"What's wrong?"
Kami noticed Yajirobe's gaze and glanced back but saw nothing.
Yajirobe described the gray-white-haired person he had seen.
Mr. Popo suddenly realized, "That's Taro."
Yajirobe was startled. "Ah?!" He scratched his lean, sharp cheek and murmured, "So that's the Muten Roshi..." During nearly two years at the sanctuary, he had often trained in the virtual Earth network and heard countless stories about the Muten Roshi.
Not to mention the sword he carried, which was passed down in their lineage from the Muten Roshi himself.
Kami whispered thoughtfully, "He came out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber... Could Taro have gone to another parallel timeline again?"
As a non-combat genius Namekian of the dragon clan, Piccolo was extremely wise. He had vaguely deduced the whole story of Taro's spacetime ability training in the sanctuary.
Seeing the Muten Roshi in person reminded Yajirobe of how he used the login device given by the Cat Hermit to enter the virtual Earth network and directly access the Muten Roshi's main city. Normally, only members of the Martial Arts Association could enter that sky city, yet he had no such membership but was still able to get in.
Suddenly, Yajirobe recalled the faint smile Taro had shown him earlier.
Could it be... the Muten Roshi had known about me all along?
Rubbing his chin, Yajirobe pondered this incredible thought... until Kami pulled him back to reality, saying, "So, there's probably nothing more for you to train on here. It's time to head down."
"Ah... right." Yajirobe came back to his senses. He pressed the sword hilt and walked to the edge of the sanctuary. "It's time to leave... I plan to travel the world, just like Goku and the others..."
He looked down at the drifting clouds below, his gaze falling somewhere—perhaps a small town on the edge of a desert.
"The next World Martial Arts Tournament will open in two years. You're going to participate, right?" Mr. Popo said. Over these past two years, he had become something like Yajirobe's half-mentor.
"Of course!" Yajirobe paused at the edge of the sanctuary, his expression silent. He pursed his lips, then sprang forward, leaping down. "Thanks for taking care of me all this time... Farewell!"
Whoosh whoosh...
The wind howled as Yajirobe's figure sped through the clouds, not once looking back.
---
Taro teleported directly from the sanctuary back to Muten Roshi Island.
"Ang!"
The Phoenix was the first to fly over, sensing Taro's aura and letting out a joyful cry.
Hathaway had actually sensed Taro's return long before. Even when Taro was at a distant edge of the universe, she could vaguely feel his presence because their lives were connected, creating an invisible, intangible bond.
When Taro returned to the Earth Sanctuary, Hathaway's connection with him grew even stronger and clearer.
"How did it go? Everything smooth?" Hathaway approached with a bright smile.
Taro took her outstretched hand and nodded. "Mm... I dropped Krillin off on that White Rabbit planet. A great battle is about to erupt there. If Krillin can handle it successfully, it will be a huge achievement. Even if he dies later, there won't be any worries about his afterlife. As for Goku... I found him some opponents. This kid just needs a simple, straightforward trial; he won't break under pressure..."
Hathaway nodded while observing her husband, noticing that although he spoke, his expression remained thoughtful.
This detail could fool others but not her eyes.
"What is it?" Hathaway smiled gently, reaching out to smooth the furrow in Taro's brow, softly saying, "You disappeared suddenly before, just like a few years ago in the time machine at the Lookout..."
Taro paused, then smiled. "You really can't be fooled..." He nodded. "Yes, I went to that parallel timeline I once visited. Because suddenly, I felt a reaction... I had left a trace in Goku's mind while I was there, so I suspect that something is wrong with that trace."
"So you went to take a look, right?" Hathaway asked with some curiosity, noticing that Taro's current state seemed a little different from usual. "What happened over there? You seem a bit worried."
"It's not really worry, just some things I can't quite figure out," Taro shook his head, then briefly explained to Hathaway what had occurred on the other side.
After listening, Hathaway also showed a thoughtful expression.
Taro looked at Hathaway... He knew himself well enough, and in terms of intelligence and quick thinking, he was no match for his wife—not even close. The powerful mental strength granted by his psychic magic allowed him to perform calculations far beyond normal people in a short time, comparable to a supercomputer, but that didn't mean his IQ or cleverness increased.
Even when he put all his effort into thinking, he might only be barely keeping up with his wife's normal thinking speed.
If Hathaway had his mental power and even more terrifying calculation abilities, who knew how incredibly wise she would become...
Hathaway furrowed her brows in thought for a moment. After about four or five minutes, she shared several of her guesses with Taro.
Taro narrowed his eyes. After hearing one explanation, he murmured, "Perhaps this is the most likely scenario..."
Hathaway smiled. "Anyway, for now, take the Dragon Balls over there and have the people revive. Then ask them—they might know something... Maybe it's because they didn't want you to learn anything from Goku and the others on Earth, or the Namekians, that Dabura took action and destroyed them all."
"Hmm, Dabura is the King of the Demon Realm. If he intervenes, neither planet's people can enter the afterlife. And with both planets' Dragon Balls destroyed, there's no way to revive anyone..." Taro nodded, then flew back home and brought out the Dragon Balls he had prepared two years ago to revive Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu.
Taro hovered in midair, seven Dragon Balls in his hand, and placed them into a wooden box.
"Go quickly,"
Hathaway waved at him from the ground below, smiling softly.
Taro nodded. His pupils shifted, and in an instant, transformed into a ripple-shaped magatama pattern... Then ripples spread across his body like a wisp of blue smoke as he vanished into thin air.
Hathaway smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear but soon widened her eyes, looking toward the spot where Taro disappeared with surprise.
"Ang!"
The Phoenix called out softly, flying over from behind Hathaway. It soared into the air, snapping its beak, claws extended, wings spread wide, and carefully caught the seven Dragon Balls falling from the sky one by one. When it hurriedly landed beside Hathaway, four of the Dragon Balls rolled off its back as they bumped together.
"They weren't taken away after all..." Hathaway said in surprise, frowning as she squatted down and pressed a finger on one of the four Dragon Balls on the ground—the four-star ball.
"Ang?" The Phoenix flapped its wings, seemingly confused about what happened. It held the one-star ball in its beak, the six-star and three-star balls beneath its claws, and playfully shifted on the Dragon Balls on the spot, as if it found the situation amusing.
"Dragon Balls are something that can't be brought into parallel timelines..."
At that moment, a lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind Hathaway.