Chapter 9: The Four-Star Dragon Ball

At that moment, Son Goku's attention was fully on John and Bulma.

Seeing people other than his grandfather for the first time, Son Goku was extremely curious and couldn't help but stare at John and Bulma.

John and Bulma felt a bit uncomfortable under his intense gaze, especially Bulma.

Bulma, being the daughter of the Capsule Corporation chairman, was well-mannered but also had a bit of a temper. She shouted, "What are you looking at? It's very impolite!"

Son Goku innocently asked, "Why do you look different from us, and why is your butt in front?"

John almost laughed out loud at Son Goku's question.

Bulma, on the other hand, was flustered and angrily exclaimed, "Because I'm a girl! A girl! You country bumpkin!" She was about to teach this boy a lesson for being so rude to a girl.

John quickly stopped her, saying, "Bulma, calm down. He's just a child, and he's never seen a girl before. It's natural for him to be curious."

Son Goku didn't seem to understand Bulma's anger. When he heard that she was a girl, he suddenly realized, "Oh, so you're a girl!"

He politely bowed to Bulma and said, "My grandpa taught me that I should always be respectful towards girls."

Son Goku's actions completely caught Bulma off guard. Looking at his innocent and clear eyes, she knew that he wasn't being rude on purpose; he genuinely didn't know how to interact politely with others.

Bulma couldn't bring herself to scold such an innocent and pure child.

"Never mind, never mind. I forgive you, but in the future, you must be more polite towards girls. It's very impolite to behave like this," Bulma said, waving her hand.

Son Goku was still a bit confused by what Bulma meant.

However, he remembered something his grandfather had told him—when you meet a girl, you should always offer to treat her to a meal.

So, Son Goku picked up the fish he had caught and said to John and Bulma, "You're the first people I've met besides my grandpa. Let me treat you to a meal. This is the game I caught today."

Unlike in the manga, Bulma had John with her this time, so she didn't think of asking Son Goku to be her bodyguard. She declined, "It's not necessary to treat us to a meal..."

But before she could finish, John interrupted, "Of course, we'd love to. And you can try the food we brought too. We can treat each other."

"Really? That's great! Come with me. My home is not far from here," Son Goku said excitedly, dragging the fish as he walked ahead.

As they watched Son Goku walk away, Bulma turned to John and asked, "Aren't we here to find the Dragon Balls? Why are we following this kid to eat?"

John got into the car and started the engine as he replied, "Don't underestimate him because of his age. He's very strong. Even if I hit him with the car while he was unprepared, he wouldn't be seriously injured. But look at him; he only felt a little pain and was fine afterward."

"Although not many people know about the Dragon Balls, there are some who do. I don't know what dangers we might encounter in the future, and I'm not sure if I can handle them..." John continued.

"So, you want to recruit this kid to join us?" Bulma asked, cutting him off.

"What do you mean by 'recruit'? It's not like we're bandits or thieves," John defended himself.

"You're so cunning! I need to be careful around you and not let you sell me out. I'm still counting the money for you," Bulma teased.

As John slowly drove the car behind Son Goku, Bulma spoke up again, "I have a feeling that this trip to find the Dragon Balls was your plan all along."

John's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression and feigned innocence, "How is that possible? It was you who suggested we go out and find the Dragon Balls together."

"And I'm only 16 years old. Why would you even consider bringing a 16-year-old girl with no strength to join you on this quest?" Bulma asked.

After thinking about it, Bulma realized she was right. "Okay, I apologize. I was wrong to suspect you."

Hearing Bulma's apology, John breathed a sigh of relief.

Initially, John had approached Bulma with the intention of getting close to the Dragon Radar. But now, he genuinely considered her a friend and didn't want to lose her over a small misunderstanding.

Son Goku's home was indeed nearby, and they soon arrived at his small, traditional Chinese-style house.

The house had only one room and a living room, and it was so small that it could barely accommodate two people.

Son Goku opened the door to his home and invited John and Bulma inside.

On the altar, the Four-Star Dragon Ball immediately caught everyone's attention.

John was drawn to it because his second goal was to obtain the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Bulma, on the other hand, was surprised to see the Four-Star Dragon Ball glowing as soon as she entered the room.

Son Goku was attracted to the Dragon Ball because he thought it was his deceased grandfather communicating with him.

Excitedly, Son Goku shouted, "Grandpa, Grandpa! Are you talking to me?"

Bulma, who had entered the room right behind him, contradicted, "What grandpa? This is the Four-Star Dragon Ball, not your grandpa."

Son Goku argued, "You're wrong! This is my grandpa. He's talking to me. Why else would it be glowing?"

"Country bumpkin, it's glowing because we also brought Dragon Balls with us. They're resonating with each other," Bulma explained, taking out the other two Dragon Balls from her backpack.

Seeing the additional Dragon Balls, Son Goku was surprised and exclaimed, "Wow! So many grandpas!"

Bulma explained further, "I told you, this isn't your grandpa. This is the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Mine are the Two-Star and Five-Star Dragon Balls. You can count them if you like."

After counting the stars inside the Dragon Balls, Son Goku realized she was right and said, "Oh, I see!"

Bulma continued her deception, "See, these are Dragon Balls, not your grandpa. If you give us this Dragon Ball, we can collect all seven and make a wish to the Dragon God."