Chapter 6: The Five-Star Dragon Ball - Part 1

On the weekend, Bulma's school was closed for a holiday.

According to their Dragon Ball collection plan, John rode his motorcycle with Bulma towards the suburbs north of West City.

John parked the motorcycle outside the mountain area and, holding a machete, led Bulma into the mountains.

Since this mountain range was located in the outskirts of West City, it was a popular spot for picnics during holidays. To ensure public safety, the National Guard would occasionally clear the area of any potential dangers.

Bulma didn't think there would be any danger in the mountains, so she confidently strode ahead, holding the Dragon Radar.

John followed behind, holding the machete to protect Bulma's safety.

Although Bulma had obtained the Dragon Ball from this area in the manga without any trouble, John couldn't be sure if the plot would change because of his presence.

"We're almost there. It should be nearby," Bulma said, noticing John's tense grip on the machete.

"Don't be so nervous. There's no real danger. See, we're safe right now," Bulma reassured him.

Just as Bulma finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes, and something was rapidly approaching them.

Hearing the noise, Bulma, who was already a bit nervous, immediately ran behind John.

"Is a monster coming?" Bulma asked, trembling.

"Don't worry, it's probably just a wild animal," John said.

As the rustling sound grew closer, a large wild boar burst out of the bushes, lowering its head to reveal sharp tusks as it charged towards John.

Bulma was startled and suddenly felt that hiding behind John might not be safe. So, she turned and hid behind a large tree.

John took a deep breath and prepared to strike the wild boar, but to his surprise, the boar didn't stop. It ran right past him, heading towards the distance.

As John let out a sigh of relief, a saber-toothed tiger leaped out of the bushes.

The tiger was clearly chasing the wild boar, but when it saw John, its attention was immediately drawn to him.

The saber-toothed tiger, undeterred by John's machete, roared and pounced towards him.

It opened its mouth wide, revealing long, sharp canine teeth that glinted in the light. For a moment, John was dazzled by the sight.

John reacted quickly. He dodged the tiger's pounce and then kicked it in the waist as it landed, sending it flying into a nearby tree.

The tiger crashed into the tree and fell to the ground. John hadn't used his full strength, so the tiger quickly got back up, but it was clearly injured, as its gait was no longer as agile.

The saber-toothed tiger crouched down again, preparing for another attack, but John was ready to counter.

The tiger roared and turned to flee into the bushes.

Yes, it had fled. Bulma, who had been cheering John on, was now disappointed and scolded him for being a coward.

"Never mind, let's focus on finding the Dragon Ball. Let's see how far away it is according to the radar," John said.

Bulma checked the radar and said, "The radar shows that the Dragon Ball is over there. Follow me."

She led the way through the bushes, with John following closely behind to ensure her safety.

After a while, John noticed that Bulma had stopped moving. He approached her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right," Bulma said. "The Dragon Radar shows that the Dragon Ball is at this location, but I don't see it here."

John checked the Dragon Radar and saw that there were indeed two Dragon Balls glowing at their current position. One was their Two-Star Dragon Ball, and the other was the new Dragon Ball they were searching for. However, they couldn't see the Dragon Ball at this location.

"Since it's not on the ground, it must be in a tree or underground," John said. "Wait here, and I'll climb up the surrounding trees to check."

John quickly climbed several nearby trees, but after about ten minutes, he returned empty-handed. "I checked the trees, but there's no Dragon Ball. It seems the Dragon Ball must be underground," he said.

"Oh no! Do we have to dig a hole? How deep do we need to dig?" Bulma asked.

John thought for a moment and said, "The Dragon Ball couldn't have appeared underground out of nowhere. It must have fallen into a crevice or cave when it descended. Or perhaps it's in a cave."

"This mountain range has some streams, but they're not strong enough to erode the surface and form caves. So, if the Dragon Ball is underground, it's likely because of a cave," John explained.

"Let's search the area for any caves," he continued. "That way, we can find the Dragon Ball quickly."

"It looks like I need to improve the new Dragon Radar and combine it with our family's satellite probe," Bulma said.

"That way, if we encounter a situation like this in the future, I can use the satellite probe to scan the terrain. The underground topography will be displayed directly on the radar screen."

John nodded in approval. "Bulma, you're the smartest girl I've ever met."

Hearing John's praise, Bulma couldn't help but laugh proudly. "Hahaha... I think so too. You better not fall for me. I'm a legend, you know."

As they chatted, they continued searching for a cave that might contain the Dragon Ball. After a while, John spotted a cave on the other side of the mountain.

"Based on the direction of the cave, the Dragon Ball should be inside," John said, shining a flashlight into the cave.

"Do you think there might be ghosts or something like that inside?" Bulma asked, hiding behind John as she looked into the dark cave with concern.

"There's no way there could be ghosts in this world," John said. But then he suddenly remembered that he was in the Dragon Ball world, where ghosts did exist. So, he quickly corrected himself, "Even if there are ghosts, they should be in hell, being punished."

Bulma worriedly asked, "Are you sure they can't escape from hell?"

John immediately replied, "Impossible. King Yama is very powerful. Ghosts can't escape. Don't worry."

Seeing Bulma's fearful expression, John kindly suggested, "Why don't you wait outside while I go in and get the Dragon Ball? I'll be quick."

"No, I'll go in with you," Bulma immediately refused. There might be tigers and wild boars outside, and she didn't feel safe staying alone.