After Krillin followed Goku back, it worked out just as Bulma had hoped. After all, the Seven-Star Ball belonged to Krillin… and Bulma had never taken anything from someone without asking in her life. So once she realized the Dragon Ball might be his, she didn't think about secretly keeping it—she wanted to try and buy it or at least talk things through.
But when she asked, she learned that Krillin's so-called "journey to seek a master" was actually to become the disciple of Master Roshi and train in martial arts!
That shocked Bulma, because she knew that once this Dragon Ball adventure with Goku was over, he would go train alone with Grandpa Taro… And coincidentally, Krillin—who also had a Dragon Ball—was headed to Grandpa Taro too! Even more coincidentally, he just happened to run into the two of them in the wild!
"This is way too much of a coincidence…" Bulma muttered to herself.
Krillin scratched his head. If he didn't already know Goku was, well, Goku, he wouldn't have told anyone his travel plans. Whether people believed him or not was one thing, but the first reaction would probably be to laugh at him. But Goku was Master Roshi's future disciple, and Krillin only had the coordinates Jarvis had given him—if he could get on Goku's good side… then finding the so-called "Muten Island" would definitely be easier.
It wasn't scheming… okay, maybe just a little. But if Krillin were the straight-laced, uptight type, then he wouldn't be Krillin—he wouldn't have crushed that remote that could've destroyed Android 18.
Goku, of course, didn't share any of Bulma or Krillin's convoluted thoughts. He just asked curiously, "Who's Master Roshi?"
"You don't know Master Roshi?!" Krillin was seriously shocked. How could Goku not know Master Roshi? Wasn't he the grandson of Gohan? Gohan was Roshi's personal student, so how could he not know Roshi!
Goku tilted his head, puzzled. "Is he strong? Stronger than my grandpa? Or Grandpa Master?"
Back when Gohan followed Roshi's instructions and gave Goku the Flying Nimbus for his tenth birthday (which was also the day he arrived on Earth), he had heard of "Korin"—so to him, "sennin" were all powerful dudes.
"Uh… who's Grandpa Master?" Krillin was confused.
Bulma caught on quickly and couldn't help laughing. "Haha, Goku, the 'Master Roshi' he's talking about… is your Grandpa Master! You probably only ever heard his name as Mu Taro, so you didn't know what other people call him!"
Then it clicked for Krillin—this kid was so close to Master Roshi, he'd never even used the respectful title before. He smacked his lips… and somehow started feeling even more envious of the kid.
Goku suddenly understood, rubbed the back of his head, and grinned. "Hehe, I see! That makes sense now!"
Bulma's eyes sparkled. She looked at the thoughtful Krillin, put her hands on her hips, and giggled. "Well, Krillin, how about traveling with us? Goku's heading to Grandpa Taro too after this trip. You two are headed the same way!"
"Huh? Really?" Krillin had been hoping for just that—his heart skipped a beat.
"Hehe, of course you can. Buuut… I'm gonna need to borrow your Seven-Star Ball later!" Bulma raised her eyebrows proudly, flashing a confident smile.
Krillin remembered what Goku said earlier about the seven Dragon Balls granting wishes… but while he had a few selfish thoughts, he wasn't particularly greedy—he was content with what he had. So he nodded happily. "Sure, you can have it!"
"Yay!"
Bulma crouched down and gave Goku a high five—this made the third Dragon Ball secured!
Krillin rubbed his smooth head and, seeing how happy they were, suddenly felt happy too. The journey had been exhausting, especially after Jarvis left. The AI in the necklace beneath his collar was just a basic low-intelligence program, so things had felt boring and lonely. He treated this as a test from Master Roshi… but having a companion to travel with would definitely be something to smile about.
"Hey! Goku, you didn't wash your hands! You were just catching that giant centipede! Go take a bath!!"
"You're so fussy… fine, I'll go find some firewood to heat the water!"
"No need! Geez, what a caveman… it's the modern age—who still uses firewood to heat bathwater?! Krillin, do you know how to use the bathroom shower? Take Goku and go wash up. He trains every day and smells awful…"
"Uh, okay, sure…"
Twenty-some minutes later, a loud yelp came from the bathroom followed by a flurry of commotion. Turns out Krillin, too proud to admit he didn't know how the hot water worked either, had accidentally burned himself with the showerhead… Bulma nearly got a headache. Why was she surrounded by two clueless hillbillies?!
No choice—Bulma had to go in and bathe both of them herself.
Krillin wasn't tall, about the same height as Goku, and to the mature sixteen-year-old Bulma, he didn't feel like a peer at all. She walked into the bathroom in a black tank top and denim shorts, scaring the bald kid half to death—he instantly grabbed a towel to cover himself, face turning beet red.
"Uh… back at Orin Temple, we also used firewood to heat the water for baths…" Krillin said awkwardly, clearly embarrassed. Even with a towel around his waist, he felt just as exposed as if he were completely naked.
"Heehee…" Bulma grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
Goku, on the other hand, was completely oblivious. Naked as the day he was born, he watched Bulma walk in, hair damp, and grumbled, "Bulma, how does this thing work? It suddenly started raining! But it's hot—really, really hot rain!"
"Hicksville…" Bulma muttered under her breath, sighing. "Fine, I'll help you two wash up…"
"No, no, no, no! That's okay!" Krillin turned beet red and waved his hands in a panic. "I-I-I… You can just help Goku! I'll have him teach me later!" With that, he backed along the wall and bolted out of the bathroom.
Krillin was completely overwhelmed by Bulma's enthusiastic, bold, city-girl energy. He rubbed his nose… Well, thankfully he didn't have a nose—otherwise he'd probably be having a nosebleed right about now. How embarrassing! Alone in the living room, Krillin practically rolled on the floor from embarrassment.
Meanwhile, back in the bathroom, Bulma laughed at Krillin's retreat before turning her attention to washing Goku.
Goku, innocent and carefree as ever, had no sense of modesty or propriety. To him, there was no such thing as boys or girls—just people. He thought the bubbles Bulma was rubbing into his hair were fun. Bulma, on the other hand, couldn't help but notice how Goku's tail kept twitching and swaying around. Her curiosity got the better of her.
"Goku, what's the deal with your tail anyway? Is it real?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Then, unable to resist, she reached out and grabbed it. It felt just like the damp fur of a small animal.
"A tail's a tail! Why would a boy have a fake tail?" Goku huffed in annoyance. His tail gave a sharp twitch, slipping free from her grasp, then casually curled around a brush from the tub and started scrubbing his back with it.
"Little monkey, through and through…" Bulma muttered with a pout. Then, something clicked in her mind. Her eyes narrowed as she asked suspiciously, "Wait a minute. I remember back then when I grabbed your tail, you said it made your whole body go limp! Like, totally powerless!"
As she said it, her cheeks turned slightly pink—maybe from recalling a few similar tropes from novels or comics.
Goku grinned. "It used to be like that, but Grandpa Master said it was a weakness. So I trained and overcame it!"
"You're such a weirdo…" Bulma mumbled softly.
"Hehe, maybe!" Goku laughed without a care in the world, so free of worry that Bulma found herself staring, a little dazed.
---
Wrapped in his towel, Krillin sat in the living room, listening to the occasional sounds coming from the bathroom. He looked out the window at the starry sky, and a small smile crept onto his face. For the first time in his life, he felt a kind of peace he'd never known before.