NOTE: Welcome back! Sorry, it took me so long to update, but I'm back!

Goku is 12 and Yor is 13, she is also taller than him. Yor's age may not be completely in line with how she was in canon, but I don't think it matters too much.

Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 3: Training with Korin

Upa, with small tears, finished burying his father's body. "F-Father…if only I had been stronger..." He mourned the loss of parent. The young tribal boy turned to the other two bodies that littered his land. Walking past Yor's body, Upa started shoveling dirt on top of Goku's "corpse". "Guess I'll have to make a grave for Goku too-"

"Uh..gnm!" Goku's body twitched, shocking Upa.

"Goku! Y-you're alive!?" Upa cheered.

"Ow!" The little monkey whined, sitting up on his rear. When he did, something small and orange fell out of the hole in his GI. Looking down, Goku was surprised to see that the ball hadn't been taken. "The Dragon Ball!"

"It protected you, because you hid it in your clothes!" Upa realized.

Goku held the Four-Star ball, smiling softly at it. "You're right, I was saved by Grandpa." While he wasn't much of a sentimental person, Goku held his deceased grandfather close to his heart. Even in the afterlife, he was still watching over him.

"Ugh…ow…"

Both boys stopped and turned to see Yor waking back up, the young assassin was reeling from her injuries but seemed mostly fine. Even after seeing Tao turn on her, the two weren't sure whether or not the girl was completely trustworthy. "W-what should we do about her, Goku?"

The monkey boy didn't verbally respond, instead he walked towards Yor, with a cautious Upa right behind him. Even though his face was blank, Goku was curious about the young girl and the way she fought. It kinda excited him to see how he compared to her in a fight. "Yo!"

Yor flinched, not expecting the two to just walk up to her. She met their gazes for a brief moment before looking away, unknowingly shifting her head towards Bora's grave. Goku tilted his head, wondering what that large mound of dirt was, before sort of piecing it together. "Is that your Dad's grave?" Goku asked.

"Yes… I wish my Father was still alive…" Upa responded with tears threatening to fall.

A massive wave of guilt hit Yor harder than Tao's attacks had, her fists clenching the dirt below them. It was her fault that the boy lost his father, even if she hadn't been the one to land the killing blow. She still took part in the events leading up to it and should've been able to stop it from happening. What would Yuri think if he saw her like this, with the blood of a boy's father staining her hands?

She cried, something she hadn't done in a long time, the sight startled the boys. "I-I'm sorry! It's my fault your Father is dead! If it wasn't for me t-t-then none of this would've happened!" Oh, why did the Shopkeeper have to send her on this mission, why not one of the more experienced members!? They wouldn't have hesitated, they wouldn't have failed the mission, and they wouldn't have instigated another war!

Oh…right, Yor remembered what Tao planned to do, to instigate the Red Ribbon army into attacking and destroying the Garden, and potentially dragging another war into the one already hurting her country. "Yuri…oh, Yuri!" He'd be dragged into the mess and killed, and there was nothing she could do to save him.

She fail-

"Hey, what are you crying for?" Goku's question broke her out of her thoughts. "If it's about that Tao guy, don't worry about it! I'll just kick his butt the next time he gets here!" He said as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Yor couldn't comprehend the boy's optimism, especially after the way Tao easily beat them.

"W-what!? How could you say that!? He completed the mission and is already heading back to the Red Ribbon's base with those Dragon Balls, it's over!" Yor cried.

"Nah, he didn't get my Grandpa's ball!" Goku showed Yor the golden orb. "As long as we still have this then he'll be back here!"

She realized the monkey boy was right, without all the Dragon Balls Tao wouldn't be able to complete the mission. "B-but he's still stronger than you! There's no point in trying to fight him!"

"True, he is really strong, none of my moves even scratched the guy." Goku muttered, trying to think of a way to beat Tao.

"Hey!" Upa got their attention. "Goku, why don't you try climbing Korin's Tower!?"

A lightbulb went off above Goku's head, remembering the words Bora spoke from before. "That's right, there's some kind of medicine at the top of the tower that'll increase my strength, right!?" Goku asked.

"Yes, I'm positive!"

Yor didn't understand anything of what they were talking about, but one look at that tower left her speechless. She couldn't even see the top of it! Just how high was that thing!?

"I could use the Nimbus, but you likely have to climb the tower yourself." Goku huffed slightly, but it was fine. No little challenge was going to stop him from achieving his goals. Turning to Yor, Goku held out his hand. "Wanna join me?"

"HUH!?" Upa and Yor screamed together.

"B-but, you can't possibly trust me! I was hired to kill you and take the Dragon Balls! I killed an innocent man-"

"You didn't kill him." Yor's head snapped to Upa, who looked a lot less afraid of her. "It was that Tao guy who killed my Father! When you had the chance to do so, you didn't do it! You even looked regretful, so I don't blame you!"

"But I was still involved in it… I'm not someone you should be around." She muttered.

"You're pretty strong, ya know!?" Goku's exclamation filled her with bewilderment.

"W-what?"

"I know a lot of guys who are really strong, and some of them aren't good people. Especially those in the Red Ribbon army. But you're strong and you're not using it to just hurt people, so I think you're alright!" Goku explained.

That shouldn't have worked at all, such a naive and weird way of thinking shouldn't have eased the guilt in her heart, but Goku's words struck a chord in her. And Goku wasn't necessarily wrong about her either, she never killed anyone who wasn't evil. Every single target she's been given by Garden were those with malicious hearts in an effort to protect her country.

To protect Yuri.

One more look at Bora's grave seemed to have settled something inside of her, because Yor found herself standing on her own two feet again. Brushing the dirt off her dress, Yor walked over to Upa. "I'm sorry about your Father, you may not blame me, but I still feel responsible for his death. I know what it's like to lose one's parents and no child should go through that." As she spoke these words, strength filled her body. "I'll do everything I can to avenge your Father, I promise!"

"And I wouldn't worry about your Dad too much, Upa! When I get all the Dragon Balls, I'll use them to bring him back to life!" Goku declared.

"WHAT!?" The two stared at him in disbelief.

"S-something like that is possible!?" Yor asked.

"Yeah! When all seven are gathered together, the dragon known as Shenron will appear to grant any wish! I'll use them to bring back Upa's Dad!" Goku grinned. He almost fell over as Upa hugged him tightly, shouting words of thanks.

"I guess that explains why the Red Ribbon wanted the Dragon Balls, but what would they even wish for? An endless supply of red paint?" Yor figured, thinking about their color scheme.

After getting Upa off of him, Goku used the torn part of his GI to create a makeshift sack for the Dragon Ball, then tied it to his belt. "He's gonna come back for the Dragon Ball, so make sure to hide!" Goku ordered Upa.

"Right! Make sure to do your best!" Upa encouraged them.

"Yeah!" Goku nodded his head. The little monkey sprung high into the air, then looked down at Yor. "C'mon! We gotta hurry!"

"R-right!" Yor followed Goku's example, catching up to the monkey boy with no issues at all. She didn't know how true these legends were about the medicine that could increase one's strength, but it was all she had to latch onto at the moment. Everything depended on them beating Tao, then hopefully convincing the Red Ribbon army to not attack her home.

It didn't occur to Yor at all that by agreeing to save Upa's father, she had truly abandoned the parameters of the mission.

After securing himself some temporary clothing until his preferred outfit could be fully tailored, which would unfortunately take three days. In the meantime, Tao Pai Pai called the Red Ribbon to report his completion.

"Tao Pai Pai! What's going on here!? What are you doing!?" Commander Red demanded.

"I have completed the mission; I have killed the target Son Goku and have retrieved the Dragon Balls. Unfortunately, it would seem that the Thorn Princess had to be eliminated for risking the success of the mission. It would seem that organization of hers was attempting to double cross you for their own uses of the Dragon Balls."

"What!?"

"Yes, that's the jist of it." Tao grinned sinisterly. He could hear the commander fuming on the other side of the phone.

"That's something I'll have to deal with later, but why does the radar show you with only three Dragon Balls!? It should be four!"

Tao looked into the bag, surprised to see he indeed had the lower number of balls. "It seems that the boy managed to hide one of them. I'll recover it before I return in three days."

"WHY IS IT SO FREAKING LONG!?" Yor mentally screamed, starting to grow tired. The sun was already going down and she couldn't even see the top yet. She was starting to believe that this was much more difficult than any of the training Garden had put her through. Yor wasn't certain how much longer she was going to last as her hands started to slip.

GRAB!

She blinked when something warm and fuzzy wrapped itself around her wrist. Looking up, Yor found Goku's tail saved her from falling back down. "Are you okay?" He asked, not looking winded at all.

"Y-yeah…" She had to wonder just how much endurance this boy had to not even be a bit tired. After grabbing back onto the tower, Yor felt her eyes shift to Goku's tail. "So, that tail is real?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! I've had it ever since I could remember…well it did get cut off once for some reason, then it grew back!" He answered, then focused back on climbing the tower. Then he suddenly stopped, turning to her. "What's your name?"

"W-what?" Yor looked at his big black eyes.

"I never got your name."

"O-oh…it's… Yor." She decided to give him her real name. It was only fair since he gave her the chance to help.

"Hehe! That's a weird name!" Goku laughed.

"My parents gave it to me, so I can't help what I'm called!" Yor defended her name. She thought it was beautiful and Yuri would certainly agree as well.

"I'm Son Goku! My Grandpa Gohan gave it to me!" Goku responded, not bothered by how she responded.

"Your Grandpa? If you don't mind me asking, your parents didn't name you?" Yor asked.

"Nah, never met them, Grandpa said he found me in the woods when I was really little. All I had was Grandpa." Goku answered as they continued the tiring journey.

"Had?" The word stuck out the most from Goku's answer, telling Yor that the boy had also lost his grandfather, meaning he was all alone. She couldn't imagine how that must feel, having no family left to speak of. If she ever lost Yuri…

"Don't you feel lonely, without your Grandfather around?" She asked.

"Huh?" He looked at her as if the question was a dumb one. Goku also didn't remember telling her that his grandpa had died, but he shrugged. "Not really, because I always had Grandpa with me! The Four-Star ball was the last thing he left, so Grandpa never really left."

A soft smile found itself on her face, it made Yor happy to see how much spirit Goku had. She really couldn't imagine herself being the same way if she had lost her whole family.

"Besides, I have a bunch of friends too, so I don't really think I'm alone!"

"Could you tell me about them? Your friends?"

"Sure! First there's Bulma, but she's kinda weird! Then, there's Oolong, he's a pig and a pervert!"

Yor continued to listen as Goku talked about his friends and their adventures, shocked to learn about the weird hijinks that the boy had gone through. His friends all sounded like amazing people…well…maybe not the perverts, but the rest were great! The young assassin could feel the radiance of happiness bouncing off of Goku, the way he behaved was the exact reason she was doing all of this in the first place. To help create a world where children are free to live as they want and to be happy. It's what she wants for Yuri as he grows up into a splendid adult. But then Tao's words echoed through her head.

"As I said before girl, your humanity is your own downfall! An assassin should never allow their emotions to cloud their judgment! You are a killer, nothing more, nothing less! An assassin who fails to kill their target is a failure!"

Were her emotions and goals really holding her back…?

"What about you?" Goku's suddenness catches her off guard again, taking her out of her thoughts.

"Me?"

"Bulma kept telling me to always be considrant of other people, so I asked about you." Goku explained, also getting the word "considerate" wrong.

"Well… I only have my little brother Yuri, our parents died when he was very young. So, I'm doing my best to take care of him." Yor explained.

"Is he strong like you?"

"I-I don't know, he's never fought before…and I hope he never has to." She whispered that last part. When she didn't follow up with anything else, the two fell back into a comfortable silence as their climb to the top of the tower continued.

By the next morning, Yor could say that her upper body strength was definitely higher than it was before she took this mission. She could probably lift five buses single-handedly now. "Goku, do you see anything?" She asked, forcing herself to keep climbing.

"I… I see something…!" Goku squinted his eyes a bit more, before a large grin broke out across his face. "I SEE IT! IT'S THE TOP!"

Yor was shocked, not believing that they actually managed to do it. "We…we really did it!?"

"C'mon, Yor!" The monkey boy was renewed with energy, climbing to the top. Yor gaped at the boy's burst of energy, reminding herself that boys his age typically get like this all the time.

"W-wait for me, Goku!" The young assassin followed him the best she could.

The two climbed into the round structure that was the top of the tower. Both kids slumped down to the floor, taking this chance to relax their aching muscles. Yor examined the room, taking in the sight of the weird items stored inside. She wondered which one of these would be the special water.

"I wonder where the water is?" Goku asked the same thing, but aloud. He got up from the floor, searching around for wherever the water could be. Goku opened up a barrel, finding some water inside. "Is this it?"

Yor took a peek inside and without missing a beat she dunked her head into the water. She couldn't help it, that entire journey left her parched beyond belief. Goku laughed at her submerged face. "Haha! You must be thirsty, huh?"

"Yes…unbelievably so." Yor exhaled, feeling rejuvenated.

"If you want the water, then come to the top!" A voice called out to them. Yor wondered who could've been calling for them, but Goku had the answer.

"Oh yeah, they said the master lived up here." Goku said.

"Master?"

"Master Korin, I think." Goku replied. The two took the staircase that led to the top floor of the structure, finding themselves standing in some sort of shrine. Yor gasped at the marble pillars that connected the roof and floor, and the fountain located in the center.

"Heeeey, great master, give me the water!" Goku demanded rudely.

Yor's older sister instincts took over. "Goku, it's rude to demand things from people."

"But we need the water." He shrugged, not understanding her point.

"It's fine." Assassin and monkey looked over to see a small white bi-pedal cat with a wooden staff staring at them. "Good job making it all the way up here, you two... And you did it at an amazing speed, despite being so young."

"Did that cat just talk?" Yor was genuinely wondering if she was going crazy. Cats couldn't talk as far as she could remember. "Could cats talk this entire time and I just never noticed?"

Goku, who was unbothered by the talking cat, walked up to him. "Hey, have you seen the master of this tower?"

"That's me." The cat responded.

"WHAT!?" Goku and Yor screamed.

"Got any complaints? I'm Master Korin of Korin Tower, nice to meet ya." Korin introduced himself.

"Well, whatever." The way Goku got over the shock so quickly caused Yor to fall over cartoonishly.

"Is your friend okay?" Korin asked.

"I think so, but that's not important. We came here for the mysterious water that could increase our strength." Goku said.

"Well, yes, the Supreme Holy Water is here." Korin pointed at the fountain. "It's on top of that pedestal in that pot." He turned back to the two kids. "Why do you seek more strength, anyway?"

"Well… my Grandpa-"

"Stop, you don't have to speak. Seems like you're not that good at it anyway." Korin interrupted Goku, figuring the boy was a lot less smart than he thought. "What about you?" The cat asked Yor.

"W-well…we're here to stop someone evil! Yes, that sounded confident!"

"You said that last part out loud…" Korin sighed mentally. The cat already knew why the two were up here, he had seen everything that went on down below his tower. Neither of their hearts contained impure intentions, but unlike the boy, he could feel confusion and uncertainty from Yor. "Don't worry about explaining everything, I already know you're collecting the Dragon Balls to revive Upa's Father and stop Tao Pai Pai."

"WOAH!" Goku exclaimed. "I didn't even say all of that!"

"You don't become a master unless you can read the hearts of people." Korin bragged a bit. "Regardless, the point is that neither of you are here for impure reasons."

"If that's the case…" Goku jumped over to the pedestal, grabbing the pot. "I'm gonna drink some of the water."

"Fine by me, but do you really have what it takes to drink the Supreme Holy Water?" Korin challenged.

"D-does it taste like dead bodies!?" Yor asked, picturing very disturbing and vivid images.

Korin stared at her. "Maybe you're not as pure as I thought…"

Goku, who ignored them, grabbed the pot. "Welp, time to drink-"

WHACK!

"Wah!?" Goku flipped in the air before landing on his feet. "What was that for!?" He yelled at Korin.

"If you want to drink the Supreme Holy Water, then just go for the pot and drink it. I will get in your way though." Korin told them both.

"Hmph, annoying…!" Goku huffed. He moved to grab the pot, but Korin kicked him back down into the floor. The little monkey growled at the cat. "Quit being stingy! You just said we could drink it!"

"I'm not being stingy. I'm just saying, you can go ahead and drink it all you want as long as you don't let me stop you." Korin explained the rules.

"So, it's like a challenge? Okay, I think I can do this!" Yor exclaimed before vanishing from sight. She was about to nab the pot, but Korin's staff slammed into her nose. The young assassin fell to her butt, gripping her nose. "Ow! You could see me!?"

"I'm not a master for nothing." Korin responded, not even looking away from her before bashing Goku over the head with his staff.

"OW!" Goku rubbed the top of his head.

Using his staff, the master hooks the pot to carry with him, then jiggles it around in front of the two. "It's right here if you want it!"

"Now I'm mad! I'm gonna take it by force!" Goku yelled. He charged for Korin, but the master dodged his grab, then spun his staff to avoid Yor's more sneaky attacks. The next several minutes consisted of the cat dancing around his home as the children failed to take the pot from him.

"Wh…what an agile guy…" Goku panted.

"I knew cats were nimble, but this is something else." Yor wondered if any of her fellow assassins could pass this test. It seemed way too difficult!

Korin shook his head. "At the rate you two are going, you won't be able to catch me for the rest of your lives. You aren't reading your opponents' moves at all, you're just being reckless." The master did notice the differences in how Goku and Yor attempted to grab him. While the monkey charged in like a bull, Yor was always waiting and sticking close to his blind spots. Out of the two, she came the closest each time to getting the pot. Her only weakness was how obvious her movements were, she never changed how she went about it and simply waited for him to be distracted.

It was as if she's reading textbook instructions on how to fight.

Goku felt his stomach grumbling. "If I wasn't hungry, I'd be able to grab it so easily!"

"Really? Then, I guess I'll feed you something."

RUMBLE!

Eyes shifted over to Yor, who was blushing up a storm, trying to hide herself. "I-I'm sorry!" She squeaked.

"Guess, you're hungry too. Here!" Korin tossed them both a small green bean.

"Eh? It's just a bean!" Goku complained.

"You'll get punished if you complain! That's a Senzu Bean! It's a very helpful bean that, if eaten, will keep you from going hungry for ten days." Korin explained.

Yor gasped loudly, something like this could be great for extended missions! But…does it even work? Well, there was only one way to find out, so she ate the bean. Both herself and Goku felt all of the exhaust, thirst, and hunger leave their bodies instantly. "Amazing!"

"Yeah! Now that my stomach's full, that pot is ours!" Goku declared.

"I wonder about that…" Korin mumbled before their game began once again. Even when they were back to full strength, the children couldn't catch the nimble cat or pot. Several hours passed before the two once again dropped to the floor from exhaustion.

"What, already done?" Korin, not even out of breath, asked.

"T-this is too much…" Yor whined. Even after the brutal training sessions she's gone through with Garden, this was a much different case. A battle of attrition that she just didn't have the stamina to match.

Goku sat up, looking at the master cat. "H-hey, are we the first ones to even make it this far?"

"No, you aren't the first. One other person came here about 300 years ago."

"300!? I thought cats only had 9 lives!" Yor cried.

"Are the two of you in a competition…?" Korin mumbled, shocked by how dense these two have proven to be.

"How old are you?" Goku asked.

"800."

"You're way older than me!"

"Yeah, treat me with respect!"

"Yes, sir!" Yor responded quickly.

Korin got back on track now that his age was revealed. "The other person to make it this high was your master." He said to Goku.

"Eh!? What do you mean!?"

"I realized it just watching you move. Your master is the Turtle Hermit Roshi."

"EHHHH!? MASTER ROSHI CAME HERE AND HE DRUNK THE WATER!?" Goku's shout almost blew out Yor's eardrums. She winced, thinking of how large the boy's lungs had to be to be this loud.

"Yup."

"That means you're not just some weird old cat!"

"You don't have any restraint, do you?" Korin sighed at the boy. "Call me Master Korin from now on!"

"How long did it take Master Roshi to get the water?" Goku asked. Korin responded by holding up three fingers.

"Wow! Three minutes!?" Yor gasped.

"No. Three years."

"THREE YEARS!?" Yor didn't have that long to wait! She had to get that water, so that she could save the Garden and Yuri!

"I wonder how long it'll take you two to get it." Korin said.

"I can't wait three years!"

"Then come and take the Supreme Holy Water from me." Korin dangled their goal like a piece of meat.

Goku stretched his arms, growing serious. "Alright! I'll definitely take it from you!" Before Yor would realize what he was doing, Goku vanished from sight. Then reappeared before disappearing again, this action would quickly repeat itself. It looked like there were multiple Goku's dancing around the tower.

"The Afterimage Technique, huh?" Korin recognized it.

"Afterimage…?" Yor mumbled, trying to figure out how Goku did it.

"You're right here!" Korin struck an afterimage, but realized it was a fake.

"Gotcha! I'm right here!" Goku gave away his position, allowing Korin to dodge, and leaving Goku to land face first into the marble floor. Korin landed down, impressed by the boy's tenacity and ability.

Suddenly, a golden knife struck his staff, knocking the pot into the air. Yor grabbed her knife after it rebounded off the staff, then jumped into the air for the pot. However, Korin caught her ankle with his staff, pulling her down. But Yor used her flexibility to twist around the staff, freeing herself. As the pot was about to land down on the ground, Yor increased her speed and was meer moments away from grabbing it.

Fate refused to let her win as the white cat appeared right above her and struck the assassin right on the noggin, then hooked the pot back onto his staff. "Close, but not enough." Seems she decided to use those knives of hers.

Goku panted, wondering why he kept getting tired so quickly. "That's weird, I'm losing my breath really easily."

"But of course you are! This place is high in the sky, so the air is very thin. You make so many needless movements that it's no surprise you run out of breath so quickly. Oh yeah, and I don't think you've noticed yet, either."

"Eh? Noticed what?"

"The fact that the act of climbing up this high, high tower itself has already begun to further train your body." Korin revealed.

"R-really!?" Yor gasped, staring at her body and Goku was doing the same.

"You really can't tell? I guess we'll just have to do some more training, then." Korin lifted up the sack with the Dragon Ball.

"AHH!" Goku cried. "The bag with my Dragon Ball in it! Give it back!"

"Hoya!" Korin tossed it off the tower, shocking the kids.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Goku jumped off the tower, chasing after the Dragon Ball.

"GOKU!?" Yor shouted, surprised he'd jump all the way down after how long it took them to get up there.

"He'll be back soon." Korin said and the old master was correct. Within three hours Goku was back up the tower with the Dragon Ball in his hands.

"You jerk, why did you make me do such a troublesome thing like that!?" Goku cried, heaving a bit.

"Well, your body's become even more trained, hasn't it?" Korin's words caught their attention, allowing him to explain. "The first time you climbed, it took you almost one day…but now a round trip took you only three hours. Now do you understand just how much stronger you've gotten?"

"B-but I didn't jump down after him…" Yor felt bad as if she was wasting his help.

"True, you have better common sense than he does, but you've been undergoing the same training. Haven't you noticed how much faster you've been getting each time you try to grab the pot?"

"I have?" Yor tilted her head. Well, she does admit that she hasn't felt as tired as before back when they started. Perhaps she is getting stronger…?

"Now c'mon, you two! If you don't get the pot, then you won't be able to drink the water."

"Right!"

"Alright, that's enough for the day. Let's hit the hay." Korin said as the day turned to night. His pupils were on the floor, exhausted from their constant failed attacks, but it seemed like they were forcing him to try a little harder to keep it from them.

"B-but why would we hit hay?" Yor asked.

"Just go to bed."

Yor curled up on the marbled floor, attempting to get comfortable. It wasn't the worst place she's slept, but it wasn't necessarily easy. She perked up when she heard someone shuffling around, Yor glanced over to see Goku sneaking over to the pot. It hadn't even occurred to her that they could just grab while he's sleeping, but it didn't seem fair when she thought more about it. The point of training is to work towards the goal, not take shortcuts.

And it seems like Goku had the same thought, but he retreated before he could grab the pot. "Nah, I wanna take it without cheating." He said to himself before falling back to sleep next to Yor, never aware that she or Korin were watching the whole time.

Korin smirked to himself. "Fufu…he's surprisingly honest, totally different from that Turtle Hermit. And that girl is just as honest as him, being aware of the shortcut but refusing to even try for it. I wonder if they'll finally do it."

"HYAH!" Goku sprinted towards Korin, engaging in a close proximity clash. The cat still managed to keep the pot away from the grabbing monkey. He suddenly felt a chill and jumped into the air before Yor could sneak attack him. However, she was counting on him doing so, and shot her knives at him. Korin managed to dodge the knife, but once again the assassin was counting on that. The golden weapon bounced off the ceiling, and struck the pot, knocking it off his staff. Korin attempted to get the pot back, but Goku was already on him, tickling the cat to distract him as Yor finally grabbed the pot.

"We did it…WE DID IT!" Yor cried, feeling accomplished for once since arriving in this country. Goku jumped on her, laughing alongside her at their joint victory.

Korin stared at the two, surprised at their efficiency. "It only took them three days to accomplish this much. I'm certain just one of them alone would've gotten that pot just as easily."

"Hey, so we can drink it now, right!?" Goku asked.

"Of course, go ahead." Korin allowed.

Both Goku and Yor took their turns drinking the water, waiting for the effects to happen just like the Senzu Beans. After a few more seconds the two realized that nothing about them had changed. "Uh…nothing happened." Goku said.

"Of course, nothing happened. The Supreme Holy Water is just water after all." Korin revealed the truth, shocking them both.

"What!? You tricked us!" Goku yelled.

Yor could feel the hope she had gained die slowly. "B-but without that water's strength increase…we won't be able to beat Tao. I won't be able to save Yuri or the Garden…"

"I didn't trick you guys! Your power has already increased exponentially!" Korin informed them.

"Huh?" Goku tilted his head.

"Going up and down Korin's Tower and stealing the pot from me was the true training in order to increase your strength." Korin explained.

"I…I'm not-"

"As I said before girl, your humanity is your own downfall! An assassin should never allow their emotions to cloud their judgment!"

"Emotions are not a weakness." Korin grabbed her attention, stopping her tears from forming. "Yes, assassins are deadly and dangerous, but nowhere in your heart are you as malicious as that man. Your power and strength to move comes from your desire to protect someone, it's that strength-that humanity that has allowed you get this far. Your emotions are your greatest strength."

"My emotions are my strength…?" She thought back to the very reason she became an assassin. To protect her little brother, so that he wouldn't have to grow up in a war-torn world, so that he could live happily and free just like… Yor turned her head to Goku, who was staring at her with a confused look. "Just like you." She smiled softly.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Goku asked.

"Nothing, Goku, just…thank you for being here for me." Yor felt as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. Her head was clear of any doubts that could possibly bring her down! She'll protect her home no matter what!

Korin smiled, pleased to see the uncertainty in her heart had vanished. "Now, go down to the lower world and test out the fruits of your training!"

"Yeah! Thanks, Master Korin!" Goku yelled.

"Thank you for everything, Master Korin." Yor gave a respectful bow.

"See ya!" Goku hurried down the stairs with Yor quickly following him.

Korin stared down at Goku's retreating back. "Still though, this boy… I'm pretty sure he's already far surpassed Master Roshi."

With their training complete, Yor and Goku descended down Korin's Tower with ease, ready for their rematch against Mercenary Tao and to avenge Upa's Father!

Chapter End

NOTE: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm kinda starting to realize how difficult it is to write Kid Goku. So, I hope his conversations with Yor weren't too out of character, he's a simple guy. He doesn't go into much detail about stuff unless you prod him enough for information.

Yor's breakdown and emotions were hopefully enjoyed. She's still a young child, who is learning more about herself and the world. Blaming herself for something she couldn't have anticipated or stopped from happening, but luckily Goku and Upa were there.

Goku's way of explaining to Yor that she's a good person is hopefully still in character for him. He's a Shonen protagonist who has a very simple way of going about things, and how that meshes with the SpyxFamily characters who are a bit deeper emotionally is fun to explore.

I'm aware that SpyxFamily is in Shonen Jump, it's just not your traditional Shonen.

The world of Dragon Ball is pretty wacky, so Yor is not prepared for all the weird stuff she'll be seeing while hanging out with Goku and pals. Yuri will eventually join in on the craziness.

Next chapter is pretty much what you can expect. Goku and Yor beating the fuck outta everyone!