Chapter 93: Climbing Korin Tower
Driven by unwillingness and fury, even as his body fiercely resisted, Franklin used both hands and feet to slowly climb upward.
One hundred and fifty meters… two hundred meters… every cell in his body trembled and screamed, but Franklin ignored it all, forcing himself onward with sheer determination.
As he climbed higher, he felt an unknown power within the stone pillar growing stronger. That power continued to nourish his broken body.
And the firmer his resolve, the higher he climbed, the longer he persisted—the stronger that unknown power became.
Franklin could feel it. This power didn't heal his injuries or strengthen his body directly. It was slowly pushing the limits of his physical potential.
As the height increased, Franklin repeated the same movement over and over, growing numb.
Every meter of persistence reshaped his body. The belief that "every meter makes me stronger" was gradually eroded through this numbing climb.
Fueled by rage and defiance, he could feel his body adapting to the numbness, even beginning to reject it.
At this rate, he couldn't last long. He was hanging on by a single breath. If he let go, he would fall from four or five hundred meters up—his body shattering to pieces on impact.
As the faces of Lala, Bulma, Ryōko Mikado, Mikan, and the others flashed through his mind, Franklin's lips curved into a faint smile.
When he remembered the look of hope on his parents' faces, the power flowing from the pillar surged.
Feeling Goku on his back, remembering that innocent smile and the respect Goku would have for him in the future, Franklin drew a deep breath—and his climbing speed suddenly increased.
Family, love, friendship—those feelings gave new strength to his numbed movements.
Seconds turned into minutes. Dawn broke. Franklin no longer knew where he was. His numb body had lost all support from belief.
He kept climbing. His body had already hit its limit at a hundred meters. Faith alone had carried him to two or three thousand meters.
Now, he had long surpassed that height, sustained only by sheer willpower.
He didn't even know why he was still holding on. Was it to defeat King Piccolo? To see what lay at the top of Korin Tower? Or to return to the future and live happily with the girls he loved and who loved him?
He didn't know anymore. All he knew was to keep climbing, hand over hand, foot over foot. The faith he'd clung to earlier was losing its effect with each numbing motion.
Gradually, Franklin came to see it clearly: faith was just faith. In the end, everything depended on him. Faith was only a shot of strength in moments of hardship. To become stronger, to survive, he had to rely on nothing but relentless persistence.
Numbness. Still numbness. As the sun slowly dipped westward, Franklin could think no more. His consciousness was blurring. In a daze, he seemed to glimpse the top of the tower.
At the entrance at the tower's base, his fading awareness caught sight of two familiar figures inside—one pink, one blue—two girls he knew so well smiling at him and cheering him on. Franklin smiled.
Through endless climbing, he finally reached the entrance beneath Korin Tower. As the familiar figures extended their hands toward him, Franklin reached out his last remaining strength with his left hand. Before losing consciousness completely, his hand was firmly grasped by their soft hands.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the strange surroundings, his body tensed in alarm.
He tried to recall everything that had happened before—but his mind was blank. Just as his wariness flared, it faded away again.
Franklin collapsed. His body held nothing but exhaustion and pain. Thinking was beyond him.
"You're awake. Not bad. For a cripple with the strength of an ordinary person to climb all the way up here—that's no small feat.
"So tell me, why did you climb up? To bring Goku here? Or do you have other reasons? Do you want to drink the Ultra Divine Water too?"
Franklin turned toward the giant white cat standing nearby. Faced with the question, he couldn't think, let alone reply.
But the white cat wouldn't let up. Prodding Franklin with his wooden staff—left poke, right poke—Franklin, eyelids growing heavier, wanted to resist but couldn't move.
"You're in pretty bad shape. Goku already ate a Senzu Bean and went off to find the Ultra Divine Water. What about you? Do you want one? It'll keep you from going hungry for ten days."
The moment he heard "Senzu Bean," Franklin's spirit flared to life. "Senzu Bean… climbing Korin Tower comes with Senzu Beans as a reward… give me a Senzu Bean…"
His trembling, desperate voice reached out, his right hand extending weakly. The cat—Korin—suddenly hopped back.
"You'll only get a Senzu Bean if you manage to take the Ultra Holy Water from me. Do you want to try?"
Seeing the lifeless look in Franklin's eyes, Korin continued, still smiling. "Kid, your body's potential is limitless.
"Don't be fooled by appearances. Believe in yourself. Come on, if you can grab the Ultra Holy Water, I'll give you a Senzu Bean right away."
Watching Franklin's breathing grow weaker, Korin's brows furrowed slightly. "Kid, aren't you even going to try?
"Whether Goku gets the Ultra Divine Water depends entirely on me. If you can take the Ultra Holy Water, I'll give you both the Ultra Divine Water and a Senzu Bean.
"Oh, and one more thing—King Piccolo has already gathered five Dragon Balls. He's heading toward Master Roshi right now. If you don't hurry, they're in trouble."
Franklin still didn't move. Seeing this, Korin sighed. He could feel Franklin's failing heartbeat, his life force slowly fading away.
With no other choice, Korin pulled a green bean from his robe and brought it to Franklin's mouth.
But in that instant—black lightning flashed. The white cat was suddenly pinned beneath Franklin.
That single burst of speed was Franklin's final blaze of life.
His body was already shriveling. Lightning power flared through his skin, scorching the floor of Korin Tower. Korin's eyes lit up. Wasting no time, he shoved a Senzu Bean into Franklin's mouth and poured the Ultra Holy Water down his throat with his staff.
At that moment, Goku, who had already completed the trial and survived drinking the Ultra Divine Water, climbed out of a water jar in the corner.
Seeing Goku arrive just in time, Korin's eyes lit up again. "Perfect timing. Give him the Ultra Divine Water, quick!"
Goku froze at the sight of Franklin's broken, lightning-sparking body and the fragile, flickering life force he was emitting.
The memory of drinking the Ultra Divine Water was still vivid in Goku's mind, and he hesitated.
"If he drinks this… won't Franklin die?!"
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