Hearing John and Bulma's words, Yamcha felt they made a lot of sense. He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll try what you suggested to see if it can cure my problem."
With that, everyone agreed to help John fulfill his wish.
Soon, John piloted the plane, following Mai and Shu as they flew closer to Pilaf's castle.
Upon spotting the aircraft that had stolen their Dragon Balls landing in the castle, John selected a flat area nearby to land the plane.
He turned to everyone and said, "Let's go meet this person who has been lurking in the shadows and stealing our Dragon Balls."
They quickly moved toward Pilaf's castle.
At that moment, Pilaf was receiving a box containing the Dragon Balls from Mai.
As he opened the box, all the Dragon Balls resonated and began to shine brightly. Pilaf was thrilled as he counted the Dragon Balls inside: "One, two, three, four, five, six... Wait! Where's the seventh Dragon Ball?"
Mai reminded him, "King Pilaf, the seventh Dragon Ball is in our box!"
Pilaf's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Of course I know! I was just joking! Don't you understand humor?"
Mai lowered her head in fright.
Ignoring them, Pilaf hurried to his bedroom to retrieve the last Dragon Ball and placed it alongside the six he had stolen.
As soon as the seven Dragon Balls were gathered together, they began to shine intensely, seemingly urging Pilaf to summon Shenron and make his wish.
Pilaf admired the glowing Dragon Balls for a moment before saying, "Let's go outside and prepare to summon Shenron! I wish to become the new king of this world! Then you will be my prime ministers."
Mai and Shu immediately expressed their gratitude to Pilaf.
John and his group waited until nightfall. Just when John began to doubt whether his plan would succeed, a blue-skinned little man emerged from the castle with a woman and a dog.
The blue-skinned man held a box that John recognized as the one they had previously used for their Dragon Balls.
Pilaf opened the box, causing all seven Dragon Balls to scatter onto the lawn in front of the castle.
John turned to Goku and Yamcha and said, "Alright! The enemy has come out; we can take action now. Each of us will take one of them down; then the Dragon Balls will be ours!"
With that, John led the charge toward Pilaf and his crew.
At that moment, dark clouds began gathering in the sky at Pilaf's call. The stars and moon were obscured by thick clouds, leaving only the seven Dragon Balls shining with colorful light at their center.
"We need to hurry; Shenron is about to appear!" John exclaimed. Just as he finished speaking, brilliant lightning shot from the seven Dragon Balls into the sky.
Amidst the flashes of lightning, a massive creature rose from the Dragon Balls, swirling in the air before finally transforming into a gigantic Shenron hovering above the castle.
Everyone present knew that summoning Shenron was possible but still found themselves awestruck by its immense size and power.
Goku and Yamcha stood there dumbfounded, gazing at Shenron in bewilderment.
Only John remained composed; having seen Shenron multiple times in his previous life—and knowing that later on it would serve Z Fighters without dignity—he quickly snapped back to reality.
"Come on! We need to move!" he called out to Goku and Yamcha.
Finally snapping out of their daze, Goku and Yamcha followed John's lead toward Pilaf's group.
Fortunately for them, Pilaf was still stunned by Shenron's presence and hadn't yet regained his composure.
As Shenron slowly descended from above, its authoritative voice echoed: "Did you call for me?"
"Yes! It was I who summoned you!" Pilaf replied eagerly.
Shenron continued: "State your wish! I can grant any wish you desire—but only one!"
Pilaf was filled with excitement at the thought of finally achieving his dream of ruling over the world. He trembled with anticipation.
Mai noticed her king's hesitation and urged him: "King Pilaf! Quickly state your wish!"
Pilaf turned excitedly toward Mai before looking at Shu. Seeing encouragement in their eyes calmed him slightly. He faced Shenron again and stammered: "I... I... I..." But before he could finish his wish, John charged forward and kicked him away from Shenron.
Startled by this sudden action, Mai and Shu instinctively reached for their weapons but were quickly knocked aside by Goku and Yamcha who followed John closely behind.
Although these actions did not escape Shenron's notice, it remained unfazed as it asked again: "Have you decided on your wishes? Speak them now!"
Standing before Shenron, John took a deep breath and declared loudly: "I wish for my body to be transformed into a Saiyan body most suitable for me—but without a tail!"
"That wish is easy to fulfill!" Shenron replied. With that statement, its eyes glowed red.
In an instant, John's previously somewhat pudgy body transformed into one that was muscular and fit; his chest muscles and abs were now clearly defined.
His once round face became chiseled like that of a strong man—though not necessarily handsome—he exuded an undeniable masculinity.
Beyond these external changes, John felt significant internal transformations as well. While invisible from outside observation, he could distinctly sense it within himself.
If his original body was like a barrel holding water—now it felt like an infinite universe with no discernible limits.
Shenron paid no mind to what was happening below after granting John's wish. It announced: "Your wishes have been granted! Now I must take my leave—farewell!"
With that statement, Shenron transformed back into seven Dragon Balls which soared into the sky before scattering across various locations around the world.
In that moment when John became a Saiyan, he felt an immediate surge in power. He could have easily retrieved the four-star ball before it flew away but chose not to do so.
He understood that certain events needed to unfold as part of the story—not just because they were experiences meant for Goku but also because only then would Android 17 and 18 appear. Since John liked Android 18, he couldn't change too much of the plotline for her sake.