Pilaf's Castle
Mai stared at the Dragon Radar and gasped in delight.
"All six Dragon Balls are moving together… They must've collected them all!"
Pilaf burst into gleeful laughter.
"Of course! Let the Red Ribbon Army do all the hard work. We only needed to hide one Dragon Ball and wait for the fruit to fall into our laps."
Just then, Shu shouted in alarm.
"Bad news, Emperor Pilaf! The six Dragon Balls—they're headed this way!"
"What?!" Pilaf sprang upright.
"How could they be coming back here?!"
"But they are! I swear!" Shu waved the radar frantically.
Mai looked puzzled. "Could it be the Red Ribbon Army again?"
Pilaf shook his head. "No way. If they had a radar better than ours, they would've found all seven themselves ages ago."
Then he paused, and a flicker of realization flashed in his eyes.
"No… it's not them. It's Goku!"
Mai blinked. "Why do you think that?"
"Because only that monkey boy would haul all six balls around. The Red Ribbon wouldn't risk it."
Shu and Mai lit up with admiration.
"As expected of Emperor Pilaf—so wise and perceptive!"
Pilaf swelled with pride.
"Hmph! Goku may be strong, but I've discovered his weakness after all this time. If we grab his tail, we win!"
Shu and Mai followed the script with perfect timing.
"You're amazing, Emperor Pilaf!"
Pilaf paced dramatically.
"This time, the wish is mine! Once Shenron appears, I'll finally rule the world! Everything will bend to my will!"
Shu asked eagerly, "What's the first thing you'll do as supreme ruler?"
Pilaf paused. "…Uh…"
A long silence followed.
"…Don't ask stupid questions! Go prep the robots!"
"Yes, sir!"
He turned to Mai next.
"When we confront Goku, you circle behind and grab his tail. Got it?"
"Yes, Emperor Pilaf!" she saluted.
As they left to prepare, Pilaf glanced down at the special lead-lined box.
"Strange… Our radar couldn't detect this thing. How'd they find it?"
—
A few minutes later…
Goku floated down from the sky, stepping off the Flying Nimbus outside Pilaf's castle.
He knocked politely.
"Hello? Anyone there?"
He wasn't here to pick a fight. If Pilaf had stolen the Dragon Balls or done something evil, sure, he wouldn't hesitate to beat him up. But right now? They hadn't done anything yet. And Goku wasn't the type to hit first without cause.
'They're not like the Red Ribbon Army…'
'Worst thing they've done is blow kisses at strangers…'
He took a deep breath and muttered to himself.
'Relax… Just talk to them.'
'If I'm gonna punch someone, I should have a reason. That's what Grandpa taught me.'
He kept knocking. No answer.
'Maybe… I should just break the door down?'
But then he remembered King Temba's teachings: A man might die, but what he leaves behind lives on.
Before he could decide, three robots emerged behind him.
"Hahaha! So you found us, huh?" Pilaf cackled from inside his mech.
Goku turned to face them. Shu, Mai, and Pilaf were each piloting their own machines.
"The last Dragon Ball's with you guys," Goku said. "Please give it to me. It's important."
Pilaf scoffed.
"Give it to you? What do I look like, your errand boy? We didn't steal it. We've been looking just like everyone else!"
Goku nodded.
"That's fair. But I really need it. Please, just think of it as me owing you one."
Pilaf smirked.
"Then how about you give me your six Dragon Balls? I'll owe you a favor."
"No."
Goku shook his head.
"I'm using them to bring people back to life. I can't give them up."
Pilaf narrowed his eyes, then smiled slyly.
"Alright then, how about this? We duel. If you win, I give you the last Dragon Ball. If I win, I get yours."
Goku grinned.
"Now that's a fair deal. Alright. I accept."
"Then it's settled! Don't forget—liars get struck by lightning!" Pilaf warned.
"Deal!" Goku shouted, taking his stance. "Let's go!"
Pilaf chuckled.
"Oh, we're not going one-on-one. We'll all fight you!"
Goku rolled his shoulders.
"Three-on-one? Sure. Bring it!"
Pilaf nodded to Shu.
"Go first!"
"Yes, sir!"
Shu's robot lunged with a massive punch. Goku dodged easily.
Pilaf whispered into his comms.
"Mai, get behind him. Grab his tail."
"Roger that," Mai whispered back, sneaking into position behind Goku.
She scanned his back.
"…No tail?"
But then she spotted a faint bulge in his pants. Her eyes narrowed.
'So he tucked it in, huh? Smart kid.'
Meanwhile, Goku was dodging Shu's wild punches.
Shu's robot managed to grab Goku briefly, and Pilaf fired a burst of flame from his mech's mouth.
"Fwoosh!"
Goku yelped and broke free, rolling to douse the flames—his pants scorched and burned away.
Pilaf roared:
"Mai! Now!"
Mai's robot had human-sized hands, perfectly suited to grab a tail.
She lunged forward—
—but Goku was ready. He grabbed the robot's wrist and ripped it clean off.
"Heh. Nice try," Goku smirked. "I knew you'd go for my tail. But too bad—it didn't work, huh?"
Mai's eyes widened. And then she saw it.
Goku had no pants.
And what she saw was unmistakable.
Her face exploded into red.
"I—I surrender!!"
Goku blinked.
"…Huh?"
Then he realized.
"…Oh no!"
He quickly tossed the broken robot hand and covered himself.
"Don't try anything weird! I mean it!"
Of course, telling Pilaf and crew not to be weird was a losing battle.
They combined their robots into one giant mech.
Goku, still partially exposed, beat them senseless.
The fight ended quickly.
—
The Pilaf gang lay in a broken heap.
Shu sighed. "So… should we start gathering Dragon Balls again next year?"
Pilaf scowled. "Mai! This was your fault! You hesitated!"
Mai's face was still flushed.
"I… I don't think I'm clean anymore."
"…What?"
"Do you need a bath or something?" Shu asked.
Mai shook her head, gaze distant.
"My eyes aren't clean anymore."