Master Korin, Long Time No See

"Dad! Dad! It's Goku!" Upa turned around excitedly and called toward the little house.

"Oh? Goku!" Upa's father, Bora—a hulking man built like a mountain—came out of the house at the sound of his voice.

When Bora saw Son Goku covered in injuries and barely able to stand, surprise and concern immediately crossed his bronze-colored face. "What happened, kid? You look like you're badly hurt... Who did this to you?"

"I... I got beaten up pretty badly by a really strong bad guy!" Son Goku gave a dry laugh and scratched his head, a little embarrassed. But the movement pulled at his injured ribs, making him grimace in pain.

"Really? To hurt you this badly... That guy must be something else." Bora's expression grew serious, his thick eyebrows drawing together.

"That's why I came here." Son Goku's eyes grew determined again. He looked up at the towering summit and grinned. "I want to ask Master Korin to help me get stronger! I have to become stronger!"

"But... You're so badly hurt you can barely stand. How are you going to climb Korin Tower?" Bora looked at Son Goku swaying on his feet, his face full of worry.

"It's okay!" Son Goku sounded confident. He turned to Yajirobe, who was curiously looking around, and smiled. "Yajirobe can carry me up."

"What did you say?!" Yajirobe had been wondering whether there was anything good to eat around here. He froze, then pointed at himself, his round face full of disbelief. "Me? Carry you up this tower that goes on forever? Goku, are you running a fever?"

"Yajirobe can definitely climb it. I believe in you!" Son Goku gave him a confident smile and spoke with absolute certainty.

"Quit messing with me, kid!" Yajirobe glared at Son Goku, hands on his hips, convinced he was dreaming up the impossible.

"There's something delicious at the top of the tower." Son Goku blinked and suddenly lowered his voice, speaking in a mysterious, tempting tone.

"What? Something delicious?" Yajirobe's ears perked up at once, interest gleaming in his round eyes. But then he eyed Son Goku suspiciously. "Don't lie to me! What could there be to eat at the top of a tower in the middle of nowhere?"

"It's true. They're called Senzu Beans," Son Goku replied earnestly, nodding. "They're a very special kind of bean."

"Senzu Beans... What a strange name." Yajirobe muttered doubtfully, then looked up at Korin Tower again. The sight of it seemingly reaching into the clouds made him draw a sharp breath. "Still... this tower is really tall! How long will it take to climb?"

"Haha, you're a lot like Broly. You both love to eat." Seeing Yajirobe looking conflicted but tempted, Son Goku couldn't help laughing. But the laughter pulled at his injuries, and he broke into a fit of coughing.

With Bora's help, Yajirobe reluctantly picked Son Goku up on his back, grumbling and cursing all the while.

Bora used his tremendous strength to hurl them a good distance upward, saving them a lot of energy at the start.

Then Yajirobe began his long and arduous climb.

Gritting his teeth, Yajirobe used all four limbs to inch his way up the smooth, steep wall, like an agile, chubby ball.

Sweat soon soaked his clothes, and his heavy breathing rang out in the quiet heights.

It was hard to say how long he had been climbing. It felt like a century had passed.

Yajirobe felt as though his arms and legs no longer belonged to him.

Just as Yajirobe was about to give up and curse Son Goku for a liar, the outline of the platform at the top finally appeared before him!

"Hey, Goku! Is that it? Is that the top of the tower?!" Summoning the last of his strength, Yajirobe shouted hoarsely, his voice full of relief and joy.

"Huff... huff..."

The only reply was the steady, deep breathing coming from his back.

At some point, Son Goku had fallen asleep on his broad back, worn out and injured!

"You little brat! You're having a nice, relaxing time, aren't you? I'm busting my hump carrying you up this tower, and you've fallen asleep?! Wake up! We're at the top!" Yajirobe was furious. He felt like he'd been turned into a free laborer and a moving bed, and he was so mad he wanted to throw the guy on his back off the tower.

In the end, Yajirobe continued cursing as he summoned the last of his strength and suddenly flipped over, crashing down onto the flat floor atop Korin Tower with Son Goku.

Yajirobe sprawled on the ground in a starfish shape, panting heavily. His chest heaved, and he felt as if his lungs were about to explode. He didn't want to move even a finger.

"Thanks, Yajirobe. You worked hard." The fall woke Son Goku. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, saw Yajirobe lying limp as a rag, and hurried to thank him sincerely.

"Anyone who can carry Goku all the way up this tower must be an impressive fellow."

An elderly, kindly voice came from nearby.

There stood Master Korin—a white cat holding a wooden staff who could speak—smiling at them with an approving look.

"Master Korin, long time no see." Son Goku got up and stretched his now fully recovered body, then greeted Master Korin with a smile.

"Huh? Who's this guy?" Yajirobe managed to prop himself halfway up and stared blankly at the talking white cat opposite him, his round face filled with surprise and confusion.

"I came to..." Son Goku ignored Yajirobe's astonishment and turned to Master Korin, about to explain why he had come.

"You don't need to explain. I already know everything." Master Korin cut him off with a smile, his narrowed eyes gleaming with insight.

"Huh? What do you know?" Son Goku froze, confusion spreading across his face.

"Didn't King Piccolo give you a pretty bad beating?" Master Korin stroked his whiskers and spoke calmly.

"Huh? How did you know that?" Son Goku's mouth fell open in surprise, his eyes wide.

"When I have nothing to do, I often use this water jar to watch what's happening below." Master Korin pointed with his staff at the large earthenware jar filled with clear water beside him, smiling mysteriously.

"Huh? You can see all the way down from this high up?" Son Goku was even more astonished. He leaned over the jar to look inside, but all he saw was his own silly reflection.

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