Breaking the Wall: A Dragon Ball Fan fiction
Ch. 01: Smash through the barrier! Tenshinhan's daring challenge!
"We have to do something!"
It started on a quiet day at Kame House. The sun shined, the waves beat off the beach, and Master Roshi had gone into town with Oolong to pick up some food and girly magazines. On days like this Kuririn liked to train or relax. He had intended to relax since he had spent much of the last several years training and fighting for his life, not always successfully mind you, but it turned out it was not to be.
"I don't know Tenshinhan, there doesn't seem much we can do," Kuririn said skeptically. "I mean you were there too, Cell was impossibly powerful and now Gohan is even stronger. Heck even Piccolo is stronger than Freeza now, and you remember what a monster that guy was."
"But that's the problem!" Tenshinhan exclaimed, thumping his fist on the table. "We've fallen behind. It wasn't long ago that we were only a step behind Goku."
"That's Saiyan biology for you," Kuririn remarked, a little depressed at the thought. "Not only can they transform, they can just take more abuse than we can. It's not fair but what are you going to do?"
"Think about the martial artist we used to fight in the old days," Tenshinhan said. "If they could see how strong you are now, wouldn't they think it impossible to achieve?"
"Yeah . . . Ok I see you point, and maybe if we trained really hard we could catch up to Gohan or Vegeta in their base form, but more than that? We already know how to use ki; we already train the best we can, what else is there?" Kuririn asked.
"I have some thoughts on that. . ." Tenshinhan began, "I remember that Kami once said the lookout has a library containing many ancient martial arts scrolls. It's a longshot but we might be able to find knowledge there to take our training to the next level."
"What about Yamcha and Chaotsu?" Kuririn asked.
Tenshinhan shook his head. "Yamcha is thinking of giving up the art and focusing on baseball. Chaotsu still helps me train but he's fallen behind and says he can't keep up with me".
Kuririn leaned back in thought. Truthfully he had been thinking of giving up martial arts too, or at least stepping back. It was one thing to keep the level he was at, but to try reaching the level of Vegeta or even Piccolo seemed useless.
He was also starting to see someone. During the fight with Cell he had met Eighteen, and despite the age difference they seemed to hit it off. He had seen her a few times since then and even gone out with her once. He didn't want to shelf that relationship.
"We can't just fall behind," Tenshinhan said, urging him. "We might have all these aliens and hybrids to defend the earth now, but what happens in a hundred years? Humanity needs the skills to defend itself, and that falls to us."
"I don't know," Kuririn began. "I'll have to think about it."
"You should do it," Eighteen said from across the table to a flabbergasted Kuririn.
This was their second date and he had mentioned Tenshinhan's visit in passing, he expected to laugh it off with her but Eighteen had different ideas.
"Whaa . . ." Kuririn was at a loss for words. "But why?"
"Right now you're pretty weak," Eighteen said in a blunt manner.
"Gee thanks," Kuririn said.
She smiled "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going out with you for your strength, but you could stand to be a little stronger," Eighteen said.
"Well sure, I guess. But even if Tenshinan's ideas work out it's probably going to take a long time and we just started dating . . ." He trailed off.
Eighteen snorted. "Please, you'll just be at that lookout right? I can come find you whenever I get bored."
"Whenever you get . . . bored?" Kuririn asked.
Eighteen smiled.
Kuririn suddenly felt hot under his collar. "W-well if you think it's a good idea then I'll put it under consideration." He stammered.
A few days later Kuririn found himself standing next to Tenshinhan in his turtle gi as the triclops explained his idea to Dende and Mr. Popo.
"Impossible," Popo said. "Those texts are only for the kami of Earth."
"Let's not be hasty, Mr. Popo." Dende said. "After all, I'm not much of a fighter so there isn't much I can do with the texts on martial arts. If they want to use that knowledge to defend Earth I don't see the problem with it."
Mr. Popo frowned. "Piccolo won't be happy if he finds out."
Dende seemed to jump a little at that.
"WE-well I mean, Piccolo doesn't have to know . . . does he?" Dende asked, laughing nervously.
"Hehe, don't worry Dende, we've got your back." Kuririn reassured the young god.
Dende smiled "Thanks. Kuririn, yeah just be discreet, and tell me about anything you find." Dende turned to Mr. Popo. "Mr. Popo, could you please show them to the library?"
Mr. Popo, who seemed unhappy with this, gestured for them to follow anyway. "Follow me," he said in his monotone voice.
Popo led Kuririn and Tenshinhan deep into the lookout, down several flights of stairs to a section of the lookout that seemed barely used. Eventually they came upon a vault door which Popo unlocked and opened to reveal a room stacked full of books and scrolls.
"This is the sealed library," Popo explained. "It contains the most powerful books on martial arts and magic compiled over the Earth's history."
"Wow, I had no idea the Lookout had a place like this," Kuririn said, impressed. "It puts the library at the Orin temple to shame."
"There is an incomplete index on the pedestal." Popo pointed to a small stand with a handwritten book. "Please lock up when you are done."
The genie left them to their work without saying another word.
"Well, I guess we better get started," Tenshinhan said, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
"Yeah . . ." Kuririn agreed not looking forward to doing the first "homework" he had done in years.
Kami's library was vast, and many of the documents were written in languages neither Kuririn nor Tenshinhan could read. Never the less they uncovered many interesting document filled with martial arts techniques and related magic.
There were ki attacks, martial arts kata, magic to incrementally increase power, some of which had horrible side effects best avoided, but there were no easy answers.
"We've been at this for a week," Kuririn complained.
"It was never going to be easy," Tenshinhan said, though he was also tired. Their search thus far had produced some interesting information but nothing in terms of results.
Tenshinhan supposed it made sense. As far as they knew no one in Earth's history had ever been stronger than they were right now, even among the Kami. It made sense then that they already knew more about ways to get stronger than anyone before them.
"Say, Tenshinhan. You trained with Kaiosama right?" Kuririn asked.
Tenshinhan nodded. "Yeah for a few months before I was brought back."
"Did you ever learn the Kaioken while you were there?" Kuririn said hopefully. Kuririn had seen it in action several times, and always been impressed.
Tenshinhan nodded again. "But it wasn't the magic bullet you might think. It's just too hard on the body, I can barely use it."
Back on Namek Goku was able to use Kaioken times twenty for a while, his base back then was about where we are." Kuririn argued.
"It's not just your strength," Tenshinhan began to explain. "It's your ki control, and endurance, and your natural compatibility with the technique, I was never able to go past times five and that pretty much fried my body."
Kuririn was disappointed. While Kaioken couldn't match the power of a super Saiyan it could boost ones power several times.
Of course he also knew the dangers, Goku had explained that if you messed up it would quickly destroy the user's body. It required perfect ki control to pull off. . .
"Ki control." Kuririn said suddenly.
Tenshinhan's interest was perked. "What was that Kuririn?"
"Ki control, most of the stuff worth reading in all these has involved ki control," Kuririn explained.
Tenshinhan nodded. "It's nothing we didn't know but yeah."
Both the Crane style and the Turtle style taught that it wasn't physical strength but ki control that let a martial artist surpass normal human limits. It was something Kuririn and Tenshinhan had both mastered before they even came of age.
"Yeah, the Kaioken, your Kikoho, even the Kamehameha relay on some form of ki control and amplification." Kuririn said.
"The Kikoho also involves your life force but yeah that's right. They all take your ki, focus it and temporarily amplify it, but as a result you're exhausted afterwards." Tenshinhan said. This was old territory. Whenever he wanted to create a new technique it usually went back to those basics.
"Right," Kuririn began, "but what if we weren't"
"What?" Tenshinhan asked.
"Well, like what if we got used to it?"
"Got used to it?" Tenshinhan asked bemusedly
"You know, kinda like what Goku did. Super Saiyan was super draining on him, so he and Gohan just sat around in Super Saiyan until their bodies got used to it. Maybe we could rework the Kaioken like that."
For a moment Tenshinhan was stunned, but then he started thinking of reasons why that wouldn't work.
"Kuririn, Kaioken isn't like Super Saiyan, it's a technique, not a transformation," Tenshinhan explained.
"But they both drain stamina right?" Kuririn asked. "Look I'm not saying it's the same, but maybe we could use the concept you know? Get used to amplifying our ki and learn to control large amounts without straining our bodies."
Tenshinhan sat down. Kuririn's idea had some merit, but it was a long shot. Then again, digging through piles of ancient scrolls wasn't getting them anywhere.
"Well. It's worth a shot." Tenshinhan finally conceded. "But it will take some time to work out,"
"Why not use the room of spirit and time?" Kuririn suggested.
"That will save time on the outside but it won't change things for us." Tenshinhan pointed out.
Kuririn stroked the back of his head. "Truth be told, I kinda want to get back to my girlfriend."
Tenshinhan rolled his eyes. Kuririn inexplicable feelings for android Eighteen had nearly destroyed the Earth, and now it was influencing his training decisions.
"Fine," Tenshinhan conceded. "We'll do it your way, but you better not object to the conditions in there.
"Hey, just cause I try to lead a normal life doesn't mean I'm not a martial artist," Kuririn objected.
"As long as you're ready to work your ass off, fine." Tenshinhan said. "We'll ask to use the time chamber.
"You really think this will work?" Dende asked.
"I don't know but it's worth a shot," Tenshinhan explained. "We'll never know unless we try and if we don't succeed we'll never be able to fight alongside Gohan and the others."
Dende nodded. He also doubted whether it was wise to leave Earth's safety in the hands of such a small number of people.
Mr. Popo emerged from Kami's palace. "The room of spirit and time is ready, please follow me."
Kuririn, Tenshinhan and Dende followed Popo back to the door of the room of spirit and time. Behind that door not only did time flow over three hundred and sixty five times faster, but the gravity was at least ten times that of Earth and the weather conditions were enough to kill.
"You may only stay in the in the room of spirit of time for two years before the door disappears," the genie explained, "But there is only enough food to last two people for one year so please keep this in mind."
Tenshinhan and Kuririn nodded and Kuririn turned to Dende. "Thanks again for your help Dende, I don't know if we would have managed without you."
Dende waved him off with both hands. "Please, I hardly did anything. It's you and Tenshinhan who are doing the work. Good luck on with your training."
"Thanks," Tenshinhan said. "Let's go Kuririn, we better get started."
"Right." Kuririn nodded as both them walked into the broad doorway of the room of spirit and time.
Ch. 01 end
Author's note:
I've always wished the humans stayed relevant in dragon ball, but after the Freeza saga they mostly become hangers on, just commenting on things while the aliens do all the work. So this fic is my attempt at wish fulfillment.
Apologies to cannon.
That isn't to say the story focuses only on the humans or that they will necessarily surpass the Saiyan, but we'll see
I have a good deal of this story already typed up in rough draft form, so expect regular updates at least for a while. In the meantime please leave me a review and let me know what you think.
-Gedaemon
12/2/17 changed story and chapter title