"Did you really have to shout like that?" Bulma complained, sticking her finger in her ear to shake off the annoyance caused by Goku.
"Hehe, so it can hear me. We're already very far away. If I called it in a normal voice, it might not come," the Saiyan replied casually, causing Bulma to gesture as if she wanted to hit him on the head.
Goku, already alert to this kind of thing, moved aside quickly, but when he saw that his older sister had only made that gesture to annoy him, he puffed out his cheeks. His bad mood disappeared quickly, though, when he saw a small dot in the distance that was getting bigger and bigger.
"Here comes Kinton!" Goku pointed in a certain direction where everyone could see the golden cloud approaching Karin Tower at high speed.
"That stupid cloud! When I tried to ride it, I fell on my butt," Lazuli complained. Touching her butt with one hand, she remembered the feeling of that day. She also gave Bulma a dirty look because Bulma had urged her to try to get on Kinton and laughed when she couldn't do it.
"But hey, that's a good memory," said Bulma, trying to hold back her laughter as she recalled that moment. Lazuli resorted to the tactic every girlfriend knows, pinching her partner's waist hard.
Just as Bulma was about to take "drastic measures," Kinton reached the top of the tower. It was unimpeded because it used to belong to one of the objects stored in this place.
Goku jumped, and the cloud positioned itself beneath him, catching him gently. Then, the young Saiyan controlled it to circle the people present before getting off and petting it as if it were a small animal.
The incredible thing was that the cloud moved constantly as if enjoying Goku's touch. If it could make sounds, it would undoubtedly be purring.
"It seems well cared for, but time has not been kind to it. Its integrity is greatly diminished," Karin commented after examining the cloud for a few seconds.
Kinton seemed to take those words badly. Saddened, it moved less, and the constant fluctuations in its body slowed down.
"Hey, don't call Kinton old. I still love it very much." Goku hugged the golden cloud protectively, and it seemed happy with this gesture, rubbing itself against the young man's body and seeking comfort.
"I didn't think the cloud was intelligent. I always thought it was a lifeless object," Lazuli whispered to Bulma, looking at Kinton curiously.
She interacted with Bulma's family often, but she didn't spend all her days at their house. Goku could fly on his own, so he rarely used the cloud. That's why the blonde had never acted this way before.
"Oh, yes, it's quite intelligent. It has the strange ability to discern a person's heart. I still don't understand how it does that," Bulma replied to her partner before watching Karin walk into another room.
One thing worth mentioning about the top of Karin Tower was that, despite its exterior, this place, which could be considered the home of the Immortal Cat, was quite spacious.
Bulma only had to glance around a few times before noticing traces of a spatial expansion similar to the one her family had used in their home. Therefore, Karin's house undoubtedly had a larger interior than one might expect.
"By the way, Letty, how about you try riding Kinton?" Goku asked, a curious gleam in his eyes. The Bio-Warrior looked at him for a few seconds before turning her attention to the golden cloud.
Ever since Kinton appeared, she had been confused because clouds generally aren't that fast or capable of supporting a person. She had a lot of common sense and knowledge about things like Ki and martial artists, so she wasn't impressed when she saw others flying. After all, she could do that herself.
But she couldn't understand something as nonsensical as Kinton! Letty didn't have a clear definition of common sense, and her knowledge didn't mean she had processed everything. Since she had only been alive for a few days and had only interacted with a few people, some things still escaped her.
However, Letty was brave. Without saying anything, she jumped toward Kinton under the interested gaze of the others. Her body did not pass through the cloud as many others had in the past; instead, it was caught by it.
"Look, Bulma! Letty can sit on Kinton, unlike you," Goku said to the blue-haired girl whose left eyelid twitched as she listened to the young Saiyan.
"Goku, why do you have to be so mean?" she asked. But Goku didn't answer her. Instead, he guided the cloud to spin around the two women for their amusement.
The Bio-Warrior clung tightly to the cloud, not because she was afraid of falling or because it would hurt if she did, but rather for some more instinctive reason. Still, she didn't let go, smiling slightly as she enjoyed the short ride.
"It seems that young people can't calm down at all. Anyway, I'll show you the other treasures of the tower. This is the main body of Kinton, Goku. Let your cloud merge with this one so that its structure improves." Karin returned, being chased by a giant golden cloud on which two ceramic jars were sealed.
"All right, let's go home to Kinton. It's good for you." Goku dismounted the golden cloud with Letty and gave it a few pushes when he noticed it seemed reluctant to leave.
After being urged several times by the young Saiyan, Kinton finally flew toward the main body, merged with it, and disappeared completely. Goku wasn't worried, though. He trusted Karin, even though he barely knew him.
Someone Kami-Sama trusted wouldn't hurt him! Seeing Kinton recombine with the main body, the cat nodded and waved his hand. He drew one of the jugs toward him using psychic power.
"This is one of the treasures: The Sacred Water. Unlike the Ultra Divine Water, it doesn't increase your power. In fact, it's just ordinary water to anyone who drinks it.
It only takes effect when a person has been possessed, mind-controlled, or affected by something, such as an evil attack, technique, or creature that affects their judgment.
It's a total purifier for altered states, like in RPGs. Yes, young people, I get very bored, and sometimes I play games. I really like Star Fantasy." Seeing the strange looks Bulma and the others were giving him as he explained the function of the Sacred Water, Karin knew he had to explain why he used gaming terms.
"I like Start Fantasy, too!" Goku exclaimed, wagging his tail constantly.
"So, if we find ourselves trapped in a mind game with an enemy one day, would drinking this help us?" asked Lazuli, bending down to get a better look at the ceramic jug in Karin's hands.
"Exactly! Its mystical properties surpass any magic, technology, or creature capable of altering people's minds. Of course, it has limits, but in general, it's very powerful," explained the immortal cat. He opened the jug and dropped a small amount of its contents into his hand. It looked like ordinary water.
"Wow, I thought it would be a prettier color or emit a special glow. It's just ordinary water!" Goku commented, causing Karin to wrinkle his face in exasperation.
"Great truths are hidden in the simplest things, young Goku. Remember that. One day, you will need it," the Immortal Cat advised. Although it was just a casual comment to Goku, it was a phrase that stayed with the quartet for the rest of their lives, helping them find answers when they needed them.
"You mentioned earlier that you used Sacred Water and Ultra Divine Water to water the Senzu Beans. Is that other special water in there?" Bulma asked, pointing to the jug on top of Kinton. This time, Karin did not respond immediately. First, he sealed the container in his hand, then he used psychic power to return it to its place.
"Ultra Divine Water is more of a poison than water. It possesses a hint of divine power condensed from nature itself. Its only function, apart from watering Senzu beans, is to awaken part of a fighter's hidden potential.
Even if you possess that potential, you cannot convert it into power through normal training methods. It is said that possessing some hidden characteristic allows one to access it fully or partially.
However, don't forget that I said it was a poison. While activating those hidden powers, the drinker will suffer immense pain, more than they have ever experienced and, in some cases, more than they ever will.
The agony is constant and lasts for hours, with no middle ground. There is no way to mitigate this feeling unless you want to reduce its effectiveness. You must suffer to reach new heights, whether through training or crying.
Many people have drunk it over time, but only a few have endured; the rest died from the pain. I was one of those who endured that cruel torture, which allowed me to achieve enlightenment.
I don't expect you to achieve anything similar. Enlightenment is personal and comes to us; we cannot seek it. However, I will not allow you to drink it now. You will only drink it when I feel it is necessary.
This is for your own good because you still have a lot of potential to access. Do not confuse this with the heights you can reach. For this reason, I will withhold the water. First, you must squeeze out what remains within you," Karin said solemnly, causing the quartet to nod in agreement.
They already knew the difference between hidden power, potential, and limits. Potential is the power you can achieve through training. Hidden power is the remnant that cannot be achieved conventionally and must be explored through more specialized methods.
The limit is the ceiling that can be reached. It can be raised and broken. This sums up part of the essence of a martial artist: train, develop potential, explore hidden power, and push boundaries to reach new heights!
"I prefer to train. I believe that under your guidance, I can become very strong without resorting to that poisonous water," Lazuli said, a little concerned about the described effect. After all, even though she was a martial artist, she was not a masochist.
"That's right! Master Karin, you're very strong, aren't you? You can surely help us reach new heights!" Goku exclaimed with his characteristic exuberant energy.
"Pain is bad; training is good," muttered Letty. She was not enthusiastic about suffering pain because, although she was a Bio-Warrior with partially dulled pain sensations, she had a feeling that the 'divine' properties in the water could affect her fully, mocking her insensitivity.
"I'll wait for you to feel ready to use it." Bulma was interested in the water, but she didn't want to use it as it was. She wanted to study it further and, if possible, improve it while mitigating some of its most harmful effects.
"Hehe. Well, we'll see what the future holds. Speaking of the future, would you like to see the latest treasure stored here? After that, our arduous training will begin!" Karin asked, excitedly, as he hadn't had any visitors in a long time.
The last person to climb the tower was Muten Roshi centuries ago. Some time ago, an interesting man with a demon-like back approached the tower and examined it, but he left after saying something that made Karin remember his appearance.
'Why learn from an Immortal when I seek to be an Ogre?'
Karin recovered from those memories, smiling slightly. After all, he was someone who had lived for almost a millennium, even older than the current Kami-Sama.
He was happy to see interesting people emerging on Earth!
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AN: TheAnPlayer2 gave me a tip: Promote my original stories every 5 chapters. So, read my original novels: Steam and Heart, Lunar Mechanism, and Witch's Adventure. You may or may not like them, but give them a chance. c:
If I remember correctly, I had previously discussed potential, hidden power, and limits. I believe I did, but if I haven't, I have summarized it quite easily in this chapter. Now, you can understand why Gohan is a monster. His hidden power is so vast that no means of exploration or awakening of hidden power can bring it fully to light. He is a true mutant. Limits are reached and broken, potential is developed through training, hidden power is explored, and it is also awakened. Simple, right?