Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Dragon Balls and a Brand New Me

​The rush of wind whipped against my red t-shirt as I soared through the upper atmosphere, the familiar landscape of West City rapidly expanding below me. Instead of landing directly inside the main Capsule Corporation compound—where Bulma usually had half a dozen experimental hover-cars crashing into test dummies—I touched down near her primary high-tech research facility on the outskirts of the campus.

​As my boots hit the pavement, a flash of purple hair caught my eye down the paved walkway. A young Trunks was darting past, carrying a wooden practice sword and looking like he had somewhere very important to be.

​I grinned, stepping into his path with a casual wave. "Hey, Trunks! How's it been, kid?"

​Trunks skidded to a halt, blinking up at me with wide eyes before a grin broke across his face. "Oh, Uncle Krillin! I'm heading over to Gotens to train, see ya!" Without waiting for another word, he blasted off into the sky, leaving a tiny streak of white ki in his wake.

​I stood there for a second, shaking my head with a quiet chuckle. Whoa... I can't believe I just talked to kid Trunks in person. Wild.

​Shaking off the surreal feeling, I strode up to the heavy automated doors of the Capsule Corporation laboratory and stepped inside. Bulma was bent over a sprawling holographic interface, her fingers flying across a floating keyboard as blueprints and complex molecular structures spun in the air around her.

​"Hey, Bulma! How's it been?" I called out, leaning against a nearby metallic console.

​Bulma froze mid-keystroke. She slowly turned around, dropping her hands to her hips, and stared at me like I had just grown a second head.

​"What? Krillin? What in the world are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice echoing off the steel walls. "And what's with the outfit?"

​"Long story, Bulma, trust me," I replied, holding up my hands in a placating gesture. "I actually really need your favor today. Can you help me find the Dragon Balls?"

​Bulma let out an exasperated groan, turning back to her console. "What could you possibly want with the Dragon Balls, Krillin? Can't you see I'm right in the middle of a major calibration? I'm busy!"

​"Oh, come on, please, Bulma? It's super important!" I pressed, stepping closer with my best persuasive expression. "I really, really need them."

​She shot me a sharp, skeptical look, then let out a defeated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. You're lucky I already collected all seven of them earlier this week just in case of an emergency. Come on, let's go."

​"That's the way, Bulma! Thanks, you're a lifesaver," I cheered, pumping my fist.

​Bulma paused, raising an eyebrow as she eyed my posture and the red shirt. "Wow, you almost sound like Goku right now. What's with all the hype and the sudden wardrobe change? You look completely different."

​"Never mind that, let's just summon the big guy!" I urged, practically bouncing on my heels.

​Minutes later, we stood out in the wide courtyard behind the lab where all seven glowing orange spheres were arranged in a wide circle. Bulma stood off to the side with her arms crossed, watching me curiously as I stepped up to the center and drew in a deep breath.

​"Eternal Dragon! By the name of the Dragon Balls, I summon you forth—Shenron!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

​The sky instantly turned the color of ink. Lightning cracked violently across the darkened clouds, and a blinding pillar of emerald light erupted from the spheres, tearing upward into the heavens. The massive, serpentine form of Shenron coiled above us, his crimson eyes glowing like embers as he looked down upon the courtyard.

​“STATE YOUR WISH,” the dragon's voice boomed, vibrating straight through the pavement and rattling my teeth. “I SHALL GRANT THREE WISHES TO WHOMSOEVER GATHERS THE SEVEN ORBS.”

​I grinned, feeling a surge of pure excitement. This was actually happening.

​"Alright, for my first wish!" I called out, pointing upward. "I want to regrow my old hair—back when I used to rock this exact casual look back in the day!"

​Shenron's red eyes flashed brightly. “YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.”

​Instantly, a warm, tingling sensation swept across my scalp. I reached up with both hands, feeling thick, healthy black hair sprout and fall neatly over my forehead. A genuine laugh escaped my lips. No more billiard ball jokes.

​Before I could even fully appreciate the new weight on my head, Bulma shouted from the sidelines, "Hurry up! Don't waste time!"

​"Right, right!" I yelled back, turning my attention back to the towering dragon. "Okay, for my second wish... I wish to grow to 175 centimeters tall! Like a true adult!"

​From the edge of the courtyard, Bulma let out a loud gasp of absolute shock. "Wait, what?!"

​Yeah, absolutely no way was I staying a three-foot-tall target for the rest of my life. Screw being the comic relief punching bag—if I was going to survive villains who blew up planets for fun, I needed some actual reach.

​Shenron's eyes flashed once more. “YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.”

​A sudden, intense rush of energy surged through my entire body. My joints popped loudly, my spine straightened, and the ground seemed to rapidly drop away beneath my feet as my legs and torso stretched upward. Within seconds, the awkward, short proportions melted away, leaving me standing tall and balanced. I flexed my hands, looking down at my newly lengthened arms with a triumphant grin.

​"And now for the final and ultimate wish!" I announced, looking up at the sky. "Alright, this is going to sound a bit weird, but hey—I wish to be able to survive and breathe freely in the vacuum of space!"

​Off to the side, Bulma looked like she was about to pass out, staring at me with her mouth wide open, completely baffled by the bizarre progression of my demands.

​“YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED,” the dragon rumbled.

​With a final flash of blinding light, the seven Dragon Balls lost their glow and scattered across the winds in all directions, while Shenron dissolved back into the clouds, restoring the bright blue sky above us.

​I stood there in the courtyard, taking a deep, easy breath, feeling entirely renewed.

​Slowly, Bulma walked over, staring straight up at me with wide eyes, a mix of sheer disbelief and utter confusion written all across her face.

​"Krillin... some explaining would be nice, you know?" she stammered, crossing her arms defensively as she tilted her head all the way back to meet my eyes. "And I am definitely not used to this new you. Look at you—you're literally as tall as Goku now!"