As it turned out, their arrival on the moon Bassiglio went unnoticed. Well... Unnoticed except for the authorities managing the spaceport and even they didn't really care about them, only swiftly registering it and sending them on their merry way. They weren't the first aliens to come here, nor would they be the lasts, apparently... A week after they arrived, people were still disembarking. Thankfully, they had several spaceports with varying surface area, otherwise, they'd have started to turn them down in orbit...

Sala got her wish – more time to work on her projects – since the entrance exam wasn't due for another month (three weeks left, now). As most aspiring aliens, they didn't have the local currency, so they were lent tiny rooms on campus by the BM military college. Later, they learned that BM simply stood for Bassiglio Moon. This confused them a bit... Was the name of the moon Bassiglio ? Or was it the planet's ?

The people resembled humans somewhat (or namekian for that matter) except for a few key differences... One, they had three eyes with one in the middle of their forehead. The second difference was that they didn't have hair. Instead, they had one or several crests depending on the individual. Some had two crests following the outlines of their ears, others just one going from the end of their spine to the top of their head... Those were the most common, but they were others, too.

As Sala either worked on the ship (the lack of space inside her room didn't really allow her to work there) or corrected the flaws in her plans at a restaurant's table, Avo continued his spartan training. Every day, he headed for the gates and saluted the soldiers there. They, on the other hand, always seemed flabbergasted to see him. The first time, it had been hard for him to be allowed outside, considering the surface of the moon wasn't exactly... hospitable. Just like Inferrock, if a bit less dangerous, they were a number of pretty terrifying animals and monsters out there. Usually, when the military planned for a trip there, they'd go in force... The personnel constantly patrolling the gigantic ramparts also testified of the danger out there. With this in mind, it was easy to understand that nobody was allowed outside the city... Yet, he asked for it. Insistently ! Fed up by his harassment, the captain had finally relented, almost rejoicing in the fact that this annoying prick would probably get eaten...

However, it turned out he came back before nightfall, safe and sound. Actually, except for the dirt on his clothes, you wouldn't believe he went through anything harder than a stroll... The next day, the day after and so on, Avo came back with the same serious atmosphere, salute them and be allowed to pass through. The guards rotating at the gate had already made him a local legend, and some hotshots started to imitate him... or tried to at least. A simple look over the rampart at what exactly the alien was doing out there dissuaded any thoughts of following him...

Behemoths more than twenty meters tall, with walls of teeth and pillars of claws were chasing him around. A few flying predators, just as colossal or mole-like things trying to eat him from below... If the threats were intimidating, it was nothing much compared to the lunatic in their midst fighting for his life ! The captain, fascinated by Avo's show had taken to watch him from afar with his binoculars, study the little monster facing the giants. Most of the time, the namekian didn't fight back... Only allowing himself to be struck or evading from a hair-breadth. Sometimes, when it seemed they were too many of them for him, he would thin their number... The spectacular sight of Avo methodically killing a monster almost twenty times his size was... humbling. Although the captain took pride in his position of the college's protector and knew that the next generation would accomplish fabulous things thanks to him, he had never seen anything or anyone like this green-skinned alien. He had never seen a mage capable of such feats... ever ! On the contrary, they usually nestled behind walls of steel or warriors, decimating their foes from a distance... Yet, he could feel even from here the unmistakable use of mana in Avo's actions. This made him wonder how frightening he would be after learning how to launch offensive spells.

On the seventh morning, Avo headed for the gates with a different agenda than usual. In his bag, seven new items had been added to his load... Now was the time to test them ! As Avo saluted the guards like always, the captain went to talk to him :

“Hello, sir ! Heading out to train, again ? You will really show them during the tournament !”

“Not today. I have a... something new to try out.” Avo frowned lightly, confused : “What do you mean 'I will show them' ?”

“Well... From the ones entering college this year, very few can even venture outside the walls. And the ones that do, don't do it alone. What I mean is... Not only will you place well in the tournament, the professors will take notice of you. Especially if you have as much talent with emission magic as you do inner magic.”

“Does nature magic counts as emission or inner magic ? What about mental abilities ?”

The captain looked at him, intrigued. He asked :

“Are you a druid or an illusionist ? You would be closer to a druid since I saw you shape-shift and heal yourself but... It feels wrong. The things I saw you turn into... That's no animal I ever saw !”

“I'm neither a druid nor an illusionist. I don't really limit or define myself in those terms... I've attained a certain mastery in the magic of my people. That's about it.”

“Your people can all fight like this ?” The captain almost shouted surprised.

Avo shook his head. He clarified :

“No. Some of my people are warriors, others workers or magicians. At least, the few I've met. My master told me I was relatively talented when it came to magic, though... That said, the warriors would have no problem facing the dangers out there.” He gestured toward the gate to illustrate his point.

“That's... pretty crazy !” Then, curious, the captain became interested in one of his earlier statement about trying something out: “Why are you heading out if not to train ?”

The namekian smiled proudly, retrieving one of seven gemstones from his infinite bag to show it to the captain :

“A... spell, kind of. You see, where I come from, there are seven gemstones rumored to grant you wishes once reunited. Thing is, nobody really knows how to find them since they're almost never close to each other.” He was lying through his teeth but he knew how tempting the prospect of having his heart's desire fulfilled could be on someone. As it were, he felt he said too much... Treating it like an urban legend was a way of... making it more unbelievable. “Anyway, if my people really did create those things, I figured how they'd do it... Stones of power linked together to manifest and realize something they couldn't do apart. This...” He gazed at the orb in his hand : “...is something I found inside an animal's corpse a month or so ago. It's filled with energy and... with the right enchantments and rituals, it should be able to gather energy on its own.”

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“So you'll... what ? Use those to wish for something ?” The captain was bewildered (but interested). Avo shook his head and explained :

“I don't know the initial incantation that would have been used for the legend I told you about... No, what I made is something different... A guardian !”

“A guardian ?”

“Yeah... Here” Avo spoke in namekian, a language the Bassiglian... Mooner ? Never mind ! It was a tongue he couldn't understand. A second later, the transparent sphere in his grasp shone brightly, rising from his palm and into the air, before starting to rotate slowly around his body. From the light itself, a beam shot out on the ground materializing a... kitty ?

“Meow !” The cat obviously tried to appear intimidating. Although his guardiandidn't seem able to guard anything at all, Avo wasn't the least bit disappointed :

“Yes ! It worked !”

“It worked ?” The more he talked with this alien, the less he understood him. In spite of his obvious strength, his logic seemed somewhat impaired... After all, who in their right mind would talk at length about things that should obviously stay secret ? His people, magic, this legend about items granting you wishes... The captain demanded clarification : “This is working ? I mean... How's it supposed to protect anything ?”

Avo smirked, retrieving a second gemstone from his bag.

“Remember how I told you it was supposed to be linked ?” A new series of words in his unknown language and in turn, the second ball followed the first in its light dance show around the alien. Another beam stroke the kitty and his meow turned into something... fiercer. As the light subsided, the captain distinctly saw the guardian had grown to the size of a young feline... Still, it wasn't quite enough to face the threats outside the walls. Although, he supposed if they were seven of those, the increase in power would be quite substantial !

Avo was still talking, explaining how his creation worked :

“It is similar to how the items I told you about are supposed to be used, only even apart, they can manifest a modicum of power. I designed it in case I needed someone to have my back... As for why I made them this way, I figured going full power right off the bat wasn't always the way to go about a fight. Not only would that deplete the energy in the spheres faster, their full power would often be overkill... Like, person-turned-to-ash-instantly overkill !”

Now, he was positive this alien was a moron... Speaking about something potentially so powerful with a stranger ! Not to mention with the other guards listening intently a few meters away from them. Avo recalled his kitty, the spheres stopped flying and were returned to his bag.

Truth was, Avo wasn't worried about any of the people here, (not to mention the fact that they didn't speak namekian) having already scanned their mind with his telepathy to ensure they wouldn't be a threat to him. The captain was honorable and took his duty very seriously. The two guards... One was a blabbermouth but he wasn't taken seriously, most of the time, so, he probably wouldn't cause problems. The other was a taciturn sort of fellow with his own pride... He didn't seem at all interested in his possessions.

Another reason why he wasn't worried, although in hindsight it was foolish of him... was because he felt pretty powerful. And the feeling that came with it (like he could take on anyone or anything, that he was invincible) clouded his judgement a bit... The fact was, he never truly fought with anyone except the occasional mindless monster. No evil magicians, or warrior aiming for his life. More to the point, he never faced either Babidi or Buu and didn't really know the extent of their powers (although the fact that the latter blew up a planet should have worried him a little).

His only saving grace was the fact that he didn't stop his own quest for more power, nor did he intend to. His master's words carried a ring of truth to them and he also realized on his own that there always was something he could improve on... Hence, his continued training in the wilds and his own studies. In his mind however, there were no doubts that he'd enter the college !

After their talk, the captain left him be, allowing him once more to go outside the gates.

* * * * *

After numerous rounds of testing in the wilderness, Avo came back to the city a little bit disappointed. What did he expect really ? That it would be a flawless creation right off the bat ? Truly, that was stupid of him...

First off, the tiger lacked power. Although it was pretty muscular and packed a mean paw, it was at best a meat shield as things were. It couldn't attack from a distance, wasn't fast enough when they were several enemies... and the more he increased the power, joining new spheres to the invocation, the slower it became.

Secondly, perhaps the worst flaw of all, as the balls increased in numbers around him, he could move less and less, coming to a stop on the seventh. Of course, he'd expected it and operated the summon so that the spheres would protect him... Only it was too little in his opinion.

And finally, it was too demanding in energy. Although the cores (as he'd taken to calling them) of gnorlats naturally contained energy, it was vastly insufficient for the beast's power, even after being linked together. He could feel the drain on his own power reserves the more he tried to have the tiger fight strong opponent.

Also, another flaw, although minor and expected in comparison, the beast was stupid ! It lacked initiative and he had to command it verbally to attack or defend... At least for the last part, he had to remedy ! He couldn't have a predator stalk its prey only if its master yelled an order at it... It would defeat the purpose of stalking !

Avo came back to the restaurant he usually met up with Sala, only to see her on the streets a little way off, adjusting the armor on her person with a serious expression on her face. He knew this expression quite well... He'd taken to call it the testing faceover the years. Every time she'd stolen a new piece of technology or built something she was pretty hyped about, after having bragged about it to him, she'd then look at it critically... Then, a series of test usually followed : she used the tech as it was intended, repeatedly and under varying circumstances... After all that was done, she'd use it as it was notintended, for the fun of it or to see if it could have other purposes, Avo didn't really know...

As she was about to start her tests right here and now, the namekian stopped her :

“Perhaps it would be best if the competition didn't know the extent of your abilities just yet...” he told her as he scanned the crowd with his gaze. Indeed, around them were many aspiring students of the College, eyeing each other (and at the moment her) with a scrutinizing and calculating look. Sala heeded his advice, sighing as she asked :

“How will I know if it's any good, then ?” She frowned and said : “And what about you ? You keep going out and people keep watching you from afar... Wouldn't it be better not to show off your powers too much ?”

Avo thought about it for a while. According to the captain, there weren't many people who could do what he did... However, did that mean that in tournament conditions, he would be able to win against every one of them ? Hardly ! It was different when it was one on one, without knowledge of your opponent's magic while he knew yours... Still, his confidence was strong. So, he shook his head and said :

“Want to come with me tomorrow ? You'll be able to test it in real combat and if anything goes wrong, I'll be able to come to your aid...”

Sala looked conflicted. The fact was, she didn't like to depend on anyone ; it was a common trait among orphans and street kids ! Even her best friend... Maybe especiallyher best friend ! However, she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. He was right about one thing : she had little advantages as it were, she couldn't allow her competition to glimpse at her power before the tournament ! Reluctantly, she nodded her agreement, and sneered as Avo smiled gently at her...