The Legend of a Dragon

Master Roshi: The legend, as I was told, goes something like this: In the beginning, there was only one Dragon Ball. It was huge, I mean REALLY huge. It had to be - it held all of the mystical energies of the universe. An ancient tribe discovered it, and was inspired by its magnificent power. They built a shrine around it, and protected the orb by placing it in the mouth of a giant dragon statue, said to be its eternal guardian. You should have seen the detail on this thing. It was INCREDIBLE: scales made of ruby, teeth of pearl... Speaking of pearl, they say there was this one native girl...

Bulma: GET ON WITH IT!

Master Roshi: Yes, well... The tribe enjoyed years of prosperity, until one day: evil paid a visit to the village in the form of a band of thieves. These agents of darkness stormed the temple in an attempt to steal the Dragon Ball for their own selfish gain. They were shocked to discover the true power of the Ball. To ensure such an attack never happened again, the Dragon Ball was divided into seven smaller orbs, and scattered across the globe. Separately, the Dragon Balls were useless, but when all seven were united, then a single voice could summon the Eternal Dragon for one wish, and one wish only. Some wishes were pure, but others were tainted by blind ambition. This led to pain and suffering, as an unjust few wished for power and dominion over mankind. But, as the story goes, there will one day come a hero who will use the Dragon Balls for goodness, and bring peace and unity to the world once more.