Dragon Ball Human

Yamiru didn't lead the way.

Instead, he looked at Jiora and said bluntly, "Sorry, I don't know the way."

Jiora was taken aback, his expression resembling a classic confused meme face for the first time.

So this kid had no money and now couldn't even lead the way?

"But I know where they live," Yamiru added after a moment. "And with their reputation, it'll be easy to ask around once we get there. Oh, and… I've met them before. Just once, but I think they'll still remember me."

It wasn't that Yamiru thought he was particularly memorable, but he figured geniuses usually had excellent memories.

"So you're just trying to freeload your way through this, huh?" Jiora finally understood and asked with a tinge of disbelief, "What exactly do you want?"

Yamiru waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing much. For you, it's probably just a small favor. I'll tell you the details once your problem is solved. For now, let's head back to the police station."

"Why go back to the station?" Jiora asked. "Just tell me the address, and I can fly us there right now."

"Hey, Mr. Alien, don't you have any sense of responsibility?" Yamiru said with a grin. "You're in a rush to go home, but the guy you're possessing still has a life here! If this officer suddenly goes missing, he could face disciplinary action or even get fired. Plus, going back to the station lets you look up the exact address of where I want to take you."

Jiora thought about it and nodded in agreement. Before they left, he asked, "Who exactly is this most brilliant and wealthy mind on Earth that you're talking about?"

"His name is Dr. Briefs," Yamiru said. "He lives in West City. I figure you can look up his contact information at the station."

"Got it…"

The two of them discussed their plan and decided to leave the alien toads' fuel-depleted spacecraft in the wilderness for the time being. Jiora didn't have any spare space in his capsule for it, and Yamiru, being flat-out broke, didn't even own a basic item capsule, let alone a storage capsule.

Jiora reverted to the appearance of Officer Chapat and drove them back to Slope City.

Yamiru sat in the passenger seat, the window rolled down. He rested one elbow on the windowsill and watched as the scenery sped past.

The summer breeze was cool yet vibrant.

Turning his gaze to the black-haired Earthling driving beside him, Yamiru saw only an ordinary policeman in his view. Without activating his Golden Veil, Jiora appeared to him as nothing more than a regular human.

Reflecting on how he had accidentally stumbled upon Jiora while he was investigating a case, Yamiru thought back to the journey with the middle-aged man and his nephew selling bears. He had wavered back and forth before ultimately deciding to follow them to the police station, specifically asking to see the young officer who had been dispatched earlier. That was when he discovered this "masked superhero" was actually an alien from another planet…

And then, Yamiru had quickly come up with the idea of striking a deal—one that could not only advance Earth's aerospace technology but also establish a good relationship with an extraterrestrial law enforcement officer on assignment. If everything went smoothly, he might even gain some small personal benefit. It was a win-win-win—a perfect plan!

Looking back on the entire sequence of events, Yamiru realized things had unfolded in ways he could never have anticipated.

He couldn't help but smile. Life's unpredictability was what made it truly interesting.

If he had stayed in South City, forever reminiscing about his past life and dying alone in solitude, he would never have experienced something like this.

Outside the car window, a group of farmers carrying loads passed by on the roadside.

Yamiru let out a soft "hmm."

Jiora was driving at a steady speed, so by the time Yamiru stuck his head out of the window to look behind them, the farmers and their loads had already faded into the distance.

"What's up?" Jiora asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's nothing…" Yamiru sat back in his seat. "It's just strange. Do the people in Slope City really love carrots? Or is this place a major producer of carrots?"

Jiora responded with exasperation, "How would I know? I'm an alien, remember? I've never gotten used to your food here! Hang on… Let me check Chapat's memories." After a moment, Jiora finished scanning the memories of the body he was inhabiting and shook his head. "Nope. Slope City isn't famous for anything, and carrots are just an ordinary vegetable here."

"That's odd. That's the third or fourth group of carrot vendors I've seen leaving the city…"

Yamiru murmured to himself but didn't dwell on it.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the police station.

From a distance, Yamiru watched as Jiora, acting like a subordinate under strict scrutiny, nervously asked his superior for leave. Bowing repeatedly, scratching the back of his head, grinning awkwardly, apologizing incessantly…

Yamiru strongly suspected that during these moments, Jiora was mentally hypnotizing himself into believing he was a real Earthling named Chapat.

Still, it was quite amusing, Yamiru thought.

If it were anyone who believed in the law of the jungle, they wouldn't care about such formalities. If they wanted money or anything else, they'd just take it by force. Violence would solve everything, and might would make right.

Yamiru glanced down at his own fists.

"Hmm, not very big."

Then he looked over at Jiora, who had finally managed to secure his leave. From today's perspective, Jiora's fists might as well be as big as the Earth itself.

Even that green-skinned alien up in the sky wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Yet despite having fists the size of Earth, Jiora didn't resort to violence. And in the future, when those troublemaking teenagers with fists as big as galaxies appeared, they wouldn't use their galactic-sized fists for personal gain either…

Yamiru put himself in their shoes. "If my fists were as big as theirs, what would my truth be? Would it lie in my fists, in the brain controlling them, or in the heart guiding the brain?"

"Let's go. What are you thinking about?" Jiora gave Yamiru's head a light pat.

"I was thinking," Yamiru replied earnestly, "if you're short on money, you could easily use your strength to get what you need. There's probably no one on Earth who could stop you."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Jiora rarely smiled, but he did now. "If I did that, how would I be any different from the criminals I'm trying to catch?"

"Good point!" Yamiru agreed, quickly catching up to him.

Jiora didn't take the police car. Instead, he led Yamiru down the streets of Slope City, heading toward a quieter area.

"If I did something like that, I'd have no face to return to my teammates!" Jiora explained as they walked. He pointed at his still-unreleased Earthling Chapat form. "This kind of possession technique is actually part of our law enforcement emergency protocol. In principle, we're not allowed to intervene excessively on alien planets, nor should we impact any lives that don't violate the relevant principles of our enforcement team."

The two soon found a secluded corner devoid of people.

"Transformation!" Chapat reverted to Jiora's true form.

"Do you really have to shout that out?" Yamiru asked.

"Think of it as a ritual." Jiora bent down and scooped Yamiru into his arms. "Otherwise, I'd sometimes forget which form I'm in! Let's go. I found the information on this Dr. Briefs at the station… You were right—this man is not only an exceptional scientist but also a remarkable capitalist, even by galactic standards!"

Yamiru didn't respond because Jiora was flying so fast that he was afraid to open his mouth lest the wind choke him.

With Yamiru cradled in one arm and the alien frog creature's spacecraft in the other, Jiora took off into the sky once more, heading to the outskirts of Slope City.

It was cold.

After more than twenty minutes of flying, and enduring just as much chilly wind, Yamiru began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Damn, how embarrassing!" Yamiru thought in frustration. Just then, he felt a surge of warmth enveloping him, which gradually became comforting. Only then did he realize it was coming from Jiora's suit, which had started heating up.

"Just a simple heating function," Jiora explained.

It was nothing more than a small detail—a sign of Jiora's keen awareness and consideration upon noticing Yamiru was cold. Yet, it unexpectedly moved Yamiru deeply.

He quickly calmed himself, though, and thought quietly:"perhaps this is what makes a hero a hero. Perhaps this is why people admire them. Because you can't help but want to be near them."

"How did that song go again?"

"Come along with me!" Yamiru, though not a fan of Dragon Ball GT, had always appreciated its theme song and ending imagery. Gradually drawn to you… Yamiru silently reaffirmed his resolve to become someone who could stand tall, hold his head high, and befriend the "good guys" of Goku's world.

Half-dazed, he was startled back to reality when he suddenly heard Jiora say:

"We're here. West City."

Yamiru, who had nearly dozed off clutching his "heater," snapped awake and raised his eyes to see the majestic, sprawling skyline of a distant metropolis below.