"Since you're determined not to accept me, I won't trouble you further. Farewell, until fate brings us together again."
Seeing that Master Roshi was firm in his decision not to take on disciples, Yamcha didn't wait for him to finish speaking. He decisively chose to leave without further pestering.
He boarded his aircraft, activated the console, entered the coordinates, and started the engine.
With a loud roar, the aircraft sped off toward another location indicated on the instrument panel.
Yamcha's swift and decisive attitude caught Master Roshi off guard.
At the moment, Yamcha wanted to quickly boost his combat strength. Aside from traveling to other worlds for training, the only other option was to find a renowned teacher. He intended to study under Master Roshi, but he never said Roshi was the only one he'd accept.
Before visiting Master Roshi, Yamcha had already made plans—Plan C would be activated if this didn't work out.
Master Roshi was the strongest human on Earth at present. He studied under the legendary martial arts master, Master Mutaito.
Years ago, Mutaito used the Evil Containment Wave to seal away King Piccolo, nearly exhausting himself to death. Before he died, only two disciples remained from his school—one was Master Roshi.
Roshi founded the Turtle School, while the other disciple founded the Crane School.
Master Crane.
If you won't teach me, someone else will.
My time is valuable.
Yamcha had the Red Ribbon Army locate not just Roshi's address, but Crane's too. Unlike the reclusive Roshi, Yamcha was much more confident that Master Crane would accept him.
Though both were trained by the same master, the Turtle and Crane schools had vastly different teaching philosophies.
The Turtle School emphasized building a strong foundation. The idea was: the master opens the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. The Crane School, on the other hand, focused more on technique—Master Crane would teach everything at once, even risky, high-powered moves (like the Dodon Ray).
One gave you a fishing rod, the other gave you the whole fish. Which was better? Hard to say—it depended on your perspective.
For example, Roshi never taught techniques like the Thunder Shock Surprise, Sleep Spell, or Drunken Fist to his disciples. Even the Kamehameha was something they learned on their own. You could say he was holding back. Meanwhile, Crane held nothing back—just look at all the techniques Tien Shinhan learned. He practically took the entire Crane School with him.
Also, Master Crane didn't teach his students morality. Early on, Tien was introduced as a villain. In the original story, he even broke Yamcha's leg during their first encounter in a tournament—Yamcha's second time being a stepping stone.
In terms of character and mindset, Master Roshi was without a doubt the superior teacher. Without him, the Earth-raised Saiyan Goku would never have existed.
Each had their own strengths, depending on how you looked at it.
But Yamcha wasn't currently lacking in foundation. He had Bang's guidance and personally valued that aspect highly. Whether or not Roshi taught him didn't matter much. As for mindset—he had already chosen a better teacher than even Roshi.
"That young man's future... is something special,"
Master Roshi muttered as he watched Yamcha disappear into the distance.
"Then why didn't you accept him as a disciple, Master Roshi?" asked the old turtle, confused.
"His motivation for becoming a disciple wasn't pure... and—"
"Master?"
"I've already said—I've retired and won't take on any more students. One mistake is enough," Roshi said, his gaze distant with reminiscence.
A fleeting expression of melancholy and regret passed over his face, the look of a sage who'd seen through the world.
"Master Roshi, are you still haunted by what happened with the Ox King?"
Master Roshi had only ever taken two students: Gohan and the Ox King. But the Ox King, after learning martial arts, became a bandit and committed evil. After that, Roshi withdrew from the world.
"Don't bring him up again," Roshi said firmly, coughing once to change the subject.
"There are more pressing matters now."
The old turtle: "?"
To his surprise, Master Roshi leapt shamelessly toward the pile of "Little Liu Beis" (adult magazines) Yamcha had left behind.
The old turtle: "..."
Crane Hermit lived in the southern region of Mt. Tsurumi. Unlike Master Roshi, who lived in complete seclusion, Master Crane was much more high-profile.
In the middle of a bustling, ancient-style town stood the Crane School dojo, located right at the heart of Mt. Tsurumi.
Inside, a few scattered students were practicing in the courtyard.
Unlike the low-key Turtle School, Crane School had few restrictions. As long as you had money, you could join.
But paying the entry fee didn't guarantee becoming Master Crane's personal disciple. Besides extraordinary talent, there was one critical requirement:
More money!
Lots and lots of money.
No money?
Don't even think about stepping in.
That's why Yamcha went to Master Roshi first—though both teachers might be equally skilled, Roshi was more famous, and he was Goku's mentor.
After being rejected, going to Master Crane was an acceptable Plan B.
"Entrance fee: 20 million Zeni," Master Crane said without even glancing at Yamcha.
It was rare for Crane to come out of his room when someone asked to become his student.
If the person couldn't pay, he'd have their legs broken and tossed out.
This wasn't a place just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come and go freely.
Yamcha didn't mind his attitude. Even if he had become much stronger recently, he was still far from a match for a martial arts master like Crane.
After all, Crane's power level was 120, among the top five on Earth in the Dragon Ball world.
Yamcha tossed out a capsule.
Poof! A mountain of money appeared.
"This is 100 million—a gift for my teacher."
To Yamcha now, that sum was nothing. What he had the most of was money.
It worked.
"Interesting, interesting." Master Crane gave the pile a glance and sized Yamcha up with a satisfied expression. "Your talent's not bad."
Could he actually tell someone's martial arts potential at a glance? Of course not—even Roshi couldn't do that.
He was just being polite—for the money.
If you gave him a billion, he'd say you were a once-in-a-millennium genius.
Then Master Crane continued, "Monthly tuition is 3 million Zeni. Every three months, there's an evaluation. Fail, and you're out."
"But if you pay 10 million, you can retake it."
Selling lessons—that was his real goal.
"If you have no questions, follow me." He turned, floated slightly off the ground, and drifted toward the dojo.
Though flying would later become a dime-a-dozen skill in the series, even small fry could fly…
At this point, flying was still a signature technique of the Crane School—Flight Technique (Bukūjutsu).
By manipulating one's internal ki, one could achieve flight. It was more convenient than telekinesis and very practical.
"I don't care who you are, and I don't care what your goals are."
"Whatever kind of person you are, it doesn't matter…"
"As long as you can pay—I'll teach you."
(End of Chapter)