Dragon Ball: Legacy Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! Goku is ecstatic that he found the Four-Star Ball! He and Bulma also learn the legend of Korin Tower from Bora, which makes both Saiyans interested in trying to surmount the longstanding challenge. Unfortunately, Taopaipai is on his way towards the Land of Korin (in a most unconventional form of travel) to kill Goku and steal the Dragon Balls! Will things go the same way as Canon or will Bulma’s presence change things?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 20 – Taopaipai Attacks, Climb Korin Tower

Bulma and Goku were saying their goodbyes to Upa and Bora, preparing to continue their journey for the Dragon Balls. Goke took one more look at Korin Tower, craning his neck as far back as it could go, but still couldn’t see the top of the tower beyond the clouds.

“Next time.” Goku promised the seemingly endless tower with a grin.

A faint sound caught Goku and Bulma’s ears. Something was moving through the air at great speed.

“Father, what’s that?” Upa, having been looking off to the side, spotted something rapidly approaching. “Something’s flying this way!”

“What?” Bora turned to look where his son was pointing.

Before all of their eyes, they witnessed something flying towards them at immense speed. To Goku and Bulma’s sharp eyes, they could make out more detail of the incoming object.

“There’s someone riding it!” Goku pointed out as he saw the man standing atop the fasting moving thing.

“It’s coming this way!” Bulma cried out as she easily predicted the object’s path.

Borta grabbed Upa and leapt away as he yelled out a warning. “Look out!”

Bulma and Goku leapt in the opposite direction and not a second later the pillar slammed into the earth, burying half of itself into the dirt.

Tap

The man that had been riding the pillar landed lightly upon the now stuck stone column. For a master of martial arts, like Taopaipai, a mere leap at just the right moment to kill his velocity and allow him to land easily was child’s play.

“Greetings.” Taopaipai looked at all four people, instantly locking onto his target, Goku.

“Wh-Who are you?!” Bora demanded of the man that arrived in such a strange fashion.

“I’m the world’s greatest assassin… Taopaipai.” Taopaipai answered with a small smirk.

Bora narrowed his eyes at Taopaipai’s words. “Assassin… What business does a killer have in this sacred land?”

Taopaipai looked at Goku directly. “I have no business with this place, only with this lad right here.”

Bulma looked between Goku and Taopaipai. “What?!”

“Business with me?” Goku cocked his head to the side a little in confusion. “I don’t even know you, Mister.”

“Perhaps you’ll understand if I tell you that I was hired by the Red Ribbon Army.” Taopaipai said and his smirk grew as he saw everyone present react to the organization’s name. “My assignment is to kill you, since you’re interfering in their quest for some orange spheres.”

Goku glared at Taopaipai now. “Red Ribbon?! Them again! They’re so stubborn!”

“F-Father! You can’t let him do it!” Upa called out from behind Bora, fearful for the life of their new friend.

Bora stepped forward, still eye-to-eye with Taopaipai, even with the assassin standing on the end of the half-buried pillar, such was the difference in their heights. “This young man saved my son’s life. If you will not leave quietly, I will stand against you.”

“Hey, you don’t have to!” Goku said to Bora, never taking his eyes off Taopaipai. “He came here after me in the first place!”

“To defend the sacred Land of Korin is my sworn duty.” Bora denied Goku getting involved before looking at his son. “Stay back, Upa.”

Upa nodded and rushed to hide behind their teepee.

“Heh heh… What a fool, to deliberately choose death.” Taopaipai seemed amused at Bora’s challenge.

Bora readied his spear and aimed the tip straight at Taopaipai. “Now come!”

Goku and Bulma watched from the side, both allowing Bora to fulfill his duty as the guardian of this land. But while Goku had his arms crossed and his eyes focused solely on the fight, Bulma’s hands were at her sides and her body was slightly tensed, ready to react in a split second.

‘He’s an assassin… There’s no way we can trust him.’ Bulma thought as she kept her eyes on Taopaipai.

You think you’re fairly good, do you?” Taopaipai gave a short, mocking laugh at Bora. “Well then… I’ll make the first move without any qualms.” He blurred from where he was standing on the end of the pillar. In the next instant he was in front of Bora, grabbing the spear with one hand and holding it firmly.

“Oh!” Bora gasped as his eyes caught up with Taopaipai’s movements.

“He’s fast!” Goku gasped in surprise, having only followed the blur with his eyes.

“Was that a technique?!” Bulma exclaimed, not having followed the movement properly either.

Bora struggled to move his spear from Taopaipai’s grip. “Nnngh!” He pulled with all his might, straining against the seemingly casual grip that the assassin had on the weapon.

“Mm?” Taopaipai looked at Bora struggling with calmness unbefitting of a person holding back the full strength of a man twice his height and easily four times his weight. “Something the matter? You’re not moving at all.”

“Hrrrh!” Bora gave a strong pull on his spear, but it didn’t move even slightly from Taopaipai’s grip.

“Well then, allow me to move you…” Taopaipai said as he lifted the spear and Bora as if the large warrior was weightless, holding both weapon and man above his head with the same grip on the shaft of the spear. “Here!”

Bora’s eyes went wide at the seemingly impossible strength that Taopaipai possessed. “What?!”

Taopaipai smirked maliciously at Bora. “Henh!” With a sharp thrust upward, the shaft of the spear nearly left an after image. Bora’s grip was broken from his own weapon as he went flying high into the air at great speed.

“Whoa!!!” Bora yelled in shock at how high up he suddenly was.

“Would you like your spear back?” Taopaipai mocked mercilessly as he threw the spear with the same hand holding it, straight at the airborne and helpless Bora.

“FATHER!!!” Upa cried out in fear for his father’s life.

Goku was about to yell for Nimbus, but a sudden snap of wind blew from right beside him. “Bulma?!”

Bulma had leapt the instant that she saw Taopaipai aim the spear at Bora. She was a blue blur rocketing towards the airborne warrior in midair. However, Taopaipai’s throw was faster still. The spear was already about to overtake Bulma’s speed, even though she’d jumped first. Without a second thought, Bulma reached out and grabbed the spear with both hands, slowing it down and changing the angle of its path.

Wham

The spearhead cut a bloody laceration across Bora’s chest and right shoulder, sending a splash of red through the air. The warrior only had an extra split-second to try and roll his body thanks to Bulma changing the speed and path of the spear midflight.

“Oof!” Bulma cried out as she slammed into Bora at speed.

“Gah!” Bora hacked out as the wind was driven from his lungs.

The two fell and smashed into the teepee that Bora and Upa called home, crushing the structure entirely and being buried by the thick leather, cloth, and wood. Some of the blood rained down on the destroyed teepee a second later, painting a grisly picture for Upa and Goku.

“FATHER!!!” Upa had fallen on his butt from the sudden impact of Bora and Bulma crashing into the teepee, but he was quickly on his feet and trying to move the blood-covered wood, cloth, and leather to find his father.

“Hm, rather fast for such a young girl.” Taopaipai narrowed his eyes at the destroyed teepee that the young child was crying over. It was clear to one as experienced as him that the girl had martial arts training from a true master.

“You…monster!” Goku was a blur as he closed in on Taopaipai in a rage. He lashed out with a low kick and a punch.

Taopaipai merely hopped over both strikes with a calculating eye. “Rushing in like an angry fool.” He slammed a kick into Goku’s face before landing easily on the ground. Goku went flying backwards at speed and slammed into Korin Tower with a loud, meaty thud.

“Guh…” Goku hit the ground with a pained gasp.

“Is that all? How pitiful.” Taopaipai scoffed at taking down his target so easily. He might be fast and strong, incredibly so given his age, but he still let his emotions get the better of him and attacked recklessly. ‘Not a worthy opponent at all.’

Goku staggered back up to his feet, even though his body ached from the kick and the painful impact with the tower. “I’ll get you…”

“Oh? You didn’t die from that?” Taopaipai almost seemed impressed.

“Ka… Me…” Goku brought his cupped hands together in front of him as he focused his energy. “Ha… Me…” He placed his cupped hands at his side while a bright blue sphere of ki grew larger between them. “HA!!!” He threw his hands forward, unleashing the powerful Kamehameha straight at Taopaipai.

“HMM?!” Taopaipai’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly changed his stance, bracing his feet against the ground, while crossing his arms over his face. Unseen beneath his clothing, his body glowed just slightly with a white aura of ki.

The Kamehameha blasted Taopaipai dead on and tore up the area between him and Goku. But as the beam of ki faded away, Taopaipai hadn’t moved, though his feet had sunk into the ground from the force.

Taopaipai breathed in and out a few times as he lowered his arms from in front of his face. Scraps of his clothes hung from his body, leaving the assassin almost naked where he stood. “You…you ruined my clothes…” His eyes narrowed into a lethal glare. “With that technique?!” His rage was palpable as he pointed his right index finger at Goku. “Dodonpa!”

It was MUCH faster than a Kamehameha. In only a second, a bright ball of ki had formed at Taopaipai’s fingertip. Before Goku could even blink, the sphere of ki had lanced out as a deadly beam that struck him straight in the chest. The force of the blast slammed him back into Korin Tower a second time and held him there for a brief moment.

Goku’s eyes were rolled back, his orange gi and the skin beneath were smoking where the attack had landed; then his body fell forward and hit the ground, unmoving.

The Nyoibō, still in its sheath, clattered to the ground next to Goku’s body; the Dodonpa having burned straight through the cord that went around Goku’s chest to hold the legendary weapon on his back.

Taopaipai regained his composure as he moved over to the backpack sitting on the ground where Goku and Bulma had been standing. He picked up the bag and looked inside. Seeing the glinting orange spheres within, he closed it with a small smirk. “Target eliminated and items retrieved. Mission accomplished.”

“Y-You…monster…!” Upa picked up a stone and cocked back his arm. “You killed father and our friends!” He threw it as hard as his five-year-old body could, straight at Taopaipai’s head.

Taopaipai almost wanted to sigh from how many times he’d heard similar things over his twenty years as an assassin. With a strong puff of breath, he stopped the thrown stone in midair and sent it back just as fast to smack into Upa.

“Waaah!” The little boy cried out from the pain, both from the stone and the loss of his family and friends.

“Do you know how lucky you are to still be alive?” Taopaipai said to the crying child as he moved over towards the half-buried pillar in the ground. “You should be thanking me.” As he pulled the stone pillar from the earth as easy as one might pull up a weed from their garden, he paused and looked himself over again. “Even though I’ve dispatched my target and obtained the item the client wanted, there’s no way the world’s greatest assassin can go back looking like this.” He grunted at his destroyed clothing. “Time for a trip to my tailor.”

Taopaipai changed his direction and threw the pillar as fast as he could. With a strong leap, he blurred through the air and landed atop the flying pillar once more. Upa could only watch with teary eyes as the assassin disappeared over the horizon.

-Red Ribbon Army Headquarters-

“Heh heh heh! Leave it to Taopaipai! Looks like everything went perfectly!” Commander Red chuckled before exhaling smoke from his pipe.

“Wait…” Staff Officer Black blinked as the Dragon Balls on the radar moved quickly with the speed of Taopaipai’s ‘flight’. “Don’t you notice something strange?”

Commander Red blinked as he also noticed what was being shown on the screen. “What?” His lone eye watched as three glowing dots on their massive radar screen left the Land of Korin and flew in a different direction from their location. “He only took three… And where is he going with them?!” Commander Red nearly crushed his expensive pipe in his hand. “What’s that assassin up to?”

-Nuno Town-

A tailor looked at the (rather simple) drawing that he’d been handed as a reference. It showed Taopaipai drawn somewhat cartoonishly in his normal outfit. All of the measurements, the colors, the clothing materials, and the design were clearly marked and listed with lines pointing to each part of the drawing.

“Exactly as drawn, do you understand? No mistakes.” Taopaipai said to the tailor coldly.

“Y-Yes, sir!” The tailor nodded rapidly to the dangerous man.

Taopaipai looked over the selection of clothes in the shop for a moment before picking out the one he felt that he could deal with the longest. “How long will it take you?”

The tailor straightened up. “It should only take about a w-week…” The man trailed off at seeing the glare that Taopaipai gave him.

“You have three days. I can suffer this embarrassing outfit no longer than that.” Taopaipai said as he put the outfit on, letting the loose cloth settle on his body.

“Th-Three days…” The tailor stuttered out at the short timeframe to make a complete outfit with the required materials and colors.

“Have you never heard of Taopaipai?” Taopaipai questioned the tailor, the threat in his words blatant.

The tailor trembled in terror. “N-No… I mean, y-yes…I’ve heard of you, s-sir! Three days it will be!”

Taopaipai let out a small huff now that the tailor understood. “Where’s your phone?”

“Right here, sir!” The tailor showed him the phone on the counter.

Taopaipai said nothing as he brushed past the tailor and picked up the receiver, dialing the number he’d been given by Commander Red.

-Red Ribbon Army Headquarters-

“Commander Red, sir! We’ve received a call from Mr. Taopaipai!” One of the soldiers alerted the supreme commander of the Red Ribbon Army.

Commander Red quickly took the phone and held it up to his ear. “Taopaipai! What the heck is going on? What are you doing?”

“I will return in three days.” Taopaipai informed Commander Red without a care for what the leader of the Red Ribbon Army might have to say about it. “I’ve dispatched your enemy, along with two others, so make sure to have my fee waiting for me.”

‘That’s 150,000,000 Zeni…but at least the main job is done.’ Commander Red thought to himself before speaking again. “That’s all fine and dandy, but don’t you only have three of the supposedly four spheres that I requested you to bring back as well?”

“Hm?” Taopaipai looked into the backpack a second time and found that there were indeed only three of the orange gems. “Oh ho…there are only three.” He closed the backpack again. “My target must have been carrying one on his person. As it was part of our original agreement, I will go and retrieve it from the corpse before I return.”

Commander Red grinned at that news. “In that case, take your time. As long as that little punk is dead, there shouldn’t be any more interference. Thanks for your hard work, and we’ll see you in three days.” He hung up the phone as soon as he heard Taopaipai do the same. “So that’s it! We’ve won!” Commander Red smirked up at Staff Officer Black.

“You were wise to hire Taopaipai, sir.” Staff Officer Black nodded to Commander Red with a smile.

-Sacred Land of Korin-

Upa was moving the heavy cloth and leather of the teepee with sniffles. He needed to bury his father and his new friends. The shovel was ready off to the side, Upa just needed to get to his father’s body…and Bulma’s too.

“Ugh…” A grunt of pain reached Upa’s ears a moment before the wrecked teepee moved.

“F-Father?!” Upa gasped as Bora’s large, muscular arm pushed the heavy fabric aside. “Father!” He nearly leapt into his father’s arms, but stopped himself as he saw the serious wound across his chest and shoulder. “Oh no, father!”

Bora smiled down at his son through the pain. “I will live, Upa.” He looked over at Bulma, who was sitting up and rubbing her head. ‘Thanks to Bulma’s timely intervention.”

“We need to get you medical attention.” Bulma said as she stood up and got her bearings back. She wasn’t a doctor, but even she knew that if they didn’t stop the bleeding soon, Bora wouldn’t survive. Looking around, she spotted Goku’s motionless body. “GOKU?!” She was at his side in an instant. “Goku? Goku!” She gently rolled him onto his back as tears built up in her eyes.

Upa spoke quietly, as if ashamed of what had happened. “The assassin hit him with something that was bright and too fast for me to see… I’m sorry, Bulma. If only I was stronger.” Bora pulled his son into a one-armed hug as best as he could with his injury.

Bulma wasn’t having that. She put her head against Goku’s chest, listening for even the faintest heartbeat. “Ow…” She pulled back as her head hit something hard.

The Four-Star Dragon Ball fell out of Goku’s gi top, right where Taopaipai’s Dodonpa had struck.

“Nnn…” Goku let out a quiet groan as his eyes slowly opened. “Bulma…?”

“Goku!” Bulma hugged her boyfriend as best as she could while he was laid out on the ground.

Goku hugged her back, even as he winced slightly. “What happened? I remember the assassin took my Kamehameha head-on…then he hit me with his own technique… It was way faster than the Kamehameha…”

Bulma pulled back from the hug and helped Goku sit up slowly. “It was the Dragon Ball. You put your grandpa’s Dragon Ball in your gi to keep it safe. The attack hit it instead of you.”

Goku looked at his side and picked up the Four-Star Ball from the ground. “Huh… Grampa saved my life…” It brought a small smile to Goku’s face to think of it like that.

“Father!” Upa’s sudden cry got the attention of both Saiyans.

Bora was lying on his back, his breathing coming out in ragged breaths as his wound continued to bleed.

“We need to get him medical attention.” Bulma said as she and Goku stood up and moved over to Bora’s side.

“But if that assassin comes back looking for Grampa’s Dragon Ball…” Goku grimaced at what Taopaipai might do in his pursuit of them.

Bulma glared at nothing as she thought about how to get Bora medical attention without leading Taopaipai right to them and even more innocent people. “They’re using a radar to track the Dragon Balls…but it’s clearly not as good as mine. If we hide the Four-Star Ball somewhere, he’d have to search by hand to find it…”

Goku didn’t look happy with that idea as he helped Upa put a makeshift bandage over Bora’s large wound and apply pressure to help stem the bleeding. “We can’t beat him in a fight… I could tell he’s way more experienced than us. It’s almost like fighting Master Roshi. We’d have to be WAY stronger than we are now to beat him.”

“Goku, why don’t you try climbing Korin Tower?” Upa suggested as he pointed to the stone tower with a smile.

Bulma and Goku looked at the tower and then at each other.

“I bet you could do it!” Upa said with a smile.

“And at the top is the water that makes you stronger!” Goku lit up as he realized what Upa was getting at.

“If you just go straight up…their radar would still say the Dragon Ball is right around here too.” Bulma had a small smile form on her lips. “This could work!” She looked between Goku and Upa. “Goku, you climb the tower. I’ll help Upa take Bora back to the rest of their Tribe as fast as possible so that he can get this injury looked at.”

Goku looked up to the sky, still unable to see the top of the tower. “I’ll do it!” He looked back at Bulma and Upa. “I’ll climb the tower and get stronger!”

With the plan made (even if hastily) Upa gave Goku a simple leather pouch to keep the Four-Star Dragon Ball inside while he climbed Korin Tower. Goku quickly tied the pouch to his belt so that it wouldn’t fall as he climbed.

“Don’t fall, Goku.” Bulma said before she kissed him.

“I won’t.” Goku promised once they pulled away from each other.

With a quick round of stretches, Goku leapt up and grabbed onto Korin Tower almost twenty meters off the ground. Another jump and he cleared another twenty meters. Goku kept this up and was quickly out of Upa’s sight.

“So fast…” Upa said in shock that Goku was already gone.

“Focus.” Bulma gently told the small boy. “We need to keep your dad stable as we transport him.”

“R-Right!” Upa wiped his eyes to stop anymore tears and helped Bulma make a drag sled like the ones his father had taught him to make to haul back hunted animals. With Bulma’s help, they moved Bora as gently as they could onto the wooden drag sled. Upa sat on the sled, keeping pressure on the cloth covering his father’s injury, while Bulma picked up the two handles and easily moved the sled through the woods.

“Very…strong…Bulma.” Bora said as he opened his eyes slightly, trying not to fall into unconsciousness.

Bulma didn’t turn her head or slow down as she continued moving as quickly as she could with the injured Bora on the sled. “After the training I went through, your weight isn’t much.” She assured the large man as she kept up her pace. “Which way, Upa?”

Upa knew the land and the way back to the main Karinga Tribe settlement by heart no matter where he was in the Sacred Land of Korin. “We need to head to the right, there’s a river a not too far away. Follow it downstream and we’ll reach the tribe in a few hours.”

‘Bora doesn’t have a few hours.’ Bulma knew that just from seeing the man’s injury. “I’m going to speed up a bit, Upa. Bora, just try and hold on if it gets a bit bumpy.”

“I will be fine…Bulma.” Bora assured the girl and even managed a smile for his son.

In the next moment Bulma had managed a light jogging pace. A few seconds later and it was a full jog. Soon after, it was a run. Then a sprint. Bulma kept the speed within human limits, even though her even being able to do that was beyond human limits considering Bora’s size and the fact that the drag sled didn’t have wheels. Without even realizing it, Bulma was continuing to speed up, little by little as she got used to dragging the sled behind her.

“Whoa…” Upa could only marvel at how fast they were moving through the forest as he kept pressure on his father’s injury. The young Brave was fairly certain that even deer couldn’t run through the forest this swiftly!

-Goku-

“Hup!” Goku continued his rapid ascent of Korin Tower, briefly passing through a low cloud as he climbed quickly. The stone under his hands had plenty of handholds and there were ample footholds -if one was careful about their grip and foot placement- so Goku wasn’t having much difficulty with the climb…yet.

The orange-clad Saiyan continued to climb, seemingly without end, even as the ground got farther and farther away. Minutes became hours as the sun began to set and Goku was still climbing.

“Gah… I still can’t see the top!” Goku felt his muscles starting to burn from the day-long climb. Looking down he could only see the ground between the clouds, and looking up he only saw clouds and blue sky with Korin Tower continuing upwards. “Go, go…!” Goku encouraged himself as he kept climbing higher and higher.

Then his grip failed and he slipped.

“Whoa!” Goku’s tail blurred as it wrapped around one of the small decorative parts of the tower that acted as a handhold or foothold for anyone attempting the climb. Now Goku hung upside down for a moment as he let out a long, slow exhale of breath. “That could’ve been bad.” He said as he adjusted his position and started his climb again.

-Hours Later-

“It’s…already night…” Goku was panting now, his climbing much slower as his body was pushed beyond its limits from the thinner air and the constant strain of the climb.

Grrmmbbllee

“So hungry…” Goku lamented as his stomach growled. “Maybe I’ll just take a little nap…” His tail wrapped securely around one of the many decorations on the tower’s surface, while his body slumped against it, his feet safely on a wider part of the tower that marked a new section of the seemingly endless stone pole. “Zzz…” He was asleep in less than a minute.

-Next Morning-

“Am I still not there…?” Goku wheezed and panted, sweat dripping off his body as he continued the long, laborious climb of Korin Tower. His grip was weakening, his arms and legs burned from the strain, his stomach was empty, and the thin air made it hard to draw in a good breath.

Still, Goku climbed ever higher…not wanting to give up.

It was almost mid-morning when Goku felt like his body was giving out on him entirely. “I…I…don’t think…I can go any further…” He looked upwards again, only to see something besides clouds and the stone of Korin Tower. “Huh…?” There appeared to be a wide, circular stone building a good distance above where Goku was. “W-Wait… Is that…the top?” Goku wondered as he forced his body to keep climbing, focusing on every grip of his hands, and each placement of his feet.

Higher and higher Goku climbed, the building above getting closer, slowly but surely. When Goku could see it clearly, noticing the four large openings at the bottom of the building, he couldn’t help but give a lopsided smile.

“Guhh…” Goku pulled himself up a little higher. “It’s the top!” He forced his arms and legs to move, even through the burning pain that had built up in them over the course of the climb. “J-Just a little further… A little…further.”

Goku managed to reach the bottom of the circular building, grabbing onto the opening closest to him, Goku hauled himself up through it with a small cheer. “I did it!” He nearly collapsed as he made it over the high edge of the opening and into the building proper. “Huff…huff…” Goku was breathing harder than he could ever remember doing before.

After some time to catch his breath, Goku managed to look around the lower floor of the building. There was a bathtub on one side with a wooden bucket and a scrub brush next to it. A folding screen with painted mountains and calligraphy on it was close to the bathtub as well. The opposite side of the circular room was filled with various large clay pots with wooden lids on them.

“So…where’s this magic water that’s supposed to make you stronger?” Goku wondered as he looked around the place. He pulled off the lid of one of the large clay pots and saw water inside. “Is this it?”

“It’s up here…come on up.” A voice called to Goku from above.

Goku blinked at hearing the voice before recalling the story that Bora and Upa had told him. “Oh, right! There’s supposed to be a hermit master living up here.” Goku left through the only doorway and found himself on a flight of stairs built into the side of the building. Ascending the staircase, he came upon a large open room with no walls, the ceiling above supported by stone pillars along the edges and a simple stone railing preventing anyone rom just walking off the edge. In the center of the large open space was a decorative pedestal, at the top were five statues of elephants that held up an ornate bottle-like flask. “Hey…hermit master! Give me some water, please!”

“Congratulations on reaching the top.” A bipedal white cat holding a wooden cane taller than he was greeted Goku. “And you did it so quickly too, for such a young man.”

“Um, where’s the hermit master?” Goku asked the cat.

“You’re looking at him.” The cat answered.

“What?! You’re the hermit master?!” Goku gaped in shock at the white cat.

The cat chuckled at Goku’s reaction. “Hohoho… Not what you were expecting?”

Goku shook his head once to refocus. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. All I want to know about is the water that’s supposed to multiply your strength! That’s what I came here for!”

“Ahh, you must mean the holy water…” The cat nodded once. “It’s here, indeed…” He pointed his staff at the pedestal in the center of the large room. “In that flask, sitting right atop that pedestal.” Goku looked at the ornate flask with focus. “But wait… Do you seek further strength? You must be awfully strong as it is to climb the tower all the way to the top.”

“Well, you see, my Grampa…” Goku was about to explain why he’d come for the holy water, only to be stopped.

The white cat held up one hand. “You don’t need to explain. Speech isn’t your strong suit, I expect.”

Goku tilted his head slightly. “But you’re the one who asked.”

“You don’t have to say a word.” The cat said again, just looking at Goku with his narrow eyes. “I see… In order to gather the Dragon Balls and help your friend, you must first defeat this killer named Taopaipai.”

“Hey! How’d you figure that out?!” Goku exclaimed in surprise at the cat knowing his reason for being here.

The cat chuckled lightly at Goku’s surprise. “I wouldn’t be much of a hermit master if I couldn’t read your mind.” He moved his staff into a horizontal position, now holding it with both hands. “Well, alright. You seem to have pure motives, at least!” The cat gave Goku permission to drink the holy water.

Goku bowed once and then walked towards the pedestal. “Wow… Mindreading, huh?” He reached for the flask while looking back at the white cat. “So it’s okay for me to have some of this super water?”

“I’d be happy to give you some…but do you think you’ll be able to drink it?” The cat questioned as Goku’s hand was about to touch the flask.

“Huh? Does it taste that bad?” Goku looked at the cat in confusion.

“Not really, no.” The cat denied that the holy water tasted bad. “Its just that I’m going to prevent you from drinking.”

Goku looked at the hermit master in confusion. “Prevent?”

“Hyah!” The cat struck Goku with the top of his staff, knocking him away from the pedestal.

Goku flipped backwards once from the surprising strength of the strike and glared at the cat. “Hey! What was that all about?!”

“If you want the holy water, try to take the flask and drink it.” The cat explained simply.

“Geez, you’re annoying.” Goku grimaced at the hermit master. “Okay then…” He leapt for the flask as fast as he could.

The cat was there first, his foot kicking Goku across the face and knocking him to the ground.

“You cheapskate!” Goku stood up quickly. “I thought you said that I could drink it!”

“I’m no cheapskate.” The hermit master denied. “But in order to drink the holy water, you must first prove yourself worthy of it, in combat!”

“Look!” Goku pointed to the side with a loud exclamation.

“Huh?” The cat looked where Goku was pointing.

Goku jumped straight towards the flask.

Gong

And face first into the top of the hermit master’s staff.

“Oww!” Goku held his face at the sudden, unexpected pain.

“Did you really think that a hermit master that can read minds would fall for that stupid trick?” The cat asked dully. “Look.” He put the narrow end of his staff through one of the handles of the flask and lifted it off the pedestal easily. “Here, here!” He swished the flask around like a cat toy. “No, no, over here!”

“Now you’ve got me mad! I’m just gonna take that water!” Goku declared angrily.

The two ran all over the large open space, nearly blurring sometimes as Goku pushed his tired body as fast as it could go.

“Nyah, nyah!”

“Whoops!”

“Over here!”

“Missed me!”

“Hah!”

“Catch me if you can…”

The chase ended once Goku was left huffing and puffing for breath.

“H-He’s fast…” Goku panted out.

The hermit master rested his staff over his shoulder, the flask still dangling from the top. “At the rate you’re going, you may have this flask by your next life. You’re not reading your opponent’s moves at all! You’re only reacting!”

“Hah…W-What?” Goku was still breathing heavily. “If I weren’t starving, I could beat you just like that!”

“Oh?” The cat seemed amused by Goku’s words. “Well then, I’ll let you eat.” He tossed something small towards Goku. “Bon Appetit.”

“Huh?” Goku caught the small thing, only to find out it was a simple-looking bean with a green color to it. “What the heck is this?! It’s just one bean!”

The cat didn’t look amused at Goku’s words. “People have been dealt divine punishment for remarks like that! That’s a holy Senzu bean. Eat just one of those and you can go without food for ten whole days. It’s a very powerful bean.”

Goku didn’t look convinced as he popped the bean into his mouth and chewed it. “It takes a lot more than this to fill me up!” He swallowed down the meager meal. “Huh?!” In only a second, Goku went from starving to full, much to his surprise. “Wh-What the…?! No way! It’s true!”

The hermit master merely chuckled at Goku’s reaction to eating a Senzu bean.

“Even my injuries healed?” Goku noticed that he didn’t feel the aches and pains throughout his body from his fight with Taopaipai and his climb up Korin Tower. “Hehehe! Your loss! Now that my stomach is full, that flask is mine!”

“Tsk, tsk… Poor me.” The cat said jokingly.

“Now!” Goku blurred forward.

“Whoops.” The hermit master landed safely behind Goku without issue.

Goku turned to look at the cat in shock. “Wh-What incredible speed…!”

The chase began again!

“Hyah!”

“Missed me!”

“Hah!”

“Whoopsy-daisy!”

“Hyoh!”

“Oops!”

-Hours Later-

“Hah…hah…” Goku was on his back, gasping for air.

“Tired already?” The hermit master asked.

Goku pushed himself up into sitting position. “H-Hey…am I…the first one…to climb up here?”

The white cat shook his head. “Oh no, you’re not the first. About three-hundred years ago, there was one other that managed to scale the tower.”

“H-How old are you?” Goku asked the cat.

“Let’s just say…eight-hundred-and-something.” The hermit master was vague about just how long he’d lived.

Goku stared at the cat. “Wow…you are old!”

“You should respect me.” The hermit master deadpanned. “The one that managed to climb the tower three-hundred years ago was none other than your Master.”

“Huh?! You mean Master Roshi!” Goku exclaimed in shock that the old man had climbed Korin Tower. “He came here way back when and drank the water to get stronger?!”

“Mhmm.” The cat nodded.

Goku vaguely understood how famous Master Roshi was in the Martial Arts world. But to think his Master had come to this cat to get stronger… “You must be really famous, I’ll bet.”

“Those who know of me, understand. I am known as the hermit master…Korin.” Korin finally introduced himself to Goku.

“So, how long did it take for Master Roshi to get the flask from you?” Goku asked, wondering just how fast his Master had managed this challenge.

Korin held up three fingers, revealing that they had cute ‘toe beans’ on them.

“Three minutes?!” Goku was shocked given that he hadn’t even been able to touch the flask in hours.

“Hohoho…” Korin chuckled and shook his head. “Three years.”

-End Chapter-

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Taopaipai comes in and takes care of business!

Bulma barley manages to save Bora’s life, and both of them still got taken out briefly. Bora more so than Bulma due to his severe injury.

Goku hits Taopaipai with a Kamehameha head-on! But the master assassin’s vast experience in technique and ki control wins out over the raw power!

Taopaipai recognizes the technique and despises that it ruined his clothes! So he hits Goku with the lethal Dodonpa!

With everyone down, Taopaipai takes the Dragon Balls and is on his way.

Thankfully, the Four-Star Ball took the hit for Goku!

Despite her high-speed collision with Bora, Bulma was mostly fine too.

Now as Bulma takes Bora and Upa back to their Tribe to get medical treatment, Goku has only a couple of days to get stronger before Taopaipai returns for the remaining Dragon Ball!

Can Goku succeed when it comes to Korin’s teachings? They’re rather different from what he’s learned up until now, and he has to do it in the thin air at the top of Korin Tower to make learning and adjusting even more difficult!

What will happen in just three days’ time?

Keep reading to find out!

Power Levels

Goku – 187

Bulma – 164

Krillin – 162

Roshi – 170

Launch – 5

Caulifla – 150

Kale – 153

Bora – 80

Taopaipai – 160

Until I get your reviews, later!