章 6: Chapter 6 – Gathering the Dragon’s Balls
It is no secret that Ajax had always been the cautious type, preferring to take his time when making decisions and often taking the path of least resistance. Now that he is thrust into a new universe full of unknown threats, those feelings are only magnified. He has yet to figure out how he wound up in this universe and he still had no idea as to whether non-canon elements like Broly, Cooler, or any other powerful entities were part of this world.
It bears repeating that if there was one thing that will always remain constant about Ajax, it was that he would never willingly take any unnecessary risks. In the current situation, every fiber of Ajax's being is telling him to minimize changes to the canon timeline until he knows exactly what he is dealing with.
This extends to his status as a dimensional traveler. Would he be banished the moment he reveals he is not of this plane of existence? Was there some entity that kept an eye on the movement of souls between spaces? He wasn't sure if his transmigration had broken any cosmic laws and the absolute last thing he needed was to become the target of Beerus or Whis's scrutiny and get himself Hakai-ed out of existence.
Thus, until he gets more information or until he's stronger, Ajax made the executive decision to not alter the timeline beyond what is absolutely necessary and to tell no one of his origins just yet.
Furthermore, there are certain canon events that THE MASTERPLAN requires him to complete as they originally occurred, giving him no reason to deviate and make any significant changes early on. He'll have plenty of chances later, after all.
At the same time, Ajax also realized that he could share snippets of important information without breaking his cover, disguising them as insights, revelations, or plans. In this manner, he could subtly drop hints about the future, perhaps even parts of THE MASTERPLAN, to better steer the future in the direction he desired.
On the other hand, though, there are some things he can just disclose without needing a second thought, like his intelligence.
~ Two days later ~
"So, you're telling me you comprehend all this?" Bulma gestured at the college-level mathematical concept on her laptop inside her private jet, raising one eyebrow in skepticism at Ajax.
"I mean, most of it? When I was ill, I didn't have the energy to do much, so I read a lot about anatomy and biology, as those topics interest me. I also dabbled in math, physics, and chemistry but not as much. To be honest, it's not particularly impressive– I'm still missing quite a bit of knowledge, and it's ironic how sometimes I don't even know the simplest stuff about our world."
"But still! You can understand all of this at the age of... nine?" she marveled; her astonishment evident. "That's impressive! I think you have a bright future as a scientist!"
"No, no, you're flattering me. I'm not that great…" Ajax mumbled with his head down, embarrassed at being praised for something he had trouble understanding during his stint at his university.
Bulma unleashed her inner tycoon as a calculated gleam flashed in her eyes.
"Say, you want to work for me when you're older?"
"I think that would be nice, although I'm not sure where my path will take me yet."
Bulma chuckled warmly at Ajax's embarrassment, her memories of her youth surfacing. "Fair enough! When I was a teenager," she reminisced, "I didn't know what I wanted either. Believe me, I was planning on using the Dragon Balls for a much more self-indulgent and frivolous purpose than what you have in mind!"
The duo slipped into a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Goku's excited voice rang out from the speakers in the plane's dashboard, breaking the tranquil hush.
"Hey, guys! We've got them all!"
Bulma and Ajax swiveled their seats in the jet's cockpit, their attention drawn to the beeping dashboard. Bulma swiftly clicked a button to reply to Goku.
"Roger that, Goku. We haven't moved the plane, so we're still at the same location as before. We'll wait for you right outside the plane."
"Nimbus and I will be there in a minute!" Goku's voice came through, somewhat drowned out by the noise of the howling wind.
Bulma stood up and set her laptop aside while getting ready to leave the jet. She addressed Ajax:
"You got your wish ready? We can summon Shenron right when Goku gets back."
Ajax nodded firmly, his hands tightly clasped, his determination evident as he rose to his feet. Of course, he was ready. He had to be. This was the pivotal moment, the critical decision that could make or break THE MASTERPLAN.
"No need to be too nervous!" Bulma comforted, trying her best to help alleviate the tension.
To Ajax, it didn't help a bit.
Thankfully, Goku returned as promised shortly after, just in time to prevent Ajax from tearing out his hair in a fret. Goku leaped off Nimbus, a small plume of dust rising as he touched down, his face beaming with radiance as he clutched the final Dragon Ball in his fist.
"That's the last one!! Are we ready to do this?" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Not yet! Before we proceed, I need to ask: are there any rules I need to know about when summoning Shenron?" Ajax inquired, cautious as always. "Do questions count as wishes? And what if I get nervous and misspeak—can I restate my wish? Do I need to clarify or explain parts of my wish, or is this one of those 'be careful what you wish for' situations?"
Goku, the most experienced Shenron summoner amongst them, briefly had a contemplative expression on his face as he pondered on Ajax's inquiries.
"Nah," he finally replied, a grin of reassurance forming on his lips. "Shenron is pretty chill. He won't get mad or nitpick you for small things like that. Just be relatively quick about it because he gets grumpy if he's kept waiting for too long."
"Shenron is a sentient being. He will tell you if a wish is beyond his power to grant and you can hold a conversation with him. You don't have to worry about specific syntax like you would with a machine." Bulma chimed in helpfully.
As Bulma spoke, Goku carefully placed the seventh and final Dragon Ball on the ground, completing the set of seven. They shimmered with an otherworldly light, an ethereal array of colors dancing on each orb's surface. In the presence of the full set, the atmosphere feels ladened with electricity, as if the very air itself had been charged with mystical power and was about to erupt with lightning at any moment.
While Ajax took a deep breath to collect himself, a shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the legendary deed he was about to perform ahead. He's suddenly filled with a potent mixture of excitement and trepidation as the moment of summoning the legendary Shenron approaches.
With a nod, Goku gestured for Ajax to take the next step.
Ajax took one last deep breath, then:
"Arise and grant my wish, Shenron!" Ajax exclaimed, his voice ringing out into the open air.
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