Gaino said goodbye to Master Roshi and flew straight toward Korin's home. Laiya followed close behind.
Korin was keeping an eye on Gaino and Laiya. When he saw them flying toward him, he scratched his head with his cat's paw and kept muttering, "Don't come here, don't come here."
But with a whoosh, Gaino and Laiya were already standing before him.
Gaino greeted him first. "Hello, Korin! I'm sure you know why I've come here, right?"
Leaning on his staff and sticking out his big belly, Korin said to Gaino, "I know why you're here. I saw everything in the Water Mirror. That kid Roshi seems to have trained you well, but there are still some flaws."
As expected, there was always someone better. In Korin's eyes, Master Roshi's training methods still weren't perfect.
"Then please give us some guidance, Korin."
"I don't mind training you, but I have a condition." As soon as he heard that, Laiya got angry and said to Korin, "You little kitty, you're making demands of us? Isn't that going too far?"
At the word "kitty," Korin's fur immediately stood on end. He snapped at Laiya, "My name is Korin, not Kitty. If you don't want to train, I won't stop you."
"You've got quite a temper for a little kitty." Gaino hurriedly said to Laiya, "Laiya, don't be rude."
Korin said, "What's your condition? Go ahead."
"It's nothing special. I've run out of salmon lately. If you can get me some, I'll train you."
Before Korin could say another word, Gaino had already vanished. He flew swiftly to an unfamiliar lake and casually flicked an Energy Sphere from his hand. With a boom, all kinds of fish floated across the lake's surface. Without a second thought, Gaino pulled out a sack and stuffed every fish into it.
Then he sped back toward Korin Tower. Korin was still watching through the Water Mirror when Gaino arrived before him, carrying a huge sack of fish on his back.
Korin said, "People use Energy Spheres to attack their enemies, but you used one to blast fish? You really are a one-of-a-kind weirdo."
"Isn't this faster?" Gaino handed the sack to Korin. Korin quickly opened it, took out a fish, and tossed it straight into his mouth. He was enjoying every bite.
As expected, cats loved fish.
After finishing the fish, Korin said, "Since you're so sincere, I'll train you." As he spoke, he took a bell from his body, hung it on his staff, and said to Gaino, "If you can take this bell without making it ring, then you pass."
Laiya said, "I thought you had some special training in mind. That's it? Watch me."
Korin said, "You can go first."
Laiya powered up and darted toward Korin. Just as she reached for the bell, Korin tilted his body slightly and dodged her attack.
Gaino watched closely from the side. It was all in the movement of Korin's body. His movements were so slight that the bell didn't ring.
Korin said, "Your energy is immense, but the moment you move, I can tell how you're going to attack. A master can read an opponent's attack from their movements, so you still have a long way to go!"
Laiya said furiously, "I don't believe it! Again!"
"Sure! Come on!" said Korin.
Laiya tried several times, but never touched the bell. Eventually, she ran out of energy and slumped down on the ground.
Seeing Laiya exhausted, Korin asked, "Do you still think this is easy?"
Laiya panted, "N-no... it's not easy."
Gaino stepped forward and said to Korin, "Let me try."
Korin looked at Gaino and said, "All right, give it a try."
Gaino closed his eyes and put himself in a completely relaxed state. Suddenly, he opened them and appeared in front of Korin in an instant. He reached out and snatched the bell, but it rang.
The move startled Korin. What kind of monster was this? He'd managed to grab the bell on his very first try. He hadn't passed since the bell had rung, but it was still an impressive feat.
Korin composed himself and said, "You got the bell, but it rang, so you haven't passed."
"Let's keep going." Gaino tossed the bell back to Korin.
The training began again. Laiya watched Gaino closely and realized he was reducing his energy as much as possible. She, on the other hand, had been raising hers to the maximum. That let Korin predict her movements. So that's how it works.
Korin grew more and more astonished. This kid is getting faster with every attempt, and his movements are getting lighter, too. In a few more days, he'll be able to take the bell from me with ease.
Seeing this, Korin said, "All right, that's enough training for today. We'll continue tomorrow!"
"Gaino, we're out of food for dinner. Go get us something."
At those words, Gaino understood. So Korin was craving fish. That was why he'd stopped the training!
Without another word, Gaino flew straight down to the ground. Before long, he returned with another sack of fish on his back. Korin didn't hesitate—he plunged headfirst into the sack and began his meal.
Five days passed like this. In that time, Gaino and Laiya had both learned to snatch the bell from Korin with ease, without making it ring even once.
Korin looked at the two of them and was speechless. Where did these monsters come from? They've learned to control their energy so effortlessly in no time at all.
"All right, all right, you two have graduated. There's nothing left for me to teach you, so you can go."
Gaino said, "Korin, thank you for everything these past few days. This is a gift for you."
Gaino pulled out a huge sack filled with fish. Seeing all that food, Korin's appetite surged. He jumped straight into the sack.
Then he said, "You're quite thoughtful, kid. Fine, I'll accept this."
Gaino said, "Korin, those little beans in your jar look nice. Could you give me some?"
Korin was completely focused on the fish. He waved a hand carelessly and said, "Sure, sure. Take as many as you want. They're just little things I grew, nothing valuable."
Nothing valuable? These are life-saving Senzu Beans! And you're calling them worthless? Well, I won't stand on ceremony, then.
"Korin, I'll go get them now."
"Mm-hmm, take them! Take them!"
Gaino didn't hold back. He emptied dozens of jars of Senzu Beans into his cloth sack. Once he was done, he said goodbye to Korin.
Gaino shot straight up into the sky at top speed. His destination was Kami's Lookout. Korin was startled. This kid knows about Kami's Lookout? Well, it should be fine. He just wants to get stronger.
Then Korin went back to eating his delicious fish.