Earth.
Home Sweet Home.
The first thing we did after getting everyone settled wasn't training, wasn't celebrating, and definitely wasn't arguing about food [we did]. It was something far more important.
We gathered the Dragon Balls.
All of them.
It felt strange, holding those familiar orange orbs in my hands knowing how many times they had already rewritten reality. I remembered being a homeless kid on West City streets, staring up at flying cars and wondering if I'd lost my mind. Now I was standing on solid ground, surrounded by warriors who could crack planets, preparing to undo death like it was a scheduling mistake.
Krillin carried one ball.
"Feels kinda odd" i muttered. "this stuff can easily break reality, if used badly."
Piccolo crossed his arms. "They exist to be used."
Goku nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Otherwise they'd just be fancy paperweights."
Bulma sighed. "They are ancient cosmic artifacts, not decorations."
...
We chose a wide, empty plain far from cities, not because Shenron required it, but because last time someone summoned a dragon near civilization, there had been panic, property damage, and people threatening lawsuits against Bulma.
The balls were placed carefully in a circle.
I stepped back as the final one settled into place, and i said the magic words.
"RISE SHENRON, AND GRANT ME MY WISH"
The wind picked up.
The sky darkened instantly, clouds spiraling inward like the world itself was holding its breath. Lightning cracked across the heavens, illuminating the land in stark white flashes.
Then the balls glowed.
Golden light shot upward, twisting and coiling into the sky as the massive, serpentine form of Shenron emerged from the storm.
His red eyes burned like twin suns.
His voice rolled across the land, deep and ancient.
"I am Shenron. Speak. I shall grant you two wishes."
Even after everything I'd seen, it still gave me chills.
...
We didn't hesitate.
Gohan stepped forward, hands clenched, voice steady despite his age.
"I wish to revive all the good people who died on Namek."
Shenron's eyes glowed brighter.
"It shall be done."
There was no explosion.
No spectacle.
Just a subtle shift....
Somewhere across the stars, lives returned. Families reunited.
Krillin let out a breath he'd clearly been holding for months.
Piccolo stepped forward next.
"I wish for the Namekians to be given a new world.... safe from Frieza's remaining forces."
Shenron's body shimmered.
"Your wish is has been granted."
I imagined green skies over fertile land. Namekian children growing without fear. Elders teaching instead of mourning, it felt nice.
Piccolo didn't say anything.
But his posture softened.
Just a little.
And soon after, Shenron vanished in a flash of light.
The sky cleared.
The Dragon Balls scattered across the Earth once more.
Everyone relaxed.
Everyone except me.
As i needed those dragon balls for my plans.
So I waited.
Months passed.
The Dragon Balls rested.
The trained some more.
...
A year later...
It was a good year.
A great year.
I trained with Goku almost daily. Sometimes Krillin joined us. Sometimes he didn't. He said he wanted to "enjoy not fighting for his life" while it lasted.
Fair enough.
We trained in forests. Mountains. Remote islands where accidental shockwaves wouldn't vaporize someone's farm.
I refined everything, as much as i could.
Control. Precision. Efficiency.
Goku noticed.
"You fight different now," he said one afternoon, sitting cross-legged after sparring. "Like you already know what I'm gonna do."
"I was reading your intension form your ki" I replied.
He grinned. "you too."
I signed, "of course you know it".
Bulma occasionally checked in, making notes, complaining about how unfair it was that Saiyans aged slowly, and asking, no begging repeatedly, if I could teach her healing.
"Sorry, Bulma" I said. "You'd explode."
She didn't appreciate that answer.
....
A year after Namek, I gathered the Dragon Balls again.
This time, alone.
I chose a desert so empty it felt forgotten by the world. No cities. No people. Just you[the balls], me and my destiny.
I placed the balls down carefully.
Took a breath.
And called.
"Shenron, rise and grant me, my wish"
The sky darkened once more.
Lightning split the heavens.
The dragon rose.
"Speak your wishes."
I didn't rush.
"I wish for a pad containing all techniques."
Shenron's eyes dimmed slightly.
"That wish cannot be fulfilled."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Some techniques belong to the gods. Others exist beyond mortal authority. I cannot give what I do not command."
Fair.
I nodded once.
"Then I wish for all techniques you can grant me."
Shenron's eyes blazed red.
The air vibrated.
"The wish is granted."
Something appeared in my hands.
A simple pad.
Stone-gray, warm to the touch, covered in shifting symbols that rearranged themselves as I looked at them, techniques, knowledge, understanding written not in words, but intent.
Nice.
My heart started pounding.
Shenron spoke again.
"What is your second wish?"
I didn't hesitate.
"I wish to be sent to Master Zuno."
Shenron's eyes flashed.
The world twisted.
Light swallowed me.
"Granted."
The dragon began to fade.
The sky cleared.
The Dragon Balls shot upward, scattering across the world once more.
And I already long gone.
Ben's power level: 210,080