With a punch and a kick, another opponent was flat on his back. The teenager smiled to himself as he walked over to get a drink, he was covered in sweat, and his muscles ached from one fight after another, but he'd won them all. He could now defeat all of Hercule Satan's students, excluding the master's daughter Videl and Master Hercule himself. He knew that if he was ever going to win the love of the dark-haired girl who was the first girl he had ever noticed, his first true crush then he was going to have to beat her in a fight since she wouldn't accept him while he was weaker than her. To get stronger, he was going to have to train under a new master since he had learnt everything he could from Mr Satan.
"You did well," he heard his master shout out with a booming voice. "If you keep up your training you may even be as good as me one day."
"Satan sensei," the student bowed politely. "Can I have a word with you for a moment? If you're not too busy of course."
"I do have a meeting with the martial arts society this afternoon about the upcoming tournament but have a few moments to spare before I have to leave. Now, what is it you want to talk to me about Sharpener my boy?"
"I'm thinking about taking a journey and finding another martial arts tutor." He told his longtime sensei with concern about how he was going to react. "It has been an honour to train under you. Now I would like to go out into the world and learn the different styles of martial arts."
Hercule stood stunned for a moment. "There is a time in every martial arts life where they separate from the school that taught them and go into the world and learn as many styles as possible. I remember when I left my sensei and his martial arts school for the first time. It's an exhilarating time when you develop your own martial arts style." He bragged on, he had been looking for an excuse to get Sharpener out of his school since he had been getting to close to Videl for his comfort. "I'll even help you pack," Hercule stated, picking up some random training equipment and began pushing Sharpener to the door. "You have fun on your journey and don't forget about the one who trained you originally."
"Sure thing," Sharpener replied, taking one last look at the dojo before walking back to his father's home.
DBZ
He looked around his bedroom, packing his bag of everything he needed on the journey; he already had a new martial arts sensei in mind and had wanted to train under this master for a long time, even before Hercule, ever since he was a child. This man was his hero.
"So you decided to do it?" he heard the chirpy voice coming from the entrance of his room.
"Yes, I'm going to find the baseball bandit and request that he train me in martial arts and I'm not taking no for an answer." He told his sister.
"Have you told dad that you're leaving?" His sister asked, coming in and helping him pack and rearranging his bag, so everything was packed and tidy. She had always been like that ever since they were little. He would pack his draw of clothing, and she would straighten it out.
"As if dad would let me leave if I told him that." He scoffed.
"Don't worry I'll cover for you, I'll tell him that mum got in trouble and you're going to her place to help out. By the time he and mum talk you'll be long gone."
He snorted, the only time their mother spoke to her children was when she got into trouble so he knew that his father would believe his sister. He had been planning this for a while and with his sisters help it did not take long to pack. A quick meal later and it was time to go.
"I'm ready. I'll miss you heaps," he hugged his sister. "Remind Videl that I love her and keep the nerd away from her."
His sister laughed. "Videls going to miss you whether she admits it or not, I know my best friend. She's going to tell me that she glad you're gone. I wonder if she'll take her anger out on poor Gohan." She called out as her brother started walking down the street with his bag. "Sharpener I love you,"
"I love you to Erasa," he waved back to his sister. The hardest thing about his training was being separated from Erasa, the pair had been together since they were born. The longest they'd been apart for was when their parents first separated. Originally, he'd gone with his father and Erasa had gone with their mother, but it wasn't long before their father managed to get full custody of the pair.
DBZ
Sharpener turned up at the baseball stadium where he knew Yamcha's old team trained and played. The baseball bandit didn't play baseball anymore but was hoping that he turned up for practice to help out the newer members. He was pleased to find that he didn't have to wait long as a man with a yellow suit and his long hair pulled back into a ponytail exited the stadium. That was the man he wanted to train him in martial arts.
"Excuse me Mister Bandit," Yamcha heard someone yell out. He turned and saw a young man with long blond hair running towards him. He started looking for a pen expecting the boy to ask for an autograph.
"Can you please train me in martial arts?" the young man requested. Yamcha was shocked by the request. He had been asked many times to train them in baseball but never in martial arts.
"Look, kid," Yamcha started.
"Sharpener, my names Sharpener."
"Look Sharpener, I haven't practised martial arts for years and never taken on a student. I'm not qualified to train you. I'm sure if you look around you'll find someone else."
"But it has to be you, I've always dreamed of training under you, the baseball bandit; my favourite sports hero. I used to watch your baseball matches all the time, and was so excited when I found out you were also a martial artist, I spent my weekends watching the old tournament footage and trying to learn the moves and copying them from a young age."
He then went on to demonstrate the wolf fang fist, the Bandits signature move from when he was younger and a few other moves that where Yamcha's. Yamcha had to admit the kid had form, and a detectable ki that was obvious he didn't know how to use. He'd been trained in martial arts but not a style that the ex-bandit was familiar with. He had potential that Yamcha hadn't seen in an average human for a long time.
"I've trained under Hercule Satan and mastered his style, but I want to learn more and train under another master. I want to learn how to do the tricks that used to be performed at the old tournaments."
"Those where ki based attacks, not tricks. Anyone with a high enough ki can learn how to do them." Yamcha replied.
"Can you teach me?" Sharpener asked seriously.
Yamcha though for a moment, other than baseball he didn't really have anything else to do. He hadn't been in a proper relationship since he'd broken up with Bulma, so there was no woman in his life. His friends his age all now had families of their own and his younger friends only wanted to party which Yamcha was now past wanting to do himself. He hadn't done much martial arts since the androids and Cell incident since he felt pretty useless and was unable to keep up with anyone anymore. Maybe training the next generation would be a good thing and he remembered how desperate he'd been to train under Master Roshi and could see the same thing in the young man before him.
"Alright I've got nothing better to do," Yamcha replied. "We'll start this afternoon after I pack a few things."
DBZ
Sharpener couldn't believe his luck, Yamcha, the Yamcha had said yes to training him, and he was standing in the doorway of the baseball players house. His hero was currently packing a few things before heading out to his training grounds. Sharpener was curious to know where the training grounds where; he couldn't wait until he started training. He was soon in the car with Yamcha and his companion a small blue talking floating cat named Puar.
He chatted and joked with his hero, filling him in on his training as they left the city and flew over bushland, forests, oceans, small towns until the landed in the middle of the desert. It was so far away from civilisation, there was nothing around them for miles, no houses, no building, no roads, no plants, animals or water.
"This is my training grounds. First, we'll unpack the car and clean the house; it hasn't been used for a long while so sure to be a mess. Once everything's tidy, and we've had a good meal we'll get a good night's sleep, we start training at dawn tomorrow." Yamcha told him.
Sharpener looked around not seeing where they would be staying and was wondering if there would be using a tent or a capsule house. He followed his hero and was amazed to find that the ant mound they were walking to contained a house and like the Baseball Bandit had mentioned the house was a mess, filled with sand from the desert outside. Spiders and scorpions had moved in and who knows what other wildlife and a little bit of plant life had managed to grow in the kitchen and bathroom.
"Cleaning may not be your idea of training, but is good for building up the stamina. If you want to train under me, you're going to have to pull your weight in helping me cook and clean."
Sharpener nodded, having been bought up by a single dad from a young age he was used to doing chores though normally he and his sister did them together.
Sharpener had a look at the cleaning products in front of him. A broom, some rags and a bucket. No mop, no vacuum cleaner minimal cleaning supplies. Taking a sigh, he got to work helping Yamcha and Puar clean the house. He was glad to see Yamcha helping, if he weren't he would've walked out as soon as he was told to clean. It took the remainder of the afternoon, but finally, the work was completed.
"This is harder then I remember," Yamcha wiped back the sweat. The house was spotless, but the two men were a mess and lead his young student to the bathroom.
"It's fed by a natural spring. No heating but on the steaming hot days we have here you don't need it." Yamcha proceeded to undress and wash himself off before hopping in the spring the young apprentice followed suit. "This is a lot nicer then I remember."
"We should come out here more often," the talking cat sighed, also joining them in the bath.
DBZ
The day was almost over, and Sharpener was sitting with Yamcha eating dinner. That morning when he got up, he had no idea that he'd be having dinner with his longtime hero. He thought that he'd end up spending the night at one of his friends or camping somewhere while on the search for Yamcha to train him. The fact that his longtime hero actually said yes made to young martial artist think he was going to wake up in his own bed or on the floor of Hercule dojo and find out that today was just a dream.
DBZ
The criminals of Satan city had been on their best behaviour that morning, so Videl had made it to school without any drama on Monday morning. She could see Erasa sitting in the classroom chatting to some of the other girls, she smiled at Videl and waved before excusing herself and walked with Videl to the back of the class where they normally sat. Neither of the boys where insight yet which wasn't unusual for Gohan but Sharpener normally arrived with Erasa.
"Is Sharpener sick?" Videl asked. "He doesn't seem to be at school today, and I didn't see him for training yesterday."
"No he's quit the dojo and gone on a journey to find a new martial arts master," Erasa replied happily. "He's hoping that The baseball bandit will train him."
"Is he insane? That's dangerous going off with a strange man to train in martial arts just because he's famous." Videl replied in outrage. "Besides what does a baseball player know about martial arts?"
"He was a martial artist before he became a baseball player and Sharpener's always wanted to train under him. Besides what about all the people that go and train under your father?"
Videl sat fuming in silence for a few moments. "That idiot can't survive on his own, he's got no idea what he's got himself into and going to get himself killed. I'm going to bring him back, and no one's going to stop me. Don't tell Gohan, he'll tell me that my education comes first and give me a lecture and will try to stop me."
"Try to stop you from what?" Gohan asked, taking his regular seat next to Erasa.
"Sharpeners has gone out to find a new martial arts tutor, and Videl thinks he's in danger and going to stop him," Erasa replied while her best friend tried to shut her up.
Gohan sat in silence for a few moments before replying. "I'm sure Sharpener's fine, besides its quite natural to seek out a new tutor once you've mastered your current master's style. Studying under someone else other than your father is a great idea. You should consider doing the same Videl. It would be good for both of you."
"I don't care what you say, I'm still going out looking for him and going to bring that idiot back," Videl announced. "And nothing you say or do is going to stop me."
"I wasn't going to try and stop you. Have fun," Gohan replied with a smile, pulling out his books for that lesson.
"None of you are going to try and stop me or come with me?" Videl asked the two, part of her was hoping that they would try and stop her or offer to come with.
"I don't have a death wish," Gohan replied.
"So you do think it's dangerous out there?" Videl questioned him.
"No, my mother made it quite clear that education comes first with her and I don't feel like being killed by my mother today," Gohan replied in a serious tone.
"I have no interest with bringing Sharpener back; if I wanted to go, I had the chance when he left," Erasa replied. "Like I told you before my brother will be fine."
DBZ
Videl began her journey to find Sharpener; she had many resources that other teenagers her age didn't have. She got her jet copter out and started her search at the martial arts society to find out as much as she could about Yamcha.
The first thing she tried was calling his listed phone number, it rung out no matter how many times she rung it. The second place was Capsule Corporation to talk to his only known ex-girlfriend Bulma Briefs. She was surprised when the woman even more famous then herself agreed to speak with her.
"So you're Hercule Satan's daughter," the older woman asked. They were sitting on a balcony with nice plants, Bunny Briefs the idol of Erasa coming out serving up tea and biscuits even though she'd politely refused anything. "You're different then I imagined especially after having met that buffoon known as your father."
"What did you say about my dad!" Videl stood up in outrage.
"I like your fiery personality." Bulma wasn't intimated by her at all like most other people she'd come across. "So what brings you here today, I assume it's not about your father unless it's to do with what really happened at the Cell games."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Videl asked the older woman, who seemed to know something about the Cell incident she didn't.
"Whatever you want it to mean," Bulma responded with a teasing grin.
The two woman were silent for a moment the older woman taking a sip of her tea while Videl fumed.
"I'm here because my best friend's jerk of a brother decided that he was going to go off on a martial arts journey with your ex-boyfriend as a master," Videl told her. "I want to find out where he is so I can drag that jerk back home."
"So you like this boy?" Bulma asked with a teasing tone.
"He's just a friend," Videl rambled on. "My sister's annoying brother, a perverted jerk."
"I thought my husband was a jerk when we first met, absolutely hated him. Besides if you weren't interested in this boy why would you go chasing after him?" Bulma questioned.
Bulma listened patiently as Videl gave her more reasons about why she wasn't interested in him and why she needed to find him.
"You're in denial, it's so sweet," Bulma gushed. "Because I like you and support your relationship with your best friends perverted brother I'll help."
Bulma wrote down some possible locations Yamcha could've possibly taken Sharpener for training.
"I really hope Yamcha is training your friend," she told Videl as she was ready to leave. "It will be nice for him to train the next generation. You should train under someone different than your father yourself. I've grown up around the martial artists and there becomes a point where it's best to find someone new to train under to grow as a fighter."
Videl looked at the woman who repeated words similar to what Gohan told her before shrugging it off and leaving to find her friend.
DBZ
The first place she went was the Island of the Turtle Hermit, and it had taken her three days to find the right island. It made her appreciate the fact that Sharpener wasn't a true pervert when she met the legendary Turtle Hermit Master Roshi. He was a jerk, and she didn't get any information out of him at all.
"So Bulma sent you," the short man asked who was holding a blond-haired toddler. "Yamcha hasn't been here for a while, but I wish you luck in finding this boy of yours. He's one lucky boy to have a girl like you chasing him."
"I'm not interested in him like that," Videl shouted, taking off from the island in an outrage.
DBZ
She tried a few other placed Bulma had mentioned before searching his old training grounds in the middle of the desert. Both Bulma and the guy with the toddler had mentioned this place. The place she'd left for last to search since it was dangerous if you broke down. As luck would have it, she broke down but luckily had plenty of water. Unluckily she didn't know where to go to get out of the desert, she was lost.