Turtle Wave Rule 5 - or 'I am just a rowdy youngster that likes turtles (and can blast the moon with a single shot!)' (Pre-Dragon Ball, Muten Roshi!SI)
Katas huffed as he finished training.
It's been a mostly quiet day, and he couldn't help but wonder why the lookout was so silent so suddenly. It wasn't the Guardian, his teacher was never a loud individual unless provoked but…
But something was missing. Or rather, someone.
It took him a moment to realize that it's been a while since he last heard of Garlic. The cocky being had been a sharp pain in his side for a while now, and he had gotten to his nerves way too many times than he could count.
While it was true that the Guardian picked Garlic as his first apprentice, it was also true that Katas was picked also because Garlic was not a good student. Too keen to want to do things 'better', and to deal with violence through the same amount of brutality.
In Katas' mind, that was somewhat understandable, but he also knew that using violence in those instances was the same as spreading poison into a well, propagating it more and more as a 'reasonable' tool to end issues.
Still, violence was a tool. And as such it couldn't be characterized as a morally-absolute element. It can be used just as much to strike down people as it could be used to protect them.
It all lied within the hands and the decisions of those that had the power to use it.
And Katas was not a weak boy anymore. Gone was the child that was scarred by the war torn world that is Earth, the inner peace granted by the Lookout shredded at most excesses, but failed to properly destroy the darkness within him that clung to the edges of his soul.
He had promised change in that regard, and he was sure he was close to finding closure about it. Yet, the nights that saw his childish self brought back into the broken streets to see the many wounded and injured soldiers and civilians still haunted him.
The worst of those was when he realized that, despite being different from the rest, some would not even care of his odd skin and his unique details. They were so afraid of their fellow human beings to care much about odd individuals such as him.
It was a… strong trauma. One that refused to part ways with him despite how many times he faced it. And now… he could tell this was related to Garlic's disappearance. After all, the fool would hardly miss the chance to nag him after training.
Katas was 'the lesser of the two', the 'replacement' for Garlic if he was sick- a copy than a proper individual. Yet, none of those insults really gained much but a degree of resentment. Not at Garlic, but the Guardian as he refused to take a stance on the matter.
Despite this, Katas had devoted his life to the Guardian's tutorship and potential ascension to his role, and he was given food and shelter when he needed it the most. So… this was fine.
What wasn't fine was the truth he was given when Mr. Popo asked him to find the Guardian as he had 'grave news' to give him. Many thoughts conflicted within Katas' mind at this detail.
His understanding was that Garlic did something so nefarious that he had been rejected by the Guardian. Such a chance was very probable, but he had to admit that it had to be a very bad thing he should have perceived, and he didn't.
So, whatever was going on, it was something well above his capacity to perceive it.
It turned out that he wasn't wrong at all with that assessment. As the Guardian gave him a shocking revelation.
"Garlic has been slain by a human."
The words had caught him off-guard. A human? Just a human?! There was no chance someone like Garlic had been killed by a single human. Even strong masters of combat were far from matching anyone trained by the Guardian, someone that was revered by many as the one True God of this world.
"W-Why? How?"
Who? But I have a feeling he will not tell.
"Garlic has attempted the acquisition of hidden power from the Kitsune, but such effort was cut short by someone stepping in to stop him. The mortal is a young martial artist, and while he lacked the pure raw strength to beat Garlic, he found a chance to kill him with a powerful enough attack."
This revelation stunned Katas, yet it made sense that such an arrogant creature could be brought down with an unexpected retaliation. Still, what manner of attack could a normal human muster to destroy something like Garlic?
"There is more to this, however, and I wish you to be made aware of this," The Guardian continued, snapping the green-skinned student out of his thoughts. "This young man will be the test for your ascension of guardianship in eleven years from now."
This news actually surprised Katas the most. He was going to face a human to… become the new Guardian? Was that safe for that human? Sure he was not friendly towards that species, but if he was going to be their protector, he should at least feel a degree of concern towards them.
"Is it truly… wise for me to face this human?"
"I can't truly say for sure. If you will be ready to face him, that is."
The second half of that response had Katas frowning. He may not have much pride in his power, but he was quite above every single human and most entities on this planet. He doubted this individual, who managed to barely Garlic, could ever hope of ever winning against him.
"It doesn't make any sense."
"That's why I will be the last Guardian blessed with future sight, my apprentice," The Guardian remarked calmly, less of an insult and more of a relief for him. "This power leaves many baffled on what can happen in the future. And how many things can change if given the right drive and reason to do so."
It made absolutely no sense but… he could tell this wasn't an attempt to insult his might. Rather, a worrisome warning that he was keen to respect. He never had to face a too strong opponent, and he wasn't foolish enough to be caught blindsided by this element.
"So… I should go back to training?"
"Yes."
Back to regular business then. Part of Katas wanted to feel bad that Garlic died but… the idiot perished doing something bad. So, it made sense to him he died the way he lived, as an irrelevant trouble that will eventually go away.
Yet, despite his best efforts to ignore the warning for now, Katas couldn't help but keep in mind the eyes of the Guardian as he told him to train more. It was going to be a real change.
And he wasn't sure if he was to feel nervous or… excited about it.
AN
And it's back with an Interlude!
Now, before I leave, a few things I need to mention:
1) I know that canonically the Nameless Namekian wasn't given a name (hence the title 'Nameless'), but I kind of expect him to have adopted Katas after his father due to something in the ship that brought him to Earth telling him that. Plus, there's a Quiz in Xenoverse 2 that says he was indeed named 'Katas' too;
2) Am I setting the bar too weird when it comes to this Roshi vs Pre-Fission Katas? No. And before anyone brings it up- I know that Katas' PL should be around 200M, which is above Frieza (and yes, it's a canon detail that still jars me to this day), but… Roshi will be able to outpace him not by power alone, but through something else that will give him the edge. Something he will start to address in the decade-long training he will entertain that will give him not only a boost to his power, but also expand his lifeforce considerably;
3) I will not use PLs religiously. I am well aware of the mixed feelings of the Fandom, but I know some do appreciate some sort of 'approximative perspective' compared to 'he is stronger than this guy' as it can leave a lot to ask about the range of different fighters. I will use that terminology rarely to set some bars to keep aware about.
