(A/N: New Patreon: Bill Cosby the Female Finesser! Thanks a lot for joining the Legends tier, glad to have you aboard! Bonus Chapter!!!)
After exhausting themselves against Karnel's impenetrable defense, Krillin and Yamcha trudged back toward Kame House, their expressions a mixture of frustration and awe.
"Alright, you two, don't lose heart," Master Roshi called out, his voice taking on a stern, instructional tone. "Karnel was a fighting prodigy who could defeat me even as a child. There's no shame in losing to someone of his caliber. Now straighten up! As disciples of the Turtle Hermit School, how can you let such a small setback crush your spirits?"
Both warriors stared at their master in shock. "When he was still a child, he could beat you, Master?"
"That's right," Roshi nodded seriously, then gave each of them a firm knock on the head to snap them out of their stupor.
"Teacher, we understand!" Both fighters straightened up with renewed determination, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit as they looked at Karnel. "We'll train even harder and catch up to you someday, just wait and see!"
Seeing the sparring session had ended, Bulma ran over with sparkling eyes. "Karnel, that was incredible! You made it look so effortless!"
Though she had heard stories of his adventures across the galaxy, this was the first time she'd witnessed his power firsthand, and her excitement was impossible to contain.
"This strength came at a price," Karnel said softly, his hand gently patting her shoulder. "Every battle I fought out there pushed me to my limits. Some nearly cost me my life."
His mind drifted to those harrowing encounters, the brutal fight with Cooler, the desperate battle against Kairos, and the most terrifying of all, his clash with Majin Buu. Each had brought him within inches of death.
Bulma's expression grew serious, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. After a long moment, she spoke quietly, "Will you keep fighting battles like that? I... I don't want to lose you again."
"Don't worry," Karnel reassured her with a warm smile. "I'm much stronger now. There are very few opponents who could pose a real threat to me."
'Though if I do encounter someone that strong, he thought to himself, I'll definitely have to fight them. But there's no need to worry her with that possibility.'
"What's all the commotion?" A sleepy voice interrupted as a blue-haired young woman emerged from Kame House, yawning. "Oh, Miss Bulma! You brought a friend with you."
"Ohhh, Launch..." Master Roshi's eyes went wide, blood spurting from his nose as he stared at the young woman's figure. His perverted gaze was impossible to miss.
ACHOO!
A cloud of smoke erupted, and the gentle blue-haired Launch instantly transformed into her aggressive blonde counterpart.
"You disgusting old turtle!" Blonde Launch snarled, somehow producing a machine gun from thin air. "How dare you look at me with those perverted eyes! Die!"
RATATATATATA!
Bullets sprayed everywhere as Master Roshi hopped around frantically, dodging the deadly barrage while screaming apologies.
"That's Launch," Bulma explained to Karnel with casual familiarity, as if machine gun fire was perfectly normal. "She has a split personality that changes when she sneezes. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Quite remarkable," Karnel replied diplomatically, though his eye twitched slightly at the chaos unfolding. 'Two completely opposite personalities in one body. The blue-haired one is gentle as water, while the blonde is violent as a thunderstorm.'
Soon enough, the lecherous old master lay sprawled on the sand, covered in bumps and bruises, his limbs twitching pathetically.
"There!" Launch declared with satisfaction, blowing smoke from her gun barrel. "Miss Bulma, perfect timing! I made some fruit pastries this morning. Why don't you and your friend come inside to try them? Krillin, Yamcha, you too. Don't worry about that old pervert."
Neither Krillin nor Yamcha dared argue with the heavily armed Launch. They quickly shuffled toward the house, not wanting to end up like their unfortunate master.
"Come on, Karnel!" Bulma called cheerfully. "Launch's cooking is actually really good!"
Just as Karnel was about to follow them inside, a hand grabbed his collar from behind.
"Psst, Karnel!" Master Roshi whispered urgently, his bruised face lighting up with a lecherous grin. "Do you still have those... educational magazines... you gave me over ten years ago?"
"...Yes," Karnel sighed reluctantly.
"Excellent! Hand them over!" Roshi's face turned red with excitement as he rubbed his hands together greedily.
What could Karnel do? With a resigned expression, he reached into his dimensional storage and carefully placed twelve rare collector's editions on a nearby table.
"Oh ho ho! I didn't expect you to have such a treasure trove!" Roshi's eyes practically sparkled as he reached for all of them. "I'll take these off your hands without hesitation!"
SMACK!
Karnel swatted the old master's hands away and selected five of the least valuable issues, placing them firmly in Roshi's grasp.
"Now wait just a minute!" Roshi protested, examining the magazines critically. "These five are clearly inferior to those seven you're keeping! You're being stingy with an old man! Share the wealth, or I'll tell Bulma about your... hobbies."
Left with no choice, Karnel grudgingly added two more magazines to the pile. "Seven total. That's my final offer. I need to keep the remaining five for... research purposes."
"Heh heh, we're both men of culture, I understand completely," Roshi winked knowingly, quickly hiding his newly acquired treasures.
"Karnel, what's taking so long?" Bulma's voice called from the doorway, her head poking out curiously. "What are you and that old pervert discussing?"
Master Roshi quickly stuffed the magazines behind his back, putting on his most innocent expression. "Nothing important, Bulma! Karnel and I were just discussing some advanced martial arts techniques!"
"That's right!" Karnel agreed quickly, positioning himself to block the remaining magazines from view. "Just some... complicated fighting strategies. I'll be right there!"
Bulma shrugged and disappeared back inside, leaving both men to breathe a sigh of relief.