Dragon Ball: Legacy Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! As Golu continues to ‘learn’ under Korin’s teachings, the time before Taopaipai returns is passing. Can Goku achieve in only three days what Master Roshi took three years to accomplish? What will happen when Goku and Taopaipai meet again?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 21 – Master Korin’s Teachings, Rematch

Goku could only stare at Korin in shock at what he’d just heard. “Th-Three YEARS?!” He couldn’t believe it had taken Master Roshi so long to take the holy water from Korin. “But he’s the strongest fighter that I know!”

“So, how many years do you suppose it’ll take you?” Korin asked with a small grin.

“Y-You’ve got to be joking! I can’t wait that long!” Goku said with a shake of his head.

Korin pointed at the flask still on the end of his staff. “Well, if you can’t wait, then all you need to do is take this holy water from me. That’s all it would take, right?”

“Alright…” Goku adjusted his stance. “I’ll do it!” He leapt over Korin’s head and the instant his leading foot touched the floor behind the hermit master, he blurred. “Tyah!” In the next instant fifteen Goku’s were surrounding Korin, some of them making funny faces, others in silly poses, all clearly trying to distract Korin from the real Goku’s location.

“Ho! The After Image Technique, hm?” Korin said without much of a care. “Ho ho ho…” He easily discerned which of the many images was the real Goku. “You’re right there!” Korin blurred and his foot passed through the image he’d attacked. “Huh?!”

Goku, both hands reaching out to take the flask atop Korin’s staff, laughed as he closed in on the holy water. “Too bad! I was over here!” He passed straight through Korin and slammed face first into the floor. “Ow!” Goku quickly sat up and cradled his head in his hands.

“Nyahaha!” Korin chuckled at Goku’s slip up. “Did you think I wouldn’t see through that? I turned your After Image back against you!” In the privacy of his mind, Korin had other thoughts about Goku’s latest attempt to retrieve the holy water. ‘This lad is pretty good. I’ve never seen so many images in a single After Image Technique before. He’s quite interesting…’

“Huff…huff…” Goku breathed heavily, nearly panting. “How come…I’m already out of breath?” He hadn’t only used the After Image…he shouldn’t be so worn out from just that.

Korin let out an amused sigh. “We’re at quite a high altitude, you know? The air is thin. You put too much extra movement into your every move, which costs you breath.” Seeing that Goku was starting to catch his breath already, Korin decided to impart some more wisdom onto the young martial artist. “You managed fifteen images with your After Image technique…which was impressive. However, I only needed one to turn your move against you, leaving you out of breath. Less movement for the same effect means that I don’t run out of breath as fast as you do.”

Goku managed to get his breathing back to normal again as he thought about what Korin had said. “So…you used less movement than me, and let me wear myself out?”

“Essentially.” Korin said with a short nod. “Climbing this very tall tower was good for your lung conditioning, I suspect. But you’ll clearly need more conditioning.” He moved his left hand from behind his back to reveal that he’d swiped the leather pouch with the Four-Star Ball inside from Goku’s belt at some point.

“Hey! That’s my pouch with the Dragon Ball! When did you take it? Give it back!” Goku demanded as his hands both unconsciously went to his hip where the pouch had been previously.

Korin chuckled as he walked towards the railing along the edge of his home. “I swiped it when you fell for my After Image, of course.”

Goku took a step forward. “What’re you going to do with it?!”

“Here.” Korin tossed the pouch over the side.

“GAH!!! What do you think you’re doing?!” Goku panicked and was down the outside steps and jumping through one of the four holes in the bottom floor in seconds. He grabbed onto the stone tower and quickly climbed down like a monkey, deftly finding every handhold and foothold without really thinking about it. “You’re crazy!” Goku yelled up at the top of the tower as he descended. “If the Red Ribbon Army got ahold of that Dragon Ball, it’d be awful!”

A short time later and Goku dropped from the stone tower and deftly landed on the ground. He only needed to look for a few seconds before he spotted the pouch on the grass about halfway between where Upa and Bora’s camp had been and the treeline.

“There it is!” Goku quickly grabbed the pouch and tied it back onto his belt. With a glare, he focused back on Korin Tower and leapt upwards as strongly as he could. He grabbed the side of the tower and started scaling it quickly, nearly dashing up the side as compared to his climb yesterday. “That conceited cat! I’m gonna make it yowl!” He plotted against Korin for tossing his Grampa’s Dragon ball over the edge.

-Karinga Tribe-

Bulma looked up at the sky in the direction of Korin Tower. “I hope Goku’s okay.”

She’d made good time getting Bora back to his tribe yesterday, and the warrior had been seen to by the medicine man promptly upon their arrival. It had taken quite a while, but eventually the older medicine man had emerged from the hut with the good news that Bora would be fine.

“Are you hungry, Bulma?” Upa asked his new friend, and his father’s savior, with a smile. He was carrying a woven basket piled high with various fruits, nuts, vegetables, and even some meat, while heading for the teepee that his father was resting in.

“I could eat a little.” Bulma admitted as her stomach growled a bit. She followed after Upa and entered the teepee. “Pardon the intrusion.” She gave Bora a short bow.

Bora, sitting up slightly, his large frame supported by wooden support covered in soft furs, gave Bulma a smile. “It is no intrusion, Bulma.” He patted Upa’s head affectionately as he looked at the food his son had brought for him.

Bulma eyed the bandages covering Bora’s chest and shoulder. She could smell the various herbal medicines that the medicine man had used to stop the bleeding and seal the large laceration that Bora had suffered. ‘There was definitely a strong alcohol used to disinfect the wound as well.’ She could still faintly smell the alcohol even with the thick smell of the herbal medicine partially covering it. “The medicine man said that you’d make a full recovery, I’m glad.” Bulma gave Bora a smile.

“Yes, thanks to you.” Bora said, returning her smile with his own while picking out some food and starting to eat. “Please, join us for this meal. You are my savior and a friend of the Karinga Tribe, what we have is yours to share with us.”

“Thank you, Bora.” Bulma sat down next to the recovering man and picked up one of the fruits before biting into it.

Upa beamed at Bulma as he picked up a piece of the meat. “Thank you for saving my father, Bulma. I can never thank you enough!” He happily bit into the meat with a big smile on his face.

Bulma couldn’t help herself as she patted the five-year-old’s head gently. “It was just the right thing to do, Upa.”

“I heard that Goku is climbing Korin Tower.” Bora said after he swallowed the food he was eating. “Do you believe that assassin will return?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Bulma said with a grimace. “He took the Dragon Balls as part of his contract with the Red Ribbon Army, but he missed the one that Goku had on him. He’ll definitely come back to try and get the Four-Star Ball too.”

Bora looked thoughtful for a moment. “Should we not go to Korin Tower and aid Goku in the coming battle?” Not needing to be said was that Bora meant ALL of the warriors of the Karinga Tribe.

“Father, no!” Upa placed his small hands on his father’s arm. “You’re the greatest warrior in our tribe and you almost died to that assassin!”

Bulma nodded in agreement with Upa. “Attacking with more people would just mean more injuries or deaths. That Taopaipai is a master martial artist… Most people are probably like children to him when it comes to a fight.”

Bora looked down for a moment, his duty as one of the protectors of the Sacred Land of Korin warring with his logic at the truth laid out before him. But seeing Upa looking up at him with fear and worry plain on his face, the father smiled at his son. “I see. Then we must place our hopes in Goku and the strength he will gain from climbing the tower.”

“Yes!” Upa declared with a big smile.

“Goku won’t lose twice.” Bulma said with absolute certainty.

The three continued their meal together with a lighter mood as they believed in Goku’s strength to defeat Taopaipai when the assassin returned.

-Korin’s Home-

“Hah…hah…” Goku panted as he climbed the outside stairs and finally got back to the large open space atop Korin Tower. “What’s the big idea…making me go through all of that?!”

“Ho ho ho…” Korin seemed amused at Goku’s annoyance. “Don’t you appreciate the extra training?” Seeing Goku look confused, the cat hermit decided to elaborate. “The first time you climbed the tower it took you almost an entire day. But this time, the round trip only took you about three hours. That’s quite some progress, don’t you think?”

Goku blinked and then looked at his hands. He clenched his hands into fists and then relaxed them, he moved his body a bit, not feeling the incredible burning sensation that he’d had yesterday after climbing the tower. “Well… I guess…” Goku said after a moment, also noticing that he already had his breath back. “So chasing you all day made me stronger? Or did climbing the tower make me stronger?”

Korin jangled the flask still hanging from the end of his staff. “Back to business. Take the flask from me and drink the holy water.”

“Oh, yeah…” Goku shook his head once and refocused himself on the task at hand. “Now that I’m stronger, I’ll definitely be able to take the water!” He blurred forward with his hand outstretched towards the flask.

Korin easily pivoted to one side and Goku’s missed the flask entirely. “Oh ho? You think so?”

Hours passed as Goku continued to chase Korin around the large open area, the sun slowly heading for the western horizon.

“Tah!”

“Nope.”

“Yah!”

“Ho… You’re getting better at keeping up with me now! But you’re still far away from taking the holy water!”

As night fell, the stars and moon becoming the only light with which to see by, Goku lay flat on his back, panting heavily as sweat soaked his body from hours of exertion.

Korin looked at the exhausted Goku with calm expression, not even breathing hard. “Why don’t we call it a day? I’m sleepy.” He walked over to one of the many pillars supporting the roof and sat down, leaning against the pillar as he dozed off, his staff with the flask on it still held securely in his right hand.

A while later, hours judging by the current position of the moon, and Goku quietly snuck towards the sleeping Korin. Tiptoeing and even keeping his breathing as quiet as possible, he managed to get within arm’s reach of the flask hanging from the top of Korin’s staff.

Reaching for the flask, Goku’s hand paused several centimeters before he touched it. “…” He thought about what he was doing and it just didn’t sit right with him to steal the holy water this way. “Nah, no way.” Goku whispered as he turned and headed back towards where he’d been sleeping on the floor. “I’m definitely gonna take it… But I’ll do it fair and square!” He laid down on the floor and was asleep in only a few moments.

A little smile formed on the ‘sleeping’ face of Korin. ‘Ho ho ho… What a refreshingly honest lad. Quite a change from his mentor…’ Korin still remembered all the times that Roshi had attempted to steal the flask in the dead of night over the course of his three years under the cat hermit’s teachings.

-Next Morning-

“Ready to try again?” Korin asked Goku as he moved his staff around like a cat toy once more, teasing Goku with the flask at the end.

Goku narrowed his eyes, focusing on the flask. His hand lashed out, a blur to the eyes, but the flask wasn’t there anymore, and Goku grabbed nothing but air. “Darn it!” He quickly lunged at Korin, but the cat easily dodged backwards and then to the side.

The morning sun rose higher into the air as the day wore on.

“Hup!”

“Too slow.”

“Tah!”

“You’re still reacting to my movements, not reading them at all.”

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Goku was still no closer to taking the flask from Korin.

“Hah…hah…” Goku breathed heavily, though that was becoming noticeably less common, even as he exerted himself more and more to try and take the flask. Saiyan physiology adapted quickly to the conditions they fought in and the low oxygen was conditioning Goku’s lungs to become much more efficient at their function. But even that wasn’t enough to catch up to Korin. “I thought I’d…gotten stronger.”

Korin looked at Goku with an unreadable expression. “You have.”

Goku lunged forward, but pivoted to the left at the last moment, kicked off the floor strongly to take Korin’s back, and reached out for the flask. His hand missed the flask as the staff was moved by Korin, but that was what Goku expected and his tail lashed out for the flask as he passed through the air.

“Oh?” Korin actually smiled a little as he deftly moved the flask out of the reach of Goku’s tail. “Not bad.”

“Darn it…” Goku landed and turned to face Korin again. “If I’m stronger…why can’t I take the water?”

Korin’s little smile grew just a bit bigger at Goku asking a question that Roshi hadn’t asked for almost a month when he’d been there. “You still think strength and power are the most important things to a martial artist?”

Goku looked at Korin in confusion. “Huh?”

“Great power can certainly deal with many problems and challenges one might face in life… But not every obstacle can be overcome with raw power.” Korin said with a wise tone that practically made Goku pay attention instinctively. “A brute that smashes into every issue with force in an attempt to get their way is no martial artist.” He motioned for Goku to come at him again.

“Hyah!” Goku blurred and his hand passed through the After Image of the flask.

“Power doesn’t always dictate the outcome of a fight…” Korin said as he was off to the side from where Goku landed. The Saiyan performed his own After Image this time, leaving an image where he was and then having one appear to Korin’s left. “Martial arts is far deeper than just who has more power…” The hermit continued as he pivoted to one side, sticking out the bottom of his staff to trip Goku and send him crashing to the floor. “Experience…” Goku’s right hand passed through another After Image of the flask as he blurred through the air. “Technique…” Korin continued as if he hadn’t just used the After Image technique on just the staff and flask. The two blurred all around the open space over and over again as Gou pushed himself harder and harder. “Breathing…” Korin said while Goku was once more gasping for breath while the cat hermit wasn’t even remotely winded. “All of these things are far more important in martial arts than raw power.”

Goku slowly calmed his breathing and took in what Korin said. “I…think I understand?”

Korin chuckled at that. “We’ll see.”

Just like that, the two were back at it again.

-Next Morning-

“All right! Today is the day I will take that flask!” Goku said with absolute focus as he readied his stance. “Hah!” He was off like a shot, straight towards Korin.

Korin dodged the first swipe, backstepped to avoid Goku’s left hand, smacked his reaching tail with a spin of the staff, and then pivoted to take Goku’s back. But the entire time, Goku was still nearly on top of the cat hermit. Every footstep, every movement of the body, even their breathing was syncing up. Goku’s ridiculous kinesthetic learning had allowed him to copy Korin’s footwork and breathing after so many hours of attempting to catch the master.

A hand brushing his whiskers made Korin realize just how close Goku was to being able to snatch the holy water. “Hai!” He leapt backwards to make distance…but Goku had anticipated that.

“Toh!” Goku leapt and met Korin in midair.

Korin practically saw what was about to happen next. “Don’t you dare!”

Goku’s hands didn’t reach for the flask, but for the cat hermit’s tummy. “Tickle, tickle!” He tickled the hermit master with a laugh.

“Gyahahaha!” Korin laughed and tried to shove Goku’s hands away from him, only to let go of his staff in the process. “Oh!” The staff with the flask went over the railing. “Shoot!”

Goku leapt over the railing without a second of hesitation.

“It’s not worth it! You’ll fall!” Korin yelled out to Goku.

“WAAAAHHHH!!!” Goku cried out.

Korin landed on the railing and looked over, expecting to see Goku plummeting through the clouds.

“Hehe…” Goku grinned widely up at Korin, his tail securely wrapped around the base of one of the stone rails, preventing him from falling. “Just kidding!” He held the staff in one hand and the flask of holy water in the other. “I got the flask!”

Korin let out a sigh as Goku tossed him his wooden staff and then flipped himself back over the railing. ‘What an astonishing child… To have managed to take the flask in only three days!’

Goku held the flask with both hands, a bright smile on his face. “I can drink it, right?” He asked Korin just to make sure there wasn’t some other task he had to do.

“Of course, go ahead and drink it.” Korin said with a nod.

“Heh heh heh!” Goku laughed as he pulled the cork from the top of the flask and then gulped the entire flask down. The cool water felt great on his parched throat, but it didn’t taste that much different from any other water that Goku had ever drank. “Hm?” He flexed his free hand in confusion. “Hey…I don’t really feel any different…”

Korin grinned at Goku’s comment. “Of course not. The ‘holy water’ is just ordinary rain water.”

Goku nearly gaped at Korin. “What?! You mean you tricked me?!”

“Nyahaha!” Korin laughed at the accusation. “I haven’t tricked you. Your strength has already increased, you just haven’t noticed it yet.” He pointed his staff at Goku. “But the true point of this training wasn’t to multiply your strength…but to improve your technique, breathing, and experience.”

“Oh…” Goku realized what Korin was getting at. “That’s what you said yesterday.”

Korin nodded at Goku. “Do you finally understand now? Climbing up and down the tower, trying to steal the flask from me… It was all training to develop you as a martial artist. Not only your strength has increased, but you now understand how to anticipate your opponent’s movements, rather than just reacting to them. Experience, technique, and breathing all further you on the path of martial arts far more than raw strength alone ever could.”

Goku placed his hands together and bowed to Korin. “I understand, Master Korin. Thank you for your teachings.”

“Now, descend back to the world and test out the fruits of your training.” Korin gave Goku a smile at the show of proper respect.

“Alright!” Goku cheered as he rushed over to the railing. “Bye, Master Korin!”

‘My, my… That lad might’ve already outstripped his mentor.’ Korin compared the Roshi he knew from so long ago against Goku.

“Nimbus!” Goku yelled out as he leapt from the railing and into the sky. Only a moment later and the golden cloud caught the free-falling Goku and whisked him towards the ground.

-Nuno Town ~ Tailor Shop-

Taopaipai patted down his newly-made outfit with a grin. “Excellent. Yes, yes, just as I instructed.”

“I went without sleep to finish it in time, sir.” The tailor said, just loud enough to be heard.

“Now, I suppose I should head off to retrieve that last sphere and close this contract.” Taopaipai said to himself as he started walking towards the door.

The tailor raised his right hand in front of himself, slightly outstretched towards Taopaipai. “M-My fee…sir?” He’d used quality materials and worked almost sixty hours straight to finish the outfit in the ludicrous time limit he’d been given. Surely the man wouldn’t walk out without paying him?

Taopaipai stopped and turned to look at the tailor with a cold expression. “You expect to take money from Taopaipai, the world’s greatest assassin?”

“B-But, sir… I worked so hard and fulfilled all of your requirements.” The tailor stumbled over his words a bit as he was once more reminded of who he was talking to.

“Alright then, let’s do this…” Taopaipai smirked darkly at the tailor. “I’m a killer. Instead of money, I’ll kill someone for you.” The tailor looked aghast at what Taopaipai was suggesting. “You don’t know how lucky you are! My hit fee is more than a regular person like you could afford if you worked the rest of your life! Now…who will it be?”

The tailor shivered in terror while holding up his hands and shaking his head. “N-No… There’s no one that I want to kill.” Seeing Taopaipai glare at him, the tailor did the only thing he could think of. “Please! Take it for free!” He dropped to the floor and prostrated himself, his forehead against the floor of his shop.

Taopaipai let out an annoyed ‘tsk’ as he turned his back on the tailor and walked out the door. “You should’ve said that from the beginning.”

-Red Ribbon Army Headquarters-

“Commander Red,” Staff Officer Black spoke calmly to his superior. Once Commander Red looked at him to show that he was paying attention, Staff Officer Black continued. “Colonel Violet has returned with the Dragon Ball.”

Colonel Violet was a rather lovely young woman with white skin, blue eyes, and short violet hair. She had a pair of protective blue goggles hanging around her neck, brown leather gloves on her hands and red boots on her feet, her shirt was a sleeveless green (though it was only sleeveless because the sleeves had been torn off) with the Red Ribbon Army logo and she wore tan military pants with a red belt to complete her outfit. “Mission accomplished! Sorry it took so long to find, Commander Red!” Violet apologized as she saluted, her entire squad behind her saluting as well. “The radar isn’t very precise, so it took longer than expected to search the area.”

“No matter, good work, Colonel Violet.” Commander Red waved off the time as he accepted the Dragon Ball from her. “Now, when Taopaipai returns, we’ll have six out of the seven!” The grin on his face grew wider as he saw the three Dragon Balls that Taopaipai had moving across the large radar screen back towards the Land of Korin.

-Land of Korin ~ Base of Korin Tower-

Bulma looked up at the stone tower curiously. “It’s been three days, is Goku still training up there?” She’d come to check things out because she couldn’t help but worry about Goku.

BAM

The pillar carrying Taopaipai hit the ground with force, burying almost half of the column into the ground from the impact.

“You again?!” Bulma nearly growled at Taopaipai as the assassin’s feet touched the grassy ground.

“There should be another of those orange spheres here.” Taopaipai said flatly, clearly not caring about Bulma’s anger. “Hand it over.”

“Hell no!” Bulma lashed out with a roundhouse kick aimed straight at Taopaipai’s head.

Taopaipai slid his right foot forward while letting his body drop low. Bulma’s kick went over his head and he took advantage of her stance to kick her foot that was still on the ground, knocking her off balance.

“Damn!” Bulma gasped as Taopaipai’s hand tried to grab her neck. She managed to jerk backwards and catch his wrist with both hands, but the master assassin changed from reaching to putting all of his strength into pressing down, forcing Bulma to her knees. “Grrrnnn…”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me, girl.” Taopaipai said coldly as he continued to reach for Bulma’s neck, pinning her in place as she fought to hold him back. “Where is the ball?”

Bulma growled at the assassin. “I’d never tell you…”

Taopaipai seemed amused by Bulma’s words as a smirk crossed his face. “Well, I suppose that I’ll just have to kill you then.” He increased the pressure and the tips of his fingers brushed against Bulma’s throat.

“BULMA!!!” Goku’s yell could’ve been mistaken for a roar as he practically divebombed Taopaipai with the Flying Nimbus.

Taopaipai leapt backwards with his eyes wide in shock and disbelief. “What in the world?!”

“Goku!” Bulma beamed and wrapped her boyfriend in a hug. She practically melted into his arms when he hugged her close.

“This must be a joke…” Taopaipai couldn’t believe that the boy he’d killed was still alive. “He couldn’t have…”

“You made it to the top?” Bulma asked as she and Goku separated. “Got to drink that holy water and everything?”

Goku smiled at Bulma. “Yep! I’m better than ever now!”

Taopaipai had regained some of his composure now as he narrowed his eyes at Goku. “So, you’re still alive, eh?”

“You want the Dragon Ball?” Goku turned to face Taopaipai with a glare. “Well, you aren’t getting it.”

Bulma seeing that the battle was about to start, retreated to a safe distance, putting Korin Tower between herself and the upcoming fight. There was a twinge inside her, a feeling of wounded pride, but she shrugged it off for now. Sure, it wasn’t brave to sit on the sidelines and watch, but it was much better than potentially being used as a hostage against Goku.

“How’d you do it, boy?” Taopaipai asked Goku, placing his hands behind his back and standing to his full height. “No one survives Taopaipai’s Dodonpa!”

“I was saved by the Dragon Ball in my shirt!” Goku, honest almost to a fault, answered as he stared down the assassin.

Taopaipai’s smirk returned. “Hehehe… I see. What a lucky fellow you are. If you’d been hit by that blast you’d be dead.” He took a step forward, looking at Goku with murderous intent. “But this…is where your luck runs out. Nothing will save you now. You should’ve stayed in hiding, fool!” Another step forward. “Hand over that ball and I’ll make this quick and painless for you.”

Goku grinned at Taopaipai. “I won’t hand it over. And I won’t let you knock me around again either!”

“Hah! You little fool! You’ll be dead in three seconds!” Taopaipai declared as his hands came out from behind his back and he chambered them both at his sides. “Haiyah!” With a powerful step, Taopaipai launched himself straight at Goku in a blur.

Goku saw the attack coming this time and anticipated Taopaipai’s strike. Instead of meeting force with force, Goku let himself fall backwards. Taopaipai’s fist went straight through the space Goku’s head had just been, only to see Goku catch himself with his hands below him, before the assassin could correct his stance from his missed strike, Goku’s feet slammed into his torso.

“Yah!” Goku kicked out with both legs, bracing himself against the ground to transfer the full force of his attack into Taopaipai.

“Gah!” Taopaipai choked out as he was launched high into the air.

Goku pushed off the ground with his hands and instantly kicked off the ground to launch himself after Taopaipai. The assassin’s eyes widened in surprise when Goku was suddenly in the air right beside him. A powerful roundhouse kick knocked Taopaipai out of the air.

“Nhk!” Taopaipai grunted out as he’d barely managed to block the kick with both arms. He corrected his fall and managed to land against Korin Tower with both feet and then kick off of the stone to land safely on the ground.

“Goku… Wow…” Bulma couldn’t take her eyes off the fight and how much Goku had improved in three days. She was doing her best to ignore the fact that watching her boyfriend fight was also getting her a bit hot and bothered as well.

Goku landed across from Taopaipai as the assassin glared angrily at him. “I think your three seconds is up by now!”

“You weren’t doing anything like this three days ago…” Taopaipai grunted out, his glare sharpening even more. “What’s happening here…?”

“You thought I was hiding, but these last three days I was training at the top of that tower.” Goku said, not even having to point towards Korin Tower for Taopaipai to understand.

Taopaipai scoffed at Goku’s words. “Training at the top of… No three days of training could do this!” That was when the name of this land brought up a faint memory in the three-century-old man’s mind. “Wait… Land of Korin… Tower…” He shot a look at Goku. “Was the one that trained you a Master named Korin, by any chance?”

Goku raised an eyebrow at Taopaipai knowing that name. “Yeah! You know Korin too?”

‘The hermit master atop the tower… The one that some call a ‘God of Martial Arts’? He’s actually in this land? I thought that was just a silly ancient legend! But if it’s true…’ Taopaipai thought to himself before a smirk crossed his face as he shifted into his ready stance. “Astounding! Well, I appreciate the information…and the exercise!”

Goku anticipated a strike from Taopaipai’s right leg just from how the assassin moved his body. He raised his own knee and blocked the knee strike from Taopaipai before throwing a punch at the man’s face. Taopaipai smacked the punch aside with his left arm and retaliated with a knifehand strike aimed at Goku’s throat. Goku pivoted to his left to avoid the strike, grabbed Taopaipai’s outstretched arm and forced it to the assassin’s chest, with a twist of his hips, waist, and shoulders, he slammed his elbow into Taopaipai’s jaw and staggered the man.

“You little…!” Taopaipai was clearly getting angry at some young brat getting the better of him. He lashed out with a sweeping kick, but instead of jumping to dodge, Goku stepped back instead, as if he’d read the move entirely. A flurry of punches rained down on Goku from Taopaipai, but every strike was blocked or redirected…until one feint managed to get through.

“Guh!” Goku staggered back a step as Taopaipai’s fist struck him squarely on the cheek.

“Got you!” Taopaipai kicked Goku in the stomach, sending him flying for a second. With a rush that made him look like a blur, the assassin appeared beneath the airborne Goku and kicked him high into the air. “Hah!” Taopaipai launched himself from the ground to attack Goku while he was helpless in the air.

Whack

Taopaipai’s head whipped around from the force as Goku’s tail smacked him across the face. He didn’t get a second of reprieve as Goku brought his left leg around, over his body, and slammed it down on Taopaipai’s head. “Urgh!” The assassin barely managed a block to protect his head as he rocketed towards the ground and threw up a cloud of dust as he impacted the dirt with force.

“Nnn…” Goku landed on his feet and briefly ran his fist across his cheek, feeling it barely swollen, he retook his stance.

Taopaipai forced himself up from the dirt with a snarl. Seeing his outfit torn up and ruined once more, he tor off the top, leaving himself bare-chested as he glared angrily at Goku. “You little brat! I’m done playing with you! Now I’m serious!” He pointed his right index finger at Goku. “This is Taopaipai’s ultimate attack!” He supported his right arm by grabbing his right bicep with his left hand. “Dodonpa!” The beam of orange-yellow light lanced out from Taopaipai’s finger, aimed straight at Goku’s heart.

Goku held out both of his hands as if to catch the beam. “Come on! Gimme your best!” He challenged while focusing his ki towards his hands like he was going to charge up a Kamehameha.

Bam

Goku’s feet tore shallow trenches through the grass and dirt as the Dodonpa slammed into his hands. But even as the hot beam of ki nearly burned his hands, Goku never closed his eyes even once. He stared at the technique…from how Taopaipai initiated it, how the energy gathered at the tip of the assassin’s index finger, to how it traveled through the air, and even now he watched as it tried to pierce through him with its intensity. But eventually the beam used up its given energy and dispersed. Goku’s hands were still outstretched, a light steam rising from his palms.

“Oww…” Goku looked at his slightly red palms and blew on them lightly.

Taopaipai was visibly shaking now, his arm and finger still pointed at Goku. “N-No… You don’t mean… M-My Dodonpa…”

Goku stared Taopaipai down as he lowered his hands to his sides. “My Kamehameha didn’t work on you and your Dodonpa technique doesn’t work on me!”

“You… You!” Taopaipai reached into his belt and pulled out a Capsule. With a press of the button, the assassin tossed the device into the air where it exploded into smoke and a large dao sword appeared from the cloud.

But Taopaipai never got to grab his weapon.

An intense yellow-orange beam struck the dao out of the air, cutting through the blade near the hilt and sending both parts flying through the air and into the forest behind Taopaipai.

“WHAT?!” Taopaipai’s eyes bugged out comically as he recognized a Dodonpa being used to destroy his sword. He stared at Goku in abject shock, confusion, and a bit of fear.

Goku was standing with his right arm extended and his index finger pointed at where the dao had been a second earlier. “So, that’s how it works.”

Taopaipai took a step backwards. “N-No… That’s im-impossible! It takes years of training to learn the Dodonpa! Th-There’s just no w-way that you could copy it! You only saw it twice!”

“Yeah, I didn’t see it well enough the first time to figure it out.” Goku said as he retook his stance. “Come on, I’ll beat you bare-handed!”

A small bit of confidence returned to Taopaipai at Goku’s challenge. “You dare to say that YOU will be the world’s greatest assassin bare-handed?!”

Goku nodded once. “Yeah, it wouldn’t feel right to beat you any other way!”

“Feh! What idiotic gags you spout! No wonder I hate little punks like you!” Taopaipai took up his stance again.

“Just shut up and attack!” Goku said as he readied himself for another clash.

Taopaipai didn’t need to be told twice as he channeled his ki throughout his body, a faint white aura barely visible around him if one looked closely. He was in front of Goku in an instant. A left cross slammed into Goku’s cheek, then a knee strike slammed into his chin from below, Taopaipai’s straight punch drove right into Goku’s stomach, followed by a rain of chops, finger strikes, and palm attacks that battered Goku’s body over and over again.

“Goku!” Bulma called out, nearly jumping into the fight to try and help her boyfriend. “What’s happening?! Why are you letting him hit you?!” Goku had been practically dominating this fight just a moment ago!

“Sei-yah!” Taopaipai kicked Goku into the air. With a grunt, he kicked off the ground and managed to get ahead of the airborne Goku. “CHA!!!” He slammed a double axe-handle into Goku and rocketed him straight into the ground. With a sneer on his face, Taopaipai landed on the ground and looked at the dust cloud that Goku’s body had kicked up. “Hahaha! Dead at last, eh?! By the time you realized what you were up against, it was already too late!”

Then the dust cleared and revealed that Goku had landed on his feet.

“Goku!” Bulma’s smile could’ve outshone the sun.

Goku smiled at Taopaipai, even as the assassin clearly freaked out. “You are good! That would’ve hurt a lot more if I hadn’t been able to guard!”

Taopaipai staggered back two steps, his eyes wide and his nose looked like it was starting to run. The assassin had clearly never seen such a thing in all of long, long life. “Th-This isn’t p-possible… Y-You’re a monster!” It was only as he went through his last series of attacks against Goku that he realized that everywhere he struck had felt far more resilient than it should’ve on a normal person. ‘It’s not just his body being tougher than normal… Did he also copy my ki flow enhancement?!’

Unbeknownst to Taopaipai, it wasn’t that Goku had copied his empowering technique, merely that Goku was applying what he’d learned when blocking the Dodonpa onto different parts of his body. It was a very rough and inefficient way to guard, but if one could anticipate their opponent’s moves…then the lack of efficiency could be mitigated for the most part.

“Now that I’ve seen all your moves and know how to fight back, let’s end this fight!” Goku declared as he blurred towards Taopaipai.

“You impudent little!” Taopaipai raised his arms to block what he thought was an incoming punch.

Wham

It was instead a knee strike straight to the stomach as Goku anticipated his opponent’s guard and switched his attack at the last step before he reached Taopaipai.

“Gack!” Taopaipai hacked out as the air was driven from his lungs.

Goku’s tail whipped around and slammed into Taopaipai’s undefended side. The assassin jerked to the side from the unexpected blow, his feet stumbling slightly. A palm heel caught him under the chin and rocked his head backwards. A double punch to the chest knocked Taopaipai backwards a few meters and the assassin hit the ground harshly. Goku completed his combo with an axe kick that he dropped on Taopaipai’s torso, nearly folding the man in half from the force alone as the dirt compacted beneath his body.

‘Damn it… His speed is impossible… I’m finished unless I…’ Taopaipai got an idea based on what he’d seen of Goku, so far. He flipped over onto his hands and knees and bowed his head low, even as his aching body cried out in protest of the sudden movement. “W-Wait! Please! I’m sorry!” He looked up from the ground at Goku. “Forgive me! I swear that I’ll never do evil deeds again!”

“Huh?” Goku blinked at the sudden change from his opponent.

Bulma, however, knew a con when she saw one. “Don’t listen to him, Goku! He’s lying!”

“Lying?” Goku looked over at Bulma…and Taopaipai took his chance.

In the blink of an eye, Taopaipai pulled out a grenade…though this one was special and MUCH more powerful than anything even the military would normally possess. A backup plan that the old assassin had managed to get his hands on through some of his underworld dealings. “You fell for it!” He tossed the grenade straight at Goku while launching himself high into the air.

“It’s a bomb!” Bulma yelled out and Goku moved.

In less than the blink of an eye, Goku was right beside the grenade. With a deft kick he sent it flying high into the air.

“Farewell, fools!” Taopaipai laughed as he was safely outside the range of the grenade.

Or he was…until he saw the explosive come level with him in the air from Goku’s kick.

“NOOOO!!!” Taopaipai screamed just as the bomb went off.

BOOM

The shockwave nearly knocked Bulma and Goku off their feet. The trees all around the forest rattled and the rustle of leaves was loud from the ensuing wind. The bright flash of the explosion made both Saiyans cover their eyes and clapped their hands over their ears from the noise.

“Is…is he gone?” Bulma asked a few moments later as she opened her eyes and uncovered her ears.

Goku looked around, but their wasn’t a trace of Taopaipai to be seen. Only a cloud of smoke in the air that looked like a very low cloud because of how thick it was. “I think so.”

Bulma let out a sigh of relief that the assassin was gone. “Serves him right.” She had no sympathy for an assassin, much less one that tried to kill them and resorted to something like a bomb when he was losing a fight. “I wish I could’ve helped more, Goku… I’m sorry.” Bulma said as she hung her head slightly. It gnawed at her fiercely from the inside that she’d have been more of a burden to Goku in that fight than a partner.

“Why’re you sorry?” Goku asked, his head tilted slightly in confusion.

“Because I should’ve fought with you…but I knew I wasn’t strong enough.” Bulma looked at the ground. “I’m so annoyed at myself…”

Goku smiled at Bulma and pulled her into a hug. “If you want to get better, then I know where you should go.” He laughed and pointed at Korin Tower. “Master Korin’s training is great!”

Bulma looked between the tower and Goku twice before focusing on her boyfriend. “You think I can make it to the top?”

“Yep!” Goku said with absolute belief in Bulma’s strength and determination. “It only took me about a day to reach the top.” He encouraged her, even though the climb had left him completely exhausted.

Bulma kissed Goku and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Goku wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. Their tails quickly found each other and entwined as their kiss continued.

“Hah…” Goku inhaled once Bulma pulled back from his lips. “That was nice…”

“Yeah it was.” Bulma giggled as she held Goku close. “I’ll do it.” She looked at Goku with a smile. “I’ll climb Korin Tower and train with the hermit master!”

Goku lifted Bulma into the air with a bright laugh. “Great! I can’t wait to see how strong you get, Bulma!”

Bulma wrapped her legs around Goku’s waist and pulled him into another kiss, this one deeper as their tongues began to play. “Mmm~ But let’s calm down together first…” She nearly purred once she pulled away from Goku’s lips. She was still a bit wound up from watching Goku fight.

 “Yeah!” Goku readily agreed, before he kissed Bulma this time. His body was still running high and switching from combat to physical intimacy was easy for Saiyans.

-Later-

“He did what?!” Bulma asked as she prepared to start her climb of Korin Tower.

Goku laughed at Bulma’s expression. “Hahaha! Yeah, he threw my Grampa’s Dragon Ball off the side of the tower and I had to climb down the tower to get it back, and then had to climb back up the tower to continue training.”

Bulma quickly patted herself down for anything that Korin might throw off the tower just to make her climb it again. “Here, Goku, hold onto the Dragon Radar for me.” She handed him the radar, not wanting it to be tossed from the top of the tower. ‘There’s no way that it would survive the impact with the ground.’ Bulma didn’t want to have to put their quest for the Dragon Balls on hold to go back home to West City and make a new Dragon Radar.

“Got it.” Goku held the Dragon Radar with a smile. He was in a good mood now after he and Bulma had their fun.

“Wish me luck!” Bulma was now ready to start climbing.

Goku kissed Bulma, making the blue-haired girl hum in contentment, before giving her a smile. “Good luck, Bulma!”

“Thanks, Goku!” Bulma beamed at him as she bent her legs and then jumped as high as she could. She cleared almost twenty meters vertically before grabbing onto the side of the tower. With another leap, she made it another twenty meters higher. In no time at all Bulma was no more than a tiny dot vanishing among the lowest of clouds in the sky as she climbed the stone tower.

With Bulma now climbing the tower, Goku’s expression changed a little. His smile dimmed and he looked at where he’d seen Taopaipai attacking Bulma when he’d come down from Korin Tower. A spark of anger flared to life inside Goku as Saiyan instinct was roused.

“These Red Ribbon Army guys keep attacking us…” Goku said as he picked up his Nyoibō and tied the two severed ends of the cord together over his chest, holding his weapon onto his back securely once more. “I won’t let them get away with hurting my friends!” He rumbled out as he looked at the Dragon Radar and then clicked the button on top. The screen came to life and he saw two yellow dots in one place. “That must be where the Red Ribbon Army is.”

Saiyans were not known to be overly attached to one another. The warrior race’s closest thing to familial love was finding a partner that would ensure their children were stronger than their parents. Only rarely would Saiyan parents take their children directly under their wing (when possible) and teach them what they’d learned over the course of their lives.

But… When a Saiyan DID form a bond with others, they’d protect that bond and the one’s that they were close to with all of their power. Many a being had met their end over the last few centuries by threatening such a rare Saiyan bond, even if unknowingly. The rarity of this connection, however, was also why it wasn’t known about by others and the Saiyans were still labeled as nothing more than violent apes that didn’t even care about their own kind.

Unfortunately for the Red Ribbon Army…they’d run afoul of the deepest form of this bond, the exceedingly rare ‘Mate’ phenomenon among the battle-loving Saiyans. This attack by Taopaipai had broken the last of Goku’s patience with the Red Ribbon Army and now they’d practically invited their own destruction. Saiyan instincts, while normally tempered by their intelligence, were not something to be trifled with by any force on Earth…a much, MUCH weaker planet than Planet Vegeta or the many other worlds that the Saiyan Race had conquered in the past.

“Nimbus!” Goku called out and the magical golden cloud was quickly at his side. He hopped on and took off into the air, following the Dragon Radar. “That way, Nimbus! We’re going to protect our friends and get the Dragon Balls!”

The Flying Nimbus shot forward even faster, Goku’s instinctive anger was still righteous in what he was fighting for, his heart still pure and free from selfish thoughts and desires. An interesting dichotomy that only someone like Goku could probably pull off as he raced across the sky towards the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters.

-End Chapter-

-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-

Bye-bye, Taopaipai!

Thanks for the Dodonpa! I’m sure the Saiyans will put it to better use!

Bulma has started her climb of Korin Tower! Woohoo! Go, Bulma! How long will it take her to reach the top and take the holy water?

Goku, being given the Dragon Radar, and with his patience finally pushed past the limit, flies off to confront the Red Ribbon Army!

You don’t fuck with a Saiyan’s Mate, assholes!

They better thank their lucky stars that Goku won’t be showing up on the night of a full moon!

But you can understand where Goku is coming from! Kale got shot with a shotgun by General Blue, Caulifla fought against the Red Ribbon soldiers that were trying to kill all of them, Bulma was going to be killed by Taopaipai… At this point instinctive Saiyan rage is justified!

The reckoning of the Red Ribbon Army is fast approaching now! Will it be even worse than it was in Canon with a Goku that never lost his Saiyan memories and still has those instincts intact?

Keep reading to find out!

Power Levels

Goku – 200

Bulma – 164

Krillin – 162

Roshi – 171

Launch – 5

Caulifla – 154

Kale – 156

Taopaipai – 160

Until I get your reviews, later!