Chapter 5: The Two-Star Dragon Ball - Part 2

Hearing the voice, John stiffened and quickly straightened up to greet Bulma's mother, "Hello, Auntie. I didn't expect you to bring the drink yourself."

Bulma's mother smiled and said, "I saw you and Bulma enter the flower room on the third floor, so I volunteered to bring it down."

"Try this drink I made myself. See if you like it," Bulma's mother said with a smile.

John didn't think much of it and took a sip of the drink, but he immediately spat it out, almost spraying it on Bulma's mother.

John opened his mouth wide and exclaimed, "Hot, hot, hot..." He quickly put the drink down on a nearby shelf.

Bulma's mother chuckled and said, "You're so impatient. It's still very hot. I just poured it."

"Open your mouth, let me take a look," Bulma's mother said gently, lifting John's chin to examine his mouth.

John stood there, looking bewildered, as he obediently opened his mouth.

Bulma's mother said, "It's not too bad. Just be more careful next time."

Seeing John's flustered reaction, Bulma's mother said, "Alright, I won't disturb you anymore. Take your time searching for the Dragon Ball. I'll leave now."

After Bulma's mother left, John finally relaxed. He had found her antics amusing when he watched them on TV, but now that he was on the receiving end, he felt the pressure. Thankfully, she was more subdued than during their first meeting.

John continued searching for the Dragon Ball in the warehouse, and Bulma occasionally joined him to help. However, John remained the primary searcher.

On the third day, John finally found the Dragon Ball at the bottom of a miscellaneous goods box. It had two stars, confirming it as the Two-Star Dragon Ball.

"Bulma, I found it! I've found the Dragon Ball!" John exclaimed into the intercom, startling Bulma, who was doing her homework in her room.

Soon, Bulma rode her magnetic levitation step into the hall and saw the Two-Star Dragon Ball on the table.

"Are you sure this is the Dragon Ball?" Bulma asked.

"It should be right. I've never seen a Dragon Ball before, but I'm certain. Besides, who would make a fake Dragon Ball? It's not like they can sell it for money," John replied.

Bulma nodded and picked up the Dragon Ball. "Let's go to the lab and see if there's anything special about it."

In the lab, Bulma placed the Dragon Ball on the experiment table and began a series of scans and tests. Soon, the Dragon Ball scanner displayed a waveform on the screen.

Bulma, excited, pointed at the waveform and said to John, "Do you see this?"

John looked at the waveform with a blank expression and asked, "See what? The wave?" For someone who had dropped out of high school to work, electromagnetic waves were a challenging concept.

Bulma gave John a small look of disdain and said, "This is a unique electromagnetic wave that constantly changes its wavelength. I can use this to create a Dragon Radar, which will help us locate the Dragon Balls."

John was thrilled. "Really? That's fantastic! I knew you were the smartest person in the world, the first genius!" He showered Bulma with praise.

Bulma relished the compliments, looking pleased with herself, but she waved her hands and humbly said, "Oh, stop it. I'm just average. This is basic stuff for me."

With the Dragon Ball found, the next step was to create the Dragon Radar. However, John couldn't help with this task.

So, the responsibility fell on Bulma's shoulders, and thankfully, she was incredibly talented and passionate about mechanical engineering. In just over a week, she created a relatively large Dragon Radar.

This Dragon Radar was about the size of a 14-inch laptop, with a circular screen and handles on both sides, allowing it to be held with one or two hands.

Bulma explained, "This is just a prototype. I'm designing a smaller, portable Dragon Radar, but it's more challenging to make. I'm currently working on the design."

John nodded and asked, "How do I operate it?"

Bulma began to explain the Dragon Radar's functions. After turning it on, a display screen would appear, and a rotating knob at the top could adjust the size of the radar screen.

When Bulma turned on the radar, she exclaimed in surprise.

"What is it?" John asked.

Bulma said, "The radar shows that the second Dragon Ball is very close to us, only about sixty miles away, in the mountains to the north."

"How can we tell?" John asked eagerly.

So, Bulma taught John how to read the Dragon Radar and calculate the distance to the Dragon Balls.

After the lesson, Bulma said, "Look, the radar is now at its smallest size. There are seven flashing dots on the radar, which confirms what you said about there being seven Dragon Balls."

"The middle dot is the Two-Star Dragon Ball, and the closest Dragon Ball to us is in the north."

John nodded and said, "In that case, I'll go and retrieve the Dragon Ball this afternoon."

But Bulma insisted, "No, I'm going with you."

"But you have school in the afternoon, and it's too dangerous. We don't know where the Dragon Ball is. What if there are dinosaurs or monsters there?" John argued.

Bulma stood her ground, "We agreed that we would go on adventures to find the Dragon Balls together."

"Besides, I'll be there to protect you. We can even bring guns. If we encounter any danger, we can just run away," Bulma added.

As John tried to persuade her otherwise, Bulma threatened, "If you don't take me with you, I can go alone. Remember, I made the Dragon Radar."

"Okay, I'll take you with me to find the Dragon Ball, but you must follow my instructions and not run off on your own," John said solemnly.

"Yes, Sir!" Bulma happily agreed.