As Tavor witnessed Turtle sever the draconic demon's neck from its shoulders he began to relax, unknowingly releasing the energy that was surrounding the many shards of his rib bones burrowed inside his body.
It didn't help that the adrenaline from battle had begun to fade and he couldn't help but furrow his brows, beads of sweat beginning to form on his now pale face as the pain continued to escalate.
"Hiss... Focus... Focus Tavor..." Tavor muttered as he gritted his teeth.
While he was struggling intensely to regain his ability to focus his vision, he completely failed to notice the presence of Turtle as the creature walked over towards him with surprisingly light footfalls, suddenly appearing right before the wounded young Saiyan, with its reptilian eyes emitting a faint but warm luminescence.
Tavor lifted his head and met Turtle's gaze, his eyes painted red from blood and his face bruised to the point that he was nearly unrecognizable.
"T... Turtle, that guy was!" He coughed a bit of blood, spattering some fresh red onto Turtles green shell.
"That guy was strong... Thank you."
Turtle remained silent, simply watching and nodding before retrieving something from a pouch concealed within his shell.
It appeared to be a dried blood fruit, but unlike the usual red color of those fruits, these had a greenish tint and instead of being soft and chewy, they had a hard shell, similar to a bean.
"Hmmm..." He felt the strange texture of the bean and opened his mouth before shakily popping it into his mouth.
CRUNCH!
The bean let out a resounding, thunderous crunch as he bit into it, shattering into dozens of pieces before he swallowed painfully.
As the shattered bean fell into his stomach he felt a wave of strange but incredibly comfortable energy rushed through him, filling him with a palpable vitality even as his wounds began to close completely, his bones once shattered and stabbing into his flesh and organs sliding back into perfect position before sealing back together.
Tavor's muscles seemed to expand as the remaining energy massaged and healed his torn muscles, his previously lanky build becoming noticeably thicker as the energy settled.
Ding - Host received a minor Zenkai Boost, power level increased to 125
Tavor didn't even get a chance to read before his body relaxed and he closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.
Turtle shook his head before reaching down to lift the sleeping Saiyan and walked back towards the cliff and leaping to the top with a single powerful kick of his feet.
Roshi was standing like a statue, hands clasped behind his back when his long-time best friend Turtle appeared holding Tavor.
The elderly martial arts master offered a nod of his head while gently stroking his long, white beard, appearing to be lost in contemplation.
"Take the boy inside, he will be asleep for awhile!"
Turtle nodded and walked towards the direction the house was in and disappeared, leaving Roshi standing at the edge of the cliff, his sunglasses reflecting the ground at the foot of the cliff where a large crater stuck out like a sore thumb.
Roshi turned around and walked back towards his home with a thoughtful expression on his face, unaware that almost immediately after he left, a pig-demon emerged from inside the pit, his body riddled with cuts and bruises and missing one of its ears.
"I'll get you for this Monkey, I'll kill everyone you care about and make you watch as I devour their souls!" The pig-demon growled before dashing into the distance, and disappearing into the brush.
Elsewhere in Limbo, where an ominous, dark castle stood, a tall, thin man with dark hair, pale skin, and a pair of thick, twisted horns protruding from his crown stood in front of a massive mound of strange, pulsing metal that appeared as if it were a heart.
The man placed on of his hands against the massive metal heart.
"Soon, my master, soon you will be free, and we will take the human world for ourselves!"
THUMP!
THUMP!
As if responding to the horned man's words, the massive metal heart beat twice against his hand, waves of dark, twisting, demonic energy wafting around it and into the surroundings.
The massive metallic heart continued to pulse beneath Belasco's palm.
THUMP!
THUMP!
Dark energy continued to roll through the chamber in slow, oppressive waves.
Then came the sound of footsteps.
CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
A heavily armored figure emerged from the shadows of the immense chamber.
The demon was tall and broad, its entire body concealed beneath a suit of blackened crimson armor.
Jagged plates overlapped across its chest and limbs, each bearing strange demonic runes that pulsed faintly with an inner red glow.
A thick helmet concealed its face, leaving only two narrow slits through which a pair of burning yellow eyes could be seen.
The demon stopped several paces behind Belasco.
Then it dropped to a single knee.
CLANG!
Its armored fist pressed firmly against its chest.
"Master Belasco."
Belasco remained perfectly still.
His hand continued resting against the enormous metallic heart.
The guard lowered its head.
"A minor pig-demon arrived bearing news of a strange, powerful boy with a monkey tail who wiped out a scouting unit."
The guard hesitated.
"All except for himself."
Silence.
For several seconds, Belasco didn't respond.
The metallic heart pulsed beneath his hand.
THUMP!
A faint ripple passed through the air.
Belasco slowly lifted his head, his expression remained impossible to read.
He didn't even bother looking down at the kneeling demon.
"Bring me this little pig."
His voice was quiet, yet the instant the words left his mouth, the entire chamber seemed to tremble.
The armored guard's body stiffened.
"I'll question him myself."
The guard immediately bowed its head lower.
"Yes, my lord."
It rose to its feet and turned toward the chamber's entrance.
CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
Its footsteps gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Belasco remained alone with the metallic heart.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"A boy..."
He finally turned away from the monstrous mass of metal.
"A monkey tailed boy."
His lips curled into the faintest smile.
"Interesting."
The metallic heart pulsed once more behind him.
THUMP!
Belasco stopped.
For the briefest moment, the chamber's shadows seemed to twist toward the sound.
The demonic energy seemed to take on a terrible, demonic visage, glaring down at Belasco before opening its mouth.
"Free me..."
Belasco seeing this immediately dropped, pressing his horns submissively onto the ground.
"The ceremony is nearly complete my master, the girl is just a few steps away from becoming the key to your lock!"
The demonic cloud dispersed with a single word echoing through the room and directly into Belasco's mind.
"Faster!"
Back at Roshi's home Tavor's eyes opened before he sat up, feeling incredibly light compared to before.
Squeezing his hand into a fist Tavor marveled at the power he felt within.
"Oh wow, I've never felt this strong before, I wonder why it happened."
STEP...
STEP...
Tavor's ears twitched as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, prompting him to turn his head and observe Turtle presenting him with a substantial piece of meat, which was glistening with rendered fat, a spectacle that caused Tavor's eyes to gleam with intense desire, as his profound hunger was almost visibly emanating from him.
"Hurry up and eat, we have training to do and the daylight is burning." Turtle tossed the meat towards Tavor who reached out with surprisingly swiftness to grab the protruding bone.
Tavor nodded absentmindedly before taking a large bite of the meat.
His cheeks bulged almost comically as he struggled to chew.
He took over a dozen bites before only a bone large enough to be used as a makeshift club remained.
After placing down the bone Tavor followed Turtle out of the house and towards an open, circular area where not a single blade of grass could grow.
Turtle stopped in the center before turning towards Tavor.
"I felt your strength increase, I want you to show me."
Turtle immediately assumed a defensive fighting stance after speaking, his reptilian eyes starting to glow with power and resolve!
Tavor immediately dropped into an offensive combat stance, his feet digging into the dirt as his fists rose before him.
His heart began to pound.
Not from fear, but excitement.
There was something about fighting that made every fiber of Tavor's being come alive.
The rush of danger, the anticipation of an incoming attack, the sheer satisfaction of pushing his body beyond its limits.
It was almost like a drug.
And Tavor was beginning to understand that he might have a problem.
"Come on, Turtle."
His tail flicked excitedly behind him.
"Let's see how strong I am now."
CRACK!
The ground fractured beneath Tavor's feet as he launched himself forward.
His body blurred.
He was nearly twice as fast as he had been during his battle against the demons below the cliff.
Tavor's eyes widened.
"I'm fast."
The realization barely finished forming before he was already upon Turtle.
His right fist shot forward.
FWOOSH!
The punch whistled through the air with enough force to make Tavor's hair whip backward.
Turtle's expression didn't change.
He simply raised one arm.
THWACK!
His forearm met Tavor's fist.
Rather than attempting to stop the blow head-on, Turtle subtly shifted his arm and redirected the attack.
Tavor's eyes widened.
His momentum carried him forward.
His fist slammed into the ground.
BOOOOM!
The earth exploded around the point of impact.
Chunks of stone and dirt erupted into the air as a shallow crater formed beneath Tavor's fist.
Tavor immediately pulled his arm free and spun backward.
His feet scraped across the ground.
He stopped himself.
A few pebbles bounced harmlessly against his boots.
Tavor stared at the crater.
Then he looked at Turtle, the reptilian martial artist hadn't moved.
Tavor's grin widened.
"Again."
Turtle's eyes narrowed slightly.
Tavor vanished.
CRACK!
A burst of dust marked the spot where he had been standing.
This time Tavor didn't throw a single punch.
He appeared beside Turtle's left flank and unleashed a rapid combination.
BAM!
A straight punch toward the ribs.
Turtle shifted his torso.
WHAM!
A second punch toward his jaw.
Turtle tilted his head aside.
Tavor's knee came upward.
Turtle lowered his elbow.
THUD!
The knee collided with Turtle's forearm.
Tavor twisted in midair and swung his tail toward Turtle's legs.
Turtle simply hopped over it.
Tavor's eyes widened.
He's reading me.
He landed and immediately spun around, but Turtle was already there.
Tavor barely had enough time to raise his arms.
THOOM!
Turtle's palm struck his chest.
Tavor's feet left the ground.
"Wha-?!"
WHOOSH!
He flew backward.
Tavor twisted his body and landed on both feet, digging trenches through the dirt as he slid nearly twenty feet.
His chest heaved, and his eyes were wide.
That hadn't hurt nearly as much as the demon's attacks.
But that wasn't what surprised him.
Turtle had barely used any force.
Tavor's grin returned, clearly overconfident.
"You're fast."
Turtle lowered his hand.
"I am experienced."
Tavor blinked, then his smile became almost feral.
"Then I'll just have to get faster."
CRACK!
Tavor exploded forward again.
This time, however, Turtle's eyes began to glow.
The moment Tavor entered striking range, Turtle stepped forward rather than backward.
Their fists collided.
BOOM!
A shockwave rippled through the training grounds.
Tavor's eyes widened as his entire arm trembled from the impact.
"What the hell?!"
Turtle twisted his wrist.
Tavor's arm was pushed aside and asecond strike came toward his stomach.
Tavor instinctively brought his knee upward.
THOOM!
The blow struck his thigh instead, and pain flashed through his leg.
Tavor gritted his teeth and retaliated with an elbow.
Turtle ducked, before Tavor followed with another punch.
Blocked.
A kick,deflected casually.
A headbutt, which Turtle dodged.
Tavor's movements became faster and faster.
His body moved almost entirely on instinct.
He wasn't thinking anymore, he was simply fighting on pure instinct.
Punch.
Kick.
Elbow.
Knee.
Tail.
Again, again, and again!
Every time Tavor thought he had found an opening, Turtle was already there.
Every attack was redirected.
Every opening disappeared.
Yet Tavor couldn't stop smiling, his eyes burned with excitement.
This is it, this is what I wanted.
The young Saiyan suddenly ducked beneath another strike and planted both feet firmly into the ground.
His muscles tensed, and his fist pulled backward.
Tavor's smile vanished.
His expression became focused.
"Got you."
He drove his fist forward with everything he had.
BOOOOOOM!
The resulting impact thundered across the training grounds.
Dust erupted into the air, and the nearby trees shook violently.
For several seconds, the entire clearing disappeared beneath a cloud of dirt.
Tavor stood at the center of the crater, breathing heavily.
His fist remained extended.
A grin slowly returned to his face.
"I got you..."
Then a calm voice answered from directly behind him.
"No."
Tavor froze.
His pupils shrank.
"...You missed."
Tavor slowly turned his head.
Turtle stood behind him, completely unharmed.
The young Saiyan's jaw dropped.
"HOW?!"
Turtle simply raised one finger.
"Your attack was powerful."
He tapped Tavor lightly against the forehead.
"But you announced it with your entire body."
Tavor stumbled backward.
"Wait, what?"
Turtle assumed his stance once more.
"Strength without control is merely wasted movement."
Tavor stared at him for a moment, then his grin returned.
"Okay."
His fists tightened.
"Please teach me, Master Turtle."