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The three newcomers were none other than the pitiful side-character trio from the original story: Pilaf and his crew.
Pilaf tiptoed toward the center of the altar, carefully lifting the Dragon Ball displayed there, already itching to make a wish—only for Xiao Wu to stop him.
"There are seven Dragon Balls in total. One alone is useless. Each ball has a different number of stars…"
By the time Xiao Wu finished explaining how the Dragon Balls worked, Pilaf was already drowning in fantasies of ruling the entire world.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Goku was staring in awe at the two Dragon Balls Bulma pulled out. He immediately rushed forward and snatched both into his hands.
"Why are there two Grandpas? How did you steal Grandpa out of the ball?" he asked, completely puzzled.
…
After Bulma explained everything, Goku ran home. Sure enough, his grandpa's four-star ball was still sitting safely on the table.
Goku picked it up, amazed. "This is crazy… So if you gather all seven, you can make any wish come true?"
Broly couldn't help being impressed by how bizarre the Dragon Ball world really was.
Right then, Erha—who had been quiet for a long time—finally spoke up.
"Boss, the system just detected that another point-earning function can now be activated."
Ever since Broly named him Erha, he'd insisted the system call him "Boss." Hearing "Host, host" all day made him uncomfortable.
"What function?" Broly snapped to attention. Right now, he could only get points through missions, and who knew when the next one would trigger.
"There are two ways to unlock it. First, Boss needs a combat power of one million."
"Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon. Next option…"
"The second method is to use the Dragon Balls to make a wish. When that happens, the system can secretly siphon off some of the mysterious energy produced during the wish."
"This point-earning system works like this: whenever Boss defeats or kills an opponent, you'll gain points. The stronger the enemy, the more points you get."
Now that was an income source worth celebrating. Broly felt his excitement surge. He immediately locked in his plan for their first Dragon Ball wish. He didn't actually have anything he needed right now, but if making a wish meant unlocking this points system, he could always think of something to wish for.
In the points shop, the cheapest items cost only 1 point, while the most expensive currently unlocked cost a whopping 100,000.
He figured he could wish for some super expensive skill—Instant Transmission, time freeze, something worth tens of thousands of points—and learn it outright. That would save a mountain of points.
But something else in the shop suddenly caught his eye.
Spirit Tree Fruit: A legendary fruit only deities can normally consume. Its seeds must be planted on a planet overflowing with life energy. Once it sprouts, its roots dig deep into the planet, sucking out every last drop of life force until the land becomes a dead desert. That stolen life energy gathers into fruits on its branches, known as Spirit Tree Fruits. They contain dense life energy. Eating one for the first time drastically boosts combat power and restores a huge amount of vitality. Repeated consumption gradually reduces the boost until only a recovery effect remains.
Small Spirit Tree Fruit: 300 points
Medium: 500 points
Large: 1000 points
Broly checked his remaining balance—298 points—and sighed. Broke again. He couldn't even afford the smallest fruit.
Erha spoke up again. "Actually, Boss doesn't need Spirit Tree Fruits right now. This system suggests saving them for intense training later. Like when the original Goku trained under heavy gravity on the way to Namek, or during Time Chamber training. Those methods are extremely harsh on the body. Without proper recovery, all kinds of issues can show up. With bad luck, you might even end up like Goku did—his heart couldn't adjust fast enough to the gravity changes, and a tiny virus got into his heart while its function dipped. If Future Trunks hadn't brought that heart medicine, he would've died a really embarrassing death.
"But Spirit Tree Fruits are different. They replenish life energy, repair hidden injuries, and let Boss train intensely without worrying about long-term damage. With them, your body stays in perfect condition."
Broly gave Erha an exaggerated round of praise. It must have been holding all this in for way too long—he'd never heard the chatterbox talk this much in one breath. Broly started thinking. Using points to buy fruits wouldn't work. He'd need more than just one or two.
If the shop was too expensive… then he'd just have to set his sights on Turles. They'd have to cross paths sooner or later anyway. When that time came, he could "get to know him better," then rob him of all his Spirit Tree seeds. After that, he could use as many fruits as he wanted.
While Broly was planning his future, far away in an unknown base somewhere in space, a tall Saiyan with a thick tail wrapped around his waist suddenly jolted violently, a chill running through his heart. Up close, he looked almost identical to an adult Son Goku.
"Damn it, this is absurd… You idiots! Figure out how to plant these seeds as fast as possible! If you have zero progress in five years, you can go join the last batch of old fools!" Turles growled, venting all his frustration on the dozens of lab coat–wearing researchers trembling before him.
…
Back to the main story.
After Bulma explained that she wanted to collect all seven Dragon Balls, she invited Broly and Goku to join her.
Broly had no objection. He already wanted to gather the Dragon Balls to make a wish—and now he could earn points too.
Goku agreed immediately. Bulma said the outside world was full of strong people like his grandpa, and he wanted to become stronger.
Of course, Bulma had her own secret thoughts. Goku was small but unbelievably strong—that alone was impressive. But the way he respected Broly… that meant Broly must be even stronger. And good-looking, too. Traveling together, having a cute strong guy around to protect her? That sounded like heaven.
With everything settled, Goku and Broly packed lightly and got ready to leave. When Bulma popped a floating car out of a capsule, Goku was shocked all over again, causing a bunch of ridiculous misunderstandings and earning a whole round of Bulma's scolding.
And just like that, the three of them set off on their journey to find the Dragon Balls—while Broly took his first real step onto the road of becoming the strongest.
"....."