Chapter 10: The Flying Nimbus Has a Spirit
"Bead?"
Master Roshi took off the Dragon Ball from his chest.
"You mean this thing!"
Bulma nodded.
Master Roshi said, "I picked this up from the ocean floor a hundred years ago and made it into a necklace. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, very beautiful."
As he spoke, Master Roshi's Dragon Ball suddenly lit up.
Both Bulma and Goku had Dragon Balls with them.
When Dragon Balls are close to each other, they react and sense one another.
Seeing the Dragon Ball glow, Master Roshi couldn't hide his surprise.
"Wow, this thing actually glows. It's the first time I've seen it."
"This must be a treasure. It's probably worth a lot, right?"
Bulma nodded again and looked at Master Roshi.
"You're right. This bead is called a Dragon Ball."
"There are seven of these beads in total, scattered all over the world."
"If you gather all seven, you can summon the dragon, and it will grant any wish that isn't too outrageous."
"However, although the Dragon Balls are treasures, they're useless if you can't collect them all."
"I've already collected three."
"Once I gather them all, I'll use the Dragon Balls to wish for a cure for my friend's illness."
As she spoke, Bulma took out her Dragon Balls and showed them to Master Roshi.
Master Roshi, seeing that the Dragon Balls could glow, had initially thought about asking for something more to satisfy his mischievous desires—like the pretty girl's underwear in front of him.
But when Bulma took out the Dragon Balls and explained that her goal in collecting them was to wish for her friend's recovery,
Master Roshi abandoned that dirty thought.
"If it's to save someone, then I'll just give you this orb!"
Master Roshi removed the Dragon Ball and generously handed it to Bulma.
Bulma calmly accepted the Dragon Ball.
She knew Master Roshi well, which was why she had spoken that way.
Although he was quite lecherous, this minor flaw didn't diminish his greatness in the slightest.
Bulma remembered from her previous life that he usually acted quite improperly.
But when King Piccolo descended, intending to rule the world with evil, Master Roshi stepped forward.
Without any hesitation, he used the Evil Containment Wave at the cost of his own life.
Although he didn't succeed, Bulma understood from that moment that, despite his lecherous nature, Master Roshi possessed great righteousness in his bones.
Nearby, Goku was somewhat surprised to hear Bulma's wish.
He remembered that in the original story, Bulma's wish was to find a boyfriend.
However, the Bulma before him not only had a purer heart than in her previous life, but her purpose for seeking the Dragon Balls had also changed.
Instead of wishing for a boyfriend, she wanted to help a friend recover from illness.
This was a good thing, but it didn't make Goku happy—instead, it made him somewhat worried.
Goku pondered to himself, perhaps by replacing the protagonist's fate, and preventing the Great Ape transformation that allowed Grandpa Gohan to survive, he had created different outcomes in this world.
Although it seemed they hadn't left the mountains much, from the moment he changed his grandfather's fate, this world had already begun to change quietly.
Goku recalled the original story where Trunks traveled to the past.
He only killed Frieza for Goku without affecting other historical events.
Yet, the world had changed subtly because of him.
For example, Android 18 and Android 17, who wreaked havoc in the future, had actually become good people in this world.
Of course, there were other minor changes beyond this.
Thinking of this, Goku couldn't help but furrow his brow.
It seemed that history had been quietly changing since he arrived in this world.
He just hadn't realized it until now.
It appeared that the future information he possessed might not be so accurate anymore.
"Goku, let's go!"
Goku snapped out of his thoughts and found that Bulma seemed ready to depart.
"Oh, let's go!"
As he spoke, Goku began stretching his joints, preparing to continue jogging alongside her.
However, Bulma interrupted him.
"Goku, it's almost noon. Why don't you ride the Flying Nimbus with me? We should try to move faster!"
Goku was taken aback.
"What's wrong with it being almost noon?"
Bulma smiled and said, "Your appetite is quite substantial."
"When I cooked yesterday, I nearly emptied both the refrigerator and freezer."
"We need to reach a major city before dark."
"I need to buy some supplies to restock, otherwise we'll both go hungry."
Goku suddenly understood.
"Oh right, sorry about that, my appetite is too big and I eat too much."
"Maybe next time I should hunt game for our meals."
Bulma gave a faint smile.
"It's fine, don't worry about it."
"Even if your appetite were a hundred times bigger, you couldn't eat me into poverty."
"It just happened that we were running low on food yesterday."
"Once we reach the city, we'll stock up on more food."
"I brought enough capsules to store supplies."
Goku thought for a moment.
Indeed, Bulma was the daughter of the world's richest man, Brief.
No matter how much he could eat, he wouldn't be able to eat her into poverty.
So without any hesitation, Goku leaped onto the Flying Nimbus.
"Goodbye, Master Roshi!"
"Goodbye! Come visit when you have time!"
After bidding farewell, the two transformed into a golden light and sped off into the distance.
"Bulma, I think we can go even faster..."
Bulma: "There's no windshield on this Flying Nimbus. I'm a bit scared if we go too fast."
"If we're going to accelerate, keep an eye on me and don't let me fall off."
Goku said dismissively, "How could that happen..."
"I can feel that the Flying Nimbus has a spirit."
"If you were to fall, the Flying Nimbus would catch you."
Bulma blinked curiously.
"Really?"
As she spoke, the Flying Nimbus performed a backflip.
In her panic, Bulma tightly hugged Goku as they fell together.
However, the Flying Nimbus showed off its skills, catching them steadily after they had fallen several dozen meters.
It seemed to be proving to her that although it was just a cloud, it truly had a mind of its own.
Unexpectedly, Bulma's face had turned pale, and her legs had begun to tremble as she sat on the Flying Nimbus.
Unconsciously, drops of transparent liquid scattered through the cloud into the sky...
Master Roshi watched the two leave until the golden light disappeared at the horizon, then he turned around somewhat dejectedly.
"Let's go, old turtle!"
"Master Roshi must have missed me lately, right?"
The old turtle asked presumptuously.
Master Roshi didn't even lift his head. "Not at all."
Old turtle: "..."
Just then, a loud voice came through.
"Master!"
"Master Roshi!"
"Wait a moment!"
Master Roshi was startled and turned to look in the direction of the voice.
He saw his disciple Gohan running toward him with a backpack.