"Dad! Dad! Big Brother Goku is here!" Upa shouted excitedly as he turned back toward the house.
"Oh? Goku?"
Upa's father, Bora, stepped out of the hut.
Bora was a massive man, built like a small mountain.
The moment he saw Son Goku, covered in wounds and barely able to stand, his bronze-colored face filled with concern.
"What happened to you, child?" Bora asked in a deep voice.
"You look badly injured… Who did this to you?"
"I… I got beaten up by a really strong bad guy," Goku said with a dry laugh.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
But the movement pulled on his rib injury, making him wince in pain.
"I see…" Bora said seriously.
"If someone could hurt you this badly, they must be incredibly powerful."
"That's why I came here," Goku said.
His eyes became determined again as he looked up toward the towering structure above them.
"I want Korin to help me become stronger!"
"I have to get stronger!"
"But with injuries like that, you can barely stand," Bora said worriedly.
"How are you going to climb Korin Tower?"
"It's fine!" Goku replied confidently.
He turned toward the round man beside him.
"Yajirobe can carry me up."
"What?!" Yajirobe froze.
He pointed at his own nose.
"Me?!"
"You want me to climb that tower while carrying you?!"
"Goku, are you crazy?!"
"I believe you can do it," Goku said with a cheerful grin.
"You can definitely climb it."
"Stop joking around!" Yajirobe snapped, putting his hands on his hips.
Then Goku leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"There's delicious food at the top."
"What? Food?!"
Yajirobe's ears practically stood up.
His eyes sparkled instantly.
"Don't lie to me," he said suspiciously.
"What kind of food could there be on top of this giant tower?"
"It's called Senzu Beans," Goku explained seriously.
"They're magical beans."
"Senzu Beans… what a weird name," Yajirobe muttered.
Then he looked up again at the towering pillar reaching into the clouds.
"This tower… is insanely tall!"
"How long will it take to climb it?"
"Haha, you're kind of like Broly," Goku laughed.
"You both love food."
But the laugh triggered his injuries again, and he began coughing violently.
The Long Climb
With Bora's help, Yajirobe reluctantly carried Goku onto his back.
Bora threw them upward with his tremendous strength, saving them some energy at the start.
Then Yajirobe began the long climb.
Using both hands and feet, he slowly crawled up the smooth tower wall.
Sweat quickly soaked his clothes.
His heavy breathing echoed through the high air.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
His arms and legs felt like they no longer belonged to him.
Just when Yajirobe was about to curse Goku for tricking him—
The top platform of Korin Tower finally appeared.
"Hey! Goku! Is that it?!" Yajirobe shouted hoarsely.
"That's the top, right?!"
But the only response he heard was steady breathing behind him.
Goku had fallen asleep on his back.
"You jerk!" Yajirobe exploded.
"I'm climbing this giant tower carrying you and you're sleeping?!"
"Wake up! We're at the top!"
Finally, using the last bit of strength in his body, Yajirobe rolled onto the platform.
Both of them crashed onto the floor.
Yajirobe lay spread out like a starfish, gasping for air.
His chest rose and fell violently.
He didn't even want to move a finger.
"Thanks, Yajirobe," Goku said sincerely after waking up from the fall.
"You worked really hard."
Meeting Korin Again
"Anyone who can carry Goku up this tower must be quite remarkable."
An old and gentle voice suddenly spoke.
A white cat holding a wooden staff stood nearby, smiling kindly.
It was Korin.
"Korin, long time no see," Goku said, standing up.
His body had already recovered significantly.
"What?!" Yajirobe said, staring at the talking cat in shock.
"Who… who is this guy?!"
Ignoring Yajirobe's confusion, Goku turned to Korin.
"I came here because—"
"You don't need to explain," Korin said with a smile.
"I already know."
"Huh? You know what?" Goku asked, confused.
"You were beaten badly by Demon King Piccolo, weren't you?" Korin said calmly.
"What?! How did you know?!" Goku shouted in surprise.
"When I'm bored," Korin said while stroking his whiskers,
"I observe the world below using this water jar."
He pointed his staff at a large jar filled with clear water nearby.
"From up here you can see everything."
"Really?!" Goku said, leaning over the jar curiously.
But all he saw was his own silly reflection staring back at him.
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