The eerie and misty Mount Five Elements—inside, the Supreme Elderly Lord furiously threw punches and kicks at the air, venting her frustration. Finally, she delivered a powerful punch straight into the Furnace of Eight Divisions beside her.
Whoosh! She let out a long breath, regaining her composure and calm. Turning around, she left without another word.
Son Gohan glanced at the faint fist mark left on the furnace's outer wall and clicked his tongue in silent astonishment.
---
At a restaurant on Papaya Island, the group enjoyed a lively meal together. Not wanting to part ways just yet, they decided to head to Bulma's home in West City for a visit.
Bulma waved her hand generously. "No need to be polite, party as much as you want at my place!"
Krillin applauded enthusiastically. "Long live our rich and beautiful friend!"
Tights smiled. Being with everyone really was relaxing.
---
Time passed, and another year quickly went by.
At Bulma's extravagant mansion in West City, a backyard barbecue party was in full swing—a picnic right at home.
Master Roshi, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Krillin, Goku, Gine, Raditz, Chi-Chi, Tights, Bulma, and even Dr. Brief and his wife were all gathered. Also joining them, after a single phone call from Bulma, were friends from Penguin Village—Arale, her little companions, and her creator, Dr. Norimaki. It was rare for everyone to be together like this.
"That guy definitely only showed up for the feast," Bulma muttered as she sipped her drink, glancing over at the two brothers, Raditz and Goku, who were devouring food at both ends of the long table. Dishes and plates were stacked up like small mountains.
Of course, she was talking about Raditz. Watching the two brothers eat like wild beasts, Bulma suddenly found herself smiling, as if something amusing had crossed her mind.
Raditz, in the middle of fighting Goku over food, sneered, "Still weak as ever, Kakarot!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're definitely stronger than me," Goku responded while stuffing his face, neither distant from nor particularly close to his blood-related brother—nothing like how he treated their parents.
Raditz was irritated. It wasn't because his little brother clearly regarded that Yamiru guy as more of an elder brother than him—he didn't care about such things. He was a Saiyan! Saiyans didn't concern themselves with emotions. No, what really annoyed him was how embarrassingly weak Kakarot still was. Their father was already a legendary Super Saiyan, yet Kakarot was still hanging around with these pathetic Earthlings. Absolutely disgraceful.
Speaking of which, their father had left Earth nearly four years ago. Had he managed to kill that damn Freeza yet?
"Anyway…" Goku finished a giant bowl of fried noodles and set it down, grinning with confidence. "I'm going to surpass you!"
Raditz scoffed in annoyance and grabbed a roasted lamb chop, tearing into it viciously.
"Hey," Krillin said from the grill, flipping skewers amid the rising smoke. He turned to Tien Shinhan, whose sharp eyesight was second to none. "Doesn't Goku look taller?"
Tien handed a few cooked skewers to Chiaotzu and glanced at Goku with his third eye, nodding. "Yeah, he's grown—about 30 centimeters?"
"Thirty centimeters!?" Krillin was devastated. He had only grown four centimeters this past year!
"Chi-Chi got taller too," Chiaotzu added, floating up and pointing toward her.
Chi-Chi was chatting with Arale and her friends. At sixteen, she had blossomed into a tall and elegant young woman with long, straight black hair, exuding purity and charm.
Krillin sighed in defeat. Among his friends, the only one he could compete with in height now was Chiaotzu. He and Goku used to be evenly matched in that department, but this past year, Goku had suddenly shot up. It was clear—he was entering the rapid growth phase that Bulma had mentioned was typical for Saiyans.
And judging by how Bardock looked, once Goku was fully grown, he'd be a towering six-footer, no doubt!
---
"Any response from Bardock's communicator?" Gine asked Dr. Brief. The scientist, holding his black cat in one arm, took a puff from his cigarette and replied, "He said everything's fine, but he still hasn't found this Freeza guy…" Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he continued relaying Bardock's message. "He said it's almost like Freeza is deliberately avoiding him. Bardock has destroyed a bunch of Freeza Force bases along the way, but he just can't seem to track down Freeza himself."
Gine sighed with relief and gave a small smile, though she still let out a weary sigh afterward.
It wasn't that she felt any sympathy for Freeza's army. Even if they hadn't destroyed Planet Vegeta back then, they had long since committed countless atrocities, wiping out innocent planets. Of course, she and Bardock weren't exactly innocent themselves—but they had already gone to Hell once and paid for their sins.
Now, it was Freeza's turn to face retribution. To be hunted by the very thing he feared most—a Super Saiyan.
"Speaking of Super Saiyans," Dr. Brief's wife said cheerfully as she petted their cat, "what about young Raditz? He's been using the gravity chamber Bulma built for quite some time now, hasn't he?"
It wasn't that she had suddenly developed an interest in martial artists or Saiyans—it was just that she thought Super Saiyans with golden hair and blue eyes looked pretty cool…
Gine said, "It seems Raditz doesn't have much talent in this area. Even after training under a hundred times gravity, his battle power only increased to 90,000, and… according to Bulma's examination, the amount of S-cells in his body is severely lacking…" She lowered her voice. "I'm afraid it won't be easy for him to transform into a Super Saiyan."
"What about Goku?" Master Roshi appeared out of nowhere, exhaling after taking a sip of beer. "That kid's finally starting to grow, huh? I can see it…" The reflection in his sunglasses showed Son Goku devouring food in the distance. At sixteen years old, the boy was just beginning to hit puberty—it was absurd. "Besides, Gine, you must have sensed it too. Goku's ki is still rising… The Saiyan growth spurt you guys talk about is going to be an incredibly valuable period for his training!"
Gine nodded. "Goku might need to start using the gravity chamber properly."
"You want me to build you a gravity chamber?"
After stuffing himself, Son Goku made his way over to Bulma, but she casually took a sip of her drink before responding.
"I mean, I could, but having me make something for you doesn't come cheap."
"Come cheap?" Goku looked puzzled. He wasn't some clueless mountain boy anymore—of course, he understood money. But the fact that Bulma was outright asking for payment threw him for a loop.
Bulma spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "What do you take me for, your nanny? You think you can just ask for whatever you need and I'll do it for free?"
"Uh…" Goku scratched his head in distress. If he'd known, he would've participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament last year. "How much do you want?"
Bulma rolled her eyes. "And where exactly do you plan to get money from?" She had known this guy since they were kids—if anyone knew his financial situation, it was her.
Her eyes gleamed as she smiled. "Actually, the amount doesn't matter. I don't care about money. What's important is sincerity! You know, sincerity? I can't just keep working for free like some maid—tell you what, I've got a way for you to earn some cash."
"Work?" Goku looked like he'd been struck by lightning. He had traveled across the world, training tirelessly, so he knew just how much of a hassle that was. His face immediately fell. "I'm not very good at that, Bulma."
"No worries! I know you well enough. The job I have in mind is absolutely perfect for you," Bulma said with a mischievous grin. "I mean, I'm not a devil or anything."
With that, she eagerly grabbed a camera and had a robotic servant wheel over a cart loaded with a feast.
"Here, your job is simple—just eat like you normally do." Bulma shook the camera in her hand proudly. "Mukbangs are super popular right now, and with your insane appetite, Goku, you'd definitely be a hit! Who knows, you might even become an internet celebrity…" She giggled at the thought.
By the lake, Tights sat gracefully on a bench, crossing her legs as she gently swirled the red wine in her glass.
Gine quietly walked over and sat beside her. She didn't say anything—just sat there in silence, gazing at the shimmering surface of the lake alongside her.