Dragon Ball Roshi

"Got their power from that person... what does that mean?" Taro was genuinely surprised. In the world of Dragon Ball, there didn't seem to be any method of power upgrade that sounded like something from a "divine awakening" or sudden enlightenment.

And even if it were so... Frieza's total power was 120 million, and he gave his subordinates just one million each? That seemed pretty stingy.

"I'm not sure either."

King Kai shook his head, his small sunglasses hiding his expression. "I'm very busy! I don't have time to monitor those scoundrels every day. It was just by chance that I noticed those two super-strong warriors who appeared under that person's command, and overheard them let it slip... How exactly they gained such immense power from that person, I guess only they know!"

Taro nodded thoughtfully and said. "So, they can each get one million power... That person King Kai warned me about really must be terrifying."

King Kai pointed at Taro again, warning him sternly. "Listen, don't think just because your power has increased, and now you have the Muken or those eyes, that you're some kind of big deal. Don't get any ideas about challenging that person!"

He paced back and forth across the grass, his short, stocky frame moving with purpose as he shook his head. "If I could, I would rather you didn't even know about that person's existence! If you ever cross paths with them, trust me—the only thing you need to do is immediately, right away, use Instant Transmission to escape! I don't have many mortal friends, and it would be a real shame if you died."

Taro smiled lightly, glancing out at the scene beyond King Kai's planet. He could vaguely see the Snake Way hanging in the air, surrounded by yellow clouds beneath it, and above, the pure white sky that belonged to the bottom of heaven—vast and serene.

The seven colorful little birds were fluttering in the air, chasing each other playfully. They seemed to never know worry, always carefree, never troubled—whether from Earth to the Underworld, or from the Underworld to the vast starry sky, they remained blissfully unaware of anything.

"Even if I die, I still have a chance of going to heaven, right? King Yama told me as much before." Taro said casually, seemingly not taking King Kai's words too seriously.

"Oh? What did you do on Earth to deserve a place in heaven?" King Kai was slightly surprised.

"Didn't you later contact the Earth's God and check my background?" Taro was equally surprised. When he had first mentioned to King Kai that he had been deceptive, he had already prepared himself for this conversation.

King Kai rolled his eyes, though no one could see it through his sunglasses. He huffed and said, "Am I that petty? If I couldn't tell whether a mortal was sincere or deceitful, or if they were good or evil, what kind of King Kai would I be? I'm a god, I'm not so petty as to dig up your past!"

Taro smiled slightly, but it wasn't as though he was relieved. Still, this moment did make him start to feel that King Kai—well, this god—wasn't so bad after all.

Taro chuckled lightly. "What are you laughing about—weren't you supposed to go to that place?" King Kai's antennas on his head twitched, and he glanced at the spherical spacecraft Taro had left on the grass. He sighed dramatically and, pretending to be dissatisfied, said: "What do you think this is? A transit station?"

"I'll leave it here for now. Next time I come back, I'll take it with me to Earth," Taro smiled, rising into the air. He turned to look at King Kai on the ground. "Since you're here, I'd appreciate it if you could help me out. It'll make things a lot easier."

"Sigh! Here I am, the Kaio of an entire galaxy, and now I'm being used by you!" King Kai shook his head as he rose into the air lazily, following Taro.

The two flew beneath the pure white sky of the bottom of Heaven, where the seven colorful birds happily flew toward Taro.

"These little guys are lucky," King Kai laughed heartily. "They went on a whole tour of the universe with you and still made it back in one piece!"

Taro smiled softly but didn't say anything. The seven birds lined up in a row and skillfully landed on Taro's shoulders, while he placed a hand on King Kai's back.

His mind sank into King Kai's universe-like, vast "perspective."

The location of the planet that the Eternal Dragon Porunga had engraved deeply in Taro's mind immediately surfaced, followed by the shared "perspective" with King Kai. It quickly zoomed through space at speeds far beyond light, crossing magnificent galaxies and delving into the endless black of space...

Eventually, a huge, faint purple planet appeared in their "view."

"Is this the place?" King Kai's voice echoed in Taro's mind.

Since this wasn't in the domain of his Northern Galaxy, King Kai had no idea about this planet's details.

"That's right, this is it," Taro responded in his mind.

King Kai's voice paused for a moment before transmitting again."I checked it out. The planet's surface is suitable for life, so you can go there right away. By the way, with such a long distance, your Instant Transmission will be fine, right?"

"Of course, no problem." Taro said calmly. The seven colorful birds on his shoulders pecked at each other absentmindedly, as if preening one another.

"Then let's go! You've been avoiding using those eyes of yours. You must really need this method for training your mental energy." King Kai said.

Taro remained noncommittal, pausing for a moment before asking. "King Kai, you've always told me to run if I ever encounter that person... but you should at least tell me his name."

"...When you feel an aura that is cold to the extreme, bloodthirsty to the extreme, evil to the extreme, and powerful to the extreme, that's definitely him. You'll know for sure!"

"..."

"Alright, alright. His name is Frieza, self-proclaimed Emperor of the Universe. He created an army and has been invading and destroying planets. He's an evil, terrifying monster—let me warn you one last time: never, ever confront him directly! You'll be signing your own death warrant!"

"I understand."

Taro smiled faintly. In the next moment, King Kai found himself alone in the sky. Taro and the seven birds had disappeared without a sound beneath the pure white sky.

King Kai hovered in the air for a long time before slowly descending to the tiny King Kai's Planet. He muttered to himself. "I have a feeling this guy is definitely going to clash with Frieza... sigh!"

---

This was a beautiful planet.

Taro appeared silently in the sky, and the seven birds on his shoulders, clearly used to such transitions, didn't react with surprise. They merely tilted their heads curiously, taking in their new surroundings.

Above, the pale purple sky revealed a purple celestial body in the distance—it wasn't just the planet's moon but its sun as well.

The wind high in the sky rustled through Taro's clothes, making them flap loudly.

A faint layer of ki surrounded him, protecting the birds that were perched on his clothes. Taro's senses radiated out in all directions, and soon, he became aware of the life forms on this planet.

There weren't many... most of them were weak... their energy felt strange... Could it be that the people here primarily cultivate mental power? There weren't any strong auras...

Taro was contemplating this when suddenly—

A voice, seemingly carried by the breeze and drifting with the clouds from the horizon, reached his ears. No—upon closer inspection, it seemed more like the voice was directly entering his mind:

"You've finally arrived, child from another land."

The voice sounded ancient, yet carried an air of transcendence.

Taro raised an eyebrow, scanning his surroundings. There was nothing in the air except for the occasional bird flickering in and out of the clouds. Moreover, he didn't sense any approaching presences.

"Who are you? You know me? Were you waiting for me?"

Taro asked the three questions in rapid succession.

In an instant, his thoughts raced—could the "place most suited for training mental energy" that Porunga had mentioned actually be the place where someone who could teach him how to cultivate mental energy was waiting?

As he pondered, the distant, ethereal voice once again echoed in his mind: "I've been waiting for you. I know you. Come to me, and you'll know... who I am."

Oddly, the ancient voice only said "come to me" without specifying "where." Yet Taro instantly understood the direction the voice was pointing him toward.

He looked up toward a particular direction in the sky and murmured: "Mental suggestion? Hmph... this is getting more interesting..."

Whoosh—

Taro activated his flying technique, moving toward that direction. Soon, a white ki flame erupted, enveloping him and the birds on his shoulders.

Whoosh—

A long white streak of light cut through the sky, rapidly heading toward the distant horizon.