The Turtle Hermit Appears!
A day or two passed as they continued on their journey. Bulma displayed more of her magic powers by turning one of those beans into a house! They took a bath inside the house and that was when Goku found out that apparently girls get "boobs" when they grow older. Goku didn't really like that idea. They looked like they'd just get in the way of fighting! Bulma looked at her kind of funny when she'd said that. Also, apparently the beans were things called "capsules" but Goku was still pretty sure that Bulma was just pretending not to be a witch.
They drove for a while on the "bike" and Bulma was much more awake than she had been the first day. Apparently, it had something to do with something called "coffee." More magic! Eventually, they came to a stop because there was a big, brown rock in the road! Goku wondered why Bulma wouldn't just drive around it but Bulma told her that her bike could only go on roads.
"Not all that magical," Goku muttered as she hopped off the bike and walked over to the rock, grabbing it.
"I told you," Bulma insisted, "It's not magic!" Goku just shrugged and grabbed the rock and started to pick it up. As she lifted it over her head, the rock grew legs and a head! "Oh my Gosh, it's a turtle!" Bulma exclaimed.
"The heck is a turtle?" Goku asked but then the turtle, whatever that was, spoke up for himself!
"I'm a turtle," he said plainly, "Now please, put me down!" He seemed pretty polite so Goku did as she was asked. Bulma stared at the turtle, shocked. Apparently, turtles weren't supposed to talk. "Could I trouble you for some salt water?" Bulma reached into her little satchel full of capsules and popped one open, revealing a bucket of salt water.
"A girl needs to exfoliate," she explained but Goku hadn't really asked and she didn't know what the heck "exfoliate" meant. The turtle dunked his head in the bucket and drank, gripping the bucket in his flippers. When he finally pulled his face out, Bulma started asking him some questions. "So what the heck are you even doing out here, buddy? This is a long way inland for a sea turtle," after a pause, she added, "And, oh yeah, how the heck are you able to talk!?" The turtle smacked his lips, smiling at her.
"Thank you for the salt water, my dear," he said politely, bobbing his head. "As for your questions, my master taught me how to speak and a few weeks ago, there was a terrible storm that blew me off my island, all the way out here. I've been trying to get home but I'm terribly lost." That made Goku sad and she gave the turtle a little pat on his shell. He bobbed his head around as if looking for something, "Could you tell me which way is the coast?" Bulma looked around then pulled out her Dragon Radar.
"The coast is… that way," Bulma said eventually, pointing west. "About forty miles. Good luck!" She went to hop on her bike but Goku wasn't moving. "Hey, kid, come on!" she said. "We've got a whole big adventure, remember?" Goku frowned and shook her head.
"We can't just leave him here!" she insisted, folding her arms across her chest. There was no way he could make it all the way to the ocean by himself! He didn't even have feet! Bulma huffed and started up her bike.
"Come on, Goku!" she whined. "Who knows who else could be looking for the Dragon Balls!" But Goku just picked up the turtle and put him on her back as he gave a surprised shout. Bulma humphed as Goku started walking then pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue. "Fine! I'll do it by myself! And I'll wish for whatever I want!" Then she tore down the road, leaving them in the dust. Goku shrugged and put the turtle on her back, marching off towards the west.
"So, what should I call you?" she asked the turtle as they walked. If a turtle could speak, it could have a name too, right?
"You can call me Turtle," he said politely. Well, so much for that idea, Goku thought as she tramped along.
"So, what can you tell me about your master?" Goku asked. She didn't want to send the turtle back to him if he was a jerk or something.
"My Master is Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit." Goku grinned at that and tried not to giggle. "He is one of the greatest martial artists in the world," he added and Goku went all starry-eyed. She hoped she actually got to meet this great martial artist. Maybe he'd even teach her some moves! That would be something.
They walked for a while, not saying much. For a while, Goku asked Turtle what it was like to be a… turtle. Apparently it involved a lot of swimming. And all you ate was seaweed and jellyfish. It was probably fine for Turtle but it just sounded awful to Goku. She didn't think she'd like being a turtle very much. As they were walking in silence, though, the ground started to shake and the birds flew out from the trees, squawking in distress. Goku looked around, her tail twitching as she waited for whatever was coming. It kind of smelled like a… bear?
Then it came out of the trees: An enormous bear, as tall as the trees, holding a sword bigger than Goku and wearing armor. Drool dripped from its fangs as it looked down menacingly at them, brandishing its sword.
"Well hi there!" Goku said cheerfully as she felt Turtle tremble against her back. "What are you looking for?" The bear let out a low, rumbling laugh, holding the edge of the sword between two claws, running them up and down the blade. It made a high-pitched whine that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
"I'm quite hungry, you see," the bear said in a guttural voice. "And I plan to dine…" the bear reached up to its helmet, pulling down the guard to cover its face, "...on turtle soup!" It raised the sword high overhead and Goku cocked her head to the side.
"Well, that's kind of a problem," she pointed out. "We're out in the woods, and the only turtle is- ohhhhh!" Goku realized what was going on just in time to jump back, letting Turtle drop to the ground, the razor sharp blade missing cutting her in half by inches. She leaped up into the air, throwing out a thrust kick into the bear's chest, staggering it and putting a shoe-shaped dent in its armor. The bear slammed back into a tree then roared, swinging its sword wildly. Goku ducked and dodged every swing of the sword until she just bit down on the blade and wrenched it from the bear's grip, snapping the steel in two. The bear stared in disbelief and she dropped back down to the ground into a fighting stance, hopping on the balls of her feet.
Then her stomach growled. Goku's knees went weak as she suddenly remembered she hadn't eaten in hours. Her hands went to her stomach and all her strength and energy drained from her. The bear advanced on Goku and Turtle, claws outstretched, licking its chops. This was definitely trouble.
OoOoO
Bulma was going full-throttle through the woods, scared out of her mind. She'd gone maybe five miles before she realized that the woods were full of monsters and that just two days ago she'd almost been killed by a dinosaur! Those were supposed to all be gone! Stupid public school textbooks… And with no gun and absolutely no survivor skills, she realized that she desperately needed her half-pint bodyguard. But she couldn't find her. How far could she get with a giant turtle on her back?
So Bulma had taken her bike off-road, which it wasn't even supposed to be able to do, and she had no idea where she was going or where to look. She was so wrapped up in her panic that she didn't notice the rock that was right in her path until she was flying again. She didn't like flying without planes! People weren't supposed to fly! She screamed her head off as she soared through the air, eyes screwed shut as she headed back to Earth, hoping her corpse wouldn't be too horribly mangled when she landed. She wanted to be pretty at her funeral. Then she realized no one would find her out here and she'd be eaten by wolves. And that just made her scream even louder.
OoOoO
The bear reached out its claws and Goku crawled her way to put herself between Turtle and the bear. Maybe she could make the bear choke to death on her, at least. But then Bulma came out of the sky and hit the bear in the back of the head, cracking its helmet in half. The bear staggered as Bulma came to a halt a few feet later, hugging her bike and crying.
"Bulma!" Goku called out as she struggled to her feet. "I need the capsule with the pterodactyl meat!" Bulma opened her eyes slowly and realized what she was seeing and seemed all prepared for a fresh bout of screaming but Goku cut her off. "Bulma! Please! Food!" The bear gave a groan as it started slowly getting to its feet, holding the back of its head where a large knot was forming. Bulma nodded frantically and tossed the capsule on the ground, a full rack of Pterodactyl ribs appearing in its place. Goku dove onto them, ripping the meat off the bones as it disappeared into her stomach.
Goku flexed as her energy filled her back up and turned to face the bear as it roared in her face, ready to bite her head off. Goku took out her power pole and jumped in the air, extending the pole and bringing it down on the beast's head. A sickening crack filled the air before the bear fell backwards, stiff as a board, dead. Goku grinned up at Bulma when she reached the ground before she ran to the other girl and hugged her around the legs.
"What made you come back?" Goku asked cheerfully and Bulma fought the urge to squirm. She didn't like to be hugged. No one was supposed to hug her except her perfect boyfriend she was going to wish for! He'd have long hair, and he'd be strong and rugged and rich. Probably royalty. But he wouldn't be taller than her.
"Oh, y'know, I couldn't just abandon you out here!" Bulma lied. Goku grinned at that, hugging Bulma again, and didn't seem to mind when Bulma pushed her away. Bulma was a great friend! Bulma got back on her bike and patted the space behind her. Good thing it had a load bearing capacity of half a ton. "Come on," she urged. "Let's go take the turtle to the stupid ocean." Anything to get them back on track. Goku grinned and put the turtle back on her back before climbing onto the bike as they sped away.
An hour or so later, they finally arrived at the coast. Goku hopped off the bike and the turtle slid off her back and made his way to the sea.
"Please wait here," he asked them. "I will return with my master. He will be very grateful, I'm sure!" Bulma rolled her eyes as Goku waited eagerly, hopping up and down. She was going to meet the greatest martial artist ever! Time passed as they waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Bored, Bulma looked at her Dragon Radar, wondering if anyone had found the other Balls yet and was stealing her chance at bubble soap that would give her a diamond bubble bath while they were waiting for a stupid old man. Well, one Ball was moving. Great. No, wait. There was a second one moving, too. Moving towards them. Bulma's eyes went wide and she stared out at the ocean as something drew towards them.
"No way," she mouthed silently. But, sure enough, the turtle returned carrying an old man on his back! His head was impossibly shiny and his beard as white as snow. He was wearing a tropical shirt, board shorts, and green sunglasses. He also had a knobbly cane but never mind that, he was wearing a Dragon Ball on his neck. The old man hopped off the turtle's back when he came ashore, nodding at them.
"Hello," he said in a creaky old voice, "My name's Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. It seems you nice young ladies returned my turtle to me." He gave the turtle a pat on the head. "I'm quite grateful for that." Before Bulma could say anything, Goku butted in.
"Hey! My name's Goku!" she said, grinning widely, bursting with exuberance. "Are you really one of the best martial artists ever? How did you teach your turtle to talk?" She just had to know! The Hermit grinned, letting out a chuckle.
"I live on an island in the middle of the ocean," he said ruefully. "If I didn't teach this turtle to talk, I'd have gone crazy a long time ago. It wasn't easy. Raised this guy from a hatchling, I did." Bulma had to interject there.
"Hold on a second!" she shouted. "That turtle is over a hundred years old!" Roshi adjusted his sunglasses, frowning behind his beard.
"Did I stutter?" he asked then shrugged before turning his attention to Goku. "So, you said your name was Goku?" Goku nodded eagerly. "I think I remember a former student of mine talking about a strange little girl he'd found in the woods named Goku." Goku gasped in surprise, holding her face in her hands.
"You knew my Grandpa Gohan?" she asked, excited. Her Grandpa had taught her martial arts. How good was Muten Roshi to have been able to teach him? Roshi nodded, rubbing his chin again.
"Hmmm. Now, what can I do for your service and for being a child of my favorite pupil…" he muttered then started talking to himself, counting off on his fingers. "Lost the magic carpet. Killed the immortal phoenix. The magic shoes flew away. The bag of endless storage is full…" He frowned then Turtle leaned up and whispered in his ear. "Ah, yes!" Roshi shouted, pointing his staff into the sky. "To me, Flying Nimbus!" He cried dramatically and then a cloud came, well, soaring down from the clouds. It was a yellow cloud that slowly bobbed in the air. "The Flying Nimbus will take you anywhere you want to go," he said then went to lean on it. "And it can only be used by the pure of- HERK!" Roshi went right through the cloud and face-planted in the sand. Bulma covered her giggles with her hand as Goku hopped up onto the cloud and Roshi sputtered out sand.
"This is so cool!" she exclaimed. She had a magical flying cloud! She could fly! She giggled, grabbing two fistfuls of fluff and pulling on the cloud. It soared up into the air and she threw back her head back and laughed as she spiraled up into the bright blue sky. Bulma turned her attention back to Roshi, holding out her hands.
"Okay, Goku got her fancy flying cloud or whatever." Pfft. Stupid cloud. She had personal jets. Why did she want a cloud? She wasn't jealous. "What about me?" Roshi frowned, adjusting his glasses.
"You're a very rude girl," he muttered. He looked down at the turtle and shrugged. "All the same, fair's fair. What is it you want?" Bulma's eyes drifted down to the Dragon Ball around his neck. Roshi palmed it in his hand, looking down, pulling the necklace away from his neck. "Gohan and I took two of the Dragon Balls," he said. "We knew their power was terrible. We knew they had to be kept separate. It's why we lived in such remote places." He sighed, "What are you even going to do with these, girl?"
"We're going to bring Gohan back," Bulma blurted out. It was all she could think of. The tiny part of her voice that was her conscience told her that she was now lying to a small child and an old man. But she was on the spot! Roshi frowned, looking shocked behind his glasses.
"Gohan died?" he asked in soft disbelief. Roshi looked down and sighed, taking off the necklace and handing it to her. "Here," he said. "If you really are doing what you say, I can't keep ya from doin' it." Bulma took the Dragon Ball in her hand and she wanted to hold it in the air triumphantly but she didn't feel very triumphant at the moment. Goku eventually descended to the ground and Bulma was thankful for the distraction from her sudden onrush of guilt.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, holding up the necklace. "We've got four!" Goku grinned as she hopped off the Nimbus. She walked over to Roshi and gave the old man a hug and he seemed genuinely happy to reciprocate. She pulled away after a moment, looking up at the old master with awe.
"When me and Bulma are done with the Dragon Ball stuff, can I train with you?" she wanted to learn more about martial arts. She wanted to learn from the man that taught her grandpa. Roshi smiled, ruffling her hair.
"Nothing would make me happier," he told her as Goku jumped back onto Nimbus.
"Let's go, Bulma!" She urged and Bulma started climbing onto it but slammed into the ground even faster than Roshi. Her face went red with embarrassment and anger.
"Your stupid cloud is broken!" she snapped then hopped on her bike and drove away. Goku looked back and waved at Roshi, flying after Bulma. Bulma was excited as they made their way back down the road, heading for adventure. They were more than halfway to her magical horse made of butterflies. But still, she wondered where that other Dragon Ball was going….
OoOoO
Deep in the bowels of a crypt of ancient kings from before the Eternal Dragon had united the world under a single kingdom, the would-be Emperor Pilaf and his only two subjects, the mysterious Mai and the canine ninja Shu, had found their first Dragon Ball. The strange blue goblin grinned as he looked at the orb in his hands, holding it high overhead.
"Soon!" he cackled, seeing his own reflection in the luster. "Once we have all seven, I shall take my rightful place as ruler of the world!" He cackled again, looking at his subjects, who were on eye level with him at bended knee. "For as my great-great-grandfather Quinoa was the rightful ruler of this world before the Eternal Dragon stole his throne from him, so shall the Dragon return me to my power!" He laughed again but this time a bit too loudly and a suit of armor came tumbling down, a skeleton falling out of the helmet. The three shrieked in unison and ran out of the catacombs, Pilaf cutting in front, holding the Ball high overhead.