Yamiru, of course, couldn't fly very far.
Moreover, his speed wasn't particularly fast—his power was limited, his energy output insufficient, and his endurance lacking.
Before he even managed to leave the vast Indian jungle where the Holy Land of Korin was located, he had already landed. Still, this served as a good opportunity for Yamiru to test the current limits of his flight technique. Landing lightly in the dense forest, he let out a slow breath. The exhaustion from purely consuming ki felt peculiar—it made him somewhat fatigued but didn't actually strain his body.
"I'll just walk…"
With a leap, Yamiru pressed forward, moving swiftly through the jungle.
There was no need to elaborate on how well he had adapted to traveling in such an environment.
Not to mention, his skills had advanced considerably since he first arrived at Korin Tower over a year ago. Relying solely on his legs, he sprinted at full force, realizing that both his explosive power and speed had greatly improved.
The training grounds at Korin's temple had always been too small, preventing him from unleashing his full speed like this.
As he ran, he leaped high into the air, twisting his body mid-air. His well-proportioned long leg cut through the air, shattering four or five ancient trees with sheer force.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yamiru flipped as he landed, while the trees behind him collapsed with a resounding crash.
"With my current strength, I could one-shot Tao Pai Pai." He was certain of it.
At Yamiru's level, even the slightest speed advantage in a life-and-death battle could mean everything. If he could slip past his opponent's perception—even for just an instant, just a fraction of a second—it would be enough for him to unleash his full explosive power upon Tao Pai Pai, ensuring a fatal blow.
Of course… in battles at different power levels, the definition of a "slight" advantage varied accordingly.
Leaving behind an afterimage, Yamiru sprinted at top speed.
It had been a long time since he had run like this… He smiled contentedly. Whether in the past or the present, he had always loved the feeling of running freely—it made him feel truly alive.
Perhaps Korin was right. Yamiru's path lay across the vast world of mankind. Korin Tower was too small, too secluded for him.
Two invisible flames of soul energy followed closely behind.
Gine: "Bardock, do you think he seems a lot more lively?"
Bardock's soul silently agreed.
---
Yamiru deliberately chose to travel to West City on foot.
For one, there were still a few months before the Dragon Balls would be restored. More importantly, he wanted Bardock and Gine to experience Earth's culture along the way—a world far more peaceful, isolated, and tranquil than the planets within Frieza's empire.
Yamiru had no idea what Bardock thought of Earth, as the man remained mostly silent, seemingly the type to think more than he spoke.
Gine, on the other hand, was much livelier. She found everything along the journey fascinating and considered Earth's way of life rather interesting.
What she envied the most was… the fact that Earthlings had no idea just how cruel the universe above them truly was.
Even though Gine, due to her personality and aptitude, had only worked as a butcher in the food distribution sector on Planet Vegeta—essentially a cafeteria worker—she still understood how difficult it was for a civilized planet to remain as peaceful and ignorant as Earth.
Most advanced civilizations, whether through superior martial prowess or advanced technology, would eventually step onto the intergalactic stage—only to be discovered by the Galactic King or the Cold Force, now ruled by Frieza.
At that point, there were only two possible outcomes: subjugation under one of the two powers or total annihilation.
Even those who submitted to the Galactic King weren't necessarily safe from Frieza's forces. Planets could still be invaded, conquered, and sold off entirely.
So initially, both Bardock and Gine assumed that Earth was just another primitive, weak world with neither advanced technology nor strong warriors.
However, after months of observation, Bardock no longer looked down on Earthlings.
Yes, their battle power was still pitifully low. But their philosophy of "martial training" seemed to surpass that of even the Saiyans and the entire Frieza Force. This realization deeply inspired Bardock.
Earth's remote location meant that the great powers of the universe couldn't be bothered to pay it any attention.
Its lack of technological and martial advancement ensured it had never ventured out to see the wider universe.
Initially, both Saiyans judged Earth to be a backwater civilization—lacking in both technology and combat prowess.
But then… they saw Capsule Corporation technology.
At first, it was just the ubiquitous Hoi-Poi Capsules on every street.
And suddenly, their souls were filled with confusion.
That technology seemed to involve some form of spatial manipulation, something even the core research division of Frieza's empire didn't possess.
Then came the gravity-defying vehicles found everywhere.
Again and again, Bardock and Gine questioned their initial assumptions.
By the time they followed Yamiru into West City, Earth's technological hub, they had reached a startling conclusion—
The fact that Frieza's empire had overlooked this planet and allowed Earthlings—and Kakarot—to survive this long was nothing short of a miracle.
That feeling peaked when they followed Yamiru to Dr. Brief's house.
Since they were spirits, Bardock and Gine occasionally drifted through walls. Because of this… they accidentally saw something in Dr. Brief's lab—a device that had been disassembled and reassembled countless times.
Kakarot's space pod.
Bardock's soul shuddered with unease.
"Good thing I destroyed the tracking and surveillance components when I stole this pod."
Back then, he never could have imagined that on this supposedly remote planet, there would be a scientist capable of deciphering the technology behind one of Frieza's top-of-the-line spacecraft.
The fact that Earth hadn't drawn the Frieza Force's attention while researching the pod…
Was it just sheer luck?
Or was Dr. Brief simply a genius beyond imagination?
Bardock and Gine walked together, following Yamiru and Dr. Brief while lost in thought.
Only Bulma, who was walking with them, felt an inexplicable chill on the back of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she muttered to herself, "How strange..."
---
At the end of February, Age 741, Yamiru left Mount Paozu for the second time.
He had spent a year and seven months at Korin Tower, then took more than half a month to descend and travel back. Finally, he arrived once again in West City.
Calculating the time, it was now September of Age 742...
"You've been away for quite a while. The life of a martial artist sure is tough~" Dr. Brief remarked casually. "As for Tights, she's been busy with book signings and other events during the day. She should be back by evening. If you're tired, I can arrange a room for you to rest... Oh, right."
The doctor chuckled teasingly, "I could also give you the key card to Tights' room~"
Yamiru broke into a light sweat but didn't feel embarrassed. He simply nodded in acceptance. Soon, a robotic assistant brought him a spare key card to Tights' room, which he pocketed.
Since no one else could see Bardock and Gine's spiritual forms, Yamiru didn't bother explaining their presence to Dr. Brief or Bulma.
They would be resurrected soon anyway, so he could introduce them then.
Feeling satisfied, Yamiru followed the robotic assistant to Tights' room. The space was huge... and even had a private bathroom. Before entering, he glanced back and noticed that Bardock and Gine hadn't followed him inside. Activating his Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze, he spotted them hovering outside the door.
A warm smile spread across his face. He turned and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.
Back at Korin Tower, bathing was nothing more than rinsing off with cold water... Yamiru might have trained like an ancient martial artist, but he was still a modern man. He wouldn't die without proper bathing products, but he certainly didn't enjoy being without them. If he could maintain a decent quality of life, why lower it unnecessarily?
After finishing his shower, he opened Tights' wardrobe and found an array of clothes that fit him perfectly. She must have anticipated that he might stay here and prepared accordingly.
Truth be told, he was exhausted. Now that he was in a comfortable environment, fatigue set in quickly. He lay down on Tights' bed and drifted into a deep sleep...
---
When Yamiru woke up, he found someone in his arms.
At some point, Tights had returned and slipped into bed beside him. He caught a faint scent of high-end shampoo and shower gel from her—clearly, she had bathed before snuggling up to him. She must have noticed how deeply he was sleeping and chose not to wake him.
"A whole person climbed into my bed, and I didn't even wake up..." Yamiru thought with amusement as he gently ran his fingers through Tights' soft, mid-length blonde hair. "Is it because I'm too familiar with her? Or... am I finally starting to sense ki instinctively?"
Tights stirred at his touch, blinking sleepily before looking up at him with a drowsy smile.
"You're awake?" she murmured.
"Yeah." Yamiru pulled her close and placed a light kiss on the top of her head.
He had now fully grown into his height of 1.8 meters, which finally allowed him to tower over Tights. It also let him do things like lowering his head to kiss her hair.
"Giggle." Tights' sleepiness faded as she wrapped her arms around him. "I signed so many books today~ I wasn't wrong, was I? I really think this one's going to be a hit~"
"How much of a hit?" Yamiru asked with a smirk.
"This much of a hit~" Tights giggled, playfully biting his nose.
It really was a hit...
Their eyes met at close range, and without another word, they naturally leaned in and kissed...
---
Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Bardock's spirit phased through the wall, entering the room where Bulma was working. He had been observing her research for quite some time.
Even though he barely understood what she was doing.
But the fact that she was even capable of such work was shocking in itself—how old was she? Even by universal standards, she was undoubtedly a genius of extraordinary caliber.
At that moment, Gine floated back into the room from somewhere outside.
"Where did you go?" Bardock asked curiously.
"Uh..." Gine hesitated, unsure of how to explain.
Fortunately, Bardock quickly turned his attention back to the girl in the white lab coat. Gine let out a quiet sigh of relief and joined him in watching.
"What a cute little girl~ And so smart..." Gine commented with admiration.
---
Back in the bedroom.
After chatting for a while, Tights cheerfully pulled out a handwritten manuscript from her bedside drawer and presented it to Yamiru with both hands.
"Please inspect it~ I put a lot of effort into writing this~"
"You actually wrote one?!" Yamiru laughed, intrigued as he flipped through the pages.
Tights lay on his chest, watching as he read. After a moment, he set the manuscript down.
"Tights, your imagination is really something..."
Tights buried her face against his neck, giggling muffled laughs.
"I've got something good for you~" Yamiru said with a teasing smile.
Reaching into the pocket of his dirty clothes, he pulled out a Senzu Bean.
Tights blinked at him in confusion, still smiling.
Yamiru lifted off the bed, floating just above her. Tights' eyes widened in shock—he was flying!
Hovering directly over her, he held out the Senzu Bean to her lips. Without hesitation, she swallowed it.
In an instant...
Yamiru's Golden Gaze flared to life as he closely observed the changes within her body.
If his expanded perception had once allowed him to see the demonic energy of the Underworld...
Then now, he should also be able to see the divine energy of Heaven contained within the Senzu Bean...