"Alright, hold on tight. Let's go into the cave and find the Dragon Ball," John said, seeing that Bulma was unwilling to wait outside. He took her hand and led her towards the cave.
As they walked into the cave, the only light came from their flashlight, while the rest of the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
Bulma's heart raced with fear, and she held John's hand tightly, her grip becoming stronger. Even with John's current strength, he felt a bit of pain from her grip.
However, John didn't dare to pull away, afraid that he might scare Bulma, as it was his idea to bring her on this dangerous quest for the Dragon Balls.
The cave was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps and breathing echoing through the darkness. John's breathing was light and steady, while Bulma's was heavy and rapid.
"John, have we found the Dragon Ball yet?" Bulma asked in a low voice.
Her soft voice seemed loud in the quiet cave, and the echo reverberated through the space.
As Bulma's voice faded into the distance, a group of creatures suddenly appeared in the cave, and a dark shadow rushed towards John and Bulma.
John was startled and quickly shielded Bulma with his body, but the shadow turned out to be a group of bats flying over their heads, emitting a sharp, piercing sound.
John realized that the cave was home to many bats, and their arrival had startled the creatures, causing them to fly out of the cave to escape.
Bulma, who had been hiding under John's clothes, shivered with fear. When the sound faded, she stood up and asked, "What were those creatures?"
"It's nothing, just a group of bats. It's only natural that they would fly over to scare us since we intruded on their territory," John replied.
Bulma relaxed a bit and said, "So they were bats. They scared me. Let's hurry up and find the Dragon Ball. Let's check the Dragon Radar to see how far away it is."
Bulma took out the Dragon Radar and carefully examined it, seeing that the Dragon Ball was very close, only about ten meters away.
Hearing that it was so close, John quickened his pace, pulling Bulma along with him.
This time, no other creatures disturbed them, and they reached the location of the new Dragon Ball without incident.
As the Dragon Balls were sensitive to each other's proximity, the Dragon Ball in the cave began to glow faintly as John and Bulma approached with the one-star Dragon Ball.
"Bulma, I see it! I see the Dragon Ball glowing over there," John shouted.
He jumped a few times and reached the Dragon Ball, which was wedged between the cave's rocks. He pulled it out and counted the stars inside.
"John, which Dragon Ball is it?" Bulma asked loudly, her voice echoing in the cave.
"It's the five-star Dragon Ball. We now have two of the seven Dragon Balls," John replied.
"Good, let's get out of here. This cave is too scary," Bulma shouted.
"Okay, let's go," John responded.
The journey out of the cave was faster than the way in, as they were now familiar with the path and knew there was no danger.
Soon, they exited the cave, and Bulma breathed a sigh of relief. Then, without waiting for John to fully retrieve the Dragon Ball from his pocket, she snatched it from him.
After examining the Dragon Ball, Bulma was a bit disappointed, "Besides having three more stars inside, it doesn't seem much different from the one-star Dragon Ball."
John couldn't help but laugh, "That's because, according to the story, there was originally only one Dragon Ball, which was later divided into seven by the gods."
Bulma asked curiously, "Why did the gods do that? Wouldn't it be more convenient for people to collect the Dragon Balls if there was only one?"
John scratched his head, trying to remember the plot, and said, "I think it's because humans were too greedy. They wanted to make more wishes after their first wish was granted, which angered the gods. In the end, the gods divided the Dragon Ball into seven pieces and scattered them around the world after each wish was granted."
"Anyone who wants to collect the Dragon Balls must go through various tests before they can gather all seven and make their wish."
"After that, humans finally realized that wishes are limited, but hard work is infinite. As long as you work hard enough, you can achieve your wishes even without the Dragon Balls."
As John spoke, he began to give Bulma a motivational speech, which was influenced by his past life experiences. John had once been a success coach, but he eventually quit because he felt that the industry went against his conscience. However, the habit of giving motivational speeches remained.
But Bulma wasn't just anyone; she was the daughter of the Capsule Corporation's chairman and the future world's richest person. She was used to giving others motivational speeches, not receiving them.
So, after listening to John's words, Bulma smiled and said, "So, in this world, hard work is the key to success? Is that how you became the greatest martial artist in the world?" As she spoke, her eyes glanced at the Dragon Ball in her hand.
John was at a loss for words, as the idea of hard work leading to success was a capitalist concept used to encourage the poor to create value for the wealthy. When John crossed over into the Dragon Ball world, his original world had fallen into a strange cycle of 'involution,' where everyone worked hard but found no improvement in their circumstances. Instead, they became more miserable, and their money decreased rather than increased. Some even ended up with worse health.
Eventually, people realized that their hard work wasn't bringing them any benefits, and their bosses were the ones buying houses and cars. Those who discovered this truth chose to 'lie flat' and stop working hard.
Seeing that she had put John in a difficult position, Bulma smiled and returned the Dragon Ball to him. Then, she said, "So, let's work hard to collect the Dragon Balls. With the Dragon Balls' help, your hard work will be worthwhile. Otherwise, you'll just be an ordinary martial artist who can only defeat ordinary tigers."
John didn't know what to say, so he quietly put the Dragon Ball back into his backpack and accompanied Bulma back to West City.