Ten minutes later, Oolong was securely hogtied to a wooden chair in the center of the living room.
He was back in his pig form, a small disc stuck firmly to the back of his neck.
Bulma paced in front of him, twirling a small remote control around her finger.
Goku stood behind the chair, cracking his knuckles and looking vaguely menacing, though mostly he just looked hungry.
"Alright, let's get comfortable, here are the house rules. They are simple, so try not to strain your brain."
She stopped pacing and leaned in, pointing to the device on his neck.
"Rule number one: no shapeshifting. That little disc is a bio-electric monitor. If it detects rapid cellular alteration, which is what happens when you transform, it will discharge fifty thousand volts directly into your spinal column."
Oolong gulped audibly.
"It won't kill you, well, probably not. But it will definitely make you wish you were bacon."
She held up two fingers.
"Rule number two: honesty. I am going to ask you questions. You are going to answer them. If I sense you are lying, stalling, or trying to come up with a clever story..."
She gestured to Goku.
"My friend here is going to practice dentistry. Without anesthesia."
Goku blinked, then grinned.
"I can pull teeth! I pulled my own out when it was wiggly!"
The threat was terrifyingly effective because of how cheerful Goku sounded about it.
"Do we understand each other?"
Oolong didn't trust his voice.
He just nodded his head rapidly.
"Okay, let's start with the basics, how do you know what these are? And why do you call them dragon balls?"
Oolong shifted uncomfortably in the chair.
"I was part of a camp out in the Diablo Desert." he muttered, looking at the floor.
"A group called 'The Scrappers'."
Bulma exchanged a look with Goku.
Goku shrugged, picking at a loose thread on his clothing.
Neither of them had ever heard of "The Scrappers."
"Never heard of them."
"You wouldn't have. They're desert rats. Scavengers. Look, you know what an animalia is, right? Well, I'm not like the ones in this town. I wasn't human once. I'm a animalia spawn."
"Second generation?"
"Exactly. My parents were junkies who took the stuff. I was born like this. A pigman with no rights, no citizenship, and no future. I was a nobody. The Scrappers were the only ones who would take in a freak like me."
"And that's where you saw the orbs?"
"Yeah. That's where i learned their value."
Bulma walked closer.
"And the name? Dragon balls? Did you come up with that?"
Oolong looked confused.
He tilted his head, causing his ears to flop.
"I don't understand the question. Is there another name for them?"
"I call them that because of an old story I heard as a kid. A bedtime tale about a dragon that grants wishes. I figured no one else actually used that name."
"Well, it's not just a bedtime tale, as you can see. But the name... the name didn't come from us. It came from the client."
"The client?"
"Someone made a contract with Dimcha. Dimcha is the leader of the Scrappers. He and his son, Yamcha, have been combing the desert and the badlands for months."
"Yamcha..." Goku repeated the name, tasting it.
"Is he strong?"
"He is." Oolong shuddered.
"But the point is, they aren't collecting them for themselves. They're collecting them to deliver to someone else. Someone rich enough to hire an entire bandit army."
So it's not just us in a treasure hunt. It's a race. And we aren't just competing against time... we're competing against an organized crime syndicate and a mysterious backer.
"So, we aren't the only ones playing the game."
"Never were."
Bulma looked over at the four star dragon ball glowing innocently on the table.
"I have one more question." Bulma said, her voice softer now, losing some of its interrogator's edge.
"You said you were a spawn animalia. A nobody. You said the scrappers were the only ones who gave you a chance. So why run? Why steal from the only family you had? The diablo desert is a long way from here."
Oolong swallowed hard.
The glib conman persona evaporated, leaving behind a scared pig.
"It was... a request," he whispered, his voice cracking.
"From a friend. Before he died."
He looked up at them, his eye went wet with a sudden raw vulnerability.
"Look, I know what I am. I'm a coward. I run away. I hide in crowds. I don't want a war with anyone. But Mugicha... he found out what the Client wants to do with those spheres. He didn't want that to happen."
He clenched his teeth, a flash of stubborn defiance crossing his face.
"I can't stop them from fighting. I can't beat Yamcha or Dimcha. But I figured... if I steal one ball... just one... they can't complete the set. They can't deliver the package to the Client. That was Mugicha's dying wish."
Bulma and Goku stared at him.
Goku looked at the pig with a newfound respect.
Bulma looked pensive.
her mind was re-evaluating the creature in front of her.
Finally, Bulma sighed.
"You were honest with me, so I'll be honest with you."
She walked over and sat on the edge of the sofa, retracting the electric shock threat on her remote.
"I'm not doing this for money. And I'm not doing it to stop a war, at least, I wasn't until five minutes ago. I'm doing this to prove a theory. My father's theory. His name is Briefs Starch. He's the founder of the Capsule Corporation."
Oolong's jaw dropped slightly. He blinked.
"Briefs... Starch?" He shook his head, racking his brain.
"Never heard of the guy personally. But Capsule Corp? You mean the company that makes... well, everything on the planet?"
He let out a nervous, dry chuckle.
"Well, damn. I really did attract a big fish, didn't I?"
"Goku, untie him,"
Bulma commanded, standing up.
Goku reached down and grabbed the thick hemp ropes.
He didn't bother with the knots, he just pulled.
SNAP.
The ropes broke like wet spaghetti.
Oolong rubbed his sore wrists, grimacing as he flexed his trotters to get the circulation back.
"So... what happens now? You're gonna take my Dragon Ball, right? That's the endgame here."
"Technically, yes." Bulma admitted. She walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.
"I need that sphere to complete my data set and prove my father's research. We can't leave it with you."
She tossed the water bottle to the pig. He caught it, surprised by the gesture.
"But, i'm going to return the favor. You helped me understand the stakes, so I'm going to help you with your little dying wish problem."
She crossed her arms.
"You mentioned the scrappers were collecting these things. How many did they actually have in their possession before you ran?"
"Two. They managed to find two after months of searching the badlands. I stole the six star ball. That means the other one..."
He looked at the floor, a shadow crossing his face.
"...the two star ball. It's still back at the camp. It's sitting right in Dimcha's personal vault, probably guarded by half an army."
"So, there's another one just sitting there, waiting to be picked up."
"You're thinking about going there, aren't you?" Oolong asked, seeing the gleam in Bulma's eyes. He frantically shook his head.
"Listen to me! You don't understand what you're walking into. The scrappers aren't just a bandit gang living in tents. They're an organization."
He jumped off the chair and paced nervously.
"They control the entire supply chain in the diablo desert. They practically own Brown town, it's a fortress city built out of scrap metal and old mining equipment. You can't just walk in and knock on the door."
"I have technology. And I have Goku." Bulma argued.
"And they have Yamcha. And Yamcha isn't a normal human."
He stopped pacing and looked at Goku.
"They call him the desert wolf. And it's not just a cool nickname. He fights like a wild animal, fast, vicious, unpredictable. But his strength... it's way above a wolf. It's way above a human. I've seen him punch through thick walls of concrete with his bare hands."
Bulma expected Goku to look worried.
Instead, Goku's eyes sparkled.
He hopped up from the couch, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Whoa!" Goku grinned, punching the air.
"He sounds super strong! Finally! I bet he won't turn into a cat and run away!"
"He won't run. He's more likely to eat you alive."
He turned back to Bulma.
"And even if you get past the foot soldiers, Yamcha isn't alone. He has two lieutenants who act as his scouts and enforcers, Grizzlo and Diesella."
"Grizzlo and Diesella?" Bulma repeated, committing the names to memory.
"Yeah. They aren't monsters like Yamcha, but they are dangerous. Grizzlo is an animalia grizzly bear, and Diesella is fast with a blade. They guard the perimeter. If you set one foot in the diablo desert, they'll know."
Oolong sighed, his ears drooping.
"I'm telling you... if you go to Brown Town to steal that Two-Star Ball, you aren't starting a heist. You're starting a war."
Bulma listened to the dire warning with a bored expression.
She tapped her chin, processing the intel about the "Desert Wolf" and his lieutenants.
"You worry too much." She said, waving her hand as if swatting away a fly.
"I worry the exact appropriate amount for someone who wants to keep his internal organs on the inside!"
Bulma walked over to Goku, who was currently doing one-finger pushups on the living room floor to burn off his excess energy.
"Look at him." Bulma said, pointing at Goku.
"Really look at him. When I first met him, I thought the same thing you did. I thought he was just a weird little kid living in the woods. I underestimated him."
She looked down at Goku with a small, knowing smile.
"But I've seen what he can do. I've seen him break the sound barrier. I've seen him lift boulders bigger than this house. Trust me, Yamcha's about to get his ass whooped."
She turned back to Oolong, her eyes sharp.
"Give him a chance. See it for yourself."
Oolong looked at Goku, it seemed impossible. But then again... the kid had chased him down without breaking a sweat.
"Wait a minute, you're saying give him a chance like... like I'm going to be there."
"Well, of course. I can't navigate the Diablo Desert by myself. And I certainly don't know the layout of Brown Town. I need a guide."
"No! Absolutely not!" Oolong shouted, backing away.
"I just escaped! I am not going back into the lion's den!"
"Not even to see them fall?" Bulma asked, her voice was dropping to a persuasive, almost seductive whisper.
"You said you wanted to stop them. You said your friend Mugicha didn't want them to succeed."
She took a step closer.
"This is your chance, Oolong. You don't have to fight. You just have to get us inside."
Oolong stopped backing away.
He thought about Yamcha and Dimcha, the tyrants who ruled his life with fear.
He sat down on the floor, letting out a heavy sigh.
"I'm definitely going to regret this."