Z Fighters in Training

The Heavenly Realm, the Temple Plaza.

"Thud!"

An invisible aura hurled Krillin off his feet. He rolled three times across the ground before coming to a stop, then lay sprawled out, panting hard, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight.

"Your ki is scattered again," Mr. Popo said from the side, his white eyes calm and unreadable. "Again."

"Yes..." Krillin gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, taking up a fighting stance.

He had been at the Lookout for some time now. Every day, he got up at four in the morning to haul boulders, carve words into stone pillars, and chase the Divine Eagle... It was exactly like Son Goku's training back then, but Mr. Popo was even stricter with him.

"Your ki is weaker than Son Goku's," Mr. Popo had once said. "But it's also 'purer.' There's none of a Saiyan's ferocity, only an Earthling's resilience. That's your advantage."

Krillin had remembered those words.

He closed his eyes and felt the ki within him. It was a warm, steady glow. Unlike Son Goku's, it wasn't blazing and wild, but it endured longer and flowed more steadily.

"Still as a pond..."

He repeated the words silently in his mind. His ki gradually settled, forming a faint golden aura around him.

"Again!"

He charged at Mr. Popo, his fist whistling through the air. Mr. Popo sidestepped and lightly tapped it with a dark fingertip—

"Thud."

Krillin's fist was knocked aside, but he spun with the momentum and swept his leg toward Mr. Popo's lower body.

Mr. Popo raised an eyebrow and hopped lightly into the air.

Now!

A glint flashed in Krillin's eyes. The ki he had already gathered burst from his palm—

"Kamehameha!"

The blue Ki Blast tore through the air, shooting straight toward Mr. Popo!

Mr. Popo remained expressionless and swept one hand across—

"Whoosh."

The Kamehameha split down the middle, passing on either side of him before disappearing into the distance.

"Not bad." Mr. Popo landed and gave a rare nod. "You're learning to use the terrain and timing. But..."

He suddenly appeared in front of Krillin, his dark palm aimed at Krillin's chest.

"Your Ki Blast still isn't powerful enough."

"Thud—"

Krillin was sent flying again, but this time he adjusted his position midair and landed steadily.

"I... I'll keep working hard!" He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and flashed a bright smile.

Mr. Popo looked at him. For a moment, there seemed to be a hint of... approval in his white eyes.

"Another promising kid!"

On the beach behind Kame House, Yamcha was practicing his punches. His movements were no longer as flashy and exaggerated as the Wolf Fang Fist. They were simple, direct, and effective.

"Stop!"

Master Roshi's voice came from behind him. Yamcha lowered his fists and turned around.

Master Roshi sat in a beach chair with a glass of juice in his hand, his white beard fluttering in the sea breeze. "Your punches are still too hasty."

"Too hasty?" Yamcha frowned.

"Martial arts isn't a race." Master Roshi stood up and walked over, leaning on his cane. "Before you throw each punch, think about why you're throwing it, where you're aiming, and what you'll do if it lands. Right now, you're just 'swinging,' not 'fighting.'"

Yamcha fell silent.

He thought back to the World Martial Arts Tournament, to Son Goku's casual punch. There had been no fancy technique, no overwhelming aura—just a simple punch, yet it contained a force no one could resist.

"Master Mutten..." He lowered his head. "What should I do?"

Master Roshi laughed, his white beard bobbing. "Starting tomorrow, you're coming with me to deliver milk."

"...Huh?"

"And plow fields, haul bricks, and repair houses." Master Roshi patted his shoulder. "Turtle School training has never been about the ring. Exercise well, study well, play well, eat well, and sleep well—that's the true spirit of the Turtle School!"

Yamcha froze.

Looking at the lecherous old man before him, he suddenly understood something.

"...Yes, Master Mutten!"

"By the way," Master Roshi said, turning toward the house, "pick up a few of the latest magazines for me while you're out. The kind with pretty young ladies on the cover."

Yamcha: "..."

At the top of Korin Tower, clouds swirled around them.

"So this is... Super Holy Water?"

Tien Shinhan stared at the clear liquid in his hand, suspicion in all three eyes.

Master Karin—Master Korin—lay beneath a tree, his tail swaying lazily. "Drink it. It can bring out your potential. But remember, true power isn't in the water. It's in your heart."

Tien Shinhan tipped his head back and drank it.

At first, nothing happened. But a moment later, a warm force rose from his abdomen and spread through his limbs. His third eye suddenly grew hot, and his vision became astonishingly clear—

He could "see"!

Dust floating in the air, feathers on a distant bird, the paths of lightning in the clouds... He could even see the flow of ki within his own body, like streams of gold!

[Super Holy Water is just ordinary water; it couldn't help him at all. What had this kid realized on his own?]

"What is this..." Master Korin sat up in surprise. "What have you realized?"

Tien Shinhan covered his third eye, feeling the new power within him. His ki was growing rapidly, and his perception was expanding at an astonishing rate.

"I... I can see the paths of ki..."

"Good!" Master Korin burst into laughter, his bells jingling. "Starting tomorrow, you'll fight me without using your eyes!"

"Without using my eyes?"

"That's right! 'See' with your third eye and 'feel' with your heart!" Master Korin raised his staff. "Let me see just how much potential a descendant of the Three-Eyed Aliens has!"

Tien Shinhan took a deep breath, then removed the band tied around his forehead, revealing his third eye, shining with golden light.

"Come on!"

Deep within the Lookout, in a quiet room.

Chiaotzu sat cross-legged on a cushion, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead. A cup of water sat in front of him, its surface trembling faintly.

"Focus," Mr. Popo's voice came from the darkness. "Don't 'control' the water. 'Become' the water."

Chiaotzu gritted his teeth and put all his power into his telekinesis. The cup of water slowly rose, spinning and changing shape until it became a bird with its wings spread.

But the next moment—

"Pfft."

The water bird collapsed, splashing all over him.

"I failed again..." Chiaotzu lowered his head, his eyes full of dejection.

Mr. Popo stepped out of the shadows and looked at him with his white eyes. "Do you know why you failed?"

"Because... my telekinesis isn't strong enough?"

"No." Mr. Popo shook his head. "It's because you're 'afraid.'"

"Afraid?"

"You're afraid your telekinesis will backfire, afraid you'll hurt someone, afraid of... yourself." Mr. Popo crouched down to meet his eyes. "Telekinesis is an extension of the heart. Your heart is trembling, so your power trembles too."

Chiaotzu froze.

He thought of himself many years ago, under the Crane School, being taught that "only the strong survive." He thought of the enemies he had immobilized with his telekinesis, the fear in their eyes... and the splitting headaches he suffered after using his powers.

"I..."

"Close your eyes," Mr. Popo said. "Feel your heart. Find the root of what makes you tremble, then... accept it."

Chiaotzu did as he was told and closed his eyes.

In the darkness, he saw a small figure huddled in a corner, shivering.

It was... his younger self.

"So... I've been afraid all this time..."

Tears slid from the corners of his eyes, but a smile lifted Chiaotzu's lips.

He opened his eyes again and looked at the cup of water. This time, he didn't use his telekinesis. He simply watched it in silence.

The water moved.

It wasn't being controlled by an outside force. It rose slowly as if it were alive, taking the shape of a blooming flower, crystal clear and breathtakingly beautiful.

Mr. Popo watched the scene, surprise flashing in his white eyes.

"You... learned faster than I expected."