For ordinary people, collecting all seven Dragon Balls might take a lifetime. But for Goku and his friends, it was a simple task.
Whenever they needed to make a wish, they could just gather them again— the only thing to watch out for was the one-year cooldown.
And for that, all credit went to Bulma's genius invention: the Dragon Radar.
Thinking of that, Kaito turned to Bulma and said,
"Bulma, I need to borrow your Dragon Radar again."
Bulma blinked in surprise.
"Huh? You're going to look for the Dragon Balls too?"
"Yeah. I need Shenron to help me find someone. In return, if the Earth ever faces another crisis, I'll lend a hand."
"There's no need for any exchange! You're my lifesaver—compared to that, this is nothing!"
"You're not afraid I'll use the Dragon Balls to do something bad?"
"How could I be? If you wanted to do bad things, with your strength you could've done it already. You don't need the Dragon Balls for that!"
Bulma poked Kaito lightly in the chest with her finger, then went to fetch the radar and handed it to him.
She even took the time to explain how to use it carefully, though the operation was simple enough that Kaito mastered it in seconds.
After thanking her, Kaito was about to head out when Bulma suddenly spoke up,
"Kaito, can you take me with you? It's been ages since I last went on a trip. I kinda miss the old days—my first Dragon Ball hunt feels like forever ago."
"Hm? Of course."
Bulma hadn't expected such an easy yes. Her eyes lit up with delight.
"That's great! I'll just go pack my things—it won't take long!"
As she turned to go, Kaito rested a hand on her shoulder.
"No need. It won't take that long. It's still early today—we might have all seven by this afternoon."
"Huh? You're kidding, right? Even with the radar, the Dragon Balls are scattered all over the world! Just traveling between them takes forever—unless you've got Goku's Flying Nimbus..."
"It's not as troublesome as you think. Just stand next to me."
Kaito pressed a button on the radar, locating one of the Dragon Balls. Bulma glanced at the display and said,
"That one's at least eight thousand kilometers away. Let me pack—"
"Heh. As long as we know the location, distance isn't a problem."
As soon as he said that, a black hole opened under Kaito's feet. He grabbed Bulma and stepped through.
A second later, they were standing in the middle of a vast desert.
Bulma stared around in utter disbelief. When the wind blew sand into her eyes, she finally realized she wasn't dreaming.
Quickly checking the radar, she saw they were right next to a Dragon Ball.
Which meant— they had traveled eight thousand kilometers in an instant.
The realization completely shattered her understanding of reality.
She steadied herself and glared at Kaito.
"Kaito, who the hell are you? Don't tell me you're just a regular high school student!"
Kaito smiled.
"What if I said I'm a god—would you believe me?"
"I'd believe it! But wait, isn't the god supposed to look like Piccolo? You know, all green and antennae and stuff?"
"Uh... let's just say—there's a difference between gods."
"Hah! I knew it. You totally look like what a god should look like!"
"Hey, hey—don't be racist, okay? The Earth's god might not be powerful, but he's a good, hard-working one."
"I was just joking, geez!"
Bulma stuck out her tongue, showing absolutely no reverence for divinity.
In fact, the more time she spent with Kaito, the more relaxed she became.
She leaned closer, holding his hand that carried the radar, and said seriously,
"Even though the Dragon Ball is close, finding one little orb in this massive desert won't be easy. Good thing I brought a Capsule House—we can just—"
But Kaito, ever the mood-killer, interrupted her.
"No need. I've got a way."
He snapped his fingers and murmured,
"roo·scan."
An invisible pulse swept across the entire desert.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a Dragon Ball appeared in his hand— the Six-Star Ball, gleaming brightly under the sun.
Bulma: "..."
She gave him a helpless, almost sulky look, then leaned against him in resignation. At this rate, Kaito saying he'd finish by afternoon might've been an understatement.
Soon, Kaito and Bulma were hopping from place to place— volcanoes, oceans, villages, and cities. In no time, he had gathered six Dragon Balls.
Checking them, he saw the only one missing was the Four-Star Ball.
Bulma pouted slightly.
"We don't need the radar for that one. Goku has it. Let's just go see him."
Kaito couldn't help but laugh at her expression.
"Alright, but I really have something to do after this. Next time, I'll make it up to you—take you on a real adventure. Consider it a favor I owe."
"You better keep your word!"
"Of course. Did you forget I'm a god? Gods don't lie!"
"Mm!"
Bulma's mood instantly lifted again. Hands on her hips, she grinned and shouted,
"Alright! Then let's go find Goku!"
...
Mount Paozu
"Ah-da! Ah-da! Ah-da!"
Up in the sky, two figures were locked in combat— Goku and Piccolo.
On the ground, Gohan cheered them on, his voice full of excitement. Next to him sat Vegeta, tightly restrained, looking utterly annoyed.
He grit his teeth and snarled,
"Hey! Brat! Can you stop yelling? You're giving me a headache!"
Startled, Gohan turned to bow quickly.
"I'm sorry, Vegeta-san! I didn't mean to disturb you..."
Vegeta scoffed.
"Hmph! You little runt—if it weren't for that stupid tail, I'd never believe you're a Saiyan!"
"But I'm not a Saiyan! I'm an Earthling!"
"Tch—idiotic father and son. Just looking at you two pisses me off! Go sit somewhere else!"
"I'm really sorry, but Dad told me to keep an eye on you and not run off!"
"Then sit down and shut up! Don't bother me again!"
"Okay..."
Gohan obediently sat down, lips sealed tight.
Just as Vegeta let out a sigh of relief— a cold, spine-tingling voice spoke from behind him.
"Vegeta... bullying a little kid—is that really fun for you?"
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