Senzu Bean Preparations

Son Gohan flew through the air, speeding toward Korin Tower.

As he flew, he suddenly came to a stop in midair.

Something didn't feel right.

He couldn't exactly go see Korin empty-handed. He was going to ask the old man for help, after all.

He changed direction in the air and looked down.

Without much effort, he spotted a wide river. Its water was crystal clear, and the aquatic plants were growing lushly. A place like this definitely had fish.

Without giving it much thought, Son Gohan plunged straight down.

Only after landing by the riverbank did he remember a problem.

He hadn't brought anything to carry fish in.

Using a fishing rod was possible, but it would be too slow. How many fish could he catch squatting by the river with a rod? He didn't have that kind of patience to waste.

He looked around and spotted a thatched cottage not far downstream. As long as there was a village nearby, things would be easier.

Son Gohan walked over.

The thatched cottage by the river looked rather old. Its door was unlocked, and a small row of flowers and plants grew outside.

He raised a hand and knocked on the door.

"Is anyone home? Sorry to bother you."

A childish voice spoke up.

A few seconds later, the cottage door opened. An elderly grandfather of around sixty poked his head out, looking kindly at Son Gohan.

A little girl was hiding behind him. She wore her hair in two horn-shaped braids and looked to be five or six years old, timidly showing only half her face.

"It's so late. Who are you looking for, little one?" the old man asked slowly.

Son Gohan immediately explained why he was there.

"It's like this, Grandpa. I saw that the river nearby is really clear, and the water plants are growing well. There must be plenty of fish in it."

"I want to catch some fish to take home and help my dad recover his strength." His tone was sincere, his face calm and steady. "Grandpa, could I borrow a fishing net?"

After hearing him out, the old man nodded at first. This child was quite sensible. But then he looked over Son Gohan's small frame, his brows knitting tightly.

"There is a fishing net... but you're so young. Going to the river to catch fish is too dangerous."

He couldn't help worrying.

Son Gohan sighed inwardly. He knew that in his current childlike appearance, he wasn't very convincing. After thinking it over, he changed his approach.

"Actually, Grandpa, I've trained in martial arts with my dad since I was little. My dad is a martial artist, so I'm pretty nimble and I know my limits. You don't need to worry."

After saying that, he looked at the grandfather and granddaughter pair expectantly, as if to say that he really would be fine.

The old man still hesitated. The little girl peeked out from behind her grandfather's leg and softly said, "Grandpa, he doesn't look like a bad person."

In the end, unable to refuse him, the old man sighed and went inside to fetch a fishing net. When he came back out, he handed it to Son Gohan and reminded him three times, "Be very, very careful. The riverbank is slippery, so don't go in too deep."

"I will. Thank you, Grandpa."

Son Gohan took the fishing net and nodded. Then he walked over to the little girl, pulled a gold coin from his pocket, and pressed it into her hand.

"This is for you."

With that, he turned and ran.

The old man froze for a moment. When he saw the gold coin in his granddaughter's hand, his eyes widened.

"Hey—little one! This is far too valuable! Wait—"

He wanted to chase after him, but how could his old legs keep up with Son Gohan's speed?

By the time he stepped outside, Son Gohan had already become a tiny white speck in the distance.

"Thanks!"

Son Gohan shouted without looking back. His voice drifted over from the other side of the river; he had already gone quite far.

He ran to the riverbank and, after confirming no one had followed, stopped pretending. A white aura burst out around him as he plunged headfirst into the river.

Water exploded across the river's surface.

The pressure of the water squeezed in from all directions, but it was nothing to him. Son Gohan wrapped his body in ki and rampaged across the riverbed. The fish scattered in terror while he chased after them with the fishing net.

Before long, the net was full.

He shot out of the river and landed on the bank, dumping the fish from the net onto the ground to sort through them. He left all the small fish in the net, picked out the large ones, and tossed them back into the river one by one.

Korin only needed small fish. He wouldn't be able to finish large ones.

"That should be enough."

He slung the fishing net over his shoulder. His aura burst forth again, and he shot into the sky, flying toward Korin Tower, the towering pillar that reached into the heavens.

He spotted it from far away.

A massive sky-piercing pillar stretched from the ground all the way above the clouds. Ancient patterns and totems were carved into its surface, and no one knew how many years it had stood there.

Son Gohan flew up along the pillar, passing through layer after layer before finally landing on the platform at the top of the tower. Above that was Kami's Lookout.

At Korin's residence stood a white-furred, plump cat leaning on a wooden staff. With an air of great age, he watched the child fly up.

"Korin." Son Gohan pressed his palms together and bowed politely. "Sorry to disturb you. I'm Son Goku's son, Son Gohan. I came to take some Senzu Beans in preparation for future training."

Korin's ears twitched, and he narrowed his eyes as he examined him for a while.

"Oh—Goku's son, huh?"

He nodded, his tone unconcerned. "Senzu Beans? I've still got a dozen or so. Take them. I'll keep one or two for seeds."

As he spoke, he handed over a small cloth pouch from his fluffy paw.

Son Gohan accepted it with both hands and thanked him. Then he set down the fishing net he had been carrying over his shoulder in front of Korin.

The net was filled with lively, freshly caught fish. They were not large, but every one had been carefully selected.

"A small token of appreciation."

Korin's eyes immediately lit up as though he had just seen the greatest delicacy in the world.

"Not bad, not bad! You're a sensible kid!"

His cat paw reached into the net and scooped up a handful, and he could not suppress the smile on his face.

Son Gohan tucked the Senzu Beans into his clothes, his expression turning serious.

"Korin, there's something I need to warn you about."

"Hm?"

"All kinds of powerful enemies will appear on Earth in the future. Some of them could destroy the entire planet with a casual wave of their hand."

"Senzu Beans can save lives at critical moments, so don't waste them. I heard Yajirobe eats them like meals—don't let him keep doing that. I'll go explain the situation to him."

After hearing that, Korin also realized the gravity of the situation and answered solemnly.

"So that's how it is... I understand."

Son Gohan bowed once more.

"Then I'll be on my way."

He flipped out of the tower, white aura erupting around him as he flew downward.

Below Korin Tower, he flew while sensing the surrounding ki. Yajirobe's battle power was around eight or nine hundred. That ranked fairly high on Earth, so his ki was not difficult to find.

Sure enough, he found him!

On a hillside near the base of the tower, Yajirobe was sprawled out in the grass, sleeping soundly with his mouth hanging open and occasional snores escaping. Several empty rice balls and his katana lay beside him.

He looked exactly like a tank-build Yasuo.

Son Gohan landed beside him and patted his shoulder.

"Yajirobe, wake up."

No response.

He patted him again.

"Yajirobe."

"Mmm..."

Yajirobe groggily opened his eyes.

"Oh, it's Gohan... What is it?"

He yawned, looking completely sleep-deprived.

Son Gohan crouched down and spoke with a serious expression.

"It's nothing major. I just want to tell you not to go to Korin and take Senzu Beans as food anymore."

"The Saiyans came before, and there will be androids in the future. Things like Senzu Beans can save a warrior's life at a crucial moment, so they need to be used sparingly."

Yajirobe had not even had time to say anything when Son Gohan pulled out a handful of gold bars and jewelry from his pocket and placed them on the grass beside him.

Sunlight gleamed off the gold bars, making them ten thousand times more persuasive than his words.

Yajirobe's eyes went wide.

"These are for you. They'll be enough to buy food for a long time." Son Gohan stood up and brushed off his knees. "If you want food later, use money to buy it. Stop setting your sights on Senzu Beans all the time. Got it?"

"In the later parts of the original story, Senzu Beans became so scarce that they practically had to split one bean into two halves."

Yajirobe looked at the gold bars, and a rare solemn expression appeared on his lazy face.

He nodded.

"...Got it."

Son Gohan said no more. His aura erupted, and he flew back toward Mount Paozu.

By the time he got home, it was already completely dark. The lights were on in the little round house on Mount Paozu. He quietly pushed open the door, took a bath, put away the Senzu Beans, and then collapsed onto his bed.

He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, drifting into dreams...

Outside the window, insects chirped softly, mingled now and then with the passing night breeze.