Chapter 16: Find that Stone

In our last episode, a mysterious girl called Launch joined them on Master Roshi's island. Now the group was packing up for a new adventure. Kakarot marveled as Kame house was transformed into a little pink capsule on the seashore. Roshi picked it up and pocketed it.

'How are we going to get there, anyway?' asked Kakarot. 'We'll never all fit on the Nimbus Cloud.' They needed more space to train, and so they were moving to a larger island.

'This will cut it.' said Roshi, before tossing another capsule into the water. There was poof of smoke and a splash. When the smoke settled, a motorboat stood before them floating on the water. Roshi chuckled in satisfaction. 'Master Roshi's rule no 1. Travel in style!'

They all got aboard and soon zoomed off, leaving a trail of waves behind them as they shot across the ocean. As he drove, Roshi turned to Launch who was riding shotgun. 'Can you do me a favor Launch?'

'Yes?' asked Launch.

'Try not to… sneeze, okay.' said Roshi somewhat fearfully.

'Yes,' she said, 'I'll try.'

The other three were seated behind them. Krillen was on the left, Chi Chi in the middle, and Kakarot on the right. He leaned out and gazing upon the ocean as it shot past them. He was feeling oddly contemplative. '…I love the sea.' said Kakarot suddenly in a realization. 'Something about it makes me feel at peace.'

'Oh Kakarot, it truly is romantic.' said Chi Chi, clasping her hands.

'I think I'm going to be sick.' said Krillin, sticking out his tongue.

'Well then perhaps I should throw you overboard. Then we won't catch a disease from your worthless carcass.' said Kakarot in deadpan.

'I'd like to see you try, spiky head.' said Krillin, glaring at him.

'Calm down both of you.' said Roshi. 'No one is fighting anyone on this boat. You might wreck the paint job.'

After a few more hours they arrived on a much larger island with a smoking volcano over it. Many palm trees dotted the landscape, and cliffs and shrubs. It looked like a nice place to train.

Roshi landed and set out Kame House's capsule, before turning to them. 'Anyone up for a short martial arts lesson before dinner?'

'Yes master.' said Krillin obediently.

'Of course.' said Chi Chi. 'Give the word.'

'Where is Kakarot?' asked Roshi suddenly.

'Oh I know,' said Launch, 'he said he wanted to have a look around the island and ran off.'

At that moment, Kakarot returned. He had scaled the volcano and swum through the surrounding seas. 'Master Roshi, we're not alone. Someone beat us to the island.'

'About three hundred someones to be exact.' said Roshi. 'But don't worry, they just live here. They're not competition. Now let's have a lesson.'

'Finally!' said Kakarot. 'I was afraid I would grow old and die before we got down to business. And I have eternal youth.'

'Eternal what now?' asked Krillin.

'Long story, I'll tell you later.' said Kakarot.

The three of them then assembled before Roshi in a line, waiting for instructions.

'Can I train too?' asked Launch, who tagged along.

'Sure,' said Roshi, 'as long as we can hide the machine gun.'

'Well I guess I'll train if you guys are.' said Launch, before sniffling.

At that moment Krillin and Roshi rushed for cover behind a rock, while Chi Chi looking. Kakarot, however, simply stood where he was, looking straight at her as though daring her to try it. Launch then yawned.

'Actually, fighting puts me to sleep,' said Launch. 'I'll go make some food.'

'…You're kidding me.' said Kakarot. 'Without any training, she terrifies the strongest man alive. And she's squandering her potential cooking us meals?'

'Well, it is her choice.' reflected Chi Chi.

'I guess she was just yawning,' said Krillen as he emerged. 'That was scary.'

'Krillen,' said Roshi, 'how dare you be scared. A martial arts expert must never be afraid.'

'Sorry,' said Krillen with a bow, 'I'll try to be more like you.'

'Well that's not going to help your case any,' noted Kakarot, 'he was ducking for cover with the rest of you. It's only a little gunfire, nothing lethal. Hell, one of my best friends shot me in the face in our first meeting.' There was a long, awkward silence. Everyone stared at Kakarot for reasons he didn't understand.

'…Are you serious?' asked Krillin in shock.

'Just so you know, I was not scared.' said Roshi. 'Oh no, I was demonstrated evasive tactics. Now let's continue with our fearless training! Krillen, Chi Chi, do you have any fighting experience?'

'Yes,' said Krillin, 'I studied for eight years at the Magic Orin Temple.'

'And I was trained by my papa.' said Chi Chi.

'Very good,' said Roshi, 'I suppose I can skip the lesson on what a punch and a kick are. Now before I teach you, students, anything new, I'll need to test your current ability.' He made a line in the ground. 'We'll start from over here, and end over at that tree. That's about a hundred meters right? Where is my stopwatch?'

'You want us to run a race?' asked Krillen.

'Running is a good test of speed and strength.' said Roshi. 'Though of course if you're an expert fighter you shouldn't have to be the one who has to run away.'

'…No yeah, he's right.' said Kakarot.

Krillen chuckled evilly. 'I'll run first Master Roshi.'

'Oh, confident, are you?' asked Roshi in amusement.

'Well you'll both see why.' said Krillin. 'I could probably make the Olympics if I wanted to.'

Roshi made his way over to the tree and took a position as a cloud passed over the sun. 'On your mark!' The old master called. Krillen took a runners stance, while Chi Chi and Kakarot sat to one side. 'Get set! Hit it!'

Krillen broke into a run, sprinting at a vast pace towards the tree with all his heart and might. Then he reached it. Roshi looked at his watch. 'My, my, you ran it in ten-point-four seconds, well that's… pretty darn good.'

Krillen was panting in satisfaction. 'Yeah, yeah, it's an okay run. I usually make it around ten-point-one. I don't know what happened, but I guess the wind was against me.' He laughed.

'Is it my turn yet?' called Kakarot.

Roshi glanced up. 'Well, let's not get antsy. Now on your mark!'

Krillen chuckled confidently in the knowledge that there was no way anyone could beat his run now. 'What an amateur.'

'Get set! Go!'

Kakarot broke into a sprint and surged across the intervening space with a furious speed. Krillen watched in shock. 'Maybe he's a bit faster than I thought.'

Roshi looked at his stopwatch. 'Let's see now, that's eleven seconds even. That's a good pace, but Krillen, I'd say you still beat him hands down.'

'Oh it's really not fair to compare him to me.' said Krillen. 'I set the bar pretty high, you know.'

'Well for rookies you sure have a lot of potential.' said Roshi.

Kakarot considered asking for better running shoes and trying again. But decided this would be the action of a sore loser and held his tongue.

'Now Chi Chi, you try.' said Roshi. 'On your mark, get set… GO!'

Chi Chi raced to the tree at a breakneck pace. Kakarot's hair flowed around him as Chi Chi sped past them. She halted past the tree, and Roshi stared at the result. '…Wow, seven seconds flat.'

'How did you do that?!' asked Kakarot in awe.

'Well… I kind of spent a month or two having to outrun carnivorous dinosaurs.' said Chi Chi. 'I had to learn to run quick.'

Krillin stared in awe.

'Well,' said Roshi, 'it's clear that for people your age, your at the top of your class. But that's still not good enough! To be truly great fighters, you have to learn to go beyond the limits of normal people.' And he pulled off his shell. 'And that's no cakewalk.' He gave Krillen the stopwatch. 'I'll let you be the timekeeper.'

'Whose time am I keeping?' asked Krillen.

'Mine of course.' said Roshi as he stretched out. 'I just hope I'm still in shape.'

The three of them ran to one side and watched him prepare. Then Roshi rose up, resolve in his expression. 'Okay, Master Roshi,' said Chi Chi, 'are you ready?'

'That's a good question,' murmured Roshi to himself. Drawing up his turtle shell, he hurled it spinning through the air to shatter a stone. 'Okay, I'm ready.'

'Okay then,' said Krillen, 'on your mark, get set, go-'

There was a blur of orange and yellow, and Roshi was standing beyond the finish line. Kakarot stared in awe. 'That's amazing!'

'Yay Master Roshi!' cheered Chi Chi.

'What's my time?' asked Roshi.

'…Five-sixths of a second.' said Krillen.

'Five and six, huh?' said Roshi 'Not too bad.' He put his turtle shell back on.

'Can you teach us to do that?' asked Kakarot.

'What, throw a purple turtle shell?' asked Roshi. '…Oh, right, the running. Of course, it's just a matter of surpassing normal human limitations.' He licked his lips. 'All this running has made me thirsty. Kakarot, grab me a beer!'

'…Okay,' said Kakarot, 'and that is?'

'Don't worry master,' said Krillen, 'I got you!' And he raced off.

Roshi sighed. 'Kakarot, I have many things to teach you besides fighting.'

'Well feel free to try, I guess.' said Kakarot.

Meanwhile, Krillin raced towards Kame House, feeling more enthusiastic than ever. 'Master Roshi isn't just a dirty old man after all! He's really strong!' He entered Kame House. 'Launch, where is the refrigerator?'

'Careful,' said Launch, 'you're kicking up dust.'

'What?' said Krillen in sudden fear.

'Ah, ah, ah, achoo!'

'That's no yawn.' said Roshi from outside.

At that moment Krillen raced out of the house, with the blonde Launch chasing after him. She had a knife swinging in her hand. Master Roshi and his other apprentices began practicing a valuable skill. Hiding in the underbrush.

'Slow down ya little pig!' snarled Launch. 'How about I cook you for dinner!'

'Oh look at that,' said Roshi, 'Krillen ran a hundred yards in just eight-point-eight seconds. That's much better than before!'

'What's more impressive is that the untrained amateur is keeping up with him.' reflected Kakarot. 'You really should train Launch.'

'Kid,' said Roshi, 'there are some powers which shouldn't be unleashed on the world. And a Launch who knows the Kamehameha Wave is one of them.'

There was a loud sneeze.

Krillen cowered beneath the now blue-haired Launch. Her knife was inches away from his crotch. 'Oh that's funny,' said Launch. 'I thought for sure I was in the kitchen.' She glanced down. 'Oh look, I dropped my knife.'

Krillen fainted.

It was a beautiful little village where the group was taking shelter on route to the city. A group of locals had been kind enough to put them up for the night and provided them with water and food. The rations were somewhat meager, and the water they were allowed to drink was restricted. Even so, Bulma had eaten like a horse, despite her usual dietary restrictions. After they had finished, she leaned back in her seat. 'I never thought I'd be so happy to drink regular water.'

'Well,' said Nam, their host, 'dwelling in the desert does make one appreciate the simple things. I apologize if what we can offer as hospitality is a bit meager. However, we have been going through a dry spot these past few years.' Nam was a tall brown-skinned man with reedy arms and a turban.

'It's no problem really,' said Yamcha, 'we would have thirsted to death if we hadn't found you guys. I… I'm sorry about your problems though.'

'I hope things get better for you.' said Puar.

'With any luck, we should get some heavy rain soon.' said Nam. 'These things go in cycles.' He paused thoughtfully. 'Tell me, are you by chance a martial artist?'

'Yes,' said Yamcha, 'how did you guess?'

'Your frame fits it.' said Nam. 'Did you intend to enter the worlds martial arts tournament when it comes?'

'Well, I've never really thought about it until now.' said Yamcha. 'But I like the idea of setting my name in the history books, yeah.'

'Ah,' said Nam, 'I mean to enter as well. If things get any worse here, I will need to buy water for my village. And if things get better, the money I might win will do wonders for my people. Tell me, would you care for a spar?'

'You want to fight me?' asked Yamcha.

'Yes,' said Nam, 'I wish to see how I hold up against another martial artist. And I have heard tales of your exploits from travelers you have robbed. You are said to be a very formidable fighter.'

'Ah,' Yamcha rubbed the back of his head, 'right, I guess I have a reputation.'

'Go ahead Yamcha,' said Bulma, 'I'd love to see you in action.'

'Well, let's do this.' said Yamcha.

Nam led them out of the house and into an arena of sorts, where the beating sun fell down upon them. Various villagers aligned themselves in seats. Bulma and Puar stood at the sidelines looking down. Yamcha and Nam faced one another down, a long silence between them. They bowed to each other, and then they took a stance.

'The fight will have the same rules as the World Martial Arts tournament.' said Nam. 'No weapons, and if you are thrown out of the arena, you lose. All the other rules also apply.'

'Right,' said Yamcha, 'this will be good practice.'

'Go get him Yamcha!' said Bulma.

For a moment they sized each other up, unmoving. Then they surged forward, and met in a flurry of blows, stepping back and forth as their arms moved in a blur. Back and forth, and around they went. Finally, Nam struck Yamcha back with an open-palmed strike which sent him reeling back. Nam did not press his advantage; instead, he waited.

Yamcha wiped a bit of blood from his mouth before taking a familiar stance. 'You're pretty good,' he said, 'now let's see how you deal with my WOLF FANG FIST!'

The howling of wolves was audible as Yamcha rushed at Nam, who stood his ground and moved his arms. In the ensuing flurry of blows, their arms moved faster and faster. Yamcha managed to score a strike against Nam's face which sent him back a step. Then he recovered.

'Impossible!' said Puar. ' No one has ever been able to block the wolf fang fist! Even Kakarot couldn't weather it!'

'My big brother is really incredible, isn't he?' asked a young boy beside them. 'He is the best warrior in the village.'

'Your skills are impressive,' said Nam. 'However, you would do well to forfeit.'

'Big words,' said Yamcha, 'care to back them up.'

'My next attack may send you into a coma for ten days,' stated Nam. 'I do not wish to hurt you.'

'Bring it on,' said Yamcha, 'I can take anything you can dish out.'

Nam sighed. 'Very well, however, do not say I didn't warn you.'

Then he leaped up into the air and soared upwards high into the sky. Yamcha stared upwards, and Bulma and Puar followed his gaze. They watched as Nam became a tiny speck, and then that speck rapidly began to get larger as it soared downwards.

'Yamcha move!' cried Puar.

Yamcha rolled away as Nam descended. The weight of the collision against the ring was like the falling of a mountain. The tiles cracked as a crater was made in it, and Yamcha's footing was shaken as he stumbled backward. He almost fell out of the ring as Nam rose up. The turbaned man surged forward, a strike aimed for Yamcha. However, the former bandit stepped aside. He brought around a kick aimed for Nam's head.

Nam ducked, and brought round a low kick which sent Yamcha careening to the ground to land with a crash. Rolling away, Yamcha rose up as Nam pressed the assault. Another flurry of blows ensued as Yamcha was driven steadily back, closer and closer to the edge of the ring. Finally, he was at the edge, and Nam struck him in the chest with a palm that sent him falling down.

Yamcha landed on his back and stared upwards.

'No way…' said Bulma. 'Yamcha lost? There has got to be some kind of cheap trick behind this.'

Puar, however, shook her head. 'He beat him fair and square Bulma. And Yamcha knows it.'

Yamcha stood up and dusted himself off. 'You are good.' he said to Nam. 'I'm going to have to take my training seriously if I have a hope of beating you and winning the tournament.'

'I am also surprised at your strength.' stated Nam. 'Your Wolf Fang Fist is an impressive technique.'

'Well I did come up with it myself.' said Yamcha. 'So, thanks.' He offered Nam his hand, and the man took it. It was odd, but at that moment they somehow became friends.

They didn't want to impose for long, so the next day, Yamcha, Bulma and Puar continued their journey to the city. Yet as they walked onwards, Yamcha turned and waved to Nam who returned the gesture. Then they went onwards. 'That was one HFIL of a wake-up call.' said Yamcha.

'What do you mean?' asked Bulma.

'The world is full of really strong fighters,' said Yamcha ruefully. 'If I'm going to win the Tournament, I'm going to have to be stronger than them all.'

'I think you did fine, Yamcha.' said Puar.

Yamcha shook his head. 'Fine isn't going to cut it Puar.'

'Can we talk about something other than martial arts for a bit?' asked Bulma in annoyance.

'Oh,' said Yamcha, 'sorry. Uh… what do you want to talk about?'

Bulma paused and examined her surroundings. The sand was everywhere around her, and not much else. '…I hate sand.'

'So you want to talk about geography?' asked Yamcha, raising an eyebrow.

'No!' she snapped. 'Yes! I don't know; I just want to get out of this desert! Why did you have to go and crash anyway?'

'I didn't crash,' said Yamcha, 'the machine broke down.'

'Sure it did, and we're not in the middle of a desert!' roared Bulma at the sky. Finally, she fell to her knees. 'I can't go another step. Let's lie down and die.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Yamcha. 'I'll carry you.' Then kneeling down he picked her up bridal style, much to her surprise.

Bulma blushed for a moment, before letting herself melt into his arms. There were some advantages to having a handsome martial artist as your boyfriend.

Later that day, as the sun fell behind the horizon, Roshi stood before his students. He had a serious expression on his face. At the same time Launch was making dinner within, and a delicious aroma was tempting them. Even so, they paid close attention to Roshi's words. 'And that is a brief explanation of how to go beyond your limits. Am I making any sense?'

'Yes.' said Kakarot. 'In fact, you are making so much more sense that it would be redundant for you to explain it again at any point in the future.'

'You said it Kakarot.' said Krillen.

'Good,' said Roshi, 'then you boys have one more test to perform before we go inside to that wonderful smelling supper.'

'It's not more running, is it?' inquired Kakarot, who was in no mood to be exceeded again.

'No, it's a different kind of test.' said Roshi, before picking up a sizeable smooth stone in his hands. Drawing out a marker, he etched out a mark on the stone. Then he showed it to them. 'Take a good look at this stone. Have you memorized it?'

'I think so.' said Krillen.

'What is this, arts and crafts?' asked Kakarot, before being elbowed by Chi Chi.

'Shut up Kakarot.' said Roshi, before hurling the stone far across the island into a nearby forest. 'Oh yeah, still got the old arm.'

'The test is to throw stones?' asked Krillen.

'Throwing stones is not the test here.' said Roshi. 'The test is to find mine.'

They turned to him in surprise. 'What?' said Kakarot.

'You mean the one you threw?' asked Krillen.

'Anyone can throw a stone.' said Roshi. 'Just like anyone can throw a punch. But to find a stone takes a focused mind and a calm spirit. This is what will separate you from the others, and so the person who finds it can keep the stone. And the students who don't can keep their appetite.'

There was shock amongst them. 'Y-you mean, no supper!' Chi Chi and Krillen said in unison.

'Meh.' said Kakarot, unimpressed with the stakes.

'That's right,' said Roshi. Then he looked at his watch. 'And if no one brings back the stone in thirty minutes then none of you get to eat. Now hurry up students, times already started.' They turned and made a break for the forest as one. 'Watch out for snakes!'

It wasn't long before they came to a sheer drop into the landscape below. They looked in a panic. 'Damn it!' said Krillen. 'There is no way down. We'd better find a detour quick.'

'Doesn't seem like it.' agreed Kakarot as he walked forward. 'It's only a giant cliff. I've jumped this sort of thing before.'

'Are you crazy?!' said Krillen behind him.

Kakarot ignored him and leaped off the cliff down into the abyss below. As he barreled downwards, he caught himself on a branch halfway. Said branch then immediately snapped, and let him careen down to land with a crash in the middle of the forest. Rising up, he rubbed his head before rushing onwards into the forest.

Far above Krillen stared down with Chi Chi. 'That guy can't be human!' said Krillen. 'And now he's way ahead of us!'

'Well, I guess I'll follow him.' said Chi Chi. 'Kakarot knows what he's doing.' And she leaped off the cliff face as well.

Krillen watched in horror and contemplated running after them. Then he raced to find a detour. Then he stopped. 'Wait a minute; there is no way I can find that stone in half an hour. Especially with Kakarot and Chi Chi taking leaps like that. Maybe there is another way.' He smiled and laughed to himself.

Kakarot in the meantime searched through the forest, seeking his stone. He wasn't particularly invested in the outcome. But he had been assigned to find the stone so he would do his best to find it. Stooping low, he picked up a stone but found nothing on it.

'This is going to take a while.' He muttered as he walked onward. Then he smelled a scent. 'Hmm, smells like sweat and turtle shell. I'm closer.'

Then he came across it. Falling to one knee, he picked it up and looked at it. There was the mark, and it was the right shape and size. He smiled in satisfaction. 'Found you.'

At that moment, Chi Chi came through the trees and landed beside him. Kakarot put the stone behind his back and looked at her. 'Oh Chi Chi, there you are.'

'Kakarot,' said Chi Chi, 'why did you rush off like that?'

'I felt like it,' he said, and then a whim struck him. 'I have something for you.'

'You do?' she asked, blushing. 'Oh my, you're such a romantic.'

'Yeah it's fine.' said Kakarot, before handing her the stone. 'Take this. I can always hunt for my food, so there is no reason for you to go hungry.'

'…Thank you, Kakarot,' said Chi Chi.

'Right,' said Kakarot, 'now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to kill something to eat.'

Meanwhile, Krillen found a stone roughly the size and shape of the original and picked it up. 'Ah, fortune smiles on Krillen.' he said, before racing over to a nearby house and knocked. 'Hello, man at the door!'

A dark-skinned woman then emerged. 'Where is the man?'

'I'm the man, ma'am.' he said. 'And I need to borrow a pen. It's an emergency.'

'A pen?' she asked.

'Yes, please.' said Krillen.

Once he'd gotten a pen, he wrote out a replica of the sign which Master Roshi had put on the stone. Handing the pen back, he gave the woman a winning smile. 'Thank you.'

Then he raced off. 'Now all I have to do,' he said, 'is act like I had a hard time finding it.'

Master Roshi looked at the stone with a critical eye. Then he threw it back in Krillen's face, causing the boy to grip his head. 'Nice try, lamo, but that's not my handwriting! Now get out!'

'Sorry!' said Krillen as he fled out of the house in a panic.

He should have known better than to think he could put one over on Master Roshi. Racing to the cliff, he rushed down a detour he found and reached the bottom as he wandered around. 'Man, I'll never find anything in this jungle.' he said.

At that moment a tiger leaped out of the bushes, roaring as its claws reached for him. Krillen leaped into the air, avoiding its jaws before striking it on the neck. It fell unconscious. Landing behind it, he breathed out. 'Wow, that was close.'

Then he heard heavy footsteps echoing throughout the jungle. He hid in time for a massive dinosaur to move past him, crushing trees and bushes underfoot in the process. Krillen trembled as it went past. 'What… kind… of a jungle am I in?' he asked out loud.

At that moment, Chi Chi came through the trees, carrying the stone in hand. Krillen stared. 'How in the world did you find that, Chi Chi?'

'Kakarot found it, and then gave it to me.' said Chi Chi, beaming.

'Great.' said Krillen, before he came up with an idea. 'Wait a minute that stone doesn't have Master Roshi's handwriting on it.'

'Are you sure?' asked Chi Chi.

'Positive.' said Krillen. 'Kakarot must have given you a fake to get you to stop searching.'

'Kakarot would never do a thing like that!' snapped Chi Chi, and Krillen cowered.

'What I mean to say.' said Krillen, trying to avert her wrath. 'is that Kakarot was mistaken. He must have picked the wrong stone. Let me see.'

Chi Chi gave him the stone, and Krillen looked at it with an appraising eye. Then he turned and raced away, off into the forest.

'Hey!' called Chi Chi behind him. 'You're cheating! Give me back my stone!'

And she raced after him, and Krillen rushed with all the speed he could muster. 'I'm sorry Chi Chi, but I stole it fair and square.'

The chase led over a great chasm, crossed by a rope bridge. As Krillen rushed away, Chi Chi pursued him, having now broken down crying. Despite himself, Krillen felt guilty. In addition to feeling terrified of what would happen if Chi Chi caught him.

He turned and slashed with his hands the ropes, causing her to fall into the river below.

Krillen smirked and made his way onward at a leisurely pace. 'What a well-earned meal-'

'Hello, Krillen.' said Kakarot.

'Hi, Kakarot.' Krillen stopped as he realized Kakarot was standing right behind him. 'Oh…'

'You have exactly ten seconds to give back the stone before I strangle you, and tell Master Roshi the tigers got you.' said Kakarot in a calm, almost affable tone.

'I…' Krillen paused, beating off his fear. 'If you think you can just walk all over me, you're dead wrong!'

'Oh yes.' said Kakarot. 'Because you've demonstrated massive amounts of courage in the past. You didn't even have the guts to fight her for it, you just abused her trust and took it for yourself. Times up by the way.' He took a stance.

Summoning up his courage, Krillen rushed him. There was a brief flurry of blows before Krillen realized he was outmatched. Kakarot fought with untold savagery. He gained the upper hand, throwing Krillen to the ground. Then he pinned him as he punched him again and again, a vicious smile on his face. Finally, as Krillin lay dazed and bruised, Kakarot reached for Krillen's throat.

It was only in this moment that Krillen felt very sure that Kakarot had not been bluffing. He was dead serious.

'Stop it Kakarot!' came a scream.

Kakarot halted and looked up to see Chi Chi approaching him, having scaled the cloud. 'You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to strangle a fellow student of the Turtle School.'

'Oh come on,' said Kakarot, stepping backward. 'he dropped you off a cliff! You could have been killed.'

Krillin almost found himself pitying his would-be killer now that Chi Chi was looming over him. Kakarot looked afraid as she advanced. 'Two wrongs don't make a right.' said Chi Chi sternly. 'And you can't solve all your problems by killing people.'

'Alright, alright,' said Kakarot. 'I won't try and kill my fellow students anymore.'

'Good.' said Chi Chi, before turning her gaze to Krillen. 'Now, Krillen, I want my stone back.'

Krillen stood up, somewhat shakily, and had an idea. He withdrew the stone he had faked before, being sure not to show it to them. 'Alright then, go get it!' And he hurled it into the distance.

'You jerk!' snapped Chi Chi before rushing away.

Krillen, for his part, fled with all the speed he could muster. Kakarot stayed behind, looking contemplative as he sat down cross-legged.

Roshi looked at the stone carefully. 'Well, what do you know. Good job Krillen, you've redeemed yourself.'

'Yes,' said Krillen, 'Master, Kakarot is incredibly dangerous! We got into a fight over the stone, and he nearly killed me.' He paused, breathing.

'…Did he now,' said Roshi, 'well I'll be sure to give him a stern talking to when he gets in tonight. Even so, it takes two to tango, so maybe you should learn not to pick fights with your fellow students in the future. He won't be getting dinner tonight in any case.'

Krillen smiled despite himself. Victory was his.

Later Krillen and Roshi shared a good laugh as they sat down to one of Launch's delicious meals. They ate hungrily, digging in. Kakarot and Chi Chi had not returned at all that night. Despite himself, Krillen wondered if they were planning some kind of vengeance.

'Do you like it?' asked Launch.

'You bet.' said Roshi.

'Would you like some more to drink, Master Roshi?' asked Krillen, raising a bottle.

Roshi offered him his cup. 'Oh, ho, you read my mind.' He glanced to Launch. 'Well, I didn't know you were such a good cook Launch. Thank you very much.'

'Just thank the fish.' said Launch, prompting more laughter.

'Thank you, fish.' said Krillen.

'Yummy,' said Roshi, 'what's in this tasty stew?'

'Let's see,' said Launch 'what did that man call it? Oh yes, it's a puffer fish.'

There was utter silence as their hands stopped. They had been seconds away from taking another bite. Krillen looked up, terrified. 'P-pufferfish?'

Roshi dropped his chopsticks. 'But that's poisonous!'

They collapsed to the floor, retching miserably.

For his part, Kakarot did not know or care about what was happening. He had ditched Master Roshi and Krillen, then killed a deer and cooked it over a fire using his survival skills. Chi Chi was with him, a little ways away.

'So you know how to hunt and cook meat in the wilderness?' asked Chi Chi.

'Well I had to learn.' said Kakarot ruefully. 'My grandfather, I mean my master, taught me a lot about this kind of thing. I only perfected the art after he died, though.' He began to munch on the meat thoughtfully. 'You know, Chi Chi, there is a period of time I can't account for, back when Pilaf's castle was destroyed. I know I didn't fall asleep, so I must have been knocked unconscious. So why won't anyone tell me what happened?'

'Uh...' said Chi Chi, 'I wouldn't know, I didn't really have time to figure out what happened. What do you remember, exactly?' She didn't think it would be a good idea to reveal the truth to him. It might cause him to do some very bad things, and anyway it would probably break his heart.

'Well,' said Kakarot, 'it's all a blur really. I remember feeling very hungry and holding something warm in my hand. Then there was a scream, Bulma's I think, she has a unique scream, and I decided not to eat it. Was I dreaming? It was... weird.' He took another bite from his deer le and looked up at the stars far above. 'Have you ever looked up at the stars before Chi Chi?'

'Sometimes,' said Chi Chi, 'my papa taught me about the constellations. See that star up there, its the Makyo Star. It's drawing nearer and nearer to earth. Someday it will be close enough so we can see it in detail, and evil spirits will reign with far greater power.'

'How long are we talking?' asked Kakarot.

'Erm, ten to twenty years.' said Chi Chi. 'I don't really remember the lesson all that well.' She paused. 'Why the interest in stars, Kakarot?'

'...Because I think I came from them.' said Kakarot. 'My earliest memories are a blur. Gohan never told me much, only that he had found me in the woods. Yet every so often I get these... visions. I see visions of things that were, and sometimes things which haven't happened yet. And sometimes... sometimes I feel like some of them are looking back at me. Waiting for me.'

'That sounds terrible,' said Chi Chi, 'I'd hate to have my dreams looking back at me.'

Silence engulfed them as they waited. Waited for something, and Kakarot decided to lighten the mood a bit. 'I've been thinking about what you said before, about me not being able to solve all my problems by killing people. I think your right. See, even if I could kill Master Roshi, I wouldn't be able to get any stronger for it.'

'Well I guess that's a sort of progress.' said Chi Chi hopefully.

'So if I'm going to murder Krillen,' decided Kakarot, falling onto his back. 'I should wait until after Roshi has nothing more to teach me, and then get rid of him.'

'…Let's just call that a good start, and go to bed.' decided Chi Chi.

The next morning Chi Chi and Kakarot were all set for training. Unfortunately, Roshi and Krillen had to take the day off due to food poisoning, so they were on their own. Overall it had been a pretty good day.

Authors Note:

Holy crap, I just realized how vital Chi Chi is to this timeline. If Kakarot had gone to train at Master Roshi's on his own, Kakarot would have killed him. Its almost disturbing how psychotic Kakarot is below the surface. Oh to his friends he might seem just kind of a jerk, but God help you if he mildly dislikes you.

As for why I didn't address it in the chapter, Roshi probably thought Krillin was exaggerating. Also, this is Dragonball. A world where someone can be a planet-destroying maniac one minute, and a best friend the next. To say this world is irrational is putting it lightly.

We'll continue Kakarot's education in the art of being a moderately decent human being. Next time on Kakarot and the Quest for the Dragonballs.

Now on a separate note, I am aware that Goku turned out to be using bad shoes and so was allowed to beat Krillen at the race. But it wasn't a fair match. Krillen should have been given the same advantage of retaking the test with good shoes as well. One of the biggest problems with Dragonball is that Son Goku is never allowed to suffer failure. Or be exceeded in any way by his rivals after their initial meeting. The result is that there is a loss of suspense. So yeah, Krillen beat Kakarot's time in this version.

And yeah, I made Chi Chi do the best out of any of the students because have you seen her record? She barely fights, and barely trains. But she is still good enough to teach Goten enough for him to become a super Saiyan. If she actually did train, she'd probably be the strongest Earthling.

Also, thanks to Alias the Jester. He pointed out the potential inherent to having the rest of the gang in uncharted territory. In the original anime its filler which is quickly forgotten about. But your review gave me a good idea on how I could make Yamcha stronger. How much stronger is anyone's guess. I hope Nam didn't seem out of character; I haven't watched his episodes in a while.

Also, writing Chi Chi is difficult, because we never see much of her in situations like this one. In Dragonball its all humorous romantic misunderstandings until the end. While in Dragonball z its all conflicts over how to raise Gohan.