PART TWENTY: TWO GREAT HEROES

Chapter 100

Translated by npberryhill

Just as we were preparing to unseal the other music box, we were attacked by Cold’s army. The Frost Demon Prince didn’t much like having half of his planet annihilated, it seemed. I was the only one left alive, as they feared killing me would also free the monster inside. Instead, they placed me into a cryogenic sleep. I was in hibernation for what was intended to be forever. But by chance, a few hundred years later, someone broke out of the prison...and I was awakened. During the commotion, I fled the prison...beginning my lonely quest once again. Years later, I finally found the other music box. Unfortunately though, I realized I didn’t have the strength to open it of my own accord. I simply didn’t have enough power!

In most universes, Hoi never found the means to open the box, eventually dying alone and forgotten. However, in universes 16 and 18, he heard about a magical dragon on planet Earth... There was a battle and he was killed. In universe 3, he heard rumor of the great Dr. Raichi and his genius, thus seeking him out.

“Ah, it’s all clear now,” Raichi said, raising his hand to his chest.

Suddenly, the rubble tumbling towards the doctor and Tapion was overshadowed by the giant’s enormous foot.

“So...”

Hildegan immediately tried to crush the scientist, who merely activated his shield. The barrier stood strong against the creature’s might.

“Now,” the doctor began, picking up the ocarina in front of him, “the first thing we must do is re-seal the legs.” A few new ghosts appeared in front of him, replacing the fallen.

“Give it back!” Tapion cried. “I’ll take all of Hildegan inside of me!”

“Don’t make me laugh,” the doctor replied. “You can barely contain the other half.”

“But...”

“I’ve heard you play once...it’ll be enough. I may not be a musician, but I’m certain I can recall a melody as simple as the one you were playing. I’m loading the song into the ghosts as we speak.”

Raichi tossed the ocarina to Hanasia.

“Alright, I’ve received all data on the melody. Leave it to me, Master Raichi.”

The other three Saiyans were currently attacking the monster’s legs, but already one of them had been defeated.

“Careful!” Hanasia yelled. “We’re the only survivors, so try to stay alive at least a little longer. Distract the legs while I play this melody!”

“I’m on it, Mom!”

“Understood,” the other long-haired Saiyan, known as Gerkin, answered.

They both fired Ki beams at the monster’s legs, neither of which did any damage.

“What a resilient creature...”

“It’s...calling to the other half!” the musician below suddenly whispered, falling to his knees and grasping his temples.

“Can you keep it contained, boy? That would help a lot,” Raichi calmly said, watching Tapion suffer on the ground before him.

“How can it be so fast?” Gerkin cried, narrowly avoiding the creature’s tail. “As huge as it is, this thing should not be so agile”

Tapion continued struggling to keep Hildegan inside of him. Already, the creatures aura had begun seeping out. It would only be a matter of time. Finally, Hanasia began playing the melody—the monster froze in response, its tail mere inches away from impaling Raditz.

“Finally! It’s losing control! That wasn’t too bad...” Gerkin said.

Suddenly its tail whipped through the air, Gerkin narrowly managing to dodge it, and attacked Hanasia herself. In surprise, she dropped the ocarina, gritting her teeth angrily before vanishing as the ghosts before her had.

“Useless Saiyans...” Raichi said, arms crossed.

“Sorry,” Tapion said, shivering, “but...I can’t contain it...any longer!”

The musician had reached his limit, and the top half of Hildegan was suddenly released. An entire arm had already materialized.

“I knew there had to be another half,” Raditz said.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it!” Gerkin replied, having just retrieved the ocarina. One of Hildegan’s legs smashed down beside him, barely missing.

“Haha! You’ll never touch me, you—”

—He never finished his sentence, as Hildegan’s ever dangerous tail struck right through him from behind.

“That’s it?” Raditz laughed aloud. “Ha ha ha! You’re a true elite, Gerkin!”

But a second later Raditz caught his first glimpse of Hildegan’s head, which was materializing just in front of him. On one hand, he was the sole surviving Saiyan—something his pride couldn’t ignore! How humiliating it would be for the others, and yet...all he could think about was the horrible monster forming in front of him.

“Wait,” he fumbled. “Where’s that music thingy?”

“This is bad,” Raichi observed, the monster shrieking loudly even as he spoke. “I should call more ghost warriors.”

“Damn! Don’t you guys ever think?” Raditz said with a grin. He’d found the ocarina and at the same time had gained a good deal of altitude. “This thing can’t fly! How about that?” he added a second later.

His observation seemed accurate, as Hildegan was not flying after him.

“Yeah, stay down there, miserable insect.”

Next, Raditz raised the ocarina to his lips and began the musical melody, which he played to perfection. Within seconds, the two halves disappeared. The bottom half had been drawn into Raditz, while the upper half returned to Tapion. Raditz was immensely pleased with his handiwork, in addition to being the sole remaining survivor. Finally, he stopped playing, holding the instrument out in front of him for a second before making a disgusted face.

“Wait...YUCK! It’s like I just kissed my own mother!”

Down below, everything amongst the ruins was finally calm.

“It worked,” Tapion said. “The upper half has returned inside of me.” He seemed both surprised and reassured.

“Good...very good,” Raichi said.

Tapion quickly continued though. “It will try to escape again, getting stronger each time.”

“I’m sure we have a few hours,” the scientist replied. “Let me work something out.”

Just as he’d said, Dr Raichi was able to make several alterations to the music box. He made it into a portable device, which still worked perfectly. Tapion was now perfectly free to go about his life without having the constant threat of the monster escaping. A few days later, ghost Raditz disappeared, releasing the bottom half of Hildegan. At which point, Tapion was able to seal the entirety of the creature inside of him.

“So, what are you planning to do now, son?” Raich asked.

“I...don’t really know...” the musician began. “My little brother was killed...by now it would have been centuries ago. Even if I returned to my home planet, it wouldn’t be the same.”

“Hmm. I know the feeling,” the doctor commented. “No matter what we do, we cannot bring back the dead.”

“Yeah.”

But life went on...and the years went by. Time heals all wounds, especially those of good-hearted people. And so, Tapion traveled afar, making many friends. He visited Raichi most of all, the pair of them sharing a unique understanding of one another. Over time, Tapion mourned the loss of his younger brother...but his pain eventually subsided. The musician was even able to become cheerful once again.

Raichi, however, was one who would never open his heart—and thus could never find peace. Revenge does not quench one’s hatred, and so his wrath towards the Saiyans remained. Day after day the scientist sat alone in his cold laboratory. When Tapion would visit, the doctor was as distant as ever, like he did nothing all day long. Occasionally he would try to further his own research, usually being stumped by results he could not yet understand. But that was all.

One day, Tapion recognized one of Raichi’s display screens. It was a map of the entire universe, but several uninhabited worlds had been marked with a point.

“Looking for something?” Tapion asked.

“Someone,” Raichi replied.

With Raichi, Tapion knew he’d have to inquire further, as his friend was the furthest thing from a wellspring of information.

“So, who is it?” the musician continued, by now quite used to this type of conversation.

“A Saiyan.”

“What? One of them has survived all this time? That’s horrible! Has he continued killing people!?”

Raichi turned to his only friend...how naive he could be sometimes. If the last Saiyan alive was out there killing people, he’d have been easy to track down.

“No, he’s in hiding. He’s afraid of me.”

“Hah, what do you know!” Tapion said with a smile.

“Know what?”

“Just by staying here in your lab, you’re serving as a guardian of the universe. You continue to be a hero, Dr Raichi.”

Tapion had been trying for years to make his friend smile, though he realized his chances from the beginning were near zero. Again as always, Raichi did nothing but turn his head to the screen.

‘I will scour the entire universe,’ Raichi thought. ‘I will not rest until the last of the Saiyan race has been exterminated for good.’

Then one day, out of the blue, new visitors came to the planet of these two heroes. Raichi had, of course, detected them thanks to his many scanners scattered throughout the universe. Tapion and his friend left the lab together to accommodate their arrival. The scientist’s scans had not designated the vessel as a threat, as it had no weapons, but he was careful nonetheless.

The ship landed, it’s hull standing fifty meters high, and the Vargas and Nameks disembarked. Both species were well known to Raichi, but he’d never seen them together...especially in such a unique vessel. His sensors had reported how their vessel seemingly appeared out of nowhere by magic, and the presence of those two species in particular was a good explanation...

The ship’s crew seemed quite friendly, and presented their business immediately. Within a few minutes, everything had been made clear.

“So, if I win this tournament, I could make a wish to revive my little brother?” Tapion asked, having heard a Varga’s explanation of the multiverse tournament’s principles.

“Yes, of course.”

“Incredible! Well then, I’d love to participate!” the musician said. ‘And with Hildegan on my side,’ he thought, ‘I probably have a good chance.’

“Alright,” the Varga said. “And you, sir?”

“No, thank you.”

“Why?” Tapion asked. “You’re much stronger than me, and you can use your ghosts.” As soon as he spoke, he inwardly realized something. ‘In fact, if he participates, there’s no way I’ll win.’

“I’ve reached my goal. There is nothing left for me to accomplish now,” he said. In the back of his head, a voice echoed. ‘Well almost...just one man.’

“Too bad,” the Varga said.

“Oh, I see,” Tapion said, turning back to the organizer. “So, who else is involved in this tournament?”

“Hmm, I can’t say for sure as you are among the first we’ve visited. But we already have the Kaioshins. And, according to our simulations, we can expect the Frost Demons, the Saiyans...”

He was still busy scrolling on his device when Raichi suddenly repeated him.

“Saiyans? There are actually Saiyans?”

“Of course. They’re built perfectly for combat, are strong, and love to fight. It’s a good bet that Saiyans from many different universes will want to participate.”

“Then, I take back my previous statement,” Raichi said. “You may include me in the tournament.”

‘Many Saiyans...still alive!’ he thought. ‘By participating, I’ll have the chance to eliminate all of them! I’ll kill every last one, in every last universe! Winning this tournament might even allow me to make it a wish...’

“Really?” Tapion asked, who suddenly felt like he’d lost all hope of winning the tournament.

“Yes. It seems I haven’t completely achieved my goal after all.”

“Well, I don’t know what your wish is, but you’re a good person too. I hope your wish comes true as well.”

“Good person, huh?” Raichi whispered under his breath. “Not really...”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing, never mind.”

“Alright then. Let’s do our best, so we can both get our wish fulfilled,” the musician said.

“I will indeed.”

“Gentlemen,” the Varga said. “If you’re ready to board, we’ll leave immediately.”

The two heroes were both eager to begin, and settled in to the vessel comfortably. Moments later, the ship took off into the atmosphere. After a brief stint in orbit, a voice came over the loudspeakers throughout the ship.

“We’ve found another planet. Our arrival at the arena will be slightly delayed...”

‘Another planet?’ Raichi thought. ‘That means another warrior...could it be...the Saiyan?’

What Raichi did not know was that the Saiyan he’d sought for years was already on board, hidden from the scientist by Baddack’s request. He’d been the first warrior contacted by the Vargas from universe 3.

Baddack had been in hiding for years. Since learning to control his energy level, he’d learned to continually suppress it down to zero—Raichi’s robots were everywhere, he couldn’t be too careful. As someone trying to stay under the radar, he would have normally been surprised to see a ship headed straight for him. In this case, however, he’d been waiting on the vessel for weeks. He had seen in one of his visions an event coming which would surely be his one and only chance to settle the decade old feud between him and Raichi.

He even knew full well that Raichi was planning to participate. He knew the Vargas would also seek out a Namekian from Earth. Thus, the announcement of an unscheduled stop was no surprise to him.

Raichi, meanwhile, had been waiting patiently for the arrival of the new warrior. He’d obviously been hoping it was Baddack, but was disappointed to find only some Namek named The Great Demon King Piccolo. Come on! He was a powerful adversary compared to the rest of the universe, but not strong enough to defeat him, or even Tapion for that matter.

So, the “great hero” Raichi was forced to wait until they arrived at the tournament...only then would he meet these Saiyans from different universes, if there would be any at all!

Within the stadium there was a specific hallway leading to the so-called area of universe 3. Inside were four different doors.

“Each one leads to an individual apartment,” the Varga who accompanied them said.

The Namekian seemed pleased to hear that, immediately locking himself inside one of them. Tapion and Raichi each chose an apartment to themselves, but the last one remained obviously empty...in any case, it was assumed there were only three competitors.

As Raichi entered the arena, turning first to his left, he found several strange and quirky characters. No Varga could tell him where they’d all come from. Further to his left there were the gods, including the Kaioshin who was participating. That alone was a huge difference from the world he knew, in which Raichi was aware there was only one Kaioshin.

Thus, he began waiting for each space to fill up.

Not long after, to his right, a strange being with entirely pink skin appeared, giving him a sly grin. The analytical machines within Raichi’s ball did their best to figure out what he was, but were unsuccessful. Whoever it was was not composed of cells, but neither were they a machine. It was quite the mystery.

Next, an old man of a species completely unknown to the doctor arrived from universe 5. He had looked around the arena briefly before deciding to retire to his apartment. There were now 5 different universes represented and only two of them had more than a single fighter competing. Of course, the wacky second had several and his own universe the 3rd, but that was it.

Things finally changed with the arrival of universe 6. Seven individuals, five of them participants soon came out of the dormitory. Among them were two different groups, both species Raichi was familiar with already. Three of them were monsters, Jaykals with tremendous power, clearly abnormal versions of their species. The other four, each humanoid, were from an insignificant planet...completely unremarkable, except for their high spiritual and magical energies.

Next, once more, a single participant emerged. From universe 7, an enormous Namekian arrived—massive both in size and in sheer power. ‘This one will be a very difficult opponent,’ Raichi thought to himself.

From universe 8, there arrived an entire troop. The Frost Demons, as well as a small contingent of their forces, now emerged into their designated balcony. ‘Well, well...’ Raichi grumbled. This group was clearly of little value in Dr Raichi’s eyes.

After them came the group from universe 9, humans from planet Earth. ‘Okay...’ Raichi thought, beginning to have doubts. It seemed the Saiyans he had been promised might not show after all. He began wondering if it would be worth it to even continue waiting. And that’s when they came...

An entire group of Saiyans from universe 10 arrived. There were dozens of Saiyans...

Soon after, Raichi would learn that this was just the beginning. In any case, universe 10 would be his first target...and there was no need to wait until the end of the tournament. A powerful enough ghost, properly prepared, could handle the task with ease...