The gang of four—Goku, Bulma, Mai, and now the Oolong were drifting downriver in a boat, following the signal of the Dragon Radar toward a mysterious land called Mount Frypan.
After hours of travel, the boat suddenly stopped.
"We're out of gas!" Bulma screamed in panic.
She whipped around to Oolong. "Can't you transform into gasoline or something?!"
"You kidding me right now?" Oolong muttered, Goku was lying down comfortably resting between Mai's legs as she gently combed his hair with her fingers.
"Remind me why we brought him again?" he asked with an exasperated sigh.
Bulma fumbled with her map. "Mount Frypan is still far away…"
"WHAT? You seriously wanna go there?!" Oolong blurted, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What do you know about the place?" Mai asked calmly.
"You mean you don't know?! That's where the super-scary Gyumao lives! He's a monster!"
He waited for a reaction, but the group remained completely unfazed.
"...Yup, I'm out," Oolong declared and immediately transformed into a fish, trying to jump into the river.
Before he could swim off, Mai, with blinding speed, had her pistol aimed at his fishy forehead. He froze, sweating bullets.
"Okay okay! But Mount Frypan is far, and the boat is dead!"
Bulma waved dismissively. "It's fine! I have a capsule with gas in it—wait… where's the capsule box?"
She looked around, frantic. Her face went pale.
"Oh no. I must've dropped it in the water!!" She grabbed Oolong. "Turn into a fish again and find it!"
"Are you nuts?! The river's huge!"
"Nooohohoho!" she cried. "My house, car, and bike—all gone!"
"Can't he transform into a boat?" Says Goku.
"genius! Oolong, transform into a boat!" Bulma suddenly shouted.
"What?!"
"Just do it!"
With a grunt, Oolong transformed into a boat. Bulma immediately jumped on—and the boat deflated, plunging both of them into the water.
"What's wrong with you?!" she screamed, flailing. "Why'd you fold like that?!"
"I may transform, but I keep the same strength!" Oolong whined. "And I can only hold it for five minutes!"
Soaked and defeated, they climbed back onto the real boat. Meanwhile, Goku was still getting pampered by Mai, enjoying his massage.
"But I can perfectly transform into a pantie, try me" Oolong said with a disgusting laugh. Bulma picked him up and smacked him against the boat "why would I want that !!?"
Bulma, teeth gritted and eyes twitching, flipped her wet hair and splashed water at Goku.
"AND YOU! THINK WITH US FOR ONCE!"
"I'm enjoying my massage. Leave me alone. Yeah, right there, Mai~~~"
Bulma, now in full meltdown, grabbed Goku by the arms and shook him violently.
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease—"
"ALRIGHT, SHUT UP!!!" he shouted.
He stood up from Mai's lap and walked to the back of the boat, cracking his neck.
"Which direction is the next Dragon Ball?"
All three pointed.
Goku planted his feet and pierced the boat's floor slightly to anchor himself. Without turning his head, he muttered:
"You better hold on to something."
Bulma gripped the steering wheel with both hands. Oolong transformed into a pair of handcuffs and chained himself to the railing. Mai, without hesitation, jumped and clung to Goku's waist.
Goku clapped his hands, electricity sparking between his fingers. He separated them slowly, a small orb of ki forming in his palms. Wind whipped around them, the river growing violent, the boat creaking.
The orb grew—head-sized, roaring with power.
"STOP!" Bulma screamed, but the wind drowned out her voice.
"LET'S GOOOO!!!" Goku shouted—
And then…
BOOOOOOM!
The beam launched them skyward like a rocket. The boat shot through the clouds, everyone flattened to their seats by the G-force. All went still. The sky, serene. The clouds, glowing.
"...That's beautiful," Bulma whispered.
But soon, their altitude dropped.
"What's wrong?!" Mai shouted.
They looked back—Goku was on his back, eyes half-closed.
"I'm hungry," he muttered. "No energy left…"
Panic set in.
The boat plummeted toward the desert below.
Screaming in unison, the team braced for death.
But just before impact, Goku opened his eyes. In a flash, he scooped up Mai and Bulma, leapt from the boat, and landed with a heavy thud on the burning sand. Behind them, the boat smashed into the earth and exploded in a massive fireball.
As Goku touched the ground and dropped the girls, his body gave out. He hadn't eaten properly in days, and that massive ki blast had drained nearly all his energy. He collapsed face-first into the sand, butt in the air.
Bulma and Mai's eyes bulged with panic.
"I ALMOST PEED MY PANTS!!!" Bulma screamed.
Mai turned around, pulled open her pants, checked, and let out a sigh of relief.
They both looked down at Goku, still passed out in the sand.
"Find me something to eat…" he mumbled weakly.
"The pig is dead in the flaming boat," Mai said coldly. "He should be well done by now."
"I don't eat swine..." Said goku
"I—I'm not dead, you monsters!" Oolong buzzed out of Goku's pocket in fly form.
"Tch," Mai muttered, disappointed to see him alive.
"We need to move," said Bulma, wiping her sweaty forehead. "Or we'll be the ones roasting in this heat."
"Mr. Goku can't walk anymore," Mai replied. "But he got us close. Mount Frypan's just a few kilometers away."
She shrugged off her windbreaker and draped it over Goku to shield him from the sun, then knelt and lifted him onto her back.
"Oolong!" Bulma barked. "Transform into something useful and help carry him!"
Oolong dragged his feet toward her, grumbling, but when he reached for Goku, Mai snapped:
"Don't touch him!"
Both Bulma and Oolong froze in surprise.
Mai herself looked stunned. Why did I just say that? she thought. What's wrong with me?
As they walked, she glanced back at Goku, resting peacefully on her shoulder, her heart strangely heavy.
---
Two Hours Later…
Mai marched ahead, carrying Goku like he weighed nothing, her endurance as a mercenary on full display. Behind her, Bulma and Oolong were struggling, barely able to keep up.
Then Bulma collapsed dramatically in a rare patch of shade. "Mai! Oolong! Tell me there's a hotel nearby?! A hot bath?! Anything?!"
"Yeah, right. Keep dreaming," Oolong replied.
Bulma flopped like a toddler. "WHYYY!? THIS IS HORRIBLE! I HATE THIS! I'M HUNGRY! I NEED A BATH! I CAN'T SLEEP UNLESS I HAVE A BED!!!"
Oolong and Mai stared at her "she really got a bad personality" said Oolong "your one to talk" replied Mai.
Goku suddenly stirred, then rolled off Mai's back and stretched.
"You alright?" Mai asked.
"Yeah, the nap gave me some energy back," he said. "Me and Oolong will look for food and water. You two rest."
"No way! I wanna rest too!" Oolong whined.
Goku grabbed him by the ear. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone with them you pig!"
Oolong getting dragged reply "that not even an insult !"
As they walked off, Mai sat beside the exhausted Bulma, her eyes following Goku with an unreadable expression. She placed a hand over her chest, clearly conflicted.
---
In the Desert…
"How are we supposed to find food in the middle of nowhere?" Oolong whined.
"Can't you turn into some kind of sonar that detects life?" Goku asked.
"No! That's not how it works!"
Suddenly, from behind a rocky outcrop, a figure with long hair and a chinese sword watched them. By his side floated a small blue flying cat.
"Get ready, Pu'ar," he said. "Our next pray is coming."
"Yes, Yamcha!" the cat replied.
They revved up a desert scooter and kicked up dust as they sped toward Goku and Oolong. They stop, Yamcha leapt off, cocky smirk in place.
"I hate to do this," he said, drawing his sword, "but if you hand over your capsules and money and I'll let you live."
Goku stepped forward. "Let's get this over with. I'm not in the mood."
"No choice, then." Yamcha slashed his sword out of its sheath. "Let's see what you got!"
Meanwhile, Mai couldn't sit still. Driven by unease, she stood up and forced a reluctant Bulma to follow her, heading in the direction where Goku and Oolong had gone.
Goku planted his foot—and vanished. "I have to finish this in one move I don't have the energy for another one" he says to himself.
In a blink, he reappeared right in front of Yamcha, whose sword was still halfway out. Goku, using his last reserves, twisted his torso and delivered a crushing punch.
Yamcha barely managed to block with the flat of his blade—but Goku's fist shattered the sword and smashed into his gut, sending him flying backwards.
Goku dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"Damn… the sword absorbed most of it…"
Yamcha lay on his back, coughing and groaning. He vomited from the impact and rolled on the sand in agony.
"Master Yamcha! Are you okay !?" Pu'ar cried.
"Of course I'm not okay! I feel like I got hit by a truck! He's a monster!"
"He's collapsing!" Pu'ar said. "The desert must've weakened him!"
Yamcha struggled to stand. "That's fine. For money—I don't fight fair!"
"ROGA FUFU KEN!!!" Yamcha roared, his hands mimicking a wolf's maw.
He lunged at Goku, claws aimed at his head he got blasted into rocks, landing on the sand.
Left behind and trembling, Oolong stood alone before the two strangers. "N-Now give it to me," Yamcha demanded. Reluctantly, Oolong reached into his pants and pulled out a medium-sized capsule. Yamcha snatched it with a smug grin—until something caught his eye.
Movement. Near where Goku had landed.
"Tch... not done yet, huh?" Yamcha growled, narrowing his eyes as he dashed toward the shifting figure. "It's not over!" he shouted.
He froze.
Bulma and Mai stood over Goku.
His eyes met theirs.
Yamcha's whole body locked up. His face turned red, his limbs trembled.
"P-Pu'ar—we're leaving!"
"What?!"
"NOW!"
They jumped back on the scooter and sped off in a cloud of dust.
Mai growled and started firing after them, missing every shot. "Coward!"
Bulma knelt beside Goku, shaking him. "Who was that guy!? He looked kinda cute…"
---
Later, at Yamcha's Hideout…
"You okay, Master Yamcha?"
"Yeah… I just… I freeze when I see a girl. I—I get all worked up…"