Disclaimer: I don't own any part of DragonBall Z, Dragonball, or any of the characters within. These Mangas are the exclusive property of Akira Toryama. However, Rolo Yeung, Hard Copper, and Fein are my property.
Chapter 10: No School Like the Old School
Far off on Kane Island, Krillain and Yamacha had just got through explaining to everyone where Tien Shenhan had taken the mysterious boy from the Cell Games, Rolo Yeung.
"Has Tien blown a gasket!?" shouted the old Turtle Hermit.
"He said he did it based on a lesson he derived from you Master!" informed Krillain waving his arms frantically, "It was a really good speech. The kind you hear about once a decade."
"Oh boy…, Just what is Tien thinking?" muttered Roshi. "He knows full well how powerful that boy has the potential of becoming! I felt that kid's ki spike through the roof all the way to my island! Handing the Crane School that kind of a progeny could very well be the biggest mistake since I messed up with the evil containment wave against King Piccolo!"
"Look guys!" said Chaotzu, "If Tien's actions worry you that much, you should ask him about his motives when he gets back."
Just then, the door opened up and Oolong stepped into the room.
"Fellas! Someone's coming toward the island by boat!" said the pig.
Immediately, all in the Kane House filed onto the beach to greet the newcomer. The newcomer in question was a tall, lanky, African looking male. He looked to be in his late teens and had a thick head of deadlocked hair. He also wore a yellow fighting gi and a pair of high toped shoes. He had a duffle bag slung over his shoulders and as he stepped out onto the beach he was walking with a cool stride that seemed to convey a state of coolio.
"Can you feel that?" asked Krillain.
"Hmm.." mused the Turtle Hermit.
"He's way stronger than a normal person," whispered Yamacha to the others. "His ki presence is unmistakable."
The tall visitor continued to walk with imbued arrogance until he stood right in front of Master Roshi. Without further a due, he gave a curt bow to the aged warrior.
"Master Roshi," greeted the boy with confidence. "My name is Fein. I came here to ask that you train me in the ancient ways."
"Hmm, I'm a little cramped for space right now," said the old man, "I've already got about four other folks living with me. Sorry. Just get back in your boat and sail home."
"Not so fast Master!" said Yamacha. "If you aren't gonna train him, than I will."
"But Yamacha, I thought you said you were going on vacation," said Krillain.
Suddenly, Muten Roshi grabbed the back of Yamacha's gi and drug him away just out of hearing distance until they were just around the Kane House.
"What's gotten into that skull of yours?" inquired the old master.
"We can't just let someone like this slip through our fingers," retorted Yamacha, "Just feel his ki presence! He's even stronger than I was when I started training under you."
"Just because someone can be a strong fighter doesn't mean that someone should," said Roshi, "There's just something about that kid's attitude that irks me."
"OK, so he's got a bad vibe," stammered Yamacha, "I'll work that out of him. How hard can it be?"
"You do realize that training a new student isn't just some childish game," explained Roshi in a condescending manner, "You have to stick to your student's training schedule just as much as he does. You have to work closely with him throughout his life as a martial artist. As a master, you must act as both a teacher and as a spiritual guide, earning his respect as you go."
"Then I can train him?" asked Yamacha.
"You don't need my permission," said Roshi, "Just try and do a good job."
The two of them walked out from around the house. While the two of them were conferring, Fein took the opportunity to put his boat back in its capsule.
"Well kiddo!" said Yamacha, "Look's like your coming home with me!"
"So I'm in?" asked Fein enthusiastically.
"Yes, and you can call me 'Sensei," stated Yamacha beaming with pride.
"Yamacha, I thought you said you didn't have time for a pupil," said Krillain, "What gives?"
"Well, Tien's speech back at the lookout left an impression on me," explained Yamacha, "I want to try my hand at teaching as well." Yamacha stepped up to Fein and put his arm around the teen's shoulders.
"Kid," started the ex-bandit, "When I'm done with you, you're gonna put every one of us to shame. When we're through, you're gonna eat lightning and crap thunder!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" asked Fein in an ecstatic manner, "Let's bounce!"
"Hey, Master Roshi! We've got ourselves a live wire here!" hollered Yamacha over his shoulder. "Oh, and tell Puar to come on!"
With that, Yamacha threw one of his dynocaps into the sand. From it, emerged a bright red hovercar that had the words "Lady's Man" blazoned on the hull. Both he and his new student jumped into the vehicle and waited until Yamacha's little blue cat Puar floated out to them.
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into boy," whispered Roshi to himself.
"I don't see what the problem is," said Krillain, " With any luck, it's going to be many years before that kid's strong enough to be a real threat, especially with Yamacha as his teacher. We should have plenty of time to weed him out before then."
"Yamacha's a good kid," said Roshi, "It's just that there are some bad qualities that I wish I could have had time to work out of him."
"Master?"
"Ever since Bulma left him for Vegeta, his character has become worse and worse. He may soon find himself reaping the fruits of his backsliding. Hmm… then again…" smiled Roshi, "This may be a good experience for him. Let's see just how he likes having to worry about someone else constantly."
Master Roshi, Krillain, and Oolong turned and walked back into the Kane House. On the way in, Roshi collected his dirty magazines that he had laid out on the patio table.
"What's that you said earlier about backsliding?" asked Oolong sarcasticly.
"Oh, shut up!"
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Elsewhere, Yeung and his new sensei, Mercenary Toa, were putting the finishing touches on the Crane Dojo compound. For at least an hour they had been ripping boards off the windows all in preparation for when the renovation team would finally arrived to lay the new floor. Along with the windows, the two of them had unpacked décor from the crates, removed cobwebs, laid out mousetraps, scrubbed whatever window panes were left over, and accounted for whatever old training machines that were still functional. Because of their physical strength, neither of them had trouble unpacking the crates or moving the antique furniture, much of which dated back to the Song Dynasty, and dusting the rafters was no problem for Toa due to his ability to use the flying technique. However, neither of them proved much use in the area of painting and as such Toa was going to have to hire an additional team to paint the exterior.
"After we 'ump' finish up here, I want you to hop on the roof and assess the weather damage," said Toa Pai Pai ripping another board off a window frame. "The tiles on the roof may be made of ceramics, but the layer underneath is very susceptible to moisture damage. I need to know whether I'm gonna have to hire a carpenter to refurbish the roof. A shoddy roof can be dangerous, especially above the sparring room."
"Hai!" nodded Yeung. The youth continued to remove rusty nails before casually tossing the weathered boards into a heap in what was once the Japanese sand garden."
"Hey! Watch it with those nails!" ordered Toa, "You're still too young to have had all your shots."
"How should I dispose of these old boards?" asked Yeung.
"Let me take care of that." Turning around, Toa pointed his metallic finger at the pile of waste wood. Suddenly, his entire forelimb began to glow an ethereal golden glow.
"DODONPA!"
Immediately, the entire central garden was immersed in the glow of a brilliant beam of light akin to that of a precision laser. The next thing Yeung knew, the pile of old wood burst into roaring flames.
"Holy crap!" shouted Yeung in amazement, "What was that?!"
"That my boy is the Dodonpa," declared the old assassin, "Someday soon you too will master this technique. It is the signature move mastered by my older brother, the Crane Hermit back in the days of the ancient martial arts master Mutaito. It is but one of many special attacks that the Crane School has in its' arsenal."
"So, when I leave here, I'll take that move with me?"
"Leave here?!" boomed Toa, "You paid for a lifetime membership. Never forget boy, it is your responsibility from now on to carry our school's banner to the far reaches of antiquity. Our rivals, the Turtle Hermit School, may have a longer and more recent winning streak, but it is their school that is destined to fade into history's dust bin."
With a stern look or at least whatever passed as a stern look coming from his half-prosthetic face, Toa was now staring directly at Yeung. The old cyborg then asked "Do you know why that is boy?"
"Ok, I'll bite," said Yeung crossing his arms, "Why is that?"
Toa gave a smooth grin before answering, "Because they are too sparse in their selection of students! Their master, the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi only trains new students on increments of 50 years, and even then the number of students is only about two. Considering that his school has been around for about a century, that isn't saying much is it?"
"But sensei, isn't it important to have some kind of selective process?" asked Yeung.
"Not when there is no real litmus test," replied the old man, "Roshi doesn't even screen the people he trains. He just picks those that appeal to his baser instincts. There is no logic in any of it. One example of what I'm talking about would be Roshi's fourth student Krillain. In all my years of observing martial artists I have never seen someone lose as often or as badly as he does. Even when he wins, it's never without a heap of difficulty. He has none of the advantages that Goku, Yamacha, or even the Ox King had. He's a bumbling embarrassment! I can tell you that much just from watching his old matches on tape."
Toa began to pace back and forth as he continued to rant. "Looking back, I'd say that Goku was the one and only true monster out of all of them."
"You mentioned Goku before," said Yeung, "Did you know him?"
"Yes," spoke Toa who was now shaking in his shoes, "I got to know him a little too well. He's the reason I look the way I do now."
"How did it happen?" asked Yeung.
"He maimed me in battle during one of my missions as an assassin," explained the older man. "A terrorist organization calling itself the Red Ribbon Army hired me to kill him. At first things were going well until I botched it. I mistook him for dead and gave him time to get reorganized. Afterwards, I returned to the sight of our first encounter and found that he had used his window of preparation for our rematch wisely. In a last ditch effort, I attempted to take him by surprise by way of deception. Using an antipersonnel grenade, I intended to take him by surprise. Needless to say, it backfired. To this very day I live in regret thinking about what I should have done. However, there was one lesson I took from that ill day: When you kill someone, make sure that they're dead!"
Yeung simply nodded once before heading topside to the roof. The roof was slanted so he had to perform a minor balancing act before he was fully settled.
"How's it looking up there?!" hollered Toa.
"Hold on a moment!" replied the teen warrior. "Alright, the roof seems OK!"
"Stomp around on it a little bit!" commanded Toa, "You never can be too careful with these things!"
Yeung promptly did as Toa told him and came down on the roof hard with his left foot. Needless to say, this little action sent his foot right through the tiled surface into the attic below.
"Uhh..Oops!"
"Oops?!" said Toa, "Oops is never a good thing! What's wrong?!"
"Well, the good news is that we now have a sunroof," snickered Yeung.
Forgetting that his hands were made of steel, Toa, upon hearing this, slapped his own forehead with a resounding clank. This, however, immediately knocked him out cold.
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After an undeterminably long amount of time, Yeung finally managed to wake his new sensei from his near comatose state. When Toa awoke, he found that he was in a hospital room surrounded by life support equipment such as a respirator, IV fluids, and a heart monitor. He looked around from his bedridden position and saw Yeung standing over him with a bottle of smelling salts.
"What's going on?!" bellowed the ex-assassin in a panicky state. This caused Yeung to almost jump out of his skin.
"Great, you're awake," said Yeung relieved, "You've been out cold for three days."
"Three days?!" cried Toa, "Holy crap! We've gotta get back to work!"
"It's all taken care of old-timer," assured Yeung, "The renovation team arrived and within that timeframe, they were able to relay the floor in concrete just like you specified. As for the roof, I hired a carpenter."
"How much longer do I have to stay here?"
"Let me find a nurse and see what can be done about your release," replied Yeung.
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Hours later at the newly refurbished Crane Dojo, Toa was making further preparations for the school's grand reopening. The school had been outside of credible fighting circuits for so many years that as the new Crane Hermit, Mercenary Toa was in the process of reregistering the dojo for competitive events. Flyers had to be posted, phone calls had to be made, and flyers had to be posted.
"So how did it go?" asked the teen warrior.
Mercenary Toa had just got off the phone with the director of the Martial Arts Society. Getting bureaucratic mess out of the way proved far easier for the old assassin considering the history of success the school had at tournaments under his brother's auspice. That, and Toa's own archaic record as a six time World Martial Arts Champion didn't hurt.
"The society has reregistered our dojo," declared Toa proudly, "The next tournament is in eight months."
"You mean the Tenkaichi Budokai?" inquired the boy.
"No," said Toa flatly, "This particular event is the national martial arts tournament of this country. However, one shouldn't expect this tournament to be a small one by any means. Many of the martial artists who compete in the World Tournament also compete in national tournaments. This particular tournament is especially important for the dojo in that it will give us a chance to rebuild our school's street credit. It should be particularly easy for us to accomplish this part because that fool Hercule Satan is competing in this tournament."
"So when do we begin the training?" asked Yeung, "I'm ready to get started."
"We will begin tomorrow," said Toa, "In the meantime, I want you to go into town and put out these fliers." Toa handed a stack of fliers to Yeung that seemed to reach to the ceiling.
"Been making use of the new printer I see," stated Yeung, "Did you put all the contact information on these?"
"But of course," smiled Toa. "While you're out completing this little task, I'm going to make some more phone calls to dig up some information on our likely competition in the upcoming nationals. There's also the matter of reinstating our DSL internet service."
"I'll be back later then," said Yeung as he was heading out the front gate.
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Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, a certain three-eyed warrior was making his landing on the wave soaked beaches of Muten Roshi's island…
"Tien!" shouted a small mime-looking boy, "I'm so happy to see you! We're finally safe again!"
"Yes, Choatzu," said Tien, "It's over, at least for a little while."
'At least until the next threat comes along anyway,'
"Tien!"
The triclops turned around to see Master Roshi walking up behind him. The old master had the same look as that of a boxing second when conferring with his fighter before the main event. Tien could tell right away that something serious was up.
"Tien, what is this that I've been hearing about you handing some kid off to Master Shin?" demanded the old master, "Just what is it you think you're doing?!"
Tien put his hands up in a defensive gesture before explaining, "Master, with all due respect, I only did what I did so as not to burden you sir! You got too many people living under your roof as it is! I just wanted to make sure that my 'discovery' got a little more bulking up before I trained him personally. That's it, nothing more!"
"Is that really the only reason you chose to have that kid trained?" asked the old Turtle Hermit.
"Well, to be honest master, no," admitted Tien, "There are many reasons, one of them being that I see a part of myself in that boy. That, and I once recalled something you said to me long ago. It is something that I took to heart, and with Goku gone, it's needed now more than ever."
"Hmm, what is it?" asked Roshi. "I can't recall that far back."
"It goes something like 'the world always needs a few new heroes.'"
"I'm glad to see that you're still following my advice," said Roshi, "However, I believe that you should have exercised a little more caution in applying it. Believe it or not Tien, after Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta pulled as far ahead of the rest of you as they did, I was under the impression that every one of you boys were all going to fall into a state of apathy."
"There's also another element at work here master," said the triclops. "It has something to do with what you've just said."
Silence hung in the air as Tien gathered his thoughts before continuing. Finally, looking down at his feet, Tien resumed.
"Well, I'm starting to reach that point in my life in which I feel as though a lot of the work I did to get ready for Cell and the androids was for nothing. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't make a noticeable difference. Everything I did just made me a tougher punching bag for our enemies. I trained just as hard as Goku and Vegeta, and I still didn't come out anywhere near being half as strong as those two."
Tien swallowed before going on, "I guess what I'm looking for now master, is vindication that I was more than just a speed bump for whatever enemies we fought against. I want to believe that it's possible for a human to achieve greatness even by Goku's standard."
"That's a tall order Tien," said Roshi, "Normally this is the part where I'm supposed to say that "you can accomplish anything if you can put your mind to it," but in this case, I'm willing to bet that what you're trying to do is virtually impossible!"
"And that is the very reason why I chose to do this!" snapped Tien. "Seeing Goku get so far ahead of me despite all my hard work hurts me more than you can imagine! I trained just as hard as Goku did and still, I'm no better off than I was when I fought King Piccolo years back! If I can see just one Earthling fighter get as strong as an alien fighter, I'll die a happy man. At least it will let me look back on my years as a fighter and say that there was at least some chance that given the right circumstances, I could have competed with Goku or at least Piccolo!"
"Until you begin to train that strange kid personally, what will you do?" asked Roshi.
"I'm going to use the next few weeks to burry the hatchet with Launch," answered Tien. "Once that's done, I'm going to check on that boys' progress."
"Well Tien, try to stay in touch," said Roshi, "None of us really ever see much of you unless there's a crisis."
"Me and Choatzu here tend to keep to our own little group," said Tien.
"I know!" chuckled Roshi, "When you two don't want to be found, you can't be found!"
With that, Tien and Choatzu said their goodbyes before flying off to go find Launch.
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Elsewhere, the ever active Rolo Yeung was busying himself with the posting of flyers for his new adoptive dojo. He had covered a remarkable stretch of ground since beginning the task only a few hours ago, and now the sky was beginning to take on the familiar hue of dusk.
With most of the flyers already gone, he turned to post what was left of the print-offs to the sides of lamp posts in the parking lot of the local metropolitan supermarket. However, due to his disadvantage in height, he was forced to climb up to where the average eyelevel of most people would be.
With staple gun and flyer in hand, the boy hoisted himself up the slick post, all the while grimacing at how even the most mundane tasks seemed to be punishment from God.
"Maybe the alcohol is stunting my growth," hissed Yeung as he traversed yet another of the pesky lamp posts.
After about another thirty minutes of this, the teen fighter called it quits and chunked what was left of the redundant flyers in a trash bin. It had been a long, weird, exhausting day and he was tired, smelly, and famished. A good meal followed promptly by a decent bath was a long time in coming.
By the time Yeung had gotten back to the Crane Dojo, his new sensei Toa Pai-Pai, had a table set for the two of them. The dish itself consisted of a combination of fried rice, baked camel hump, and boiled eggs which happened to be Mercenary Toa's personal favorite.
"It took you longer than expected," spoke the aged assassin, "Sit down and eat. I've much to discuss with you."
Taking a seat at the opposite end of the table, Yeung eyed the spread before him. Needing no invitation, he reached for his chopsticks and loaded his plate with whatever was within reach. Digging into the cooked camel hump, it was Yeung who kicked off the conversation.
"So, what are the rules of this tournament that I'll be training for?"
"They are basically the same as those pertaining to the World Tournament," Toa answered between mouthfuls, "You lose if you fall out of the ring, give up, or pass out. Use of lethal force is strictly forbidden. Also, there is no set fighting time. In the event that both fighters are knocked cold simultaneously, the one who stands up first and shouts 'winner' is victorious."
"Also," began Toa, "There are the preliminary bouts. I want you to know that a majority of the fighting that you will be engaged in will be in the prelims. They have always served as a way of weeding out the losers. However…."
Yeung looked up from his tea upon hearing the "However" part.
"…The prelims in this tournament will be different from the classical prelims at the world stage. For one thing, they are a part of the spectacle. The audience gets to see just how bad the incompetent competitors suck."
"Do you have any info on my major competition?" Yeung asked before turning back to his eggs.
"Does the name "Mountain King" ring a bell?" inquired Toa.
Upon hearing that name, Yeung did the most spectacular spit take imaginable and covered the cyborg sitting across from him in bits of half-chewed eggs.
"I take it from the fireworks that you've heard of him," remarked Toa. The old hit man dabbed his face momentarily with a napkin before continuing, "He is this year's local favorite. He announced his intentions to compete only a few days ago."
"Hard Copper…" Considering his last encounter with the man, to Yeung, that name sounded as though it were poison. Thinking back to his almost pitiful defeat at the giants' hands, Yeung clinched his fists so tightly blood began to leak out onto the tablecloth. "Yeah, we've met."
"Then you realize how important the next eight months are going to be in your preparations," explained Toa, "From tomorrow on, you will be training constantly with the single mission of pulverizing that man. I will guide you as much as I can, but remember that I still have a school to run. There will eventually be other students who will need me as well, and so, later on you will have to do some of your training on your own. I may even have to have your assistance. Is that acceptable?"
"I guess so," said the boy.
"Very good," smirked Toa, "After we clean up this mess, I want you to shower and go to bed early. Tomorrow's gonna be hell!"
"Just so you know, I'm not scared," remarked Yeung.
"My boy! You will be…You will be…"
Power levels:
Note: An average human being has a power level of 5.
Rolo Yeung: 119
Mercenary Toa: 180
Fein: 77
Just what will Yeung's training under the Crane School's Mercenary Toa, entail? And what about Fein's? Until next time….