Chapter 59: Dragon Ball
Driving across the Gobi Desert, they passed through eerie groves of twisted, withered trees. Though their relationship was established, the two hadn't reached the point of being clingy or overly affectionate—they still lived together as they always had.
"Franklin, once we find the last Dragon Ball, I want to make a different wish."
"Sure, I don't mind. That first wish was just a whim anyway. What kind of wish do you want this time?"
Bulma spoke directly. "I feel like I'm still growing. I want to ask Shenron to make my looks and figure stay forever at my most beautiful, most perfect age. Otherwise, I'll never be able to compete with that so-called Galactic Princess you mentioned."
Franklin didn't even know how to respond to that. Say anything, and it'd sound like he was asking for trouble. Just as he was trying to think of a reply, his brow twitched—an immediate sense of danger surged through him.
In an instant, his spiritual sense expanded—and he saw a rocket speeding toward them from behind. But no matter how he searched, he couldn't find the one who fired it. The missile came from beyond the range of his spiritual perception.
After confirming that no one in the group would be harmed, Franklin didn't bother to defend. When the missile struck the vehicle, he only shielded Bulma at the last moment.
The explosion threw the car through the air, but as it tumbled, Franklin used vines to stabilize it, tore off the roof, and leapt out with Bulma in his arms.
In the distance, a humanoid robot—piloted from inside—approached them.
"Hand over the Dragon Balls, and I won't kill you."
The culprit had shown himself. Franklin didn't hesitate—countless vines erupted from beneath the mech's feet. In just three seconds, the machine's limbs were torn apart, leaving only the cockpit, which Franklin pulled right in front of him.
He tore the hatch open with one hand. Inside, a trembling yellow-furred dog-man in a ninja outfit cowered in fear.
"What did you just say?"
Seeing Franklin's fierce expression, the dog-man, Shu, stammered, "I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
Franklin grabbed him by the collar and tossed him to Oolong. "Search him. See if he's carrying anything valuable. Launching a missile right at us—he's probably just a grunt sent by whoever has the last Dragon Ball."
Three minutes later, the yellow-furred dog was dumped naked in the desert, shivering and curled up in humiliation.
Examining the newly obtained jet capsule, Franklin nodded with satisfaction.
"This isn't too bad—lost a car, gained a jet. At least we broke even."
Halfway through speaking, Franklin suddenly realized none of them actually knew how to fly a plane. Thinking of Bulma's genius, he asked,
"Bulma, can you pilot this?"
"Of course! Something this simple? Please." Bulma's eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Finally, something you can't do," she teased. "I thought you were good at everything—but looks like you've got weaknesses too."
Franklin smiled helplessly. He threw out the capsule, and a high-tech VTOL jet appeared. This time, Goku didn't ride along—he flew beside them on his Flying Nimbus.
As they drew near the last Dragon Ball, they spotted a massive castle rising from the desert. The jet descended slowly while Franklin's spiritual sense swept across the area.
In an instant, he located the remaining two members of the "suicide trio"—Pilaf and Shu. Franklin ignored them and focused directly on where the Dragon Ball was kept.
As the plane approached, he formed hand seals, and the stone walls began to shift—the box containing the Dragon Ball was swallowed by the wall and transported outward. When it emerged outside, Franklin leapt from the plane to retrieve it.
Just as he was about to leave, countless gun barrels and cannons burst from the ground. A storm of bullets and missiles rained toward the aircraft.
Bulma froze in shock, while Oolong and Puar turned pale as death.
Reacting instantly, Franklin dove back into the cockpit, slammed into the controls, and forced the plane off course. Golden spiritual energy flared around him—just as bullets tore through the air like a torrential downpour.
Thanks to that split-second adjustment, the plane only took glancing hits. A golden glow spread over its surface, deflecting the barrage. Still, the sheer volume of bullets and missiles was staggering, and Franklin could feel his energy draining rapidly.
"Get us down! Fly into the castle complex!"
Snapped out of her daze by his command, Bulma quickly dove the plane. Only after they hid among the ruins did the barrage finally cease.
Franklin's face darkened—he had nearly lost control there. He released a surge of spiritual power, shaking the entire castle. As the earth element gathered under his control, the castle's supporting structures began to crumble.
In less than a minute, the whole fortress collapsed into rubble—the destruction that, in the original story, should have been caused by Great Ape Goku, was now carried out by Franklin himself.
With his spiritual sense, he confirmed that Pilaf and Shu were still alive and mostly unharmed. He exhaled in relief—he'd lost his temper and hit too hard, but fortunately, they weren't dead. Piccolo Daimao still needed to be released, and Krillin still had to die for Goku's growth to continue.
As dusk settled over the desert, Franklin decided to summon Shenron and make their wish here.
Goku descended from the sky, wide-eyed with amazement at the still-intact jet.
"Brother Franklin! How'd you do that? This plane's so fragile—how did it survive all that?"
"Instead of gawking, why don't you check if everyone inside's okay?"
Inside the jet, Oolong was drenched in sweat, Puar was crying, and Bulma, pale and weak, was slumped in the pilot seat. When she saw Franklin, she reached out instinctively.
"Franklin… uuu… I was so scared…"
Franklin lifted her up and sat in the pilot seat, settling her on his lap as he gently patted her back to calm her down.
Thinking back to the earlier chaos, he exhaled deeply. If he'd reacted even a second slower, everyone in the plane—Bulma, Oolong, and Puar—might have been obliterated.
When night fell, Franklin summoned vines and lit a fire with his fire-element energy.
After finding a food storage room in the ruins, he prepared a feast for everyone. Goku and Oolong devoured the food like starving wolves, fighting over each bite. Bulma, now recovered, ate gracefully alongside Puar. Watching the peaceful scene, Franklin finally felt himself relax.
The seven Dragon Balls were lined up neatly in front of them. Franklin and Bulma stood before them.
"Ready with your wish?"
"I've already decided," Bulma said. "I'll wish that when I turn twenty-six, my looks and figure will return to the peak I had at fifteen."
Franklin sweatdropped. "That's… quite a complicated wish. I'm not sure Shenron can even do that—it's like a delayed wish. You sure he'll be able to pull it off? Maybe think of a backup, just in case."
"No need. If it doesn't work, you can make the wish instead. When I turn twenty-six, I'll just collect the Dragon Balls again."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)