Dragon Ball: Legacy Chapter 3 (Patreon)

I don't know WHY this was the only thing my Muse was willing to work on, but I hope you'll all enjoy it while I try and focus it onto the other stories that I know you all are waiting for.

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! It’ll take three days to get to the location of the next Dragon Ball. But what will our intrepid duo find once they get there? As long as they continue to follow Bulma’s Dragon Radar, they’ll inevitably find the Dragon Ball. But that doesn’t mean strange situations won’t stand in their way on this quest.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 3 – Oolong the Terrible

“It’s getting dark.” Bulma mentioned as the sun was setting. She and Goku had made pretty good time on their travel after parting ways with the old man at the beach.

“Yep, are you going to set up your house bomb?” Goku looked over at her from atop the Flying Nimbus.

“House Capsule, Goku.” Bulma reminded him with a roll of her blue eyes. “And yes, as soon as we find a decent spot.” The two continued to move down the road, Bulma well aware that Goku’s cloud could outpace any vehicle that she had on her right now. But the Saiyan boy was perfectly content to follow the road with her and just keep the pace she set.

“What about there?” Goku pointed down the road, farther than Bulma could see.

“Hmm?” Bulma tried to see what he was pointing at, but it took a few more moments of travel before her eyes could see the location. It was a flat field, filled with short grasses and right next to the road. It was a decent distance away from the surrounding forest too. “Yeah, that’ll do.” Bulma agreed with a shrug. She pulled over once they reached the area and dismounted her motorbike.

“Need any help, Bulma?” Goku asked, wanting to be helpful if he could.

“Nah, it’s simple.” Bulma capsulized her motorbike and placed it into her capsule case. She took out the larger capsule and clicked the button on top. “Stand clear.” She tossed the capsule forward a good distance, with a bam and a cloud of smoke the Capsule House appeared again.

“Alright, time to hunt!” Goku declared with a smile.

“Hunt?” Bulma raised an eyebrow at Goku. “Why?”

“You don’t have enough food.” Goku answered simply. “If I eat normally, all of your food is going to be gone in just a couple days.”

“Huh, you are a bottomless pit, so that’s probably right.” Bulma nodded, getting in a little playful ribbing. “So, you’ll hunt to fill your stomach while we travel?”

“Uh huh, I did it for years at grandpa’s place.” Goku smiled at his friend. “I wonder what they have around here?” He scanned the forest at the edge of the field. “Maybe deer?”

“Feel free to use the spices and stuff in the kitchen when you’re cooking up whatever you catch.” Bulma offered to the Saiyan. It was the least she could do, considering that Goku was clearly trying to let her keep most of the food that she’d brought along.

“Thanks, Bulma!” Goku beamed at her before rushing off towards the forest as the sun slowly began to sink below the horizon.

“Man, he’s fast.” Bulma shook her head. It had only taken Goku a handful of seconds to clear the field and disappear into the trees. She stretched her arms above her head, letting out a sigh as a small pop was heard. “Let’s get something to eat.” Bulma headed inside the Capsule House and to the kitchen to decide on her dinner.

Bulma was settling down at the table, having just set her freshly cooked meal in front of her chair, when there was a knock at the door. Heading over to the door, she looked through the peephole (just in case) and saw Goku. Opening the door, she was met with the sight of Goku’s hunt.

“Hey Bulma! I caught a boar!” Goku laughed while gesturing to the massive wild pig he’d hunted.

“I can see that.” Bulma blinked at the dead beast. “Geez, I knew the animals could get big deep in the wilds, but that thing's huge.”

“Yep, it’ll be a good dinner.” Goku was starting to drool as he looked at it. “I’m going to get the fire going, then I’ll borrow some of the herbs and spices.”

“They’re in the kitchen, just open the pantry door and the bottles are on little racks attached to it. They should all be labeled too.” Bulma informed Goku of where the spices were kept.

“Thanks, Bulma!” Goku grinned before dragging the hulking boar carcass further away from the Capsule House.

Bulma went back to the table and sat down to enjoy her own meal. She wasn’t a chef or anything, but even she could cook some chicken, rice, and veggies. Her mother had made sure of that as she and Tights had grown up. Several minutes later and Goku came inside, disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, and then was out the door again with an armload of the small bottles containing the various herbs and spices. Bulma could only shake her head and chuckle as she headed for the bathroom. She might as well get her bathing done first, since Goku would probably be a while still.

“I guess this is probably how a good part of our journey will go.” Bulma mused as she relaxed in the bath. Goku had a voracious appetite, and he was right that the food she’d brought along wouldn’t last if they both ate normally from it. “Still, Saiyans really are something else. I’d love to be able to gorge like that and not worry about it.” The teen pouted slightly as she ran her hands over her trim tummy and waist. If she ate like Goku, she could kiss her curves goodbye. She’d be huge even with the good genes that she got from her parents.

“Ah…that was great!” Goku exclaimed as he came back inside for the evening. He patted his round stomach with a wide smile. If one were to look outside, they’d see a recently doused fire with a heap of bones next to it.

“Good timing,” Bulma came out of the bathroom in her pajamas. “The bath is free. Do you remember how to use it?”

“Yep!” Goku nodded and headed for the bathroom himself. He stopped when he saw the washer/dryer combo and looked down at his clothes. “Hey, Bulma, how do I use this thing?” He pointed at the machine.

“I’ll show you.” Bulma walked over while combing her still slightly damp hair. “Okay, it’s pretty simple…” She pointed to the power button, then showed him how to add detergent and where to place it. She kept it simple and told him only to press the button for a small load. “All you have to do after that is toss in your clothes and close the door, the machine will then go through its cycle and clean your clothes.”

“That’s not too hard, but boy is it different than how me and grampa did laundry.” Goku chuckled at how easy the machine made the process. He then proceeded to strip down without a care and start tossing his clothes inside the machine.

“Goku!” Bulma yelped and turned away from him so fast her hair swung around. “Don’t just take off your clothes in front of other people!” She’d just seen it again and her face was dark red.

“Huh?” Goku tossed in his pants, now standing nude in front of the washing machine. “But I only have the one set.” He pointed out, still not bothering to cover up.

“Then grab a towel from the bathroom first to cover yourself with.” Bulma facepalmed at the lack of concern Goku had about nudity.

“Oh, okay!” Goku smiled at the idea and headed into the bathroom. Bulma dropped onto the only bed with a heavy sigh when she heard the water turn on.

A bit later and Goku emerged from the bathroom, freshly scrubbed and with the towel around his waist. Bulma still wondered how he could look like a kid when dressed, but when bare it became easier to tell that he had clearly entered puberty. His height was about the only thing that gave away that he wasn’t just a little kid, given that he was only about a head shorter than her. Deciding that it was probably another Saiyan thing, the blue-haired girl just rolled with it as Goku sat in front of the washer/dryer to wait for his clothes to be done.

“Hey Bulma, what’s it like in the city?” Goku questioned from the futon next to the bed a couple hours later. He wasn’t tired enough to sleep just yet, and Bulma was reading a magazine by the light of a lamp anyway.

“Hm? It’s about the same as anywhere else, I guess.” Bulma looked over at Goku. “Well, anywhere else in civilization, at any rate. Nothing like how you grew up, Goku.”

“Is it fun?” Goku looked up at her with curiosity.

“Uh huh, there’s all sorts of things to do.” Bulma grinned at him. “There’s shopping, television, movies, amusement parks, and all sorts of other stuff.”

“Wow, it sounds crazy.” Goku smiled widely. Bulma smiled back, always amused at how the regular things that she took for granted in her life amazed him.

“You want to know about one of the last movies I saw before I started this journey?” Bulma questioned with a knowing grin.

“Sure!” Goku was always up for a new story. “Did it have magic and fighting in it?”

“As a matter of fact…” Bulma laughed as she began to tell Goku about it. Now, it almost seemed funny that the last movie she’d watched before her break from school had been a kung fu film.

Goku had nodded off shortly after Bulma had finished recounting the movie to him. The genius girl turned off the lamp near the bed and lay back with a small grin on her lips. She could get used to having a friend like Goku around. ‘A lack of certain social norms aside.’ Bulma admitted that Goku’s lack of modesty needed to be dealt with a bit better. But it was nice having someone to talk to, and the fact that he hung onto her words with genuine interest was nice. If their days on this journey were spent like this, then the quest for the Dragon Balls would be pretty enjoyable in her opinion.

-Next Morning ~ After Breakfast-

“Alright, ready?” Bulma looked at Goku for confirmation.

“Yep! I have my stuff.” Goku smiled and pointed at his Nyoibō with his thumb. It was the only thing aside from his clothes and his grampa’s Dragon Ball that he kept on his person. Being able to leave his knives for cleaning prey inside was helpful.

“And...capsulized!” Bulma pressed the button and the Capsule House disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She easily picked up the capsule and placed it back in her case. “We’ll make better time on your cloud.” Bulma stated as she looked at the Flying Nimbus that Goku had called down from the sky. “Let me on.”

“The old turtle guy said the cloud lets people on if they’re pure of heart, right?” Goku recalled as he hopped onto the golden cloud. “Doesn’t that mean I don’t get to decide?”

“Hmm, true enough.” Bulma nodded in agreement with Goku’s reasoning. “Still, I don’t think anybody’s heart is as pure as mine!” She tossed back her hair with a confident smile.

“Wanna try?” Goku made sure to step to the edge of the Nimbus so that Bulma could try and get on.

“Whoa!” Bulma tried to place her hands on the golden cloud and lift herself up, but nearly fell through the Flying Nimbus instead. What saved her from a full faceplant onto the ground was Goku’s hands catching her by the shoulders.

“I don’t think Nimbus agrees about your heart, Bulma.” Goku pointed out as Bulma stood up properly again.

“But why?! Why?! WHY?!” Bulma gaped at the mystical cloud. “Is it a sin to be too beautiful?!” Goku could only shrug at her question. Bulma pouted for a bit as she picked out the covered motorcycle capsule and tossed it onto the road. The cloud of smoke followed and Bulma threw her leg over the vehicle. “Let’s just go.” She grumbled as she took off down the road with a pout.

“Let’s go, Nimbus!” Goku grinned as he sat on the cloud and flew down the road too. The Flying Nimbus overtook Bulma’s motorcycle until Goku urged the cloud to slow down a bit. “I thought that motorcycle thing was faster?”

“Oh hush! You’re going over the speed limit!” Bulma declared before sticking her tongue out at him. Goku only laughed brightly and Bulma couldn’t stay irritated for long with the Saiyan. It wasn’t his fault that his magic cloud was clearly jealous of her looks.

-Two Days Later-

“Are we there yet?” Goku asked, looking at the Dragon Radar that Bulma held.

“Almost, it’s close enough to taste it.” Bulma clicked the button on top of the radar to zoom in a bit further. She was straddling her motorcycle as she tried to determine just how much further they needed to go.

The last two days had been much like the first day since they set out from the beach. Goku would hunt around dusk when they set up the Capsule House, actually feeding Bulma last night when they’d stopped not too far from a lake and the Saiyan had caught two large fish. Much like herself, Goku was no chef, but his cooking wasn’t horrible, just a bit simple.

“There’s a lot of houses over there.” Goku pointed out, his position on top of the Flying Nimbus letting him see a bit further.

“A village, huh?” Bulma looked thoughtful for a second as she glanced at the Dragon Radar. “That’s probably where it is.” With a twist of the throttle, she headed towards the small village. Goku easily following along on the Nimbus.

-Aru Village-

“Where is everybody?” Bulma stopped her motorcycle and looked around. “It’s like a ghost town.” She didn’t see a single person around. But nothing was too worn down like it had been sitting around for years. Maybe this village had been abandoned in the last few weeks or something?

“No…” Goku sniffed the air a few times. “I can smell it. The scents are still fresh.” Bulma nearly goggled at learning yet another new thing about Saiyans. Apparently, they could smell scents and roughly determine how old they were.

“What’re you, a dog?” Bulma looked at Goku in disbelief. “There can’t be anybody here, it’s too quiet.” Not to mention there wasn’t a trace of movement from any of the houses or vehicles that she looked at. How could an entire village hide in the time it took her and Goku to arrive?

“No, no…” Goku breathed in deeply again. “I can smell them. A bunch of different scents are all over the place.”

“Hello…?” Anybody home…?!” Bulma called out loudly into the seemingly abandoned village. Only the breeze blowing through the village replied.

“That’s weird.” Goku didn’t understand why no one was coming out.

“I’m pretty sure this is a ghost town, Goku.” Bulma pulled out the Dragon Radar again, trying to get an accurate read on where the Dragon Ball was. “The only thing around here should be the Dragon Ball.”

“But the scents are so fresh.” Goku was perplexed as he hopped off the Flying Nimbus. “I’m gonna check this out.” He walked up to the door of the nearest home, the name on the doorplate read ‘Sherman the Shaman’, but Goku ignored that as he knocked on the door. “Hey! I know you’re in there! Why won’t you answer?!” He tried the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It must be locked.” Bulma noticed, walking up behind Goku to see why he was so adamant that there were people here.

“Oh yeah?” Goku cocked back his fist and a straight punch put a hole through the door. With barely any effort, Goku tore the door handle and locking mechanism out of the door, letting them clatter to the ground. “It’s open now.” He grinned, swinging open the broken door.

“Not afraid of much, are you?” Bulma looked at Goku pointedly.

“Haiyah!” A loud cry from within the house rang out just as a silhouette slammed a hatchet into Goku’s head.

Crack

The metal of the hatchet blade shattered against Goku’s skull, his Saiyan Physiology proving too tough for his attacker’s weapon. Bulma shrieked in fear, seeing Goku attacked. The bluenette staggered back a step from the assailant in fear.

“OW!” Goku cried out in pain from the blow. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!!” He held his head in pain.

“N-No…it didn’t work…” The attacker dropped the ruined hatchet in terror. He was an older man, bald atop his head, but with bushy black hair on the sides and a thick mustache too. He wore round glasses, a striped button-up shirt, and blue denim overalls over it.

“What was THAT about?!” Goku roared, pulling his Nyoibō from its sheath and ready to clobber the old man with it in return for the bump on his head.

“F-Forgive me, Lord Oolong!” The old man clapped his hands together as he begged for forgiveness. “I’ll give you anything you want! Food! Money! Only please spare my daughter!”

“Huh?” Goku blinked at the odd behavior.

“Oolong?” Bulma blinked at the man, realizing that there was some kind of misunderstanding going on.

The sounds of doors opening caught Goku and Bulma’s ears as they watched more and more people come out from their homes. Several people were quick to spread the word that it wasn’t Oolong. This only further confused Bulma and Goku as they looked at the gathering villagers.

“You folks aren’t from around here, are ya?” Sherman questioned Bulma, looking at her baseball cap with her name on it, white shirt with a red jacket over it, and blue jean shorts. He sheepishly invited them into his home where a young girl was quick to place a cold cloth on top of the bump on Goku’s head. “Sorry about that, youngster. I just figured that Oolong was taking a boy’s form.” He nervously rubbed the back of his head.

“If that had been me, I’d be dead right now.” Bulma crossed her arms and glared at Sherman.

“L-Lucky it wasn’t, eh? Heh…heh…” Sherman anxiously tapped his fingertips together. This situation had certainly taken an unexpected turn.

“Hmm…” Goku looked at the young girl tending to the bump on his head. He noticed her long hair (braided into twin tails), then he noticed that she was wearing a dress, and a quick sniff gave him her scent, which ever so vaguely had something similar to Bulma’s. “I get it! You’re a girl, right?”

“Um, yes.” Pochawatha, the daughter of Sherman, nodded to the boy. She’d certainly never been asked if she was a girl before.

‘At least he didn’t try to physically check, so our lessons paid off.’ Bulma let out a small relieved sigh. That would’ve definitely made things awkward between them and the residents of the village. “Anyway, who is this Oolong that you’re all so freaked out about?”

“He’s a horrible demon who haunts our land.” Sherman pulled his daughter close. “A vile shapeshifter who’s true form no one has ever seen! Yesterday he came to our village…and his eyes fell upon my daughter.” He recalled how Oolong, in the form of a large Oni, had seen his daughter and then declared that he was going to marry her. “He’ll be here at noon to steal her away. He’s a fiend that has already kidnapped other village girls…to do with them who knows what. He’s threatened to kill and eat every villager if any of us tries to flee or resist him.”

“Why don’t you just beat him up?” Goku questioned Sherman curiously. The bump on his head was already gone, something that only Bulma noticed and somewhat marveled at.

“Are you kidding? He’s huge!” Sherman looked the boy right in the eye as he tried to emphasize how big Oolong was. Goku only blinked, standing almost even with Sherman’s height, he didn’t really understand why Oolong’s size mattered much. The bear bandit he’d killed the other day when helping the turtle sounded a lot bigger.

“Wait a minute…” Bulma held her chin as she had an idea. She rummaged in her backpack for a moment before pulling out one of the Dragon Balls. “Hey mister, you ever seen one of these?” She held up the Five-Star Ball to let Sherman see it.

“Hmm…” Sherman accepted the strange sphere and adjusted his glasses to get a better look at it. “Nope…never saw anything like it.” He shook his head.

“Wait!” An elderly woman spoke up from the crowd gathered at the door. “I’ve got one just like it!”

“You do?” Sherman looked at the old woman confused.

“Bingo!” Bulma’s face lit up with a smile.

“A long time ago, my old granny picked it up from somewhere.” The old woman pulled a Dragon Ball from her apron to show to Bulma and Goku.

“That’s it!” Bulma looked at the orange ball with glee.

“Let’s see…four, five, six!” Goku counted off the stars. “It’s the Six-Star Ball!”

“Ma’am, if you’ll give me that ball, I’ll get rid of this Oolong for you.” Bulma offered with a confident smirk on her face.

“Well, it’s a lovely offer, of course…but do you think it’s a job for a school girl?” The elder woman questioned after looking Bulma over.

“Oh no, I’m not the one that’s going to fight him.” Bulma shook her head before pointing at Goku. “He is.”

“B-But…even if you defeat Oolong” Sherman muttered ‘fat chance’ under his breath. “We don’t know where his lair is. How will we find the other girls that he’s already taken?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll capture Oolong, not kill him. Right, Goku?” Bulma put on her best smile for the Saiyan.

“Hm? Yeah, sure.” Goku agreed easily, not needing any reason beyond being asked for help.

“What if he refuses to talk?” Sherman questioned, pointing out the obvious hole in the plan.

“Then I’ll just follow his scent back the way he came.” Goku answered simply. “It shouldn’t be too hard since his scent will still be fresh.”

“Huh?” The villagers all looked at Goku like he was weird.

“You said he’d be here at noon, right?” Bulma spoke up to move past their confusion.

“Y-Yes…that’s what Oolong said yesterday.” Sherman confirmed, holding his daughter close.

“Then we’ve only got a little time.” Bulma looked at her watch. “We’ll have Goku wait out here for Oolong and deal with him once he shows up.”

“Can I go to the bathroom first?” Goku asked Bulma. “I need to pee.”

“Yes, of course.” Sherman showed him to the bathroom with a nod.

-Noon-

“He’s here! It’s Oolong!” A villager exclaimed and all of the residents ran to hide in their houses again.

“Everybody hide! Just leave the rest to us!” Bulma instructed loudly, as if the villagers needed any prompting. “Okay, Goku, I’m counting on you!” She turned to the Saiyan with a sharp nod.

“You said ‘Leave it to us’ aren’t you helping?” Goku questioned her with a slight tilt of his head.

“Sure!” Bulma nodded as she slammed the broken door of Sherman’s house closed behind her. “I’ll be praying for you.” She smiled through the hole in the door.

The sound of heavy footfalls filled the village as Goku sat on the hood of a nearby truck to wait. A few moments later and the source of the heavy footfalls came into view. It appeared to be a large, red, pig-nosed Oni in a suit, carrying a bouquet of flowers. Further oddities included combed and parted black hair on the demon’s head between its large horns, a thin mustache, and polished leather shoes on the Oni’s feet.

“Where’s my bride?” Oolong demanded with a rough voice. “I said to have her ready at noon!” He looked around the village until his eyes landed on Goku. “Who are you?”

“The girl doesn’t want to come out, you scare her.” Goku informed the demon as he slid off the hood of the truck and landed on his feet.

“Scared of my looks, huh?” Oolong questioned before a grin appeared on his face. “Presto!” He spoke and a cloud of smoke obscured his form. “How about something nicer?” A gentleman with a coat over his suit and a cane under his arm bowed with a suave smile. “Or perhaps she’d prefer a younger man?”

“Hi~!” Bulma emerged from Sherman’s home with hearts for eyes as she stared at Oolong’s new form. “My name’s Bulma and I’m sweet sixteen!” She introduced herself with a smile.

Goku blinked at how oddly Bulma was acting, having never seen this side of her before.

“Wh-What’s your bra size?” Oolong asked Bulma, his eyes fixed on her chest.

“34-C!” Bulma pulled open her jacket to show off her bust more.

Oolong was quickly mumbling to himself under his breath. He looked at Bulma multiple times. Then looked at Sherman’s house where Pochawatha was. He seemed to be having an internal debate with himself. All the while, Bulma was swooning and trying to keep his attention on her.

“So…do you still want me to beat him up?” Goku asked Bulma, since she was acting so weird.

“Huh?” Oolong turned to Goku with a glare. “You’re gonna beat me up?” He laughed at Goku. “You dare threaten the great and terrible Oolong?! Presto!” Another cloud of smoke obscured Oolong’s form before clearing to reveal a massive ox with large, sharp horns. “Now you shall see the rage of Oolong! The rage and the power!”

“Hey, you turned into an ox! That’s neat!” Goku praised the shapeshifter.

“Ack!” Bulma snapped out of her lovesick mode. “Whoops! Every time I see a hot guy, it’s the same dang thing!” She was quick to rush back into Sherman’s house and slam the door behind her.

“You know…if we had more time, I think I could come to dislike you.” Sherman stared at the teenager flatly. “But! At the very least your safe!” He beamed at his daughter. “Miss ‘34-C’ here will take your place as Oolong’s bride!”

“Yay!” Pochawatha cheered happily.

“You think I’m wasting all of this on an ox?!” Bulma barked at the pair with sharp teeth in her mouth. “Goku! Beat him senseless and capture him!” She shouted through the hole in the door.

“Sure thing, Bulma!” Goku grinned as he took up a basic stance. He gripped the end of his Nyoibō that was sticking out of its sheath with his right hand, ready to draw the weapon.

“Wahahaha! You think you have a chance against me?!” Oolong chortled at the boy. “Shut up and bring me the girl from yesterday! If you do, I promise not to kill anyone!”

“Come and get me!” Goku stuck out his tongue at the shapeshifter.

“So, making fun of me, huh?” Oolong growled at him. “Last chance to apologize, kid.”

“You first.” Goku drew the Nyoibō from his back and held it at the ready.

“I’m only gonna say this once! I’m strong! I’m beyond strong!” Oolong declared.

“Come on, already.” Goku sighed at the shapeshifter. “I get bored with the talking parts.”

“What kind of idiot are you?! I’m trying to tell you that you’re going to die!” Oolong yelled at him, nerves starting to overtake the shapeshifter.

“Hey…tell me something,” Goku looked at Oolong for a long moment. “Are you really a pitiful weakling?”

“What?!” Oolong broke out into a visible sweat. “N-No! I’m the strongest in the world! Ask anybody!”

“You don’t say…” Goku moved in a blur, the Nyoibō slamming down on top of Oolong’s head. A cloud of smoke appeared and cries of pain could be heard as it cleared away.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Oolong cried out, holding his head in pain and rolling on the ground. His true form turned out to be a short Pigman, wearing a military uniform. A large bump was barely hidden by his hat.

“Restrain him, Goku!” Bulma called out as she opened the door to Sherman’s home. “We need him to show us where the other girls are!” The rest of the villagers were slowly coming out of their homes to see the defeated Oolong.

“Got him!” Goku declared, pressing his foot down on the struggling Oolong’s back.

“Somehow…I thought Oolong would be fiercer.” Sherman stared at the squealing Pigman in stunned shock.

“We were so scared of his looks that we never thought about fighting back.” The old woman with the Dragon Ball admitted as everyone started gathering around.

“This is the terrible Oolong?” Bulma nearly scoffed at the short Pigman.

“Don’t you have something to say to these people?” Goku increased the pressure his foot was applying to Oolong’s back.

“I’m…I’m sorry!” Oolong apologized to the villagers as it got harder and harder to breathe. The pressure lessened after his words and he took in a large breath. He was yanked onto his feet by Goku and a rope was tied around him securely.

“Those girls had better be alive and well.” The old woman glared at the small Pigman.

“Oh, very well.” Oolong grimaced.

“Very?” Sherman blinked in confusion.

“Take us to them, now!” Bulma demanded with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

“You sure got tough all of a sudden.” Goku noted with a tilt of his head. Bulma shushed him with her cheeks turning a light pink in embarrassment.

“Lead the way.” The old woman pointed at Oolong.

“Yes…” Oolong started walking out of the village as the entire populace followed behind.

“If you even think about transforming again, I won’t hold back the next time that I hit you.” Goku warned Oolong, a quick stomp on the ground cracking the paved road and making Oolong’s eyes widen in panic.

My, my, what a lad!” Sherman smiled at Goku as the group continued their trek to Oolong’s lair.

“Here’s the ball, as promised.” The elderly woman smiled, handing the Six-Star Ball over to Bulma.

“Thank you very much, ma’am!” Bulma beamed as she accepted the Dragon Ball. This made five in her possession, counting Goku’s Four-Star Ball. She was so close now!

Oolong’s lair turned out to be a fancy, Chinese-styled manor. All of the villagers could only stare at what Oolong had spent all of the money he’d extorted from them on. Many of them started getting angry that their hard-earned money had been used by the conman to live in luxury.

“Here I was expecting a cave.” Bulma admitted as she looked the manor over.

“With all the money I extorted?” Oolong chuckled only to shut up when the barrel of a rifle was pointed in his direction.

“Shut it, pig.” The farmer glared at Oolong. He wasn’t the only one with a rifle either. Several of the villagers had grabbed their rifles to protect themselves in case Oolong tried anything.

The ‘rescue’ was more than a little lackluster. Happy parents had rushed into the manor to save their daughters, only to find them enjoying the luxurious lifestyle that the manor afforded them. The three former farm girls were acting more like divas now. Oolong admitted that the whole reason he’d wanted Pochawatha was to have a nice shy girl that wouldn’t stand up to him like the first three had. Needless to say, the manor would be taken over by the villagers and all three daughters were being scolded for not coming home once they knew that Oolong wasn’t a threat.

“That still leaves the matter of what we do with Oolong.” One of the farmers stated, holding the Pigman at gunpoint.

“I say we kill him now and be done with it.” One of the village men glared harshly at the now trembling Oolong.

“That may be a bit harsh.” A woman spoke up. “Our daughters were safe and sound in the end. We’ll even get our money back once we sell off this manor and everything in it.”

“We can’t just let him go! Who knows what innocent village Oolong will terrorize next!” A different man spoke up.

“I say we make him work off his debt to the village!” An older man spoke up. “Teach him the value of some honest work!”

“He’ll just transform and run away! We can’t trust him!” Another woman shook her head at the idea.

“He’ll stay if he knows what’s good for him!” A farmer pumped the shotgun in his hands. “He’s got a lot to make up for!”

“We can always spread the truth of what Oolong really is around the region.” A younger man spoke up over the rising din. “No one will fall for his tricks again.”

“I think we can leave this to them, Goku.” Bulma whispered as she gently guided Goku out of the large manor.

“You think Oolong will learn his lesson?” Goku asked as they passed through the gate and off the manor grounds entirely.

“No idea, but I doubt he’ll be hurting anyone with his tricks anymore.” Bulma tossed a capsule and her motorcycle appeared again. She got on and revved the engine once.

“Nimbus!” Goku called out and the golden cloud flew down from the sky. He hopped onto the magical cloud and was ready to go.

BAM

Bulma and Goku both jerked at the sudden gunshot. Goku looked back towards the manor, but Bulma revved up her motorcycle and took off down the road. Goku was quick to fly after her on the Nimbus. Bulma didn’t know if the villagers had just killed Oolong or if they were scaring him into compliance. She wasn’t brave enough to turn around and find out either. Instead, she just kept heading down the road without looking back.

“What was that?” Goku asked a few moments later. “It sounded like your weird weapon from when we met, but louder.”

“Don’t worry about it, Goku.” Bulma shook her head, not wanting to think about the outcome of whatever happened back there. “We need to get to a nearby river soon, it’ll be the fastest route to the next Dragon Ball.”

“Oh, okay.” Goku shrugged and sat down on the Flying Nimbus as they traveled away from Aru Village.

-River-

It hadn’t taken too long to get to the river that Bulma had spoken about. The bluenette switched out her motorcycle for a boat and the two had headed downstream. After a few hours, Bulma had calmed down from the possibilities of what had gone down once they’d left Aru Village. Goku was enjoying the boat ride since it was something that he’d bever done before. The innocent joy on his face eased Bulma’s mind and brought a small smile to her face again.

“How much further?” Goku asked as they made their way further down river.

“We’re still a looooooong way off.” Bulma pulled out her atlas and looked at the map she had bookmarked. “I’d give it three more days.”

“Really? It’s gonna take that long even though we’re going so fast on this river!” Goku was amazed at how big the world outside of Mt. Paozu was.

“Yeah, the place we’re going to is called Fry-pan Mountain.” Bulma read off her map. “I’m still ecstatic that we already have five of the Dragon Balls! I’m going to have all seven, way before I thought I would!” She smiled brilliantly at how close she was to having her wish.

Thump

“Ah!” Bulma yelped as the boat rocked. “Did we hit something?” She looked back and Goku looked around confused.

“Are we getting faster?” Goku questioned and Bulma noticed that they were speeding up. Turning back around revealed a series of rapids and a sharp drop off in the river.

“Oh crap!” Bulma knew it was too late, but she still tried to turn the boat towards the area with the least rapids that looked clear.

Thump

Bam

Crack

The boat rocked and jarred as it hit hidden rocks below the surface of the water. The rapids slammed against the boat, jerking it around violently. Bulma cried out in panic when she saw water beginning to fill the boat. Then the small boat went over the drop off and Bulma realized that they were going to capsize.

“Bulma!” Goku yelled and Bulma felt his arms wrap around her just as they hit the water.

The duo was tossed around by the strongly moving water for several seconds. Goku’s powerful legs kicked as fast as possible and they broke the surface a moment later with deep breaths. Bulma saw the damaged boat sinking further down the river and knew it was a lost cause. Goku easily swam them both to shore and Bulma clung to him tightly until they got into the shallows.

“Hah…hah…I…I didn’t know that there were rapids in this river.” Bulma breathed out heavily. She was soaked to the bone as she sat on the riverbank.

“Are you okay, Bulma?” Goku asked, knowing that Bulma wasn’t as strong as he was, nor as durable.

“I’m fine, thanks to you, Goku.” Bulma smiled at him in gratitude.

“No problem, that was sudden.” Goku smiled back while looking at the rapids in the river.

“Yeah, it really was.” Bulma stood up and moved her wet hair behind her ears. “I’m soaked.” She shook herself off a bit. “I’ll get out the Capsule House and change my clothes before we move on.” She looked at the soaked Goku. “Do you want to dry your clothes too?”

“Hmm…I think I’ll be fine.” Goku shook his hair out and sent water flying.

“Suit yourself.” Bulma shrugged and reached into her pocket to pull out her capsule case. “Huh?” She felt around her pocket and realized it was empty. Futilely checking her other pockets revealed the truth. “M-My capsules…I must have lost them in the river!” She turned to the wide river in panic.

“What’s wrong, Bulma?” Goku asked when he saw Bulma fall to her knees.

“I lost my capsules!” Bulma raised her hands in front of her, looking at the empty palms in despair. “That means no house…no car…not even a bike! I’m helpless! Helpless, helpless, helpless!” The city girl wailed.

“I’ll go look for it!” Goku quickly stripped off his soaked clothes and leapt into the river, easily clearing the shallows with his strong legs. He hit the water with a splash and disappeared beneath the surface.

“Goku…” Bulma blinked at how fast Goku had gone to try and retrieve her lost capsules. She hadn’t expected him to jump right back into the river just because she was panicking. He had the Flying Nimbus, so he wasn’t stranded like she was, Goku could go anywhere with the magic cloud. But instead of that, he’d jumped back into the river to try and help her. She couldn’t help but feel touched by how kind Goku was.

In the river, Goku swam down towards the bottom. He looked around for the white case that contained Bulma’s capsules. Swimming around the area where they'd fallen into the river yielded nothing, so Goku swam back up to the surface for a breath of air. After filling his lungs, he dove again, this time swimming along with the current while trying to spot anything. He’d gone a fair distance before the flash of something white caught his eye. Swimming down to the object revealed it to be Bulma’s capsule case. But it was broken open and only one capsule remained inside. Grabbing it, Goku swam towards the surface as his lungs were starting to burn.

“Pah!” Goku broke the surface and took in a large breath. “Got it, but there’s only one capsule left.” He looked at the damaged case and the single capsule inside while treading water.

“Goku!” Bulma called out to him from the shore. “Come back! You’ve gone far enough!” She waved him back over to her.

“Huh, I’m farther than I thought.” Goku realized he’d gone further down the river while searching than he’d intended. He swam back towards Bulma and walked into the shallows. “I’m back.” He announced with a smile, handing Bulma (who was pointedly not looking below his neck) the broken case. “I found it, but there’s only one capsule left inside.”

“The House Capsule!” Bulma cheered when she saw which capsule was still inside the case. “We aren’t dead just yet!” She laughed brightly. Having the House Capsule meant not having to sleep outside! It meant water, food, a bed, bathing, and changes of clothes! “Thank you, Goku! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She hugged Goku tightly (once more ignoring his nudity) as she thanked him over and over again.

“You’re welcome, Bulma.” Goku returned the hug with a smile. He was glad that he’d been able to help his friend.

“I’ll figure out where we are once we’re inside.” Bulma looked around, but there wasn’t any kind of notable landmark to tell her where they might be. “I have a spare atlas in the house. So, at least we’ll know which way to go to get to Fry-pan Mountain.”

“Are we stopping for the night?” Goku asked while putting his clothes back on, looking back at the river and then at the surrounding woodland. “I could try hunting or fishing around here.”

“Maybe we should…it’ll be dusk soon enough.” Bulma noticed the position of the sun. “We need to find a flat and clear place to set up the House Capsule first though.”

“Right.” Goku nodded as he climbed the nearest tree to try and get the lay of the land.

Neither of the two knew just yet that the only way to get to Fry-pan Mountain from their current location was through the inhospitable Diablo Desert. But they’d soon find out, and no matter how much Bulma lamented the idea, they’d have to cross it.

On foot.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

And Oolong is dealt with while the fifth Dragon Ball is acquired!

Did the villagers kill Oolong or did they just scare him into compliance? That’s up to the reader to decide! He won’t be showing up again. Pick your preferred outcome and run with it.

Always be alert when traveling unfamiliar waterways! Bulma learned that the hard way! Thankfully, Goku is a kind young man and leapt into action to keep Bulma safe, as well as into the river to try and find her lost capsules.

Finding the House Capsule is a boon! Now they don’t have to suffer through the Diablo Desert constantly.

But…we all know just WHO is in the desert, just waiting for travelers to wander through.

How will Goku and Bulma handle the situation?

Keep reading to find out!

Power Levels

Goku – 10

Bulma - 2

Until I get your reviews, later!