It was almost noon, and they had set out from home in the morning.
"If it weren't for you, Grandpa and I would have had dinosaur meat!" Goku sat obediently by the campfire, watching Son Gohan grill fish, still feeling a little regretful, smacking his lips as if still reminiscing about the half-dinosaur tail they had eaten earlier.
"Don't blame me for everything!" Bulma felt wronged, having almost been stomped by that dinosaur. She pouted and said sarcastically, "Dinosaur is so cute, why would we eat it?"
"Cute?" Goku couldn't understand, "But it tastes so good! And there's so much meat..."
Son Gohan turned over a long string of large grilled fish and smiled, "Alright, Goku, once we travel, there will be plenty of delicious prey along the way."
"Really, Grandpa?" Goku excitedly asked, his saliva almost dripping.
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Just how much do you care about food!"
Then, she fully witnessed Goku's behavior when it came to food... Bulma was almost stunned as she watched Goku throw himself onto the grilled fish as if starving, devouring them so quickly that when she blinked, the fish was reduced to nothing but white fish skeletons.
Son Gohan kept laughing as he watched. At this moment, Bulma suddenly realized that wild animals seemed to be rarely seen in this Baozi Mountain; the only thing she had encountered along the way was that giant dinosaur.
"Haha, so full!" Goku patted his stomach, looking very satisfied.
Surely this little monkey didn't eat everything... That's too much! Bulma thought to herself.
---
After eating the grilled fish, it was almost time to part ways.
"No need to pack up, I have everything I need with me!" Bulma said, putting on her cap and patting her backpack.
Goku slung his grandfather's magic staff at an angle across his back and asked curiously, "Do you have a lot of stuff in your bag?" He casually tossed his magic staff after cleaning it, and it spun in the air a few times before landing perfectly in the sheath on his back.
"Is it the capsule corporation?" Son Gohan had already noticed the capsule corporation's logo on Bulma's clothing and had guessed her identity. Capsules were still considered a luxury, with most people just owning a capsule vehicle. But Bulma gave off the impression that she carried every kind of capsule.
Son Gohan tied a small bundle and the magic staff across Goku's back, patting him on the shoulder gently. "Goku, after the journey is over, go straight to Master Taro's place."
"Can I? But I don't know where it is, it's such a headache," Goku was excited because he knew that if he went to Master Taro's place, he would learn powerful martial arts and become stronger and stronger.
Bulma couldn't help but be curious too, "Right, where do Grandpa Taro and Grandma Hathway live?"
"On the sea." Son Gohan just said this and then shouted toward the sky, "Nimbus!"
Bulma looked up in confusion, and to her surprise, the strange cloud that Goku had pointed out earlier actually flew down from the horizon, and the girl was astonished.
Whoosh!
Nimbus circled down and stopped next to them, its yellow cloud tail flicking.
Son Gohan patted Nimbus and said, "It knows where Master Taro lives. Goku, after you collect all the Dragon Balls and make your wish, just let Nimbus take you there." Goku nodded in agreement.
"By the way, little Bulma, what wish do you plan to make once you collect the Dragon Balls? If it's something inappropriate, not only I but also Master Taro won't agree," Son Gohan joked.
"I haven't thought about it yet. I don't have any urgent wishes... I'll decide when the time comes." Bulma had always gotten everything she wanted since she was young, so she never really thought about it. She only set out to search for the Dragon Balls because of the story about Hathway and Taro.
Son Gohan nodded and smiled, "Haha, then just enjoy the process... Watching you young ones makes me feel young again." He was joking, but from the energy around Bulma, he could tell that this child was still pure and kind-hearted.
Bulma grinned and then asked, "By the way, Son Gohan, did you just say... this strange cloud has consciousness?"
She found this hard to believe, staring at the floating Nimbus as the clouds above swirled, her face full of suspicion.
"It's just a little spiritual, not really intelligent," Son Gohan shook his head. "So it has some flaws. Only beings with a clear heart can ride it. For example, humans with a pure heart, or certain gentle animals." He patted Goku's head and smiled, "Goku, this child... very good, very good."
He remembered how Goku had been when he was still Kakarot. Back then, this child definitely wouldn't have been able to ride the Flying Nimbus.
Bulma murmured, "Is this what's beyond science... it's truly unbelievable." Then she suddenly giggled, tapping her finger on the tip of her nose. "So, can I ride it? With my pure heart, being as beautiful, smart, and clever as I am, I must be able to, right?" She said this while eagerly getting ready to try.
"Do you really want to try?" Son Gohan asked, his voice filled with amusement.
Goku blinked.
Bulma glanced at Goku, snorted, "If that little monkey can ride it, then I definitely can!" She adjusted her cap, curled her tongue at the corner of her mouth, rubbed her hands together, and with a quick huff, jumped toward the Nimbus cloud at her waist height.
But she completely passed through the Nimbus cloud and was about to crash onto the ground with a thud when Son Gohan quickly reached out, grabbed her arm, and with a gentle lift, helped her stabilize her stance, as if she were flying through the air.
"Hahahahaha… You're not a good child, you can't ride the Nimbus!" Goku immediately burst out laughing, showing no mercy to Bulma.
Bulma, both embarrassed and angry, blushed furiously, showing her sharp teeth and yelling at Goku, "Stop talking!!" Then she cupped her face, sighing mournfully to herself, "It must be my beauty that's the problem... is being too outstanding also a crime? Sigh!"
Goku stood with one foot over the other, hands behind his head, still laughing. At this moment, Son Gohan looked at Goku's tail, which was swaying behind him, and said, "Goku, remember, when we're out, don't look up at the moon on the night of the full moon."
"Oh, okay, Grandpa," Goku nodded obediently.
"Why? The full moon is beautiful!" Bulma asked, confused.
Goku frowned, showing his usual disdain for Bulma's ignorance. "Because there are monsters that appear on the full moon night! You're really dumb!"
Bulma was fuming. Dumb? Me? I'm Bulma, the genius inventor! You, with your natural ignorance, are in no place to call me dumb!
Goku added, "And weak!"
Bulma immediately felt deflated.
With his master's abilities, it should be possible to prevent Goku's tail from growing again, so why keep it? Is there another use for the tail in the Saiyan race? Son Gohan thought to himself. Could it be... that his master needed Goku to retain the ability to transform into a big ape?
Son Gohan went back to the small house.
After Bulma's brief moment of discouragement, she asked curiously, "What do you mean by monsters?"
She knew Goku was innocent, but he never lied... it was even uncertain whether he understood the concept of lying! So, she was puzzled. Monsters on a full moon night? Could there really be werewolves on Mount Paozu?
"Little Bulma, take this with you. If something happens on the night of the full moon, you can use it." Son Gohan came out of the small house, holding something small and thin in his hand. It was a pen.
Bulma took the pen, surprised, "This is a pen with communication functions? It should be for contacting a specific person, right? Will there really be monsters on the full moon night?"
"You're very clever. Anyway, if something really happens, just remember to use it," Son Gohan nodded, then spoke to both Bulma and Goku, "Alright, it's getting dark. You two still have a long way to go, so better head out soon."