"Wow! It's so big! And so shiny!"
Outside Kame House, Bulma and the others gazed up at the Ape God—hovering in the sky above them—their faces simultaneously lighting up with expressions of sheer astonishment.
Compared to the colossal battleships found throughout the cosmos, the Ape God wasn't exactly massive.
However, as a spacecraft of cosmic caliber, its sheer volume was easily more than ten times that of the largest modern-day ocean liners.
Even on Earth—a planet within the Dragon Ball universe where technological advancement was exceptionally high—there simply were no vessels of this magnitude.
Moreover, it shimmered with a brilliant golden radiance, making it incredibly dazzling to behold.
"Goku! Hurry up and take us aboard so we can take a look!"
Bulma urged the Goku with palpable excitement.
Goku approached the Ape God; the ship automatically recognized his identity, deactivated its protective shields, and lowered its boarding ramp.
The group followed Goku on a tour of the spacecraft's interior, and throughout the entire walkthrough, the look of astonishment never once faded from their faces.
However—with the exception of Bulma—the others merely gawked at the novelty of it all; they hadn't the faintest clue how to interpret the advanced Asgardian technology embedded within the ship's design.
Once their tour of the Ape God was complete, everyone—save for the still-thrilled Bulma, who chose to remain aboard—returned to Kame House.
Having spent the entire day working hard, the group had originally planned to settle down for some well-deserved rest, but they were stopped by Master Roshi.
"Hold on a moment, everyone."
"Master Roshi? Is there something else?"
Krillin rubbed his eyes sleepily, while Goku let out a wide yawn.
Master Roshi stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back. After a moment of deep contemplation, he turned to face the group.
"Since you have all decided to embark on a journey across different worlds to train and seek adventure, I have decided to impart a certain technique to you!"
"Master Roshi is going to teach us a new technique!"
Krillin, Goku, and Yamcha's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, while Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu also looked on with expressions of keen curiosity.
Master Roshi retrieved a Capsule Corp. capsule from a drawer beneath the television set, pressed the activation button, and tossed it onto the living room floor.
Pop! Suddenly, a rice cooker with a talisman pasted to it appeared on the ground.
"What I intend to teach you is the Mafuba—the Evil Containment Wave—a technique invented by my own master, Mutaito-sensei.cIt is the very technique used to seal away the Great Demon King Piccolo all those years ago."
Given the strength of these disciples of his, they could practically walk unchallenged across the Earth as it stands today.
Consequently, he had never previously considered teaching them a technique as dangerous as the Mafuba.
However, in light of today's harrowing experience—and considering that his disciples would eventually venture into different worlds to continue their training—
Worlds that might even harbor beings powerful enough to instantly obliterate experts of the caliber of the Goku...
To be prepared for any eventuality, he ultimately decided to pass the Mafuba technique on to them.
In theory, no matter how formidable an expert might be, as long as they are struck by the Mafuba, they can be sealed away inside a vessel.
The only caveat is that the more powerful the opponent, the greater the physical toll exacted upon the sealer.
If the disparity in power is too vast—much like when his own master, Mutaito, sealed away the Great Demon King Piccolo—the sealing attempt may indeed succeed, but at the cost of the sealer's own life.
However, if the gap in power between the two parties is not too significant, the technique merely drains a considerable amount of energy—a depletion from which one can eventually recover without much difficulty.
Who knows how many powerful, unknown experts might be lurking in the various worlds Goku is destined to visit?
Possessing a few extra trump cards in one's hand provides an extra layer of assurance—an additional means of self-preservation.
Furthermore, should the young Piccolo—despite his tutelage—ever stray down a dark path in the future, growing so powerful that no one else can keep him in check...
Then, even if he himself were to meet with some unforeseen accident and fail to seal Piccolo away using the Mafuba... there would still be Goku and the others to step in.
"The Mafuba!"
Upon hearing the name of the technique spoken by the Turtle Hermit, everyone instantly let out a collective gasp of astonishment.
Thanks to the stories Jackie Chun had recounted earlier that day, they were already well aware of the Mafuba technique.
It was the formidable technique invented by the Turtle Hermit's own master, Mutaito—the very technique capable of sealing away the Great Demon King Piccolo!
And now, the Turtle Hermit was offering to teach this very technique to them—how could they possibly contain their joy? Even Goku—whose power already far surpassed that of everyone else—wore an expression of eager anticipation.
"The Evil Containment Wave can seal away opponents who are ten, fifteen, or even many times stronger than oneself. However, there is something you must keep in mind..."
Master Roshi slowly began to enumerate the key points regarding the proper execution of the Evil Containment Wave.
"Finally, you must remember to affix this talisman; otherwise, even if the opponent is successfully sealed, there is still a chance they could break free.
As for how to draw the talisman, I will teach you that tomorrow.
For now, let me show you how to perform the Evil Containment Wave itself."
Master Roshi led Goku and the others outside the Turtle House. Using the old turtle as a test subject, he proceeded to demonstrate the techniques required to execute the Evil Containment Wave.
Upon witnessing this, the three-eyed Tien Shinhan and Goku—both possessing extraordinary talent—mastered the Evil Containment Wave after seeing it performed just once.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu, however, clearly lacked such innate aptitude; they would require time to slowly grasp the technique through practice.
And just like that, three days flew by in the blink of an eye.
Having fully mastered both the Evil Containment Wave and the art of drawing the talismans, Goku prepared to step into a new world to commence a new phase of his training.
As for Krillin and the other three, they decided to first consolidate their current power levels and fully assimilate the lessons learned during the recent World Martial Arts Tournament.
Their plan was to venture into the world of Fairy Tail for their own training and trials a month later.
However, just as Goku was bidding farewell to his friends and preparing to step into the "White Space," a cloud suddenly appeared right in front of the Turtle House.
"Lord Korin!"
Master Roshi and Goku simultaneously recognized the figure seated atop the Flying Nimbus.
Indeed, the visitor was none other than Korin—the Sage of Korin Tower—a feline deity who walked with the aid of a staff.
"Goku, the Almighty wants to see you."
Korin stroked his whiskers as he explained the purpose of his visit.
"The Almighty?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was momentarily stunned, their eyes widening in utter disbelief.
Although they had heard Goku speak of deities existing in other worlds while recounting his adventures, the revelation that a "God" actually existed within their own world completely shattered their preconceived notions of reality.
"Yes—the great Almighty who watches over the entire Earth wishes to meet you, Goku."
Korin smiled and gave a confirming nod.
"Rest assured, it's a good thing. The Guardian is highly impressed that Goku defeated King Piccolo and saved the world. If luck is on his side, Goku might even be allowed to stay in the Celestial Realm to train."
"Train in the Celestial Realm?"
Everyone couldn't help but swallow hard; that sounded like an absolutely incredible opportunity.
"Can training in the Celestial Realm really boost my strength?"
A look of keen interest also appeared on Goku's face.
Korin nodded once more:
"Naturally. The Guardian is, after all, the most powerful being in this world."
"I'm going! I'm going! Let's go right now!"
Goku couldn't wait to hop onto Korin's Flying Nimbus.
Seeing this, Master Roshi hurriedly offered some advice:
"Goku, when you meet the Guardian, make sure to be polite. If you do get to train in the Celestial Realm, you must listen carefully to everything the Guardian says."
Having once climbed Korin Tower himself—and even consumed the immortality elixir—and with a sister who could communicate with the Underworld, he had actually heard
various legends regarding the Guardian.
Knowing the Guardian's exalted status, and fearing that Goku's uninhibited nature might inadvertently offend him, he had felt compelled to offer these few words of caution.
In his view, no matter how powerful Goku might be, he surely could not be stronger than the Guardian.
"Okay, Grandpa Roshi! I'll come back to visit you all whenever I get the chance!"
Goku waved goodbye, and—riding the Flying Nimbus alongside Korin—he vanished into the sky.