Silence hangs over the rocky terrain, surrounded by mountains and thick vegetation. In the distance, the roar of a bike grows louder, shattering the animals' peace. The vehicle speeds wildly, Goku clinging to Bulma, the wind blasting his face, tearing up his eyes as he barely manages to speak.
"Slow down, you maniac!" he shouts.
"Scared of a little bit of speed, my dear? Fufufu," Bulma replies with an annoying smug grin, ignoring the road. They approach a sharp drop, taking it at full speed, both screaming their lungs out as they soar through the air. They land without a scratch. Bulma stops the bike abruptly and thinks to herself, Almost pissed my pants. She stands and tells Goku:
"Goku, wait here. I'll be back," before dashing toward a bush.
Goku jumps off, leaning on the bike with a cool attitude, a smug, teasing smirk on his face.
"Did that little stunt make you piss yourself?" he taunts.
"SHUT UP!!!" she yells from the bushes.
After a moment, a horrible scream pierces the air-obviously Bulma's. Goku dashes toward the sound, arriving in seconds to find her captured in the claws of a massive pterodactyl, smiling.
"HEEEEEELP!!!" she cries.
"Are you her friend or something?" the pterodactyl asks, clapping its beak.
"Well, I don't know about the word 'friend,' you know. It has a lot of meanings, and well, we just met. I mean, can you call someone a friend if you just let them be-" Goku rambles about the meaning of "friend."
"Huh? Anyway, stay here. Me and this lovely one are having dinner," the pterodactyl says.
"SOOON" Bulma wails.
The huge pterodactyl spreads its wings, flapping them to create powerful winds, holding Bulma with both feet, laughing.
"...And that's why I think we're not friends but partners," Goku finishes.
"Imbecile, hehe," the pterodactyl chuckles before a flash zips past. "What was that?"
Bulma and the bird follow the flash with their eyes, landing on Goku. His arm is raised, still steaming, wind blowing as he slowly lifts his head toward them.
"It's rude to cut somebody speaking," he says.
The pterodactyl gapes, sweating, shocked. It flaps its wings faster to escape, but instead loses altitude. "What the hell is happeni-AAAAAH!" It glances at its wings, now riddled with holes. "How did you!?"
Goku's eyes lock on the bird, a small energy ball forming on his fingertip, readying another shot.
"Wait, wait, wait! Here's the girl, let me go!" the pterodactyl pleads, tossing Bulma at a dangerous height. She screams as Goku cancels the energy ball, sprinting beneath her, leaping to catch her in a princess-style hold. Bulma, shocked, stares at him with wide eyes and a faint blush on her cheeks. Goku turns to the bird.
"I didn't say you could go."
The pterodactyl barely has time to scream as a blue energy ball forms in Goku's hand and rockets forward at incredible speed. The blast hits and explodes on impact, vaporizing the creature instantly. Bulma, face-down in the dirt, lifts her head, furious.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!!!" she shouts. Her eyes shift behind him, spotting the pterodactyl's limbs falling from the sky. "How did you...?" Goku turns, hands in his pockets, strolling back to the bike.
"Did you finish pissing? Let's go!" he calls.
"Why do you have to be so vulgar!?" she snaps, standing and following him.
A few hours pass. The sun sinks low, dyeing the landscape in a deep red. Goku sits behind Bulma on the bike, clenching and unclenching his fist.
"My body's numb. Almost no ki left in me... but I didn't pass out," he mutters. "Guess the training really did increase my reserves."
"What did you say?" Bulma replies, glancing back.
"Maybe we should camp here!" Goku shouts.
Bulma stops the bike. They hop off. Goku immediately heads toward the nearby brush.
"I'll go gather some wood."
Bulma bursts out laughing with her typical spoiled-rich-girl flair.
"Hohoho! You really are a caveman. It's a sin to let a delicate flower like me sleep on the dirty ground!"
Goku smirks, raising an eyebrow.
"Not as dirty as your panties..."
"SHUT UP!!!"
She digs into her pouch, pulling out a capsule box, selecting the biggest one. With a click and toss-
"Observe, you uncultured swine!"
POOF! A puff of smoke clears to reveal a fully furnished house. Bulma stands proud, arms crossed. Goku scratches his head, utterly baffled.
"...How is this technology even real..."
---
Inside the Capsule House
They step inside. The house is clean, futuristic, with soft lighting and humming tech. Goku glances around, clearly overwhelmed.
"Son, go take a bath," Bulma commands.
He turns to her, unimpressed.
"You first. I think you need it more than me."
Bulma clenches her jaw.
"Listen to your elders and GO!"
Goku mutters under his breath, "Fine... Elder..."
Despite being 12 in this body, Bunshichi's soul is pushing 35. He enters the bathroom, strips off his clothes, and steps into the bath. His body-young, but visibly molded by intense training-glows under the steam and warm water. He stands under the stream, motionless, letting it cascade over him.
"I'll ask her what the actual process is-gathering the balls, summoning this dragon. Then I'll make my wish. I'll go back..."
He's quiet for a moment. The sound of water echoes in the silence.
"...Do I really want to go back? There was no one waiting for me..."
The heavy silence is broken-
BAM!!!
The door slams open behind him. Goku jumps and lets out a startled scream. Bulma struts in with a big grin.
"Big sis Bulma is here to help you wash!"
"YOU CRAZY BITCH!!!" Goku shrieks.
"What's wrong with you, you ungrateful little prick!?"
Without a word, he turns his back to her, blushing furiously, ashamed that she actually startled him.
Bulma hums and begins scrubbing his back. Her eyes drift to his tail, swaying lazily.
"Hahaha! Aren't you a bit too old to play pretend? What are you, a monkey?"
*Goku blinks. "What are you talking about?"
Before he can finish, she grabs his tail. Instantly, it's like lightning courses through him-his muscles lock up, eyes go wide, and he collapses face-down in the tub, ass-up, limp and twitching.
"...To grip my tail..." he mumbles through clenched teeth.
"Your tail...?" Bulma repeats, holding it awkwardly.
Her smugness melts into horror as the truth sets in-this thing is real. Her eyes widen, her hand trembles. Then-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Her scream echoes into the night, sending nearby birds scattering into the sky.
---
Later That Night
Goku dries his hair with a towel, sitting by the door. In the corner of the room, Bulma is curled up on the bed like a terrified kitten, staring at him like he's a wild animal.
"What are you?" she whispers. "Why do you have a tail?"
Goku shrugs, completely casual.
"Don't know, and don't know. Gramps found me as a baby. That's all I got."
Bulma finally calms down and drags herself to the bathroom. The water's warm and bubbly. She strips off her clothes, sighs, and eases into the bath.
"How did he kill that bird? I didn't even see it... whatever, he's strong. With him around, this whole thing'll be easy. We already have three Dragon Balls."
A smug grin spreads across her face.
"With him, it's gonna be a walk in the park. And then..."
She lets out a disgusting little laugh-
*"Ghughughu... I can wish for the perfect boyfriend."
Her feet start wiggling under the water, giddy with excitement. A few minutes later, she steps out of the bath, towel-dries herself, and heads to the kitchen.
"Come on, Goku! Let's eat!"
On the plate: a baguette, two sausages, and some salad.
Goku eyes the plate with disgust.
"What the hell is that?"
"Food. Let me watch my drama in peace."
Goku stands up, brushing off his pants.
"Where are you going now?" she asks, eyes still on the TV.
"Hunting. That little snack won't even make a dent."
"Okay. Good luck."
She barely acknowledges him as he heads out. Goku sprints into the forest, building up speed, bounding from tree to tree, until he lands atop the tallest tree in the area. Suddenly, he hears something-an engine humming overhead. A small plane zooms by before descending and landing nearby.
Goku narrows his eyes.
"What now..."
Two figures emerge from the plane. A tall, sharp-looking woman in a military uniform, and beside her, a humanoid fox dressed like a ninja. Goku silently drops down from the tree and creeps closer, crouching in the foliage to eavesdrop.
"The targets should be in the area," says the fox.
"The location is only approximate. We'll still need to search this whole region," the woman replies.
"So others are after the Dragon Balls too," Goku thinks. "Guess that confirms this wish-granting legend is real."
Goku straightens up, puts his hands in his pockets, and begins walking toward them-intentionally dragging his feet to make noise. Leaves crunch under his boots. Both strangers spin around, hands flying to their weapons.
"Who are you?" the fox demands. "You must be a ninja-I didn't hear you."
Goku keeps walking casually, still hands-in-pockets, trying to deepen his voice.
"Me?" he says, slowly lifting his head to add drama. "I'm your worst nightm-"
"AAOOOUUUU!"
A sudden, ear-splitting wolf howl cuts through the night.
Silence. Wind howls softly. The fox opens his mouth to speak-
"You-"
"Shut up," Goku snaps, face flushed with embarrassment.
From the treeline, twenty massive wolves emerge, their eyes glowing in the firelight. They slowly surround the group, growling, hungry. The fox and woman drop their weapons and cling to each other, panicking. They try to scramble toward the plane-but the wolves block their path.
Goku stands still, annoyed, the earlier tension completely ruined.
"These damn mutts..."
He lifts his arm, energy flickering at his fingertips. A blue orb forms between two fingers. He aims-
FWOOOM!
The orb rockets into the plane, exploding on impact. The blast tears through the air, sending fire and shockwaves everywhere. Wolves closest to the plane are incinerated or flung aside like ragdolls. The fire lights up the forest, casting long shadows and an eerie orange glow across the area.
The remaining wolves flee in fear. The fox takes off with them, vanishing into the night. Only the woman remains, paralyzed. Her legs give out and she collapses to the ground.
Goku steps closer, slow and silent. The firelight reflects on the side of his face, highlighting his cold stare. She looks up at him, breath trembling.
He stops in front of her and says, voice low:
"What should I do with you?"