Collision of Fate

The morning sun illuminated Mount Paozu's lush greenery as Son Goku darted between towering trees. His energy was contained, his footsteps hard and focused, leaving trails of footprints in his wake. He reached the lake with difficulty, scanning the water's surface with sparkling anticipation.

Son Goku spotted his target—a massive fish leisurely swimming near the surface. Without hesitation, he stripped off his shirt and leapt into the water with a splash, his determination as strong as ever. The fish reacted instantly, thrashing wildly to escape his grasp, sending waves rippling across the lake.

"Humph!" Goku grunted, gripping the fish tightly. A ghostly blue light flickered in his palms, tiny arcs of electricity crackling as he channeled the Thunder Shock Surprise into his grip. The fish froze, its body trembling before rolling belly-up in defeat. The other fish scattered, flipping in the water as they succumbed to the small current.

Son Goku climbed ashore with difficulty, his clothes dripping as he hefted the large fish over his shoulders. His stomach rumbled at the thought of grilled fish for lunch. "Sister's gonna love this!" he declared, bounding back toward home.

As he navigated the forest trails, a strange rumbling sound caught his attention. Hoofing footsteps? No… it was something mechanical. Turning, Goku spotted a four-wheeled contraption speeding toward him—a car, just like Ayaka had described.

Inside the vehicle, Bulma gripped the steering wheel tightly, panic flooding her senses. Her first time navigating Mount Paozu's rugged terrain was proving disastrous, and she had no control over the car's speed. Ahead, she spotted a figure standing still.

"Why isn't he moving?!" Bulma shouted, fear taking hold as she closed her eyes tightly, convinced her car was about to cause a terrible accident.

Son Goku said "Gravity 0X" then dropped the fish from his shoulders and leapt into the air, the sheer force of his jump easily pushing him safely out of the car's path. Landing gracefully a few meters away, he turned to watch the car smash into a roadside boulder with a deafening crash. Black smoke curled upward as the vehicle groaned under its own destruction.

"Uh-oh…" Goku muttered, scratching his head as he watched the smoke billow. A moment later, the door creaked open and out climbed a girl—a blue-haired girl, covered in dust but very much alive.

"Is that… a woman?" Son Goku stared, the concept unfamiliar to him.

Bulma coughed, waving away the smoke with a grimace. Her patience was running thin, but she refused to let the incident ruin her day. She turned to Goku with an incredulous look. "You! What are you doing standing in the middle of the road like that? I almost hit you!"

Son Goku blinked, utterly unfazed. "Oh, I was just heading home. You're the one who was going too fast. What's your hurry?"

Bulma opened her mouth to retort, but paused. The boy before her didn't seem bothered—if anything, he looked amused. Her frustration melted away, replaced by curiosity. "Wait… who are you? And what's with the giant fish?"

"I'm Son Goku!" he replied cheerfully. "This fish is for lunch!"

Bulma shook her head, finding his carefree attitude simultaneously baffling and refreshing. As the smoke cleared and their conversation carried on, a small spark of adventure lit between the two—a chance meeting destined to become the start of an unforgettable journey.

"What are you, and why did you come to Mount Paozu?" Son Goku asked as he walked up to the blue-haired girl and squatted down.

Mount Paozu was located near the mountain range and was sparsely populated. Mountains surrounded it with thick forests, and transportation was not well developed. Such a girl who looked like she had a little power level appeared in Mount Paozu made Son Goku feel very strange.

"Wow!"

Bulma was startled by this strange "monster" in front of her. When she came back to her senses and looked more closely, she realized that it was an ordinary little boy wearing a dark blue cloth with just a small bracelet on his right hand. She couldn't help but touch her chest and let out a long breath.

'In this deep forest, fortunately, I did not encounter any demons. Can there be a Dragon Ball in such a place?'

"Wait a moment where did you accquire that bracelet? If I am not wrong it's a gravity bracelet right? Can you let me look whether its real or not?"

Goku covered his bracelet with his other hand and asked vigilantly at this woman. "Yes, it's a gravity bracelet. My sister gave it to me. I won't give it to you. Who are you?"

"Ah! My name is Bulma, from West City! How about you? How come you are alone in this deep forest?" Bulma briefly introduced, but curious in her heart, how the boy in front of her appeared here alone.

"My name is Son Goku. This is Mount Paozu, and I live here."

"Oh! then Goku if I am not wrong your sister's name should be Ayaka right?"

"Yes! How do you know her?" While saying this Goku became a bit more vigilant and backed a bit more.

"Is your sister here? If she is you can tell her that I came. And just so you know it was my Dad and I who created your bracelet. See even I have a gravity device on me." Bulma said in a calm manner so as to coax a timid child which seemed to work easily as Goku was after all a single minded creature and in his childhood he was even more. While informing him of the origin of his bracelet she showed him her blue colored earing dangling on her ears. While continuing to tell him her purpose of visiting Mount Paozu.

Bulma then took out an orange-red Dragon Ball from the bag, and asked Son Goku, "I came here to find the Dragon Ball. This orange-red ball! Legend has it that if one collects all seven of these balls distributed throughout the world, one will be able to summon Shenron, which will grant the summoner any wish that does not exceed the ability of Kami… Once upon a time, it seems that someone searched for the seven Dragon Balls and finally became a king! So I took advantage of the summer break to come out to look for the Dragon Balls and reunite the lost Dragon Balls everywhere!" "Even your sister went to search for the dragon balls before."

"Oh! I know. You're looking for the Dragon Balls? That's not easy!" Son Goku said in a surprised tone as he looked at the balls. He had a Dragon Ball, a relic left to him by his grandfather.

"Yes, my first Dragon Ball was obtained at the family's auction house. Later, I made the Dragon Ball radar, while the other was found in the Northern Valley ten days ago. According to this Dragon Ball radar, two more Dragon Balls exist, like this one existing somewhere in this deep mountain. By the way, have you ever seen such a ball?"

Bulma pulled out a small-sized Dragon Ball radar and pressed the radar button. After beeping twice, the signal of the Dragon Balls was displayed on the radar screen. There were two bright spots at the red triangle in the center of the screen, while there were two more bright spots right next to it.

Bulma zoomed in on the screen, then pointed to the opposite end of the mountain and said, "According to the radar, the other two Dragon Balls are in that direction!"

Son Goku looked back in the direction Bulma pointed and said, "Hey, that's the direction of my house!"

"Your house?"

Bulma was stunned and quickly pointed to the Dragon Ball, "I have two Dragon Balls; the Two-Stars and Five-Stars. You should also have two Dragon Balls in your house; how many stars are they?"

"Four-Stars and Six-Stars." Son Goku thought about it and said.

"Then quickly take me to your house!" Bulma was eagerly looking forward to it.

Son Goku looked at her suspiciously, "Well, I happen to go home; you can come with me." Son Goku said and carried the big fish thrown to the side towards the direction of his house.

Bulma ascended the rugged mountain path with remarkable ease, her footsteps confident despite the rocky terrain. She wasn't fazed by the challenge—her years of training, paired with conditioning herself under 3x gravity, had made her both resilient and agile. Reaching the summit, she spotted two structures: a modest brick-and-stone hut and, surprisingly, a modern, luxurious villa that seemed to gleam under the sunlight.

'A villa? Here?' Bulma thought, intrigued. She quickly recognized the Capsule Corporation's design signature. 'Of course, this must belong to Ayaka. She must be staying nearby.'

Son Goku guided Bulma into his hut, gesturing toward the simple interior. As soon as she stepped inside, Bulma's eyes locked on the Four-Star Dragon Ball resting on a stand at the center of the room. Excitement bubbled up inside her, and she darted forward, picking up the prized orb. "The Four-Star Dragon Ball! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed.

Before she could examine it further, Goku grabbed the ball back, holding it protectively against his chest. His brows furrowed as he growled, "Don't touch Grandpa's Dragon Ball!"

Bulma quickly apologized, realizing how important the Dragon Ball was to Goku. "Sorry! I didn't mean to upset you—I got carried away."

'No wonder Goku treasures this Dragon Ball so much—it's a relic from his grandfather. There's no way he'll hand it over,' Bulma thought, her mind racing. 'If I bring him along on my journey, he can keep the Four-Star while helping me collect the rest. Besides, Goku's strength is incredible—he'll make the perfect ally. Afterall he is Ayaka's brother he shouldn't be too bad in strength.'

After calming Goku, Bulma turned toward the villa outside, curiosity sparking anew. "Is your sister home? I'd like to talk to her."

Son Goku led Bulma to Ayaka's villa, knocking on the door instead of barging in as usual. Footsteps echoed from inside, and the door swung open. Ayaka stood there, her expression brightening when she saw Bulma. "Bulma!" she greeted warmly. "It's been a while. I was expecting you."

Bulma smiled, her nerves easing at the sight of a familiar face. "It's great to see you again! I'm finally starting my quest to find the Dragon Balls."

Ayaka invited them inside, where she served tea and offered cake to Goku, who happily wolfed it down. Bulma observed Ayaka's calm and poised demeanor, momentarily struck by the contrast between her sophistication and Goku's carefree simplicity.

"So," Bulma ventured, "I assume you've collected the Dragon Balls before. What did you wish for?"

Ayaka chuckled lightly, gesturing to her outfit. "I wished for special clothes. Shenron transformed them into something durable and unique."

Bulma nodded, finding the practicality refreshing. "Speaking of the Dragon Balls," she continued cautiously, "would you be willing to lend me the one you have?"

Ayaka paused, letting the question hang in the air before answering with a soft smile. "I don't mind lending you my Six-Star, but Goku's Four-Star is a keepsake from our grandfather. If you want to summon Shenron, Goku will have to come along. I have other things to do, so I will not go with you."

Bulma's face lit up. "That's perfect! Goku's strength will be invaluable."

Goku joined in enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'll help find the Dragon Balls!"

"Are you not going with us to find the Dragon Balls?" Bulma was surprised, "You have searched for the Dragon Balls once; you should be very experienced. Why not join us, just to keep us company?"

Ayaka hesitated briefly. She had originally planned to return to the Lookout and continue her training. However, seeing their excitement, she relented. "Alright, I'll join you on this journey."

Early the next morning, Ayaka packed her villa into a Capsule, leaving the hut organized and stocked for Goku's eventual return. The trio then set out, fully prepared to face the challenges ahead.

Ayaka wore a chic travel outfit—a red-and-white shirt, white jacket, jeans, and a sun hat—exuding confidence and style. Bulma rode ahead on her field motorcycle, while Goku and Ayaka soared alongside her on the Flying Nimbus.

As they entered the wilderness, danger soon found them. A pterodactyl swooped down, its talons aimed at Bulma. Her instincts kicked in, and she dodged deftly, but Goku leapt forward, taking the creature down with a swift strike from his Power Pole.

"Not bad," Ayaka remarked, watching from the Nimbus, her tone neutral but impressed.

Bulma shot Goku a grateful smile, brushing off the adrenaline rush. "Thanks, Goku. That thing came out of nowhere!"

The excitement didn't end there. Bandits ambushed them on the road, but they were no match for the trio. Goku dispatched them with ease, Ayaka remained an observant spectator, and Bulma—who had grown accustomed to 3x gravity during her training—surprised everyone by holding her own.

Their journey was off to an adventurous start, and with camaraderie growing, the promise of unforgettable experiences loomed ahead.