"'Another person'? Heh, you really summed it up well..." Krillin smiled bitterly. "Did you notice that too?"
"At first, I couldn't figure out the reason, but now that you've mentioned it, I think... the period that Goku has no memory of might be when there's another, more vicious personality inside him. That's the time he doesn't remember, and when that pig disappeared, it was probably when that vicious personality broke free from the main one's control..."
Bulma tapped her chin, analyzing slowly, deep in thought. "And Goku never had such an incident before. Based on what he later said—those girls and that pig had a good relationship, which contradicts the facts—it's very likely that the pig noticed Goku's innocence and deceived him with lies... Heh, tricking people is what he's good at anyway."
Krillin gave a bitter chuckle.
"So, maybe he really did serve Goku a big meal? The food scraps on the table seem to confirm that. So... maybe it was some sort of drug in the food? Laxative? No, more likely something like a sleeping pill... Based on your description, Goku only seemed to show this 'second personality' when he was asleep at night. If that person completely knocked out Goku's 'main personality,' the vicious 'second personality' could have come out, eating or scaring off that pig..."
Bulma analyzed bit by bit, not immediately coming to the conclusion, but reasoning as she spoke.
Krillin suddenly understood: "Hearing you say that, it really seems possible! It almost feels like the real situation is unfolding right before my eyes..."
"Tch, what do you know? This is called 'wisdom'!" Bulma sneered and smiled triumphantly.
---
Krillin wasn't as anxious anymore and left. Bulma lay alone on the small bed in her room, thinking about the events of the day. She glanced out the window; the moon had changed from a very thin glowing arc to a banana-like shape.
She raised her hand, reaching toward the moonlight streaming through the window.
Under the cold silver frost, the pen she held in her hand glimmered with a cold metallic shine...
"Little Bulma, take this with you. If anything happens on the full moon night, you can use it."
"You're very smart. Just remember to use it if something happens."
These were the words her Grandpa Son Gohan said when he gave her the pen.
"Because monsters will appear on the full moon night! You're so dumb!"
This was what Goku had said back then.
The young girl held the pen with communication functions in the moonlight, her slender fingers deftly playing with it. She quietly thought back to what happened a few days ago on Mount Paozu, reflecting on it alone.
What kind of situation would occur on the full moon night...?
Goku... little monkey... little monkey, Goku...
If he's a half-human of the monkey species, shouldn't he have more than just a monkey-like tail? The half-human monkeys found so far are all very hairy, with fur covering their faces, necks, and chests, unlike ordinary humans whose skin is smooth.
In any case, monkeys are already similar to humans, and scientific research suggests that modern humans are a branch evolved from ancient apes. Half-monkey humans, besides being able to speak, having more intelligence, and moving more like ordinary humans, aren't much different from regular monkeys.
In other words, Goku doesn't really seem like a half-monkey human.
But he's not an ordinary human either, because ordinary humans don't have a tail like a monkey.
Bulma put the communication pen away, thinking about Goku's "second personality," which only existed in her and Krillin's guesswork. She couldn't help but recall the legends about "werewolves" she had come across as a child while investigating supernatural phenomena.
In those legends, werewolves transform into real "wolves" on full moon nights.
And after transforming, they usually undergo drastic personality changes, becoming extremely violent.
Goku... full moon... monster...
With these scattered clues swirling in her mind, Bulma slowly fell asleep.
---
The rest of the journey was probably just like in the original story.
On a vast grassland, Bulma and the others found the fifth Dragon Ball. Coincidentally, it was also the five-star ball. What a coincidence.
But because many things had changed compared to the "original story," for example... the Ox-King never became a disciple of Master Roshi. He even gave up on joining the Martial Arts Association and, with his young daughter Chi-Chi, moved to a small town in the south where he opened an Ox King Restaurant to support his family.
Therefore, Son Goku never met Chi-Chi.
The sixth Dragon Ball was found in a mountainous area. If it weren't for the Flying Nimbus, the magic staff that can stretch, and Goku's agility, more nimble than a monkey's, getting this Dragon Ball from the cliffs and valleys wouldn't have been so easy.
Of course, they had no idea that this mountain range, in history, would eventually become known as Fry Pan Mountain.
The three of them continued their journey.
It had been a little over a month since the start of the trip—day thirty-six.
"Last time, on the full moon of the fifteenth or sixteenth... Goku went to bed so early and didn't even look at the moon," Bulma thought to herself. Although she was curious about the "monsters" Goku mentioned appearing on the full moon night, she was still afraid. Dangerous things were better avoided if possible.
Gohan had given her the pen just in case, showing how dangerous the "monsters" Goku spoke of might really be!
She could always ask Grandpa Roshi later. He was so powerful, he'd definitely know the secret behind little Goku.
"It's so hot!" Krillin sat behind Bulma on the off-road motorcycle, panting and sweating, his bald head shiny with sweat.
It wasn't surprising he was hot, because they were already at the edge of a desert. Thankfully, not all of it was sand, otherwise Bulma wouldn't have been able to ride the motorcycle. The off-road jeep was already broken and had been packed away in a capsule by Bulma. As for the flying vehicle... according to Bulma, it was out of fuel!
They hadn't passed through any large cities for a long time, so they couldn't get a new capsule. No matter how much money or wisdom Bulma had, there was nothing she could do.
"Stop whining! If you think it's too hot, you drive!" Bulma snarled, showing her sharp teeth. She was the one suffering—riding the motorcycle under the blazing sun at the edge of the desert, covered in sweat, with her skin nearly burning from the heat...
Krillin shrank back, glancing at the sky. Goku was riding the Flying Nimbus, buzzing along.
"Goku's so lucky... he can sit on the Nimbus..."
Before long, the three of them needed to take a break. Bulma picked a rocky cave they passed and led Goku and Krillin inside to cool off, while they ate some food from the capsule house. After taking a sip of the cold drink from the fridge, Krillin felt like he had come back to life! He turned and saw Goku devouring all sorts of meats that Bulma had taken out, clearly starving.
"I'm covered in sweat... Ugh... If we weren't about to hit the road again, I'd take a shower," Bulma sighed, taking a drink of cold water to regain some energy.
She pulled out the Dragon Ball radar and began pressing the buttons. She walked out of the cave, drinking water and looking at the radar map, adjusting her clothes and letting in some fresh air to cool down. She surveyed the surroundings to check and calibrate their route, when suddenly, she froze.
It turned out that outside the cave, a young man with black long hair had appeared, along with an animal that was hard to tell if it was a cat or something else. The young man was riding what looked like a modified motorcycle, and the strange animal was floating beside him.
When the young man noticed Bulma looking at him, his face immediately turned bright red—Bulma had never seen a person's face turn that red before! Then, to her surprise, steam seemed to appear on his red face as his eyes rolled back and he fell off the motorcycle. The floating animal quickly flew to him.
"Ha! What the heck? Are you crazy?" Bulma spat out her water.