Earth.
At Capsule Corp, the Briefs family was hosting a birthday party for Bulla.
"Happy birthday, Bulla!"
"Thank you, Uncle Goku..."
"Hahaha! I can't believe Bulla is already this big," Goku laughed. "How old are you now, Bulla?"
"I'm twelve," Bulla replied with a smile.
"Twelve??" Krillin looked at Bulla, puzzled. "That's strange. Why hasn't she hit a growth spurt yet?"
Bulla stared back at him blankly. "Uncle Krillin, I don't think you're in any position to be talking to me about height..."
"Hahaha! Krillin, we Saiyans don't start our high-speed development until after fifteen. She'll suddenly get much taller then."
"Haha, that's true," Master Roshi added. "I remember when Goku suddenly shot up. It gave me quite a shock..."
Goku glanced at Vegeta and whispered to Krillin, "That's how it's supposed to work, but Vegeta never grew tall."
Vegeta's hand froze mid-bite. Was it his fault he was short? His father wasn't exactly a giant either!
"Hey, Kakarot, are you looking for a fight?!"
Naturally, the Supreme Kai and Kibito were also attending the lively event. For them, this was a rare and much-needed vacation.
Shin looked at Turles with a face full of resentment. "Mr. Turles, you've really put me through the wringer..."
Turles looked back, confused. "Put you through the wringer? Don't go making wild accusations. How did I harm you?"
"You have no idea how much I've suffered lately... I..."
As Turles listened to the Supreme Kai pour out his grievances, his lip twitched. Wow, talk about an eye-opener. Does Old Kai really play that rough?
"Isn't it all for your own good? Look at the job you've been doing as Supreme Kai. It's pathetic. I know more about your duties than you do. Does that seem right to you?"
"I..."
Shin found himself speechless and immediately fell silent. Since Old Kai had emerged, he had finally learned what his actual responsibilities were. Turles really was acting in his best interest.
The Lookout.
Mr. Popo watched the activity below. "Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time. Dende, why don't you go down and join them?"
Dende shook his head. "I think I'll pass. After all, I am the Guardian of Earth..."
Suddenly, an aircraft appeared before Popo and Dende.
As King Gomah, Degesu, and Neva stepped out of the vessel, Dende froze. A Namekian?
"Finally, we've reached Earth! The environment looks quite nice!"
"Who are you??" Dende asked, eyeing the trio with curiosity.
Neva, the elderly Namekian, let out a chuckle as he looked at Dende. "Ho, it really is a Namekian. I haven't seen one of my kind for tens of thousands of years."
Dende didn't answer Neva. Instead, he looked at Degesu. "Are you a Supreme Kai?"
Degesu didn't bother hiding the truth. "I am not a Supreme Kai. I come from the Demon Realm!"
Dende was stunned. The Demon Realm? Where is that?
"You don't know? You Namekians are actually from the Demon Realm race. After all, you have pointed ears just like—"
Before Degesu could finish, Gomah shoved him aside.
"Kid, you're the one in charge of Earth's Dragon Balls, right?"
Dende immediately became wary. "What do you want with them??"
While the existence of the Dragon Balls wasn't a secret, hearing it from outsiders still caught him off guard.
"Just as I thought," Gomah commanded rudely. "Gather all the Dragon Balls here immediately! I need to use them!"
"The Dragon Balls?? Gather them??" Dende stood his ground. "I won't do it."
Dende could sense that these people were up to no good.
"Tch, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Hey, Neva, you're up!"
Neva looked at Gomah, confused. "What do you mean, 'I'm up'?"
"Gathering the Dragon Balls! Gathering the Dragon Balls! Didn't I tell you? I'll give you a thousand years of life if you gather them for me!" Gomah shouted, exasperated.
"Ah, right. I think I recall something like that?"
Neva walked to the edge of the Lookout.
Dende gasped. "What is he doing??"
Gomah explained, "The Demon Realm has Dragon Balls too. A long, long time ago, he was the one who created them!"
Dende was shocked. Not every Namekian possessed the ability to create Dragon Balls.
"But he also created those terrifying Tamagami to guard them," Gomah grumbled. "Because of that, we haven't been able to make a wish for a very long time."
"Then we heard that Earth has Dragon Balls. So, here we are."
At the edge of the Lookout, a strange aura suddenly enveloped Neva. His pupils turned blood-red as he extended a hand toward the world below.
"Hmm, found them. Were they used recently? No wonder they were so hard to track."
A blue aura erupted from Neva's body. A moment later, the Dragon Balls—currently in their stone form—were summoned directly to the Lookout.
"How is that possible??"
Dende was completely stunned. He never expected this Namekian from the Demon Realm to be able to forcibly summon the Dragon Balls he had created.
"Hahaha! I knew you could do it, Neva! Quick! Use your power to restore them!" Gomah shouted excitedly.
Without a word, Neva brushed his hand over the stone Dragon Balls. Instantly, they reverted from stone back into their golden, glowing state.
Dende watched in horror. "I don't know what wish you intend to make, but I will never tell you the incantation!"
Degesu remained perfectly calm. "Hmph, who needs you to tell us? We have the records. Come forth, Shenron!"
"No!! You can't make a wish!"
Whap!
Degesu effortlessly knocked Dende to the ground. "Hmph. This isn't up to you!"
Dende fell unconscious. Mr. Popo gave the intruders a deep, knowing look but didn't move to stop them, instead stepping forward to tend to Dende.
Degesu continued his shout, "Come forth, Shenron! And grant my wish!!"
In an instant, the sky was swallowed by darkness, and the Great Dragon Shenron appeared.
Gomah and Degesu stared up at the massive dragon in awe.
Capsule Corp.
Krillin looked up at the sky, bewildered.
"Huh?? Why did it suddenly turn black??"
According to their knowledge, the Dragon Balls could only be used once a year.
"Is it Shenron? But the timing is all wrong. The Dragon Balls should still be stones."
"How strange. I didn't hear anything about an astronomical event today..."
Shin, however, furrowed his brow and looked at Kibito.
"Kibito, do you feel that?"
"Yes... that sensation, Lord Supreme Kai..."