Dragon Ball: Ascension

Karnel emerged from the gravity chamber after completing his daily ten-times gravity training session. Both brothers immediately noticed the serious expression on his face as he approached them.

"Noffey, Noen," he began solemnly. "I've taught you everything I can. The time has come for me to continue my journey."

"What? Teacher Karnel, you're leaving?" Noen's voice cracked with distress. "Can't you stay just a little longer?"

"Please, teacher!" Noffey added desperately. "I still haven't fully mastered the Kamehameha. Won't you remain here a bit more?"

Both brothers had grown considerably over the past two years, they now stood nearly a meter tall, with lean, muscular builds that spoke to their dedicated training. The thought of losing their mentor clearly devastated them.

"No," Karnel shook his head firmly. "All journeys must eventually end. I've given you the foundation, where you go from here depends entirely on your own efforts and determination."

Noen leaned close to his brother's ear and whispered urgently, "Noffey, you're the clever one. Convince him to stay!"

Looking at Karnel's resolute expression, Noffey whispered back helplessly, "The teacher has made his decision. There's nothing I can do to change his mind."

Karnel had caught their whispered conversation, but chose to address their concerns directly. "Listen carefully, both of you. Your planet sits at the far edge of the Northern Galaxy's outer rim. Under normal circumstances, powerful enemies are unlikely to venture this far into the galactic frontier. With your current power levels, around twenty to thirty thousand, you should be more than capable of protecting your homeworld."

"Twenty to thirty thousand fighting power?" Noen asked in a small voice. "Does that mean we're actually strong now?"

"At this moment, fewer than five individuals on all of Durastar could match either of you in combat," Karnel replied matter-of-factly. "If you were to unleash the full power of the Kamehameha wave I taught you, you could theoretically destroy a planet the size of your homeworld. So yes, I'd say you've become quite formidable."

He paused, studying Noen with a critical eye. "Though I should note that your power level is still in the low twenties, while your brother has reached the high twenties. Don't slack off in your future training, Noen."

From his dimensional storage, Karnel withdrew a small leather pouch. "These are senzu beans, incredibly rare healing items. Eat just one and it will instantly restore your health and energy, even from the brink of death. I'm leaving them with you in case of emergency."

Noffey accepted the pouch with trembling paws, his rabbit features showing a mixture of excitement and melancholy. Excitement at possessing such powerful abilities, but sadness that the teacher who had given them this strength was departing.

"As for the gravity chamber," Karnel continued, beginning to pack the device back into its capsule, "I'll be taking that with me. However, with your planet's current technology, creating a basic version shouldn't be too difficult for your scientists."

He then walked over to where his Divine Tree seeds had grown into mature saplings over the past two years. The sacred trees had already begun bearing fruit, beautiful, luminescent orbs that could transform into any flavor the consumer desired. Carefully harvesting over two hundred fruits from the ten trees, Karnel stored them in his dimensional pocket.

"Well then, this is goodbye," he said, turning back to face his students one final time. "You won't need to come here for training anymore."

Both brothers stepped forward and bowed deeply with traditional Durastarian respect. "Teacher Karnel, thank you for everything you've taught us these past two years, rest in peace." Noffey said formally.

Rest in peace? Karnel thought with mild amusement. I'm not dying, just leaving.

Instead of commenting on the oddly morbid farewell, he simply nodded. "Noffey, make sure you keep your brother motivated in his training. Perhaps we'll meet again someday."

Placing two fingers to his forehead, Karnel extended his senses across the cosmos, searching for an interesting energy signature to investigate. Finding one that intrigued him, he executed his Instant Transmission technique and vanished without a trace, leaving only a brief afterimage.

It had been more than three years since Karnel had left Earth, and the experience had changed him significantly. The rough, battle-hardened edge he'd carried as a younger warrior had been tempered by his travels and teaching experience. Now in his late teens, he possessed the vital energy of youth combined with the wisdom of extensive combat experience. His physique had filled out into that of a powerful young man, with strong muscles and refined features.

Stopping beside a pristine lake on a remote world, Karnel caught his reflection in the crystal-clear water and couldn't help but smile. Not bad, he thought with a touch of vanity.

As he cupped the cool water to wash his face, his mind drifted to Earth. "It's been over three years now. I wonder how Bulma is doing?" The image of the brilliant young scientist who had helped him create the Dragon Radar flickered through his memory.

Part of him had considered returning to Earth immediately after his training was complete, but he'd ultimately decided against it. The idea of spending more than a decade in relative peace, even with access to a gravity chamber, held little appeal. How could he remain on a world where no worthy opponents existed? The thought of endless days confined to a training room made him restless.

"Patience," he murmured to himself, shaking the water droplets from his hands. "A few more years of exploration, then I'll return."

Suddenly, a massive energy signature flashed across his senses, distant but incredibly powerful. Though it disappeared almost immediately, Karnel had managed to lock onto its general location.

"Interesting," he mused, a predatory smile crossing his features. "An opponent like that might actually be worth fighting."

Without hesitation, he placed his fingers to his forehead and activated Instant Transmission once more.

Frieza Planet 79 - Cold Empire Territory

The world that had once been known as Frieza Planet 79 was now more commonly called "Frost." Long ago, it had been a verdant world of lush forests and sapphire oceans. Whatever catastrophe had befallen this planet in ages past had transformed it into a frozen wasteland of ice and bitter winds.

The native species that had survived this transformation called themselves the Cold family, and they had built their empire upon the bones of countless conquered worlds.

"Cooler," King Cold rumbled from his imposing throne of black ice, his voice carrying the authority of one who ruled through fear. The massive alien's horned head turned toward his eldest son, who had just returned from a reconnaissance mission. "What is the current situation in the West Galaxy?"

King Cold had long harbored ambitions beyond the Northern Galaxy, which his younger son Frieza had already brought under complete control. The neighboring West Galaxy represented the next logical step in his ultimate goal of universal domination.

Cooler, still bearing the subtle signs of recent combat, approached his father's throne with obvious reluctance. "Father, the West Galaxy is not yet ready for conquest. There's a being there, strange in appearance but possessing tremendous power. My advance forces suffered significant casualties."

The admission clearly galled the proud prince, but he continued his report with professional detachment.

"Damn it all!" King Cold's massive tail lashed out, shattering a section of his throne in his fury. "Are we to be stopped at every turn? How am I to become the sole emperor of the universe if we cannot even expand beyond our current territory?"

The throne room fell silent except for the howling of the eternal winds outside. Both father and son were lost in their own dark thoughts about the obstacles that stood between them and total galactic domination.

Neither noticed the faint energy signature that had just appeared in their star system, a signature that belonged to a young Saiyan warrior seeking his next challenge.