"Hmm. An interesting prospect. Sending living beings to Dai Kaio's planet. But…" Enma Daio paused for a moment in consideration before continuing. "But only you, Tenshinhan. I'm sorry, Chiaotzu, you don't have the same potential to grow as your friend." Tenshinhan was distraught. "Chiaotzu, I'll stay if—" Chiaotzu cut him off. "No. Last time the world was in danger I gave it my all, and I still wasn't any help. I can't let you stop yourself from realizing your full potential. Don't worry, we'll see each other before long." Tenshinhan nodded as he waved goodbye to his oldest friend.
While Ten could barely contain a three eyed roll upon finding out his ride to the Grand King of World's planet was called the "Higher Plane", he otherwise felt nothing short of excitement. This was his last chance to surpass Son Goku. Ever since the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, he had been lagging behind, in part due to training, but as they knew now his Saiyan physiology allowed him to progress at a faster rate. But after the events on Namek, Goku had risen to new heights. If the gap was not bridged soon, Tenshinhan would never be able to match his one-time equal's strength.
When the plane landed, Tenshinhan was almost overwhelmed by the number of massive ki signatures permeating across the planet. He could sense one of the largest was near. As he exited the plane, he was greeted by three men. One was shorter than him and wore a martial arts uniform that resembled Earth clothing. The second man had a thick mustache and wore a gi not too dissimilar in style to the Turtle School students. The other was a much larger man, with a white tunic and flowing blond hair. He was holding a crystal ball, with the friendly face of Kaio projected on it. "Ah, Tenshinhan. Lord Enma informed me you were going to Dai Kaio's world, so I sent a welcoming party of all the Earthlings allowed to keep their bodies. Here we have Mutaito, who you surely know, Son Gohan, who's grandson you're more than familiar with, and the oldest one Olibu, the basis of many heroic legends. Anyway, I've got to go. Krillin's not going to train himself."
Tenshinhan was starstruck. Mutaito's teachings were the basis for his own as the master of Kame-Sennin, and his own teacher Tsuru-Sennin. Son Gohan was not only Goku's adoptive grandfather, but quite a legendary martial artist of his own right. Olibu was borderline mythical. Tenshinhan thought him only a legend, and to see him in the flesh… Mutaito spoke. "I'm told your first teacher was a student of mine. It's good to see my teachings still hold weight on Earth. Now, let's get down to business. You're free to train with anyone here, but we would be honored if you spent some time training with us." "Believe me, the honor's all mine." Ten replied. "Alright, we'll start by taking turns sparring with you, so we can all get a taste for your power. We roshambo'd, and I get to go first. But I must warn you, I've gotten quite a bit stronger since I died fighting Piccolo Daimao."
Tenshinhan stared down at Mutaito, feeling out his ki. As far as he could tell he couldn't have been stronger than the saiyan Nappa, but he knew better than to trust an initial reading. He raised his ki just enough to match his opponents, and the battle began. The old man was no doubt an expert at hand-to-hand combat. He expertly countered each strike and managed to get quite a few licks in of his own. The skirmish continued for a minute or so, until there was a sudden pause. "Alright, old timer," Ten said, as a smile formed on his face. "Let me show you my true power." He raised his ki, and an explosive aura formed around him.
"Amazing…" Gohan said to Olibu. "His power must've increased ten, no—fifteen-fold." Mutaito's power grew as well, his muscles expanding and figure more imposing. However, his power merely doubled, and Tenshinhan suspected his speed and mobility were negatively affected. "Hmm. There's clearly more than meets the eye with you, young man, but don't discount me yet." Mutaito raised his hands. "MAFUBA!" He shouted as a wave of ethereal energy shot at Ten.
Unfortunately for the old master, Tenshinhan was more than familiar with this technique, and was able to easily repel it. Mutaito was soon engulfed in the wave. He was thrown upward by his opponent, then shot down at lightning quick speeds and crashed into the ground, leaving a crater.
Mutaito picked himself off. "I see there are other things passed down. Very good. Gohan, are you next?" Gohan replied. "Uhhh, no. He's far above me. Olibu?" The mythic warrior stepped forward. "Yes, I would very much like to see what this young man can do. Come, let's fight someplace a bit more…proper."
Olibu led the Tenshinhan to a large tiled ring, very much like that in the Tenkaichi Budokai. The stepped up and took their positions. "Now I must warn you, if you demonstrated your full power against Mutaito, then I am much above you." "Good." Tenshinhan replied. "So are my enemies." "Alright then. If you can knock me out of the ring, you win." Tenshinhan launched forward, delivering a flurry of fast paced crane strikes, to no effect. Realizing the ineffectiveness of his attacks, he withdrew, and decided to fight a bit more tactically. He shot into the sky, and positioned his fingers on his forehead. "Tayoken!" Both Olibu and the spectators were blinded by an intense light. He then fired two attacks. "Dodonpa!" He shouted as he fired two thin beams at Olibu's legs, exploding on impact. Before his opponent could find his bearings, Ten flew in with a flying kick and knocked him down.
While Tenshinhan had intended that kick to knock him out of the ring, and not nearly knock him to the ground, he did succeed in impressing Olibu. "Now that was a good play." Tenshinhan smiled. "Thanks. Now get a taste of my next attack. It's an improvement over an old technique, and I'm now certain you'll be able to withstand it." Tenshinhan formed his hands in a diamond shape. Mutaito recognized this immediately. "Fool, that could kill you! I created that technique for only dire situations! This is merely a spar!" Ten charged his attack. This was finally a good opponent to test it on. "SHIN KIKOHO!" An incredibly powerful attack fired forward and struck his opponent, sending him out of the ring.
Olibu stood up, unharmed. He was once again impressed. "That was some technique. With enough training, there won't be many opponents who can stand up to it." Mutaito was amazed. Students of his had died from that attack in its original form, and here this young man was, seemingly only winded. Olibu continued to speak. "Train with me, and I'll build your strength up exponentially."