Just like in the original plot, Puar discovered the whereabouts of the three and informed Yamcha, who styled himself as a desert bandit.
This was the second character to appear in the original work and was considered a fairly strong martial artist!
If we don't count Master Roshi, then he was the first.
Simply put, Yamcha was initially set up as the second male lead when he first appeared. However, the character wasn't particularly well-received. His age and personality changes were abrupt, and as a result, Krillin ended up replacing him as the early-stage second male lead.
Later on, not only did Yamcha fall behind Krillin in strength, but he was also overshadowed in every other aspect.
Perhaps in the early days, Yamcha indeed had wealth, fame, and women all in his grasp, but when the "Z" storyline began, something changed. Bit by bit, he became marginalized, eventually losing everything. In the end, he could only search for his sense of self and existence in the world of ordinary people.
It was truly tragic!
But, one must admit—Yamcha's life was also something countless ordinary people longed for but could never attain.
Although he couldn't take on the responsibility of protecting Earth, nor did he possess top-tier strength, his carefree life was something no one could match.
The "Tea God!" [TN: He is called this name among chinese fandom. For more information, you can search 'Why is Yamcha called Tea God in chinese fandom' on Deepseek.]
This title wasn't just a joke—it was a reflection of the envy and jealousy countless people had toward him!
But let's get back to the main story—this was all part of the later developments in the original work.
At this moment, Yamcha made his entrance. After delivering a stern and intimidating speech, he was immediately sent flying to the ground by a single slap from Goku, even losing a tooth in the process.
The fact that he didn't die was sheer luck.
One had a power level of 150, while the other had only seven or eight.
In the original work, Goku had a power level of 10—and he was starving—yet he still utterly crushed Yamcha.
Although Yamcha was eventually scared off by Bulma during their first encounter, the reality was that if the fight had continued, he would have been completely crushed.
"W-Wait! Y-You... who the hell are you? How are you so strong?!" Faced with Goku's aggressive demeanor, Yamcha didn't dare resist and could only plead for mercy while asking.
Moreover, after seeing Bulma step out of the RV, his fear of women kicked in, making it even harder for him to move.
"I'm Goku! But you can also call me Kakarot!" Goku shouted loudly, clearly disliking Yamcha because he saw him as a bandit and therefore a bad person.
Yamcha was completely bewildered at this moment. Puar, knowing his master's personality all too well, immediately begged for mercy.
Since there were no real losses and he had no intention of taking a life, Goku ultimately spared Yamcha under Bulma's persuasion.
Oolong, on the other hand, acted quite arrogant—after all, he had a grudge against Puar and knew about Yamcha's bad reputation.
The group soon left in Bulma's RV, allowing Yamcha to escape this ordeal.
Puar looked worried, while Yamcha was filled with resentment, thinking about how he had utterly embarrassed himself this time.
"Damn it! This is the first time I've been sent flying with a single slap! And my tooth! That damn brat!"
Puar looked at the enraged Yamcha, feeling even more worried. "Master Yamcha, I think we'd better not provoke them. That little kid is too strong. Just looking at him gives me goosebumps."
Hearing this, Yamcha took a deep breath. "Just as I thought. I feel the same way! That brat is terrifyingly strong! Just standing there and glaring at me made it hard to breathe."
"But! I will not give up so easily—this debt of a broken tooth will be avenged!" Yamcha growled fiercely.
Puar looked conflicted but couldn't refute him.
Night fell.
Yamcha and Puar continued following them.
The plan was to rob Goku and the others while they were asleep. However, just as they got close, Goku's Ki Sense detected them, and Yamcha ended up getting smacked away by Goku once again.
The original work's plot did not unfold as it should have, and the connection between Yamcha and Bulma was severed due to this interference.
However, even though Yamcha got beaten up, Puar still managed to overhear some talk about the Dragon Balls, which ignited Yamcha's desire to seize them.
Of course, after being beaten twice, Yamcha wasn't foolish.
He clearly knew he wasn't a match for Goku, so instead of trying to steal the Dragon Balls now, he decided it would be smarter to wait until they had gathered all of them and then intercept them at the moment of making a wish.
...
The next morning, Bulma and the others resumed their journey.
Since Yamcha didn't attack them again, today's travel was exceptionally smooth.
While passing through a mountain stream on their way out of the wasteland, Bulma used the Dragon Radar to locate a Dragon Ball—one that was originally meant to be obtained from Master Roshi.
They continued heading east.
By evening, they arrived at the Fire Mountain, which was engulfed in roaring flames.
Although the Dragon Ball was no longer here, their search still led them to pass through this place.
Perhaps, in some way, the world was slowly restoring the original trajectory of the storyline.
As the plot unfolded, Goku and Ox-King, after a brief fight, became acquainted. When Ox-King learned that Goku was the grandson of Son Gohan, he was overjoyed.
Then came the classic scene where Ox-King asked Goku to find Master Roshi, while also asking him to fight his daughter, Chichi.
To help out, Goku rode the Flying Nimbus in search of them. In the end, he not only found Chichi, who had almost been abducted by Yamcha, but also brought back Master Roshi.
With a Kamehameha, Master Roshi not only extinguished the flames, but almost blew up Fire Mountain in the process.
After witnessing this technique, Goku tried it himself. However, unlike in the original work, he nearly blew up another nearby mountain because he couldn't properly control his power.
This shocking scene left everyone in awe, especially Yamcha and Puar, who were hiding in the shadows—their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
It was only at this moment that they realized just how vast the power gap between them truly was.
With no desire left to compete, the two stepped forward and willingly admitted their mistakes.
Fortunately for them, they were important characters in the original work and had encountered Goku's group. Otherwise, who else would have been so forgiving of their apologies?
With Yamcha and Puar joining the group, the original work's team was now fully assembled at last.
After bidding farewell to Ox-King and Chichi, the group set out once again the next day.
After some twists and turns, they found another Dragon Ball and eventually entered the territory of the Rabbit Mob.
They defeated the Rabbit Mob, though not in the ridiculous way it happened in the original work, where Goku used the Power Pole to send the boss and his lackeys flying to the moon.
After all, how could the Power Pole possibly extend that far? And more importantly, how could anyone even survive on the moon?
In the end, the Rabbit Mob was defeated by Goku and Yamcha, and handed over to the police, ensuring they were brought to justice.
Who knows what the future holds? But one thing was certain—they wouldn't be doing any evil deeds for a long time.
With the local residents seeing them off, the group took a brief rest before continuing their journey.
One notable thing about this incident was that it changed the dynamics between Yamcha, Puar, Goku, Bulma, and Oolong.
At first, Yamcha had only joined to help find the Dragon Balls.
But during this encounter, he made a great effort to protect Bulma and Oolong, earning the trust of Goku and the others.
For various reasons, Yamcha also overcame his fear of women, making him deeply grateful to Bulma for her help.
Although the two didn't end up as a couple, they became reliable friends.
After traveling for another two days, the group finally arrived at Pilaf's castle.
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