Trunks flew back from the wilderness, planting his feet on the ground and checking up on Videl who sat in front of the fire and kindled it with a stick. Unfinished food lay by her side and nothing in the young woman's mood suggested she wasn't doing well. Trunks was wary of how to approach Videl when she was like this. It took him a brief pause of almost a full minute before his face bloated with smugness and he gently touched her arm with his hand.

"That's okay. You took a rough beating the other day, it's only natural you wouldn't be able to just jump back into training. Let's just take it easy for the time being," Trunks tried consoling her the best he could.

Videl sighed. She knew the boy meant nothing ill in his attempts to ease her anxiety and feeling worthless after waking up far too sore for their morning training session. When she needed her body to work the most, it failed her. With Trunks having become as powerful as he has and growing ever stronger with each battle he took part in, with their enemies growing progressively stronger and using the Destron Gas to power up even further in novel ways, Videl needed to keep up with her training more now than ever.

And yet… Maybe she was stupid thinking she could do whatever Chayote, Gohan, and the rest do. She was, after all, just an Earthling. When Trunks got into a mean scrap, all he needed was plenty of food and a good night of rest and he looked ready to go again in the morning. Not to mention, he grew progressively stronger with each punch he took or landed. Videl tried compensating for those natural differences by working extra hard, but… It felt like she only broke her body and now couldn't train at all. It felt as if fate had punished her for even trying, for working hard.

Still, Videl didn't want to ruin little Trunks' ecstatic smile, so she closed her eyes and gulped her sorrow and self-loathing down. She kicked up a big heap of dirt onto the fire, wincing in pain at just putting force in her body for a kick. In the morning, when Videl woke up grunting and moaning in pain, Trunks went silent when Videl tried forcing herself to train. Then, it became apparent that she'd pass out even getting to the training spot. Trunks tried amping her confidence up by suggesting they could just take it slow, but Videl knew better–she'd have held Trunks back and she didn't want that. She relented to having the morning to herself to rest up.

She even had to use the jet capsule to fly around instead of doing her best to fail to keep up with Trunks in the sky. The jet didn't struggle at all in that task, though Videl knew the boy was purposefully holding himself back there to make her feel better. Somehow, in his mind, even Videl managing to keep up with him on a plane should have lifted her spirits. Fortunately, the Kame Island was only a pair of hours of flight away from their camp. Videl wouldn't have too much time to wallow in misery and watch over her aching body.

Umigame crawled out from the sea, accompanied by a handful of smaller sea turtles behind him while Muten Roshi left the Kame House with a curious look on his face when a Capsule Corps jet that was unfamiliar to him yet still carried the Capsule Corps logo and knew his home address landed on his island's shores. The old man nuzzled his back with his hands as if it had been keeping him restless, though, based on all the stories Videl had heard from Gohan, this old martial arts hermit was an amazing master who taught Goku all he knew. Long ago, Muten Roshi was even known as the God of Martial Arts. Videl had hoped to ask the old man for some help with her training, but the thought felt ludicrous now.

There was no way that a broken body like hers could have ever found use in any martial arts training. If there ever was a secret to help Earthlings keep up with demons, aliens, and Super Saiyans, it would most likely come from some grueling training method rather than a mere advice one could give or just a method of breathing differently.

"My, my… If it isn't Bulma's boy and… You're Chayote and Gohan's pupil, Videl, wasn't it?" Muten Roshi scratched the back of his ear as if he was a cat.

"We've come to set up our camp on your island, old-timer. Mom's Dragon Radar says there's a Dragon Ball in the ocean somewhere…" Trunks pointed the Dragon Radar right up in the old martial arts master's face. Videl's face twitched in second-hand embarrassment over her companion, but it didn't seem like Muten Roshi was one to take much offense at a four-year-old's lack of etiquette.

"I see… Well… Feel free to use this place in that case," Muten Roshi nodded. "You two are looking for the Dragon Balls?"

"Yes," Videl nodded. "It's a training exercise but, also, Chayote-san got injured during a big fight. Her body turned to stone because she burnt out her life force by using it to bolster her Ki. Dende-san said that the Dragon Balls might help and Kami Upa-san agreed that collecting the Dragon Balls would be good for my training."

"Wow, training with Kami Upa himself already, are you?" Muten Roshi tilted the shades to hang higher on the ridge of his nose and make him feel more comfortable about wearing them. "He's not a martial artist himself, but his mystical powers are impressive. Besides, as Kami he has access to all the wisdom of his predecessors, so he's as good of a mentor as any. I wasn't aware that he took pupils as young as Trunks these days, though… Last I recall, training with Kami required a semblance of maturity."

"I don't need training with that dweeb," Trunks crossed his arms defensively, treating Kami Upa's training like a fox would treat a bunch of grapes outside its reach. "Training with dad made me way strong and Videl taught me all the other shifty stuff… The last opponent we faced was the real deal but I went Super Saiyan and flattened him!"

"Super Saiyan? Is that so?" Muten Roshi stroked his back with his fists.

"Why are you lying?" Videl turned to Trunks with a worried look. "I was there. You didn't go Super Saiyan against that Destron warrior."

"You're the one that's lying!" Trunks pointed at Videl, seething at the world around him which he localized on this single island that he saw as being unjust to him. "I went all golden and shiny and my power skyrocketed. I went Super Saiyan alright!"

"You changed, you're not wrong about that," Videl met Trunks halfway. "But I've seen what Super Saiyan looks like, and your transformation was incomplete. Your aura was shimmering in a similar manner but… Something was still missing."

"You're just jealous of my Saiyan heritage and the fact that you can't keep up!" Trunks swiped his hand in dismissal of Videl. "You should be more grateful because you'd be dead if it weren't for me going Super Saiyan! Then again, dad is right. No matter how many times we Saiyans save your planet, you still treat us as aliens, second-rate guests of your planet!"

Overcome by his childish caprice, Trunks kicked off the sandy beach, kicking up a halo-shaped wall of sand in all directions while hovering in mid-air with tearful eyes and clenching the Dragon Radar. "I'm going to find the Dragon Ball on my own. I'll pick up our slack as a Saiyan like we always do, you can just stretch your legs and sunbathe on the beach while I do both our jobs!"

Videl's clenched fists shook, pressed to her thighs while she struggled to restrain tears and just barely kept them at bay. Spitting up sand, Muten Roshi dug himself out after Trunks' childish outrage while Umigame flipped over on his back, wiping a mass of sand off his shell after body-shielding his kids from being buried alive. The old sea turtle panted with sighs of relief while his excited twerps climbed all over him, unaware of just how close they were to getting buried.

"I wouldn't mind that," Muten Roshi pointed out, removing his shades and wiping them with the bottom of his shirt. "I have a nice selection of swimsuits, beach chairs, and umbrellas. You look like you could use some winding down."

"Huh? Why do you have a bunch of swimsuits lying around?" Videl's right eye twitched.

"Oh… Bulma used to sunbathe here all the time," Muten Roshi waved his hand in dismissal of the teen's worries. "She spent many vacations here back when I trained Yamcha, while the two of them were still together. Being the absent-minded genius she is, naturally, she left most of the capsules she dragged over here and her clothes just lying around the place and, because they cost more than I have made throughout my whole career as a martial artist hermit, I wasn't willing to take the risk of throwing it away. Besides, I still use her jets and submarines myself. I could've given the boy one if he didn't storm off without letting me say a word…"

"I see…" Videl sighed with a troubled expression.

Muten Roshi walked out of Kame House to the sounds of panting and battle cries. With weights tied around her wrists and ankles, Videl was shadowboxing, running around, and doing exercises. With each punch thrown, she winced in pain and clutched for the ribs, each dash made her wind up too much and lack the muscle strength to stop herself. Most exercises she did ended up with Videl flopping on her face. With a slow shuffle, the martial arts hermit walked up to the young woman panting on the sandy shore of the island with a miserable look on her face.

"That doesn't sound like kicking back at the beach to me," Muten Roshi scratched the back of his bald head.

"I can't… Waste time…" Videl panted through physical trouble that prevented her from rising off the ground. The one heave that got her bottom peeled off the sand caused her to wobble and flop onto the right side again, whining from the sting of the fall. "Trunks already got ahead of me… And he'll only get stronger. I have to… Keep up."

"Killing yourself is a sound strategy," Muten Roshi snapped his fingers with a teasing tone to his voice. "I've heard that an amazing martial artist in the afterlife taught Goku and Gohan plenty. It was him that taught Gohan the King Kai's Fist. But how will you collect the Dragon Balls and restore Chayote's body if you're dead?"

"This isn't a joke!" Videl shook her fists out in front of her while lashing out at the old martial arts master. "There are these powerful gaseous warriors haunting us everywhere we go. They emulate foes that had troubled the Dragon Team in the past. If someone truly monstrous like Broly comes along…"

"Son Goku or Vegeta will take care of it," Muten Roshi rubbed his back. "They live to fight terrifying guys like that. You won't help it if you paralyze yourself trying to keep up with the Saiyans."

"Then I would only prove Trunks right!" Videl didn't relent. "We can't leave protecting our planet to the Saiyans alone. We have to pull our own weight. I refuse to accept the fact that there's no hope of keeping up with their crazy physiology!"

"No way to keep up with the Saiyans? Who said that? I sure didn't…" Muten Roshi waved it off in dismissal. Slowly, he unbuttoned his Hawaiian shirt and flung it aside, making Videl blush and her right eye twitch and question if she should've been seeing this. The old martial artist crouched down and pulled his arms up, flexing his whole body one muscle group at a time. Then, Videl noticed it…

A shimmering outline of Ki formed around Muten Roshi's entire body. With swift pumps of blood, the old man's body became swollen with brute force, revitalized and smooth and bulky beyond compare. In the grand scale of this musculature, the martial arts hermit's head looked somewhat tiny and overshadowed by his adamantine physiology.

"This is Max Power…" Muten Roshi flexed his muscles, flashing them like a bodybuilder by going through several poses. "It is a significant boost of power compared to my usual frail self. This form allows me to fight at my peak potential, no matter how many training days I skip or how much I slack off."

"And he slacks off a lot…" Umigame added by flapping his fin.

"Shut up, you freeloader!" Muten Roshi hissed. "There's nothing stopping me from adding King Kai's Fist on top of this state. Nor any of the advanced Ki manipulation methods like Hot-Red. I bet I could even use the Spirit Cultivation Method if I mastered it to the extent Tenshinhan has."

"That is impressive…" Videl looked away and blew her own cheeks out. It became apparent that she had no clue what all of this had to do with her predicament.

"I still don't believe you've quite gotten the gist of my lesson here. It's no surprise, you are Chayote's student, and that one takes forever to learn even the most basic things. Anybody can surpass a Saiyan, they just must train smart and not hard. Right now, your body is in ruins, you need to recover, not push yourself further. Rest is as important of a part of training as hard work is," Muten Roshi shrunk down to somewhere halfway in between his usual frail self and his swollen colossus of sinew state. His power dropped some, but it was still a drastic growth compared to the Ki signature that Videl traced when she first landed on the island.

"Do you think you can teach me this form?" Videl looked at the old martial arts master while he put his shades back on, trying to glimpse his eyes and convince him with the determination in her look. The martial arts hermit appeared unmoved by this plight based on his strict demeanor.

"You'll have to learn it yourself," Muten Roshi declared with a boldness that shattered Videl's façade of reservation. "But you won't learn it by sparring with me. We'll have to fight here…" the old martial artist tapped his temple.

"Image training?" Videl blinked a couple of times with a curious look. "I think Gohan-kun explained it to me once and Kami Upa-san kept pushing me to do my training routine that way, but it just feels wasteful to sit still and do nothing."

"Brat!" Muten Roshi scolded Videl, making the teen stagger back in respectful intimidation of the old master's ire. "While meditating, when your body and mind are truly in a state of trance, any exercise you perform with your mind if you can truly feel it and its effects on your body, is the same as if you'd have done them. If instead of breaking your body apart, you sharpened it with your mind by sparring with imaginary opponents and performing countless training routines until you cannot focus anymore, you'd surpass Trunks' growth in no time at all. Naturally, you'd have to keep doing it and keep challenging yourself further and further, or else the next time Trunks has a hard fight–he'll soar clear ahead of you again."

"Meditation…" Videl looked down. She never thought much of this method, always preferring to lift the unbearable weights for real and to spar with real opponents as opposed to imagining them in her mind.

"Settle down, close your eyes and focus your mind," Muten Roshi instructed only for Videl to gulp and settle down. Methodically, Muten Roshi removed the training weights around her wrists and ankles and flung them aside. They'd only be a distraction from unfettering her mind. "Now, imagine a location that you can keep grounded on with few spare thoughts. Then, imagine an opponent. Your ideal sparring partner."

Videl nodded. Within a blink, she was back in the gym inside her father's mansion with Gohan standing opposite to her. Muten Roshi's glare sharpened with focus and he flicked her forehead, making Videl cry out.

"Don't get lost in your daydreaming! You may be using your imagination, but you're using it to train, not fool around!" Muten Roshi scolded the young lady. Videl blushed and imagined a white dogi back on Gohan's chest and upper body and weaved a black belt around his waist. "Now, you can train in this world of your imagination as if you were doing so in the real world. All you need is to focus, to truly feel the effects of your opponent's punches and kicks, and to truly become immersed in your meditation. You'll need silence for it, I imagine, but in time you'll learn to meditate through any conditions. Do not allow yourself to become entangled in what you consider reality. You can make your opponent as strong as you want them, you can grant them whatever techniques you like, and you can even slow them down and study their moves. This entire mental plane is your sandbox."

The God of Martial Arts just observed his student quietly until he eased himself back to his frail form and picked his shirt back up, stuffed it under his armpit, and settled down on a beach chair he meant for Videl to enjoy. Umigame dug his fins into the sand and put his head down to rest. Serenity took hold of the Kame Island.

"Heeeey!" Trunks' voice made Videl open her eyes. She put her feet on the ground, looking at her own body in surprise. Why did she have to reach for solid ground? Was she hovering above ground just now? "I found the Dragon Ball!" he yelled, shaking a shiny orange marble with five red stars shining on its front. The kid pressed his lips together and sniffled after landing, awkwardly rubbing his wet boot in the sand.

"I'm… Sorry I yelled at you earlier…" he mumbled in a barely audible voice.

"Hmm… I was wrong. Must not be Vegeta's kid at all…" Muten Roshi waved his hand at the boy with a cheerful upward turn for his white mustache and beard.

"It's okay. I was being stubborn too," Videl shook her head. "Thanks, Muten Roshi-san," she bowed to the old martial arts hermit. "I must admit I was arrogant too. Back when we arrived on the island, I didn't think your teachings would be worth delving into since I've trained with Chayote-san, Gohan-kun, and Kami Upa, but you left me with some priceless lessons."

"You've barely even scratched your potential," Muten Roshi warned Videl. "What you did here today was just a warm-up exercise. If you wish to delve deeper into the world of martial arts, find a man named Tenshinhan. He has a martial arts school called "The Way of the Light" west of North City. You should ask him to train you as well."

"Thank you, master," Videl bowed again. "I will follow your advice, though I feel obligated to collect the Dragon Balls and restore Chayote-san's body to normal first."

"I see, in any case, the sun is setting already, and it's no use flying around in the middle of the night. You two can sleep over on the second floor, where my students usually sleep and take off in the morning," Muten Roshi nodded.

"Is it okay if we sleep in a bed?" Trunks turned to Videl, whom he considered his martial arts teacher at this point.

"Rest is as important of a part of training as hard work. Relax and kick back just tonight," Videl smiled. Clacking his feet in the air like a horse, Trunks shot upstairs to settle in for the evening.