When Dragon Balls Descend Upon Marvel

T'Challa stooped to pick up a smooth stone, weighing it in his palm.

"Shuri, you understand Father's concern, don't you?"

"There's an old Eastern saying: 'an innocent man may be guilty simply for holding treasure.'"

"We hold vibranium, a resource the entire world covets. If Wakanda opens its borders, those who lust after it will bring nothing but chaos to our lands. Look at Afghanistan—oil brought nothing but rot."

Shuri shot back, "But we are not Afghanistan. We have weapons, technology—"

T'Challa shook his head.

"I understand your point. But the world will not see us as strong unless we show overwhelming power—and even then, they may only acknowledge us after wars. Do you think Father would risk war, would sacrifice Wakandan lives, just to embrace the outside world?"

"We have front nations abroad, Shuri. You can study whatever you want from there."

He tossed the stone toward the river. Ripples broke the sunlight—and suddenly, a glimmer of orange light sparkled back.

"Brother," Shuri pointed. "Something shone beneath the water. What is that?"

T'Challa squinted. "Perhaps a mineral… or gold."

Shuri grinned mischievously. "I want it. Bring it up for me."

"I'll send the guards later," T'Challa replied, flat.

But Shuri shoved him hard.

"Splash!"

T'Challa plunged into the river. His head broke the surface, glaring at his sister.

"Shuri, that was too much!"

"I don't care," she teased. "I want it now!"

Truth was, she was venting her frustration at Wakanda's closed-door policy while playing a prank on her brother.

T'Challa sighed, shaking his head. With the Heart-Shaped Herb coursing through him, Shuri couldn't have toppled him unless he allowed it. He dove gracefully into the river. At the bottom, his hand closed around a glowing orange sphere.

The moment he touched it, a flood of information erupted in his mind. Startled, he choked on water and swam up fast.

Dragging himself ashore, coughing, he looked bedraggled. Shuri burst out laughing.

But instead of snapping back, T'Challa clutched the orb, his tone grave.

"Shuri… thank you."

She blinked. "Did you drown and lose your mind down there?"

He held the Dragon Ball high. "We must return to the palace. Something big is coming."

······

At that same instant, Smith Dole felt the resonance. He saw who had claimed the final Dragon Ball—and sighed.

The Black Panther of Wakanda.

It wasn't about looking down on them because of race—Smith Dole despised that kind of thinking. It was their absurd policies that made him shake his head.

Wakanda reminded him of an internet meme he'd once seen: a crude circuit board duct-taped to a stick. To him, that was Wakanda—hoarding god-tier vibranium, yet sending warriors to battle aliens with nothing but spears and cloaks. Vibranium jets and advanced armor existed, but in practice? They were nowhere. So much wasted potential.

Still, he would not strip them of their right to compete. Nor would he vaporize Wakanda with a Kamehameha just for annoyance's sake. He wasn't that twisted.

With the seventh Dragon Ball now awakened, he set a decision: one week. If none changed hands in that time, invitations would be sent to all holders, and the second Dragon Ball Tournament would begin.

······

In Shuri's lab, machines scanned the Dragon Ball. Results flashed: Unknown composition.

"All readings come back as unknown," she said. "And with Wakanda cut off from global networks, I can't cross-reference outside data. There's nothing about Dragon Balls in Wakanda's history either."

T'Challa lay on a scanner bed. "Then check me. The moment I touched it, information forced itself into my mind. I want to know if it left traces."

Shuri ran the tests, comparing them with his last physical.

"No anomalies. You're exactly the same as before. How those visions reached your mind, I can't explain. I don't know if there's more to it."

"As for this 'dragon' granting wishes and the so-called tournament… I'd say better to assume it's real. If you don't act, others will. Unless you throw that Dragon Ball out of Wakanda right now, it will bring challengers to our gates."

T'Challa thought, then replied:

"You wanted to study Capsule Corporation's tech, didn't you? Then this is our chance. Take the Dragon Ball abroad. Learn about their devices. And use the internet to search everything you can on Dragon Balls and this tournament."

······

(End of Chapter)

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