The final full chapter before the 22nd Tenkai'ichi Budokai! The first half of the next chapter will finish off the three years, and the second half will begin the tournament! Yay!
Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! As Caulifla and Kale take on Korin’s training, their fellow disciples are still wandering the wide world. Launch keeps up with Master Roshi’s training, aiming to get stronger and catch up to her fellow disciples in strength. But even in the vast landscapes and cities of the world, meetings of chance can take place. As time marches onwards until the 22nd Tenka’ichi Budokai, how much can the Turtle School disciples grow?
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So, without further delay, please enjoy.
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Chapter 30 – Meetings, Travel, Time Passes
The central desert region of the continent was a vast wasteland where only small patches of rugged life survived. The heat of the sun beat down on the desert every day, the only relief the thorny brush and cacti got was from occasional rainfall in the wet season…as much as the central region had a ‘wet’ season.
“It’s hot…” Goku said as a light, sand-filled breeze passed him. He had fashioned his ram-skin cloak into a sunshade with some dry sticks he’d found a while back, keeping him out of the direct sunlight at the very least. That didn’t do much for the heat radiating off the hot to the touch sand, unfortunately. “I need to find some water soon.” Even the water supply in his Capsule House was starting to get a bit low after three days of traveling in the desert.
Another sandy breeze whipped past Goku and he held onto his sunshade tightly so that it didn’t blow away.
Goku wondered why the wind was picking up so much suddenly and made his way towards the half-buried rocky ridge he saw in the distance. Holding his sunshade securely, every step reminded Goku of his training back on the Training Island’s sandy area. He had to keep his steps light to not sink in the shifting sands, while also bracing himself against the stronger and stronger wind.
WOOOOO
The source of the wind revealed itself to be a swirling sandstorm that was crossing the desert, burying everything in its path under a meter of sand as it progressed.
“Whoa!” Goku had never seen a sandstorm like this before. As it got closer and closer to him the only sound he could hear was the howling wind. The intense wind kicked up waves of sand while dropping even more down on the area. “Got to take cover!” He blurred as he bolted towards the half-buried rocky ridge, huddling against the slight overhang of the edge as the sandstorm crashed over the area.
It didn’t take very long for the sandstorm to pass, the massive wall of wind and sand continued along its path through the desert, leaving everything buried behind it. Goku waved his hand strongly, blasting away the piled up sand around him, and stepped back out into the sunlight.
“H-Help!” A call came from the path of the sandstorm.
Goku blinked, barely able to hear the call for help even with his Saiyan hearing. Hopping up to the top of the stone ridge, Goku held his sunshade over him and looked out into the desert. “Where did that come from?”
A glint of light off of some reflective object almost halfway to the horizon caught Goku’s sharp eyes. “Help!” The yell came again, this time louder and more frantic.
Without hesitation, Goku collapsed his sunshade and ran towards the reflective thing where the voice was coming from. “I’m coming to help!” He bellowed out loudly, his voice crossing the desert on the breeze. The sand beneath his feet was barely kicked up at all as Goku cleared incredible distance with every stride, rapidly closing in on the object. The wind whipped up by his passing threw up dust and tiny grains of sand, leaving a thin cloud behind him as he rushed forward.
“Hello?” The person calling for help was an older man in loose clothing suited for desert travel. He was standing atop a half-buried hover truck that was one of the largest land vehicles that Goku had ever seen before. “Please, help!” He yelled out as the sands shifted and a large reptilian creature burst upwards with its huge jaws snapping at the older man. “GAH!!!”
“Is that a dinosaur?” Goku could only compare the massive creature to the Tyrannosaurus that he’d run from back on the Training Island. “Hey! Stop that!” Goku yelled at the desert lizard while pulling the Nyoibō from the sheath on his back. “Nyoibō extend!” The red pole glowed slightly before extending straight up, easily towering over everything in the area. “Hup!” He swung the magical staff down and slammed it into the head of the reptilian creature with a thunderous crash, nearly burying the predator back into the sand.
The sand cloud kicked up from the force of the attack blasted the older man in the face, making him sputter and flail his arm a bit. “Huh?” He looked over the edge of his vehicle and his eyes nearly bugged out. “HUH?!” The creature was dead, clearly, the top of its head caved in from the strike of the Nyoibō.
“Are you okay, sir?” Goku asked as Nyoibō shrank back to its usual length and he put it back in its sheath.
“O-Oh, yes.” The older man nodded. “Thank you, young man!” He slowly climbed down the side of the massive vehicle on the ladder built into the metal. “That sandstorm was much fiercer than we expected. But when I tried to unbury our caravan truck, that Sand Dragon came up and tried to eat me!”
Goku looked at the still half-buried lizard. “This doesn’t look like a dragon…” At the very least, it looked nothing like Shenron. His attention was drawn back to the caravan truck when the older man opened one of the doors and a woman of about the same age wrapped the man in a hug.
“Darling!” The woman squeezed her husband tightly. “We thought you were done for!”
“Dad!” A young man joined the hug. “Why wouldn’t you let me come out and help you?!” He clearly had wanted to help his father escape the Sand Dragon.
A young woman also hugged the older man. “Papa!”
“I’m alright, I’m alright.” The older man smiled as he hugged his family. “Thanks to this young man here.” He motioned over to Goku.
The entire family emerged from the huge caravan truck, revealing that not only the old man, his wife, and his children been inside, but his son’s wife and two younger children, and his daughter’s husband and their young child had also been traveling with them. Goku was promptly thanked by the entire family with words, handshakes, and even hugs.
“Hm?” Goku blinked when the older man’s daughter hugged him in thanks, feeling a slight bump on her tummy. Looking at the small bump visible through the loose clothes, Goku took only a few seconds to realize what that meant. “You’re pregnant.”
The young woman smiled at Goku and gently placed a hand on her round tummy. “Yes, this’ll be our second child.”
Goku looked at the woman’s pregnant belly for a moment before smiling. “That’s nice, I hope it’s healthy and strong.”
“Thank you…um…” The young woman realized that they hadn’t been introduced.
“I’m Son Goku!” Goku introduced himself to the large family. He pointed at the dead Sand Dragon. “Is that thing edible?”
The older man and both his son and son-in-law laughed brightly as they heard Goku’s stomach growl.
“Sand Dragon meat isn’t the tastiest, but it’s plenty edible.” The older man chuckled. “They’re mostly harvested for their water.” Seeing Goku looking confused by that, the older man continued. “A Sand Dragon burrows deep into the sand to find buried water. When it finds some, it drinks as much as possible, storing a large amount in a water bladder within its body. It’s one of its adaptations to living in the desert where water is scarce. For the Sand Dragon to have been this active, it must have plenty of water inside right now.”
Goku took in the new information and smiled. “I could use some water to refill my Capsule House’s reserves.”
The older man’s son smiled at Goku. “Then we’ll get you plenty! It’s the least we can do for saving our dad!”
“We still have to unbury the truck too.” His wife reminded him, motioning to the huge, half-buried hover truck.
“I’ll help out.” Goku offered with a grin.
Everyone quickly set to work, Goku surprised the family as with every strong swing of his hands, he blasted piles of sand off the caravan truck, freeing the hover mechanism from the sand. While Goku took care of digging out the truck, the women helped the men with unburying more of the Sand Dragon and locating its water bladder. Once it was found, the three men cut into the dead reptile and inserted a hollow metal tube. Water poured out of the opposite end and into a large basin that the three children had carried over together.
Once the caravan truck was unburied and the water drained from the Sand Dragon, Goku began to take bucketfuls of the water from the basin and pour them into the water intake of his Capsule House, something Bulma had shown him how to do before he’d set off on his martial arts journey. The powerful filter system would completely purify the water from the Sand Dragon and make it safe to drink and wash with in short order.
“Hup!” The son-in-law hefted a large chunk of Sand Dragon meat from the carcass and brought it over to a grill that his wife had pulled out from the massive truck. “This’ll cook up nice!”
The sun was heading for the western horizon as everyone sat in the shade of the caravan truck and ate dinner together. The family watched in amazement as Goku ate, more and more of the Sand Dragon meat disappearing rapidly.
“It’s good!” Goku beamed at the family. “Thank you for cooking!” He smiled at the women.
“You’re welcome.” The older man’s wife returned his smile.
The eyes of various animals shone in the growing darkness as the sun began to set and night spread across the desert. The sound of vultures, the low panting of canines, and other sounds that Goku couldn’t identify began to fill the air.
The old man chuckled as he saw Goku looking around. “The desert comes alive at night, Goku. It’s very cold, but the animals that hide from the heat hunt and scavenge at night. They’re waiting for us to leave so that they can all get their fill from the rest of the Sand Dragon.”
“A carcass like this is a rare feast for the smaller desert animals.” The man’s son nodded in agreement. “The circle of life and all that.”
“We should head out soon.” The older man’s wife said as the temperature began to drop. “If we want to sell our cargo for the best price in Central City, we’ll need to get there within the next week.”
The older man looked at Goku. “Would you like to tagalong with us, Goku? You’ll be able to get out of this desert sooner if you follow us.”
Goku didn’t need to think about it long. “Thank you, sir, I’d like that.” He accepted with a bow of thanks.
With dinner finished, the family packed up their things and Goku capsulized his Capsule House again, sticking it in his small case. The huge caravan truck rumbled to life and began to float a meter off the ground.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to ride inside, Goku?” The daughter of the older man asked Goku, her head sticking out of one of the windows.
“I’m sure. Master said that I needed to run, swim, and walk during my martial arts journey as a form of training.” Goku said with a grin. As the caravan truck took off, the older man driving, he kept the speed slow and reasonable for Goku’s sake.
Goku was practically skipping backwards as he watched the carcass of the Sand Dragon. As soon as the caravan truck was far enough away, the vultures, coyotes, and all manner of smaller reptiles descended upon the leftover meat. Only with his Saiyan eyesight could Goku see the feeding frenzy as the desert ‘reclaimed’ what belonged to it. When he could no longer see the remains of the Sand Dragon, Goku turned to face forward and began to run at a steady pace (by the standards of a disciple of Master Roshi) and quickly outpaced the caravan truck.
“My word…” The older man blinked as he saw Goku get ahead of the truck, running off to the side, the headlights illuminating his worn orange gi. “I guess I can speed up a bit.” He pressed the gas pedal further and the truck moved faster through the desert, matching Goku’s incredible pace.
Goku kept pace for the next two hours before the family stopped the truck and settled down for the night. With a toss of the Capsule and in the familiar cloud of smoke and ‘Bomf’ sound, Goku’s Capsule House appeared next to the caravan truck. “Goodnight!” He waved to the family, getting calls of ‘goodnight’ back and waves from the three little kids before they were ushered off to bed by their mothers. With the water tank full again, Goku took a shower before hopping into bed and falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
-Korin Tower-
“Hup!” Caulifla made four After Images to surround Korin. She lunged for the flask, but the cat sage merely tilted his wrist to move it out of her reach. Caulifla landed with her hands on the floor and bent her arms while pulling in her legs towards her abdomen.
‘A double kick, I see.’ Korin anticipated the girl’s next move and backstepped as soon as Caulifla launched herself backwards at him, both feet aiming straight for Korin’s center of mass. “Too slow.” He chuckled as he hopped to the side, letting Caulifla sail past him. What he hadn’t anticipated was Caulifla’s tail lashing out to wrap around his! “YOOOWWW!!!” Korin yowled as his tail was yanked on and Caulifla’s momentum dragged him along for a moment before he dug in his feet.
Caulifla had a wild grin on her face as she grabbed Kroin’s staff with one hand and wrapped her legs around the white cat a fraction of a second later, trapping his free arm to his side. “Got ya!” She exclaimed with a laugh, tightening her tail around Korin’s to prevent his escape while using her free hand to snatch the dangling flask from the top of the staff. “I got the water!”
Korin let out a sigh as Caulifla release him from her impromptu hold. “Did you really have to pull on my tail like that?” He gingerly rubbed the base of his tail with a flat look at Caulifla. ‘She certainly found her own way to achieve her goal. Attacking me instead of actually going for the water itself.’
“It worked, right?” Caulifla grinned at Korin as she stood up with the flask in her hands.
“Well, you’ve got the water.” Korin said with a small smile, his staff held in his right hand. “You can have a drink, if you’d like.”
Caulifla undid the top of the flask. “I could use a drink.” She admitted before downing the entire flask in one long pull. “Ahhh, nice!” The water in the flask was actually slightly cool, which was great on Caulifla’s throat.
“You’ve completed my training, Caulifla.” Korin told the Saiyan girl. “Not quite as fast as Goku…but you did beat Bulma’s time.” She was probably the one that had gained the most from his training, so far, having learned how to move with efficiency in the thin air, as well as the ability to anticipate the moves of opponents. Her wasteful movements had decreased just as much as her stamina had increased, both as a result of the training and her Saiyan physiology having adapted to thin air and becoming better at taking in oxygen and using each breath to the utmost.
“Goku only beat me by one day…” Caulifla wasn’t pouting, she wasn’t!
Korin chuckled at the girl’s competitive nature. “What will you do now?”
Caulifla looked at Korin for a short moment before smiling. “I’ll head back down the tower and wait for Kale to finish training with you, obviously.”
“Hohoho…quite confident in your ‘sister’, aren’t you?” Korin laughed a little. “I’ll look forward to her challenge then.”
“Thank you, Master Korin.” Caulifla smiled at the martial arts sage and gave him a respectful bow.
Korin accepted her bow with a nod. “You’ve done well, Caulifla. Descend the tower and take with you the lessons that you’ve learned here.”
Caulifla nodded her grin reappearing. “Catch ya later!” She waved and jogged over to the stairs towards the lower level. It only took her a few seconds before she dangled from one of the four holes at the bottom of the oval-shaped home of Korin and latched onto the stone tower.
Korin felt Caulifla’s energy rapidly descending the tower a moment later and went to make himself some tea and a snack. “I wonder how the next one will be?”
-Training Island-
Launch focused and steadied her breathing. She’d see this technique performed dozens and dozens of times already, surely she could do it too! Cupping her hands together at her side, she focused on the energy within. “Ka… Me…” She pushed the feeling of energy down her arms and into her cupped hands. “Ha… Me…” A small blue-white ball of ki formed, shining between Launch’s fingers. “HA!!!” She threw her arms forward with a roar and the small ball of key lanced outwards towards the ocean.
Only to disappear into a wisp about three meters from her hands.
“Damn it…” Launch grumbled out. “…that wasn’t right.”
Roshi watched on from where he was standing not to far from Launch. “You must focus more.” He instructed her in how to perform his original technique. “Put everything you have into the Kamehameha, hold nothing back. Only after you succeed in learning the technique should you be concerned with rationing your energy.”
Lunch watched from the porch of Kame House—for safety reasons—and called out to her sister. “You can do it, sis!”
“Right…no holding back.” Launch cupped her hands to her side again and began to focus. She felt the energy within her and directed it to her hands, holding it there and letting it build up more and more. “Ka… Me…” The blue-white ki appeared and steadily grew into a larger sphere. “Ha… Me…” The ball of energy now insistently pressed against Launch’s cupped hands as she poured as much ki into the technique as she could. “HA!!!” She once more threw her hands forward to unleash the technique.
The beam of blue-white ki shot forward, clearing the shoreline and heading out into the ocean for almost fifteen meters before it faded away.
“Very good.” Roshi nodded to Launch, who was currently string at what she’d just done.
“I… I did it.” Launch blinked once, then twice. “I DID IT!!!” She cheered, throwing her hands up into the air.
Lunch clapped and rushed over, wrapping her sister in a hug. “That was great!”
‘One step closer to catching up.’ Launch thought to herself as she returned her sister’s hug. “I’m hungry now…” She realized the drain of the technique as her stomach growled audibly.
“Then let’s eat dinner!” Lunch said with a smile, pointing out the sun that was nearly set already.
Roshi nodded with a laugh. “Indeed! ‘Eat well’ is part of the Turtle School Way!”
The three headed into Kame House for a delicious dinner before turning in for the night. Training started tomorrow at four-thirty in the morning, as always.
-Sacred Land of Korin-
“Kale!” Caulifla called out as she hopped off the edge of the tower as soon as she could see her ‘sis’, freefalling towards Kale with a huge grin on her face.
Kale looked up at the sudden yelling of her name with a smile. “Sis!” She watched Caulifla fall, arms and legs spread wide, baggy purple harem pants whipping about in the wind.
Caulifla tucked herself into a ball and spun forward twice before extending her legs and landing on the ground, her feet digging in to the grass and dirt a bit, legs bending to absorb the impact with ease. “I’m back!” She said with a smirk and a wave.
“You finished already!” Kale hugged Caulifla with a smile, happy that her ‘sis’ had completed Korin’s training. “You beat Bulma’s time!”
“Not Goku’s though.” Caulifla said with a cute little ‘hmph’ sound.
Kale couldn’t help but giggle at Caulifla’s cute competitiveness.
“Miss Caulifla!” Upa smiled as he ran over to the newly returned girl. “Did you receive training from the divine being?” He asked excitedly, looking up at Caulifla curiously.
Caulifla grinned and flexed her arms. “Sure did! I learned a lot and got stronger!”
Upa’s eyes practically sparkled. “Wow!”
“Will you be climbing the tower right away, Miss Kale?” Bora asked as he walked over to the three of them. “Good to see you again, Miss Caulifla.”
“Yes, I want to learn from Master Korin as well!” Kale said as she held her arms in front of her, both hands clenched into fists.
Caulifla put her hand on Kale’s shoulder with a confident smile. “You can do it, Kale!” She encouraged her ‘sis’ with absolute belief that Kale would succeed.
Upa nodded excitedly while looking up at Kale with a big smile. “I know you can do it, Kale!”
“You have a strong fire within you, Kale.” Bora smiled down at the girl. “I’m certain that you’ll reach the divine being and receive its wisdom and gain more strength.”
“Thank you!” Kale smiled at Bora and Upa. “I’ll start climbing immediately!” She rushed over to the bottom of the stone tower and bent her legs. With a powerful jump, Kale shot high into the air, becoming little more than a dot to the eyes of everyone looking up at the tower. The moment she grabbed hold of the tower, she began to climb, disappearing into the low clouds a short time later.
Caulifla looked at Bora and Upa once Kale was completely out of sight. “So, where do you guys bathe around here? I only took one bath while I was up there, so it’s been two days and I’d like to clean off again.” She lightly pulled at her pink crop top. “I should probably wash my clothes too.”
Upa smiled and pointed in the direction of the river that was through the forest. “The river is this way, I’ll lead you!”
“Thanks, Upa.” Caulifla grinned as she followed after the five-year-old, letting him help since it clearly made the little boy happy.
Bora chuckled as Upa helped their guest, proud that his young son was so kind and upstanding. “I’m sure that Miss Caulifla will be hungry soon enough. I should see what I can hunt today.”
At the river, Upa spread his arms wide as if to display it. “Here it is! Kale took a liking to it while she was staying with us.”
Caulifla grinned at the excited young boy and looked at the river. It wasn’t overly deep, and it was fairly wide, the current wasn’t all that strong either. “Great place to wash up!” She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her wristbands, pulling off her crop top freed her girls, letting them bounce in the open air. “I’ll wash my clothes once I’m clean.” She dropped her crop top onto the grass next to her shoes and then hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her purple pants and panties, pulling both down her legs and stepping out of them, leaving her naked. “The sun feels great too…” She let out a pleased hum while stretching her arms above her head.
“There’s a waterfall further upstream and the river narrows, so the current is much stronger there.” Upa told Caulifla, not bothered by the older girl’s nudity since he was far too young for it to matter. “Kale said that it was good for training.”
“Huh, maybe I’ll try it out while waiting for Kale.” Caulifla considered, though she knew she was definitely going to do so. “But first…” She leapt from the side of the river and splashed into the center where it was deepest, fully submerging herself. “Pah!” She exhaled loudly when her head broke the surface a moment later. “It’s nice and cool!” Caulifla laughed while shaking out her wild hair, sending water flying.
Upa, happy that he got to be of help to their guest, waved to Caulifla before heading back to the teepee that he lived in with his father. With any luck, he’d be able to watch his dad on another hunt and learn more about the ways of tracking for when he was old enough to join the hunt and take his first prey.
-Edge of the Central Desert-
The last day of traveling through the desert had been much easier for Goku than the previous three. With the caravan truck leading the way, he made much better time through the harsh wasteland rather than when he’d been doing his best to walk in a straight line through it. The fact that he could run in the shade of the large vehicle had been the best part, relieving the stress of the heat to a tolerable level.
“We’re heading towards Central City, Goku.” The older man said with a smile. “Thanks again for saving us!”
“Have a good trip! I hope all of your cargo sells well!” Goku smiled as he waved to the large family. The caravan truck took off down the road and Goku smiled as he looked around at the green grasses and the trees that stood in the brushland between the desert and the river valleys that the older man had told him were ahead. “Now, should I follow the road, or head straight through the wilderness?”
Goku was blurring down the road a moment later until he came to a bend that would follow the path of the upcoming large river and lead to a bridge further north. With a laugh, Goku leapt off the road and into the forest, grabbing onto tree branches and swinging through the forest like the monkeys of Mt. Paozu. He’d keep heading through the wilderness and make his way towards Central City on his own path.
-Korin Tower-
Kale had paced herself on her climb up the tower, following Bulma’s example to acclimate to the thinner and thinner air. “Almost there…” She had seen the top through a small break in the clouds a moment ago. Climbing a bit faster, even as her muscles burned, Kale spotted the top once she got past the clouds and smile. It took a while longer, but Kale reached the top and pulled herself into the oval-shaped home of Korin. “Ow…my everything hurts.”
“Hohoho… You took a little extra time, so you’re in better condition than Caulifla was when she reached the top.” Korin chuckled as Kale looked at him.
“Cute kitty…” Kale said absently as she looked at Korin.
Korin actually laughed at that. “I do take care of myself and keep my fur clean.”
Kale blushed slightly at blurting out her thoughts. “Sorry about that, Master Korin.” She stood up and gave the hermit sage a respectful bow. “I’ve climbed your tower to seek your teachings.”
“Don’t worry about it, Kale.” Korin revealed that he already knew her name. “I was informed that you’d be following shortly after Caulifla.”
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Kale rubbed the back of her head with a little smile.
Korin motioned for Kale to follow him with a light chuckle. “Well, let’s not waste time, I’m sure that you’re eager to get started.”
Kale followed after the white cat, exiting the lower level and looking over the railing of the outside stairs that led up to the upper level. “It’s so high up.” Below them was just a wide expanse of white clouds. Once they got to the wide open training space, Korin tossed Kale a bean. “Is this the…”
“Senzu, yes.” Korin grinned as Kale blinked at him. “No, I didn’t read your mind.” He said before she could ask the question.
“Hey…” Kale almost pouted at Korin being able to predict everything she was going to say. “Alright then…” She put the Senzu in her mouth and chewed it quickly before swallowing, feeling the aches throughout her body vanished a moment later while her stomach was completely full instantly. “I’m ready to start!”
Korin easily picked up the flask from its pedestal with the top of his staff. “I wonder how long it will take you?” He began to sway the top of his staff side to side while holding it vertically, the water in the flask sloshing around. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Kale was suddenly right in front of Korin, her hand nearly touching the flask. Her hand passed through the After Image and she blinked, looking around for Korin and finding him on the opposite side of the pedestal. “When?” She hadn’t even seen a blur when he made the After Image.
‘I barely reacted in time. Instinctual movement?’ Korin thought to himself. It was a very rare person that could move without giving ANY signs of their movement beforehand. He saw Kale make three After Images, one going to the right, one to the left, and one jumping over the pedestal entirely. ‘Can she not control that instinct?’ He’d not seen that before in any of the ones that had made it to the top of his tower. “You’re quite the interesting one, Kale.” He pivoted to the left to dodge a lunge for his staff and then tilted his staff to the right so that Kale’s kick didn’t tear it from his hand.
“Got it!” Kale grabbed the staff, only to find the flask wasn’t atop it any more.
“Looking for something?” Korin asked with an amused grin, the flask resting atop his palm as he stood a few meters away.
Kale looked between the staff in her hands and Korin. “How?”
Korin chuckled at Kale’s perplexed look. “I just applied myself a little.”
“Hyah!” Kale threw the wooden staff at Korin like a spear and vanished into three After Images.
It was looking to be a very interesting time of instruction for Korin as he caught his staff, spun it, and then tripped Kale with it.
-Two Days Later ~ Edge of Central City-
A large river bordered the biggest of all five megalopolises in the world. It was a pristine area that many in the city came to when they needed a break from the hustle and bustle. The gentle nature was relaxing and many people enjoyed fishing, swimming, and picnics in the area quite regularly.
“This place is really nice.” Bulma sighed as she relaxed on the grassy bank of the river a good distance away from the more popular spots. “Central City is lucky to have this river so close by.” The nearby beaches of West City were great, of course, and Bulma went to them with her family every summer. But there was something peaceful and serene about a river and surrounded by nature like this one.
The gentle breeze lightly brushed Bulma’s long blue hair.
Bulma’s eyes snapped open as a VERY familiar scent hit her nose. “No way!” She sat up quickly and looked around. “Where?” There was no sign of the source of the scent though. The trees a few meters away rustled and before Bulma’s eyes something fast-moving dropped down from the treeline. “Goku?!”
“Hm?” Goku looked up at hearing his name and saw Bulma sitting on the grass near the river that he’d crossed a while back. “Bulma!” he beamed at seeing his girlfriend after a long time.
“What’re you doing here?” Bulma asked as she stood up and blurred forward to hug Goku.
Goku returned the hug with a smile. “I traveled through the big central desert and then I was going through the wilderness for more training. Now I’m here.”
Bulma giggled at the happy coincidence and kissed Goku’s lips softly. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Bulma!” Goku smiled warmly as he held Bulma, their tails entwined without either of them realizing it.
“Well, I’m glad our paths crossed.” Bulma said with a warm smile as she and Goku gently nuzzled one another. “It’s been too long.”
Goku agreed as he breathed in Bulma’s scent. “Yeah, it’s been a while, huh?”
Bulma wrapped her arms over Goku’s shoulders and pulled him down to the grass with her, their lips meeting in a long, deep kiss. “Let’s make up for the time~” She purred to Goku once their lips separated.
“Okay.” Goku’s voice deepened and Bulma shivered lightly in phantom pleasure.
“Off.” Bulma tugged at Goku’s worn gi, noticing it was tighter on them than the last time they’d seen each other. Goku raised his arms and let Bulma pull his gi over his head, revealing his toned and muscled torso to her eyes. “Mmm, I missed this~” She ran her hands over his chest, tracing the contours of his abs and pectorals.
Goku rumbled low in his throat at the feeling of Bulma’s hands on his skin after so long. “Bulma, that feels good.” He ran his hands over Bulma’s curves before tugging at the hem of her shirt. “Can I?”
Bulma sat up and pulled her shirt off herself, tossing it aside and pulling her sports bra off a second later, letting her tits bounce in front of Goku. “Touch me, Goku.” She practically demanded, having missed her boyfriend’s touch far too much. Not giving a single fuck that they were technically in public as she pulled his lips to hers while Goku’s hands gently groped and massaged her tits, teasing her hard nipples and making Bulma moan in delight.
It was lucky the two Saiyans were so far from the popular places and had a very low chance of being caught in their public indecency.
The two would spend the next few days in Central City together enjoying dates and more than a little ‘alone time’.
-Korin Tower-
‘There!’ Kale saw the opening and went for it.
“Nope!” Korin literally threw the flask off the end of his staff.
Kale’s hand palmed Korin’s head and shoved him down as she vaulted over him, then kicked off his back. “Yep!” She countered Korin’s statement as she sailed through the air, her hands outstretched for the falling flask.
Korin swung his wooden staff, looking to hook Kale’s foot and pull her away from reaching the flask. ‘Hm?’ Kale’s foot moved without her even glancing back, avoiding the swipe and kicking off the top of the staff to push her just that little bit further to catch the flask right before it hit the ground. “I see.” He hummed as Kale shot to her feet.
“I got it!” Kale held the flask up above her head, a beaming smile on her face. “Thanks for the boost, Master Korin!”
“Hohoho, you’ve certainly made progress these last few days.” Korin chuckled, now certain that Kale had truly understood the lesson of how to anticipate her opponent’s movements. ‘She’s not relying on those instinctive movements that she doesn’t seem to have control over either. I do wonder what those instincts may become in the future though.’
Kale handed the flask back to Korin. “I took a bit longer than Caulifla.” She had taken close to four and a half days, but she really felt like she’d improved as a martial artist. ‘I can move better than before. This must be the efficient movement that Master Korin mentioned.’
Korin smiled as he put the flask back atop the pedestal with a light toss, without looking. “I must say, I never thought I’d have so many students of my teachings at the same time.” He lightly smoothed out his whiskers, his tail swaying back and forth. “You’ve done very well, Kale. I hope that you’ll use these lessons to continue to better yourself once you return to the world below.”
“I will, Master Korin.” Kale gave him a respectful bow. “Thank you for everything.”
“I believe all four of you have an appointment to keep as well.” Korin mentioned with a chuckle. “If you all head towards that island at a steady pace, you should arrive just in time.”
Kale blinked, wondering what Korin was talking about before her eyes widened. “You definitely read my mind that time!”
Korin shook his head. “Nope. I read Caulifla’s mind and just kept track of the days.”
“I don’t believe you.” Kale narrowed her eyes at the cat sage.
“Believe as you wish.” Korin was enjoying this far more than he probably should, but Kale had been trying to catch him reading her mind the entire time she’d been here. “However, I am still correct about your group’s appointment.”
Kale huffed cutely but relaxed after a moment. “Thank you, Master Korin.”
Korin nodded and watched as Kale headed down the stairs and into the lower level. “Four martial artists in less than a year have taken to my teachings.” He knew there’d probably be two more in time as well. “I hope this is not a portent of ill things to come.”
“We can take the path through the continent to head back to the Training Island.” Kale said to herself as she swiftly descended the stone tower. “We’re coming, Launch!” She promised her girlfriend even though they were half a world apart.
In just a couple short months, Launch’s training with Master Roshi would be complete, and all of them would be there to celebrate with her. They’d promised and none of the Saiyans would break that promise to their loved one.
“Maybe we should head for West City and retrace my steps?” Kale let herself drop from the tower with a smile as she thought of a route back to the Training Island.
-End Chapter-
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Time moves forward and the disciples of the Turtle School continue to grow.
Launch has learned the Kamehameha! Woohoo!
Caulifla and Kale have completed Korin’s training as well! Both have very much benefited from the cat sage’s teachings as they grow stronger, but more importantly, learn how not to waste energy on excessive, unnecessary movement and anticipate their opponents.
Goku and Bulma ran across each other at the edge of Central City! Boyfriend and girlfriend happily reunite and things quickly get a bit hot and heavy as they ‘make up for lost time’ together. Naughty Saiyans!
The time of the 22nd Tenka’ichi Budokai draws ever nearer! Will more of the Turtle School Disciples meet up with each other in this final year or so of martial wanderings?
Keep reading to find out!
Power Levels
Goku – 208
Bulma – 200
Krillin – 185
Roshi – 182
Launch – 86
Caulifla – 198
Kale – 200
Until I get your reviews, later!