c7: Kamehameha Wave
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a massive flying axe hurtled toward Li Xu and Bulma.
Li Xu reacted instantly, sensing the incoming danger. He grabbed Bulma and leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the blow.
"Thank you!"
Bulma, flustered and red-faced as she realized she was nestled in Li Xu's arms, quickly pulled away.
"You should move back for now," Li Xu said calmly as he set her down. "This fight might get rough." He turned toward the direction the axe had come from and saw a towering, armor-clad man with ox horns on his helmet and an enormous frame.
"Th-that's the Ox-King?" Bulma gasped, stepping back when she saw his fierce expression.
"So that's him... I didn't realize while watching the anime, but his battle power is at least 30," Li Xu thought. His own power was a bit above 20, but he lacked battle experience this would be a real test.
"Why are you here? After my treasure, huh?!" the Ox-King bellowed, gripping his axe.
"Talk can wait!" Li Xu shouted, dashing forward with excitement. He hadn't faced anyone of this caliber before.
Tap-tap-tap…
Li Xu sprinted in a wide circle around the Ox-King, kicking up dust. With a body that large, the Ox-King had immense strength but would likely be lacking in agility.
As expected, the Ox-King turned slowly, struggling to keep up with Li Xu's movements.
"Now!"
Boom!
Li Xu launched a powerful kick straight to the Ox-King's head. The giant crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
"He's down!" Bulma cheered.
But Li Xu didn't celebrate. He kept his stance, eyes locked on the Ox-King.
"Ugh... that hurt!"
With a groan, the Ox-King got up, brushing off dust. He looked more annoyed than injured.
"That defense is insane!" Li Xu thought. "I barely made a dent..."
"You've got some fight in you, kid," the Ox-King growled, hefting his axe again. "But if you think you can steal from me, you're dead wrong!"
The axe came down like a thunderbolt. Li Xu dodged frantically. The Ox-King's sheer strength made every swing dangerous taking even one hit could be devastating.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out.
"Wow! That guy's really strong!" Goku shouted as he landed nearby on his Nimbus Cloud.
"Goku! Help Li Xu!" Bulma called, worried.
"Hey, mister!" Goku shouted. "Where did you get that axe? It's awesome!"
The Ox-King paused mid-swing, noticing Goku and more importantly, the Nimbus under his feet.
"Wait... that's the Flying Nimbus! Where did you get that cloud?!"
"Oh, Grandpa Master Roshi gave it to me!" Goku answered cheerfully.
"Master Roshi? You mean... the Turtle Hermit?!" the Ox-King exclaimed. "You know where he lives?!"
"Yeah! He lives on an island near the sea!"
"Perfect! Finally, I can ask him to put out this cursed fire!" the Ox-King said, elated.
"Hey, kid, that stick on your back... is that the Power Pole?"
"Yep! My Grandpa gave it to me! He said it was from Master Roshi too!"
"Wait… Is your grandpa's name Son Gohan?"
"Uh-huh!"
The Ox-King lit up with recognition.
"I can't believe it! You're Son Gohan's grandson! He was Master Roshi's top student! And I—I'm his second student!" the Ox-King said proudly.
"Can you do me a favor and ask Master Roshi to lend me the Banana Fan? It's the only way to put out this fire on Frypan Mountain!"
"Sure! But I need the Dragon Ball in return!" Goku said.
"Dragon Ball?"
Bulma stepped up and held out one of the orange orbs. "This kind!"
"Oh, I've seen those! If that's all you need, take it." The Ox-King nodded. "I've got no use for it."
"Great! I'll go right now!"
"Hold on," the Ox-King said, stopping Goku. "My daughter, Chichi, already left to find Master Roshi too. If you see her, bring her back with you."
"Chichi?"
The Ox-King pulled out a photo. "This is her."
Bulma blinked. "The Ox-King has such a cute daughter? Didn't see that coming..."
"Alright! I'm off!" Goku said, leaping onto the Nimbus Cloud and zooming into the sky.
---
About an hour later, Goku returned with Chichi on the Nimbus, and Master Roshi riding in on his sea turtle.
"Master Roshi! You're here!" the Ox-King shouted joyfully.
Roshi squinted up at the mountain. "So this is Frypan Mountain, huh? Whew... that's quite a fire!"
"Grandpa, do you have a way to put out the fire?" Son Goku asked, concerned. They hadn't brought the Banana Fan on their journey, and the fire atop Frypan Mountain was roaring violently.
"For such a little blaze? Of course I have a way to handle it!" Master Roshi said with confidence, chuckling as he stepped forward.
Everyone watched closely as Master Roshi removed his Hawaiian shirt and tossed it aside. In an instant, his normally frail and withered frame ballooned with muscle, veins bulging along his arms.
Even though Li Xu couldn't sense ki directly, he felt an overwhelming pressure radiate from Master Roshi. His instincts warned him: this was power far beyond anything he'd seen before.
"He's really going to use the Kamehameha!" Li Xu's eyes were glued to the old martial artist, not wanting to miss a single detail.
"Turtle..." Roshi said deeply, cupping his hands to his right side in a distinctive calyx shape. A faint, glowing sphere of energy began to form between his palms, pulsing with life.
"...Hermit..." The air around them stirred violently as the energy grew in intensity, illuminating Roshi's hands with a blinding blue light.
"...Energy..." The pressure from the attack increased dramatically. The ball of ki had grown to the size of a football, crackling and surging with unstable energy.
"...Blast!" White wisps of aura spiraled around Roshi's body. With a final shout, "Ha!", he thrust both hands forward.
A shockwave tore through the air as the Kamehameha wave surged outward, the glowing beam screaming like thunder as it tore through the sky. The energy beam, followed by a streak of raw ki, streaked toward Frypan Mountain like divine lightning.
Boom!
The wave smashed directly into the blazing summit. The mountain erupted in a brilliant flash of light, sending a shockwave that blasted outward with immense force.
Li Xu staggered back as the intense wind stung his cheeks. It was his first time witnessing a full-powered Ki Blast, and he was both stunned and awed. With his current strength, he couldn't even produce a fraction of that energy.
When the smoke and light cleared, the inferno was completely extinguished. The once-towering mountain had been completely leveled—the fire reduced to steam, and the structure now a smoldering plateau.
"This... is this really something a human can do?" Bulma murmured, eyes wide in disbelief as she looked at the flattened remains of Frypan Mountain.
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