Ominous black clouds filled the skies in an instant, a lightning filled stormfront that blocked out the heavens. Brilliant, golden light spilled out and up as the dragonballs combined and speared into the cloud cover above.
Thunder clapped, a series of flashes that birthed a long, draconic serpent. Shenron, the dragon of Earth, coiled its length through the sky and turned to face the one that summoned it. Hal blinked at the massive creature, a rush of adrenalin inspired by the creature's size.
“I am Shenron,” The vast dragon grumbled, voice akin to the thunder that had brought it forth. “I shall grant you one wish, now speak.”
“Shenron, I wish for a ring that can transport me between Earth and Namek at will,” Hal stepped forward and called up to Shenron. He’d considered a few different wishes but, considering the limitations of Earth’s dragonballs, this was the best option. “The point of arrival on Earth should be the Lookout, while the Namek arrival point should be outside the house of the Grand Elder.”
“Such a thing is an easy task,” Shenron’s eyes flashed and a ring dropped into Hal’s open palm. A simple band of white-silver metal, it seemed perfectly sized as he slipped it onto his finger. “Your wish is granted… farewell!”
Shenron’s body evaporated in a burst of golden light, an explosion that drove the dragonballs to the far corners of the Earth. The clouds vanished, replaced by the glorious rays of the sun.
“That was incredible!” Bulma broke herself free of her shock and scampered toward Hal. She lifted his hand and peered at the new ring on his finger, a rapid fire list of questions on her tongue. “Can the dragon really grant any wish? Why would you need a ring to teleport you somewhere, if Dad is building a spaceship? Does summoning the dragon always come with that scary storm…”
“Shenron is limited by its creator’s power,” Hal held up his hands to halt Bulma’s questions as he glanced at Kami. Even after Dende took over, Shenron wasn’t as strong as the dragon of Namek. “As for this ring… it will help me reach a place with more powerful dragonballs, and I don’t want to use a spacecraft unless I have to.”
Machines tended to fail, especially in a universe where stray attacks could level mountains or entire worlds. He would need to use a ship for only a limited time, but they would be useful for the future forces of Krypton. It was also a convenient way to transport both goods and lifeforms that couldn’t survive the vacuum of space.
“So there are other planets with dragonballs?” Bulma tilted her head, and even Kami frowned in confusion. “They’re not a special feature of Earth?”
“No,” Hal shook his head and motioned to Kami. “The Guardian is a member of a race called the Namekians, they were granted the ability to create dragonballs by the Dragon God.”
“You know my origins?” Kami blinked, eyes misted over. Hal had honestly forgotten that the old Namekian had little knowledge of his past. “I always suspected I came from beyond the stars, but Earth is the only home I’ve ever known.”
Hal nodded as Kami lost himself in memory. The Earth seemed fated to attract alien refugees. From Saiyans and Nemekians, to Hal as a Kryptonian, plenty of outsiders ended up with this planet as their home.
“I’m not fully certain, but I think you are a lost seedling,” Hal squinted as he struggled with the memories of his human life. “Your planet suffered some kind of tragedy, grave enough that some were temporarily evacuated… your parent got lost in the chaos and laid an egg on his ship.”
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“An egg?” Bulma leaned forward and took a closer look at Kami’s form. “His species reproduces using eggs?”
“Either way, you’re a citizen of Earth now, the Guardian of your adoptive home!” Hal ignored Bulma’s intrusive question and slapped Kami on the shoulder. His words brightened the old man’s face, a dose of truth that relieved his confusion. “...by the way, I was wondering… would you be able to speak with King Yemma for me? I’d like to visit King Kai’s place before I head off-world for a while.”
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“You want to send this kid up snake road?” King Yemma squinted down at Hal from behind his desk, a puzzled frown on his face. “Hmmm, this is strange… I can see the Karma of all who stand before me, but you’re a blank slate in my eyes.”
Hal tilted his head in confusion at Yemma’s words. He’d expected the otherworld King to claim his Karma wasn’t enough to travel snake-way, but for him to fail to see anything at all… perhaps the system prevented his soul from being observed by outsiders?
“I can assure you, he’s one of the most talented warriors to ever train on the Earth’s Lookout,” Kami bowed his head to the massive red Ogre and motioned for Hal to do the same. “His potential far outshines any of the heroes of old, a future paragon of the universe…”
“Alright-alright…” Yemma rolled his eyes and stamped a paper on his desk. He handed Hal a badge labelled ‘Guest’ and waved for his visitors to leave. “One of my workers will show you the way, but don’t blame me if you fall over the edge and end up in Hell!”
Kami dragged Hal from King Yemma’s office, bowing on the way. Once they were free, his lips turned up in a weary smile as he clapped his hands together.
“We were lucky and caught him in a good mood,” the Namekian leaned on his staff as they waited for Yemma’s clerk to make his way over. “This is where we part ways, my young friend… I hope that you gain what you’re looking for beyond snake-way.”
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“This really isn’t a difficult journey, as long as you fly,” Hal spiralled in lazy arcs, the twisted road below a blurred line that he loosely followed. The midpoint trap was ignored as he blitzed a path over the clouds of Hell. “I’ll be there in ten more minutes at this pace, not having to mess around with all the curves really saves time.”
A burst of effort maximised his speed, tired of the endless golden vista. It was time to begin his first real steps into the realms of power. The kio-ken technique was imperfect, but he would have all the time in the world to experiment. Combined with his plans for the Super Dragonballs, his path was beginning to take shape in his mind.
“My bloodline is powerful, but that’s no reason to pass on improvements,” Hal smiled as King Kai’s planet edged over the distant horizon. Only the wish orbs of the Dragon God would be able to affect him, the others were created by beings too low in strength. “It would be interesting to see how powerful a Kryptonian-Saiyan hybrid can become…”
The soles of his boots touched down on the Kai’s world, buried deeply into the lush grass. Bubbles sat on his butt a few metres away, finger planted up his nose as he took in Hal’s appearance. The door to the North Kai’s rounded house swung open and the squat deity waddled out.
“Impressive that you can stand unaided on my world!” King Kai squinted at Hal’s body, the beginnings of a frown on his lips. “Hmmm… your method of ki control is very strange, closer to the divine path than any mortal I’ve ever seen.”
The old Kai walked circles around him, hands extended to poke and prod. He raised one of Hal’s arms up, then the other. Both were dropped as King Kai poked at his left knee. Hal stepped back and raised his palms to ward off further inspection.
“My name is Hal-EL, the last of a warrior race,” Hal withdrew a bundle of capsules from his belt and popped on free. He tossed it to the ground and revealed a pristine roadster, provided courtesy of Dr. Brief. “I was sent here to train by the Kami of Earth and I came bearing gifts!”
The Kai’s face brightened as he waddled around the vintage automobile, stars in his eyes. Hal could sense nothing from the little man, no shred of ki to mark his presence. There was an ominous, darkened source of ki, deep within the planet. No doubt it was the Pirate Bojack, locked away long ago.
“I’ve got a dozen different cars, all retrofitted to return to their capsules with the press of a button,” Hal raised the bundle in his hands toward the ecstatic Kai and gave it a shake. “You’ll be able to ride a different one every day of the week, with room to spare!”
“A fine gift indeed!” King Kai snatched the capsules from Hal’s grasp and clutched them against his chest. “The other Kai’s will definitely be jealous if I show up with my own fleet of roadsters! Before I train you, you must complete a series of tasks…”
Hal flickered, a flare of his biofield placed him at Bubbles back. Before the monkey could react, he grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him to the startled Kai. He gave a shake and dropped the creature at King Kai’s feet.
“Next, I have to smash Gregory with a hammer, right?” Hal glanced around, until he caught the crickets eye through the window of the house. A wicked grin spread over his lips as he gave the insect a wave. “No problem, where’s the mallet?”
***Power Levels and other notes***
Hal: 7324
King Kai: 6000
King Yemma: 3000
Bubbles: 1000
Gregory: 1100
I’ve increased the strength of the Kai’s in general in this universe, but I’ve kept King Kai weaker than Saiyan Saga Vegeta.