Chapter 25: Making a Wish to Shenron

Hearing John Doe and Bulma's reasoning, Yamcha found it convincing and nodded, "Alright, I'll try your method and see if it can cure my condition."

With everyone in agreement, they set out to help John Doe fulfill his wish.

Soon, John Doe was flying the plane, following Mai and Shu, and they arrived near Pilaf's castle.

Seeing that the plane that had taken their Dragon Balls had landed at that castle, John Doe chose a flat spot nearby and landed the plane.

"Let's go and meet the person who's been hiding in the shadows and stealing our Dragon Balls," John Doe said to the group.

They quickly made their way to Pilaf's castle.

At that moment, Pilaf was taking the box containing the Dragon Balls from Mai's hands.

After opening the box, all the Dragon Balls began to glow in resonance, and Pilaf was delighted, excitedly counting the Dragon Balls, "One, two, three, four, five, six... Wait, why are there only six Dragon Balls? Where's the seventh one?"

Mai reminded him, "King Pilaf, the seventh Dragon Ball is in our box, right?"

Pilaf's face turned red with embarrassment, and he angrily said, "Of course, I was just joking. Don't you understand jokes?"

Mai was so scared that she lowered her head.

Pilaf ignored them and ran to his bedroom, taking out the last Dragon Ball and placing it with the other six he had stolen.

As the seven Dragon Balls gathered, they began to glow intensely, as if urging Pilaf to quickly summon Shenron and make his wish.

Pilaf admired the glowing Dragon Balls for a while, then said, "Let's go outside and summon Shenron. I wish to become the new king of this world, and you two will be my left and right chancellors."

Mai and Shu thanked Pilaf excitedly.

John Doe and his friends waited until nightfall, and just as John Doe was beginning to doubt his plan, a blue-skinned dwarf, a woman, and a dog emerged from the castle.

John Doe immediately recognized the box the dwarf was carrying as the one they had used to store their Dragon Balls.

Pilaf opened the box, and the seven Dragon Balls scattered on the lawn in front of the castle.

John Doe turned to Goku and Yamcha, saying, "Alright, the enemy is out. Let's move. Three of us, one for each of them. If we defeat them, the Dragon Balls will be ours."

With that, John Doe led the charge towards Pilaf and his companions.

At Pilaf's summons, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, obscuring the moon and stars. Only the seven Dragon Balls in the center continued to shine with their multicolored light.

"We must hurry; Shenron is about to appear," John Doe said. As he finished speaking, the seven Dragon Balls on the ground emitted a blinding flash of lightning towards the sky.

Amidst the lightning, a gigantic creature rose from the Dragon Balls, swirling and coiling in the sky before transforming into the massive Shenron above the castle.

Everyone was awe-struck by the sheer size of Shenron and the divine aura he exuded, even though they knew the Dragon Balls could summon him.

Goku and Yamcha stood there, stunned and unsure of what to do.

Only John Doe, having seen Shenron many times in his past life, especially in the later episodes where Shenron became like a servant to the Z Warriors, was initially amazed but quickly regained his composure. He snapped Goku and Yamcha out of their daze and said, "Come on, let's go!"

Goku and Yamcha finally snapped out of their trance and followed John Doe towards Pilaf and his companions.

Fortunately, Pilaf was also stunned by Shenron's presence and hadn't recovered yet.

Shenron slowly descended from the sky, and his majestic voice boomed, "Is it you who summoned me?"

"Yes, it's me who summoned Shenron," Pilaf replied.

Shenron continued, "State your wish, and I will grant it, no matter what it is. But you only get one wish!"

Pilaf was thrilled, imagining himself ruling the world and becoming a king revered by all. His body trembled with excitement.

Mai, seeing that Pilaf hadn't spoken his wish yet, reminded him, "King Pilaf, say your wish."

Pilaf turned to Mai, excited, then turned to Shu, seeing encouragement in their eyes. He took a deep breath and faced Shenron again, saying, "I... I... I..." But before he could finish, he was kicked away by John Doe, who had rushed over from a distance.

Mai and Shu were startled and were about to take out their weapons when they were knocked away by Goku and Yamcha.

Shenron, high above, didn't seem to mind the commotion below. He continued, "Have you decided on your wish? Speak it now!"

John Doe stood before Shenron, took a deep breath, and said loudly, "I wish for my body to be transformed into the most suitable Saiyan body, but without a tail."

"This wish is easily granted!" Shenron's eyes flashed red.

Instantly, John Doe's previously slightly plump body became muscular, with defined chest and abdominal muscles.

His once chubby face transformed into a chiseled, square jawline, changing from a fat man to a broad-faced man. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he wasn't ugly either, and he exuded masculinity.

In addition to these external changes, John Doe also felt significant internal transformations. Although they weren't visible, he could clearly sense them.

If his original body was like a jar that could only hold a jar's worth of water, his new body felt like an infinite universe, with no apparent limits.

Shenron, high above, paid no attention to the people below. After granting John Doe's wish, he said, "Your wish has been granted. Farewell!"

Shenron transformed back into the seven Dragon Balls and flew into the sky, dispersing to different parts of the world.

The moment John Doe became a Saiyan, his strength increased significantly. He could have helped Goku obtain the Four-Star Ball before the Dragon Balls flew away, but he didn't.

This was because the subsequent plot needed to unfold as it did, not only because those events were meant for Goku but also because it would lead to the appearance of Android 17 and Android 18. John Doe liked Android 18, so to ensure her appearance, he couldn't alter the plot too much.