The three disciples had just finished their morning milk deliveries. As they left the temple, Master Roshi turned to them with a serious tone.
"Your goal isn't to win the World Martial Arts Tournament.
The world isn't as simple as you think.
Only when you decide to enter the tournament with full conviction,
can you truly commit yourselves to the training."
Krillin, still flushed with excitement, pumped his fist.
"Awesome! I can really join the World Martial Arts Tournament! I'm gonna train like crazy!"
Chi-Chi chimed in.
"Me too! Goku, let's give it our all!"
"Yeah!" Goku nodded with a smile.
But Roshi clapped his hands again.
"Alright, enough chatter. There's another batch of milk deliveries."
"Let's go!!"
With crates in hand, the three trainees charged back into their combined routine of labor and martial arts.
They crossed wobbly rope bridges where a single misstep meant a fall,
waded through sticky swamp trails,
and even swam across a raging river, milk crates held above their heads.
Once, they were even chased by a Tyrannosaurus rex, sprinting for their lives while delivering milk.
The chaos, the rush, the adrenaline—
it was all so intense that they barely felt tired.
But once the final delivery was done, reality hit hard.
All three collapsed, hands on knees, panting like dogs.
Even Goku—who'd trained with Grandpa Gohan for over a decade—was breathless.
Training with Roshi was nothing like Gohan's.
It wasn't just physical effort—it was mental pressure too.
Delivering milk while dodging danger meant protecting cargo and yourself.
And underneath it all… that constant sense of urgency.
"Alright," Roshi called, "morning training is over.
Next up: fieldwork!"
He gestured to a massive expanse of farmland.
"You'll help the local farmers with plowing.
If you don't finish quickly, you won't get breakfast.
And no tools—you're using your hands."
Krillin's eyes popped.
"Milk delivery and farming? I didn't sign up for this…"
Chi-Chi looked down at her soft, pale hands and turned to Goku.
"Goku, when we grow up… you won't hate me if I get rough hands, right?"
Goku: "…"
Without further ado, the three began digging—hands and fingernails first.
Master Roshi stood off to the side, arms crossed.
"This is a perfect way to strengthen your arms, shoulders, back, and legs.
It's a complete workout."
The three rolled up their sleeves and started crawling through the soil like dogs.
"Faster!"
"Keep going!"
"Krillin, you're falling behind!
Chi-Chi, push harder!"
By the end, their efficiency was almost on par with a tractor.
But time slipped by.
When they finally finished, the sun was already high in the sky.
Roshi checked his watch.
"Took too long. You missed breakfast.
Starting tomorrow, we'll expand the area—so pick up the pace."
The three slumped to the ground in synchronized despair.
After a rushed meal, Roshi took them to a shaded grove with three hammocks strung between trees.
"From now until 1:30, it's nap time.
Train hard. Eat well. Rest well. Play well.
This is the Turtle School way."
He lay down with a satisfied sigh.
Chi-Chi and Krillin climbed into their hammocks as well.
Goku asked curiously,
"Master, wouldn't it be better to skip rest and train more?"
Roshi chuckled.
"If you turn yourself into a mindless training machine,
with no life, no joy, no breath of your own…
what's the point of living?"
"…Huh. That… makes sense," Goku admitted.
Roshi added with a smile,
"Gohan told me how hard you train.
That's good. But Goku—don't walk a narrow path.
Strong buildings need deep foundations.
If you overtrain, you'll ruin your body…
and even if you don't, you'll burn out your potential.
You'll never go far that way."
Goku fell silent, thoughtful.
He seemed to understand a little… but not fully.
Some truths sound simple, but are hard to truly grasp.
"…Got it, Master."
Then he lay back, closed his eyes—
and within minutes, he was fast asleep.
When he awoke, he felt completely refreshed.
Light as air.
Like he could run up a 50-story tower without stopping.
And just in time—Roshi had even more punishment ready.
The afternoon began with manual labor on a construction site.
"You'll be pushing carts of sand across the site—by hand!" Roshi announced.
"You have to outpace the bulldozer!"
Even the workers on-site watched with wide eyes.
"Damn… these kids can really work."
Then Roshi led them to the river.
"You're all soaked in sweat. Time for swim training."
Krillin groaned.
"Still more…?"
"Of course!" Roshi barked.
"Now go change behind those rocks."
He'd been polite for Chi-Chi's sake—if it were just the boys, they'd have jumped in fully clothed.
Soon, all three stood at the riverside in swimwear.
"You'll swim to the far bank and back—ten laps!"
Krillin snorted.
"Pfft, easy!"
He dove in headfirst—
ROAR!
A massive shark burst from the water, lunging at Krillin.
"AHHH!!"
He flailed, paddling furiously toward the far side, shark in tow.
Chi-Chi shrieked. "There's a shark?! That's terrifying!!"
Roshi calmly stepped forward—
—and dropkicked both Goku and Chi-Chi straight into the river.
"Off you go!"
SPLASH!