Sitting on the soft bluish grass, Zaiko kept his legs crossed, his arms tightly folded across his chest, and his eyes closed.
He had decided to take advantage of the waiting time until the Dragon Balls arrived to do a little meditation training, just like Piccolo or Jiren used to do in the original series.
The idea, in his head, sounded good.
The reality, however, was very different.
Honestly, he didn't have the faintest idea how to meditate.
This was his first attempt, and he was basically just sitting in silence, in the dark, getting bored while trying not to think about anything.
And the supposed peace of mind he was looking for was impossible in his current situation...
A nervous tic began to throb violently in his left eyebrow.
He wrinkled his nose with evident annoyance and pressed his lips together to hold back a growl.
"Hahaha! Look, I made it to the top!" yelled a tiny, high-pitched voice right next to his ear.
"I want to climb up the arm!" exclaimed another.
Several Namekian children, small and chubby, were laughing out loud as they climbed shamelessly all over his body.
They were literally using him as if he were a climbing frame in a playground, hanging from his shoulders, tugging lightly at his clothes, and one was even trying to swing by holding onto one of the horns on his head, all of this without his slightest consent.
Zaiko opened one eye, glaring at a small Namekian who had just sat directly on his right shoulder, swinging his little legs with pure joy.
«At what point did I become a damn tourist attraction?», Zaiko thought.
For some reason that not even he fully understood, he didn't stop them.
Meanwhile, not too far from there, sitting peacefully in front of the door of his house, Elder Oboe observed the peculiar scene.
Seeing the unruly children climbing on Zaiko without any fear, the old man couldn't help it and simply let out a soft laugh, resting both hands on his cane.
Otala, who had already returned a while ago from informing the Grand Elder, was standing next to him, with his arms crossed as he also watched.
Also by his side was a small Namekian, who had been sent by Moori to serve as a translator when it came time for Zaiko to use the Dragon Balls.
This was Dende, who in the near future would become the new Guardian of Earth, replacing Kami after he fused with Piccolo.
Three large Dragon Balls were on the ground in front of them.
Just at that moment, Strombo and Valvat, who had been sent by Oboe to the other villages, landed in front of them, each carrying under their arms two of the four remaining massive Dragon Balls they had collected.
Seeing them appear, Elder Oboe looked toward Dende and nodded.
The child returned the nod with enthusiasm and walked calmly toward Zaiko to inform him.
"Mister Zaiko," Dende called out, stopping in front of him with a respectful bow. "It is an honor to meet Gohan's older brother. My name is Dende, and I will be your translator when it's time to ask the Great Porunga for your wishes."
Zaiko extended his hands and, with utmost delicacy, grabbed the two small children who were on top of his head and his shoulder, respectively.
He picked them up directly by the back of their clothes, as if they were two kittens, and stood up before setting them down carefully on the ground.
The children, far from being scared, ran off laughing, chasing each other, going back to playing.
Zaiko looked at Dende with a small smile full of anticipation.
"Well... And what are we waiting for?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement.
He couldn't help but get excited, since after all, this would be the first time he would see one of the Divine Dragons in person.
Dende nodded with a sweet smile.
"Please follow me, Mister Zaiko."
Following Oboe's orders, Otala, Strombo, and Valvat had already begun transporting the seven Dragon Balls to a clear spot, away from the village, to perform the summoning with the necessary privacy and security while Dende spoke with the guest.
Zaiko rose into the air smoothly, following Dende as he guided him through the sky of New Namek.
The flight was short but peaceful, allowing Zaiko to appreciate the peace of this world.
Without a doubt, Namek was a beautiful place, a shame that the Namekians hadn't used the power of the Dragon Balls to regain their former glory.
Yeah... this bothered him more than he would like to admit.
When they arrived at the place, Dende descended first onto the blue grass and turned toward Otala, Strombo, and Valvat, who were guarding them.
"Thank you very much for your help, friends," he told them with gratitude.
Even though it didn't look like it, Dende was older than them.
The three nodded in silence, keeping their faces serious.
Before withdrawing, they looked at Zaiko one last time with a mixture of distrust and forced respect, before taking flight and leaving toward the village, finally leaving them alone in front of the Dragon Balls.
At that moment, Dende turned to Zaiko, looking at the seven immense orange spheres resting on the grass before speaking with a calm and polite tone.
"Mister Zaiko, you should know that after the unfortunate passing of the Grand Elder Guru, the current Grand Elder Moori became the new creator of the spheres and of Porunga," the small Namekian explained. "The power of the Dragon Balls remains fundamentally the same as in the past, but the current Grand Elder has made sure to fix some of their restrictions, since in the past they caused us one or two problems."
Zaiko raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance even though he knew perfectly well about this.
"Oh, really? And what kind of restrictions have been eliminated, exactly?" he asked.
"The Great Porunga still grants three wishes, just like always," Dende replied with a proud smile. "But unlike before, he has now greatly increased his powers and is no longer limited to resurrecting a maximum of one person per wish. He can now revive entire multitudes if we ask him to."
Zaiko nodded, genuinely satisfied.
"That's good," he said, giving him his approval. "Alright, I'm ready. You can summon Porunga whenever you want. Oh, and make sure to translate my words accurately, I don't want any misunderstandings."
Dende nodded, but just before turning to summon the dragon, he seemed to remember something important.
He looked back at Zaiko, his large eyes shining with nostalgia and curiosity.
"Excuse me, Mister Zaiko, before I do... could you tell me how Gohan and Mister Krillin are doing?" the little one asked innocently. "It's been a long time since we saw each other and I miss them very much."
Zaiko blinked, taken by surprise.
He raised a hand and scratched his cheek with his index finger, dropping a bead of cold sweat and looking somewhat nervous.
He didn't even know Gohan and Krillin in person...
"Ah... yes, they're doing well," Zaiko replied, trying to sound convincing. "Gohan is... well, he's studying a lot. And Krillin... he keeps training."
Dende nodded to himself, completely satisfied and happy with the answer.
"I'm very glad to hear that. Please tell them for me that they can come visit us on New Namek whenever they want, they will always be welcome."
"Sure... I'll let them know," Zaiko muttered.
With his curiosity resolved and a small, warm smile on his face, Dende finally turned back to the Dragon Balls.
"I will now summon the Great Porunga, Mister Zaiko."
"Get ready."
The little one raised both arms toward the sky, closed his eyes, and exclaimed in the Namekian language:
"Takkaraputo-Popporunga-Pupirittoparo!"
After a few brief moments of silence, the inside of the seven dragon balls began to flicker.
A deep hum made the earth vibrate beneath their feet as the orbs glowed with an increasingly intense orange light.
Suddenly, the daylight disappeared.
The sky completely darkened across the entire planet, turning black, completely eclipsing the shine of New Namek's three suns.
A gigantic flash of yellow light erupted from the spheres, shooting up like a massive pillar into the dark sky.
The seven spheres rose into the air, spinning in circles, until an enormous figure began to manifest from the immense column of energy.
Zaiko raised his head slightly, crossing his arms.
However, inside, he was screaming with excitement like a little boy upon witnessing, for the first time, the summoning of a divine dragon in real life.
He was still a huge Dragon Ball fan after all...
As the light dissipated, Porunga revealed himself in all his magnitude.
The Namekian dragon boasted an incredibly gigantic size, dwarfing the nearby mountains. His facial features closely resembled those of an alligator, intimidating and savage.
He had two thick black horns protruding from his sides, another two on the top of his head, and a pair of small antennas just like the Namekians'.
And most importantly of all, his torso was like a human's, being stupidly and extremely muscular!
«This is what a real dragon should look like!», Zaiko cheered in his mind. «Not like that ridiculous, scrawny electric eel Shenron on Earth!»
Even though he thought that, he still wanted to meet Shenron someday.
Porunga's voice boomed, deep and low.
"THOSE WHO HAVE GATHERED THE DRAGON BALLS, TELL ME YOUR WISHES! I CAN ONLY GRANT YOU THREE WISHES, AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITHIN MY POWER."
Dende turned to him.
"What is your first wish, Mister Zaiko?"
Zaiko let out an excited sigh.
A sharp smile formed on his face as he uncrossed his arms.
He raised an arm and clenched his fist tightly right in front of his face, feeling his Saiyan blood boil at the prospect of even greater power.
"Tell Porunga that my first wish is this," Zaiko declared. "I want all my hidden potential to be completely unlocked."
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