Chapter 56: Kamehameha
Franklin didn't make any comment on the matter. It had nothing to do with him in the first place — how to handle it was between Master Roshi and his disciple.
"Master Roshi, I'll be counting on you for Fire Mountain. The sixth Dragon Ball is inside. Once we have it, we'll be on our way."
Hearing Franklin's words, Master Roshi said nothing more. He simply walked to the very front of the group and faced Fire Mountain head-on.
"Goku, Franklin — both of you have practiced the Turtle School's mental techniques. Today I'll teach you a move. Whether you can learn it or not will depend on yourselves."
As he spoke, Master Roshi removed his shirt. After channeling his energy, he sank into a horse stance.
Franklin immediately activated his spiritual vision — his Eye of True Sight — and enveloped Master Roshi's body with his spiritual sense. Goku also stared at him, unblinking.
Under the combined observation of True Sight and spiritual sense, Franklin saw the empty region of Roshi's qi sea and dantian suddenly flare with white light. A burst of hidden spiritual energy erupted from within.
In the next instant, the frail, shriveled figure of Master Roshi suddenly swelled — those withered, lifeless cells filled out and brimmed with vitality.
Watching the old man transform into a hulking, muscle-bound powerhouse, everyone gasped in astonishment.
Roshi then steadied his stance, stretched both arms forward, and slowly drew them back to his waist.
"Kaa… me… haa… me…"
Franklin could see that with each syllable Roshi uttered, the spiritual energy in his body flowed along a specific path, slowly converging toward his palms.
Even each expanding cell released blood energy, rushing toward the space between his hands and condensing rapidly. A compressed sphere of energy formed between his palms.
Moreover, the spiritual energy within Roshi's body continued to surge endlessly. Franklin observed that with the addition of blood energy, the originally neutral spiritual energy began to change — gaining a special quality.
It was no longer purely non-attribute energy; it now possessed a powerful physical attack property.
It was like adding quartz sand to a high-pressure water jet, turning it into a cutting water blade. No — the Kamehameha was like a razor-sharp blade of spiritual energy capable of long-range attacks.
As Franklin immersed himself in observation, the remaining spiritual energy in his own body began to flow toward his palms unconsciously. The blood energy from his countless spirit cells gathered there as well.
He found himself imitating Roshi's movements instinctively.
"Kaa… me… haa… me…"
At the very moment Roshi shouted "HA!", Franklin also yelled in sync. Instantly, Roshi thrust his palms forward, launching a dazzling blue-and-white Kamehameha toward Fire Mountain.
Franklin's blast was also blue-white, though dimmer — streaked faintly with red, gold, and other mixed hues — but it followed close behind.
The twin beams raced side by side, tearing up the ground as they went, leaving a long trench in their wake. The light was so intense that everyone had to squint against its brilliance.
When they could see again, Fire Mountain was gone — completely erased. Even the distant mountain ranges had been partially leveled by the residual blast.
Roshi reverted to his frail form once more, while Franklin, already low on energy, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and unable to move.
With trembling hands, he took out a spirit stone and slowly absorbed its energy to recover. His body felt completely drained — but having learned the Kamehameha, it was all worth it.
As the spiritual energy entered his body, the weakness gradually lessened. With a swift kip-up, Franklin got back to his feet. Seeing the others gathered around, and Bulma's worried eyes on him, he gave them a faint smile.
Then he turned back to Roshi. "Thank you for your instruction, Master Roshi. I'll never forget this favor. I'll repay it someday."
Roshi nodded with satisfaction. "Mm. You're quite good. Your ability is unique, and your talent is high. Goku's a bit behind you in that regard."
Franklin only shook his head lightly. "No — I have an external advantage. Goku's real talent is far greater. Even without any advantages, I believe he would've learned it too."
As Franklin's gaze shifted, everyone followed it to see Goku still deep in concentration. He had unconsciously taken the same stance as Roshi. The group held their breath.
"Kame… hame… haaa!!!"
With Goku's shout, a blue-white energy wave shot straight out. The ground tore apart, trees splintered, and a small mountain in the distance was half-erased by the dissipating energy.
Seeing Goku's feat, everyone exhaled deeply in relief. As Goku stared in awe at his own hands, and Franklin stood there seemingly recovered, Bulma, Oolong, and the others couldn't hide their amazement.
Roshi nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Very good."
The Ox Demon King finally came back to his senses, staring at the vanished Fire Mountain and the destroyed castle. He fell to his knees.
"Master Roshi! The Fire Mountain and the castle — they're gone!"
Roshi scolded him with a tone of disappointment. "That was on purpose. For the sake of those possessions, you killed so many people. You still dare to complain? From now on, cultivate your heart. If you kill again over such things, I won't forgive you."
In the end, Bulma found the Dragon Ball amid the ruins of the Fire Mountain castle. Counting carefully, it was the Seven-Star Ball. After checking their collection, only the One-Star Ball remained missing.
After bidding farewell to Roshi, the Ox King, and the others, Franklin, Bulma, Goku, Oolong, and Puar set off once more.
Heading northwest, they passed through endless deserts and rocky wastelands. Without his divine sense to help find food for Goku, Franklin would've had a much harder time.
"Franklin, looks like there's a town up ahead. Let's stop and resupply — water, food, clothes, everything."
"Alright."
Franklin pressed harder on the accelerator, and the speed surged. Fortunately, their vehicle had been upgraded to a jet hovercar — otherwise, the ride would've been nauseating.
As they entered the town, Franklin immediately noticed that it was under military control.
"Hey, you guys," he said to the group, "once we stop, you can wander around if you want — but be careful. This town's under a warlord's occupation. If something happens, avoid trouble first. If you can't, come find me. And Goku — if you see someone bad, handle it as you see fit."
After giving his instructions, Franklin parked the jet car in a quiet spot. Puar and Oolong whispered to each other, then scurried off.
Seeing that, Bulma looked at Franklin in confusion. "Aren't you going to stop them? Those two can run off easily when they're together — and didn't you just give them a lot of money?"
"No need. Let them go. That's two fewer mouths to feed. Come on — we've got our own errands. You said you're out of clothes and makeup, right? With all this desert wind and sand, we'd better restock while we can."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)