Saiyan Legacy: A New Dawn

Chapter 5: The Journey Begins

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It was a typical day in the mountains—quiet, calm, and a perfect time for hunting. You were out looking for food, wandering deeper into the forest, when you heard something unexpected. The crash of metal hitting the earth echoed in the distance, followed by Goku's familiar voice shouting. You knew something was wrong.

What now?  You thought, turning in the direction of the noise and sprinting toward it. Goku had always been able to handle himself, but trouble seemed to follow him, and the kid's curiosity often led to situations that made you grateful for your training.

As you approached the clearing, you saw Goku standing in the middle of the road, a look of confusion on his face, and next to him—what looked like a smoking machine. The closer you got, the clearer it became. It was a car, and sitting behind the wheel was a young teenage girl who looked just as surprised as Goku did.

Goku's staff was already drawn, and he was circling the vehicle like it was some kind of wild animal. "What kind of monster is this?" he shouted.

The girl, flustered and trying to figure out what was going on, stepped out of the car. "What the heck? It's just a car! Haven't you ever seen one before?"

You arrived just in time to hear Goku respond with a firm, "Nope! What's a car?"

The girl—who had blue hair and was wearing some sort of futuristic clothing—rolled her eyes. "Okay, where am I? The Stone Age?"

You stepped out from the cover of the trees and approached cautiously. "Goku, what's going on here?"

Goku grinned when he saw you. "Hey! This girl just rammed into me with her... uh... car-monster! But she says she's a human!"

You glanced at the girl, who looked relieved to see someone else who seemed a bit more grounded in reality. She turned to you, clearly sizing you up. "Is he serious? He's never seen a car before?"

You nodded slowly. "We live in the mountains. Technology doesn't exactly make it out this far."

The girl sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm Bulma, by the way. I didn't mean to hit your friend here, but he ran out into the road like he's never seen a vehicle before."

"Sorry," Goku said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I thought it was a monster."

Bulma couldn't help but laugh, but she quickly regained her composure. "Anyway, I was just passing through. I'm on a quest to find something."

Goku's interest piqued at that. "A quest? For what?"

Bulma pulled a small device from her pocket—it looked like some kind of radar, but much more advanced than anything you'd ever seen. "These," she said, pointing to the flashing dots on the screen. "They're called Dragon Balls. If you collect all seven, you can summon a dragon called Shenron, and he'll grant you any wish you want."

Goku blinked in confusion. "A wish? What's that?"

You, on the other hand, had heard stories—old Saiyan legends about mystical artifacts that could change the fate of entire worlds. But you never imagined those legends would connect to something here, on Earth.

Bulma continued, ignoring Goku's confusion. "Yeah, and I'm really close to finding the next one. It's just around here, actually." She looked around at the dense forest, as if trying to figure out where exactly it might be.

You felt a knot form in your stomach. There was no way it could be what you thought. "Wait... are these Dragon Balls round and orange with stars on them?"