Son Goku had already planned to visit Master Roshi to train under him,
so when Bulma brought it up first, that only made things easier.
He looked at her and asked, "If I go to the Turtle Hermit's place, what about you?"
Bulma smiled faintly. "My summer vacation's almost over. I have to go back to West City to finish my homework.
Besides, I've been away from home for so long—I miss my parents."
Strictly speaking, Bulma hadn't seen her parents for over twenty years,
so it was only natural she felt homesick.
Goku nodded again. "Oh, that's right. You're a girl,
and it's your first time traveling so far from home. You must've missed them by now.
Still, you're tougher than most boys I've met!
Anyway, you don't have to give me the Flying Nimbus—
you'll need it to get back to West City.
I already know the road to Master Roshi's island.
I'll just run there while training."
Bulma chuckled and bent down to straighten his clothes a bit.
"It's fine. We're not in any rush anyway.
How about this—you come to West City with me first,
stay at my place for a couple of days,
and then go to Master Roshi's for training.
You know, my house is huge!
And West City's a real metropolis—amazing food everywhere!
Once we get there, I'll show you around and make sure you try every dish."
"Try all the food in West City? Really?"
Goku's face lit up. "That sounds awesome!"
Bulma grinned. "And the Flying Nimbus? It's yours.
When you've had your fun, just ride it straight to Master Roshi's place."
Goku opened his mouth to refuse, but Bulma quickly cut him off.
"Don't be polite.
Once I'm back in West City, I can fly around in my plane—
I'm not short on transportation.
But you don't have anything like that.
If something comes up, you'd be stuck on foot. That's not convenient at all."
Goku laughed awkwardly.
She wasn't wrong.
He hadn't learned Bukujutsu yet,
and even if he had, with his current strength it would be slow and exhausting to fly.
For him, the Flying Nimbus was still the best way to travel.
"Alright," he said with a grin. "You've thought this through. I'll go along with your plan."
Bulma beamed. "Of course! I'm the daughter of a scientist, remember? IQ 250!
Anyway, there's nothing else to do here—why don't we head for West City right now?"
"Yeah!"
With that, the two climbed onto the Flying Nimbus and soared toward the western horizon.
A few minutes earlier...
Chi-Chi and the Ox-King were flying westward in their plane, searching for Goku.
"Ugh, we know the direction, but not where they landed. This is harder than I thought," Ox-King grumbled.
Chi-Chi leaned forward. "Dad, if we see another town ahead, let's stop and ask around."
"Alright," he agreed.
But before they could continue, the sky darkened suddenly.
The clear blue heavens turned black with swirling clouds and flashes of lightning.
"Huh? Rain? That's strange—the forecast said clear skies."
Ox-King peered upward, frowning. "This came outta nowhere…"
Chi-Chi squinted at the storm. Then, far in the distance, she caught a faint glimmer of gold.
"Dad, look! What's that?"
Ox-King pulled off his sunglasses, rubbing his eyes. "Can't tell… too far!"
Chi-Chi's expression turned serious. "This weather—it's too strange.
Could it be… that Goku and the others have gathered all seven Dragon Balls?
Maybe they've summoned Shenron to make a wish!"
Ox-King blinked. "Now that you mention it, it does look unnatural.
Yeah… that could be it!"
"Then hurry!" Chi-Chi said urgently. "Step on it before they leave!"
"Hold on tight, Chi-Chi!"
The plane roared forward at full power, streaking toward the distant golden light.
They were already flying west—and West City lay even farther that way.
Their paths would never cross.
Inevitably, the Ox-King and Chi-Chi arrived only to find the ruins of Pilaf's castle.
The air was still thick with smoke and rubble.
Chi-Chi's face fell. "We missed them…"
Ox-King sighed. "Chi-Chi, it's no use. Once they've used the Dragon Balls,
who knows where they've gone. We won't find them like this. Let's just go home for now."
Chi-Chi pouted stubbornly. "No! I want to find Goku!"
Ox-King scratched his head, flustered. "But how?
I can't divine where he is. The world's too big unless someone can… predict his location somehow."
Chi-Chi tilted her head. "Dad, isn't there anyone famous for fortune-telling?"
The Ox-King thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Now that you say that… wait!"
A spark lit in his eyes. He slapped his thigh.
"That's it! Master Roshi's sister—Fortuneteller Baba!
If it exists in this world, she can find it. People included!"
Chi-Chi's eyes widened. "Really? Then let's go find her right now!"
"Hold on," he said with a grin. "Let's swing by home first and grab some treasure.
I've heard that Fortuneteller Baba charges a lot for her services."
Chi-Chi's eyes sparkled. "Ooooh! Got it! You're so smart, Dad—let's go!"
And so, the father and daughter turned their plane toward Fire Mountain,
determined to do whatever it took—
for the sake of his daughter's future.