Chapter Eighteen

After fighting Kale and subsequently re-awakening her latent Super Saiyan powers you were knocked out cold. For an entire day you rested in a dreamless sleep, trying desperately to forget the things that troubled your mind. Once you recovered your energy your eyes snapped open and you found yourself in your room.

Sitting up you grab your head, trying to recall the events that transpired before you were KO'd. The horrors of Planet Plant though still fresh on your mind now feel more like bad dreams rather than reality. Were it not for the Tuffle twins hanging out on this very planet you'd easily write them off as works of your imagination. But they are real, as real as the pain you feel in your gut.

"Man Kale... Ooof..."

Still groggy you get out of bed and walk out into the hallway without a shirt on. Navigating your way to the kitchen you start brewing yourself a nice, strong coffee to kickstart your day with. As you're pouring out the inky, black goodness your mentor steps into the room and greets you.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Like someone who got shot in the head.

Speaking of which... did you get the license plate of the truck that hit me?"

"I don't follow... But on the bright side I'm happy to inform you that your little spar with Kale has been successful!"

You pause as you are about to add sugar to your coffee and stare at her. "Really?"

"Yes! It seems the intensity of your battle was enough to evoke strong enough emotions within her! Congratulations. Though if we're being honest that would've happened on its own regardless. You just accelerated it."

"Well at least I helped." You slurp some precious lifeblood and feel energy returning to your body. "Ahhh... that's better! So. How are things?"

"Good I'd say. Not much has happened while you were out of commission. Though if I remember correctly some people asked quite frequently about your status."

Vados then goes over a list of individuals that apparently had urgent business with you.

Caulifla, whose fire has been rekindled after witnessing Kale transform. Hyssop who's been growing restless about the status of his family. And finally the twins that had nothing to do while the only person they are somewhat familiar with was out cold.

You take one more sip while weighing your options.

Giving your neck a good morning crack you think through your options and conclude that no matter what you do, you shouldn't leave the twins alone. Even if it's just trailing you at least then they'll have something to occupy themselves with.

"Hey Vados. Where are Oren and Kamin?"

"You named them already? How cute.

Anyway they are near the garden, watching the people from Universe 9 tend to it."

"Wow. That bad huh?"

"I'm afraid so. They don't seem to have a grasp on the concept of "free time" so they are clueless as to what to do."

"Those two are gonna need a hobby... Hang on! I think I got something..." You rush back to your room and grab one of your old belongings you brought with you. You'll definitely notice its absence when cooking but sometimes you must make sacrifices.

Coming back to Vados you start questioning her about some other stuff. "So Vados. Could I ask a favor from you?"

"Hmmm?"

You explain the situation to her and what you want. When you finish she just lets out a sigh.

"Fine... But it'll cost you."

"When we're done we'll drink some wine. How's that sound?"

"You got yourself a deal!" She smiles.

Putting a shirt on you head out and approach the two kids standing underneath a tree, watching the others work. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"No..." Kamin responds.

"There's nothing to do." Oren continues.

"If there were things to do... Would you even know how to enjoy them?"

They exchange a quick look and then respond simultaneously. "No..."

"Thought so. How about this? I got something to take care of. It's bound to be more interesting than... this. And if you come with, you'll get a present."

"Pre...sent?"

"Jeez... I can't believe I'll have to teach you "fun". Maybe on Earth..."

"E-yarth?"

"No, Earth. Eaaaarth. Anyway. Do we have a deal?" They nod. "Good." You step over and ruffle their hair.

With that dealt with you head over to Hyssop who's currently tending to the tomatoes with his oversized mittens, so he doesn't freeze the delicate fruits by accident. Stopping his work he looks up when he notices you.

"Oh... you're back. Did you manage to recover?"

"More or less."

"That's good to hear... I have no clue why you keep throwing yourself into danger... We faced the threat of Destruction just to get away from conflict, yet you seem to seek it."

You shrug. "I think it's fun. But I have the luxury of choosing. So I understand your confusion. Anyway, I heard from Vados that you've been asking for me." You give the walking block of ice a smile. "Don't worry I haven't forgotten about you. I asked Vados and apparently there is a way to get you your wish. There is some backwater planet named Namek where there are wishing orbs."

"The Super Dragon Balls?" He asks.

"I don't know if they are super or not but sure.

According to Vados they should do the job and I trust her knowledge."

"T-Thank you Eric... I truly appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. I promised you after all.

Now I'll just need to know who are we talking about."

"My wife and my son..."

"Are... they alive?"

"I don't know. Were it possible I'd like them to be wished here."

"A'ight. I'll see what I can do-"

"Wait!" Hyssop stops you. "W-Would it be possible for me to come with?"

"Sure. I don't see a reason why you couldn't tag along."

"Oh thank you! It's just that... if it works out.

I wouldn't want to miss them. When they arrive I want to be there to comfort them and explain things... You know..."

"Yeah, I get it. Now come on or Vados will get mad."

As you line up and the others touch your shoulder while you hold onto Vados.

"Please make sure you hold onto your partners tightly and refrain from leaving the channel as the coldness of space can be quite uncomfortable."

Taking off in a pillar of light you find yourselves traveling through the cosmos once more. "I'll never get tired of this!"

You observe and reach into your pockets.

"Here." You give your present to the two droids.

"What is this? Some sort of a communicator?"

"No. It's a device used to store music on.

If you plug those dangly bits in your ears you can listen to them. I have a couple hundred songs on there so you can browse to your hearts content. But uh... I only have the one. So you'll have to share until I get the chance to buy another."

They put in the earplugs and cautiously start fiddling with the mp3 player until they accidentally start a song and they recoil in shock. Worried you reach forward and tune it down a bit for them. "Make sure it's not too loud or it can hurt your ears."

Just as you finally land on the blue planet with the green sky they manage to figure out all the quirks of the device and start enjoying themselves once they find some music they like. The locals around you stare in awe and confusion as a bunch of random aliens show up on their planet before Vados walks up to them and they all bow before her.

"Mistress Vados..." One of the green men speaks up. "You honor us with your presence!

How may we serve you?"

"I thank you for your hospitality dear Namekians but I'm afraid it's not me you are concerned with. I'm just the driver so to speak." Vados points to you and introduces you. "Gentlemen this person here is an associate of mine and he wishes to speak with you."

Stepping forward you look over the denizens of this "Namek". They appear to be all male at first glance and possess both green skin and antennae sticking out of their foreheads.

To your surprise they are also... remarkably young. Most of them don't appear to have reached adolescence yet and those few who appear to be mature are old, really old.

One such specimen, a rather wrinkly and short Namekian steps up to you. "Welcome stranger. I am Guit, the leader of this village."

You give the man a little bow before introducing yourself. "My name is Eric. I come from a far away planet called Earth and I've come to request your help." The green man raises his eyebrow upon hearing this.

"I heard you people have these things called Dragon Balls and I need to use them."

The village elder shuts his eyes and sighs.

"Please... follow me." He turns around and leads you into a strange and white house which appears to be as Spartan as it gets with little to no furniture or any sort of decoration to speak of except for a table. He walks behind it and leans on the thick marble like material. "We don't like to speak of the Dragon Balls to outsiders, much less allow them to use it... You see they wield incredible power and with it comes unimaginable responsibility. But since you came here with Lady Vados we have no choice but to comply."

"I don't want to force the issue... if you feel threatened-"

"No... that's not it stranger. I don't need to hear your apology or your reason for needing the Dragon Balls. We'll give you your chance so don't feel guilty about it. But you must understand that we won't just give them to you. That'd be incredibly irresponsible of us, not to mention how insulting it'd be to our ancestors and traditions."

You nod. "I understand."

The elder sighs. "Let me explain...

In each major village we have one Dragon Ball, seven in total. And each of those has a trial associated with it which test the users in both body, mind and spirit. When a young Namekian reaches adulthood they must undertake and pass one of these tests to be recognized as mature. Some fail their tests and so they set out to try their luck with another. When they pass they get the right to hold that Ball. But only those very few, exceptional individuals of great might and purity can pass all the trials and summon the Dragon as a reward."

"So I must prove my worth if I'd like to use them."

"That is correct. And I can not lie, it's a rare occurrence for one of our people to summon the Dragon. An outsider will have even less of a chance. But this is a security measure we must follow for the Dragon Balls have the power to deliver us into a new golden age... but also to destroy us. So... Are you ready for your first test?"

"May I ask some questions first?"

"Of course..." He nods. "But know that depending on the question itself I may or may not be able to answer it."

"Well first... What kind of trials are we talking about? Do I have to fight your strongest warriors, solve some puzzles or-"

"I can't say. For if I disclosed them to you it'd defeat their purpose. Similarly you'll find no Namekian on this planet who'll tell you."

"Thought so... The other big one on my mind is this: Can I ask someone for help?

The wish is not for me but for him."

"Then why doesn't he do it?"

"He's afraid he wouldn't be able to complete your trials so he asked me. But it's his wish and I feel like he should be able to participate."

"Well..." The elder thinks for a moment with his finger on his chin. "It's not unheard of that more than two people would work together in order to gather the balls. However I must warn you... if such a thing happens and your friend contributes even one ball then as per tradition you won't be allowed to make a wish unless both of you agree to it. Is that alright with you?" You nod. "Then by all means go ahead.

However I'd like to begin the first trial immediately if it's okay with you."

"Of course."

The elder takes a moment to think with his eyes closed. The tension in the room rises as he remains silent for several minutes before opening his eyes. "Normally this trial would be a little different but considering your... unusual circumstances we'll have to alter it a bit. Please. May I see your hands?"

Not sure how to react to that you blindly follow the Namekians instructions and extend both your hands over the table. He grabs them with his long nailed fingers and turns them upside down as if he's trying to read your palm. Holding onto them tightly he gives you a most intense look and speaks up.

"Usually at this point I'd ask the participant what they'd wish for... But since you're doing this for someone else I'll ask this: If your circumstances were different... if you could have a wish all to yourself, what would it be?"

You think about it for a moment and finally speak up. "Well... A teleportation technique would be nice. I always have to ask Vados and I'm starting to feel like I'm imposing on her."

"Hmmmm..." The elder shuts his eyes and starts thinking. Finally he lets go of your hand with a sigh. "Well you answered genuinely. And though selfish at first glance your wish does stem from selflessness. But even with that I'm afraid I can not give you the Dragon Ball."

"What?" You ask him. "M-May I know why?"

"I asked what you'd wish for. And what you gave me felt like something you just came up with, not something you truly wish for from the bottom of your heart. I'm sorry but I can not condone something that would be a grave misuse of the dragons power."

You stand up and take your leave. "Thank you elder."

"I'm sorry. Please send in your friend."

Leaving the place empty handed Hyssop charges you and starts bombarding you with questions. "How did it go?"

"I didn't get the ball."

"Wha-"

You point at the building. "The elder asked for you next. Go ahead and give it a try."

"I-I'm afraid... if you failed in that then I have no chance..."

Giving him a cocky grin you pat him on the back and start shoving him inside. "It'll be fiiiine! Go on in!"

As Hyssop enters Vados approaches you.

"So... what was the matter?"

"Apparently my wish was a bit wishy washy.

Hyssop has his whole family thing going on. He should get it no problem."

"Hmmm... How did he exactly phrase his question?"

"Let's see... it was... "If I had a wish, what would it be" or something. I don't know. I just asked for a teleport technique."

"Yes. That checks out. Well, better keep that in mind for the next ones." And just as Vados finished that Hyssop came out of the tent with the ball in his hand.

"Holy shit! That's massive!" You look at the watermelon sized crystal ball with a single star in it.

"Erm... now what?" Hyssop asks. "He just asked me what I'd wish for and he gave me this."

"Now we go to the second village. Vados?"

She looks into the orb on her scepter then points you in a direction. "It's 500 kilometers that way."

Following her instructions you find the next village where the next Dragon Ball is located and almost immediately you notice something different about this place as one Namekian rushes to Vados. "Lady Vados!" The buff Namekian bows before her.

"Oh Pirina! Long time no see! How is it?"

"Good, all things considered. Saonel and I are... working on repopulating planet Namek.

Many of our brethren are already reborn but... many more remain. And all those eggs are taking a toll on us."

"Wait... eggs? Repopulating?!" You ask him and Vados.

"The Namekians reproduce asexually. They do this by regurgitating eggs. Another quirk of their life cycle is that Namekians are capable of fusing with one another, thus exponentially increasing their abilities."

"And once we are done we can... "give birth" to those we assimilated. If we so choose. The downside is that we loose the power we gained."

"Weird... Anyway, we're here for the Dragon Balls. Show them Hyssop."

The gentle giant raises his big orb and the Namekian freezes in place. "I-Incredible! You managed to get one? Hmmm... Very well. Follow me."

Pirina then leads you on top of a plateau, far away from the village. "Since we're short on elders I'll be the one to handle your test.

This is a sacred area for my people and this is where your trial will take place. The trial of pain!" He gives Hyssop a sharp look. "Take all the time you need. Then, if you're ready come here."

Hyssop looks worried.

"Actually I'll be taking this test. Not him."

The Namekian gives you a doubtful look.

"Are you sure? You know what that-"

"Yes, yes. The last guy told me. So come on! Give it to me."

*sigh* "Very well. Come here."

Doing as you're instructed you walk up to the spot where the soil is purple for some reason and Pirina continues with the instructions.

"Okay. Now I'll need you to take off your shirt and place both hands on your nape." Doing as you're told you don't even question why he wants you to strip. You have a pretty good idea as is. Once you're finished the Namekian cracks his knuckles and spreads his fingers apart, allowing his nails to flash for a moment.

"Just so you know... I take no pleasure in this.

Now... grit your teeth."

Steeling yourself you prepare for the worst. And boy do you get it. You are instructed by your examiner that you'll need to not move an inch and withstand everything he tosses at you without screaming while he proceeds to use his claws to cut into you and rip out parts of your flesh. Each swipe brings a fresh new hell for you to experience as more of your muscles are exposed to air.

The Namekian continues to flay you alive for a decent amount of time, specifically until he scratched you a hundred times over. When he's done Pirina takes a step back with his claws stained red from your blood and asks this. "Are you okay?"

You just crack a vicious smile and reply.

"Got another one in ya?"

"Heh... You know when I felt that your skin is not as tough as ours I thought about holding back... But it seems like you handled it well. Very well! You pass! Now come, we'll get one of the dragon clan to heal you up."

Back at the village one of the Namekian children heals you by laying his hand over your wounds while Pirina gets you your two star dragon ball. Afterwards you get a bit of a history lesson from the Namekians.

"In ancient times our people practiced this ritualistic blood letting to harden our skin until Namekian claws were no match for them. Obviously we grew out of those times and became more sophisticated. But the ritual persists both to remind us of the past and to make sure those who have access to the Dragon Balls are no strangers to pain and suffering."

"How barbaric." Kamin observes.

"We have similar things where I come from."

You respond. "We have something similar with beatings and lashings but also more creative stuff like rubbing boiling oil on our skin. I think every warrior culture has at least some ritual like this."

"But now that you're done-" Pirina continues.

"You should seek out my battle brother Saonel. He's the other strongest son of Namek."

"Oh goodie! I can't wait for another lashing!"

"Worry not. You're through the worst of it.

Just don't think this means they won't be difficult..."

The next village Pirina pointed you to happens to be on the other side of the planet. Makes sense, if he's the other guy who's supposed to "give birth" to the rest of their species they'd need to spread out as much as possible. But when you arrive he's already waiting for you.

"Finally, you're here. Pirina sure took his time!"

"Well hello to you as well."

"I don't have all day so hurry along! Your test will be a fight with me! It's that simple."

"Fighting the strongest of your kind? Sounds fair..."

"Don't cry about it! It's supposed to be a challenge, not some fun little activity anyone can participate in! But to make it a bit more fair on you, you don't actually have to beat me. We'll have an arena and you may win via knockout or forcing your opponent to the ground. Flying is not allowed! Any questions?!"

"No."

"Good!"

Saonel then lead you to a circular little arena in the middle of the settlement itself. Cracking his neck he prepares himself to face you.

You aren't really about holding back. Never were. So if this guy wants a fight he's about to get one!

Raising your arms you announce your intentions to your opponent. "This is the stance!"

"H-Huh?"

"In which I'll beat you!"

Disappearing from sight you use your speed and nigh untraceable ki to your advantage. Using your time-skip you get close to Saonel and let him have a barrage of punches, each of which sends a shockwave into his body.

His entire being is shaking and vibrating from your attack. "W-Wha-"

"This is the end!"

Pulling your fist back you start twisting space around your knuckles until it becomes a whirling spiral and thrust the entire thing into Saonels body. Your knuckles strike his thick skin hard, hard enough for you to push your fist into his gut. But the real impact of the attack comes when the compacted packet of space unwhirls and sends him flying backwards with a great twist.

Rolling backwards out of the ring he looks up at you in shock as you rub your nose in a cocky manner. "Did I overdo it?"

"W-What in the blazes was that?!" He demands angrily but eventually calms down and lets out a hearty chuckle. "Hahahahaha! That I did not expect! I was gonna match your power output until you realized it to teach you about restraint! But this! I guess you don't need a lesson in that if you managed to hide that power this well!" Saonel then walks over to an inconspicuous patch of grass and digs out the three star dragon ball from underneath. "Here. You earned it. Unconventionally maybe. But you earned it!"

As you carry the third ball back to the rest the two Tuffles look at you with starry eyes.

"That was cool!" Kamin says.

"How much more are you hiding?" Oren asks.

"Hmmm? Hiding? I came up with that now."

They seem befuddled by this. "Yes. You can better yourselves. Even in combat."

After blowing their mind with that little tidbit you made your way to the next village and found the Namekians there already waiting for you. Seems like news travels on a planet where nothing ever happens. Especially since apparently you are the first people in quite a while to have gathered more than two Dragon Balls. The locals lead you to perhaps the oldest looking Namekian on the entire planet.

"Please... be very patient with the grand elder.

He's very old."

"I understand." Stepping in you introduce yourself. "Greetings I'm-"

"I've heard of who you are. Son of Earth. Welcome to our planet. I am the grand elder of our Namek. I am the keeper of the dragon balls. It saddens me that you found us in such a state. Our planet in shambles, our people recovering from our own great trial.

But... at the very least we can offer you yours."

"You talk about the Tournament of Power, right?"

"Indeed... Most of our able bodied sons volunteered to merge for the sake of our universe.And now we try our best as always, to heal, to regrow. But sadly this means we don't have enough villages to split our dragon balls... so you'll have to do two trials... one... after another Or... would you like to... speed it up? Kids these days... are in... such a... hurry..."

"Erm-"

"But I... warn... you. It... would be... really... reckless..."

"I'm many things Elder. Cocky, driven, foolhardy! Yes. But I'm not an idiot. I don't presume to be able to complete two trials at once. However I have a friend outside, you may have heard of him. He's the one I'm collecting these for. He can do the one."

"I see... Neeeeeeey!"

A rather strong looking Namekian enters the chamber. "Yes lord guru?"

"The offworlder outside. Give him the trial of heart. And seal the chamber."

"You mean sir-"

"Yes. We must perform the trial of spirit.

Now please, go."

The bodyguard of the elder bows and as his lord and master instructed locks the door behind you. With no windows or any other openings present, you are stuck with the large green man. "I'm starting to regret my decision!"

"Calm down son of Earth. Now's not the time for fear. That comes later."

"D-Did you read my mind?"

"I may have..." He then points to some sort of pedestal next to his throne. "Please... light the fire under the brazier."

Doing as you're told you kindle the flame under the ceremonial piece of furniture and watch as the charcoal within begins to heat up. Once the room starts to heat up the guru continues with his instructions. "Now... take some water from that bucket and pour it over the rocks."

"So... just like a sauna."

"Yes. But there is no need for you to strip.

It won't get that hot. But you might want to take a seat."

"Why-hy-hy-hy-hyyyyyyy~" As soon as you pour the water on the rocks and catch a whiff of the escaping fumes you feel... dizzy.

Looking down into the bucket you see several strange leaves floating around in the water.

Your voice starts to distort and stretch.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck~"

Your legs give out and you fall unceremoniously on your ass as Guru rambles on. "I do enjoy these sessions.

It does wonders for the joints."

You however hardly hear any of it as you start to experience the taste of sound with your eyeballs. Thinking back on it, while you still can, you should've packed your bags. Because it looks like you're going on a trip.

In your heightened state of awareness you get to experience the entire heat death of the universe, subsequent rebirth, development into an exact replica of yours only to watch it die again.

The walls melt, your memories melt together with reality to create a trippy hellscape before you are suddenly yanked back into the same, bland looking Namekian house in the middle of a backwater planet. Next to you stands Guru who is silently judging you, waiting to see your reaction.

You want to ask him something but as you open your mouth he points forward in order to alert you to something. Sitting in front of you is an exact replica... Well, not exactly.

The entity in front of you may resemble you but the details are all wrong, distorted, unnatural, lending him an uncanny valley feeling. Especially when he moves around, causing his body to shift and distort slightly.

He looks into you with his vacant eyes and speaks in a rhaspy, echoey voice.

"Why are you here?" You try to open your mouth to answer but you can't. He won't let you. "You remember that, right? A dead planet inhabited by those who don't realize they shouldn't live. Aliens that could kill you with a blink if you did one wrong move. And ohhhh sooo many more horrors you can't even begin to imagine them all! But... look who I'm telling this to. You already know! So why? Why do you pretend like you... matter? Here you are uncountable lightyears away from home, playing hero, a dashing rogue sailing through the galaxy, having adventures! But we both know the truth... don't we? You are just human... no. You are just a failure. A delivery boy, a reject, a dropout." He stands up and looks down on you.

"You left that piece of dirt because you were nothing back there... and hoped you'd be less of a disappointment elsewhere. But deep down you know you're on borrowed time. Sooner or later your lucky streak will end. And you'll die. So why go on?"

You look up at the figure. "Of course I know that the lucky streak will end and I'll die. But news flash! Everyone dies! Either in a ditch with a hole in our head and a missing wallet, or in a blaze of glory fighting for the well-being of my friends, or for innocent people across the universe. But we both know death isn't the end, and hell I might make a few friends willing to do what I'm doing for Hyssop, for me. Until then though, I get to explore the universe. I get to make a different. I get to have the adventure every single human has desired since man looked up at the stars and silently wished he could fuck them."

You stand up to meet the figure eye to eye and clench your fist. "So why do I do it? BECAUSE I CARE!"

The figure pauses... then chuckles. "As you wish. Care then. Make your friends, have your experiences, enjoy the world while you can.

It'll only hurt more when you loose it all. But you know that already. After all, you're me!"

With that the shadowy being fades back into nothingness, where it came from. And you are left standing there, alone. "Douche..."

The atmosphere then clears and you find yourself back with Lord Guru."You've done well, son of man. Though I must admit... that bit about intercourse was highly inappropriate."

"Eh... but it was honest. Does that count for anything?"

"I suppose it does." He reaches above his chair and hands you the Dragon Ball affixed to it. "Go on. Take it. And remember: The brightest light casts the darkest shadow.

But it's in the greatest darkness where light shines brightest."

You look upon the orb and gaze into its star before looking back up to him. "Do you have a shadow as well lord guru?"

"Of course. We all do. I could rid myself of it.

But what is greater? Being inherently good or overcoming the evil inside? Your doubts, your fears, they are a part of you. They make you who you are."

The entrance unlocks and you manage to take your first breath of fresh air in... who knows how long. The others are naturally there to greet you.

"Eric! You made it! You were in there for so long we thought-"

"Yes Hyssop... I got it. By the way how long was I in there?"

"Three hours." Vados answers you.

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. I completed my trial as well. I had to climb a mountain without flying, grab a bucket of water and bring it back. But it turns out there was a small, thirsty Namekian waiting for me at the bottom. Turns out he was part of the trial and I passed by giving him a drink.

I was really pissed too because by that point I climbed the thing three times already..."

"Well... I guess only two more left."