Chapter 18: The Turtle Hermit Way

The morning came early for the four students. Kakarot pulled himself up to watch the sun rising over the glittering ocean anyway. 'When I destroy this world,' he said to himself, 'I will be sure to leave the scenic views unmarred.'

Then four o'clock came around, and they all began to do their tasks. It was ferrying milk shipments to everyone on the island who needed it. As they did so, it began to get easier, though it was still hard work. Even so, doing a task that was meant to be done by helicopter was by no means a simple one. Convenience, it seemed, was not the M.O of Turtle Hermit training.

They zigzagged through trees to test agility. They struggled up mountain steps to test endurance. The latter part was a resource that Krillen and Launch did not have quite as much of as Chi Chi and Kakarot. Even so, none of them were quitting. In the tests of balance, they made their way over dangerous mountains. Here Launch seemed to fair better than the others, having a good sense of balance. The training was hard and only got harder. Even so, Kakarot was certain that he was getting stronger as a result.

The important thing was to keep moving.

For across the world martial artists trained for the World Martial Arts. They had only a few short months. All of them prepared themselves with the common goal of achieving a single desire. The title of strongest man alive.

Yamcha stood before a tree. The tree was tall as a mountain, and wider than the largest man alive could reach around with their arms. Or so it seemed to him, as he stood there in a stance, focusing his power. The wolf fang fist was not just a punch kick combo. It was focusing of all his power into a single burst — an onslaught of assaults which would be used to strike down his enemies.

Then he began to run. He felt the feral nature of the wolf in his limbs as he summoned his inner strength and passed the tree by. Moments later he turned around, as the tree's midsection was reduced to splinters. The top landed hard on the ground.

Breathing hard, he calmed himself.

'Way to go Yamcha!' called Bulma from where she was watching.

'You can do it!' cried Puar.

'Kakarot is learning under one of the finest martial arts masters of all time.' said Yamcha. 'If I am going to beat him, I have to make sure I advance at least at the same rate he is. I can't afford to rest, I've got to focus.'

Later Yamcha was doing pushups, with weights on top of his back. Each one weighed almost fifty pounds. Up and down he went, as sweat dripped down his body. His arms were shaking as he continued, pushing himself onward.

'456, 457, 458, 459, 460,' counted Puar.

He collapsed.

'We can stop now if you want.' said Puar.

'Oh come on Yamcha,' said Bulma, 'you'll never beat Kakarot if you can't do at least 500. He breaks boulders as early morning exercise.'

Yamcha forced himself up and continued to push himself.

Once again, the morning was over, and the group had succeeded in achieving their goal, if only barely.

'We made it…' painted Kakarot.

'I… I want to rest…'

'No amount of money is worth this…' said Launch.

'L-look on the bright side…' said Chi Chi, 'we've got the whole day ahead of us.'

'Oh please,' said Roshi, 'that run was only early morning exercise. Now it's time for mid-morning exercise. You're going to try your hands at agriculture.' Then he turned and motioned to a farmer working a field. 'For that man over there.'

'Agri-what?' said Kakarot.

'Sort of like farming.' explained Chi Chi.

'How is farming going to make us stronger?' asked Launch as she stood. 'Never mind, I don't want to know. Let's get this over with.'

'Excuse me, sir,' said Roshi to the man. A conversation passed between them.

'Of course Master Roshi,' said the man, 'sure, that's fine.'

'Thanks,' said Roshi, 'they will be so happy.' He turned back to them. 'Come on, boys, time to get dirty!'

'First, we're the milk men,' said Krillen, 'and now we're stinking farmers. We never did this at Orin Temple.' Everyone else moved forward without a word. 'Hey, wait for me!'

They picked up their tools, while the farmer sat down. 'I think I'll just supervise.'

Picking up the hoes, they prepared to dig in.

'Hold on there,' said Roshi, 'don't use the tools. This exercise is for the strength and dexterity of your hands. So, of course, it won't work unless it's done bare handed.'

They looked up in dismay. 'Like with our fingers?' whined Krillen.

'You betcha,' said Roshi. Kakarot looked at his hands and sighed, while Launch slumped visibly.

Krillen and Kakarot were good at digging. They dug swiftly, groaning and hating the sensation of the dirt and mud on their hands, but swiftly. Meanwhile, Launch and Chi Chi faired far worse. In a large part because they were reluctant to get their hands dirty. They advanced behind, ending up falling behind the others. When Chi Chi realized she was lagging, however, she sped up her pace.

Launch faired the worst and was unable to keep up with them. Instead, she swore without end. She carved through the dirt with her hands as she muttered and cursed everything under the sun. It was obvious that she was already regretting her choice to take up this training. But she was too proud to admit defeat at this stage.

'Beautiful day, isn't it?' asked Roshi as he and the farmer watched them work.

'Yes, it is.' said the farmer.

Krillen stopped and looked at his nails. 'My fingernails are gone.' he said in despair.

'So, ready to quit Krillen?' asked Roshi.

'No.' said Krillen, before continuing his work.

To Roshi's surprise, Launch did not complain at all. In fact if anything she seemed to grow steadily more determined and furious and sped up a bit.

'I gotta say,' said the farmer, 'your students work like tractors.'

Little by little, the fields and hills began to be covered in trenches of their making. As the minutes passed by, a bird flew above, singing. Roshi blew a smoke ring in satisfaction as he watched things go by. Finally, the four came before him, covered in dirt, and exhausted as they stood before them panting.

'Master Roshi…' said Kakarot.

'Stop with the tingling…' said Krillen.

'This… this had better be worth it old man…' said Launch in a dead tone.

'…we're finished.' said Chi Chi.

Roshi surveyed their accomplishment with satisfaction and a certain amount of pride. 'Hmm, that's excellent work students. But you must learn to move faster. The amount of land you till will increase every day. Now, who wants breakfast?'

'…We're going to have to catch it for ourselves or something aren't we?' asked Kakarot in despair.

'Give me a chicken, and I'll eat it raw.' said Krillen.

'Miserable, no good, rotten, stupid kid. Convincing me to take this freaking training…' muttered Launch.

'I do.' said Chi Chi, trying to stay cheerful, despite her exhausted state.

'Let's go out to eat.' said Roshi.

In a nearby village, they went to a restaurant, and there fell upon the food they ordered like rabid dogs. Plate after plate was used and set aside. Then the group would turn and ask for more food, and the restaurant would comply. No one spoke much, instead, they focused on inhaling as much food as possible.

The nail was set in, so the blackboard hung above them on a tree. Kakarot looked at the books in his hand, perplexed, before looking to the others. None of them knew what to make of this either. Roshi turned to face them.

'Each day from now on, we'll be hitting the books until after lunch time.' the Master explained. 'A strong body is pointless unless you know how to use it. And that takes brainpower. First thing, literature, Kakarot start by reading.'

It was boring. Really boring, and only Chi Chi seemed to have any fun with it. Launch sneezed at some point, and her blue self-proved far better at it than them. Even Master Roshi seemed to find it dull. Finally, the old man stood. 'Maybe it's time we had lunch.'

'Finally,' said Kakarot.

At 12:30 PM, they set out hammocks and lay down in them to rest. 'Yes,' said Rossi 'we'll spend this hour on good old fashioned napping. Work hard, study hard, and eat and sleep plenty. That's the turtle hermit way to learn.'

'Hey master.' said Kakarot.

'Whats up?' asked Roshi.

'Are you certain there will be strong warriors at this tournament we're in?' asked Kakarot.

'Oh you bet,' said Roshi, 'this tournament is like a magnet for all the really strong fighters across the globe.'

'So the one who emerges victorious will be the strongest in the world.' said Kakarot. 'Nobody could stop him?'

'Well not necessarily nobody.' said Roshi, giving him a look. 'Not everyone shows up each round. But they would be up there.'

'I can't wait.' said Krillen.

'Some people spend their whole lives training. Just to make it through the qualifying round.' reflected Roshi.

'Well, I'm gonna do more than that!' boated Blonde Launch. 'I'll win it, and become the most feared bandit ever to live!'

'Could you do me the decency of pretending you paid attention to my speech about why we fight?' asked Roshi in resignation.

'Oh,' said Launch, 'right, uh… sorry. I mean to say, I'll... huge kittens and... uh...'

'Nevermind,' said Roshi, 'I'm sorry I asked.'

'So what if, while we're lying in our hammocks, someone else is training to become stronger than us?' asked Kakarot. 'How can we know?'

'The truth Kakarot,' said Roshi, 'is that we can't know. But I think you'll find that even the strongest warriors need their shut-eye.'

It was in this moment that Kakarot admitted, really admitted the truth to himself. 'Master Roshi is far older and wiser than I am, and far more powerful. For all his appearance of fear, I don't think Launch could have really hurt him with all the guns in the world.

'Exceeding him may be my greatest accomplishment.'

Yamcha was not resting. He didn't have time for rest. His initial enthusiasm for getting stronger had become almost an obsession. He worked endlessly on various machines to round out his weak spots. He stood atop great poles for hours on end to enhance his balance. He practiced his stances constantly, sometimes from morning to night.

He rarely, if ever, rested for more than a few minutes. And though it was fascinating to watch him work, Bulma began to be concerned. 'Yamcha, don't you think you are taking this a bit too seriously?'

He halted in his efforts, breathing hard and looked up. 'Well that's just it, isn't it. Every second I'm not training, someone else out there is getting stronger. If I'm going to win this tournament, I need to be the strongest in the world.'

'It's eight months away, champ.' said Bulma with a smile. 'Nobodies going to care if you take an hour to rest.'

'If you don't,' said Pua,r 'you might injure yourself.'

For a moment, Yamcha remained silent. 'Alright, you got me. Let's take a break.'

The break lasted more than an hour, of course, but no one really minded.

Then Yamcha got back to work.

I t was a construction yard, where many men and machines were working. Kakarot and the others gazed around them in fascination. Though Launch didn't seem particularly interested. She stood with her arms crossed, while Chi Chi kept flexing her hands nervously.

'And this will be your mid-afternoon training.' said Roshi. 'Construction work helps with balance and muscle size. And it can earn you students some extra dollars on the side.'

'If I wanted money, I'd just rob a bank.' said Launch. 'Ow!'

Chi Chi had elbowed her, and their gazes met before Launch looked away. 'I mean yes, master.'

A man in a construction hat approached them. 'You sure these kids can work? They look a little weak for pickaxes.'

Cla-clink

'You want to come over here and say that to my face, bub?' snarled Launch, motioning with a machine gun.

'Uh… no.' said the construction worker fearfully.

'…Where did you even get that?' asked Roshi. 'I thought we disarmed you.'

'I always keep a spare.' said Launch.

Roshi put out one hand and looked at her sternly. Reluctantly, Launch gave him the gun. Then Roshi turned back to the construction worker. 'Sorry about that, some of them are a bit rough around the edges. Just you wait though, once you see these ones work you'll want to pay them five times the typical salary.'

'Five times?!' cried the man. 'You must think I'm a fool!'

'Yeah, that is an accurate assessment of our opinion of you.' said Kakarot.

'Shut up Kakarot,' said Krillen.

'Let's wait until you see them before you decide that.' said Roshi, unfazed, as he raised his staff. 'Start digging boys!'

'Do we… still, have to use our bare hands?' asked Krillen.

'Not this time, Krillen.' said Roshi in a sympathetic tone. 'Just no power tools okay.'

'Well, this sounds fun.' said Kakarot.

Using shovels, they dug great pits in the earth single-handed. With wheelbarrows, they pushed great loads of earth too and fro. The work men watched their efforts with awe. By hand, they outdid steamrollers to the shock of the others.

'What are they?' asked the construction worker.

'Turn up the motor students, or you'll never make it to the tournament!' cried Roshi.

It was a simple motivation, but it worked like a charm. The group now worked even faster than before, and everyone around them had to get out of the way or be run down. They dug ever faster and outdid the work of dump trucks ten times their size.

As he worked, Krillen found himself beginning to tire. 'Stay with it, old buddy.' he said. 'Stay with it until you can beat them.'

He remembered the Orin Temple. Being thrown across the dojo to land with a crash, as his opponent towered over him. 'Okay… you win.' he had said.

'Your such a miserable runt!' scoffed his opponent. 'I can't believe the master wastes his time on you!'

'Come on, little Krillin,' said another, 'don't you want to fight?'

One of them surged forward and kicked Krillen in the face, sending him reeling. 'Oh look, he almost dodged it.'

One of them began to pat him on the head condescendingly. 'Don't worry; there is always the circus.'

Krillin was punched across the room to land with a crash.

'So that's why the master kept him. He makes such an excellent punching bag!'

Everyone laughed. That was what he remembered most, the laughter. He was at best beneath notice, at worst a prime target for bullying. It made his blood boil.

Back in the present Krillin began to hit the ground with a pickaxe. He made such relentless strokes that it snapped at the haft. It went flying to land right near the construction worker.

Kakarot stared in confusion at what was happening.

'Alright! Alright!' he cried. 'I'll pay you whatever wage you want for them!'

The spiky-haired child shrugged. 'Nice work Krillen, you just got us a raise.'

'Uh… what?' said Krillen, broken from his memories. 'I mean yes, of course, I did. I mean to do that all along. Just as planned.'

Later by a sparkling blue lake, Master Roshi stood before his students. 'After the sweat you students worked up I'm having you jump in the lake.'

Krillin's eyes widened, though no one was nearly as surprised. 'You mean, there is more?'

'Of course,' said Roshi, 'isn't the sun still up?'

'Okay that's it,' said Kakarot, 'I know I'm not going to like the answer, but I have to ask. When are you going to start teaching us fighting moves?'

'Yeah,' said Launch, 'I didn't sign up to deliver milk and dig holes!'

'Now don't get jumpy!' shouted Roshi. 'There are certain basics you need when learning martial arts and you boys aren't there yet!' Then he motioned to a nearby boulder that towered over them. 'Now I would be delighted to teach you the basics of martial arts just as soon as you're strong enough to move this rock.'

'What!' said Launch.

'What?' said Krillen. 'Move that thing?! Well, I don't mean any disrespect master, but that impossible!'

'It's not impossible.' said Kakarot. 'A friend of mine punched me through three mountains once. They weren't much bigger than that one.'

'Kakarot is right,' said Roshi, 'observe.'

Then he turned and faced the rock, pressing his hands against it. For a few moments, nothing happened as Roshi groaned. Then the rock began to shift, leaving a trench behind it as Roshi pushed it onwards. Then he looked up. 'Impossible is it? Well if you two stop complaining and stick to my program, one day you'll be able to do this too!'

'Yes master.' said Krillen, while Kakarot turned and walked away.

Roshi looked to where Kakarot began to press against another nearby rock of similar size. Roshi sighed. 'Now why do I get the feeling that you missed the entire point of my lecture Kakarot.'

And then the rock shifted, moving through the dirt little by little as Kakarot pressed against it. Before long he was moving it forward by sheer brute strength until at last, it was perhaps twenty feet along.

'Go Kakarot!' cried Chi Chi, jumping in enthusiasm.

Kakarot turned to face Roshi. 'Okay, can you teach us now?'

There was silence. 'Krillen wants everybody to know he's speechless right now.' said Krillen finally.

Roshi began to laugh while sweating slightly. 'Ahahahahahaha! Well, that's my mistake! Guess I was in such a hurry that I pushed the wrong rock!'

'Really?' asked Kakarot.

'Yeah,' said Roshi, 'I mean anyone and his great grandmother could push a rock of that size!' He looked around and rushed for another rock. This one was towering more than twenty times as tall as Master Roshi, and many times thicker. 'There! That's the rock I meant! Once you move that, then you are ready for martial arts!'

'Wow,' said Chi Chi, 'Kakarot, I don't think even you could lift that.'

Kakarot raised an eyebrow. 'Yeah, okay, I'm game.' And he made his way forward.

He shoved it, and pushed it, and hauled on it with all his might for minutes on end. Yet he could make no difference in it. Finally, he leaned against it, exhausted. 'Master Roshi, it just won't move.'

'Naturally son,' said Roshi, 'that all comes with dedicated training.'

'Okay Roshi,' said Kakarot, beginning to get annoyed, 'you move it.'

'C'mon master,' said Krillen, 'let us see!'

'Yeah, let's see the great Master Roshi prove he's not full of it.' said Launch sarcastically.

Roshi stepped forward and began sizing the rock up, standing with his hands behind his back. He raised and lowered his eyebrows a few times. 'Hmm, hmm,' he looked up at the sky as the sunlight glinted off his sunglasses.

Then he turned around. 'What do you say we go do some uh… training! The clock is ticking, you know! '

Roshi provided the four of them with bathing suits. Kakarot reflected that Launch looked very good in hers. Then they stood by the edge of the lake, and Roshi motioned across it with his staff. 'Now I want you all to swim ten laps okay! And try not to splash each other in the eyes!'

'Well that's quite a relief.' said Krillen 'Some easy stuff at last.'

'You do know that you're setting yourself up for disappointment, don't you?' asked Kakarot.

'Let me have my dreams.' said Krillen.

'Ready, set, swim!'

And they dove into the water, cutting through it as they rushed to the other side. Launch, as it turned out, didn't look good in swimwear. She was also was the best at swimming because she shot ahead of them in moments. Kakarot and Krillen were next, while Chi Chi had a great deal of trouble keeping up.

'Do you think Master Roshi is rewarding us for good behavior?' asked Krillen.

'You'd better watch out students!' called Roshi. 'There are some big fish in there!'

'To answer your question, Krillen.' said Kakarot. 'No, no, I do not think that.'

'What kind of big fish?' called back Krillen.

'Sharks mostly.' said Roshi.

'…I don't think sharks are fish.' said Chi Chi with a puzzled expression.

'Actually, they are,' said Kakarot, 'see their entire skeleton is composed of cartilage.' There was silence. 'What? I read one of Master Roshi's books.' He paused. 'We'd better start swimming.'

And then a massive shark head emerged from the water, set on devouring them.

And that was how they found themselves pursued by hungry sharks. Krillen reached the edge and turned around.

'That's not a lap, Krillen.' said Roshi. 'You forgot to touch the other side of the shore!'

'Are you kidding me?!' cried Krillen. He swum under the water and circling around the shark, which turned to chase after him.

Finally, they reached the other side and pulled themselves up. 'At least we're safe.'

And then the T-Rex showed up. They made a run for it.

'Hey!' called Roshi. 'You haven't finished swimming!'

Desperate they leaped into the water and swam for their lives. 'This is ridiculous!' said Kakarot.

Meanwhile, Roshi watched with amusement. Launch had not bothered to get up on the shore and had been swimming back and forth with ease. 'Now that's what I call motivation.' reflected Roshi, admiring Launch's curves.

Finally, the four of them finished their efforts and got out onto the shore, breathing heavily. Roshi stood before them proudly. 'Good job boys, are you ready for the next lesson?'

Roshi tied all four of them to a tree with a rope around their waist. They could only move so far before being pulled back. 'This lesson will test your reflexes and dodging speed.'

'Why is the rope necessary?' asked Kakarot.

'Sometimes, when fighting, we get cornered,' said Roshi, 'and must dodge the enemy in a limited space. You see? Good luck men.' Then he crept slowly towards the edge of the tree.

'That makes sense,' said Chi Chi, 'but what are we dodging Master Roshi?'

Then Kakarot saw the beehive. Then Master Roshi hit the beehive and ran like hell. And out came the bees in tremendous fury.

'Concentrate hard, and you won't get stung!' cried Master Roshi from behind a rock.

The results were unpleasant.

'Don't just run, dodge!' cried Roshi. 'Dodge!'

'You miserable old bastard, you'll pay for this!' cried Launch.

The only consolation was that Roshi was soon attacked by the bees as well. Soon he was just as miserable as everyone else.

Finally, they stood before Roshi. They were covered in bee stings. Their fingernails were ruined. And their bodies exhausted. Their minds weren't better off. Roshi, who had only gotten stung once, was chipper. 'Well obviously we'll have to work on your dodging ability.' said Roshi. 'The good news is that you've completed your first day of training.'

'Master,' said Krillin, 'please tell me that our training isn't going to be this difficult every single day.'

'Why do you ask questions when you already know the answer?' asked Kakarot miserably.

'Of course, it's going to be the same.' said Launch.

'Actually, it's not.' said Roshi. 'It will be much more difficult.' Then he picked up four giant shells. 'For the next few months, you are going to be doing exactly the same training as today. But you'll be doing it with these stylish fifty-pound turtle shells!'

Everyone fell down and wished to die at that very moment.

The building that loomed above them was a tall and square one, that looked to have once been a warehouse. It was built in a neighborhood which Bulma didn't like the look of one bit, and at the door was a giant of a man with a metal pipe. He eyed Yamcha in suspicion. 'You here for the fight?'

'Yeah,' said Yamcha, 'that a problem?'

'Just make sure you're tough enough for it.' said the man. 'This isn't a backyard playground kid.'

'I can handle myself.' said Yamcha.

'Fine,' said the man 'I'll let you in then.' And he opened the door, and beyond they saw a long hall with several doors alongside it, and a single door at the end.

As they walked in, Bulma felt a bit uncomfortable the way the guard eyed her. 'Are you sure about this Yamcha? This place doesn't look so safe.'

'It isn't,' admitted Yamcha, 'look just stick close to me, and Puar and you'll be fine.'

'That's right,' said Puar, 'nobody in this place is strong enough to take on Yamcha.'

'Don't have to tell me twice.' said Bulma.

They reached the door at the end, and Yamcha opened it into a great fighting arena of white stone. It was surrounded by tan seats and many cheering competitors. Bulma saw at the far end of the ring three men. The first was a boy around Yamcha's age, with three eyes and no shirt. He was very muscular, and if it weren't for the bald head, Bulma might have found him attractive. With him was a small childlike entity, who with pale skin and red marks on his cheeks and was clad in green. He was speaking with a bent old man with sunglasses, and he too was clad in green. Last, of all, there was a man clad in a pink and black outfit, with the words 'Kill you' written on the back. His face was unshaven, and he had a very familiar face.

'That's…' Bulma faltered as horror came over her, 'that's Mercenary Tao! Yamcha, you can't fight Mercenary Tao, he'll kill you for sure! The man is so dangerous that no policeman dares arrest him. He doesn't even have to hide what he does, he just kills people, and no one dares punish him.'

'Relax,' said Yamcha, 'I'm not fighting Mercenary Tao. I'm fighting his brother's student.'

Bulma breathed a sigh of relief. 'Wait, he has a brother?'

'He's called the Crane Hermit,' said Yamcha ruefully, 'supposedly he's a big-time rival to Master Roshi. I figure if I fight one of his students, I'll have a better idea of what I'm going to be up against when I fight Kakarot.'

Bulma shuddered. 'Yamcha, this is a bad idea.'

They reached the side of the ring, and the announcer stepped up. 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another thrilling match in the underground arena! Today we have two terrifying forces of nature! Two legends pitted against one another in a no holds barred fight to the finish! In the one corner, the brutal prodigy himself! The star student of the Crane School of Martial Arts, Tien Shinhan!'

Tien stepped up onto the ring and began to stretch. Something about his bearing screamed 'murder.'

Yamcha took a few breaths, calming his nerves. He'd had a bad feeling about this from the very moment he first began, but it was too late to back out now. His pride wouldn't allow him to run from a fight. So he waited for the cheers to die down, as the announcer prepared to call him up.

'In the other corner! A legendary bandit who was raised in the wilds, a man more at home with savage beasts than with people! Yamcha the Desert Bandit!'

Yamcha climbed up, a little annoyed at how much the crowd seemed to love it if their cheering was any indication. 'I'm retired from that job, actually. I switched careers to martial artist.' Then he turned his attention to Tien, who regarded him. Did he remember?

'You seem familiar,' said Tien, 'didn't you try to rob the train I was on a year ago? What makes you think you'll stand a chance now?'

'I succeeded in robbing that train in case you've forgotten.' said Yamcha. 'Just because you could have stopped me doesn't mean you did.' Admittedly he hadn't held on to the loot very long.

'What's Yamcha talking about?' asked Bulma.

'Long story, we'll tell you later.' said Puar quickly.

'Is that your girlfriend behind you?' asked Tien in amusement. 'It was probably a good idea to bring her. I doubt that cat could have helped you limp off with all the broken bones you'll have by the end of this.'

'Big talk, three eyes.' said Yamcha, taking a stance. 'Care to back it up?'

'It'll be all too easy.' said Tien as he took a stance as well.

'The rules are simple,' said the announcer, 'you fight until one of you taps out or is thrown out of the ring. Management is not responsible for any death or maiming that may occur.' He then proceeded to run with all his might out of the ring and hide behind a chair. 'Begin!'

Both fighters rushed each other. They met halfway, engaging in a brutal flurry of blows in which both of them took hits. Yamcha got Tien across the face, but Tien, in turn, kneed him in the gut before bashing him over the head. Yamcha fell down but rolled away before Tien could slam him with a foot. The ex-bandit moved to kick the triclop's legs out from under him.

They both got distance from each other and then surged forward. In the next round, Tien faired better with vicious blows that sent Yamcha. He was nearing the edge. Tien then swung a high kick at the former bandits face. Yet Yamcha ducked and dealt him a palm to the chest that sent Tien stumbling back.

'Come on, you can do it Yamcha!' cried Bulma. 'Knock him out of the ring!'

The two fighters circled each other, looking for an opening. Then Yamcha surged forward. 'Wolf fang fist!'

Tien's arms moved in a blur as he repelled the assault, without taking a single hit. Yet, even so, Tien was driven gradually back, until finally, he stood at the edge of the ring. Realizing he was at the edge, Tien lashed out with a kick. It drove Yamcha back to the opposite side and nearly lost his balance in the process. He hid the fact well, but Bulma noticed it, and so, apparently, did his Master.

'Tien!' snapped Mercenary Tao. 'You are disgracing your school! This petty bandit should be nothing to you! Get rid of him, I don't care how!'

For the first time since Bulma had seen him, Tien looked afraid. 'Yes, Master, of course!'

The triclops raised one finger and pointed it at Yamcha. 'Dodon Ray!'

A beam of yellow light shot forth from Tien's hand, surging towards Yamcha who rolled away just in time. The shot flew out of the ring, and hit some unoccupied seats, blowing them to pieces in the process. The crowd went silent as Yamcha rose up.

'Are you insane?!' said Yamcha. 'What if you had hit someone!'

'If you care so much about innocent bystanders,' said Tien raising his hand, 'then stop dodging!' Then he turned his hand to point straight at Bulma. 'Dodon ray!' A beam of light surged from his finger.

It was as if some power within him had been unleashed. Suddenly it didn't matter if there was no way he could block the beam in time with his speed. It didn't matter if he was killed in the process. Yamcha moved on instinct to protect his pack.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the beam shot towards Bulma, who felt her legs stepping back in shock. It inched across time and space towards her, and she knew she would never be able to dodge it. She wasn't a fighter like Yamcha, after all.

Then Yamcha surged in front of her, raising his hands into a defensive posture. The shot connected. An aura of something, Bulma wasn't quite sure what, seemed to surround Yamcha, keeping the power of Tien at bay. Then there was a brilliant explosion.

When the light faded, Yamcha was still standing. But he quickly fell to one knee, breathing heavily. His shirt had been half burned away, and blood was on his lip as Tien approached.

'Not so smug now are you?' asked Tien looming over him. 'Your nothing compared to a student of the crane school-'

Then Yamcha surged forward with a feral roar, and he suddenly looked more like a wolf than a man. A fist was driven hard into Tien's gut so that he doubled over. Yamcha then arose over him and slammed a double-fisted assault onto Tien's back. It sent him into the ring so hard that it cracked. Then stooping low, Yamcha picked him up with two hands and hurled him out of the ring to crash onto the floor. Tien crashed into the seats of the audience. They jeered as he staggered up, glaring at Yamcha hatefully.

Then the crowd broke into deafening cheers so that it hurt the ears to listen to them. For her part, Bulma remained dead silent, as she realized how close to death she had come. Puar was also silent, and Bulma reflected that the cat would have also been caught in the crossfire.

Yamcha stepped down, looking a bit unsteady. 'You were right Bulma; this was a really stupid idea of mine. Are you alright?'

'Yeah,' said Bulma, 'thanks to you.'

'You wouldn't have gotten into this mess if I hadn't dragged you out here.' reflected Yamcha bitterly. 'Let's get out of here.'

'It was my choice to come.' said Bulma, resolutely.

They made their way out, and as they did saw Tien Shinhan bowing before his master, a look of fear in his eyes. 'I… I am sorry master if I hadn't gotten overconfident-'

'You would have won.' finished Mercenary Tao. 'As it is, you lost. You disappoint me Tien, and your training will reflect that.' Then he looked up with a piercing look to where Yamcha was standing. 'Be seeing you, bandit.'

Bulma's blood went cold. 'Let's get the hell out of here.' she said, very afraid.

They all but ran out, making their way out of the neighborhood. When they were a few blocks away, and it became apparent that Mercenary Tao was not pursuing them right away. Yamcha fell down, breathing heavily, before rising up again. 'It's fine; I'm all right.'

'No it's not alright, Mr!' snapped Bulma. 'I was worried to death! We are going to go to a hospital, and you are going to get looked at by doctors!'

'But my training-' began Yamcha.

'Now!'

In the end, Yamcha was remarkably unscathed. He had some bad burns on his arms and chest, but it was nothing that would not heal in a few weeks. Bulma was quite relieved. However, Yamcha looked outright disturbed.

'I just realized something,' said Yamcha in horror. 'I just made an enemy of Mercenary Tao. If I don't get strong enough to win the World Martial Arts Tournament, I'm a dead man!'

He raced off to train more, while Bulma and Puar watched him run faster than they were aware it was possible to run. 'Well at least he's motivated,' reflected Puar.

'It's going to be impossible to get him to take a break now.' reflected Bulma sadly.

Author's Note:

Good news everyone, we're just about done with the training arc. Soon enough we'll get to the World Martial Arts Tournament. And boy, do we have some wonderful divergences for you to enjoy coming up!

After that first chapter, I figured for sure that Kakarot and Krillin would be enemies. But I guess nothing makes a fire-forged friendship like having to put up with Roshi's training.

On a separate note, the fight with Tien is one which I have been thinking about for awhile. And that scene may seem like it's just a cameo, but it's actually very important for Tien's development. See, Yamcha and Kakarot are going to end up a lot stronger than in canon, so I need a reason for Tien to be much stronger.

As for why Yamcha beat Tien, it's my theory that Tien never exceeded Mercenary Tao until after his death. Once Goku killed him off, Tien undertook training from an even deeper level of hell. He got much stronger and developed all his cool techniques.

Secondly, I would like to say that if Tien had done a fair fight, he would have eventually won. It's just that because he targeted Bulma and Puar, Yamcha went into an unstoppable rage. Also, Yamcha took him off guard. That combined with the fact that Tien has only just learned the Dodon ray, all resulted in Tien losing the fight.

Now then, I need to address a particular comment in the reviews section which I found offensive. It's at the top of the comments section as of this writing. I'd PM 'Guest' to respond privately, but they haven't had the guts to leave an address to PM.

Okay, first of all, about the only relevant ones being Vegeta, Trunks, Goku, and Gohan. THIS IS DRAGONBALL! NOT DRAGONBALL Z! Vegeta doesn't even know Earth exists yet! Trunks and Gohan have yet to be born! And as for no one else being relevant, have you watched the show? Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and all the rest all have their own awesome moments which are important to the story. It's true they diminish in power once Vegeta becomes a regular. But they are good characters in their own right.

As for focusing on side characters, I'm not focusing on side characters. Yamcha and Bulma are main characters at this point. And people DO care about them. The host of positive reviews speaks for itself!

You claim the storyline hasn't changed at all, but it has! The story line is changing in many small and not so small ways. All as a result of Kakarot's different personality. It has already changed a great deal. The characters got a wish on the dragon. Chi Chi and Launch are becoming fighters. Yamcha is training to get stronger at a far greater rate. And it's going to change even more as things go on. Plans are coming to fruition which will result in a different end scenario.

Also if Kakarot actually went dark, he would be dead and somehow still killed Gohan. Yamcha would have killed him because he would never have learned Martial Arts from Gohan. And that assuming he even got that far. Anyone who's done their research knows that Kakarot had a power level of two. The Saiyans were sending him to die, with no expectation that he might win.

The entire point is that Kakarot realized this. He realized he wasn't strong enough to destroy the world. So he has chosen to stay off the radar until he is powerful enough. Hijinks ensue. I am willing to go dark with this story, but I will write it the way I want to.

Anyway, that's my response to a, particularly impolite review. I kind of needed to vent, to be honest.