Dragon BAll- Hermit Shen[A Human Story]

"The knight fought during the night."

"The construction of the pond got postponed."

"Kaio-sama, want some more?" Shen grins, revealing his gleaming teeth. "I've got plenty more. How about... this one—'She saw me cut the tree with a she-saw!'"

"No-no, stop! Stop! Hahaha! I can't... I can't stop laughing!" King Kai is squirming on the ground, clutching his stomach.

Hearing the laughter, his pet monkey and a large cricket also arrive at the scene. Both shake their heads—nothing new to see, just another regular occurrence for those who live with him.

When the laughter finally dies down, Kaio-sama catches his breath. "All right, let us return to the matter at hand" he says, dusting himself off.

"I had initially thought of testing you with my pet monkey Bubbles here, but it seems that would be unnecessary... you're already strong enough to move freely in this place."

"Hehe, earlier he had a little accident though," Gregory, the cricket, mentions, referring to Shen's earlier tumble, when he fell to the ground due to the planet's gravity.

Shen is a little embarrassed by the incident being brought up but he laughs it off, scratching the back of his head.

"Ki! Ki!" The monkey mimics him.

"Ahem!" Kaio clears his throat.

"I don't mind training you."

Although Shen expected it, he is nonetheless relieved to hear his approval. "Thank you, Kaio-sama, for agreeing"

"It's fine.. i was bored, doing nothing.. training you will give me something fun to do. . . Now For starters, I will guide you in ki control for the next few months in your earth time. After that, when you're ready, I will pass on my new secret technique to you. It is an amazing technique that I developed after extensive research."

Shen is sure the technique he's referring to is Kaioken. The man is excited at the prospect of learning it, to say the least. 

"Hmm. I am sure you will put in all your effort, but I must warn you that no one else other than me has been able to perform it yet. This technique, called Kaioken, amplifies the ki in your body... It may cause severe unintended side effects. Learning and mastering it is complicated and carries high risks."

"The others I taught haven't succeeded, so you need to be very careful. if not, It will suck to see you dead."

Shen takes the warning very seriously, 'Kaio-sama is right. I believe Goku once mentioned that if someone dies in their already dead state, they will truly be gone forever. It's unclear whether even the Dragon Balls could bring them back... still, I can't cower because of possibilities that may or may not happen. It will probably be hard, but if Goku, Yamcha, and Krillin can do it, I surely can too... After all, I am the Crane Hermit.'

"Worry not, Kaio-sama. I will learn this technique without fail and won't disappoint you." Shen confidently declares, thumping his chest. "It will be child's play."

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During Shen's training in the Other World, time runs as usual on Earth.

Today marks the third day of shen, leaving the living world. it is a special day, particularly for launch. The feisty girl having completed her training with Lady Annin, is returning to the Crane School's hideout.

Right now she is hovering the over the ocean, muttering to herself, "That jerk Shen has left me alone yet again, without mentioning anything... when i came to be after switching personalities, he was out cold. apparently he left his body and went to hell or whatever... hmph! and here i was about to have a conversation with him... when we meet again, I'll show him."

While the blond Launch is closing in..

Similarly at the hideout; the mood isn't any better... It is tense.. Giran, the eldest disciple who is currently present at the place, is pacing back and forth near the underground lake, a sense of anxiety clearly evident on his face.

"Master Shen has left the school after giving us some important instructions. We are tasked to create a world-renowned martial arts center in his absence... a tower, to be exact. It will have to be a place where everyone comes to test themselves." He is soo intrenched in his thoughts that he doesn't realize, he is talking to himself

"The problem is, how do I go about accomplishing such a thing?... Moreover, all the responsibility lies solely on me, as Namu will be busy taking care of the junior disciples. Accomplishing such a difficult task on my own..." He ruffles his imaginary hair in frustration. though he himself is bald, it is a habit he learned from watching others who do have hair.

As he is formulating a plan to spread the Crane School's name far and wide, a feminine but harsh voice calls out to him.

"Oi, fatso!"

Giran looks toward the source of the voice. "Are you talking to me?" Giran asks, wondering if he heard right.

The women is none other then Launch. She has entered the hideout without anyone noticing.

"If not you, then who else here is fat?" She asks.

"First of all, I am not fat. I have already lost a lot of weight, but more importantly, until now, no one has ever dared to call me fat... and actually, who are you? State your name... you do seem a little familiar." Giran thinks the girl before him is a trespasser. not surprising, it's not too unlikely for him to have forgotten about her.

He does have a vague recollection of the girl's identity, but the memories are too hazy to make out anything.

"Does this ring a bell?" Launch, out of nowhere, brings out a semi-automatic machine gun.

Giran squints his eyes.

"Now I remember, you are that short-tempered woman. Ahhh! I better not stay here any longer with this crazy witch—Master warned me about her..." He turns around, not waiting to see what the woman is about to do.

"Eat iron, dragon boy!" She fires the gun, a volley of bullets continuously emptying from the barrel.

Non-stop gunfire rings out behind Giran.

"Ouch! Ouch! It hurts! Why are these bullets so painful? These puny things shouldn't be able to penetrate my skin, but they're weird..." He touches his back.

"Blood... it's my blood..." He screams, panicking. "I have to run..." while running he is relived to find out, 'although it's painful, these are only flesh wounds.'

he creates some safe distance between him and the girl. "You better remember, I will get back at you for this... don't forget..." He turns around and shouts, A man has to protect his pride, after all.

"Don't mess with me!" Launch readies her gun again, but as she's about to repeat the chaos, "Please stop," a plea halts her.

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.

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Namu has acted as their mediator in the absence of Shen.

Currently the three are in the guest room.

Giran is applying some gel to his wounds, and Namu is helping him. All the others in the hideout, including Tien Shinhan and Dr. Flappe are carefully observing from behind the door. They heard the commotion so curiosity is a given.

"Hmph! Be thankful you were saved by this thin boy," Launch scoffs pointing at Namu and, sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

Giran grits his teeth. He cant comprehend how she became so strong in just a few years, 'I remember this girl being weaker than us...' he slowly glances back at the girl, "But now..." his frustration barely masked, as he stares at new nemesis.

"Huh? You have anything to say?"

Surprised by the retort, he quickly turns his head back. "Y-you! Just wait until Master Shen returns" 

"I don't think earlier was enough for you." 

"Now, now, we shouldn't fight amongst ourselves when Master Shen isn't around." , Namu intervenes, not wanting the situation to turn sour again.

Namu also has something to inquire about with the girl. "Say, Launch-san, haven't you returned after meeting with Master Shen?"

"So what of it?"

"I think Master Shen went to you so that you could provide us with some help... you see, we're trying to build a new world-renowned martial arts center but don't know how to go about accomplishing it. Do you mind helping us? Of course, it's your choice."

"Tch! We don't need he—" Before Giran can show his discontent, "Brother, please," Namu's plea works, and the senior brother's dissatisfaction is temporarily halted.

Launch doesn't immediately reject the proposal nor does she agree to it outright. After a moment of intense silence, she finally tells them, "Alright. For the sake of Shen, I will agree. I have a favor to return, after all. But don't get the wrong idea; I am not doing this for you chums."

So the work begins, under the condition that Launch will be the main decision-maker. Giran isn't happy with it, but what could the poor guy realistically do? ("A/N- Man, he is getting bullied; I am shedding some metaphorical tears here.")

There was much work to be done.. problems had to be solved.. Mainly, the issue regarding spreading the word, letting people know of their existence...

Money...They found a perfect solution to most of their problems. It's an idea thought of by Launch, who said, "If there's a problem, throw money at it, and if there isn't enough money, rob a bank"—truly profound.

They paid tv stations and advertisement agencies a hefty sums of money and so other people did all the work under their close supervision. The people of earth are very gullible.. The public will eat up all the propaganda.. it is a proven method used my mr Satan in the anime. 

However, before anything else they needed to build the actual tower. the symbol of the whole project..

Naturally it is their main priority.

How do they go about doing that? The answer is simply: money, science, and magic.

Aside from Launch and Dr. Flappe, who are already in the team, they also request the help of Kami and Dr. Brief. The latter two's contributions can't be understated. their experience and knowledge proves indispensable. Dr. Flappe provided logistics for the building materials, while the Kami of Earth helps in the construct with his magic.

Specialists were brought for additional help with the technical stuff like designs and machinery/electrical installation. The end result is just like Korin tower, but better.

Never before have regular people of Earth seen a structure so megalithic that it is taller than the tallest mountain.

Due to the marketing, In only a month of opening, the Tower has started to become recognizable as... The place to go if you want to get strong. People would die just to get a glance of Shen. It has become the talk of the town, if you will.