"But why the back?"
After spending some time in the lab with Bulma, Tights glanced back at the body cell distribution chart on the screen, puzzled.
Bulma, stroking her chin, said, "I'm not sure. Maybe the transformation from basic cells to Super cells starts randomly from any part of the body? But it's also possible that it always starts from the back cells. It would be great if we could compare it with another Saiyan..."
"Saiyans are really strange," Tights remarked.
"If there must be an origin point..." Yamiru suddenly raised his finger and pointed at a spot on the screen of the body chart. "I think it should be here. The cells start transforming here and gradually spread."
The two sisters noticed that Yamiru was pointing to the back of Goku's body on the chart, specifically the area right behind the heart.
"Why do you think that?" Bulma asked curiously.
"Haha," Yamiru chuckled, "It's just a hunch. Don't mind it."
S cells increase in number when the heart is stable, and the S cells in Goku's body are concentrated in his back...
Yamiru instinctively pointed to the area behind Goku's heart. It was purely his intuition—his heart guiding him to transform the basic cells into the new Super cells. Thus began the legend of the original Super Saiyan, Yamoshi. Pretty cool, huh?
Yamiru stayed at Tights' house for a day.
During that day, Tights took him around the Western Capital, visiting various lively, secluded, and interesting places, including the streets she often walked as a child.
They had a great time, and it could be considered the most complete day they had spent as a couple, enjoying each other's company.
The next day, Yamiru planned to return to Mount Paozu.
Tights sent him off alone, holding hands as they leisurely strolled through the busy streets of the Western Capital.
"That's the exhibition hall of the Western Capital," Tights pointed to a massive building not far away. "They often host cutting-edge scientific seminars there. My dad used to go often, but he said the people there were too stupid, so he stopped going. Later, Bulma went a few times... but I'm a little slow, so I didn't find it interesting. It was all just old men and women, haha."
Yamiru found it amusing. Tights wasn't slow; it was just that Bulma and her father were too smart…
After strolling through a few more blocks, it was time to part ways.
Tights wasn't sad at all. She was a carefree girl who could leave whenever she wanted. She happily pulled out a black knitted wrist guard from her bag.
"Here," Tights said, swinging the pendant necklace that was close to her neck, "Consider it a return gift~"
Yamiru took it and saw that the black wrist guards were a pair. One was embroidered with "Tights", and the other with "Sato", both in elegant vertical cursive script. The words ran across the circumference of the wrist guard.
Tights blinked her sparkling eyes as she watched Yamiru.
He instinctively slipped the one with "Tights" embroidered on it onto his wrist, adjusting it so the cursive "Tights" aligned with the artery's path on his wrist, gently pulsing with his heartbeat...
Suddenly, warm lips pressed against his.
Tights and Yamiru kissed in the street. As they kissed, they laughed, and with their foreheads pressed together, she said, "We really get along well. You guessed it right away. How amazing, I'm so happy."
"I'm happy too," Yamiru kissed her again.
"We're so good together now, but what if one day we lose this kind of understanding? What if I can't understand what you want, and you can't read my moods, and we end up like so many couples, slowly growing to dislike each other? Start to find faults in each other..." Tights said with a slight frown. "That would be awful, wouldn't it?"
"Don't be so sentimental, writer" Yamiru said gently, his golden eyes conveying his feelings. "Trust me, even after hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years, I'll still love you, Tights. If you stop loving me, I'll just chase you again. I won't let you go."
"Maybe not~" Tights recovered, her eyes sparkling as she raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm just pretending?"
"Oh, that's just mean~ Don't you know how much I love you? Poor Yamiru!" Yamiru laughed.
"I know." Tights smiled playfully, kissed him, and then let go. "Alright, martial artist, see you next time~"
Yamiru took out a small plane capsule, wearing a black wrist guard with Tights' name embroidered on it. He sat in the pilot's seat, extended his hand through the window, gave a thumbs-up, and took off into the sky.
Watching the plane fly off towards Mount Paozu, Tights chuckled softly and hummed a tune as she headed home.
---
There were no surprises; Yamiru successfully piloted the plane back to Mount Paozu.
Goku was playing a martial arts game with Gohan, casually testing their punches and techniques, both having fun.
"Ah, Yamiru, you're back!"
Goku was the first to spot the plane landing. He waved his hand excitedly and ran over.
Yamiru jumped off, stowed the plane away, rubbed Goku's head playfully, and quickly walked over to Gohan, who was standing with his hands behind his back, smiling kindly. He gave Gohan a big hug, saying joyfully, "Master, I'm back!"
"Oh dear," Gohan chuckled, patting Yamiru's strong back. "It's good to have you back, hehe."
After not seeing each other for a while, the master and disciple had much to talk about.
Though Goku had been back for several days, the guy wasn't very articulate and had a poor memory. Most of his time on the road was spent playing, so his observations were probably incomplete.
Yamiru cheerfully recounted everything that had happened, making it lively and engaging, which caused Gohan to laugh out loud several times.
In fact, Gohan was quite an interesting old man. In the manga, after his match with Goku and the fortune-teller, he joked about how he loved the underworld, where there were many healthy and lively girls… though whether those girls, now dead, could still be considered "healthy" was debatable.
When Gohan heard about Yamiru and Tights becoming a couple, he gave Yamiru a teasing grin and said, "She's such a lively and beautiful girl~ Yamiru, you're really lucky."
"Hehe," Yamiru grinned cheekily.
Goku, who was nearby, had a confused look on his face, not understanding where the joke was. Gohan and Yamiru, seeing Goku's puzzled expression, couldn't help but laugh even more.
And so, Yamiru and Goku settled back into life at Mount Paozu.
Time passed slowly and peacefully...
Because of his match with the fortune-teller and his participation in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku had seen a lot of the outside world and met many powerful people. This had broadened his horizons and filled him with ambition. He practiced with even more joy, not just for Yamiru, but because there were so many strong and interesting people out there. He had more reasons to keep improving! With this mindset, Goku happily trained every day, never finding it hard.
On the other hand, Yamiru began to sense a problem.
As he had told Tien shinhan, when given the right guidance, everyone would have a period of rapid progress. In the manga, Goku and Krillin only trained on Kame Island for about ten months, and their strength nearly increased tenfold! But after that, Krillin's progress slowed down, while Goku kept improving without stopping.
Now, Goku was still that same Goku, enjoying his training and making steady progress.
Yamiru, however, felt more like Krillin, or perhaps even less than him… After ten months of training at Mount Paozu, Yamiru could clearly feel his progress slowing down. At times, he even wondered if he had slacked off in his training the day before. He often felt like his efforts were in vain, as though he wasn't making any real progress.
In his spare time, he chose to chat with Gohan.
Because of their experiences collecting the Dragon Balls and participating in the tournament ten months ago, Gohan and Yamiru now had much to talk about, from stories of Gohan's travels around the world to various adventures.
When Gohan learned about the fortune-telling reading Yamiru had received from the old fortune-teller, he was also surprised by the results.
"Wow, Master, you say you've been to the Mount Five Element and met that Supreme Elderly Lord?"
Yamiru was initially shocked, but then understood. In the anime, Gohan had indeed stayed with Supreme Elderly Lord, almost as if they were watching a boiler together… It seemed likely that Gohan's body, after his death, had been brought to Supreme Elderly Lord's side out of past friendship, and he had been left there to "play" in the afterlife.
"However," Gohan pondered, "according to your idea of 'destroying earth with one punch'... I don't think even Aninn could do that. That's unimaginable power. I've never heard of anything like it… Does such power really exist?" The old man shook his head.
"..." Yamiru was silent. After thinking for a long time, he smiled and said, "Master, you know, I've gotten used to competing with myself, and I've come to enjoy the feeling of challenging myself. So, unless I reach the point of having no way out, when all hope is lost, I won't go to the Mount Five Element to find the Supreme Elderly Lord. I want to find my own way, even if it's just seeing a glimmer of light ahead."
He murmured to himself. Sun Wufan patted his shoulder and comforted him, "You will, my child. You're still young; there's no need to rush. Goku's situation was special…"
Yamiru only shook his head slightly.
After spending some time in the deep mountains and forests, training and living in silence, Yamiru finally decided to leave the mountain once again!
Year 741, Paozu Mountain.
Yamiru packed his things and tied the Power Pole to his body.
"Yamiru, are you leaving?" Goku asked, confused about his departure. "The next martial arts tournament hasn't started yet. It's still…" He counted on his fingers, "It's still four years away!"
"It's too stuffy in the mountain. I'm going out for a walk by myself," Yamiru winked at Goku and smiled. "And, I haven't seen Tights in a long time. I miss her."
"Oh." Goku nodded. He ran inside the house and brought out the now-restored Four-Star Dragon Ball. "Do you want this?"
"No, I don't have a wish to make," Yamiru shook his head, then suddenly looked at Goku seriously. He frowned and thought for a moment. "Goku, wait a second."
Yamiru returned to the house, and shortly after, he came out with a folded piece of paper and handed it to Goku.
----
Goku: 97
Yamiru: 120