"But he might be connected to the celestial phenomenon we witnessed last night."
Jane was reluctant to part ways with Thor quite so soon.
Selvig's gaze turned stern.
"It's too dangerous! Just listen to the things they're talking about—neither of them seems quite right. Don't take the risk!"
"Alright."
Jane thought it over for a moment before finally giving in with a resigned sigh.
Ever since her father had passed away, Selvig had looked after her like a father figure; consequently, she generally tried to avoid doing anything that would cause him undue worry.
As they took their seats once more, they noticed that Goku had already demolished another dozen or so "Giant Family Combos."
By now, every single person in the restaurant had their eyes locked on Goku; quite a few had even whipped out their phones and started filming him.
Among them was Jane's student, Darcy. "I've got to take a picture of this and post it on Facebook—it's absolutely unbelievable!"
"I'm stuffed!"
Having devoured a staggering fifty-two servings, Goku rubbed his belly.
He hopped down from his seat. Jane, too, finally breathed a sigh of relief; she quickly settled the entire bill and exited the fast-food restaurant. To be honest, the look she gave Goku now held a distinct hint of horror.
To consume that many "Giant Family Combos" all by oneself—was he even human? Or had he transformed from some kind of monster?
"This meal is on me. Here, let me give these gold coins back to you."
Standing at the entrance of the fast-food joint, Jane pulled out the handful of gold coins Goku had given her.
Now that she had confirmed the coins were genuine, she naturally felt too guilty to keep them.
Goku's meal had cost over a thousand dollars, yet the value of these gold coins far exceeded that amount.
If she were to accept them, wouldn't that be tantamount to swindling money from a child?
Although, admittedly, this didn't seem like a particularly *normal* child.
"In that case, I'll treat you guys to a meal next time!"
Assuming she simply didn't care for gold coins, Goku took them back and tucked them away in his box. Then, he shouted loudly up toward the sky:
"Nimbus!"
A cloud floating in the heavens heard his summons and immediately swooped down at supersonic speed, coming to a screeching halt right in front of Goku.
Goku leaped onto the cloud and addressed Thor, Jane, and the others:
"I still have to go search for the Dragon Balls. Once I've gathered them all, I'll come find you guys again."
With those words, he rode the Nimbus and swiftly flew away.
"He flies pretty fast. But just wait until I get Mjolnir back—I'll fly even faster than him."
Thor waved at Goku, then slapped his forehead:
"I forgot to ask him to give me a ride!"
Turning to look at Jane and her two companions, he asked with a smile:
"Could you guys give me a lift to that meteorite crater about fifty miles to the west?"
Meanwhile, Jane and her companions stood there with their mouths gaping wide—so wide, in fact, that they hadn't yet managed to close them.
Clearly, they had been utterly stunned by the sight of Goku flying away while riding atop a cloud.
At that moment, Goku checked his radar and continued flying westward.
After flying for roughly two hours, he came to a halt over the open ocean.
"So, it landed in the sea."
Sitting cross-legged on the Flying Nimbus, he began to ponder the most suitable method for retrieving the Dragon Ball from the ocean depths.
Given his current physical constitution—even with his training in specialized breathing techniques—it would be impossible for him to remain active on the ocean floor for any extended period.
In the past, when collecting Dragon Balls from the seabed, he had relied on Bulma's high-tech submarine; however, he didn't have access to that device now.
"Should I use the Bubble-Head Charm, or Transformation Magic?"
The Bubble-Head Charm was a spell Dumbledore had taught him back at Hogwarts—a piece of magic that allowed a wizard to function underwater for long periods.
Once cast, the spell conjured a large bubble of air around the caster's head, effectively sealing out the surrounding water and allowing them to breathe fresh air.
Transformation Magic, on the other hand, was a skill he had picked up incidentally while studying Gravity Magic under Zeref.
Since he already possessed a solid foundation in Transfiguration, he had mastered Transformation Magic quite rapidly.
Now, he could use this magic to transform himself into a fish, thereby allowing him to remain in the ocean for as long as he pleased.
Each of these two methods had its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of the Bubble-Head Charm was that it did not diminish his physical capabilities; should he encounter any enemies on the ocean floor, he would remain fully capable of engaging in combat.
Its disadvantage, however, was that while the Bubble-Head Charm did trap a considerable amount of air, that supply was finite and would eventually run out. Furthermore—and rather unfortunately—it was a spell that proved quite unkind to wizards suffering from bad breath.
Legend had it that a certain wizard, while utilizing the Bubble-Head Charm for an underwater excursion, had actually passed out from asphyxiation—suffocated by the sheer potency of his own halitosis.
The advantage of Transformation Magic was that it allowed him to morph into various types of fish, thereby enabling him to... It allows him to adapt to the underwater environment, so he wouldn't have to worry about time constraints.
The downside, however, is quite obvious: if he were to transform into a fish, while his physical strength wouldn't diminish, many of his combat techniques would certainly become difficult—if not impossible—to execute.
His overall combat effectiveness would inevitably take a hit.
After giving it some thought, Goku decided to stick with the Bubble-Head Charm instead.
He had realized a critical issue: if he used the Transformation Charm to turn himself into a fish, how would he hold onto the Dragon Radar?
Without the Dragon Radar, there was simply no way for him to locate the Dragon Balls in the depths of the ocean.
Although the Bubble-Head Charm did have a time limit, Goku was proficient in special breathing techniques; his internal energy reserves were vast, and his oxygen consumption was extremely low.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, spending seven or eight hours underwater wouldn't be a problem at all.
Besides, the Dragon Radar itself was waterproof.
Having made his decision, Goku stripped off his clothes and placed them—along with his storage box—safely onto the Flying Nimbus.
Chanting the incantation, and watching as a large, transparent bubble formed around his head, he clutched the Dragon Radar and leaped headfirst into the ocean.
Guided by the radar's signals, he kicked his legs vigorously, and his body shot through the water like a torpedo, plunging rapidly into the deep.
Three hours later, having reached the ocean floor, Goku gazed at the Dragon Radar; seeing the location of a Dragon Ball displayed just within his reach, he silently recited the Summoning Charm.
"Dragon Ball—come to me!"
This time, the retrieval went remarkably smoothly; a Dragon Ball flew out from amidst a patch of underwater vegetation and landed right in Goku's outstretched hand.
"Apparition!"
With the Dragon Ball secured, he silently recited another incantation, and his figure instantly vanished from the depths of the ocean.
When he reappeared, he was back aboard the Flying Nimbus.
"Just one left."
Sitting on the Flying Nimbus, Goku placed the Three-Star Dragon Ball into his storage box, put his clothes back on, and checked the Dragon Radar once more.
"It's to the east... I suppose I'll go look for it tomorrow, then."
The location of the final Dragon Ball lay in an easterly direction—and it was situated a very, very long distance away.
He reckoned that even traveling aboard the Flying Nimbus, it would likely take him the better part of a day just to fly all the way there. It was already evening now; if he flew there immediately, he likely wouldn't arrive until tomorrow morning.
So, he decided to wait until tomorrow to go look for him.
"I'll go find Thor. I wonder if he's recovered his strength yet? If he has, it would be the perfect opportunity to have a friendly spar."
The chance to spar with a god doesn't come around often.
Had the Dragon Ball not been located quite so far away, he would have planned to stay with Thor all afternoon.
That way, once Thor recovered his strength, they could have sparred right then and there.
"I should catch some sizable ingredients to bring along!"
He was just about to use *Apparition* to teleport directly back to the small town he'd visited that afternoon, but then, recalling the situation at lunch, he paused for a moment.
Thor and his companions had treated him to lunch earlier; now, he could treat *them* to dinner. That's what you call reciprocating a kindness.
Grandpa Roshi had taught him all about that during his lessons.
Conveniently, he was currently over the open ocean—there was certainly no shortage of food to fill his belly here.
He focused his senses intently on the waters below and quickly detected a Ki signature that seemed quite promising.
"Gravity Magic: Anti-Gravity!"
He extended his hand and pointed downward; a massive magic circle materialized over the ocean.
Moments later, a blue whale—nearly thirty meters in length—was slowly lifted out of the water by the effects of the gravity magic.
"You're the one."
Perched atop his Flying Nimbus, Goku circled the blue whale, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"This should be enough to feed everyone."
He stuffed the blue whale into a storage box, then used *Apparition* to vanish instantly from the spot.