"Enough! That's more than plenty!"
The moment Dr. Brief saw what Rhode extracted from the spaceship, the deep furrow in his brow vanished completely. "Little Rhode, don't you worry," he declared, his voice brimming with newfound zeal. "I can have that Gravity Chamber built in three days—no, two! Two days is all I'll need!" With that, he began shepherding Rhode toward the pre-selected construction site, his mind already racing with blueprints and calculations. The scientist in him was now fully activated, itching to begin.
"Doctor, not so fast. Before that, could you take a look at this?"
With a wry smile, Rhode gently pulled the eager man back. He then produced the three-star Dragon Ball from his person and handed it over. "Is it possible to measure this orb's unique wavelength and construct a radar to locate others like it?" While Bulma was the genius behind the device in the original timeline, she was far too young now. Rhode reasoned that her father, one of Earth's foremost scientific minds, should certainly be capable of the task.
"That should be simple enough. I'll tinker with it in my spare time and have a finished product for you!" Dr. Brief agreed readily, treating the request as a trivial sidebar. His attention, however, was already drifting back to the spacecraft. "Oh, and Little Rhode… might I study your spaceship later?"
"Of course, Doctor. Feel free!"
Rhode had no reason to refuse such a minor request. His easy agreement visibly pleased the scientist.
"Excellent! Now, help me move these materials over. The Gravity Chamber will be ready in two days, and you can come test it with me. We'll make any fine adjustments then," Dr. Brief said, his confidence restored. Having witnessed their capabilities firsthand, he didn't treat Rhode and Aira merely as children. Under his direction, the two efficiently transported all the necessary components to the site. Once everything was in place, however, Dr. Brief promptly shooed them away, muttering that they were "getting underfoot" and hindering his precise work.
"That man is utterly eccentric!" Aira huffed, her face a mask of displeasure as they were dismissed. In her view, their assistance would have drastically accelerated the construction. Why refuse it?
"Perhaps the Doctor has a point," Rhode said, unfazed. "This is highly technical work, after all. It's best to leave it to the professional. We wouldn't want to cause a mishap." Dr. Brief's promised timeline already far exceeded Rhode's initial expectations, so he felt no urgency.
"Since the chamber will take a couple of days, we should continue our own training. Master Roshi isn't the only martial arts master on this planet." While Roshi's methods were foundational, Rhode knew other sources of knowledge awaited. The Lookout, for one, held immense potential. Even Roshi's rival, the Crane Hermit, possessed valuable techniques. In Rhode's view, the more styles he could study and synthesize, the better. With his comprehension skills, assimilating different teachings wouldn't take long.
After sharing tea with Mrs. Brief and spending a pleasant interval playing with a giggling Baby Bulma, the two took their leave. Following the familiar energy signature, they ascended into the sky, their course set for the Lookout.
The moment their flight path became clear, high above the Earth, two watchers grew tense.
"Kami, those two aliens… they are flying directly toward the Lookout," observed Mr. Popo, his perpetual smile tempered by concern. He had noticed Kami's unusually guarded demeanor ever since the alien children's arrival.
"Yes, they are coming here," Kami confirmed, his expression solemn. "But do not be overly alarmed. Observing their actions these past days, they do not seem evil. It is possible they simply seek training, as they did with the Turtle Hermit." As Earth's guardian, Kami had been acutely aware of the pair since their ship breached the atmosphere. The immense, terrifying power radiating from Aira had sent instinctive tremors through his being, stirring deep-seated fears of another catastrophe like the one wrought by King Piccolo. However, their subsequent conduct—peaceful, curious, and disciplined—had slowly allayed his worst suspicions.
Whoosh!
While Kami and Popo spoke, the two Saiyans shot past the towering form of Korin's lookout and touched down lightly upon the sacred marble of the Lookout itself. Their arrival was quiet, but it heralded a new chapter in their earthly journey.
"I never imagined a place like this existed up here!" Aira exclaimed, her earlier puzzlement at the sky-high power readings now replaced by sheer novelty. She turned to Rhode, her eyes narrowing at their hosts. "Hey, what is this place? These two clearly aren't like the Earthlings below."
She wasn't wrong. One was a green-skinned figure, oddly serene, adorned with a robe bearing the kanji for 'God.' The other was a compact, dark-skinned being, only his garments and wide, observant eyes clearly visible. To Aira, they were curiosities.
Kami remained unflinching at her blunt address, but Mr. Popo took a step forward, his face a placid mask. "Your manner is disrespectful," he stated, his voice even. "This is Kami. The God of Earth. He is a deity."
"A God?" Aira's lip curled into a dismissive smirk. "Self-proclaimed, you mean? He's so weak. Does stitching a word on your clothes make it true?" Her scouter had already delivered its verdict the moment they landed. This so-called deity's power level was a pitiful fraction of her own. "Are gods supposed to be this pathetic?"
Her mockery was careless, almost offhand. Then her focus shifted to Popo, a flicker of interest cutting through her disdain. "You, though… your power level is somewhat acceptable, little shadow-man. Let's fight!"
The declaration was her only warning. In a blur of motion, she launched herself forward, fist aimed squarely for Mr. Popo's face. Rhode watched from the sidelines, a silent spectator. He made no move to intervene. Part of him was just as curious to see the capabilities of this enigmatic attendant.
After all, this 'little shadow-man,' as Aira called him, was a figure of profound mystery—a servant who had guided generations of Kami. Rhode suspected his role was less that of a mere helper and more akin to a mentor, a teacher, perhaps even holding a relationship to Kami similar to that of an Angel to a God of Destruction. He was the power behind the throne.
Aira held nothing back. With a battle power exceeding 2,500, her punch tore through the air, a devastating force meant to connect.
But then, the unexpected unfolded.
Despite the more than twofold difference in their measurable power, Aira's fist met only empty space. Mr. Popo wasn't there. He had moved with a silent, almost preternatural grace, evading the blow not with brute speed, but with an impossible, fluid economy of motion that left no afterimage, stirred no wind. It was as if he had simply ceased to be in the path of the attack a fraction of a moment before it arrived.
Aira's eyes widened in shock. Rhode's brows lifted in genuine surprise. The Lookout's marble floor seemed to hum with the silence that followed, a silence far more profound than any sound of impact.
P.at.r.eon.co.m /Seasay