Yamcha's Journey (5)

After Yamcha heard that voice, he felt different. More wild, inside. Yet, it was a controlled and steady wild side. This… I can feel it. It's etheric, but I feel it. I made the right decision to go on this journey. And so, for roughly about a year's time, Yamcha remained in the werewolf village, living with them. Though he could never quite change form, he had decided to continue his journey. 

"Good riddance. Now you can stay clear of my girls from far, far away. Now shoo." 

"Hah hah, I get it. I'll come back and visit one day. And thank you for allowing me to stay here for so long. It's really helped my training." 

Yamcha ran away, and out of sight. The Mistress head of the Werewolves growled, in an attempt to keep the bastard away. "Guardian Spirit, what did you think of him?" 

"He has promise, though I suspect without some sort of trauma, he won't desire to let his wolf off the leash he's put on it. It's really annoying knowing a cub is trapped, and there's nothing I can do. It's something he must do for himself." 

"So that's what that terrible feeling was? I'm glad my girls didn't bump bodies with him then."

Yamcha was running down the path, leading out of the forest. It led into a prairie and then eventually to the ocean. Huh, that's odd. I wonder why no one's built a village here. There's plenty of land and it's right by the ocean. Imagine the beautiful days…  

In that moment Yamcha fantasized about what his days would be like, living out here with the crisp ocean air. He imagined Himself, Bulma, and several young kids playing in the fields or the sandy beach. 

Instead of trying to push the thought out of his mind, he continued to think about it as he swam out into the ocean at high speed. His strength slowly returned to him as he began coming to terms with his inability to pursue the dream he just thought of. If I can't pursue that dream, then I'll pursue one that can come true. This loss will fuel my future success. And so, he swam, and swam. 

Eventually, he came across Papaya Island. The Island was working on rebuilding after the impressive display of power from the tournament a couple of years ago. The area surrounding where the tournament was held had almost been completely rebuilt. At least, structurally anyway. 

A man who clearly looked like he was the one in charge, looked distressed about the rate things were going. "At this rate, it'll take 20 years before we get this island rebuilt. What could have happened here to cause so much damage?"

"Oh wow, it looks a lot less barren than it did a couple years ago. You guys work fast, it's impressive." 

"No, no, it's not impressive at all. What you see now is just the bare bones of the repairs. Right now, we've had a lot of injuries and call outs. I have less than half my workers. And recruiting some extra hands hasn't been easy… Hey hey hey, did you just say you were here that day?"

"Oh yeah, it was quite a hectic day that's for sure. A battle between the reincarnation of King Piccolo, and my friend Goku took place here. The damage here was the result." Yamcha chuckled. "And between you and me, we're lucky the island is still here." 

"WHAT! You're not joking are you? A fight between those two caused this much devastation? How do they do it… Well, I guess it doesn't matter now anyway. Doesn't change the fact we have to rebuild the island. Thankfully there is an incredibly generous donor providing the funds and material for the process. Capsule Corps machines really are impressive, aren't they? Hey, you look strong, are you looking for work? I'll hire you right now. I could use some extra hands." 

Yamcha felt conflicted on what to do here, learning that it was Capsule Corps providing the lion's share of the repair budget, it didn't sit right with him. "I'll help you out, but I have to request that I do it for free. My private matters currently make it difficult for me to accept money." 

"Oh my, well, I guess that's alright. But you have to promise you'll accept the free meals we provide. If you don't then my hands are tied. This isn't that kind of job sight. If you know what I mean." 

"Heh heh, yeah, I won't turn down food. It's just the money I can't accept. I know someon-"

"Listen buddy, I don't have the time, nor desire to pry into your private matters. I've got a lot of work for you to do. So get to work, young man." 

Yamcha, headed off with a list of things he needed to do. He was a significant bit smarter than Goku when it came to common knowledge… But, when it came to instructions he clearly had issues. Before it was quitting time in the evening he had finished the whole list. 

"Hey, foreman, where did you get that guy? He's incredible! It's like having an army of us here." 

"That's right, I've never seen someone work so fast. It's incredible, if we kept him here for a while longer we could finish rebuilding the island in a year." 

The foreman, hearing such praise, was obviously quite pleased with the new hire. "Well, I'm not sure how long he will be around. But if what you say is true, I'd like to keep him for quite a while longer. 

"Sorry bossman. I can't stay here for that long. I'm on a journey you see, and-" 

"Nah, it's alright son. Everyone has their own lives, there's no need to go blabbing it to everyone you meet. And while I'd love to keep you around, It wouldn't be a great thing. The longer this job goes, the longer my guys'll get paid. They have families and others who depend on that income to survive. I can't rob that money from them, it would be wrong of me. Stay for as long as you like, but there's no need to feel obligated." 

And that's how Yamcha ended up helping the recovery of the island. And also how Bulma eventually ended up hearing about an incredibly strong worker who single handedly reduced the reconstruction time down by a year or two. It was news she didn't much care for, money was no issue, but praise for the man that got her pregnant and then dumped her to go back to a playboy lifestyle was another thing entirely.