FOURTEEN

At the tower where Hypo was watching the new found carnage that he insured with his new self accommodated bodyguard, Kosue Mure. Hypo starts to float away after hanging up his communicator.

MURE

"What!? Where are you going??"

HYPO

"To get my ship to park here. It'll make it easier to get here from my new home."

MURE

"Eh?? Your ship? Wait! What about the people here?"

The tower suddenly gets its windows blown out as the prisoners race out, either in flight or on the ground, to escape the tower's fall.

MURE

"Wha!?"

HYPO

"It looks like they're doing fine. I'll be back with some first aid for all of you. Chao."

Hypo quickly vanishes into the sky, leaving the confused and unsteady Mure with his thoughts. Mure suddenly gets frustrated and explodes with a surge of power and chases after Hypo on foot. A bit of air time later, Hypo notices Mure chasing him from below. He doesn't think twice about picking up speed and starts to race through the sky uninterested.

Mure panics and picks up speed as well to keep up with him when he starts running into mountains and jumping large cliffs to keep up. Hypo sees him keeping up despite his struggles.

HYPO

"Now, why is he being so desperate to keep up? I said I'd be back with my ship."

Hypo slows down and flies next to Mure who was now too preoccupied with running as if he was racing the terrain with his life on the line.

HYPO

"Excuse me? Mure was it?"

MURE

"Ah!?"

Mure suddenly tumbles off a mountain he just scaled and lands on a broken road. He was now face down groaning in pain from the sudden stop.

HYPO

"Oooh~... Are you alright?"

Mure picks himself up and sits on the ground cross legged and shakes the rubble off his head only to make himself dizzy.

MURE

"Urgh… My head."

HYPO

"Now why do you insist on chasing me? I told you I'd be back, didn't I?"

MURE

"Well, but… I just wanted to stay close. I don't know."

HYPO

"Stay close for what? It's not like I need you for anything. I'm just piloting a ship. Not moving my luggage."

MURE

"I can do more than move a few bits of furniture!"

HYPO

"*Sigh* whatever. We're here anyhow. Come on if you're over your concussion."

MURE

"Uh!"

Mure forces himself to stand and staggers after Hypo until he sees the large ship they were heading for. He looks up at it in awe and curiosity.

HYPO

"I'm leaving you here."

MURE

"Ah!? No! Wait a second!"

Mure and Hypo enter the ship and the door closes behind them. Not long after the ship starts to hover and takes off back to the southern city.

Meanwhile, back in the northern mountain, Thermo was making his way carefully through the caves, going deeper into the mountain following the stars he saw beneath the storming mountain of snow and ice. At times he would spot a small spark of light trailing off from his path and follow it out of curiosity. Everytime he would find these little stars he would find himself closer to the larger stars deeper inside. He finally makes it to a hollow opening filled with warm light and crystals breaking through the stone walls. The crystals were glossed in every color with a small trickling river flowing from a large opening that was echoing with unfamiliar and unpleasant voices.

Despite the annoyance he felt from hearing them, his relief from knowing he found the stars made the annoyance pass as he approached the opening. He flies to the top and looks in to find the stars turning into strange looking creatures and two Namekians. The strange creatures were bickering and fighting each other. There didn't seem to be a reason to fight, and though they may be laughing at each other for showing weakness, Thermo didn't find their actions funny. Only distasteful. He floats over to the creatures and they stop as soon as they see him pass. He could tell the two namekians were the strongest of all of them, and thus have become the leaders.

"HEY!! Who the fuck is this!?"

"An intruder? The crystals didn't go off!?"

"Who the fuck cares!? First to get him, gets his head!"

"Me first!!"

"Out of my way!!"

The creatures instantly attack Thermo and are sent back down one after the other without much effort from Thermo. He simply dusts himself off and looks at the rest that were beaten before he was attacked. They didn't move from their place and simply let him pass. He approaches the two namekians and the youngest one steps in front of him.

"What do you need, visitor?"

THERMO

"... I'm looking for the one the village calls "Nameless"."

"The village?"

NAMELESS

"... And who are you to come from there?"

THERMO

"I am Thermo. I take it you are Nameless."

NAMELESS

"And if I am? Do you intend to fight me, visitor?"

THERMO

"No. I have a question for you."

NAMELESS

"Oh?"

"How about you show me what you're capable of? Then we may have an answer for you."

NAMELESS

"Calm yourself, son. What is your question?"

THERMO

"The small stone ball that you left in the village. What are they?"

NAMELESS

"The small stone… Oh! So they have told you my story then?"

THERMO

"They said I could get more information out of you about it."

NAMELESS

"Yes, yes. I figured they'd say that. Well, the best I can tell you is that they will awaken once all five are collected."

THERMO

"Five is it? And what will happen if I find them all?"

NAMELESS

"That's the surprise, isn't it? You'll need to find a special type of Namekian that can awaken them. You'll get a nice surprise out of them then. Though, I guess finding the right namekian will be the actual challenge, won't it?"

THERMO

"... I see. So you aren't the creator of those stones?"

NAMELESS

"Of course not. I'm not from a dragon clan so I can't use the mana needed to even awaken them, let alone make them."

THERMO

"... dragon clan…"

Thermo turns to the beaten creatures that start to shiver as soon as he looks at them.

THERMO

"... I am aware that the namekians can give birth to warriors or dragons. Would you let me take these two then?"

NAMELESS

"... I'm afraid they won't be of any help to you. As I've said, I have no power over those stones, so of course my kin doesn't either."

THERMO

"... Hmph. So there are two different species of Namekians on this planet. That's interesting… So you're saying that one of the Namekians in the village should be able to do something about them. Is that why you left one at the village?"

NAMELESS

"Indeed. Is that all you wished from me, Thermo the acrosian?"

THERMO

"Thermo is fine. That just sounded weird."

NAMELESS

"Oh? Strange, the few that came here last time ended up full of themselves. I guess you are much more humble."

THERMO

"I'm not from this universe, so of course I am nothing like the weaklings of this one."

NAMELESS

"Hahahah!! Weaklings! No wonder you knock my sons to the ground like bugs. Well, what else do you want, foreigner?"

THERMO

"To deliver a message to you from the village. They say they hope you are still well and healthy in this stormy mountain. I can give them some peace of mind and tell them you're fine with your own offspring now."

NAMELESS

"... take those two with you if you wish… They can't really do much now anyways. And take this one too. He's a perfect copy of me with just as much power, and he is still growing. I'm sure you'll get a lot of good work out of him yet. And you don't have to worry about him being disobedient either. Isn't that right, My boy?"

THERMO

"... Fine by me. Though I honestly don't care for him, I'll take him if you wish."

The young namekian jumps from his place by the nameless namekian and lands in front of Thermo, standing eye to eye with him.

TREMOR

"... I am Tremor. The last born warrior here. And the strongest."

THERMO

"I don't care. I didn't ask. You two. Get up and come here. We're leaving."

"Eh!?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Thermo summons a glowing sphere as the two small creatures rush to him in a hurry. The sphere covers Tremor and the others and they float in the air with ease.

"W-whoa… this feeling."

"It's so toasty and warm and cozy."

THERMO

"Ah. I almost forgot. The village elders say they'd like you to stop by for refreshments some time to catch up. Be sure to see them before your days end here in the mountains."

Thermo leaves with the orb following close behind him as he heads back the way he came. The nameless sighs as he slouches in his seat while the creatures Thermo knocked out finally wake from their concussions.

NAMELESS

"... that Acrosian… he can see life force well, I see. So those visions were not for the end of my days then, but of a new life to live. Maybe it's best to pass my remaining force to Tremor after all. Chime! Bass! Fray! Become one and get ready to leave this mountain."

"Yes, Great Father!"

The Nameless namekian stands from his seat as the trio become one being. One new namekian with wings and a tail, horns instead of antennae and low hanging ears.

NAMELESS

"Hmm~. good. I'll call you "Band" now. Let's gather what you can. When the storm passes, we will depart."

"Yes, great father."

Outside the mountain, Hypo blasts through the snow at the entrance of the cave with the trio he collected from the nameless one and flies back to the village. The two creatures seemed excited to see the outside of the mountain for the first time in their lives, while Tremor watched the skies change from fog to clear skies of blue and gold the farther they traveled down the mountain. Hypo looked back at the mountain for a moment and noticed the three tiny stars inside the cave became one large star that was almost as strong as Tremor. He could tell the nameless one was getting ready to leave.

They make it to the village and rest up for a while in the newly rebuilt space that was a temporary home for them. Thermo releases the sphere and lets the trio drop on the sofa. As soon as he drops them, he gets a call from his comms device.

HYPO

"Thermo. I need you to go to the east city and stay with Plutos for a few nillers."

THERMO

"What?? Why? What did he do this time?"

HYPO

"Nothing wrong really it seems. He did make me the legal guardian for both of you, but that's fine. Do you think you can get yourself set up to go soon?"

THERMO

"No."

HYPO

"Why not?"

THERMO

"I just got a lead on something important. I don't want to deal with his impulsive antics."

HYPO

"I don't either, but it's a bit late to whine now."

THERMO

"Grrrr…. Oh~ he is going to love me after I get there."

HYPO

"It's hard to believe you are the youngest sometimes."

THERMO

"I don't like it either. He's so fucking rediculous. I don't care if he's a genius, that genius needs to use that brain of his to do shit by himself and stop asking for help. We're all busy."

HYPO

"Easy, Hypo, easy. I understand your frustration. How about a change of subject. What have you been up to these few days."

THERMO

"Damn near got lost in a cave trying to find someone for information. I just got back."

HYPO

"Oh? What did you find out?"

THERMO

"The dragon balls."

HYPO

"The WHAT!?"

THEMO

"Yeah. Kaioshin Talafan is gonna have a festival when he hears of this. But there are two problems. One is that I only have one ball out of the five that have been made."

HYPO

"And two."

THERMO

"This one will make you mad. None of the namekians on this planet know what to do with them. And the one that does, can't access them because he's the wrong namekian. The ball is stone right now and cracked."

HYPO

"Which means the balls are either resting for the year."

THERMO

"Or the namekian that made them is dead with no remaining bloodline."

HYPO

"No~... what do we do~?"

THERMO

"For now I plan to find the remaining four just to have on hand for now. I'll see what the Kai's can do about them once I find them."

HYPO

"Oh! That's a good idea. What about the clan if it goes through?"

THERMO

"I have two from the one that had the ball plus a straggler he dumped on me."

HYPO

"Perfect! I swear, you are the most organized baby brother. I'm so proud of you!"

THERMO

"Uh… Ehem. Sure. why not. Anyway… hm?"

HYPO

"What's wrong?"

THERMO

"... I think I'll call you back."

HYPO

"Thermo. Thermo? Please be careful of your-!"

THERMO

"Oi…"

Tremor was holding one of the creatures in the air by his mouth, suffocating him. As soon as he looks at Thermo, He only sees a fist before feeling the impact of a wall shattering behind him as he topples down hill outside and into a stack of moving containers.

Tremor wakes from his sudden black out and sees Thermo using his mana with the other strange one to heal the one he hurt. Once healed, Thermo rushes to Tremor as soon as he stands and bodies him farther down the hill. He continues to beat Tremor down the hill until they make it to the square where every Namekian in the village could see them. Some of them scream and hide while others back away too afraid to look away. Tremor gags once the dust settles and finds Thermo stepping on his chest with his tail wrapped around his neck and tightening.

THERMO

"Explain yourself."

TREMOR

"Kuh! Get… off…GAH!!"

THERMO

"I said explain yourself. I won't repeat myself again."

TREMOR

"...!! Heh. What, you got a soft spot for weaklings? After all that talk earlier?"

THERMO

"... if you don't like having them around, you can go back to the mountain, slug."

TREMOR

"Kuh!? What!? Why me!?"

THERMO

"Because you're useless to me."

TREMOR

"I'm a warrior! I am the strongest of my kind!"

THERMO

"And I can break you like a twig. I don't care for warriors or what you're capable of. Your presence is a distraction to me. Your lack of respect and fear makes me want to vomit, and your obvious favor from the nameless one has gotten to your head because no one finds the dragon clan to be important. They are not strong, but if trained correctly, they are the greatest support. If they grow well, they can do something greater than just heal and make strength items for the warriors. They can even have the abilities to become gods and rule this planet without even needing the muscle for it."

TREMOR

"...!? th-they're defects! They can't make what you want!! Father tried! They can't do it, so I was going to get rid of them since they're more useless after coming from the same egg by mistake."

THERMO

"They are not defects! I will make them powerful and they will become the dragon clan they are born to be! Touch them again and I'm sending your head back to the nameless warrior that spawned you!"

TREMOR

"THERE IS NO WAY TO DO THAT!! THEY ARE USELESS MUTATIONS!!"

THERMO

"Not for long. And I'll make sure of it."

Thermo releases Tremor and floats back to the busted house. Tremor struggles to stand after the beating he got from Thermo. When Thermo gets to the new hole in the wall, the two mutant namekians stare at him in wonder as he approaches them. He thinks for a long moment as he stares back at them.

THERMO

"I need to go with Plutos' plan now, don't I? … Grrrruuuuuhh… SOMEONE GET OVER HERE AND FIX THIS FUCKING WALL!!!"

"YES, SIR!! RIGHT AWAY!!"

The namekians that had gathered after the wall was destroyed rushed back to the village to get ready to fix the house that was just built. Thermo walks past them and sees the Leader of the village with the Old One and Bonga.

THERMO

"... hm? Bonga and the elders. What do you three want?"

BONGA

"We finished filing everything you asked for, sir. What will you do with them?"

THERMO

"These two are coming with me. You can keep the warrior here for a while. I don't need a new punching bag just yet. I need to focus on my main goal right now, but I'm too frustrated."

BONGA

"Ah!! H-hang on a minute! I think I can cheer you up!"

THERMO

"Huuh??"

Before Thermo could question Bonga's words, he had already gone to the kitchen and rushed back with a glass of bubbling water. It was a green color like emerald. Bonga bows as he presents the drink to Thermo with haste.

BONGA

"Here you are, sir. I added a new flavor to your collection. Please have a taste."

THERMO

"... new flavor?"

Thermo takes the glass and drinks it. His shoulders relax for a moment as he takes his first sip then he decides to sit in place and drinks it slowly. It was quiet for a good while until he was done and let out a good belch. Thermo covers his mouth for the second one that escaped him.

THERMO

"Haah… You should put these in bottles and sell them. This village would make more money than the average capital of the market. For now make enough to start sending to the address that's in those files. I'll be moving there with these two."

BONGA

"Wait, you're leaving??"

OLD ONE

"Already??"

THERMO

"Hm?"

OLD ONE

"Ah… no well. Where are you headed?"

THERMO

"To sign up for school apparently."

BONGA

"Eh?? S-school? Really? Are you a student somewhere?"

THERMO

"I will be soon. I need to move into that location to go though."

BONGA

"... oh. Okay."

Thermo grabs the two mutants and flies into the sky when Tremor calls him.

TREMOR

"HEY!! Come Back! Get down here and Take me with you!! Why are you leaving without me!? I can be useful too!!"

THERMO

"I'm not taking you. You should stay here and learn some modesty from the villagers. You hurt anyone, I'll take you and your blood to the grave."

TREMOR

"TAKE ME TOO!! I WANT TO GO WITH YOU!!"

THERMO

"Ah! SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING PSYCHO! I'M RIGHT HERE!!"

Tremor suddenly jumps up and grabs Thermo's leg, forcing him to lose his balance and spazz out for a moment.

THERMO

"WHA-!!? Whoa!! Hey!! Get the fuck off me, stupid!! You're staying here!!"

TREMOR

"Let me Come too!! I'm coming too!"

THERMO

"Fuck off!"

Thermo Kicks Tremor off his legs, hard enough to send him back down to create a crater in the hill. Thermo takes the chance to fly off as fast as he could.

A few days have passed and it's late afternoon, Pluto's finishes packing his things out of the house and notices that he needs to either get storage for his larger items or sell them.

PLUTOS

"Urgh… If I'm going to lose what I earned with my own money, I might as well get it all back with interest. How dare they mess up my plans for an easy life. Grrr, when I get my hands on Hypo…"

Plutos gets a knock on his door, which startles him a bit. He goes to answer the door to find Miu standing a step away from the welcome mat nervously tapping her fingers together, a bit lost in thought. She looks at him with a hint of fear in her eyes, but she smiles at him to stay composed.

MIU

"Hey, Plutos."

PLUTOS

"Miu! You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now! Come in, quickly I'll make you some tea!"

MIU

"Wait! Wait wait! Wait a minute! Uh… hehe. I was actually wondering if you wanted to go shopping with us at Mozu Central tomorrow. You know, get some clothes, Maybe look around a bit…"

PLUTOS

"... Oh? … Alright. Are we leaving now then?"

MIU

"I-if you're okay to go. You don't have to if you're busy. I just thought it'd be nice to hang out before we start our new lives in a new school."

PLUTOS

"Let me get my cuffs and we can be on our way."

MIU

"Cuffs?"

Plutos shuts the door and returns a few seconds later with a set of metal wrist bands and puts them on. He opens the hatch inside one of them and a card pops out of the hatch.

MIU

"Uh… a digit-card??"

PLUTOS

"Mm-hm."

MIU

"Wh-where'd you find the time to get that?"

PLUTOS

"Hm? What do you mean?"

MIU

"Only people from the Eastern Isles have this. They're super expensive though… well, I guess you are technically from the Eastern Isles."

PLUTOS

"... right, this is a more isolated planet… I will tell you something interesting."

MIU

"huh?"

PLUTOS

"These cards and cuffs are a universal currency for most planets in this universe. This planet and a few underdeveloped others are simply out of the loop of universal travel because they are so far from the central void that they don't even show up on any maps or galaxy radars. The visitors, like we arcosians and the namekians, are fairly new here, so it's understandable that it hasn't been distributed much."

MIU

"... So, you're saying these cards and cuffs are from space and this is the only intelligent planet that doesn't have it as a norm?"

PLUTOS

"Yes."

MIU

"... sh-should we get going? We might be able to catch a good movie."

PLUTOS

"Alright."

Plutos steps out and locks his door and follows Miu to a patroller to find Matsuda and his dad in the car waiting for them. They enter the patroller with Miu and Plutos in the back seats and start to ride off.

PLUTOS

"Why hello. Is everyone here going to Mozu?"

MIU

"Yeah. They finally opened the roads again to the public."

PLUTOS

"Ah… I see. That's good to hear. Where are we starting with shopping?"

MIU

"Well, we can go to the mall district to get you some nice everyday clothes and then school supplies and then have your uniform tailored…"

PLUTOS

"I see. That is important. So I'm going to that school you go to, yes?"

MIU

"... A-actually…"

MATSUDA

"The three of us are transferring to a special private school for military based education to get early jobs at the police force. You're just getting your forms sent in as a homeschool transfer."

PLUTOS

"... make sense. Thank you for that."

MATSUDA

"I never really got a real answer to my question last time. What do you see Miu as to call her your friend?"

PLUTOS

"I thought we established this with Miu's answer already. She's fun to be around. I'm sure you would know, since you grew up together I would assume."

MATSUDA

"Urgh! it's not the same! I want to know how far you're willing to protect her for whatever cause you might have to get her involved in your nonsense!"

MIU

"Matsuda!!!"

PLUTOS

"What is with all of you saiyans and shouting? Look, I had a proposition to make a better version of herself in exchange for her aid. It's nothing that should get her in some diabolical schemes or unjust antics. Like puzzling solving the history books around the planet. Does that really sound so bad?"

MATSUDA

"... you really not gonna leave her as some scapegoat or nothing? Not trying to ship her off to some place no one can find her?"

PLUTOS

"You make me out to be some kind of pirate. No, I won't do that. I work for no one but the god of this universe, if that makes you feel any less judgmental about all this."

MATSUDA

"I'll believe that when I see it."

PLUTOS

"Grrrrr…."

Miu takes Plutos' hand in hers and shakes her head with pleading eyes. He could feel her quivering from her grip and decided to lean on her shoulder to rest his eyes as they drove. Matsuda watches through the window with obvious disgust but says nothing.

PART 15

Noon was closing in on the city of Mozu and Thermo, with the two mutant namekians in tow, makes it to the main city. He checks his wrist cuff to watch the map displayed on it showing his location in comparison to his destination. He was close to his end point. The namekians with him watch the city pass below them in awe and excitement.

MUTANT1

"M-mister…? Mister acrosian… sir?"

THERMO

"Thermo."

MUTANT1

"Ah! S-sorry. Mr. Thermo… w-where are we?"

THERMO

"Our new homeland, Mozu city. We'll be living here from now on."

MUTANT2

"Why?"

THERMO

"Because you need to grow your power to create your own set of orbs like the one that nameless had."

MUTANT1

"We-we can't do that! We tried but…"

THERMO

"I know you don't have the ki for it. But you have something else that will help you do what you're born to do. And I know who can help you work on that."

MUTANT2

"R-really!?"

MUTANT1

"... so… what use will we have for you?"

THERMO

"If all goes well, I will have you work your way into being guardians of this planet."

MUTANT1/2

"WHAT!!?"

Thermo lands in front of the apartment complex. The building was completely new and plain with a third floor to have more places for the rest of those that would move in, and a second building with nothing in it. He looks at the building for a while before spotting the office at the end of the building and heads towards it to see a few people inside with suits and tablets. One of them notices him walking inside with the mutant Namekians.

MAN1

"Would you be the young master taking this complex?"

THERMO

"... I own this building if that's what you want to know."

MAN1

"... I'm sorry, but may I have proof of your identity?"

Thermo lifts his cuff in front of him and hits a button that opens a compartment and spits out a card. He takes it out and hands it to the man then hits another button that allows a holographic display of a document that had five signatures on it. The man looks over the document and smiles with a nod.

BURAC

"Then, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Burac Marcer, your new management officer."

THERMO

"Fine. I was given notice that this facility was completed. But it still looks barren."

BURAC

"Ah. I was just talking to the constructors about that. They were supposed to be done yesterday, but it seems there was a structure issue with the basement."

THERMO

"And that is?"

CONSTRUCTOR

"There's a structure behind one of the cemented walls and we can't get behind it without the entire building collapsing on us and undoing all our hard work. And it made us realize how unstable the foundation was."

THERMO

"... show me."

The constructor hesitates for a moment and looks at the mutant namekians. Thermo looks at them and they rush outside as if they read the room well. With them gone, the others go down to the basement to find a destroyed wall with a large metal door and warped pillars. The door had a special airtight lock on it that was obviously dangerous to open. Thermo notices one of the bolts on the door coming loose and decides to force it back in with his energy, carefully screwing the bolt back into place. He sees pressure valves on the door and uses his energy to release the pressure, breaking the lock mechanism in the process and letting the door creak open on its own with a flood of cold fog spilling out and covering the floor around them.

Inside, Thermo sees a preserved case of ice that was as clear as glass with a plethora of crystals lighting up a tunnel that dug deep down into darkness and seemed to snake off somewhere. Thermo remembered seeing these types of crystals in the mountains.

THERMO

"It seems to be a mine."

BURAC

"Oh my lord… it's gala crystals. These haven't been mined in years."

THERMO

"Then I take it since this is my land, I can do as I please with it."

BURAC

"Uh! Y-yes! Of course! … what are the odds of this?"

THERMO

"I'll hold off on the construction for a week. Find a place for those brats to stay along with those signed to stay here."

BURAC

"Right away!"

Burac leaves with the constructors and starts making calls. Thermo makes a call of his own and waits for an answer.

PLUTOS

*call* "Thermo? Has something happened?"

THERMO

"Yeah. I found the entrance to that mine."

PLUTOS

"WHAT!!? Where!? Where are you!?"

THERMO

"The location you made me take ownership of. There's a place behind the wall of the basement that leads down. It's filled with something the people call gala crystals."

PLUTOS

"Did I really just make you the richest bastard on the planet???"

THERMO

"Watch it."

PLUTOS

"S-sorry. But this is good! You have more earnings than the three of us came with together."

THERMO

"... I do what I want with it then??"

PLUTOS

"Well, yes you own the lot it's on. You'll most likely have to deal with many people trying to buy it off you or causing issues with your plot to try and force it off your hands. But don't worry about that since I can just get that dealt with for you if you need it."

THERMO

"... who are you???"

PLUTOS

"Piss off. I'll talk to you later. I have a tour to finish."

Plutos hangs up and Thermo stands mildly annoyed as he stares at the blocked cave entrance until Burac returns with the mutant namekians who see the cave and look at it confused.

MUTANT1

"I-i… I thought we were in Mozu… why is there a crystal cave here?"

MUTANT2

"I-is it some kind of portal?? It has to be! R-right???"

THERMO

"Stop acting dumb and help me check this thing."

BURAC

"Y-you're gonna make the kids look!?"

THERMO

"They know about this better than I do. If something happens I'll protect them."

Thermo and the mutants approach the cave carefully. One of them touches the clear casing over the entrance and the casing opens up for them, only to have the room blasted with hot steam. Thermo quickly grabs the mutants and pulls them away from the entrance and back towards Burac to shield everyone with a ki wall, letting the steam rush out the hatch and into the office. In the office, the constructors see the steam and quickly rush out the front door with the steam chasing them and rising into the sky.

The steam slowly starts to clear and cool thanks to the ventilation. Once the room has cooled down enough, Thermo drops his ki shield and looks into the now exposed, steaming crystal cave. Thermo doesn't hesitate to walk into the cave and follows it into darkness until he makes it to an opening where he can hear dripping water. He makes a light source with his ki and finds a shallow pool of water with crystals inside heating the water and creating the steam. He found a natural spring under the complex. It was obvious that it had been down there for a long time. Past the pool, was more of the cave, dimly glowing on the other side with crystals lighting the path onward.

Thermo continues to follow it only to bump into a dead end, hitting a cold, clear wall that had a bright light at the end. He decides to go back and returns to the others telling them what he saw.

BURAC

"That was all under the complex!?"

THERMO

"We can deal with that later. For now, I need the constructors to make a vent system for this place so we can close this off until I can make use of it."

BURAC

"Will do!!"

Burac leaves in a hurry and leaves thermo with the mutants.

MUTANT1

"W-will it be alright to leave it there?"

MUTANT2

"What if someone finds the otherside?"

THERMO

"They can't get through anyway since it needs one of you two to open the path. Let's go. We'll get a place to stay so they can finish this place up."

Thermo and the mutants leave and Burac gives them a ride to a hotel he had set up for them. Once there Thermo takes the chance to call Plutos again.

PLUTOS

*call*"Hello, Thermo."

THERMO

"You sound worse for wear."

PLUTOS

** "urgh. Don't get me started. What are you calling for now?"

THERMO

"The cave goes on to a passage that seemed to lead outside somewhere. From my map, it looked like it lead to the inside of a gorge outside the city, but I couldn't get to the otherside due to a barrier."

PLUTOS

**"Oh! That's news. How did you get into it?"

THERMO

"I have a couple of namekians with me that I need the gods to deal with. They have the power to do something about those crystals."

PLUTOS

**"Oh… well, you got progress so good for you."

THERMO

"I have a problem though."

PLUTOS

**"What??"

THERMO

"I don't think we'll be able to stay there for a while since the cave made the foundation unstable once I opened it. I need to get a crew to stabilize the cave before anyone can move in."

PLUTOS

** "ah… that's not good. Hm? Well, what do you know? I just got a notice about it. Great. No one is going to be happy with this news."

THERMO

"Sorry."

PLUTOS

** "don't mind it. It's not your fault. We just need to wait it out for now. How long do you think it will take to get it ready?"

THERMO

"I told them they have another week to get it fixed up and ready to live in. we're already behind schedule after all."

PLUTOS

** "a week is generous, unless the cave is that big."

THERMO

"It is."

PLUTOS

** "Well, better late than never, I guess. It's not that late in the day, so how about we meet up at the central plaza east entrance, since it's the same direction? You're going to need clothes and supplies down the line and It'll be good for you to experience some down time outside of your busy schedule."

THERMO

"I'm not lazy like you. I don't need it."

PLUTOS

** "It's not being lazy! It's getting to know your location, musclehead. Explore the city and get a feel of the environment so you know where everything is in relation to your home. That's common knowledge when moving."

THERMO

"Fine fine. I'll do something then."

PLUTOS

** "I can guess that you're nearby, yes? I'll see you soon then."

THERMO

"Yeah sure."

Thermo hangs up and looks at the mutants who were engrossed in the television with Burac.

THERMO

"Burac."

BURAC

"Huh!? Y-yes, sir. What can I do for you?"

THERMO

"I need to get clothes, where do you recommend?"

BURAC

"Oh! Right! I'll get a service for you right now."

Burac makes a call and chats away before hanging up.

BURAC

"A Tailor will have a suit ready for you soon."

THERMO

"A suit? For what?"

BURAC

"Uh… you said you needed clothes."

THERMO

"I'm going myself to get them. I need to see the city I'll be living in anyway."

BURAC

"OH! True! I'll have someone take you to the best-"

THERMO

"I want to go to the plaza to shop."

BURAC

"Ah… alright. It's just there, sir."

Burac points out the window to an open market a few blocks away. It was a perfect walking distance from the hotel.

BURAC

"Since it's a large area, I'll have a ride-"

THERMO

"I'll be back by sundown. Watch them for me."

Thermo heads for the door and steps out without looking back, leaving Burac alone with the namekian mutants.

Thermo steps out and the first place he spots is a clothing shop just on the corner. It was vibrant and luxurious looking, so he decided to go there first, checking his digit-card as he walked inside. He comes out an hour later with a few bags, dressed in slick dress boots, deep violet pants and coat over a night blue, open collar polo. The manager of that store rushed out to thank him with excitement as Thermo left the scene and moved on. He looks around for a while, but doesn't notice Plutos anywhere nearby until he uses his ki sight to pick up on his energy only to find him in the center of the plaza. Annoyed, Thermo decides to float and head in that direction. Once near he hears someone scream from pain and others cursing loudly.

He still had his vision locked on energy signals, so he looked in the direction he heard the screaming and cursing, he was momentarily blinded by the energy there and had to stop flying to look again. In the alley, he saw three men cornering a girl into a dead end with two of them on the ground seemingly unconscious. To his surprise, the girl reminded him of the star he once saw while meditating on the supreme Kai's planet.

THERMO

*Thinking* "The star was from this planet??"

In the alley, Miu was struggling to hold her ground as she waited for Plutos and the others to find her, having been chased down the backways by the hooligans surrounding her. She was out of breath and unsteady but she stayed standing and struggling to keep her power under control. The remaining hooligans jump her and she fights back with all her might until she's thrown off guard and tackled into a wall, getting nicked on the shoulder with a knife. Before they could rush her again, Thermo lands between them and knocks the knife out of one's hand and sends him flying into a dumpster, shutting the lid on him and knocking him out cold.

HOOLIGAN

"HEY! Who the hell!?"

The hooligan sees Thermo and instantly panics with a step back.

HOOLIGAN

"What… What's one of you guys doing here?? I thought they said we could do what we want!"

THERMO

"... I suggest you leave before I make you, human."

HOOLIGAN

"What!? I-I'm not scared of you, asshole! Don't interfere!!"

The hooligan rushes Thermo with a punch and it connects to Thermo's cheek. Miu gasps in panic, but Thermo doesn't flinch.

HOOLIGAN

"Wh-w-what…???"

Thermo grabs the man's wrist and twists it with ease before picking him up by the shoulder, forcing an agonizing cry out of him, and throwing him out in the open road. It's quiet for a moment before Thermo turns around to look at Miu for a while then steps out of her way. Miu gazes at him for a while before realizing what he's doing and takes a few steps past him, before taking a nervous bow before him and stepping away back out to the main road with him following behind. As soon as they step out, a line of patrol cars appear and block off the area as the officers step out and quickly point their guns at them.

POLICE

"Nobody, move! Hands where I can see them!"

Another patroller arrives and officer Kosuke steps out and sees Miu surrounded. He quickly rushes onto the scene and steps between everyone.

OFFICER KOSUKE

"STOP! STOP! HOLD YOUR FIRE! Miu! Hurry, come here!"

MIU

"Mr. Kosuke, wait a minute it's okay! This person-"

A shot is suddenly fired in the chaos and in the same second Miu is forced back off her feet and into Thermo, who's hand was in a fist in front of her holding something, while he used his other hand to hold her close to him.