Dragon Ball Roshi-Chapter 308: The Heavy Stick

Master Korin, understanding the intent behind the words, shook his cane and said with a sigh, "If you want the Flying Nimbus, just say it. No need to beat around the bush..." As he spoke, he was about to summon the vast sea of Nimbus clouds belonging to Korin Tower, but Taro stopped him.

"I don't need it right now. Hmm... maybe in four or five years. I'll come get it then." Taro thought about what he had done at Bulma's house earlier and gave a timeframe.

"As you wish," Master Korin replied, putting down his wooden staff without a care.

Hathaway looked up at Taro and blinked, seemingly already guessing what he had done with the embroidery earlier.

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Mount Paozu.

In the heart of a lush and ancient forest, all was silent, broken only occasionally by the low growls of wild beasts. From the shadows of the dark woods, glowing eyes sometimes flickered by, giving off an eerie feeling.

On one old tree, a slanted branch stretched out where a small boy hung upside down.

His hanging posture was quite strange—he wasn't using his legs to hook onto the branch but rather his furry tail wrapped around it. His legs were crossed in midair, meaning his entire body weight was supported by his thin tail.

Son Goku hung there, hands behind his head, trying to perform sit-ups in this upside-down position. But just hanging like this was already a challenge. His entire body felt sore and weak from the tail's strain, trembling slightly.

"Hss... hss... so... so hard..." Goku's eyes were rimmed with dark circles. The process of overcoming his innate biological weakness was clearly no easy feat, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on. "No strength..."

Suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted nearby, startling Goku. His tail loosened, and he fell headfirst to the ground with a loud "thud."

"Ow ow ow..."

He gritted his teeth and rubbed his head as he stood up. Now that his tail was relaxed, the strength returned to his body. Though the feeling of restored energy was nice, the failure of his training left Goku a little frustrated. Just then, a whirlwind blew in from where the noise had come from, blasting dust into Goku's face.

"What was that sound?"

With a simple heart came strong curiosity. Putting his training aside, Goku followed the direction of the noise, passing through a patch of forest until he came upon a circular crater that had been violently carved into the land. In the center stood a slim, bright red staff embedded in a small, surprisingly undamaged mound of earth. From that central platform, the crater extended outward in layered, radial collapses.

White flames still lingered around the red staff, curling around it.

Several beasts who had come to investigate were scared off the moment they sensed Goku's aura, fleeing in panic.

"What is this?"

Goku leapt from the crater's edge, covering over ten meters in a single bound, landing on the central mound where the Power Pole was embedded. He grabbed it with one hand and tried to pull it out—but it didn't budge. Frowning, Goku grabbed it with both hands and yanked upward. He used every ounce of his strength, his white teeth almost cracking from the effort, but the staff didn't move a bit.

Exhausted, Goku plopped onto the ground, sweat on his forehead. He muttered in confusion, "What a weird stick... I can't pull it out?"

Annoyed, he squatted beside the staff and examined the earth where it was lodged. The joint between the two was seamless, not a crack in sight. He patted the soil around the base and found it extremely solid, far harder than normal ground.

There were still remnants of the white flames where the staff and the earth met.

In his mind, Goku thought that this white flame looked a lot like the "Kamehameha" he had seen at the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"Goku, what's wrong?"

A voice called out behind him. The first "Go" was still distant—the speaker was clearly far away, separated by a forest. But by the time the final syllable was spoken, Grandpa Gohan had already arrived at the edge of the crater.

Goku, still squatting on the central mound, turned and shouted, "Grandpa! Come look! This stick is really weird!"

"Oh?" Gohan had come here after sensing the disturbance. When he saw the red staff stuck in the mound beside Goku, he focused on the lingering white ki surrounding it and raised an eyebrow. "Is that... Master's ki?"

Then, floating through the air, Grandpa Gohan gently landed on the other side of the mound, now standing opposite Goku, both of them looking at the embedded Power Pole.

"Grandpa Master?"

Goku squatted and tilted his head, swishing his tail. Though simple-minded, he wasn't stupid—he remembered who Grandpa Gohan referred to as "Master." It was that old grandpa who even Grandpa couldn't beat, the one who promised to teach him martial arts one day. But what did this staff have to do with that Grandpa Master? Goku looked around but saw no sign of the old man.

"You couldn't pull it out?"

Gohan asked, and when he saw his grandson nod, he reached out to grab the staff. With a grunt, he pulled. The staff trembled slightly but still didn't budge.

"You couldn't pull it out either, Grandpa?" Goku exclaimed. To him, his grandpa was already incredibly strong.

Gohan let go and shook his head, a wry smile forming in his heart. Heh... My master sure thought of everything. At least he left me a bit of dignity in front of my grandson...

He could feel the ki tied to the base of the staff slowly dissipating. The binding force was weakening... This must have been a deliberate setup, maybe to prevent the staff from falling into the wrong hands? In other words, this staff was meant for Goku?

He vaguely remembered having seen this very staff once at Korin Tower.

"Muken—Eighteenfold!"

Gohan gripped the staff with both hands. Veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted, planting his feet firmly into the stone platform, carving two deep imprints into the ground. With a final burst of force, he tore the staff free from the earth with a loud crack—dirt and rocks splintered and tumbled down the edge, clattering like iron hitting stone.

"Huff... The gap between me and Master isn't getting smaller... it's only growing wider every day..."

Gohan let out a long breath. The muscles on his arms slowly relaxed as the tension faded, loosening the tight sleeves of his robe. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and recalled how his master had once jokingly rolled up his sleeves, offering to spar with him. He chuckled to himself. Back then, I actually thought I could keep up with him? How naïve. Jokes are fine, but sparring? Absolutely not.

Then he looked to the side. Goku was staring at the staff in his hands, eyes gleaming with excitement. Gohan couldn't help but smile.

"Goku... don't let Master down..."

He patted Goku's head and placed the staff into the boy's arms.

"Take this, child. Master Yamiru... he's waiting for you at the mountain peak."

Gohan gave the instruction with solemn care, once again feeling the weight of his master's expectations for this boy—and just how much he believed in him.

At his young age, Goku didn't fully grasp the depth of what his grandpa had just told him. He simply clutched the staff tightly in his arms and nodded hard, eyes full of innocent resolve.

"Mm!"