Dragon Ball SS: Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

West Kaio watched the warrior Paikuhan quickly dispatching his foes for a moment, then turned his attention back to the other three. “Well, it looks like Paikuhan's not getting the workout he wanted to get,” he said. “I'll have to keep searching to find him stronger opponents.”

 

“You do that,” North Kaio replied snidely. “You know there aren't any in your quadrant.”

 

“North Kaio...” West Kaio began warningly.

 

South Kaio cleared his throat. “Anyway,” he began. “this isn't why we're here. The practice matches are just to keep our students busy – or have you forgotten?”

 

North Kaio and West Kaio glared at each other one last time before turning to look at him. “No, we haven't forgotten,” North Kaio replied.

 

“Indeed, there's a matter of much more importance at hand.”

 

The four Kaios turned to look at Dai Kaio, who was seated on his throne. Dai Kaio watched the matches taking place before him for a moment longer, then dismissed his attendant. As the small man quickly moved away, Dai Kaio took a piece of parchment out of his pocket and looked it over. He stared at the parchment for several long moments; then, his uncharacteristic seriousness began to worry the Kaios, and North Kaio spoke up.

 

“Is there something the matter, Dai Kaio-sama?”

 

Dai Kaio frowned and set the paper down. “Well, troublesome at the least,” he began. “It seems the Son of the Sun has slipped away from his most recent residence unnoticed. That planet's god just noticed him missing; he has no idea how long he has been gone.”

 

A startled murmur ran through the Kaios. “Well...we haven't had any problems from him in some time,” West Kaio began. “Perhaps he's finally settled down and won't be any more trouble.”

 

“I sincerely hope that is the case,” Dai Kaio said. “Unfortunately, I think we all know how strong his grudge against us is. Even with Freeza and his father long since dead, the Son of the Sun will not necessarily give up the grudge against us for letting them live.” He paused and looked sadly at the ground. “I'm afraid some mistakes will continue to haunt one for eternity.”

 

South Kaio shook his head. “Cold's family was a necessary evil,” he said. “Freeza alone was able to do a job that would have taken countless other warriors to do. He and his family would have been dealt with in their own time.”

 

“Right, by who?” East Kaio asked sharply. “By one of your warriors? I think not. Do you even remember the Anoyoichi Budokai? I didn't see your best winning it.”

 

“Right, because my Son Goku was cleaning up all of the competition,” North Kaio said. He puffed up his chest in pride. “I take special pride in that boy...he trained up far beyond my expectations.”

 

Dai Kaio leaned forward and interrupted the squabbling. “Your Son Goku,” he said, “is a Saiyan. If he hadn't been sent off of Planet Vegeta before Freeza destroyed it, he would have perished with the rest of them.”

 

With that statement, all four of the Kaios before him fell silent and looked at their feet. Dai Kaio sat back and sighed before continuing. “We got lucky that our attempt to kill that boy as an infant failed,” he said. “If he had not survived that fall into the ravine, none of us might be here today; even if we had somehow put down Freeza and the rest of his family, we'd have likely still had Buu to tangle with down the line.”

 

He took a deep breath. “But, we can learn from our mistakes and build on them. The Son has a habit of settling on planets that are strong either in resources or warriors. We don't know for sure where he's gone, but he may very well end up on Earth if the Saiyans there catch his attention. We need to get to them before he does. North Kaio, we're going to rely on your relationship with Son Goku to keep goodwill between us and them.”

 

“Yes, Dai Kaio-sama,” North Kaio replied. “I don't foresee any problems. I've met and worked with a number of Goku's friends, as well as Goku himself. I don't think anyone on Earth questions my consideration for them.”

 

In the nearby ring, Paikuhan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the Kaios' conversation – he'd only let his attention wander for a moment out of sheer boredom with his current opponent. Now, however, he couldn't turn his ears away. Did Dai Kaio really just say that the Kaios had tried to have all of the Saiyans wiped out, including Goku...that they'd go so far as to kill an infant to obtain that goal?

 

He quickly dispatched his opponent with a kick into the far wall and glanced at the Kaios while he waited for the next challenger to climb into the ring. He didn't want to jump to conclusions; it was entirely possible that he'd misheard, since he'd had his attention partially on his match.

 

It appeared as though the Kaios were wrapping up their discussion, so Paikuhan turned his attention back to the new challenger. He'd fought the man before – this one was far below Paikuhan's level. He sighed and knocked him out with a quick kick to the head.

 

“Paikuhan-san!” West Kaio called. “It doesn't seem you're going to find any real competition here today. I think we'll return home and continue your training solo for a while, until someone has a real challenger to stand up to you; or maybe we'll look at some possible challengers from our own quadrant.”

 

“Yes, Kaio-sama,” Paikuhan replied. He nodded his head respectfully to his teacher and stepped down from the ring.

 

“Perhaps we'll take you on a tour through Hell,” West Kaio said thoughtfully. “From what I've heard, Enma Daio has been having some difficulty keeping a few of the ogres there in check. Getting uppity with their positions and all that. I think you have the skills to put them back in their place.”

 

“I'm certain it won't be a problem, Kaio-sama,” Paikuhan replied.

 

“This will also be good practice for when some of the stronger residents of Hell decide they need to make an escape,” West Kaio continued. “It's been a while since any of them have attempted it, and since most of them felt the need to flood Earth, a few of the warriors there were able to clean up the mess. But, I'm certain that won't always be the case; mortals have a finite lifespan, and most of them will end up simply as spirits again.”

 

“And ones like Son Goku?” Paikuhan queried. “He came to our realm as an esteemed warrior, and was allowed to continue his training here,” he said. “Certainly he and his friends would be able to assist in that endeavor.”

 

West Kaio frowned. “I have no intent of relying on Son Goku or any of the other warriors from North Kaio's quadrant,” he replied. “Son Goku may have been a fine boy when he was here before, but he was also young and inexperienced. There's no telling how time will have changed him now that he's been restored to life and is living among mortals again. I find it more prudent to simply have my own warriors be the best that they are able to be.” He paused outside an ornate doorway and looked up at massive stone doors. “Now then, let's pay a visit to Enma Daio, shall we?” he asked.

 

“Yes, Kaio-sama,” Paikuhan replied.