"Is that Korin Tower?" Goku gazed into the distance from within the forest. Through the dense gaps in the trees, he could see a thin line piercing the clouds far away against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. It was a spectacular sight.
"That's so tall! Can people really climb that?" Krillin smacked his lips in disbelief.
Nearby, Tien and Chiaotzu rose into the air using the Flight Technique. They soared past the lush treetops, and their voices drifted down from above. "It's really high… I can't see the top. Hard to imagine how our master and Muten Roshi managed to climb that centuries ago..."
"Flying sure is nice..." Krillin looked up, a bit envious. "Too bad Master didn't teach us that, right, Goku?"
He turned his head and found Goku also staring upwards, his gaze fixed blankly on Tien and Chiaotzu's feet above.
---
They finally arrived at the base of Korin Tower, only to find a primitive-looking tent pitched below it, as if part of some ancient tribe.
"Someone lives here?"
"Could they also be trying to climb Korin Tower?"
As Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu approached, they spotted a little dark-skinned boy with long black hair parted in the middle and a colorful feather sticking out of his head. He was crouched sneakily beside the tent, peeking curiously at them.
"Who are you? What are you doing at the Holy Land of Korin?" the boy asked nervously.
"Don't be scared. We're here to..." Krillin paused, thinking it unnecessary to mention the Dragon Balls to outsiders, so he changed his words. "We're here to climb Korin Tower!"
The boy jumped in shock. "Really? You're lying! Not even my dad can climb Korin Tower!"
Just then, a deep man's voice called out, "Upa, Upa, who are you talking to?" A burly man stepped out from behind the tent. He had the same dark skin, and both his face and bare upper body were painted with oils. A fierce aura radiated from him.
So strong! Krillin thought to himself, startled by the man's presence.
"Why would we lie? Look, this guy here is the champion of this year's World Martial Arts Tournament. Of course he can climb Korin Tower!" Krillin quickly pushed his buddy Goku forward in front of the boy, Upa, and the burly man.
Upa's father locked eyes with Tien (mainly due to their similar height), then shifted his gaze to Goku after hearing Krillin's words. He let out a surprised grunt and smiled. "Son Goku? Are you the grandson of the old master Son Gohan?"
"Yeah." Goku already knew by now that his grandfather was a well-known figure in this world.
Krillin was surprised. "Mister, you know Son Gohan?" He'd caught a certain tone in the man's voice.
"Yes, I once left the Great Forest and visited Son Gohan. I also met Muten Roshi back then." Upa's father nodded, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "There's an old connection between Muten Roshi and our tribe, the guardians of the Holy Land, going back hundreds of years..."
"That's right. Muten Roshi and my teacher climbed Korin Tower hundreds of years ago," Tien also nodded.
Upa's father smiled. "If it's you guys, I suppose you might just be able to climb Korin Tower..." He paused, then added, "Since you're guests from afar, allow us to offer some hospitality. As it happens, another young one hoping to climb Korin Tower arrived just this morning..."
"Someone else?" Krillin was puzzled. He focused for a moment and, sure enough, behind the tent where Upa's father had emerged, he could sense another ki—a sharp, honed presence like a sword waiting to be drawn. Though not powerful, it was intensely sharp and refined.
"A strong person!" Goku said with excitement. He hadn't said a strong ki, but a strong person. With a cheerful laugh, he followed Upa and his father. "Perfect, I'm hungry too!"
Tien followed. "Let's go."
Chiaotzu came along.
Krillin scratched his head and followed as well.
---
"You—cough cough! It's you!!" Yajirobe was chomping down ferociously, mouth greasy with juices as he gorged on the game roasted by Upa's father. The moment he saw Goku being led over, he jumped in fright.
"You know me?" Goku pointed at himself and, without hesitation, reached out toward the meat rack in front of Yajirobe and tore off a huge chunk with a grin, stuffing it into his mouth—
Swish!
A cold gleam flashed. A blade halted inches from Goku's mouth.
Yajirobe said coldly, "That's my meat!"
"I'm hungry! Just let me have a little!" Goku protested.
"Let him eat with you," Upa's father said with a hearty smile. "I'll roast a few more for everyone." With that, he walked off to prepare more meat. Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin came over as well.
"So stingy!" Goku made a face, shoved the wooden sword aside, and stuffed the meat into his mouth eagerly.
Yajirobe found it strange—how did Goku's personality suddenly "revert"? That night, the Goku he encountered had been terrifyingly vicious and gave him a thorough beating. Just thinking about it still made Yajirobe grit his teeth in anger.
That experience left him with a bad impression of Goku and the Martial Arts Association. Unlike Chi-Chi, he didn't aspire to join them. Instead, he remembered the tale his master—his father—once told him about Korin Tower. So the chubby boy packed his things and set off on his own martial arts journey.
The journey was tough, and Yajirobe had slimmed down a bit—intentionally. For some reason, even though he often ate a lot, he made sure to exercise more to keep the weight off. He refused to gain it back.
Every time he thought of Chi-Chi's hopeful expression when she talked about that damned "Goku," it made his heart ache… and that's why he left the town, parting ways with her.
Once I've trained atop Korin Tower, I'll finally be strong enough to protect Chi-Chi… and I'll be thin too! Yajirobe told himself.
But unexpectedly, he ran into Goku here of all places.
Why does this guy keep haunting me?
Seeing Goku cheerfully munching away, Yajirobe hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thanks for that night. If not for you, Chi-Chi might've really been in danger."
"What're you talking about?" Goku mumbled with his mouth full.
"You're that kid who was with Kakarot the night he saved that girl!" Krillin suddenly understood.
"Kakarot?" Yajirobe looked confused and sheathed his wooden sword at his waist.
Tien's third eye on his forehead twitched. "Wait a second."
Yajirobe turned to him while still tearing into the meat. "What?"
Tien pointed at the sword on Yajirobe's waist. "I just saw it—on the hilt of that sword… it's engraved with the characters 'Muten.'"
"'Muten'?" Krillin was surprised. Goku also looked over, his mouth full of meat, pausing mid-bite.
"What? You're gonna lecture me over some words carved into a sword?" Yajirobe ignored them and went on eating.
The others exchanged glances but said nothing more for now. When Upa's father came back with fresh game, he skillfully cleaned it and began grilling. Soon, the air under Korin Tower was filled with the aroma of roasting meat…
"Mmm, smells delicious!" Atop Korin Tower, Korin twitched his nose and scratched his whiskers. He turned to the people behind him and said, "You guys come all this way and didn't think to bring an old cat something tasty?"
BOOM!
Hathaway tossed out a food storage capsule, which popped open to reveal grilled fish and assorted snacks. Korin's eyes narrowed with delight, drool trickling from his mouth. Taro, holding a bag of Senzu Beans, smiled and said, "Master Korin, you might want to keep an eye on that little chubby guy below. If you're not careful, he'll wipe out your entire Senzu stash."