"I thought you'd gone straight back to Earth," King Kai said with a smile as he turned around, just in ti to see Taro gracefully leap off the phoenix's back.
Under the tenfold gravity of King Kai's planet, the phoenix looked a bit strained, flapping its wings with effort. Bubbles, the black gorilla, hurried over, circling the bird excitedly while waving its arms and chattering, "Buru, buru!" It had never seen another living creature on the planet before.
"This bird doesn't seem too suited to my planet's environnt." King Kai remarked.
Taro chuckled. Raising his palm, a burst of white ki resembling flas ignited with a soft puff. He lightly patted the phoenix's body, sending a wave of vitality directly into it.
Boom!
A bright white glow enveloped the phoenix. Its crimson feathers seed to grow even more vivid, as though they were ablaze. The bird felt a surge of boundless energy well up inside it, but it didn't know how to wield this newfound power.
Taro resolved that imdiately. A subtle wave of psychic intent flowed from him to the phoenix, transmitting his will directly into its mind. Through this ntal magic, he taught it how to channel and control the sudden influx of strength within its body.
The phoenix's eyes sparkled with newfound brilliance, its gaze brimming with divine energy.
"Caw—!"
What a remarkable creature! It raised its head and let out a piercing, lodic cry that reverberated across King Kai's world. Spreading its wings, it gave a powerful flap. The once-awkward body, weighed down by the gravity, now moved with breathtaking grace. Another flap, and it soared high into the sky, the gusts from its wings leaving Bubbles in a daze, his face blasted by the wind.
Watching the phoenix joyously circling the planet, Bubbles clapped his hands and jumped up and down in envy, chasing after it eagerly.
King Kai nodded as he observed the scene. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. That phoenix shares a bloodline bond with you, so it can probably adapt to your ki. But still..." He couldn't help marveling at Taro's refined mastery. After a pause, he asked, "When do you plan to return to Earth?"
"I'm leaving now. I just ca to retrieve sothing I left with you," Taro replied with a smile.
King Kai smacked his forehead. "Oh, right! The single-person pod from Frieza's forces, correct? Hang on; I'll grab it for you." With that, he darted off toward the lone house on his planet.
Taro strolled across the small planet, casually taking in the sights. mories of his younger, frailer self arriving on King Kai's planet with ulterior motives ca to mind, and he chuckled at how he had once tricked the deity.
When King Kai returned, carrying the spherical pod in his arms, he caught sight of Taro laughing quietly to himself. "What's so funny over there?" he asked, puzzled.
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Taro waved dismissively. With a simple thought, a burst of telekinetic energy shot out from his mind, forming an invisible hand that enveloped the pod in King Kai's arms.
The pod lifted into the air and floated toward Taro.
"Magic powers sure are convenient..." King Kai sighed in admiration.
Taro grabbed the edge of the slightly ajar pod hatch with one hand, lifting it effortlessly. Smiling, he said nothing. With a wave of his hand, the phoenix circled once more before swooping back. It folded its wings and perched on Taro's shoulder. Though its current size was quite large, even when curled up, it looked rather awkward sitting there. However, both the phoenix and Taro had grown accustod to this arrangent.
"Well, off you go then. Head back to Earth," King Kai said with a dismissive wave.
"I'll stop by for tea soday." Taro replied with a grin.
"I don't have any tea for you!" King Kai shot back, rolling his eyes—though the gesture was lost behind his dark sunglasses.
"Farewell." Taro said.
He turned and took a step, ready to activate Instant Transmission, when he suddenly rembered sothing—he wasn't exactly sure of Earth's location. He knew the coordinates of many high-gravity planets, as well as those of that Magic planet, Nak, and Yardrat, but Earth's position eluded him. Taro shook his head at the realization.
Just as he was about to ask King Kai for assistance, a thought struck him. Expanding his senses, he reached beyond the white do of the heavens above, extending his perception into the afterlife. I wonder if Fortune Teller Baba is still around...
She was.
Taro imdiately pinpointed the location where he had once retrieved the seven birds from her. The familiar presence of Baba lingered in the sa spot within the afterlife. Alongside her, however, he detected a few other presences, one of which felt both unfamiliar and oddly familiar at the sa ti.
It took him a mont to realize—it was the energy of the previous Earth Guardian. When he had retrieved the seven birds before, the forr Guardian had been there with Baba, as well as an elderly witch—Baba's ntor.
This ti, though, Taro sensed more than just those three. Two additional presences stood out.
One of them was soone he recognized well. The other, however, was entirely unfamiliar.
"Kami? What's the Guardian doing in the afterlife?" Taro muttered to himself, puzzled. The familiar presence he had sensed was indeed Earth's Guardian.
"What's the matter with you?" King Kai asked, noticing Taro still standing there. Then, as if realizing sothing, he scoffed. "Don't tell you don't know where Earth is!" Shaking his head, he turned away. "Fine, let —"
"I don't need to rush back just yet," Taro interrupted, frowning slightly as an inexplicable sense of unease crept over him. "I want to check sothing first. Sothing's been bothering ..."
"What's bothering you?" King Kai asked in surprise, but before he could get an answer, Taro and the phoenix vanished before his eyes. Scratching his chin, King Kai muttered. "What's got him in such a hurry..."
***
The Afterlife.
The afterlife was mostly populated by white, ethereal beings—souls who had earned enough rit in life to escape the cycle of reincarnation and live eternally in peace and freedom.
However, so particularly virtuous souls were granted special permission by King Yemma to retain their physical bodies. These individuals were often powerful martial artists in life, and this policy allowed them to continue training even in the afterlife.
By the edge of a celestial lake, five figures had gathered—each of them possessing a physical body.
They were Fortune Teller Baba and her ntor, the previous Earth Guardian Garga, the current Guardian, and... a tall, imposing man who appeared entirely human in appearance and stature.
"This is a martial artist I t here in the afterlife." Garga said, introducing the man to Kami. "His na is Mitsurugi, and he hails from Earth. He was a formidable martial artist in ancient tis."
"The two demons wreaking havoc on Earth right now are imnsely powerful..." Kami said, his brow furrowing as he studied Mitsurugi, the so-called "Ancient Earth Martial Artist."
Garga and Mitsurugi exchanged a knowing glance and laughed.
With a booming voice, Mitsurugi said, "Demons from the Demon Realm? Is that all? Hah! Back in my day, I earned the right to bring my physical body here and was later granted permission to train on King Kai's planet because I single-handedly purged the Demon Realm from Earth! A couple of small-fry demons? I wiped out countless monsters and demons back then, and now they'd be even less of a challenge."
"Rest assured." Garga added with a smile. "This martial artist once participated in the Otherworld Martial Arts Tournant hosted by Grand Kai himself and achieved remarkable results!"
Garga sighed, shaking his head. "I was fortunate enough to witness that tournant. Kami, you can't even imagine... This universe is unimaginably vast, and Earth is but a speck. What you consider an insurmountable threat—these demons—are nothing in a cosmos teeming with masters. Once you find a successor and make your way here, you'll understand fully."
"Exactly." Mitsurugi said with a broad, dismissive wave. "A handful of Earth demons is nothing to fret about."
Hearing this, Kami felt a wave of relief wash over him, and a smile crept onto his face. "If that's truly the case, then all the better!"
At that mont, Baba's ntor, who had been quietly observing, suddenly opened her drooping eyelids. She turned her gaze toward an empty patch of ground and rasped. "Soone is here..."
Before her words had fully settled, a figure materialized nearby. It was Taro, holding the spherical pod in one hand, with the crimson phoenix perched on his shoulder.
"You're... Taro?!" Kami stared for a mont, taking his ti to recognize the familiar figure.
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