Dragon Ball Roshi

"Is Master taking Goku to help him fix… that 'problem' of his?" Krillin muttered to himself as he sat under a tree, watching the figures of Master Taro and Goku—one tall, one short—gradually disappear into the distance. He took a deep breath and flipped up onto his feet with a spirited "Heh!", filled with determination. "I can't slack off either! I'll get some training in on my own first…"

With that, he stepped out of the shade and headed toward an open clearing.

---

Taro led Goku onward, crossing grassy fields and lakes, eventually entering the ring of woods surrounding the island. They were heading toward the site where Fabeli had once experimented with the Divine Tree cell transplant bodies.

That area had been specially reinforced and could withstand "roughhousing" far better—less prone to collapse under pressure.

Along the way, Taro spoke openly to Goku about his origins. As he'd expected, Goku was surprised, but not particularly troubled. Though he appeared naïve and simple, Goku had a clear sense of self. He knew who he was, what was right, and what was wrong. That was why, even in the original story, when confronted by Raditz, he never wavered in his identity as an Earth martial artist.

"Hmph…" Taro mused, a barely visible smile curling his lips. He was thoroughly satisfied with Goku.

The boy was born to be a martial artist. The thirst for strength that stemmed from his Saiyan blood had transformed into an unmatched drive to improve himself. But it wasn't just about the physical abilities he inherited from the Saiyans—Goku's bloodline was considered low-class among his people. Otherwise, why would his power level have been just 2 at birth?

No—Goku's real talent lay in who he was.

Even if he had been born with a purely human body, it wouldn't have dimmed the brilliance of his spirit. He would still have surpassed Krillin, the so-called strongest Earthling in the original story. Krillin broke the limits of an Earthling, and so could Goku. If Goku could shatter the boundaries of the Saiyan race and become the legendary Super Saiyan, then he could also break the limits of a human and become a Super Earthling.

Taro knew all too well: Goku's temperament was perfectly suited to martial arts.

He loved challenges, craved stronger opponents, and the stronger the enemy, the stronger he became. Victory never made him arrogant, and defeat only made him train harder. Knowing stronger people existed made him excited, eager to fight—not to defeat them, but to experience the battle, to enjoy the fight, and the thrill of surpassing himself. That's why he rarely fought to kill, and seldom used his full power right from the start.

His ability to learn and comprehend was also astonishing. In the original story, he had learned the Kamehameha just by seeing it once.

Compared to him, the overhyped Golden Freeza was a joke. Despite fighting Earth's martial artists for so long, Freeza still hadn't grasped even the most basic sense of ki. It was laughable and absurd. The whole "I never trained before, but now I'm ashamed and motivated" thing was just self-delusion.

Even when he had no one to fight, Goku never grew restless. He could find joy in solo training. His natural talent and the pure martial heart he honed through his journey toward strength were enough to keep him motivated, even in the dullest of sessions.

"Oh, now I get it… So that's what that voice I sometimes hear is!" Goku strolled leisurely behind Taro, hands behind his head, grinning as he spoke.

Taro led him into a specially treated training field deep within the forest, gave him a glance, and asked, "You mean you've sensed it before?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know what it was before… Hehe, now that you've explained it, I remember!" Goku grinned innocently. "He's really bad, always telling me to kill people. But Grandpa said martial arts is about getting stronger, about sharpening yourself in battle—not killing anyone… So I never listened to him!"

Taro smiled softly, a bit wistful. That little brat he'd picked up outside the Martial Arts Association headquarters had grown up in a flash—an old man already.

And not without accomplishments, either.

He led Goku to the center of the field and said calmly, "I brought you here because the training we'll do today is to help you retain consciousness in your Great Ape form. I'd rather not see the day you accidentally transform and stomp your friends to death. You wouldn't want that either, right?"

Goku listened intently—his master was never wrong. He was always obedient.

He imagined the scene—transforming into a giant ape, stomping Krillin flat in one step, slapping Bulma into mush with one palm…

Then shook his head. "Nope, I don't want that to happen!" He paused and tilted his head. "But… don't we have the Dragon Balls? If I accidentally squash them after transforming… we could just ask Shenron to bring them back!"

Taro's eyes glinted slightly as he said in a low voice, "You're not wrong. With the Dragon Balls, even something like that could be undone. But… the Dragon Balls…"

He paused, then continued, "When it comes to reviving the dead, it's better to use them sparingly. Kid, you need to understand—when something becomes too easy, we often forget what stands in opposition to it. It's only because shadows exist that light has meaning. Only with sadness do we recognize joy. It's the fear of loss that teaches us to cherish what we have. If you rely too much on the power of the Dragon Balls, I'm afraid you'll lose respect and reverence for what 'life' truly means."

Back on his previous Earth, readers often joked that in the Dragon Ball world, dying was no big deal—you just got a halo, and worst case, the Dragon Balls could fix everything.

But even so—who wants to die?

Goku didn't fully understand, but nodded obediently. "Got it, Master."

"Good. Then let's begin your afternoon training. First, I'll explain the two conditions required for a Saiyan to transform into a Ozaru. The first is that your tail must still be intact. If your tail gets removed, you can't transform. In other words, even if you're already transformed, cutting off the tail will cancel the form and return you to normal."

Goku was surprised and waved his tail in front of him. "So that's what the tail is for!"

"The second condition," Taro continued, "is that you need to see the full moon. The principle is that a specific type of light reflected by the full moon stimulates your tail, triggering the transformation. However… it doesn't have to be a real moon. Skilled Saiyan warriors can create a special energy sphere using their own power that mimics the moonlight and triggers the transformation the same way."