Thunder Shock Surprise

Having such an exceptionally gifted disciple was both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing was that at last, someone could carry on what he had learned. His school wouldn't be swept away by the currents of time.

The curse was that a disciple who was too exceptionally gifted could drain him dry in no time and then leave him far behind.

Son Gohan had always been confident in himself. With both talent and hard work, there was no reason he should lose.

At least he wouldn't squander his talent like Raditz and end up an ordinary nobody, right?

"Teacher, just leave it to me. I believe that one day, Kame Style dojos will be spread across the entire world!"

"Maybe one day, we'll even reach out into the universe!"

"I believe that glorious future will come about just as you wish. So I won't let you off the hook from now on. You'd better get ready for my rigorous tests!"

Master Roshi, seasoned as he was, didn't buy the grand vision Son Gohan had painted for him. He couldn't afford to think about such a distant future.

All he could do was focus on the present.

"You've already mastered the Kamehameha, one of the signature techniques of Kame Style, so I won't demonstrate that one."

"In the days ahead, I'll gradually teach you some basic fist techniques. There's also the sealing technique, the Evil Containment Wave, and the Thunder Shock Surprise, which evolved from it."

"I don't teach these to Goku and the others because I'm afraid they'd have the opposite effect if their fundamentals weren't solid!"

"As for you, I believe you'll make a breakthrough soon after learning them. Then you can absorb the essence of these techniques, use them as nourishment, and climb to even greater heights!"

"Teacher, that's putting a lot of pressure on me, you know!"

Son Gohan scratched his head sheepishly and couldn't help voicing his complaint.

"Pressure creates motivation. I can't see what your future holds, but as your teacher, I hope I can save you even a little time, however insignificant it may seem."

As Master Roshi tossed his cane aside, his entire aura changed in a way that was hard to explain.

In the blink of an eye, his muscles had returned to their peak condition!

"Kid, watch closely. This is as far as I can help you!"

"Pay close attention to the flow of ki inside my body. Remember it well!"

"Thunder... Shock... Surprise!"

He let out a sudden shout. Great masses of ki compressed between his hands, gradually forming bright, rippling clusters.

The ki raced around his palms before splitting into two currents of power that collided and rubbed against each other. Little by little, sparks began to flicker around Master Roshi!

"Crackle!"

A spark flashed. Master Roshi, having gathered his ki to its limit, thrust both palms forward. A gale followed in their wake, and in the blink of an eye, the blast crossed a hundred zhang.

"Boom!" It struck an outcropping of rock on the sea and blew it apart.

When the blinding light faded, Master Roshi's bulging muscles slowly relaxed. A sheen of sweat suddenly appeared on his bald head.

Still panting heavily, he braced both hands on his knees, turned, and stared straight at Son Gohan as he demanded, "How much of what I just showed you did you remember?"

Seeing Master Roshi's stern, earnest expression, Son Gohan hesitated.

Should I say I remembered it all, or that I forgot everything?

Sometimes he really wished he had a cheat that let him hear other people's thoughts.

Then he wouldn't have to stand there guessing!

"I remembered half of it!"

With Master Roshi's eyes fixed on him, Son Gohan rubbed his nose and finally settled on a middle-ground answer.

"Mm, not bad!"

"When I was learning from Master Mutaito, the first time he taught me a ki blast technique, I had to watch him demonstrate it three times before I learned it!"

He claimed he'd needed three demonstrations, but the smug look on his face made it clear he was bragging.

"Then you really are impressive!"

Son Gohan sincerely gave him a thumbs-up. 👌

Seeing him play along so readily, Master Roshi even blushed a little. He waved a hand at him.

"Study it on your own for now. That really wore me out. I'm an old man with old bones; after pushing myself like that, I'll need at least a few days to recover."

The amount of ki needed to perform the Thunder Shock Surprise was simply enormous. He had to force his body and spirit into peak condition to use it.

But every time he performed it, he was left feeling as if his body had been drained dry. All in all, he simply didn't have enough ki, so each time he had to draw on his body's reserves.

After coughing a couple of times, he waved away Son Gohan, who had started toward him to offer support, and slowly made his way to the worksite where Son Goku and the others were laboring.

Watching Master Roshi's retreating figure, Son Gohan bowed slightly to show his respect.

He didn't know whether Master Roshi saw it, but the old man's figure paused for a moment. When he continued onward, he seemed to straighten his back without realizing it.

Where Son Gohan couldn't see, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of Master Roshi's mouth...

"Phew..."

After seeing Master Roshi off, Son Gohan sat cross-legged and began considering the flow of ki he'd sensed in the Thunder Shock Surprise.

Once Master Roshi had deliberately revealed the paths his ki took, Son Gohan had basically learned most of the technique. The remaining difficulties were just a matter of figuring out what to do with the stray particles when the two clusters of ki collided.

Watching wave after wave roll in from the distance, Son Gohan gradually sank into thought.

At some point, his eyes had closed.

As the sea breeze rushed past, wisps of hollow-feeling ki began to rise around him. They circled his body, spiraling upward without end!

"Crackle!"

A spark of electricity flashed. Son Gohan slowly pushed his hands forward, and a faint, brilliant golden glow began to gather around them.

Just as it swelled and seemed on the verge of taking shape, it suddenly vanished!

Son Gohan was drenched in sweat. He panted heavily.

"The energy cost really is astonishing! Even with my current level of skill, understanding the principle isn't enough to let me bring it forth."

"I still need to keep strengthening my ki!"

With that thought, he didn't hesitate. He stood up and walked straight toward the sea in front of him.

"I'll start with a swim and tire myself out a bit!"

He needed to find his own rhythm now. It wasn't suitable for him to disrupt Son Goku and the others while they were building their foundations.

As he plunged into the depths of the sea, pressure closed in on him from every direction.

His body reacted instinctively, and a faint film of ki activated on its own.

"Maybe training like this will work better!"