Black Widow was a master of psychology, a human lie detector who had spent years navigating the murky waters of international espionage.
Looking into Goku's wide, sparkling eyes, she could tell with absolute certainty that the boy wasn't lying to her. However, that didn't mean she believed his story was *true*.
In her experience, children often blurred the lines between reality and the bedtime stories their parents told them. She surmised that Goku was doing exactly that—projecting himself as the protagonist of a long-lost childhood fable.
Her professional task was to filter the "myth" and extract the actionable intelligence.
*Mount Paozu* likely referred to a remote, mountainous region where he was raised. Being an orphan was a standard background for children used in biological experiments. The "Grandfather" was probably a retired martial artist or an ex-operative who had discovered the child and trained him in high-level combat techniques.
As for the rest—the blue-haired girl named Bulma, the shape-shifting pigs, and the magical adventures? To Natasha, those were clearly the escapist fantasies of a lonely boy.
She pieced together a more "realistic" profile: Goku was likely a mutant born with a tail, abandoned by fearful parents. He lived in isolation until his guardian died, eventually wandering down from the mountain and stumbling into the conflict with Transigen.
This explained why S.H.I.E.L.D. had no digital footprint of his existence. He wasn't a ghost; he was just a boy who had lived off the grid.
'But how does he fit with the beast?'
"Goku," she said, tapping her phone screen. "Have you ever seen this creature before?"
She played the high-definition footage recorded by the military—the Great Ape, wreathed in fire and roaring at the moon.
Goku's eyes went as wide as saucers. He leaned in, his face practically pressed against the screen. "Whoa! I've never seen him before! He looks incredibly strong! I'd love to spar with a guy like that!"
His excitement was palpable and genuine. There wasn't a trace of recognition, fear, or guilt. He looked like a budding athlete watching a highlight reel of a world champion.
'He's not lying,' Natasha concluded.
If Goku truly didn't recognize the beast, then the "Ape and Boy" connection became more complicated. Perhaps, she theorized, Goku had been fighting Magneto and lost.
Magneto might have knocked him unconscious just as the Great Ape—a completely separate biological anomaly—emerged from the desert. The Ape killed Magneto, went on its rampage, and Goku simply woke up in the aftermath. It was a logical, if coincidental, explanation.
"The truth will come out once we talk to Logan and the Professor," she thought. They were the only witnesses who had survived the entire night.
She quickly typed out her findings and her skepticism regarding the "Dragon Ball" mythos and sent them to Nick Fury.
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters — The Triskelion
Nick Fury read the report, but unlike Natasha, he didn't dismiss the "fable" so easily. He had stood on the deck of a Kree warship. He had seen technology that defied human understanding.
'Could he be... an alien?'
To Fury, the details Natasha dismissed as "fairy tales" sounded like a description of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Flying cars? Shrinking technology? These were hallmarks of high-tier galactic cultures. If Goku wasn't a mutant, then he was a visitor.
And if the boy didn't recognize the Ape, it didn't mean they weren't the same. In many legends—and some alien biological profiles—metamorphosis was often accompanied by total amnesia.
"We have to be careful," Fury muttered. If the boy *was* the beast, provoking him could lead to the destruction of a city. He needed to keep the boy close, but under a microscope.
His musing was interrupted by a high-priority notification from Agent Coulson: "Tony Stark has escaped his captors. Colonel Rhodes has recovered him in the desert. Returning to New York."
The board was getting crowded.
...
Sokovia — Hydra Research Base
Baron Strucker was currently on a secure video call with John Garrett.
"Is the intel filed?" Strucker asked, adjusting his monocle.
"Everything is in the system," Garrett replied, his voice raspy. "But I don't get it. Why give the Transigen data to Fury? I could have scrubbed our involvement entirely."
Strucker smiled thinly. "That Great Ape is a force of nature. Capturing it ourselves would cost us half our standing army. Why not let Fury play the pioneer? We let S.H.I.E.L.D. do the heavy lifting, the research, and the containment. We have people in every department. Whatever Fury learns, we learn. Let him figure out what that boy really is."
To Strucker, the boy who could turn into a god-killer was the ultimate prize. He was willing to be patient.
...
Piñon — Outside a dusty roadside motel.
The black S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV pulled up to the curb. Goku didn't wait for the door to be opened; he sensed a familiar presence and hopped out of the window.
Standing near the motel entrance was a rugged man with messy hair and a weary face. He looked like he hadn't slept in a century.
"Uncle Logan! Over here!" Goku yelled, waving frantically.
Logan's head snapped toward the voice. When he saw the small boy running toward him, his gruff exterior shattered for a brief second, replaced by genuine relief. He sprinted toward the boy.
"Kid! You're alive! Thank god!"
Logan had spent the early hours of the morning scouring the blast zone after the Ape vanished, only fleeing when the police perimeter became too tight. He had regrouped with the Professor and the others in Piñon, planning to sneak back in tonight for one last search.
"Uncle Logan, do you have my Power Pole?" Goku asked, his eyes hopeful.
Logan nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "Yeah, kid. I grabbed it. It's upstairs in the room."
Only then did Logan notice the black-clad tactical team stepping out of the SUV. His claws didn't unsheathe, but his body coiled like a spring. "Goku, who are these people?"
"They're the police! They told me you were here and gave me a ride!" Goku chirped. Seeing that his pole was safe, he didn't wait for an introduction—he bolted past Logan and up the stairs to the motel rooms.
Logan stayed behind, his eyes locking onto Natasha Romanoff. He knew a "cop" when he saw one, and the woman standing before him smelled like high-level intelligence and gunpowder.