Ava's Earth Quest 1 - The Turtle Hermit

The Turtle Hermit

Easy Quest

Requirement: None

Reward: 1,000 zeni and +10 Hero Points

You are looking to step your training up a notch and seek to be a pupil of the legendary Master Roshi. Upon arriving at his small island, you find the venerable teacher is depressed. His last student abandoned his training regime and Roshi thinks himself a washed up teacher. Seek out his previous student, find out why he quit, and bring Roshi's morale up once again.

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Ava had landed on Earth a good six months ago, taking the journey over from ther home planet, Namek, in search of other Saiyans like herself. Hoping to learn from them. A Saiyan named Agan seemed to be the only one of the two who was willing to help her understand her Saiyan rage. Kaval, the stupid human who beat her at the world marital arts tournament. On the other hand, someone had to teach her something about controlling her Saiyan anger. She decided to turn to Agan for help in getting stronger, and achieving the ultimate goal… becoming a Super Saiyan.
She had seen him on Namek fighting Frieza and realised then, she wanted the same power. The ability to defend anyone and anything she wished.
Having met Agan and the other Z fighters on Earth, she soon realised that her abilities were a little bit of a joke compared to Agan’s and Kaval’s.
While sitting with Agan and Melcha one day after a training session, they began talking about their history and Agan brought up that he and Melcha had trained with a man name Master Roshi as children.
“Yeah, he was hard on us, but it paid off in the end.” Agan said, before taking a bite of his rice ball.
“Crazy old turtle hermit. Damn near killed us.” Melcha whispered under his breath.
“Turtle hermit, why do you call him that?” Ava asked Melcha, reaching into her lunch pack and pulling out a sandwich.
Melcha and Agan looked at each other and looked at Ava in shock. Agan even stopped chewing.
“What?” she asked, taken aback, seeing the shocked look on their faces..
“You… haven’t met him?” Agan asked.
“No, Agan, I’ve only been here for six months, I don’t even have a place to stay yet.” She sighed.
If it weren’t for Jane and her hospitality, she would have been out on the streets of this strange planet. It was nothing like Namek. She missed her old home. Kaval was making it very unpleasant living with Jane. Every chance he got, he kept digging for answers concerning Ava. She was getting pretty sick of it.
“Man, that’s why you suck.” Agan said to Ava, taking another bite of his rice ball.
“HEY!” she shouted at him, punching him in the arm, hard.
“Ow…” he said, rubbing it feverishly.
“Yeah, not too bad now, hey.” She laughed at him.
For being one of the strongest fighter on Earth, Agan was very carefree and innocent.
“It’s not my fault I’m not a Super Saiyan.” She sighed.
“So, where do I find this turtle hermit?” Ava asked them.
“I don’t think you should go there… alone anyway.” Melcha said to her, looking at her up and down.
She was wearing her training suit, her navy Saiyan training suit that showed her body off very well.
“Why?” she asked, seeing his eyes darting up and down.
“He’s kind of a dirty old man…” Agan said, looking at Ava, admitting the truth about his old master, not that it was a secret.
She was a beautiful, young woman who was willing to learn and knowing Roshi, he would use that to the fullest.
“I can handle myself. I’m a Saiyan after all.” She said, folding her arms over her chest.
“He lives out on an island, in that direction.” Melcha sighed, pointing out towards the east.
“Good, I think I’ll go see him now.” she said, getting up off the ground.
“Without eating?” Agan said his mouth practically over-flowing.
“I need to become stronger. Missing a meal won’t kill me. Bye guys. Tell Jane, I might be late.” She aid, taking off.

She saw the tiny little round island that Melcha was talking about. There was tiny yellow house with a red roof house on it and palm tree or two. She stopped, hovered over it and looked for any sign of life, there wasn’t any. She dropped down onto the beach sand and looked around.
“Hello, Master Roshi?” she called him, looking into the house.
There was no answer.
“Mister Turtle Hermit?” she called again.
“Who the hell is waking me up at this time of the d…” he said, walking out from behind the house, stopping suddenly mid-sentence.
He was an old man already, who was wearing a red and yellow Hawaiian short and khaki shorts and huge dark sunglasses and brandishing a wooden staff. He had an enormous turtle shell strapped to his back. Now Ava understood why they called him the Turtle Hermit.
“Oh, a young lady. Hello.” He drooled at the sight of the tall, young, dark haired beauty in front of his house.
“Hello… My name is Ava. And I wish to train under your guidance.” She said, bowing her head to him.
“Train… to fight?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I don’t train anyone anymore, so if you’re not going to have drink with me, go away.” He said, turning and walking away.
“Wait, Master Roshi, please, Agan sent me…” she said softly.
“I’m not your master…” he said, sadly.
Then he processed the rest of the sentence she had said.
“Agan, hey… well,” he said, coming back.
“Agan is by far my best student.” He said to her, looking at her up and down.
“I want to train with you. To get stronger.” She said, sitting down on the sand, legs folded under her, like a willing student.
“Like I said. I don’t train anyone anymore, not after Cyne.” He said miserably.
“Who… who’s he?” Ava asked him.
“My last student. But he ran off before he could complete his training.” He sighed.
“I think I’m losing my touch.” He added.
“No, no, you can’t be, you’re the best. Agan said so himself.” she shook her head.
“Whatever. Go away. I want to be alone now.” he said, turning and walking away.
“What if I find Cyne and ask him why he left… will you teach me then?” she shot up from the sand.
He looked over his shoulder at her and her willingness to learn from him.
“Maybe…” he said tactically.
“Where does he live?” she asked him eager to get her training started.
“In the Eastern mountain range. There’s an old temple there. The Eastern Dragon Temple. He lives near there.” He said, pointing his staff off to the East.
She bowed and shot off in a dust cloud of beach sand. He covered his eyes and when the dust settled, he shook his head.
“Kids these days.” He said, going off to making himself a margarita

She took off in the direction that Master Roshi had gestured, towards the Eastern Mountain range. She flew slowly over the mountains, looking at the dry, cracked earth below as she flew.
“Whoa, what happened here?” she asked, cresting over a minor summit.
She stopped and looked ahead of her. There, atop the highest summit, was a beautiful stone temple.
“Wow…” she said, flying towards it.

She landed outside and looked up at the building. It’s roof looked like the Martial Arts Tournament stadium’s roof back in West City. She looked into the dark temple and walked in, not thinking anything bad would happen. She was a Saiyan after all.
She walked in and stopped in the middle of entrance hall.
“Welcome, stranger…” someone said.
Ava looked around and saw a young man come walking out from behind the altar of the huge golden dragon.
“Greetings…” she bowed to the bald, orange robed monk.
“I seek information, on a man named Cyne. Can you help me?” she asked him.
“Sit, please.” he said, gesturing to the reed yoga mat at her feet.
She looked at it and sat down, looking around.
“This temple is beautiful.” She told the monk.
“It is.” He said, looking around.
“You seek Cyne. Why?” he asked her.
“You see, he used to train with an old martial arts master. But then he left before his training was complete. That master, Master Roshi, has now sent me to find him, and to ask him why he abandoned his training. I hope that once I give Master Roshi an acceptable answer, that he will train me in return.” Ava explained to the monk.
“You want to learn to fight? The monk asked, sitting down in front of her, his legs folded under him like a experienced devotee.
Ava laughed a little and looked up at the monk, who was not amused.
“…Oh… no… no, I know how to fight, I…” she stopped.
She was about to admit that her skills were not at the level where she wished them to be. A Saiyan warrior, the best on Namek, was reduced to begging a master to teach her further.
“I just need to get better.” She sighed, looking down.
“Why fight, peace is the way of the solving conflict.” The monk smiled finally.
“No, sometimes it’s not.” She said quickly, forgetting who she was talking to.
She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, as if to stop the words that had just flown the coop.
“Sir, please understand. My life was peaceful. Ever since I was a child, until three years ago. Until I needed to defend my loved ones, and I was not strong enough.” She sighed, remembering when Kaval fought her for her 4 star Dragonball back on Namek.
“This… man… came to my village. He wanted something that I was sworn to protect. I fought him and lost. Instead of just taking my… artifact… he killed everyone, including my adoptive family.” She sighed, remembering her father lying face down in the dirt with a blast hole in his back.
“Sometimes, fighting… and winning… is the only way to ensure a peaceful existence.” She smiled up at the monk.
“Then I guess there is no talking you out of it.” the monk sighed heavily.
“I am Cyne.” He smiled at her.
She was taken aback, but she kind of knew in her soul it was him all along.
“Why did you abandon your training?” she asked him sincerely.
“My heart was angry when I started my training.” He sighed, getting up and turning his back on Ava, who was still sitting on the ground.
“As my training progressed, I found peace.” He smiled, not looking at her.
“My desire to fight and maim was replaced with a desire to heal and learn.” He turned around and looked at her.
“The secrets of the universe can only be whispered into quiet ears and understood by tranquil minds.” He smiled at her.
She smiled back. He seemed happy here, in his temple, living a life of peace.
“It was nothing Master Roshi did. I just found my destined path.” He smiled, gesturing for her to get up.
“Go back to my old master, and offer him my forgiveness, and my blessing, to train you.” He said, as she stood up and looked at his face.
She smiled at him and bowed, and he bowed in return.
“I wish you happiness.” The monk told her as she walked out.
“I wish you a long, peaceful life.” Ava replied, taking off and flying back towards Master Roshi’s island.

She landed an hour later, to find Master Roshi sipping a cocktail in his deckchair. She bowed to him and he looked over at her.
“Back so soon, hey.” He said, taking a sip of his cocktail.
“Did you fail your first test?” he asked her, not meeting her eyes.
“No, master. I found him.” she smiled, walking up to him.
“He’s a monk at the Eastern Dragon Temple now.” she smiled, sitting on the sand in front of the deckchair.
“And what was his excuse?” he asked her.
“He found peace.” She said simply.
“PEACE!” he shouted, jumping out of the deckchair, and spilling his margarita all over the beach sand.
“PEACE! I trained that boy for six months and all he can offer me in return is PEACE!” he ranted, stomping all over the island.
“He found peace through your teachings.” Ava got up and walked after him as he ranted, trying to get him to see reason.
“If it were not for you… he would have been lost in a world of… of anger and violence.” Ava tried to explain, but Roshi wasn’t having any of it.
She sighed, grabbed him by the turtle shell on his back and turned him around. She made him look at her.
“Fighting isn’t for everyone.” She said to him and he was finally listening.
“Agan, Melcha, Yauga, Tiehna, Rime …” she listed the Z Fighters she had become friends with and who she knew he had trained.
“They all wanted to learn to fight to protect this planet. Fight for peace.” She said to him and she could see she was getting through to him.
“Some, like Cyne, pray for peace. People like Agan… like me… take peace.” She smiled at him.
He looked at her and for a second, she thought she had lost the old man.
“…Fine then… I believe you.” He said, stepping back from her grip.
“You’re a Saiyan.” He said, seeing her brown tail, flapping in the breeze.
She looked back at the tail and blushed.
“I haven’t learned to wrap it around my waist yet.” She laughed.
“So I don’t have to go easy on you?” he asked her and she laughed.
“No. Please don’t.” she bowed.
“Good, now you’re training will begin.” He said, walking back to his deckchair.
She sat down on the sand and waited.
“Do you know what chi is?” he asked her, pouring himself another margarita.
“Yes, Master, I do.” She laughed at him.
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END
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Total word count - 2280
Quest Status - Completed