After a brief rest, Oolong, lying on his side, started complaining again.
"I can't sleep. I'm so hungry I can't stand it. Goku, do you have any food?"
Goku looked at one friend asleep from exhaustion and another too weak and tired. He realized they needed to solve the food problem quickly, or they'd never escape the desert.
He stood up. "I'll go look around for something to eat." With that, he prepared to call the Flying Nimbus to scout the area.
Suddenly, he remembered something and turned back to Oolong, asking sincerely, "By the way, do you like eating pork?"
Oolong found these words shocking. As a pig, eating pork was a huge taboo.
Surprisingly, Oolong jumped up as if energized, staring wide-eyed and shouting at Goku, "Look at me! How could I possibly like eating pork?"
Goku watched Oolong flail, his expression calm and unbothered. He didn't understand why Oolong was suddenly so animated.
While they stared at each other, heavy footsteps approached, breaking the silence of the desert.
Goku looked toward the sound and saw a dark figure rushing toward them, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What is that?" Oolong, also intrigued, asked Goku.
The figure was still far away and hidden in dust. Even Goku, with his sharp eyesight, couldn't see clearly yet. He merely exclaimed, "Such speed."
Soon, the figure became clear and stopped about ten meters away from Goku and the others.
As the dust settled, a tall, good-looking young man emerged.
It was Yamcha.
Yamcha immediately focused on the spiky-haired kid. He had admired him from a previous life. Seeing Goku now sparked a desire to befriend him. However, after living two lives, he maintained some composure and a mischievous thought arose.
With a fierce look, he declared, "I am the bandit who rules this entire desert, Yamcha."
Then Puar hopped out from behind Yamcha and introduced himself softly, "I am Puar."
Oolong was so terrified by the bandit's announcement that he hid behind Goku. But when he heard the blue cat introduce itself as Puar, something stirred in his heart. He peeked out at Puar, as if playing a game of hide-and-seek.
Having just come down from the mountain, Goku had met few people and didn't know what a bandit was. He felt happy to see others in the wilderness.
"What's a bandit? Is it edible?" Goku asked, thinking about their food situation.
"Idiot! He wants to rob us!" Oolong was exasperated with his clueless companion.
"Correct," Yamcha replied with a playful threat. "If you want to live, hand over all your valuables and Capsules. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."
After saying this, Yamcha watched Goku and Oolong with amusement.
Oolong trembled with fear. He knew Yamcha's reputation for robbing valuables but without harming anyone. However, he also had a secret stash of savings. If Yamcha found it, he would lose everything.
Suddenly inspired, he tried to connect, hoping to bluff his way out. Pointing at Puar, he exclaimed, "You're Puar! That crybaby Puar!"
This attempt was as awkward as he was.
Puar considered Oolong, recognizing him as a classmate from the Southern Transformation Kindergarten. "Oolong?"
Oolong, in his green clothes and military cap, looked quite different from his kindergarten days, so Puar didn't immediately recognize him.
As Puar acknowledged him, Oolong puffed up with pride, placing his hands behind his back like someone important.
Yamcha, aware they didn't have a good history, asked with a smile, "Puar, do you know him?"
Though Oolong felt proud, Puar had many bad memories. "Yes. At the Southern Transformation Kindergarten, he often bullied me. Yamcha, help me teach him a lesson."
"Young man, bullying the weak is wrong!" Yamcha said, cracking his knuckles. He nodded to Puar. "Don't worry, Puar! I'll teach him what it means to respect others."
"Mm." Puar nodded gently.
Upon hearing that someone planned to teach him a lesson, Oolong broke into a cold sweat. "Puar, why are you so vengeful? That was just a small thing from kindergarten! Why are you still upset?"
"I don't have a classmate like you—a voyeur who only peeks at girls' underwear!" Puar tossed its head, fanning the flames and even sticking its tongue out at Oolong.
"Yosh! What a hopeless guy. Then let me teach you a lesson, you pervert!" Yamcha said, moving to confront Oolong, who remained behind Goku.
Oolong was genuinely scared. His only ally was Goku. He whispered, "Aren't you very strong? Now it's your turn to act!"
Goku was still confused. "Are they bad people? Why do we have to fight them?"
Yamcha darted behind Goku, aiming to grab Oolong.
Although Goku found Oolong somewhat annoying, he was still his companion. He couldn't let Yamcha hurt him and quickly stepped in to block Yamcha.
The two began to spar. Yamcha wanted to test Goku's skills, so he didn't use his full strength.
During the fight, Yamcha opened the System and checked Goku's attributes.
[Name: Son Goku
Power Level: 10
Mental Energy: 1
Skill Points: 500
Technique: Rock-Paper-Scissors Fist (Jan-Ken-Pon)
Heritage: Saiyan (Power increases when near death.)]
Goku's current status was weaker than Yamcha's. His Power Level was low, and his Mental Energy wasn't high. However, his Skill Points were impressive. Yamcha had thought he'd outgrown Goku's talent after three years, but the gap remained large.
His arrogant heart, boosted by the System, was humbly challenged.
If even Goku had such potential, then other stronger warriors like Broly or Majin Buu would be incredibly daunting. This realization made Yamcha reconsider his attitude.
While Goku had remarkable talent, his combat skills were still raw and full of defensive gaps. Even without exerting his full strength, Yamcha could manage Goku with ease.
Yamcha had lived through two lives, giving him a more flexible approach to combat. Goku couldn't compete, especially since he was currently starving and unable to fight at full capacity.
In just a few exchanges, Yamcha's casual punches sent Goku flying into a pile of rocks behind him.
Seeing Goku's defeat made Oolong nervous. With a forced smile, he mimicked Puar's tone, "I knew Master Yamcha was the strongest!"
"Hehe, do you think I'll let you off just because of that?" Yamcha, unfazed by Oolong's flattery, continued his advance.
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