NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: 3 Years
"You two have done well to reach such a level of strength." kami announces his presence, urging everyone to look his way.
Gohan and Shen are astonished to meet Kami—well, the former certainly is.
The reaction, however, is milder than what Kami had expected. He anticipated more bafflement, terror, or even anger from the two, but none of that occurred.
This is odd to him, considering that; at the very least, Shen must have encountered the demon Piccolo before. . . Undoubtedly if it were the past Master Shen, he would probably be scared out of his mind, meeting Kami, who looks exactly like the ancient demon king Piccolo, who had once terrorized Earth and killed his teacher.
But what Kami doesn't know is that; this is not the same Old Shen.
Anyhow, Kami, being a god, doesn't fixate on small things for too long. He moves on, assuming that somehow the man is able to tell the two beings apart.
"It's a pleasure to meet you kami-sama!!." Gohan bows his head, shen also decides to follow along. he isn't prideful enough to not show humility when needed. He has to always have a good relation with the god of Earth.
Kami converses with them for a short while and after which he orders Mr. Popo to show them their accommodations for the many days and even years to come.
Night is already in full sway and today the two martial artists had a long day as well, so tiredness is evident on their faces. They really desired a proper rest.
Kami, observing the three as they busily head to their tasks, can't help but stay still and get lost in his own thoughts...
'Finally, Earth is growing... Years of stagnation is gradually ending. I just hope, Shen, you can usher in a new age for us.' He doesn't say it out loud, so as not to make the young—or rather, old man conceited by his own strength and get drunk on power.
Of course, being that Shen is a transmigrated soul, who knows; how weak he really is in the grand scheme of things, There is little chance of him believing himself to be omnipotent just because he is arguably the strongest fish in a little pond called Earth.
Next day; The real training starts with the bell training that Goku does in the series, where they have to chase after the nimble Mr. Popo by maneuvering around the open space to attack and dodge attacks—all while trying to avoid accidentally ringing the bell strapped to their belts the whole time.
The two men train hypnotically day after day, working on improving all they can.
Then they move on to Ki mastery, efficient energy utilization, and many other training methods.
During the latter half of their years-long training, the two begin specialized training in the Pendulum Room. It's a room with clocks all around that functions like an advanced time capsule. In this room, a person can experience and interact with the past via a virtual simulation.
This means that unlike real-time travel, only your brain experiences the real past events while physically you remain in the present. This is a very useful method of training, as although one can't literally change the past, they can interact with figures long dead in the present and learn under them.
The simulations are perfect replicas of the past, so not only can you gain past knowledge, you can even die in the simulation. Gohan and Shen have repeatedly died many times while fighting ancient Saiyans and other aliens.
It would be a lie to say, all of this doesn't takes a toll on people. Numerous times, they would have the urge to just rest for a few days and continue later, but they would never act on those impulses.
Thankfully, sometimes they would also do relatively low-fatality training, like fighting Demon King Piccolo and learning from Master Mutaito: the teacher of Roshi and Shen. This mental training, along with the physical training, is the best tonic for their whole being; soul and body both.
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It has been about three years since their arrival at the Lookout, and Kami and Mr. Popo have completely taught them all there is to be taught.
In this timeframe, they utilized every facility in the Lookout except the Time Chamber, which has been set aside for use only in case of emergencies.
Currently, everyone is at the open area of the Lookout with the clear sky blanketing them...
Kami is the first one to speak. "Everything has been passed on to you two. The only thing I know that you don't is magic; however, you two don't have any affinity for that... Shen does have a talent for psychic powers, but that is very different from magic."
"Mr. Popo has also taught you everything. Now it is up to you to perfect it." Mr. Popo adds
"Popo is right... he and I have even higher hopes for you two going forward."
This time, his evaluation does not just stay in his heart. Hiding nothing, Kami praises the men for once. They more than deserve it.
The God is even unsure whether he himself is really worthy to comment on Shen's strength when he, as the god of Earth, is weaker than his subject. Not to mention, Shen was already stronger than Kami before he even came to train under him...
However one the other hand; Shen doesn't view it that way, and he makes that very clear. "It is all because of Kami-sama and Mr. Popo that we had the opportunity to become as strong as we are now. Without your guidance, we wouldn't have been able to learn anything alone."
Shen wholeheartedly thanks the teachers who have helped him grow this far. He is not ungrateful to his benefactor.
Gohan adds, "Yes! Good mentors are more than worthy of receiving all the praise and respect."
"You two!" Hearing those fiery words; Kami's heart warms-up, filled with content.
Kami and Popo haven't been slacking either. Recently, they themselves have also started training regularly. Kami has clearly been motivated to work harder. Being the god of Earth, he can't be left behind too far.
However, it's wishful thinking by a long shot to attempt to chase after Shen, as the situation stands.
He is too old.
As time passes by, not only does one's physical strength gradually dissipate, but so does the mental will to keep going. At some point, people are just exhausted to the point of no return.
Now, it is more about time he relinquishes himself of his tiresome duties and retires... at least that is what an external observer would suppose.
Saying their gratitude and farewell, Shen and Old Gohan take flight, leaving the Lookout. They don't look back, as it won't be the last time they come here; rather, this is just the start of a long and regular association.