PART TWENTY: TWO GREAT HEROES

Chapter 99

Translated by npberryhill

Universe 3, year 780, on planet Zioga 3...

The entire planet was a desert. No life whatsoever inhabited the cold star, not even primitive forms. A single palace stood in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated—it would take a miracle to find it.

Given his perseverance, though, Hoi had clearly done just that. The pointy eared creature stood before the huge palace, its towers reaching high into the sky. He was alone on his quest, he needed no one else. The only person he did need was currently residing within this palace, which also doubled as one massive laboratory.

Slowly, Hoi entered the palace. He had expected the great castle to be blocked off by a massive door, but there was none. Only a single towering archway over the entrance remained. It was almost as if the palace was inviting, welcoming any and all inside. Yet there was no one, not in the main hall nor in the corridors. The entire place seemed as if it had been abandoned ages ago, yet strangely enough there was no dust. Surely, as strong as the winds were outside the walls, the sandy desert would have been strewn everywhere throughout the building. But it looked like it had just been cleaned an hour ago. Additionally, lights were lit in each hallway, as if guiding Hoi.

He eventually arrived at his destination, a huge room as tall as it was wide. The far wall was an extremely massive picture window, which only made the place feel even more spacious. In the center, just in front of the window, stood an arch. It supported some kind of strange machine that resembled a brain, and was powered by numerous cables coming from walls and pillar conduits in every direction.

Underneath the arch there seemed to be a thick carpet made of brains...or so was Hoi’s impression. There, levitating just a few inches above the squishy globular carpet, a single person floated on a crystal sphere.

His back was turned to Hoi, revealing his long silver hair and two large black epaulettes. Hoi silently approached, until the mysterious figure spoke—never turning around.

“What are you doing here?”

“The door was open...I mean, there was no door,” Hoi explained, fumbling.

“There is no life on this planet. Thus, I need no door,” the old man said quietly.

Hoi fell onto his knees. It had taken him so long to finally reach his goal. Now, he only needed to convince the man floating before him...

“You are my only hope...Dr Raichi!”

As the old man remained silent, never looking back, Hoi continued.

“Have you ever heard the tale of the great hero Tapion?”

The silence continued.

"He is a prisoner, trapped inside an evil music box. He was sealed there by powerful dark magic!”

“I care nothing for this hero,” Doctor Raichi replied.

“But, you’re the only one with the power to open it! Believe me, I’ve tried everything!”

Hearing Hoi’s supplications, Raichi almost felt pity for him. But still, the doctor did not listen—he cared only to continue in his eternal solitude.

“You should leave this place...now.”

Hoi hesitated, knowing he had not come all this way for nothing. He still had a few cards left to play. Reaching inside a large pocket inside his coat, he pulled out a richly decorated music box. Still kneeling, he continued his pleas.

“Dr Raichi, you are indeed a true hero! It was you who destroyed the wicked Saiyan race oppressing the universe! Tapion is a hero too! He deserves to be freed!”

Hoi’s words, it seemed, were starting to have the desired effect. Though silent, Raichi appeared to be thinking it over. He turned his neck slightly, glancing towards the visitor and eyeing the object he held in his hand.

‘Me, a hero?’ he thought. ‘I’m nothing but a ghost of vengeance...’

Still, Dr Raichi was tempted. It had been years since he’d even moved—he hadn’t accomplished anything at all in so long. Perhaps the time had finally come to change that.

The scientist worked several days on a way to open the mysterious box. Having a new challenge was invigorating for him. Delightfully, he plunged his mind into the mathematical formulas and complex operations for hours at a time. The pattern soon became clear...until he finally created a outwardly simple system. He laid the music box on a bare table, which then raised it up. He then switched on a wave generator which sent the proper pulsations through the box. And then, with a sudden click, it unlocked. Raichi’s grasp of science had seemingly overcome the mystic magic of the box, something Hoi had once thought inconceivable. But it had worked.

Now unsealed, the box began playing a musical tune of its own accord. Hoi’s wide grin raved with excitement while Raichi merely waited. Then the box began to open, the cylindric pin inside revolving smoothly as the steel comb teeth plucked out the boxes' age old tune. Or so it seemed.

Suddenly, a gust of wind shot out of the box, striking the two of them. Violently, a whirling tornado began climbing out from it, the melody continuing all the while—though it seemed to be coming from inside the smoke rather than the music box now. Gradually, the smoking tornado began to take a more humanoid form.

‘A powerful energy is trying to escape,’ Raich thought to himself, detecting the anomaly.

As the smoke died down, it became clear that the song was actually being performed by the humanoid inside. It was the sound of an ocarina, which finally concluded as everything around them returned to normal. A pointy eared man with a sword hanging on his back landed on the ground with a TOC, the wind having finally dissipated...

The man glared at Hoi, then at Raichi. At last, he spoke. “Why did you set me free?”

His tone Raichi judged as more an unappreciative reprimand than the thanks he expected. Hoi merely chuckled.

“He he he...Are you not glad to finally be released from your prison?”

Tapion lowered his chin, his brow narrowing. “You shouldn’t have done this!!” he yelled.

“What’s the problem, boy?” Raichi inquired, still seeming quite level headed.

The scientist didn’t see Hoi smirk, but he could hear him fidgeting—it was as if he wanted to escape. Suddenly, the short wizard sprang for the door, only for it to slam in his face automatically, blocking his only way out of the large room.

“So there WAS a door!” Hoi exclaimed, pushing against the wall that had blocked his path.

“You’re not going anywhere...” Raichi said calmly, not even bothering to look back. “Explain yourself...I’m waiting.”

“Oh well...no need to be so hasty,” the sorcerer said, having regained his smile. “You’ll soon see it for yourself!”

Suddenly, a mysterious aura appeared, enshrouding his body. It was similar to the one that had appeared out of the music box moments earlier.

“Thanks for all your help!” he laughed. “Now, farewell!”

Within seconds, the aura had begun to take a monstrous form—one Tapion recognized immediately.

“It’s the bottom half of Hildegan! So, that means...Minoshia...” Tapion’s voice cracked. “You...killed him!!”

Raichi remained unperturbed. Until he gathered all the facts about a situation, he wouldn’t react. Hoi continued to grin at the sight of his monster. As his size increased further, the laboratory began ringing with alarms. Tapion quickly raised the ocarina to his mouth.

“A massive power, here in the lab?” Raichi turned his head, finally appearing somewhat lively.

A pair of giant legs and a sharp tail had now smashed through part of the lab—this was what the bottom half of Hildegan looked like. It was already beginning to destroy Raichi’s laboratory. It was obvious the beast possessed great power.

For his part, Tapion had already begun to play the melody again. ‘I’ve got to stop it at all costs!”

Hildegan whipped his massive tail through the air and into the floor, creating a deep crevice in the ground. It launched chunks of metal and debris through the air, many of them headed straight for Tapion and Raichi. Stunned, the musician stopped playing as the rubble collapsed upon him, pinning him underneath. The scientist, however, had activated a powerful shield around himself at the last second—he’d taken no damage at all, unlike his palace.

“You’ll destroy my entire lab...” Raichi said. “You need to be put down! Arise, my Ghost Warriors!”

“Yes, Master Raichi,” several voices said simultaneously. Several men had just materialized around him. “What are your orders?”

“...Ss...Saiyans?” Hoi fumbled, recognizing them immediately. “But, you killed them all!”

“Their ghosts are now my slaves...just as you’ll soon be!” Raichi said, next turning to his men. “Deal with him.”

“Yes, sir!” one of the ghosts replied—a warrior who’d formerly been known as Kakarotto.

The Saiyan zipped towards the wizard quickly, stretching out his left hand to fire a blast. “It’s over...” he said with a grin.

“Speak for yourself!” the sorcerer taunted.

“Uh...what?” the son of Bardock and Hanasia wondered.

Suddenly he felt something impale his body. It didn’t really hurt him, it was just a kind of unpleasant tingling. He lowered his head, seeing something sharp sticking straight out of his stomach.

“What the...?”

Kakarotto turned his head, seeing the monster’s tail behind him, then disappeared.

“Useless fool...Should have realized we’d need to get rid of the creature first,” Hansia said, instructing the others. She understood right away that the pair of legs were protecting the old wizard. Though she didn’t turn towards the monster, her orders were clear. The others immediately blasted into the air to attack the creature.

“It’s just a big stupid animal!” one of the ghosts shouted, firing a beam attack.

“Eat this!” another phantom yelled, shooting a large energy discharge.

The monster did nothing to avoid the attacks and the resulting explosion was violent.

Beneath the heavy rubble, Tapion was still trapped. More debris fell around Hanasia too, which the musician hoped to use as leverage to help free himself.

“Well, that was easy,” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Raich said in response.

Even as ghosts, the Saiyans were too sure of themselves...

Hanasia carefully examined the place the monster had been. The smoke was still clearing, but already the long black tail was spinning through the air again.

“Idiot!” Hanasia cried towards one of her companions. “Dodge!”

But it was too late, and the ghost was cut in half before even being able to react.

“It’s really fast!” said another of the ghosts.

“And it can kill with a single blow!” another of the Saiyans said, sharing his obvious insight.

“Hehehe!” Hoi laughed, hopping away safely, grinning all the while. “You just keep playing with my pet while I...”

“You’re not going anywhere...” a long haired Saiyan interrupted from behind him.

“Ah! W-wait...” Hoi gasped, turning in shock.

Strangest of all, the Saiyan’s face seemed as pleasant as could be, friendly even. “Master said so,” he continued, dropping his comic smile. Raditz then launched an extremely powerful energy attack at point blank. Hoi was completely vaporized.

Before his blast had even died off, one of the Saiyan’s allies came crashing just beside him. “Damn!” it said, before vanishing a second later.

“Ha ha!” Who’s the weakling now?” Kakarotto’s brother taunted.

“Raditz, keep your guard up!” his mother instructed. “This creature’s incredibly strong! We’ve already had three casualties.”

“Really?”

Below Hanasia, Tapion was still trying in vain to recover his ocarina. Finally noticing him, Raichi stood off his crystal ball just in front of the musician.

“How is this monster linked to you, boy?” the scientist asked.

“Give me back my ocarina!” he cried in response.

“Answer my question...”

“The other half is...inside of me...” Tapion said, sighing with the truth.

Raichi turned. The bottom half of Hildegan was not far away, still busy fighting the remaining ghost warriors. The other then, logically, was the top half.

“Interesting,” he whispered.

Suddenly, Raichi began to scavenge through the memories of Hoi—who had just arrived to swell the ranks of his ghostly slaves. From them, he could easily figure out the puzzle, and right away.