Foreword: I tried a more "Next time on Dragon Ball Z" approach to ending the previous chapter and would like to know what you think, should I keep doing it? Should I go back to simply ending chapters with the phrase "Some Help"? Tell me what you think by using the review section.
Bansuri prefered the training he did with his father, the adrenaline rush, the high speed decision making and problem solving, the feeling of landing a strong hit. What Bansuri enjoyed the most about this training? The feeling of hitting his physical limits and pushing past them, growing stronger from it. Bansuri was pretty sure his father felt the same way, given the smile on his face despite the heavy kick to the stomach that launched him into a rockface.
True, the training he did with Fortuneteller Baba taught Bansuri an array of interesting techniques like travel between the living world and the afterlife and altering the properties of areas, but magic training lacked a certain pressure that combat training had in spades. A comparison that came to mind for Bansuri was the difference between meditating and fighting, they both helped him as a fighter just in different ways.
A strong axe kick sent Bansuri careening to the ground, only for him to land on his feet and launch back up at his father delivering an uppercut style punch to the gut which was followed by a point-blank concussive energy blast from the same hand that landed the punch, launching Piccolo upwards with his response being to rain down energy blasts of his own.
'Nothing like a workout to help perk you up in the morning, beats coffee by a mile' Bansuri thought as he dodged the projectiles flying at him and remembering the stuff Fortuneteller Baba used to help her wake up. He recalled trying it and deciding to stick to physical activity with a nice drink of cool water to wake up. He definately didn't grimmace at the taste.
"Head in the fight Bansuri!" Piccolo shouted, spotting his student's thoughts going off to an unrelated tangent and throwing a right hook punch at Bansuri only for him to block both the punch and the following elbow strike, pushing Piccolo back and flying back a bit to get some distance.
"I'm still in the fight Father" Bansuri said, getting a huff from Piccolo.
"Only physically kid, your mind was on something else. Care to enlighten me what you could be thinking about in a fight that could take a limb from a single mistake?" Piccolo asked Bansuri.
"Coffee" Bansuri simply stated, earning a comical look of confusion from Piccolo.
"C-coffee?!" Piccolo parroted in disbelief, which Bansuri simply nodded at.
A moment of silence passed with Piccolo staring at his son dumbfounded and Bansuri looking back with a completely neutral expression. Piccolo took a slow deep breath and tried to recompose himself.
"Bansuri, you're a good fighter and an excellent training partner, but please focus on the fight. I'd rather you didn't lose a fight and/or your life because your thoughts drifted to something unrelated" Piccolo asked and almost begged earning a nod from his son.
"I understand Father. Thank you for the advice" Bansuri said, making Piccolo feel relief.
"No problem" Piccolo answered with a smirk.
"May I offer some advice also?" Bansuri asked, peaking Piccolo's interest.
"Oh? And what's the advice?" Piccolo questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't try coffee. It tastes awful" Bansuri answered.
Piccolo facepalmed, absently wondering how the other fighters training was going and calling an end to the current sparring session for meditation.
Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha stood on the Lookout in front of Kami and watched as the Guardian of Earth chuckled to himself yet again, as though watching a rather funny TV show. This had been happing at various times pretty commonly for the past four months during their training and none of them were really sure how to approach the elder Namekian about this. Sure the training was doing wonders for their strength, but hearing someone quietly titter to themselves was a bit concerning, especially since Kami would act like nothing had happened after.
"Maybe he's startin' to lose it, he is like 300 or somethin' right?" Yamcha piped up, making the others torn between calling him out on insulting the "God" of Earth or agreeing with the assessment.
"Worry not, Kami is simply viewing the training between Piccolo and Bansuri" Popo answered, easing the worries of Kami going senile but raising another question.
"Who's Bansuri?" Krillin asked, catching the new name slightly quicker than the others.
"Bansuri is Piccolo's son, a surprisingly comedic one might I add" Kami interjected, earing shocked looks from the humans.
"His Son!?"
The humans all shouted in unison with Kami nodding with a smile that was a slight wince at the volume.
"Indeed. Piccolo spat out Bansuri's egg just after the World Tournament he lost to Goku in, making Bansuri around 5 or 6 years old. They've been training together for quite a while and Piccolo's evil has diminished considerably" Kami explained patiently.
"Wait, if the kid's 6 how's he training with Piccolo?" Yamcha asked and before Kami could answer.
"Piccolo was like 3 when he fought in the World Tournament and he looked way older, maybe this new kid is similar?" Krillin asked, getting a nod of confirmation from Kami.
"Bansuri is very similar in that respect if not quicker as Bansuri went from birth to combatant in about a month and on par with his father in 2 years." Kami explained.
"2 years to match one of the strongest in the world and he's around 6 now? Bansuri is gonna be one hell of a fighter" Tien muttered, getting nods from everyone.
"Well all we gotta do is pull the lead out and up our training, can't be left in the dust by a kid, right guys?" Yamcha asked pumping everyone up before Tien piped up.
"So we're ignoring the fact that Goku was a kid when he stomped all of us then?" Tien teased Yamcha, making Yamcha bluster.
"T-that doesn't count! Goku's an alien!" Yamcha tried to push past the logic only to get caught out again.
"So is Piccolo, Bansuri and myself in case you had forgotten" Kami bantered, making Yamcha groan in frustration and everyone else chuckle.
Goku continued running along Snake Way, huffing and puffing as he went. Goku had been running for ages, even falling off and having to get back on to the long path and being distracted by nearly being eaten.
Still, Goku could feel he was close to the end and he could even see the end of the tail, making Goku pause at the end and look around. He looked left, right, down and finally up, seeing the small planet with a house, car and a couple trees on it.
"That must be King Kai's place! I made it! WOOO!" Goku celebrated and jumped up to the planet, then quickly realizing he's moving toward it faster than he would like, flailing, then slamming into the planet hard. Goku tried getting up only to feel like his body was way heavier than normal, pushing harder to get up on his knees to see a monkey?
"Uh, King Kai?" Goku asked, getting monkey noises in response and jumping up and down before doing a walk with his palms pushing upward and his knees being lifted up higher than a standard stride.
"Oh! I get it! that's an excercise to make me stronger! Okay, here we go!" Goku got off his knees with difficulty and followed the monkey, copying the way it moved and feeling like he was doing a hardcore workout. If he did this, Goku thought he could get way stronger super fast.
"...Why are you playing with Bubbles?" a confused nasally voice called out, making Goku turn to look at a short blue man with black glasses and antennae.
"So, the monkey isn't King Kai?" Goku asked, earning hysterical laughter from the squat fellow.
"Hahaha! Oh man! That's a riot! Heheh *snort* I am King Kai"
Goku has finally made it to King Kai, quickly explaining the situation and asking for help, getting an easy yes due to the hilarious monkey misidentification making King Kai laugh. Will the training that the fighters are going through be enough to deal with the looming threat? Find out on the next chapter of Some Help.