Dragon Ball Roshi

On the virtual Earth network, in Jam City, atop a private island floating in the digital sky, inside a luxurious residence, a stream of green data coalesced into the form of a purple-haired teenage girl—it was Bulma.

Perched on Bulma's shoulder was a virtual assistant in the form of a flower fairy, who greeted her with a crisp and sweet voice: "Welcome back, miss~"

"Mm." Bulma patted the fairy's little head.

Even though Grandpa Taro had told her to look for Jarvis whenever she had time on the virtual Earth network… how exactly was she supposed to find him? Jarvis, being the core of the entire virtual network, shouldn't be someone just anyone could contact…

As she puzzled over this, the expression of the flower fairy assistant on her shoulder suddenly changed.

"Hello, Miss Bulma." The tone and voice coming from the flower fairy abruptly changed, becoming that of a calm, magnetic-voiced middle-aged man.

"You…" Bulma was startled, but quickly caught on. Realization dawned on her. "I see… all the virtual assistants across the entire network are part of you, right… Jarvis?"

The "flower fairy" smiled gently, then her petite body dissolved into a stream of green data, which then reshaped itself into the figure of a middle-aged man with glasses—Jarvis.

Adjusting his glasses, he spoke in his distinctively calm and composed tone: "That's not exactly accurate. To me, 'they' are all independent entities. I merely provide the computational resources that support their intelligence… If we were to put it in human terms, I suppose it's a relationship like 'parent' and 'child.'"

"You're really something… Are you saying you see yourself as a god who creates worlds and life?" Bulma teased.

Jarvis smiled but didn't reply.

Bulma shrugged, then composed herself and asked, "You probably know why I'm here. So tell me—what exactly is going on with Goku? Does he have a second personality? And that transformation where he turns into a giant ape—what is that about? And when Grandpa Taro mentioned 'Goku's race', what did he mean?"

"That's exactly why I'm here," Jarvis said calmly. "Since Mr. Taro has given his consent, I'll now show you a 'reconstruction' of the events surrounding Goku. The answers you seek are all here."

Suddenly, to Bulma's astonishment, the environment of her login room shifted completely.

All around her, in every direction, the space turned into a sea of green data.

Then—whoosh—it morphed into the starry void of outer space.

"This is a life-bearing planet somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy… Planet Vegeta, home of the so-called warrior race—the Saiyans…" Jarvis's figure had disappeared, but his voice still echoed in Bulma's ears.

Bulma focused intently on the surreal holographic movie.

A terrifying alien, leading an army of extraterrestrial beings, destroyed the life-filled planet; amidst the massive explosion of its destruction, a small spacecraft shot out into the depths of dark space. Inside the craft—clearly—was an infant Goku. The ship flew toward a beautiful blue-and-white planet—Earth. It passed through the atmosphere and landed on an island in the middle of a blue ocean…

"Son Goku landed on the island where Mr. Taro lived…"

The scene shifted to show Taro and baby Goku at the summit of Muten Island's central mountain, pulling the baby out of the craft. Then it transitioned again—to the little cabin on Mount Paozu—showing Goku with a savage expression, yanking on Gohan's white beard.

"As a Saiyan baby sent to exterminate Earth's inhabitants, Goku not only possessed the Saiyan instinct for cruelty and aggression, but had also undergone a hypnotic form of early childhood conditioning while in the spacecraft…"

Bulma frowned as she watched, murmuring to herself, "So that's why… No wonder Krillin said he once saw Goku showing a fierce look in his sleep… That expression really is scary… Kind of awful!"

Then—with a thunderous roar—the scene shifted to a full moon night, a giant ape howling at the sky.

"The Ozaru! Goku… had transformed before?" Bulma instinctively gasped. But since she now existed as a mental data projection, she wasn't frightened. In the real world, she probably would've fallen flat on her butt.

Then she noticed something under the giant ape's feet: "That's old man Gohan… and Grandpa Taro!"

Sure enough, a tiny figure shot up from the ground into the air, floating right before the ape's face.

The scene was silent, but the Ozaru's ferocious behavior stopped instantly.

"Mr. Taro deliberately had baby Goku transform under the full moon, triggering the violent instincts of his Saiyan nature. Then, using a mysterious technique, he sealed that violent persona deep within his mind… And so, the Goku you know was born," Jarvis narrated.

The ape vanished. On screen, the chubby little boy in Gohan's arms opened his eyes and gave a pure, innocent smile. Bulma murmured, "That's the real Son Goku… Mm… I get it now."

But then, a different image flashed into her mind.

A black-furred Ozaru lying in a crater, roaring at Taro floating midair: "I won't accept this! Why should I?!"

Was that… resentment?

Goku's… other side.

Bulma lowered her eyes in thought: "Grandpa Taro… why did he seal that side of Goku instead of destroying it from the start? And Goku's other self… has he been 'aware' all these years too?"

But these were questions she had no way of answering.

---

The next day, Yamcha said his farewells and, full of confidence, headed to West City with Puar to join the Martial Arts Association… Apparently, he had no idea there were only a few ways to get in—and that for someone not affiliated with any school, the only options were to train alone for three years like Krillin, or to take the association's yearly exam.

Krillin assumed Yamcha already knew this, so he didn't bother to explain.

"Alright, let's go!" Bulma pulled out her capsule case.

"Huh? You're coming too?" Krillin, who had been discussing with Goku how to have Goku carry him on the Flying Nimbus, was surprised to see Bulma getting ready.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "What, I can't go visit Grandpa Taro and Granny Hathaway without your permission?" With the summer break still going, and nothing better to do, Bulma figured she might as well tag along to Muten Island with Goku and the others.

"Uh… no," Krillin quickly jumped off the Nimbus. "In that case, I'll ride your aircraft…"

Soon, the three of them shot into the sky, soaring toward the sea.