Dragon Ball: Legacy Chapter 2 (Patreon)

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Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! Now that Goku and Bulma are setting up for the night, what more can Bulma learn about her new friend? Goku has lived in the incredibly remote Mt. Paozu his whole life, so he has a lot to learn. When two people live together, they can also change each other, even if it’s just a little bit. Who else might they encounter on their travels?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 2 – House, Visitor, Turtle Hermit

“That looks like a nice level spot.” Bulma looked over the bare ground not too far from the dirt road they’d been traveling on. Goku was already gathering firewood to cook the pterodactyl he’d killed. ‘Serves it right for trying to eat me!’ The teen thought to herself as she clicked the button on the Hoi-Poi Capsule and then tossed it at her chosen spot.

With the telltale blast and cloud of smoke, a Capsule House appeared. It was a fairly simple structure of three connected domes. The largest dome in the middle had a roof covered in solar panels. The high-efficiency type made by Capsule Corporation that even worked on cloudy days. The dome on the left had a higher structure, like a small tower, coming from the roof. This was the water catchment and filtering system that allowed a Capsule House to collect rain water and purify it for drinking, washing, or bathing. The right-side dome was the kitchen area, it had all the modern amenities; a range-top oven, freezer/refrigerator, coffeemaker, and a microwave. This particular model also had a tall antenna on top to pick up TV and radio signals, even way out here in the sticks.

“Ah! How lovely.” Bulma smiled at the house as she headed for the door.

“A-Are you sure that you’re not a witch?” Goku gaped at the sudden appearance of a house in the small field. The fire behind him was slowly growing, but he’d almost forgotten about it after seeing what Bulma had just done.

“No, Goku, I’m not a witch.” Bulma rolled her eyes. “This is just a different Capsule. Eat your flying lizard and come in when you’re done, alright?” The city girl sighed as she opened the door. A flip of the switch and the lights came on. ‘First thing’s first!’ She quickly rushed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

“She made a house appear from one of those Capsule thingies…that’s amazing.” Goku blinked at the Capsule House again before shaking his head. He checked the fire and pulled his knives from his small bag to start cleaning the pterodactyl. He’d be eating good tonight!

About an hour later and Bulma had finished off the simple dinner she’d made for herself. Popping something in the microwave counted, in her opinion. She was sitting at the table in the middle of the house when a knock was heard on the door. The city girl looked towards the door in surprise, not thinking that a bumpkin like Goku would know about knocking first.

“Come in, Goku.” Bulma called out and the door opened to allow the Saiyan inside.

“It’s as bright as day in here!” Goku looked shocked at the difference between the night outside and the brightness inside. “What kind of lanterns do you have?”

“You don’t know about electric lights?” Bulma could barely comprehend such primitive living. “You’ve got a long way to go, Goku.” With a mischievous grin, she picked up the remote on the table. “Watch this.” She clicked on the TV and a music video was shown with a man singing and playing a guitar.

“Eh?!” Goku gaped at the seemingly tiny person inside the box. Bulma couldn’t help snickering at the boy’s reaction to technology. “Hey! Get outta that box, you midget!” Goku tapped the TV a few times.

“Ugh…” Bulma put her hand over her nose. “You’re starting to stink up the place, Goku. You need a bath.”

“Bath? Do you have a tub to heat water up in? I can go get the fire going again if you do.” Goku shrugged as he looked at his hands. They were still dirty since he couldn’t find a river anywhere nearby to wash up in. “I would’ve hopped in a river to wash off, but there don’t seem to be any around here.”

“Uh…Goku…” Bulma wasn’t sure she was going to like the answer to what she was about to ask. “When was the last time you took a bath?”

“I hop in the river every other day, usually.” Goku replied as he sniffed his hands. “But heating up water for a hot bath was something me and grampa only did every other week normally.”

“Eeewww!” Bulma recoiled at the idea of using cold river water to bathe. The fact that Goku only really bathed once every two weeks was just so…yuck! “In the bathroom! Now!”

“Huh?” Goku blinked at her in confusion.

“Oh, dear lord…” Bulma exhaled heavily as she explained what a modern bathroom was and how it worked. “I’ll help you this first time, but after that you’re on your own! You Saiyans learn quickly, so you should be fine, right?”

“Probably.” Goku shrugged since he was still coming to terms with being able to make hot water without a fire.

“Come here, Goku!” Bulma called out from the bathroom a few minutes later. She’d told him to take off his clothes so she could help him bathe this one time. Some simple instructions to throw his clothing into the washer/dryer combo and to close the door before coming into the bathroom were given as well. She’d already set the machine, so once the door was closed it would start by itself. Bulma would show him how the tub and stuff worked now, and then let him bathe himself next time. She wasn’t expecting him to walk into the bathroom completely naked with his towel in hand. “Goku! I gave you the towel to cover up with!” She covered her eyes after catching a glimpse of a naked guy for the first time.

“You don’t bathe with a towel, Bulma.” Goku chuckled like she’d said something funny. “Towels are for drying off afterwards.” He stood before her in the buff without a care. Bulma may have covered her face with her hands, but she was clearly peeking through her fingers. Goku without clothes proved he couldn’t be too much younger than her. Her blue eyes drifted down unbidden as she caught sight of his penis again.

“J-Just get in the tub, Goku.” Bulma turned away with bright red cheeks. ‘He’s big…I think?’ Not like she’d seen any other man naked in person. Just the anatomy books from school and the Sex Ed class. Once she heard Goku sit in the tub, she took a deep breath and decided she wouldn’t look down there again. “Alright, so these two handles control the water, this blue one is for cold water, and the red one is for hot water.” She began to explain the bath and took the attached showerhead to begin soaking Goku.

“Hehehe~ That’s nice. Who knew you could have hot water so easily?” Goku laughed as Bulma helped wash him. “This Capsule House thing is great!”

“Yes, yes, now turn around and I’ll wash your back for you.” Bulma couldn’t help but laugh a bit at how easily Goku was impressed by simple things.

“What’s that stuff?” Goku asked as Bulma used shampoo to clean his hair. “It feels weird.” He mentioned of the lathering bubbles.

“It’s shampoo, Goku, soap made specifically for hair.” Bulma answered as she finished washing his hair and began to rinse it out. “This is body wash.” She showed him the bottle as she worked the new stuff into a thick lather. Bulma washed his back and watched his tail sway back and forth a little. She wondered if it was sensitive to touch and brushed her hand against it.

“Hmm?” Goku turned to look over his shoulder. “Why’re you touching my tail?”

“Just curious if it was sensitive.” Bulma replied as she watched the tail move.

“It is, so don’t squeeze it. I lose my strength when my tail is grabbed too hard.” Goku explained as the brown-furred tail wrapped around the long handle of a bath brush and began to scrub his butt.

“Huh, that’s weird.” Bulma cocked an eyebrow at the new information.

“It is?” Goku turned to face her, once more exposing himself.

“Goku, face the other way!” Bulma had almost reflexively looked down and gotten another glimpse of his maleness again. Goku did as she asked and faced the opposite direction again.

“Thanks for showing me all this, Bulma.” Goku smiled at her over his shoulder.

“You’re welcome.” Bulma shook her head. “Do you know how many guys probably dream of me giving them a bath? This almost feels like a waste of my babe-ness.”

Once Goku was clean, inadvertently flashing Bulma as he got out of the tub, he was instructed to dry off and then keep the towel around his waist until his clothes were dry. The Saiyan agreed without a care and walked out of the bathroom to sit in front of the washer/dryer and wait for the buzz that meant it was finished.

“Man, I didn’t know that people could be this out of touch with modern living.” Bulma relaxed in the full tub with bubbles covering the surface of the water. “He’s an alien and thinks I’m a witch just for using capsules.”

“Hey Bulma,” Goku walked into the bathroom in his freshly cleaned clothes.

“Goku!” Bulma screeched as she ducked into the water. “What do you think you’re doing, mister?!” She yelled at the boy, making sure to cover her chest.

“You said there was food in here, right?” Goku looked at her curiously.

“It’s in the refrigerator.” Bulma eyed him incredulously. “But you just ate that entire pterodactyl like an hour ago!”

“Yeah, but a snack before bed sounds good.” Goku grinned and Bulma once more wondered where all of the food disappeared to in Goku’s stomach. “So, girls have their balls on their chests?” He asked as he took in what little of Bulma he could see.

“They’re not balls, they’re boobs!” Bulma sank a little lower in the water. “When you’re a bit older you’re gonna think mine are incredible!” She sighed at Goku’s lack of tact before a thought occurred to her. “Hey…how old are you anyway, Goku?”

“Me?” Goku pointed to himself. “Fourteen…I think? I’m not good with numbers.”

“FOURTEEN?!” Bulma screamed at him. “You’re only two years younger than me?!” She started tossing whatever was in arms reach at the Saiyan. “You’re a little perv, aren’t you?! Out! Out, out, out!” Goku left the bathroom as random sundries bounced off his head and back.

“Girls sure can be weird.” Goku shook his head after closing the door behind him. “Now, the refrigerator was the big white box, right?” He headed into the kitchen with a grin.

“If you just walk into the bathroom when I’m using it again, then I’m shooting you, understand?” Bulma glared at Goku as she blow-dried her hair. She’d changed into a long pink nightgown for bed.

“Yeah, sure thing.” Goku nodded as he finished off the food he’d taken from the refrigerator. “Sorry if I made you mad.”

“Hah…” Bulma clicked off the blow dryer with a sigh. “It’s alright, you obviously don’t know things like this. You’ve been living way out in the middle of nowhere all your life.” She looked him in the eyes for a moment. “So, I guess I’d better teach you a few things before we actually get to a town or city. Gods only know what kind of trouble you could cause without meaning to.”

“Okay…” Goku blinked at her, clearly not understanding.

“Just sit down at the table.” Bulma sighed as she went to grab a few magazines. If Saiyans were as adept at kinesthetic learning as Goku claimed, then the best way to teach him some common sense was to show him pictures and then let him apply what he’d seen. “Okay Goku, first things first, how to tell boys and girls apart, and how to properly interact with people.” She put the small stack of magazines on the table as she sat down.

A couple hours later and it was time for bed. Goku sat on the edge of the only bed in the capsule house with a grin. He bounced a little on the mattress, marveling at the difference between the bed at his home and this one. After Bulma had explained the concept of brushing his teeth and showed him how to use a toothbrush and toothpaste (he really didn’t like the taste of toothpaste) he was ready for bed!

“It’s been a long time since I slept with someone.” Goku smiled as Bulma got something out of the closet.

“Slept with…yeah, no.” Bulma denied him outright. “Here’s the spare futon, and here’s the floor.” She laid out the futon near the bed.

“We’re sleeping apart?” Goku blinked at the futon on the floor.

“Duh.” Bulma looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Girls and boys sleep apart unless they’re in a relationship, Goku.” They’d gone over this earlier, hadn’t they? ‘I didn’t skip the basics of relationships, did I?’ The city girl thought back to what they’d gone over in the last hours.

“Aww…I used to use grampa like a pillow. It was warm and comfy.” Goku explained to her with a smile.

“You’re not using me as a pillow, Goku.” Bulma deadpanned at the Saiyan.

“Okay.” Goku shrugged without a care and moved over to the futon. He lay down and threw the blanket over himself happily.

“Hey…Goku,” Bulma was uncertain if she should bring up this particular topic, but she was curious about how long Goku had been alone. “Your grandpa…how long ago did he pass away?”

“Hm?” Goku looked thoughtful for a second. “About two years ago?”

“Was it an accident, or did he get sick?” Bulma sat on the edge of the bed. Two years alone in the wilderness. Never seeing another person in his entire life. She couldn’t imagine such isolation.

“Grandpa was really old.” Goku recalled how Gohan had started slowing down a bit as he’d grown up. “He told me his time was probably coming a few months before he died.” The Saiyan looked a little morose as he recalled the day in question. “One day, he said he was feeling tired and that he was going to take a nap. He never woke up though. So, I did what he asked and buried him under his favorite tree on the hillside a bit away from the house.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Goku.” Bulma kneeled next to the boy and pulled him into a hug. He was too nice to have to live alone for years after the only person he’d ever known had passed away.

“It’s okay, grampa told me not to be sad.” Goku still returned the hug with a small smile.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Bulma gave him one last little squeeze before returning to the bed. She flicked the lights off and heard Goku snoring lightly only a minute or two later. ‘He’s a tough kid. I wonder how long he’d have stayed there if I hadn’t come along though?’ She felt her eyes grow heavy before she turned over and fell asleep.

-The Next Morning-

“Hmm?” Goku slowly opened his eyes as the first lights of morning peeked in through the drawn curtains. He yawned as he sat up and stretched. Tossing off his blanket, Goku stood up and scratched his head a little. Walking over to the sink in the kitchen he splashed some water on his face before getting a drink. Not knowing what to do for breakfast, or if Bulma would want any, he made his way over to her bed. Seeing the disheveled state that Bulma was in, her blanket almost tossed aside and one leg hanging off the bed, Goku blinked. “She must move a lot in her sleep.” He shrugged and gently moved her leg back onto the bed. He then put the blanket back over her properly.

“Huh…wha?” Bulma grumbled a little at being woken up. The bluenette blinked a few times before yawning. “Goku…it’s too early.” She rolled over to look at him through half-open eyes.

“But the sun’s up, Bulma!” Goku smiled at the girl. “That means it’s time for breakfast!”

“Haaah…” Bulma yawned and sat up. “Fine…I’ll put on some coffee and I think there’s something we can pop into the oven real quick.” She stretched and pulled the blanket aside. Standing up from the bed, still a little bleary-eyed, she made her way into the kitchen. After setting the coffeemaker to begin brewing she popped two trays of ready-to-bake muffins into the oven. Three or four would be enough for her, but Goku would probably finish off the other twenty easily.

“What’s this stuff?” Goku sniffed at the coffeemaker.

“It’s coffee, want some?” Bulma pulled down two mugs. She filled hers first and then Goku’s.

“Eeyuck!” Goku stuck his tongue out after his first taste of coffee. “It’s bitter!”

“It’s supposed to wake you up.” Bulma rolled her eyes at him. “You can add sugar and stuff if you want.”

“Nah, in order to wake up, what you need is exercise!” Goku declared just as the oven dinged. Bulma pulled out the muffins and took a few for herself. Setting both trays down on the table, she let Goku help himself.

“Have at them.” Bulma waved as she sipped her coffee and picked up her first muffin. She watched in no surprise as Goku tried the first muffin, seemed to like it, and then quickly devoured the rest.

“Time for exercise!” Goku declared right after washing his hands in the sink and taking a long drink of water. He was out the door before Bulma could tell him to use a cup for getting a drink.

“It must be a Saiyan thing.” Bulma shook her head and enjoyed her breakfast at a more sedate pace.

Outside, Goku was going through the stances, strikes, and kicks that his grandpa had taught him. After finishing those, he ran around the field until he found a large rock. With a heave he pushed it up off the ground. Picking it up, Goku squeezed the large stone as hard as he could. After a moment, the rock cracked into pieces and fell to the grass. Seeing another rock that was about the same size, Goku was quick to dash over to it. Grabbing the rock, he lifted it into the air and prepared to crush it too. He wasn’t expecting it to talk though!

“What?! I say, what?!” The rock exclaimed and Goku saw something move. The moving object turned out to be a flipper and Goku set the creature down. “Oh…oh my…what a fright.”

“A turtle?” Goku blinked at the large creature. It looked a bit different than the ones around Mt. Paozu. Much larger, of course, but it had flippers instead of legs too.

“Goku?” Bulma stepped out of the Capsule House. “Who’re you talking…to…” She blinked at seeing the large sea turtle. “What’s with the turtle?”

“I just found him.” Goku shrugged off the odd occurrence.

“It’s definitely a sea turtle,” Bulma stated as she looked at it. “But what’s it doing so far inland?”

“Pardon me, but if I might trouble you for a bucket of salt water…and some seaweed, besides…” The sea turtle requested.

“Not exactly shy, are you?” Bulma raised an eyebrow at the animal. She walked back into the house and found a bucket in the storage closet. Filling it with water from the sink, she took a container of salt and dropped a good amount in. She was sure that she had some seaweed sheets in the pantry too.

“Ahh…” The sea turtle sighed in relief after finishing his ‘meal’. “Thank you…thank you so much.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Bulma was a bit intrigued by this turtle’s presence.

“I should explain…” The sea turtle looked between Goku and Bulma. “You see, I…am a turtle.”

“What am I…blind?” Bulma couldn’t help but snark at the obvious statement.

“I’m a sea turtle, to be precise…but I went gathering mushrooms, don’t you know, and…well, dash it all! I took a wrong turn!” The sea turtle explained how he’d ended up outside Bulma’s Capsule House. “I’ve been wandering around for the past year, trying to find my way back to the sea.”

“Wow…a whole year?” Goku blinked at the sea turtle.

“But you’re going in the exact opposite direction!” Bulma informed the turtle pointedly. “And you’ve gone a long, long way!” She walked inside to quickly grab her atlas. She flipped through it before finding the map she needed. “The sea is to the south, roughly…one-hundred-twenty kilometers away.”

“One…one-hundred-twenty…oh dear…” The sea turtle gaped at the distance.

“Hey, you want us to take you to that ‘sea’ thing?” Goku asked while pointing at himself.

“Would you really?! Oh jolly!” The sea turtle smiled happily.

“Goku…we’ve got our own quest, remember?” Bulma looked at the Saiyan with a raised eyebrow.

“Aww, come on, Bulma.” Goku smiled at the girl. “Maybe helping him will help us too?” He remembered his grandpa saying something about good things happening to those that helped others.

“Goku…” Bulma sighed before she headed inside. “One sec…” She picked up the Dragon Radar and clicked the button on top. The screen came to life and with two more clicks, Bulma checked the distance and direction against the map. “Huh…the one to the southwest is sort of in that direction. Hmm, it might actually be in the ocean though.” Deciding it couldn’t hurt to check, the bluenette made her decision.

“Well?” Goku looked at Bulma with a grin.

“We’ll help you.” Bulma told the sea turtle with a half-smile. “Just let me change first.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you both!” The sea turtle was almost in tears.

“I knew Bulma would say ‘yes’.” Goku laughed along with the happy turtle.

Bulma couldn’t hide the smile that formed from hearing Goku’s words. She closed the door behind her and went to her dresser. She quickly put some of her semi-long blue hair into a side ponytail. Since they’d be headed to the beach, she grabbed her swimsuit, a red bikini, along with a midriff-bearing t-shirt and some shorts. After changing her clothes, she exited the Capsule House and with the press of a button had it back in capsule form.

“Alright, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s hit the road!” Bulma threw a capsule and a motorbike appeared in a cloud of smoke.

“I’ll carry you, turtle.” Goku hefted the large reptile onto his back without much trouble. Bulma got onto the dirt road and led the way. Goku kept pace with her, even with the large turtle on his back.

The trio was making good time in the morning as they headed south. Bulma was honestly astonished by the strength and stamina that Goku possessed. He’d been keeping pace with her motorbike while carrying the heavy sea turtle this whole way. Sure, she wasn’t going as fast as the motorbike was capable of, but Goku was keeping up with a speed that would make a marathon runner jealous.

‘That Saiyan physiology is something else.’ Bulma marveled at the difference between Humans and Saiyans again. Stronger, faster, more durable, slower aging, the whole species seemed perfectly evolved to survive and fight. ‘It’s enough to make a person a little envious.’ She mused as they approached some large cliffs that would lead into mountains a bit later. That was a good sign, after they passed the edge of the mountains, they’d be at the sea not too long afterwards.

“HALT!!!” A large bear beastman demanded as he stood in the middle of the road. He was decked out in traditional leather armor, white pants, and boots on his feet. The mountain of a beastman had a mohawk, a scar over his left eye, and a massive scimitar-like sword in his right hand. “And how did you know that sea turtle was my favorite dish?” The obvious bandit laughed with drool dripping from his muzzle.

“Uh…Goku…you might want to do what he says…” Bulma looked up at the towering bear bandit.

“Nyaaah!” Goku stuck out his tongue at the beastman.

“Oh ho…a wise guy, eh? Just hand over the reptile, boy.” The bandit chuckled as he brandished his sword. “If you do, I might let you live.”

“Goku! Are you really gonna risk your life for a turtle that you’ve only known since this morning?!” Bulma yelled at him, far more concerned about her new friend than a sea turtle.

“Hop off for a second, turtle.” Goku let the sea turtle down and the reptile quickly scrambled away.

“So…you wanna be my appetizer, eh?” The bear bandit mocked as he raised his sword. “Well, I do aim to please!” He swung the blade down onto Goku. But the boy wasn’t there anymore.

“Behind you!” Goku called out and the bear bandit spun to face the Saiyan.

“Heh heh heh heh…you’re a nimble little monkey, I’ll give you that.” The beastman raised his sword and went for a bisecting swing. Goku vanished as the blade passed through the air where he’d been.

“Yoohoo!” Goku laughed as he stood on the wide blade with a grin.

“Argh! How did you?!” The bear bandit growled at the boy making a mockery of him. He blinked and went cross-eyed when Goku jumped onto his muzzle.

“Jan Ken Gu!” Goku punched the bandit right between the eyes. There was a cracking sound and blood gushed from the beastman’s eyes as he fell backwards and crashed into the ground. Goku was smiling as he walked back to Bulma and the sea turtle. “Okay, we can go now. He won’t hurt anyone else again.”

“I say…I do say…” The turtle stared in shock at seeing the easy defeat of such a massive opponent.

“He’s…he’s that strong?!” Bulma gaped at Goku’s smiling face. She knew he was strong, of course, but he’d toppled that mountain of a bandit in a single punch!

“Do you really taste good?” Goku asked the turtle curiously.

“NO!” The sea turtle denied instantly. “Th-That is to say…most people find sea turtles to be quite nasty! Some would even call them foul tasting!” He gave a nervous laugh.

“Well, you certainly don’t look tasty to me.” Goku shrugged as he hefted the large turtle onto his back again. He missed the relieved sigh that the turtle gave off.

A few hours later and the trio arrived on a beach. It was rather picturesque with white sand and palm trees bearing coconuts. The sun was shining and the ocean tide rolled in and out. A few seabirds could be seen further down the beach too. All in all, it was a lovely area and Bulma was glad that she’d brought her swimsuit.

“I say you two! You’ve done it! It’s the sea!” The turtle rejoiced happily at seeing the ocean again.

“Whoa! What a wide river!” Goku exclaimed at his first view of the ocean. “Must be pretty roomy, huh?” He smiled at the sea turtle.

“How can I ever thank you?!” The turtle had tears in his eyes as he felt the tide lap against him. “Really, I say, such generosity must not go unrewarded!” He paddled out into the waves a bit further before turning to look at the duo. “Could you wait here for just a little bit? I’ll bring you back a lovely reward, really!”

“Reward?” Goku tilted his head at the turtle’s words.

“Can’t wait to see what a turtle’s idea of a reward is like.” Bulma mentioned as they watched the sea turtle swim away. Once the reptile was out of sight, Bulma stretched and pulled off her t-shirt. Her shorts were tossed off next, leaving her in just her red bikini. She stepped into the water and cooed at the cool sensation.

Goku removed his shoes and socks and followed after Bulma. The two enjoyed the shallow water for a bit before Goku got curious. He gathered some sea water in his cupped hands and brought it to his face. Not seeing anything in the water, he brought it to his mouth.

“Goku, don’t drink the…” Bulma tried to warn him, but was too late.

“Gak!” Goku spit the water out and stuck out his tongue at the taste. “Who put all the salt in the water?!” Bulma couldn’t help but giggle at him. Goku, carefree as he was, didn’t take offense and even laughed along with her.

It was almost two hours later that Bulma, now sunbathing, spotted something approaching the beach. “Hey…what’s that?”

“Huh?” Goku looked towards where Bulma was pointing. “It’s the turtle, all right…but he’s got someone on his back.”

“You can actually see that far?” Bulma had her hands over her eyes and still only saw a vague dot. ‘Chalk up stronger senses for the Saiyans too.’ Bulma noted in her mind. Honestly, the longer she spent with Goku, the more she learned and the more she envied the physiological benefits that Saiyans were born with. “So, who in the heck is he?” She wondered as the turtle got close enough to the shore for her to see the old man riding on the back of the reptile.

“Aloha!” The old man greeted the two with a wave. He was bald, with a long white mustache and beard. He had sunglasses over his eyes, a staff in his right hand, and a large turtle shell on his back. His clothing was a loose button-up red shirt with black letters scattered randomly over the cloth, along with white shorts and flip flops.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” The sea turtle smiled at his saviors.

“Off we go.” The old man jumped off the turtle’s back and onto the sand.

“Is…is the old man supposed to be the reward?” Bulma looked between the man and the sea turtle in confusion.

“Howdy, youngsters.” The old man nodded to the pair. “So, you helped my friend here?”

“Who’re you, old man?” Goku asked curiously.

“I?” The old man spoke. “I am Kame Sen’nin, the Turtle Hermit!” He turned to the turtle after his introduction. “Both of them help you?”

“Yes, sir, they were both so kind to me!” The sea turtle nodded.

“Turtle…Hermit?” Bulma blinked at the odd title.

“Well then, we owe you both a debt of gratitude.” Kame Sen’nin smiled at the pair. “And I’m paying up with a mighty nice reward!”

“You are?” Goku wondered if the old man was going to bring another, even older, man.

“Come to me…Immortal Phoenix!” Kame Sen’nin called out as he raised his staff. After a very long moment of nothing happening, Bulma spoke up.

“Was that ‘Immortal’…or ‘Invisible’?” She questioned the old man.

“Sir…if you’ll recall the unpleasantness with the tainted bird seed.” The turtle reminded and the old man seemed to make a realization.

“Gah, that’s right! We lost the poor fella.” Kame Sen’nin recalled the fate of the phoenix.

“The ‘immortal phoenix’…died?” Bulma was very much confused now.

“Hmm…I was gonna ask him to grant you immortality…but I guess we better scratch that.” The old man ran a hand through his white beard. “Wait, I’ve got it, this will be even better!” He raised his staff again. “Come to me, Flying Nimbus!” After a few seconds, something did indeed respond to the old man’s call.

“Hey!” Goku beamed as a golden cloud flew down from the sky.

“It…It’s a cloud!” Bulma nearly gaped at the cloud that had been summoned.

‘Phew, glad that still worked.’ Kame Sen’nin thought to himself. “This is the Flying Nimbus…and I give it to you.”

“So, how do you eat it?” Goku questioned as he looked over the golden cloud.

“You don’t eat a magical cloud, boy!” The old man admonished. “You ride it! It’ll take you wherever you desire!”

“Wow! It’ll really fly me wherever?!” Goku’s excitement was peaked now!

“That’s the ticket, boy!” Kame Sen’nin chuckled. “But…unless you’re pure of heart, it’ll never even let you on! This cloud has got standards!” Seeing he had both of the youngsters’ attention he decided to demonstrate. “Now, watch this!” He leapt up and his feet touched the golden cloud.

Only to fall straight through it and land hard on the sand.

“Eeyow! My hip!” Kame Sen’nin cried out dramatically.

“Pffft!” Bulma held her hand over her mouth but couldn’t contain her laughter. “Hahahaha!”

“M-Master…how can this be?!” The sea turtle exclaimed in shock. “Surely, it’s some kind of defect?”

“Needs a mystical tune up, maybe?” The old hermit guessed.

“Let me try!” Goku hopped onto the golden cloud without trouble, much to the shock of everyone. “I’m on a cloud! I’m on a cloud!” He whooped happily.

“It…seems fixed, sir.” The turtle stared blankly at the boy hopping on the cloud.

“Maybe just a temporary glitch?” Kame Sen’nin suggested in a flat tone.

“Go, cloud!” Goku declared and the Flying Nimbus took off. Goku cheered as he quickly ascended into the air. He did loops, spirals, dives, and all sorts of crazy maneuvers as if he’d been riding a magical cloud his whole life. He came to a stop in front of the others with a beaming smile on his face. “This is great! Thanks, a billion!”

“You make it look like it was meant for you, boy.” The hermit chuckled at the excited kid. Goku quickly went flying off again with a loud whoop of joy.

“Hey, old timer, hey!” Bulma got the old man’s attention. “Give me one too!”

“Well…” Kame Sen’nin scratched his bald head. “I only have the one magic cloud.” He tried to think of something else he had to give.

“Huh?” Bulma noticed a glint coming off something beneath the old man’s beard. When she tilted her head to get a better view, she nearly gasped when she noticed it was a Dragon Ball on the end of a simple necklace! “What about that?” She pointed at the orange ball.

“Hmm?” The hermit looked down at his necklace. “Oh, you like it? I picked it up off the ocean floor almost a hundred years ago and put it into this necklace.” He held the orange sphere up. “Pretty, ain’t it?”

“I’ll take that, if you’re willing to part with it.” Bulma smiled at the old man.

“Hmm, I’ve had it for a long time.” Kame Sen’nin looked at the orange ball with three red stars in it. “Am I ready to part with it?” He looked at the blue-haired girl again.

“Hey now…” Bulma put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you eyeing me up since you got here, mister!” She knew her red bikini showed off a good amount of her cleavage, and the bottoms didn’t cover all of her booty. It was no surprise that she’d drawn the old man’s eyes.

“Hrk!” The old man sucked in a sharp breath.

“I say, sir! Really, now?! I mean, you know, really?!” The sea turtle snapped at the old man.

“Cut me some slack!” Kame Sen’nin yelled back at the reptile. “It’s hard being the turtle hermit! I deserve the occasional beachside ogling!”

“Well, now we know why the cloud…” The turtle looked less than amused.

“Oh, shut up!” The hermit retorted with his face red.

“Fine…” Bulma rolled her eyes and turned around, letting the old man get a good look at her bikini-clad butt.

“Whoa, mama…!” The old man grinned perversely.

“Now can I, have it?” Bulma turned back around with her hand out.

“Alright, sure, sure, sure!” Kame Sen’nin pulled the necklace off and handed it over with a wide smile.

“Yo, Goku!” Bulma waved the Saiyan down once she had the Dragon Ball in hand. “Get your monkey butt down here!”

“What’s up?” Goku asked as he glided in on the Flying Nimbus.

“Look what I got!” Bulma smiled as she showed off her reward for helping the turtle.

“A Dragon Ball!” Goku exclaimed upon seeing the orange sphere.

“The Three-Star Ball!” Bulma nodded with a wide smile.

“Dragon Ball?” Kame Sen’nin blinked at the unfamiliar term.

“My radar showed one to the southwest that was pretty far away. This must be it!” Bulma smiled as she took the Dragon Ball back from Goku. “Thank you so much, old timer!” She beamed at the turtle hermit.

“Uh, yeah, sure, no problem.” The old man waved it off. Maybe it was valuable in some way? But he’d owed the girl, and she’d even let him get a little ogling in, so he’d part with it. ‘Too bad I didn’t bring my camera.’ He lamented not being able to get a picture of the young beauty in her swimsuit.

In short order the two duos parted ways. Kame Sen’nin hopped onto the back of the large sea turtle and rode out into the ocean. Bulma and Goku said their goodbyes. Bulma hopped onto her motorbike, after putting her t-shirt and shorts back on, and drove inland. She was easily followed by Goku on the Flying Nimbus. As the beach grew further and further away, the old hermit spoke to his friend.

“Well, that was worthwhile, sure enough.” He chuckled lightly. “Sometimes it’s good to be alive.”

“Uh huh…” The sea turtle deadpanned.

“Oh hush, you!” The old man huffed.

Meanwhile, on their way down the road, Goku and Bulma were chatting too.

“See? Aren’t you glad we helped the turtle out?” Goku laughed as he flew on his new golden cloud.

“Yeah, yeah, you were right.” Bulma was too happy to even try and argue. They had four out of the seven Dragon Balls! She even still had a month left of her school break! She’d have her wish with time to spare at this pace!

If the duo made good time for the rest of today, they’d be able to collect the next Dragon Ball soon enough. Since they’d taken this detour to help the sea turtle, they were further away from the Dragon Ball they’d originally been going after. By Bulma’s best guess, it would probably take them another three days to get there.

-End Chapter-

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Another chapter down! The fourth Dragon Ball acquired!

Goku and Bulma have gotten to know each other a little better. Goku is still a bottomless pit that has no concept of modern technology. Bulma is showing that she can be sympathetic to a boy left all alone in the world.

With some teaching from Bulma to widen his understanding of the outside world, how will the future of the journey change?

What awaits our duo at the next Dragon Ball location? They’ve got a lot of ground to cover!

What other changes await us on the Quest to find the Dragon Balls?

Keep reading to find out!

Power Levels

Goku – 10

Bulma - 2

Until I get your reviews, later!

Just like before, this post cannot have a Tier Reward used on it.

I need to finish a few of the ongoing stories before I put out anything else.

This was just another exclusive gift to my Patrons while I'm away on my trip.