Upon receiving this good news, Gine was naturally overjoyed.
"Finally, I can meet Goku?" A rush of emotions surged through her soul in an instant. "And Earth food, I've been wanting to eat it for so long..."
Bardock remained silent, but it was impossible to say he wasn't happy. However, Bardock was used to hiding his emotions… especially when facing the Frieza Force or the royal family, like King Vegeta.
Yamiru asked Tights if she wanted to join him in collecting the Dragon Balls. Even though they couldn't use the Nimbus Cloud, using a flying vehicle shouldn't take too long.
Tights thought for a moment. There wasn't much for her to do recently, so she agreed.
"I really want to see what Uncle Bardock and Aunt Gine really look like~" Tights smiled, taking off her soul-seeing glasses. Yamiru picked her up and flew toward her home. The distance was short enough that Yamiru could fly there himself, though the speed wouldn't be as fast as running on the ground. However, flying in a straight line was definitely more convenient than walking.
Bardock and Gine's souls moved forward without any obstacles, and soon, the two souls returned to Dr. Brief's house.
Tights packed up a bit. Most of the things ordinary people would need for travel were already included in her capsule apartment, so she didn't have much to pack.
"Dad, Mom, the Dragon Balls have revived. We're going to collect them~"
She smiled and bid farewell to Dr. Brief and his wife.
However, when she saw her little sister, Bulma, staring at her with big, cute eyes while silently sipping yogurt, Tights stopped and waved, "Bulma, do you want to come? You can see what Uncle Bardock and Aunt Gine look like~"
Bulma thought for a moment, then quickly finished the yogurt in one gulp, wiped her mouth, and smiled, "Sure!"
"Goodbye~ Stay safe~~"
In the courtyard of the capsule mansion, Mrs. Brief waved gently at the sky, watching the plane speed off with her husband.
Click, click...
Inside the plane, Tights was holding the Dragon Ball Radar, guiding the direction. Bulma sat beside her, feeling a chill on her neck, knowing that Bardock or Gine's souls were certainly nearby. She wondered if they were curious about the Dragon Ball Radar too? After thinking for a moment, she said, "The Four-Star Ball should have been brought back to the Mount Paozu by Goku, right? He seems to have a special attachment to that Dragon Ball…"
"Hmm! Goku would definitely do that," Yamiru piloted the plane. "So, our last stop will be Mount Paozu. We'll summon the Dragon to reunite with Goku's family."
Gine's soul jumped with joy, while Bardock's soul silently observed Tights using the Dragon Ball Radar…
"Ah, this position should be Cool View Mountain!" Tights suddenly smiled in surprise. "Looks like Goku remembers that last time you, Yamiru, gave the Dragon Ball to Ox-King. After making his wish, he not only took the Four-Star Ball but also returned the Seven-Star Ball to Ox-King."
Yamiru smiled. "Is that so? Then let's head to Cool View Mountain first!"
He secretly muttered in his mind: It seems like little Bulma, little Chi-Chi, and Goku's parents will all be together...
Boom—
The plane roared to full power, tearing through the air with a shockwave.
---
They arrived smoothly at Cool View Mountain.
A fire that never stopped was still burning near the reconstructed castle.
Bulma and the others jumped off the plane, and the two souls passed right through it. Yamiru parked the plane, since they would be leaving again soon.
"Are these fires still here?" Tights asked, puzzled. "It looks like they purposely left some behind."
Yamiru said, "These flames are special. I feel it would be a shame to put them out completely, and... they might help with cultivation a little bit. If Chi-Chi practices martial arts in the future, these flames might benefit her training."
Meanwhile, Gine and Bardock's souls couldn't help but stay far away from the flames… Bulma felt the coldness dissipate and found it strange. She took out her soul-seeing glasses and looked at the two souls hiding far away, then looked at the special flames. Through the glasses, the flames seemed to have some similarities with souls. The little scientist took off her glasses and fell into thought.
At this moment, Ox-King and Chi-Chi came out to greet them.
Yamiru explained his purpose, and Ox-King hurried back to the castle to retrieve the carefully stored Seven-Star Ball.
Chi-Chi's voice was soft and sweet as she said, "Last time, Goku brother specifically returned the Dragon Ball, saying that even the Dragon couldn't bring my mom back... It's such a pity." The little girl's voice carried a touch of sadness, and her adorable expression was enough to melt anyone's heart. Yamiru couldn't help but glance back at Goku's parents—only then did he realize that Bardock and Gine's souls had somehow moved so far away.
"Ah, it's these flames," Yamiru quickly realized. "These flames are most likely the ones lost from the Furnace of Eight Divisions of the Supreme Elderly Lord on Mount Five Elements... Those flames originally had the function of guiding souls to the afterlife, and since Bardock and Gine are still souls, it makes sense that they would reject these flames..."
"Thanks~"
Tights and the others collected the first Dragon Ball of the trip and happily returned to the plane, waving goodbye to Ox-King and his daughter before continuing their journey.
That evening, they discovered the Six-Star Ball in the western prairie.
The next afternoon, after much effort, they found the One-Star Ball wedged in a crevice in the northern icy lands.
The collection journey had gone smoothly as expected.
Emperor Pilaf group had lost two of their members, including the leader. They were no longer a threat in the Dragon Ball world.
As for the Red Ribbon Army, they hadn't encountered them when Goku and the others first collected the Dragon Balls in the comics, so it was clear that the Red Ribbon Army had not yet realized the significance of the Dragon Balls in this era. Yamiru didn't mind imagining how Goku single-handedly destroyed their headquarters, but after weighing his own strength, he decided to abandon the idea, just like Master Roshi had. Moreover, they had the family with them on this trip, so not encountering the Red Ribbon Army was a good thing.
Fourth ball...
Fifth ball...
A week passed, and Yamiru and his group successfully collected five Dragon Balls and were now heading toward the location of the sixth ball.
"Great, once we get the sixth one, we can go straight to Mount Paozu."
Tights was quite happy.
Bulma was also thrilled.
However, when Yamiru piloted the plane and landed in a scenic forest, they got out and, following the Dragon Ball Radar's display, slowly approached the location of the target Dragon Ball.
"It's over there," Bardock's soul sent out a signal to Yamiru. After these few days, he had become familiar with the Dragon Ball Radar.
When they arrived, they indeed found the sixth Dragon Ball—except for the Four-Star Ball at Mount Paozu, this was the last one—and it was hanging around the neck of a small, chubby figure who was drooling uncontrollably over a roasted fish.
——————
Yamiru: 140
Yachirobe: 101