~ Half An Hour Later ~
'Climbing Korin's Tower is a breeze when you can just fly,' Ajax thought, a bemused smirk pulling on his lips as he ascended the vaunted tower. As he sped up, the rustic carvings on the structure began to pass by him in a blur, much too fast to be discerned, causing his smirk to grow even wider at his speed. 'Get on my level, noobs.'
Ajax's upbeat mood, however, deflated like a sad balloon when he reached the pinnacle of the legendary tower. Apparently, Ajax was still too much of a goody-two-shoes despite not following Kami's instructions, because even though he had arrived a full day ahead of schedule, he was still somehow the last one there. Even freaking Yajirobe of all people had beaten him to the punch.
With a gentle tap, Ajax landed on the stone floor of Korin's Tower, turning to face the four Z Fighters, plus Yajirobe, with a deadpan expression. He cannot believe these people. And to think that if it weren't for Chi-Chi, he would've arrived another day later.
"So, I'm the last one to get here?"
A sheepish look overcame every Z Fighter's face as they collectively exchanged guilty glances while awkwardly shifting their gazes. Ajax raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the sight despite knowing he was guilty of the same.
Krillin stepped forth, an embarrassed grin on his face.
"Can you blame us? We were just too excited! Thank God you're here though, we were beginning to feel guilty about not following instructions, but it seems like we're all on the same page." Krillin admitted sheepishly as he continued to step forward towards Ajax. "By the way, how did things go with Chi-Chi?"
"What do you think, senpai?" Ajax hissed, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he shot Krillin a scathing glare full of irritation.
"Hehe, well, at least you're alive. Can't say the same for myself if I had gone in your place..." Krillin chuckled nervously, feeling just a tad awkward at throwing his kouhai to the wolves. Or rather, wolf.
"Oh, by the way, Chi-Chi wants to talk to you too," Ajax mentioned casually, watching with vindicated satisfaction as the color instantly drained from Krillin. The tentative, nervous smile that had lingered on Krillin's face earlier vanished, leaving him looking as though someone had sucked the very life out of him.
From the periphery of his vision, Ajax's attention was snagged by the sight of a short white cat emerging from a nearby room wielding a wooden cane taller than itself. There was no mistaking it—this had to be Korin. Leaving Krillin to panic by himself in peace, Ajax strode forward and gave a brief but respectful bow to the martial artist master.
"Master Korin, pleased to make your acquaintance."
Extending his cane, Korin lightly tapped the end of it against Ajax's head.
"You're Ajax?"
Ajax affirmed with a nod, acknowledging his identity. At the confirmation, Korin eyed Ajax with a mix of disappointment and resignation.
"I was holding out hope that you'd arrive tomorrow as requested, but I see now that my optimism was held in vain." Korin sighed, clearly disappointed by Ajax's failure to follow instructions, much like the others. His piece said, Korin retrieved a Senzu bean from somewhere in his fur and flicked it over to Ajax. "Here. For your hand."
Ajax managed to catch the bean with ease, as it wasn't exactly a difficult throw. His eyes focused on the bean in his hand, attempting to examine it more closely. 'It's literally just a bean', Ajax thought to himself, amused at how utterly ordinary it was.
"Out of curiosity, how many of these do you have, Master Korin?" Ajax inquired casually. He needed to secure as many of these as possible for the upcoming events, so Korin's answer would be crucial, as it would dictate his subsequent strategy.
"Ah, these healing ones? It's a new variant I accidentally developed right before the fiasco with Piccolo Daimao, so very, very little," Korin explained patiently. Leaning on his cane, he continued, "The regular ones that fill you up for ten days, on the other hand, I have barrels and barrels of."
… wait, what the shit?
Ajax instinctively recoiled, his nose and brow wrinkling as if someone had blasted a particularly nasty fart in his face. What in the world is happening? He's absolutely certain there weren't any variations of Senzu Beans in the canon. Is he in some alternate universe? If this is different what else is different? Ajax felt himself tense at the implication.
However, Ajax decided to set that thought aside for the time being. Although the current situation implies that Senzu Beans will be scarce, mirroring the canon, it's also a matter he can deal with later. Right now, his immediate priority is to heal his hand. Ajax popped the bean in his mouth, offering Korin one final nod in thanks before biting down on the Senzu Bean.
As he did so, Ajax felt an exhilarating surge of energy coursing through his hand. He watched in fascination as his hand regenerated, beginning from the bone and progressing through layers of muscle. In no time, his hand was fully healed. Following the restoration of his hand, the surge of energy persisted, unabatedly rushing through his entire body, filling his ki reserves to their maximum capacity. It was a sensation of unparalleled satisfaction, as if every joint in his body had been simultaneously cracked, or every knot in his muscles loosening all at once. Ajax let out a slow, deep breath through his nose, savoring the afterglow. Goddamn, that was undeniably a perfect 10/10.
That being said, the flavor of the bean left much to be desired. It tasted of raw beans mixed with low-quality fish gone slightly bad. 3/10, did not enjoy, would not recommend.
"Yeah, the first time is always a rush," Master Korin acknowledged Ajax's reaction with a nod, a knowing gleam in his feline eyes. Shortly, he turned his attention to the rest of the assembled Z fighters, addressing them. "I'll let Kami know of the situation here. He should give you all the permission to go to the Lookout soon."
Ajax, having patiently waited for Korin to finish his statement, seized the opportunity to make another request.
"Master Korin?" Ajax's voice cut through the gathering, prompting the wise feline to pivot back towards him. "Can I challenge the Divine Water?"
"Oh, sure! You have to catch me and I'll–"
"Not that one, Master Korin. The other one. The Ultra Divine Water. Or God Water? Whatever it's called."
Korin paused at the statement, his feline features freezing in a moment of contemplation. As the rather bold request settled in, Korin's demeanor shifted drastically: his narrow eyes, already squinting, squinted even further, and the mischievous gleam within them disappeared, replaced by a smoldering intensity. With a deliberate motion, Korin moved his staff upright, shedding his whimsical aura and transforming into a figure of wisdom and imposing authority.
"I presume Goku told you about it," Korin began, leveling an assessing look at Ajax and appraising the young warrior. "I hope you are aware that it is an incredible poison. No one other than Goku survived drinking it, and apparently, as we all recently learned, he's not even human. The success rate for a human remains at zero."
The Z fighters had, of course, caught wind of the impending challenge, attuned to the conversation as they were. In the moment of silence that lingered in the air after Korin's rather ominous statement, Yajirobe spectacularly blew his lid, the recollection of Goku's agonizing experience with the Ultra Divine Water vividly etched in his memory. He screamed his vehement objection through the empty space of Korin's Tower.
"NOO! Don't do it! Even Goku barely survived, and he screamed in pain for like six hours! You'll die for sure!"
Ignoring the uproar from behind him, Ajax asked Korin one simple question that cut through the commotion instantly.
"Does it kill you immediately?"
Korin shakes his head. "No. Those who drank it suffered for a long time before dying. What, you a masochist or something? What's your point?"
"My point is, it's something that the challenger must adapt to and overcome for them to reap the benefits, am I right Master Korin?" Ajax's satisfied smirk grew wider as he spoke.
"…yeah?"
"Don't you know? Adapting and overcoming are my specialty," Ajax declared with self-assured confidence as his smirk stretched from cheek to cheek. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Literally."
Amongst the Z fighters, Krillin's expression morphed into one of stunned realization, his mouth dropping open, resembling a Venus flytrap ready to catch flies. He looked like someone who just had an epiphany of a lifetime.
Korin's feline features scrunched in confusion at Ajax's statement. He knows he's missing some important context, that much was clear from Krillin's reaction.
"I don't know what you mean, but since it sounds like you intend to proceed, I'll let you take a hack at it—only because the Saiyans are coming, mind you."
With measured steps, Korin waddled off to his room, disappearing briefly before reemerging with a small tray upon which rested an ornamental teapot and a single plain teacup. Korin poured the contents of the teapot, a viscous purple liquid, into the cup. After the task was completed, he held out the mostly full cup towards Ajax, inviting him to drink.
With both hands, Ajax cautiously accepted the teacup from Korin, seizing the opportunity to peer into its purple depths. It looked remarkably like grape juice, except it smelled sour, if that even made sense. The sight of it also scared him slightly, because, despite the cup's modest size, he couldn't see the bottom, as the liquid within was so murky that it created the illusion of being endless.
Ajax took a deep breath, feeling nervous at the impending experience. It can't be worse than a Crucio, right? Though, if he were to be honest, he can't exactly say those are walks in the park either, nor can he claim that he had experienced one. Okay, that's enough stalling. Here goes nothing.
An anticipated hush enveloped the gathered Z Fighters as they watched Ajax bring the teacup to his lips. With a resolute exhale, Ajax chugged the Ultra Divine Water in a single mouthful, downing it like a seasoned drinker tossing back a shot.
"Uahh! Warm and bitter!"
That was all Ajax managed to say before his world shattered into countless pieces as an unimaginable torrent of pain surged through him. It was a mind-breaking, indescribable agony, a cacophony of pure suffering that drowned out any thought or resolve he had.
Every fiber of his being screamed in protest as if he were being consumed by an inferno, the pain lighting every nerve on fire as if he was burning alive inside out. His stomach convulsed, feeling like a xenomorph was tearing at him from within. His muscles locked up, cramping and contorting while his head felt as if it was about to split open.
Ajax collapsed to the ground on his back, mouth open in a soundless scream as his back arched involuntarily. Then, the silence shattered as Ajax's agony found its voice. He screamed his throat raw, the sound ripping from his vocal cords, primal and guttural.
'ADAPT BODY! ADAPT!! ADAPT, ad– adasfoij,' Ajax's thoughts fractured into incoherence, the pain drowning out his attempts to form coherent words as the Ultra Divine Water unleashed its fury upon him.
In an instinctive attempt to ground himself, Ajax slammed his hands into the stone floor, the force slightly cracking the solid surface beneath him while an animalistic roar erupted from him, the most primal method of expressing agony. At this point, Ajax was no longer capable of coherent thought, the all-encompassing pain drowning any semblance of rationality left.
The Z fighters stood in tense silence as they witnessed Ajax's torment, their postures stiff as they looked on in helpless shock and horror. At that moment, everyone was suddenly aware of the stark reality that Ajax was facing this trial alone, and there was not a single thing they could do to alleviate his suffering. All they could do was bear witness and hope that Ajax would emerge on the other side alive.
"He'll be doing that for a while." Korin addressed the Z Fighters somberly while sighing, knowing that this was the inevitable outcome. "So, would anyone else like to give it a try?
As he expected, Korin was met with the sight of everyone vigorously shaking their heads. Since it seemed like there was now a lack of interest in challenging the Ultra Divine Water, Korin carefully returned the ornamental teapot to the tray before turning away from the ongoing ordeal and withdrawing into his dwelling. Before disappearing into his sanctum, Korin threw out one last statement:
"You should all follow Mr. Popo behind you. He'll take you to Kami's Lookout."
The Z Fighters just stood there for a moment, utterly failing to comprehend Korin's statement. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, they collectively pivoted, gasping in unison as their startled gazes landed on the silent figure that had been observing them from behind in ethereal stillness since time unknown.
Of the group, Krillin's reaction was the most pronounced. A cartoon-like, pitch-perfect scream of fear tore from his throat, a complete octave higher than anyone had ever heard from him, as Krillin found himself mere inches from Mr. Popo, who had unfortunately been standing directly behind him.
In response to their startled reactions, Mr. Popo, rather than dispelling their unease, replied with a smile that sent shivers down their spines. A sickening bone-crunching sound filled the air as Mr. Popo's unsettling smile widened. With Ajax's tormented screams serving as a haunting backdrop, everyone felt a creeping sense of dread crawling into their very core.
"Hello, you worthless maggots. I'm here to guide your pathetic existence for your torture session. Follow me if you don't want to die~!"
Mr. Popo's dark words hung in the air, its malevolence practically a palpable force. The Z fighters exchanged uneasy glances before falling in line. Because when you introduce yourself like that, what else could they do but follow?
***
THE MASTERPLAN:
Climb Korin's Tower for Ultra Divine Water – (COMPLETED)