, how–"
–"DADDY!"
–"DADDA!"
–"DADHY!"
–"WHAT?!" Their father asked, getting a little angry at how his children interrupted him.
–"Fhood's gettin awaeh" The third born said, neither pupil standing straight
–"The food is getting away?!" His eyes widened, as he rapidly turned and saw the girl he hunted and the monkey boy that hurt him about to jump off the edge.
–"Oh, heeelll naw!" The beast stomped their way. "You two are to be eaten bah mah kids! So come back here!"
–"Nuh uh! Ah!" Bulma mocked the pterodactyl from afar, but she got yanked by the little boy, jumping off the ledge.
The pterodactyl just sighed when he saw them jump off, giving their food for dead now.
–"Ugh… Being a single parent sucks…"
–"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
This however wasn't the case… just yet at least, as both the boy and the girl were free falling from where the nest was, quickly falling to their deaths…
…wait…
"WE ARE GONNA DIEHEEHEEEE!" Bulma wailed, flailing her arms as they plummeted toward the jungle below.
Makoto, however, refused to give up. His eyes darted downward, scanning their surroundings. Trees. Lots of trees. That was their best chance.
–"Bulma! Hold on to me and brace yourself!" he shouted over the rushing wind.
–"BRACE FOR WHAT?! THE GROUND?!"
Too late. The jungle canopy rushed up to meet them. Makoto twisted his body mid-air, yanking Bulma toward his chest just as they crashed through the first set of branches.
THUD!
CRACK!
SNAP!
THWACK!
Every branch they hit slowed their fall, but it wasn't exactly a smooth landing…
–"OW!" Makoto grunted as he smacked against a thick branch. "OOF!" Followed by another that hit his jaw.
"AH! W-WATCH THE FACE!" Bulma yelped as a branch slapped her across the forehead. "GAAH! WHO PUT THORNS ON THIS ONE?!"
SNAP!
THUD!
CRUNCH!
Finally, they tumbled through the last layer of leaves and landed in a massive pile of moss and fallen foliage. Makoto landed flat on his back.
–"Ah…"
PUM
And then Bulma landed directly on top of him, her knee stabbing his stomach.
–"aouch…" Makoto's voice wheezed out in a whisper.
–"Oh…" Bulma's gasps left out, as for once since the fall, her body felt oddly comfortably cushioned just now…
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then—
—"Owwwwww..." Bulma groaned, rubbing her aching head.
Makoto coughed, dazed, staring up at the treetops past the purple (or light-blue) hair that fell on his face.
–"...We're alive?"
Bulma blinked, looking around in shock.
–"We're alive?"
She moved a little, freeing the boy underneath. They moved just so slightly so one could face the other.
Then, in perfect sync:
–"WE'RE ALIVE!" They shouted with all the air out of their lungs.
They laughed in hysterical relief, but the moment was short-lived.
RUSTLE.
A branch snapped somewhere above them. Both their heads tilted upward... just in time to see—
–"Uh Oh."
–"Oh Uh."
With a mighty CRACK, the final broken branch they had hit came loose, plummeting straight toward them.
Makoto rolled left.
Bulma rolled right.
And the branch fell down
BUUM!
The branch crashed exactly where they had been lying, sending some dirt flying their both ways.
Bulma sat up, trembling as she watched at the fallen log.
–"T-T-That almost crushed us!"
Makoto wiped some leaves off his face, sighing.
–"Y-Yeah… let's… let's not do that again..."
Bulma huffed, crossing her arms.
–"Next time, you better have a better plan!"
Makoto chuckled nervously. "N-Next time, let's not get kidnapped by a pterodactyl in the first place… ehehe…"
Bulma stood up and opened her mouth to argue with him, however, as she did, she felt her knees wobble and weak
–"W-Watch out!" He quickly stepped in to catch her from falling to the ground.
When Makoto held Bulma in his small arms, he could feel just how hard her body was trembling, shaking in fear. This worried the little boy, his eyes widening.
–"A-Are you alright, Bulma? Do you need help to stand u–"
However, his words were cut short as an arm curled him up, holding onto him for dear life.
–"B-Bulma?"
–"Can… Can we stay like this…? Just for a bit?"
Her voice, low as a murmur and fragile like a falling leaf, asked– no, pleaded for him to hold her a little longer longer.
The boy, in response, hugged her tightly, not letting go for a second.
–"Yeah… All you need, Bulma…"
–"Th-Thank you…" She hid her face on his small shoulder, her sobbing muffled in his clothes.
Makoto rubbed her back the best she could, doing what his grandpa did for him when he got like this…
He remembered the words that soothed him.
–"It's fine, Bulma… It's alright… I'm here now…" He said, gently placing his head against her neck for her to feel his warmth.
–"I'm here for you now."
He felt how she clutched his clothes harder, and she gave in. She left it all out. And Makoto stood beside her the whole way.
Not mentioning how dirty they were, or how she smelled, or… anything really.
It was all fine, it was alright…
He was there for her.
And he would be for as long as he lived...
CHAPTER END.
Notes:
Welp!
*cracks hands*
Finally got it!
*cracks arms*
Finally finished this chapter.
*cracks neck to the left*
This somehow took more than I thought for less than I wanted.
*cracks neck to the right*
But every time It's taking me less time to do so… I'm on a roll!
*cracks waist*
Surely nothing bad's gonna happen to me to break this good streak of mine, right?
*cracks back*
BREAK
…FUUCK
Tomfoolery aside, yeah. I was honestly aiming to have Bulma and Makoto meet Oolong and Co this chapter but seeing how much this ONE chapter took where all I did was just have them meet one another… I think I'm sticking with a small idea I've had for a while.
See… I don't think I'm willing to write EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER of Original Dragon Ball, as there's literally 153 episodes in the show, and whilst not everything is CANON per say… I don't care as the anime is better in every regard in my opinion (Sorry manga purists.) I don't have it in me to spend all that time rewriting every single chapter that goes on in this and try to see where Makoto can fit in onto all of this to make significant changes throughout most of the story.
This doesn't mean I'm skipping OG Dragon Ball because… I'm not.
I wish to cover every major arc in an at least a relevant fashion for Makoto to be in and have some influence in. What I was thinking is making multiple skips over time of different segments that happen in the show, next chapter will surely be the example of what I have in mind.
Also, I do think that Makoto taking Goku's place here doesn't necessarily change a lot of things for a lot of moments, BUT, I do aim to have his involvement change major stuff within the overall story. Otherwise… what's the point, right?
I also have some promising concepts that keep me to the edge of my seat, so I'm hopeful to get there in due time.
After that… I honestly forgor what I was gonna say.
Power Levels:
Grandpa Gohan 135 (He wasn't even named in this chapter, LMAO: Canonically, he's 113, but I ended up hyping him up in the 1st chapter, so I'm sticking with my happy accident.)
Makoto: 8
Pterodactyl: 6 (Source: My source is that I made it the fuck up.)
Bulma: 3 (Bulma officially only has a power level of 12, but that is from DBZ, and from what I can find, she has a power level in between 5-to-12 in OG DB. Which… I don't buy, as the farmer from DBZ had that power level and I'm sorry, I think he'd be able to overpower her scrawny ahh frame.)
No, I'm not mentioning the bear, who cares, lmao.
The only thing left I can think about explaining would be some key differences I made to split Makoto apart from Goku but… I think that would be less fun if I just write it all down, why, and such instead of just… eventually writing them all for you all to read.
And… nope, nothing else comes to mind.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
BUT HEY, THAT'S JUST A THEORY
A FAN FICTION THEORY!
THANKS FOR READING!