Dr. Norimaki was startled by Yamiru's reaction, sweating nervously. "Yeah, it's Gero."
"Gero? You mean that Gero? The chief scientist of the Red Ribbon Army?" Yamiru found it unbelievable. "Are you sure the initiator of this summit is that Gero? And you actually managed to let him openly host a scientific symposium in West City, the world's economic and technological hub!?"
"Oh, I remember now." Dr. Briefs, with a cigarette in his mouth, said, "Ten days ago, Yamiru, you mentioned that you once… hmm, that Gero worked for the Red Ribbon Army."
Seeing how agitated Yamiru was, Dr. Norimaki pulled out the crumpled invitation from his pocket, checked it again, and said, "But yes, it really is Gero."
Bulma's mother came over with freshly brewed tea and snacks, smiling with squinted eyes. "Many magazines and newspapers have speculated about Dr. Gero's murky ties with the Red Ribbon Army~ But aside from what you saw personally, Yamiru, there's no direct evidence proving his connection, right?"
"That… seems to be the case." Bulma bit on a yogurt straw.
"Ah, thank you." Dr. Norimaki accepted the hot tea and added, "Since there's no evidence, it's just speculation. What's the big deal… phew—whoa, that's hot!"
Yamiru was speechless. This is ridiculous… Do you guys even realize what kind of monstrous androids that fool named Gero will create in the future?
Dr. Briefs, Dr. Norimaki, and future scientist-in-the-making Bulma exchanged glances and muttered, "Well, it does sound a little ridiculous…"
"But who cares? Evil scientists always expose themselves eventually, right?" Tights clapped her hands, giggling. "We'll just catch him when the time comes."
Dr. Norimaki nodded. "He asked me for Penguin Village's contact information, saying he wanted to discuss robotic modifications with me…" He paused, chuckled awkwardly, and added, "But Gero seems more inclined towards bioengineering with human subjects, while I prefer purely mechanical robots~"
"Hmm… To each their own." Dr. Briefs sipped his tea.
"Exactly." Bulma took a sip as well. "Personally, I'm more interested in Dr. Omori's research on time theory and related engineering."
"Time machines? That's an incredible field…" Dr. Norimaki was surprised. "I never expected that senile old fool to have such a passion for it. Maybe he experienced some kind of trauma?"
Yamiru and Tights exchanged glances. This Norimaki might really be a genius—he had unknowingly hit the nail on the head about Dr. Omori's past.
Years ago, Dr. Omori's time machine experiments went wrong, resulting in his wife's death. Ever since, he had been obsessed with the concept of time travel. However, after meeting Jaco, Tights, and Yamiru, he finally let go of that obsession—especially since Jaco repeatedly insisted that such machines were illegal under the Galactic King's laws!
---
It was Yamiru's first time witnessing a casual tea-time chat among genius scientists up close.
As expected, most of their conversation was wrapped in layers of mystery, and he could only catch fragmented pieces… He couldn't help but feel that Norimaki, Briefs, and Bulma all had halos of wisdom glowing behind their heads…
Dr. Norimaki soon had to leave.
He left his contact information and walked out of the luxurious house like a struggling big-city migrant worker carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Walking through the bustling streets of West City—crowded, noisy, and filled with beautiful women—Dr. Norimaki quickly realized that no women wanted to approach him. And even if he managed to strike up a conversation, they would soon be repelled by his sleazy and greasy demeanor…
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he grumbled, "Big-city girls are so annoying!"
As he walked, his fingers brushed against the crumpled invitation in his pocket, giving him a sudden idea.
"Robots? Maybe I should create one specifically to help me pick up girls…" He started drooling as he seriously analyzed the concept. "Can't be too handsome, or he'll steal my spotlight. Can't be too ugly, or he'll scare the girls away before I even get a chance. Can't be a stunning beauty either, or she'll just scare off the women I'm interested in… Hmm, I got it! I'll make a little girl and pretend she's my sister! Then I can use the 'caring big brother' angle to get close to beautiful women… Hehehe…"
Grinning like an overgrown child, the hopeless bachelor headed to the airship terminal, bought a ticket, boarded the ship, transferred, transferred again, and eventually… made his way back home to Penguin Village.
---
After Dr. Norimaki's departure, Yamiru fell into deep thought. Before long, he packed up his belongings and strapped his Power Pole onto his back.
"You're leaving?" Tights walked over.
"Yeah. There's a place I want to visit." Yamiru tightened his shoelaces, then stood up and extended his hand toward Tights, palm up, revealing the black wristband on his wrist with her name written on it. "Aren't you going to see me off?"
Tights also extended her hand, her wristband bearing Yamiru's name. Their wrists pressed together.
Yamiru pulled her into his arms, swaying left and right as they walked.
"What's this place you're heading to?"
"Korin Tower. It's known as a sacred land of martial arts."
"Wow, that sounds amazing."
"How's your new novel coming along, Tights?"
"I think this one's going to make me famous!"
"Haha."
"What are you laughing at? Want me to bite you!?"
The two laughed and separated, swinging their arms dramatically as they strolled aimlessly through the streets of West City, hand in hand.
Yamiru could easily lift Tights with one hand, placing her on his shoulders. Though their height difference was only half a head, standing up there made her a little nervous… But she soon realized that no matter how much she wobbled on Yamiru's shoulders, she never fell off. Yamiru could always sense the shift in her balance in advance and adjust before she even started to sway.
"Haha, this is so fun~"
With her arms outstretched like a dancer, the girl balanced on Yamiru's shoulders, drawing the attention of passersby, who found the duo rather strange.
But no matter what, they had to part ways eventually.
"See you next time," Tights said, standing on the ground again. She hugged him, her big, bright eyes gazing up at him. "Great martial artist."
"I will." Yamiru kissed her. "Great writer. Try not to sneak in any smut, okay? That's not what good kids do."
Tights playfully bit his lip and laughed. "Who would write that kind of stuff?! Besides, I've never been a good kid~"
"Well, if you're not a good kid, then no problem." Yamiru grinned, tossing out a capsule that popped into a small aircraft. Casually, he climbed into the pilot's seat. "I'll be checking your work, you know. Next time we meet~"
"Bleh~~~" Tights stuck out her tongue at him, pulled her eyelids down, and made funny faces from the ground. Then she waved her arms and called out a loud goodbye with a laugh.
"Heh…"
Smiling, Yamiru piloted the aircraft smoothly into the clouds. Soon, however, his expression grew serious.
"Beep, beep."
He pressed a few buttons on the aircraft's navigation system, locating the approximate coordinates of Korin Tower, as told by Master Son Gohan.
His gaze firmed.
It was time to train seriously.
Without hesitation, he changed course, and the aircraft shot toward the legendary martial arts sanctuary!
---
A tall, slender tower pierced through the clouds, reaching endlessly toward the sky. For thousands upon thousands of years, it had remained unchanged, standing as a bridge between heaven and earth.
At the very top, the elder Korin—known as the Cat Hermit—was dozing off.
Pop!
A bubble of sleep burst suddenly, jolting the old white cat awake. He licked his paw, rubbed his face, blinked his drowsy eyes, and scratched at his long whiskers.
"Hmm… It's been a while since a strong fighter from the mortal world came to challenge Korin Tower."
Yawning, Korin leaned on his staff—taller than he was—and wobbled down to the lower level of Korin's Sanctuary. He lifted the lid off an enchanted water basin, its surface as still as a mirror.
In its reflection, an image gradually formed—Yamiru piloting his aircraft.
"Seems like he's got some skill, stronger than when Roshi climbed the tower back in the day." Korin mused. "And young too~ Though honestly, I have a hard time telling age, hehe~"
Amused by his own unfunny joke, Korin tapped his staff against the basin's rim.
Ripples spread across the water, shifting the image—this time showing Son Gohan, playing with Son Goku in Mount Paozu.
"Oh, is he Gohan's student?"
Scratching his whiskers, Korin muttered, "I see, so it was Gohan who told him where to find Korin Tower… Or maybe Roshi? Well, we'll see if the kid can climb up here… Sigh, it's been a boring few years~"
With that, he closed the basin's lid, shuffled back to the upper level… and promptly dozed off again. After all, napping was a cat's favorite pastime.
---
Meanwhile, at the base of Korin Tower, deep within the sacred jungle guarded by the native tribes, a thin "black line" suddenly shot into the sky!
It was a wooden spear, hurled forcefully toward the fast-approaching aircraft.
"Hmm?"
Yamiru focused his gaze, quickly realizing that the spear hadn't actually been aimed at the aircraft. Even if he kept flying normally, it wouldn't have hit him—clearly, it was more of a warning than an attack.
Looking ahead at the towering structure that seemed to curve as it stretched toward the heavens, Yamiru made his decision.
He adjusted his controls and brought the aircraft down for a landing.