It was only a month into the old pervert's ridiculous training, and yet Tristan could begin to feel the difference. He knew there was still an enormous gap between himself and Goku, but now he felt as if he could reach that level in the time he had. Tristan was starting to excel at all of Roshi's training, forcing him to add more to it, and even then it was to easy for Tristan. During the last sparring session he had with the old man, he had practically wiped the floor with him.
Even with his new-found power, he couldn't hold a flame to Goku. It was as if no matter what he did, he couldn't break through this… barrier that he had reached. No matter how hard he trained, he wasn't getting any stronger. Tristan practiced day-in and day-out and couldn't surpass the likes of Goku, or even that bald midget who seemed to live with the old man. Everyday when he practiced, he was getting more and more visibly frustrated.
With his current power, facing Zinyak would have been a breeze, but fighting anyone of the Z-Fighters, besides the old man, would be suicide. He might be able to hold his own against the spiky-haired dumbass named Yamcha, but he had given up training in order to pursue baseball. There had to be a way to break through this power block and keep moving, but how?
" Are you done moping out there yet, Ken, because I have a grocery list that isn't going to buy itself." Roshi demanded.
" No, no you know what… I'm done! This training is absolute bullshit! I have done nothing but kick your ass, and fetch you food and magazines, and I can't take it anymore! The only reason I'm here is so I can save the lives of millions in the future when the androids attack! And I am NOT your god damned errand boy!" Tristan proclaimed.
"You are what I say you are, now just take the list." Roshi insisted.
" No! Get the bald one to do it, because you can kiss my ass goodbye! You can go to hell for all I care for!" Tristan shouted over his shoulder as he walked away.
" You know what? I will, and while I'm there, I'll say hi to all of your friends!" As soon as Roshi said this, Tristan stopped dead in his tracks.
" What the hell did you just say?!" Tristan said through gritted teeth. " Are you talking about the Saints? I hope for your own fucking sake, that you don't mean what I think you do."
" Aww, did the baby gets his feelings hurt? I mean, you can't expect me to believe they would be going anywhere else did you? Oh, but let me guess they were just the misunderstood murders, right? Your friends just murdered nearly thousands of people out of necessity, and they were really good people on the inside. Open your eyes, dumbass! They were murderers, extortionists, liars, thieves, and the lowest piece of scum on this green earth, just like you." Roshi ferociously stated, trying to urge Tristan over the edge.
" I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT!" Tristan shouted as he picked Roshi up by the collar of his shirt, and rammed him into Kame House. The sudden commotion attracted the attention of the inhabitants of Kame House, Oolong and Turtle who came rushing out of the house as fast as they could go. " You just made the biggest mistake of your life, dumbass." Tristan said shakily. " You won't survive this. By the time I'm done this entire island will be gone. History. Just like you, you sorry sack of bones." With those words, Tristan's aura flared and enveloped his body, making it look as if he were covered in flames.
Goku sat at his favorite spot in the entire world other than the battlefield; his dining room table. He had just finished the most fantastic meal of his entire life, or at least since breakfast. He was just about to go take a nap when he sensed an unusually higher than average power level on the other side of the world. In fact, it was very close to the power level of Master Roshi, the good, old Turtle Hermit.
" Hey, Goku?" Chi-Chi called out from the kitchen. " Could you possibly help out with the dishes?"
" SorryIcan'tRoshi'sintroubleloveyoubye!" Goku shouted as he teleported out of his house and straight to Roshi's Island.
" GOKU! GET BACK HERE!" Chichi shouted in frustration as her husband left her with all of the work yet again.
" So what are you going to do? Kill me?" Roshi spoke calmly. " You'd like that wouldn't you? Killing me? Do you and your dead friends get off on that? Me personally I'm a boob guy, but I'm not gonna jud-" Roshi got cut off when Tristan's fist passed right through the wall next to his head.
" SHUT YOUR GODDAMNED MOUTH OLD MAN!" Tristan screamed, his control slipping away more rapidly with each passing second. " YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM!"
" I do know about them, Tristan!" Roshi spat. " All they are are killers! Lowlifes! They did nothing to protect anyone but themselves!"
" YOU BASTARD! THEY DID MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE! THEY DIED TO SAVE BILLIONS OF LIVES! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Tristan shouted, drawing his fist back to finally silence the Old Man. As he sent his fist flying forward, his arm stopped suddenly, as if it hit a metal wall. Tristan looked up from Roshi to see Goku standing still, with his hand raised in front of Tristan's fist, stopping it completely.
" Tristan," Goku spoke calmly, yet seriously. " What are you doing?"
" GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE GOKU! I'M GOING TO KILL THIS BASTARD FOR DIRTING THE SAINT'S NAME!" Tristan spat, his voice oozing with anger.
" No, you're not. You aren't like that, Tristan. Not anymore." Goku said calmly.
" HOW DO YOU KNOW! YOU'VE NEVER BEEN THROUGH WHAT I HAVE!" Tristan screamed as he brought his knee up, hoping to catch Goku in the jaw. Goku simply moved an inch to the left, avoiding the attack completely. Tristan unceremoniously dropped Roshi to the ground to pursue Goku with a flurry of punches. Once Goku ducked under, sidestepped, or blocked everything Tristan had thrown at him, Tristan took a different battle plan. He summoned up a dark purple ball of ki and chucked it at Goku, missing him by at least a foot.
" Goku! He isn't even worth your time!" Roshi shouted as he struggled to stand up, shocked that Tristan had fired a basic ki attack. Despite showing him how to briefly, he hadn't been able to before now. " He can't even fire a straight ki blast!"
" Don't underestimate me Old Man!" Tristan shot back as he feinted a left hook and drove a right jab into Goku's stomach, not affecting him at all. Goku finally decided to end this and he ducked under Tristan's next punch, taking this opportunity to sweep Tristan's legs out from under him.
" Give up, Tristan. It's time for you to calm down." Goku said smoothly, as if he had done it a thousand times.
" Actually, I think it's time for you to watch your back." Tristan said with a smirk. Suddenly, the ki blast that Tristan had thrown earlier slammed into Goku's back, searing his clothes and throwing him off his guard. Tristan took this opening and kicked Goku's legs out from underneath him. Before Goku even landed, Tristan was on his feet, and he drove a left hook right to Goku's solar plexus with so much force that it leveled everything on the island, including Kame house. As Tristan stood over Goku for the very first time, he felt the rush of excitement, as well as power. This whole ordeal had allowed him to burst through his power barrier, and he felt great. There was an entirely different level of power that he could reach now, and that made him ecstatic. While Tristan was basking in the glory of the moment, Goku was already moving. In less than a second, he was behind Tristan, and with a single shot to the neck, Tristan fell limp to the ground.
" Roshi, what did you say to him?" Goku questioned as he started at Tristan's unconscious body.
" I just told him what he needed to hear, Goku." Roshi said as he walked over and stood next to Goku. " He hit his wall much earlier than I expected. I didn't know what else to do. I never wanted it to happen like this." Roshi said softly as his voice carried off. He then knelt down to pick up Tristan, and began carrying him through the rubble into Kame house. Roshi then set Tristan softly on the only undamaged couch and crouched down next time him, like a sentry. Silent and unmoving.