c5 – The Little Fat Pig, Oolong
"Son Goku, how would you like to become my student?" Master Roshi asked, stroking his beard with a hopeful glint in his eye.
"Grandpa said you were really strong," Goku replied, scratching his head, "but right now I'm helping Bulma find the Dragon Balls."
"You can start your training after you collect all seven Dragon Balls," Master Roshi said eagerly. With Goku's raw power and pure heart, he was the perfect candidate for a martial arts successor.
"Alright, great!" Goku beamed, happy at the prospect of learning martial arts from his Grandpa's master.
Master Roshi then glanced at Li Xu with a similar intent. The boy had shown decent combat instincts and didn't seem to be an ordinary fighter.
"How about you, Li Xu? Want to be my student too?" the old hermit offered.
"Thanks, Old Man Roshi, I know you're powerful, but I have my own cultivation method." Li Xu declined politely. He didn't want to interrupt the benefits of his plug-in-based training by switching to Turtle School techniques.
Master Roshi sighed, a little disappointed. "A pity. You're quite talented, too."
"Bulma, we've got the Dragon Ball. Let's move on." Li Xu turned toward the Capsule Corp girl.
"Okay!" Bulma nodded. She took out a Hoi-Poi Capsule, clicked the button, and tossed it. With a poof, a two-seater motorcycle appeared.
Now that Goku had the Flying Nimbus, he no longer needed to ride in the car. The motorcycle fit just two people perfect for Bulma and Li Xu.
"Hop on!" Li Xu said casually with a grin.
Bulma blushed slightly and got on, wrapping her arms gently around his waist as they rode off.
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Three days later…
"Li Xu, the radar says there's a Dragon Ball in the village up ahead," Bulma said, holding up the Dragon Radar.
At the village entrance, Li Xu slowed the motorcycle, while Goku flew down on the Nimbus to join them.
"It's strange… why does this place feel deserted?" Bulma looked around, puzzled.
"There are people, but they're all hiding indoors. It feels like they're afraid of something," Li Xu said, narrowing his eyes. Even without knowing the story, he could sense suppressed fear.
"Goku, go check things out," Li Xu instructed.
"Got it!" Goku said cheerfully, hopping off the Nimbus and skipping toward one of the houses.
He knocked on the door several times. "Hello? Anybody home?"
No answer.
"Guess I'll have to open it myself!"
With one hand, Goku made a small hole in the door and slipped inside.
"I'm comin' in!"
WHACK!
An axe slammed into Goku's head the moment he entered.
"Ow! That hurt!" Goku yelled, rubbing his head.
"It's useless… it didn't work!" cried the middle-aged man who had swung the axe, clearly shocked that his desperate attack failed.
"Why'd you hit me like that?!" Goku scowled.
"Please don't kill me, Lord Oolong! I didn't mean to!" the man begged, falling to his knees.
"Huh? I'm not this Oolong guy!" Goku said, confused.
"Wait… you're not Lord Oolong?" the man asked, blinking.
At that moment, Li Xu and Bulma entered through the open doorway.
"We're not Oolong," Li Xu confirmed.
"We're just looking for the Dragon Ball in this village," Bulma added.
The man looked at them with growing hope—but also fear, still shaken from the terror the name "Oolong" evoked.
Usually, Oolong came to the village alone. Seeing that Li Xu's group had three people, the middle-aged man believed they weren't impostors and decided to tell them the truth about Oolong.
One by one, the villagers cautiously emerged from their homes, gathering around Li Xu and his companions.
"Has anyone seen a bead like this?" Li Xu asked, holding up a four-star Dragon Ball. He was certain another one was hidden somewhere in the village.
"You mean this?" An elderly woman hobbled forward, pulling a shiny orb from her pocket.
"It's the Six-Star Ball!" Bulma exclaimed with delight.
"We'll deal with your Oolong problem," Li Xu said calmly. "In exchange, can we take this Dragon Ball as a reward?" He preferred a peaceful solution over unnecessary conflict.
"You're going after Lord Oolong?" the middle-aged man asked nervously.
"We'll definitely beat Oolong!" Son Goku declared, clenching his fists, already excited for the battle. He assumed Oolong must be a powerful foe.
"If you truly defeat him, you can have the Dragon Ball," the old woman said after some thought. "But Oolong is dangerous. He's not someone normal folks can deal with."
"Don't worry," Li Xu said with a calm smile. "We have our ways."
"Alright then…" she nodded.
The villagers quickly retreated to their homes, leaving Li Xu and his friends to confront the threat alone.
"Li Xu, from what the villagers said, Oolong sounds powerful. Are you sure about this?" Bulma asked, a little concerned.
"Sometimes, appearances lie," Li Xu replied, his eyes narrowing knowingly.
About an hour later, a red pig-headed figure strolled into the village square, strutting in a white suit far too crisp for the situation.
"Hmm, that girl's older than me, but her figure's perfect," Oolong muttered, eyeing Bulma with a perverted grin.
"If you don't want to end up roasted," Li Xu growled coldly, "stop staring at her." His eyes burned with the same fire as warriors of old he and Bulma were growing closer, and he wouldn't let scum like Oolong lay eyes on her.
"Goku, he's all yours."
"Yay!" Goku cheered, cracking his knuckles.
"Heh, you're sending this kid to fight me?" Oolong scoffed, though his nervous gulp betrayed his fear.
"Bring it on!" Goku said, stepping forward in a fighting stance.
"Then take this!" Oolong transformed into a massive ox, towering over Goku with snorting fury.
"Is this brat really gonna fight?" Oolong panicked internally, glancing toward a clock it was almost time to revert to his real form. His transformations only lasted five minutes.
"Guess I'll go first!" Goku shouted and lunged.
"Ahhh! Run!"
Oolong immediately turned tail and dashed out of the village.
But before he got far, Li Xu appeared ahead of him in a blur and landed a solid kick to his gut.
BAM!
Oolong was knocked backward, reverting to his natural form: a short, chubby, pig-faced coward.
"What the? Why'd he shrink?" Goku blinked in confusion.
"This is how he really is," Li Xu said. "He uses his transformation magic to scare people, but he has no real power."
The villagers soon poured back out, wide-eyed. "This is Oolong?" someone asked in disbelief. The monster that had terrorized them was just a tiny pig in fancy clothes.
"We've caught Oolong. Can we take the Dragon Ball now?" Li Xu asked politely.
"Of course!" the old lady stepped forward again and placed the Dragon Ball in his hand.
"Another one down!" Bulma smiled brightly and tucked the orb safely away.
Later, the villagers brought back the young girls Oolong had taken he hadn't hurt them. In fact, he'd only spoiled them with fine meals and dresses, hoping one might agree to marry him.
The pig was harmless after all, but still, Li Xu and Goku had put an end to his tyranny.
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