At this moment, Rhode was unaware of what the young boy and girl were thinking, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care. Instead, his gaze fell upon Bruce. Compared to a few years ago, Bruce's strength had improved significantly, and his demeanor and expression had gained much more authority and presence. Seeing this, Rhode couldn't help but smile and nod.
"It has indeed been a long time!" As he spoke, perceiving the numerous students now in the Martial Arts Hall, Rhode genuinely praised Bruce: "You've managed the Martial Arts Hall very well these past few years!"
"Master, you flatter me; this is what a disciple should do!" Faced with Rhode's praise, Bruce was instantly flattered, and the smile on his face was exceptionally bright. Clearly, receiving Rhode's compliment filled Bruce with genuine exhilaration.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Bruce's gaze fell upon the young boy beside him, his face filled with anger, and he kicked him, knocking him to the ground, a look of disappointment on his face.
"Ah~" However, despite being kicked, the boy let out a cry, but then immediately got up as if nothing had happened, scampering over to the girl behind Bruce, grimacing and complaining about the pain, while his black eyes darted around, observing Rhode's expression.
"Alright, don't play these little tricks in front of me. Tell me about their origins." Bruce's kick seemed powerful, even knocking the boy to the ground, but in reality, it was all show and no substance, just a pretense, causing no actual harm. Rhode didn't mind this, but still said something nonchalantly.
"Yes, Master!" Hearing Rhode's words and knowing that his Master had no intention of blaming him, Bruce quickly explained the two's origins: "That boy is called Lapis. He's usually very mischievous! The girl is his older sister, named Lazuli. They are orphans who used to gang up with others in the wilderness to rob passersby for a living. I was stopped by them when I was out before. However, seeing that they were young and possessed excellent martial arts talent, I brought them back and adopted them. Now they are students at the Martial Arts Hall, and also part-time staff, but Lapis is very unruly and often causes trouble. But their talent is truly exceptional; if they train seriously, they might surpass me in no time!"
Speaking of the two, Bruce's expression showed affection; clearly, he had come to regard them as his juniors. Towards the end, he specifically emphasized their extraordinary talent, hoping to catch Rhode's attention. In Bruce's opinion, if the two could receive his Master's guidance, they would definitely go much further on the path of martial arts than he did.
Compared to Bruce's thoughts at the moment, Rhode, upon hearing their names, looked at them with surprise. I didn't expect them to really be Android 17 and Android 18! However, Dr. Gero has been recruited by me, so these two are now completely ordinary people, and they are not very old, looking like they are not even ten years old. Orphans? Living by robbery? Hearing Bruce's description of their identities and experiences, Rhode also felt a sense of wonder.
After all, the two he knew were the modified versions of them, and he wasn't very clear about their past. However, compared to the ingrained impression of the extremely aloof Android 17, he is now the most mischievous, while the relatively lively Android 18 is now very quiet and sensible, which is somewhat different. But both are still young now, and their personalities might change in the future.
How should I deal with these two little ones? Although these two little ones are now completely ordinary people, they are, after all, two of the main characters in the original story. It would be a pity for them to just fade into obscurity. Good talent? As he pondered, remembering what Bruce had emphasized, Rhode immediately had an idea.
"Bruce, from now on, they will be your junior brother and sister. You will temporarily help them build their foundation, and once their foundation is solid, I will personally teach them." Since he didn't want the two to simply fade into the general populace, he would teach them. Since both have good martial arts talent, Rhode also wanted to see what level they could reach if they only practiced martial arts without modifications.
"You two, hurry and thank your Master!" Hearing Rhode say this, Bruce quickly pulled the two in front of him, forcibly making them kowtow and acknowledge the master-disciple relationship. The two little ones didn't understand what it meant to become Rhode's disciples, but Bruce knew better than anyone. He himself was once an inconspicuous martial arts practitioner who couldn't even afford to eat, but now he is a renowned figure in the Earth's martial arts world, the most famous top-tier big shot globally.
The reason he possessed everything he had today was simply because his Master had casually given him a few pointers and an opportunity. And now, judging by his Master's words, he intended to formally accept the two as disciples. Bruce, of course, didn't want them to miss this heaven-sent opportunity to change their fate.
"Disciple greets Master!" Under Bruce's urging, Lapis and Lazuli, though somewhat bewildered, instinctively kowtowed and bowed.
"Hmm, from now on, you two are my disciples." Seeing the two bow and acknowledge him as their Master, Rhode spoke, confirming the relationship. As he spoke, he thought for a moment, then placed his hands on their heads one after another, imparting to them the method of sensing the Qi within their bodies, as a welcoming gift.
"First, build a solid foundation, and then formally cultivate. From now on, this place is open to you; you can come anytime. Alright, go!" After a few simple instructions, Rhode didn't say much more to them and had Bruce take them away. If the two were the Androids modified by Dr. Gero, he might have been more interested, but as they were, they were just two ordinary little kids not even ten years old.
"You seem to think highly of those two little ones?" After Bruce took the two away, Aira, who had witnessed everything that happened, came over to Rhode, asking with a hint of curiosity.
"Not exactly highly, but I do have some expectations for their future." Hearing Aira's words, Rhode turned to look at her, a smile on his face, and said meaningfully.
"Oh?" Rhode's words made Aira ponder, then she understood: "Did you see their future?"
"Something like that!" Facing this, Rhode spoke ambiguously: "In fact, the worlds I've traveled to before were all parallel worlds similar to ours. In one of them, I met their adult selves." Thinking of the evil Android 17 and Android 18 from the one-armed Gohan world, and then thinking of those two naive little ones from before, the difference was like night and day.
Rhode's words made Aira feel a fresh sense of wonder, and curiosity appeared on her face: "What were they like in that world? Oh, and was I still alive in that world?"
"That's a long story. Actually, I've experienced several parallel worlds and met many people. Come on, let's go back to the room and talk in detail." At this moment, both of them were standing on the lawn, which was clearly not a suitable place for a long chat. Therefore, as he spoke, Rhode took Aira's hand, saying this while walking towards the house.
"The first world I traveled to, I met the adult Goku, well, Kakarot, at that time…" Arriving in the living room, Rhode began to recount his experiences of traveling to different worlds to Aira while sipping tea.