West City, at the entrance to the spaceship's boarding ramp.
Dr. Brief, seeing Rhode off, held his arm with an expectant gleam in his eyes. "Rhode, when you return, you must bring back more technological data from the universe! Especially mechanical engineering!"
"I won't let you down, Doctor," Rhode replied with a genuine smile. For someone who had given him so much, it was the least he could do. It would cost him only a little extra time.
Beside Dr. Brief stood Mrs. Brief and a pouting Little Bulma. "Be careful out there, young man," Mrs. Brief said warmly, her smile gentle.
"Thank you, ma'am," Rhode nodded, his gaze shifting to the scowling child beside her. "Be good, little one."
"Hmph! Jerk!" Bulma huffed, turning her head away dramatically. She was still sore that he was leaving on an adventure without her and had the gall to tease her.
"Rhode, let's go!" Aira's impatient voice echoed from inside the ship's hatch. She'd boarded long ago, eager to depart.
Ignoring her, Rhode gave a final wave to the family, then reached out and ruffled Bulma's carefully done pigtails into absolute chaos. As she squealed and flailed her tiny arms, he chuckled and strode up the ramp.
Bang!
The ramp retracted, the hatch sealed with a hiss, and under the watchful eyes of the Brief family, the sleek spacecraft lifted off, piercing the blue sky and soon vanishing into the star-dusted black of space.
"To venture into the cosmos so young... it's incredible," Mrs. Brief murmured, her voice tinged with awe and a mother's instinctive worry.
"Though young, they are immensely powerful," Dr. Brief said, his scientific mind overriding sentiment. "The dangers of the universe are unlikely to pose a threat to them." Having built the Gravity Chamber and sensed their capabilities, he held no fear for their safety.
Thinking of their journey made him recall his own wandering eldest. He turned to his wife. "Speaking of which, where is Tights now? Has there been any news? Is she safe?"
"It's a wonder you remember you have another daughter!" Mrs. Brief chided, though her tone held more fond exasperation than true anger. Their adventurous firstborn, off writing novels and chasing inspiration, was largely her domain to worry over.
Despite her words, she provided an update. "She's fine. Traveling in the Eastern districts, gathering 'material.' I just wish I knew when she planned to come home." A faint crease of concern appeared on her brow. Tights was not yet sixteen and roaming alone—even for an open-minded mother, it was a source of quiet anxiety.
"Don't fret. Stay in touch. Tights has her own path," Dr. Brief said, far more pragmatic about such matters.
Little Bulma, listening intently, tilted her head back, her big eyes thoughtful. She missed her cool, adventurous big sister too! When I grow up, she vowed silently, I'm going to have even bigger adventures!
Meanwhile, Rhode and Aira's ship had already left the solar system behind, a speck of light hurtling through the silent, immense dark. The journey to Namek at their ship's speed would take only a few days.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh~
With the ship on autopilot, the Gravity Chamber within hummed to life, set to a crushing 60x. The daily grind had already begun. Inside, two figures moved like blurs against the relentless pressure, their training in the void of space uninterrupted by the wonders passing by their viewports. The path to power demanded constant payment, even en route to their destination.
Even with Rhode's battle power exceeding 30,000 and Aira's surpassing 20,000, the oppressive force of 60x gravity was no trivial matter. It demanded constant, grueling adaptation, turning every movement into a focused battle against the invisible weight.
"Rhode," Aira grunted between labored breaths during a training lull, "I heard there are Namekians with power levels over 10,000. Is that true?" Her eyes gleamed with anticipation for their imminent destination, hungry for a real challenge. The Earthlings were too weak to stir her fighting spirit. Besides Rhode—whom she couldn't beat—she had no worthy opponents. This newfound power yearned for a real test.
Rhode considered the warrior-type Namekians and gave her a meaningful look. "Indeed, there are."
"Excellent!" Aira's excitement was palpable, fueling her next set of exercises with renewed vigor. "Then we can have a proper fight once we reach Namek!"
We're not going there to pick fights, Rhode thought, momentarily speechless at her villainous phrasing. He considered warning her against overconfidence, but held his tongue. Her arrogance, born from her rapid growth and only tempered by his own dominance, needed a reality check. Letting her stumble a bit might be the best lesson.
BANG!
Suddenly, the entire spacecraft shuddered violently, a deep, resonant tremor rocking the hull.
What now? Rhode's senses flared. At the very edge of his ki perception, several malignant, powerful energy signatures had appeared and were closing in at alarming speed.
"Enemy attack! Stay alert!" he barked, simultaneously deactivating the Gravity Chamber and restoring normal conditions. He shot towards the airlock.
"Whoosh!"
The hatch hissed open, and Rhode propelled himself out, attaching himself to the ship's hull like a barnacle. He peered into the star-strewn void in the direction of the approaching threats. Yet, his mortal eyes saw nothing but the endless dark and pinpricks of light; the enemy ships were still beyond visual range, detectable only by their sinister auras.
BANG!
Instinct screamed. Rhode's hand shot up, a shimmering barrier of ki erupting just in time to intercept a sizzling lance of high-energy plasma.
So that's how you want to play?
Annoyance flared within him. As he calculated his response, Aira's voice, laced with urgency and transmitted through ki, echoed in his mind from inside the ship.
"Rhode! They're Universe Pirates! And they're… very powerful!" Her tone was uncharacteristically grave, the ship's navigation logs and sensor data feeding her a sobering assessment of the threat hurtling towards them through the cosmic dark.
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