📖 CHAPTER 19 – The Unexpected Applicant
Morning broke softly over the island.
The tide rolled in steady rhythm against the sand. The pink house stood quiet beneath the palm tree, sunlight reflecting off its windows. Training had already begun.
Son Goku was mid-sprint along the shoreline, turtle shell bouncing heavily against his back.
"I'm faster today!" he shouted, pushing harder through the sand.
A few days of conditioning had already sharpened his movements. He still burned through stamina quickly when he surged—but his recovery windows were improving.
I stood near the waterline, adjusting my footing beneath the added iron plate strapped to my shell. My strength remained reduced compared to my armored state, but the constraint forced more precise efficiency.
Breathing steady.
Posture aligned.
Energy contained.
Behind us, Master Roshi watched from his beach chair, sunglasses tilted slightly downward.
Then—
The faint hum of a boat engine reached the shore.
Goku slowed, blinking toward the horizon.
"Huh? Someone's coming?"
Roshi didn't answer immediately.
The small motorboat wobbled unevenly before scraping against the sand. A short, bald boy leapt out, robes flapping as he hurried forward.
Six incense burns marked his forehead.
He stopped several meters away from Roshi—
Then dropped flat into a deep bow.
"Master Roshi! Please take me as your student!"
Goku tilted his head.
"You wanna train here too?"
The boy looked up, surprised to see him.
"Yes! I traveled far to find the legendary Turtle Hermit!"
Roshi lowered his magazine slowly.
"And who are you?"
"My name is Krillin! I trained at Orin Temple, but I was mistreated there. I want to become strong!"
Goku grinned.
"Hey, that's why I'm here too!"
Krillin blinked at him, then glanced toward me.
His eyes paused.
Measured.
Assessing the shell. The stance. The lack of visible strain despite the weight.
He stood slowly.
"There are… already students?"
Roshi gave a small shrug.
"I take those I find interesting."
Krillin swallowed.
"I—I can be interesting!"
In another timeline—one without interference, without the ripple of my presence—he would have arrived earlier.
But small disruptions alter pathways.
Conversations change.
Travel timing shifts.
Opportunities misalign.
A butterfly's effect.
---
The Condition
Roshi stood up fully now, stretching his back with an exaggerated sigh.
"Very well. If you want to be my student, you must pass a test."
Krillin straightened instantly.
"Anything!"
Roshi adjusted his sunglasses.
"Bring me a beautiful woman."
Goku blinked.
"…What?"
Krillin froze.
"A—A beautiful woman?"
"Yes," Roshi replied casually. "Do that, and I'll consider accepting you."
Goku scratched his head.
"That's not really training…"
Roshi ignored him.
Krillin's expression shifted rapidly—shock, confusion, calculation.
Then resolve.
"I'll do it!"
He sprinted back toward the boat without hesitation.
Goku watched him go.
"Is he serious?"
"Yes," I replied.
Roshi glanced at me briefly.
"You don't question the test?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Every action reveals character."
Roshi's smile deepened slightly.
---
The Return
Hours passed.
Training resumed.
Sprints. Balance drills. Milk crate carries under the sun.
Goku pushed himself recklessly, glancing occasionally toward the ocean as if expecting something dramatic.
By midday, the boat engine returned.
Krillin leapt out first, waving excitedly.
"I did it!"
Behind him stepped a tall young woman with long dark hair and gentle eyes.
Launch looked around uncertainly.
"Oh… is this where you live?"
Roshi nearly fell backward out of his chair.
"My word…"
Goku waved enthusiastically.
"Hi!"
Krillin puffed his chest proudly.
"She was wandering near the coast! I helped her! Then I invited her here!"
Launch smiled politely.
"Thank you again."
Roshi cleared his throat.
"Well done, Krillin."
Krillin beamed.
"So I can train here?!"
Roshi nodded slowly.
"Yes. You may stay."
Krillin clenched his fists triumphantly.
Then—
Launch sneezed.
The sound was sharp.
Instantly, her hair turned blonde.
Her eyes hardened.
"…Where am I?"
Goku's eyes widened.
"Whoa!"
Blonde Launch's gaze snapped toward Krillin.
"You dragged me somewhere, didn't you?"
Krillin stumbled backward.
"W-Wait—!"
She pulled a firearm from behind her back.
Gunfire exploded across the beach.
Roshi dove behind his chair.
Goku leapt sideways, laughing more from excitement than fear.
I stepped forward instinctively.
Bullets struck my shoulder and chest—
The impacts were forceful but shallow. My reduced strength still left me far beyond ordinary human durability. The metal flattened or deflected with minimal penetration, leaving bruising at worst.
Blonde Launch stared.
"…You're not normal."
"No."
She sneezed again.
Her hair returned to blue.
Her expression softened immediately.
"Oh my! I'm terribly sorry!"
Krillin lay face-down in the sand.
"What kind of test is this?!"
Roshi slowly rose, brushing sand from his beard.
"Well," he said calmly, "that was entertaining."
He pointed his cane at Krillin.
"You pass."
Krillin exhaled so hard he nearly collapsed.
---
Acceptance
By sunset, it was official.
Krillin stayed.
Launch remained as well—confused but welcomed.
Three students now stood on the beach as the sky turned orange.
Goku grinned widely.
"Cool! More people to train with!"
Krillin glanced between Goku and me.
Competition flickered behind his eyes.
He bowed slightly toward Roshi again.
"Thank you, Master."
Roshi folded his arms.
"Training begins for you at dawn."
He looked at all three of us.
"No shortcuts. No excuses."
His gaze rested briefly on me.
"And no relying on natural gifts."
"I understand."
Krillin noticed that exchange.
Goku stretched lazily, unaware of any tension.
The island felt different now.
Smaller.
Denser.
Rivalry had arrived.
Not loud.
Not hostile.
But present.
Krillin had come unexpectedly.
Goku had not anticipated him.
And from tomorrow onward—
Every drill, every sprint, every lesson—
Would sharpen under comparison.
Three students.
One master.
And the foundation of something much larger quietly forming beneath the sound of waves.