"Where did you go—"
Before she could finish, she felt a poke on her shoulder.
It was a finger.
He was standing right behind her.
Bulma spun around with a yelp, scrambling backward to put distance between them.
She whipped the pistol up, aiming directly at him.
"How did you get behind me?!"
Goku stood there, unbothered by the barrel pointed at his face.
"If your eyes are that slow, you should give up, i'm not handing over without a fight."
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Bulma's temple.
No human moves that fast.
"You're just a... a country bumpkin!" Her voice cracked, betraying her fear.
"What do you think you can do against a gun?!"
Goku didn't answer.
He just started walking toward her.
It was a slow stalk.
His expression was a blank slate, devoid of fear.
"H-Hey! Stay back!"
Goku ignored the command.
One step.
Two steps.
"I'm warning you! I'll shoot!"
He kept coming, closing the gap.
He was almost within arm's reach.
"Damn it!"
She squeezed her eyes shut and yanked the trigger by reflex.
BANG.
The recoil jerked her arms up.
The sound was deafening in the quiet clearing.
The bullet struck Goku squarely in the chest at point-blank range.
Smoke curled up from the singed fabric of his blue gi.
The boy looked down at his chest.
He swiped his hand over the scorched skin, dusting off the soot like it was breadcrumbs.
"Ouch."
The gun slipped a centimeter in Bulma's grip.
Her brain stalled.
Ouch? That was it? He'd been shot at point-blank range.
"Now it's my turn."
His hand reached over his shoulder, locking around the red staff strapped to his back.
This kid isn't human. Damn it!
Her thumb fumbled with the selector switch on the side of the barrel.
She had kept the safety limiter only enough voltage to incapacitate.
I'm not a murderer... but it's him or me.
She clicked the dial all the way to the red zone.
Lethal.
I'm sorry, kid.
Bulma tightened her grip, preparing to end this.
But the moment her finger began to squeeze the trigger, Goku's voice cut through the air.
"Nyoibo, extend!"
The red wooden staff didn't just swing, it grew.
It shot forward, elongating instantly to bridge the gap between them.
CLACK.
"W-What the—"
The tip of the extending staff struck the pistol.
The weapon was ripped from Bulma's grip, spinning in the air before splashing into the mud five meters away.
Recoiling in shock did the rest.
Bulma lost her balance and landed hard on her backside.
When she looked up, Goku was already there.
The red tip of the staff hovered just two centimeters from her glottis.
"W-Wait! Please! Don't do anything. Just hear me out!"
The pressure against her windpipe increased by a millimeter.
"I'm not a fighter! Didn't your grandpa teach you manners? Didn't he teach you not to hit people who are already on the ground?"
Goku hesitated.
That caused a minimal delay in his attack stance.
"He said only cowards hit people who are down."
"Exactly! Look at me, i check every single box on the list. I am, technically speaking, harmless."
The staff retreated.
With a quick twirl, he retracted the pole and slid it back into the holder on his back.
"Go away." Goku turned away from her, walking toward the hut.
"And don't come back, witch."
Hey! I am not a witch!
She stood up on shaky legs and frantically wiped the wet clay off her pants.
"Look, I'm sorry for breaking into your house. And for shooting you. We got off on the wrong foot, okay?"
He was already walking away, ignoring her existence.
"But you have to listen to me! That sphere you're holding... it's much more important than you think. Why do you suppose your grandfather asked you to protect it?"
Goku stopped.
"He never told me why."
"Because what you are carrying isn't just a glass ball."
Bulma pressed, sensing an opening.
"It's a Dragon Ball. A magic artifact. When you gather all seven of them together, they summon a dragon capable of granting any wish."
Goku turned his head. Only his neck moved.
"There are more of them?"
"Yes! I mean, I haven't found the others yet, but I have a device that tells me exactly where they are. How do you think I found you in the middle of this jungle?"
Goku turned his whole body around, facing her with interest.
"Does that mean... other people might come here? To try and take Grandpa's sphere?"
"Exactly!" Bulma stepped forward, nodding.
"See, there are dangerous people out there. People who want the Dragon Balls to wish for terrible things."
"Are they strong?"
"Not in the right way. They won't fight you, kid. They'll burn all this down while you sleep."
A long silence settled in. Goku looked up at the blue sky, as if expecting the threat to take shape at any moment.
"Look, why don't you come with me? You'll see I'm not lying. It's the only way to keep your grandfather's sphere safe and save his house. If you stay here, you're putting everything at risk."
Goku hesitated, looking torn.
"But Grandpa told me never to cross the lake..."
"Listen, your grandfather must have been a wise man. But he told you that to keep you safe here. But now? Here isn't safe anymore."
She took a step closer, careful not to invade his space too aggressively this time.
"Think about it. If you stay here, you're just waiting for the enemy to arrive. You're turning your grandfather's house into a battlefield. Is that what you want? To see this place burn?"
Goku looked at the hut.
Then at the trees.
He imagined the fire she described.
His expression hardened.
"No."
"Then don't hide from it, outgrow it. We take the fight to them. We leave this place, find the other dragon balls before the wrong people do.
She tilted her head
"...And you get to see how strong you really are."
Goku's ears perked up at that.
"Like a test, to my strength?"
"Y-Yeah, exactly. You're fast, you're strong, and you've got that weird staff. Unless you think you're not ready yet."
Goku puffed out his chest.
"I'm ready."
Now that I think about it, my journey isn't exactly safe. Having him around is going to be useful.
"Then come with me. Be my bodyguard. Like I said, I'm weak. I have the brains, you have the muscles. If you come, you're not breaking the rule. You're going on a mission to protect your grandfather's legacy."
Goku looked at the lake again. The prohibition battled with the temptation of adventure.
"Alright." He said, clenching his fist.
"If it means protecting my house and beating the guys who want that dragon ball, I'll go."
"That's the spirit!" Bulma beamed.
"Pack your things. I'll be waiting up the hill."