Dragon Ball Roshi-Chapter 307: Power Pole

Earth. High above the clouds. The dome-shaped Lookout.

Kami sat cross-legged in midair, dressed in a robe with the kanji for "God," his dark green cape draping down behind him. A wooden staff rested on his knees as he meditated in silence. Suddenly, he sensed two auras—one strong, one weak—rapidly approaching the Lookout. His eyes snapped open.

"They're here," he murmured.

"Is it Taro, Kami?" Mr. Popo walked over with his usual stoic charcoal-black face, holding a watering can. He, too, now sensed the two converging auras rushing up from below. "Such incredible speed... and he's carrying a regular person too, yet still moving that fast..."

"Let us welcome our guests." Kami gracefully descended to the ground and, staff in hand, walked toward the edge of the Lookout alongside Mr. Popo.

Below the Lookout, the red Power Pole extended upward from the base, piercing layers of clouds, connecting all the way to the top of Korin Tower. A trail of white energy streaked through the sky—Taro and Hathaway flying fast. As they passed by Korin Tower, the white cat stood at the railing, watching them. Taro sensed it and stopped midair with a sharp "pop," hovering outside the tower with Hathaway.

Korin squinted and scratched his paw. "Hm? Why'd you stop? Taro, aren't you headed to the Lookout?"

Hathaway, clinging to Taro as they floated in the air, raised a hand and waved cheerfully. "Hey there, Korin~" She smiled, narrowing her brows. "But how'd you know we were going to the Lookout?"

Korin stroked his whiskers and smiled. "Just a feeling, of course..."

Taro also smiled slightly. "You truly live up to your reputation. Your sensitivity to ki is leagues above me."

"Hah! I bluffed your wife and you actually believed it? Your skill's already way beyond mine. I should be the one humbled here." Korin laughed heartily, leaning on his staff. "You were either coming here or going to the Lookout—only two options. I just guessed."

"Well then, since you're headed to the Lookout but stopped by here, I assume you've got a reason?"

Hathaway giggled, and Taro smiled again. He looked up at the thin red staff piercing the heavens above Korin Tower. Just a glance, and Korin already knew what he was thinking.

"You want the Power Pole?" he asked, puzzled. "With the level you've reached, what do you still need that thing for?"

Seeing Korin hadn't refused, Taro replied, "Soon, I'll be taking on a disciple. I thought I'd give him a little toy to play with." As he spoke, he raised his hand toward the red staff extending above Korin Tower and muttered under his breath, "Shrink, Power Pole!"

The air rumbled like distant thunder. Along with the sound, a giant hand of white ki shot forth toward the Power Pole.

Buzz...

The Power Pole responded to Taro's voice, glowing a deep crimson. In that instant, its gleam was strangely reminiscent of the divine glow in Shenron's eyes. As that thought briefly passed through Taro's mind, the Power Pole suddenly began retracting at light speed, homing in on Taro's location. By the time his ki-formed hand reached it, the staff had already shrunk to a slim, red pole about one meter long.

The ki-hand caught it and brought it back to where Taro and Hathaway floated outside Korin Tower. Taro silently looked at the Power Pole. Hathaway glanced at him, sensing he was lost in thought.

Korin tilted his head. "What is it?"

Taro snapped out of it, caught the Power Pole in his palm, and shook his head. "Just thinking about how quickly this thing retracted... It's impressive." He looked up, estimating the distance between the Lookout and the top of the tower. "To collapse such a length before I even touched it... The craftsmanship of our predecessors is truly remarkable."

Korin scratched his face with a paw and tapped his staff, grumbling, "That Power Pole was made by a Kami generations ago... Who besides a monster like you would underestimate a former Earth guardian?"

Taro coughed awkwardly.

"Pfft..." Hathaway couldn't hold back her laughter and buried her face in Taro's chest.

A ki-formed hand emerged from Taro's chest and pinched Hathaway's cheek. She nudged him back. Taro, still holding the Power Pole, coughed again and said to Korin, "So... I'll be taking this then?"

"Go ahead! It's not like anyone else uses it," Korin waved generously. "I only left it here in hopes someone would use it to reach the Lookout. But after all these years... even people climbing Korin Tower have become rare..."

Taro nodded. White ki flared from his palm, wrapping the Power Pole entirely. He adjusted his orientation, then hurled the glowing staff into the distant sky.

Shhhhk—

The Power Pole tore through the air like a javelin, vanishing in an instant toward the horizon.

"That looked familiar..." Korin smacked his lips. He leaned over to watch the direction it flew, then suddenly realized, "That way... That's Mount Paozu where Gohan lives, right?"

Back before he ever entered the World Martial Arts Tournament, Gohan had traveled across the land—and naturally, he had climbed Korin Tower.

Korin remembered Gohan vividly. The boy had scaled the tower at an even younger age than Taro and Tsuru had, and done it more effortlessly than Tsuru. Korin had been stunned—until he learned that Gohan had trained under Taro. Then it all made sense.

Later, he had often watched Gohan through the water basin atop the tower, constantly amazed at the boy's progress in martial arts. "What kind of monster did Taro raise?" he'd muttered more than once. Even if King Piccolo returned, stronger than ever, he might not even make it past Gohan.

The more Gohan advanced, the more Korin came to realize how unfathomable Taro had become.

Now, hearing he planned to take another student, Korin was naturally curious.

Gohan had turned out far beyond anyone's expectations—Korin figured Taro wouldn't easily choose another disciple. But now, he was going out of his way to retrieve the Power Pole for a student not yet even formally accepted. What kind of prodigy must this one be?

Following the direction Taro had thrown the Power Pole, Korin sensed Gohan's presence in Mount Paozu.

He paused, thoughtful, recalling a few times he had detected strange energy near Gohan. "Could it be... that little guy?" he muttered. "Taro wants to take in Gohan's adopted grandson? That doesn't sound right... That kid's got some weird energy about him..."

Thinking back on what he'd seen in the water basin, Korin felt uncertain. But with Taro's current level, could anything unusual about that boy really escape him? Unlikely.

Of course, Taro had no idea what Korin was mulling over. After tossing the Power Pole, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Ah, I almost forgot—haven't used that Flying Nimbus I got from you in ages. I bet it's floated back to you by now, hasn't it?"