The Saiyan Magician

Nearly a thousand Yardratians had been slaughtered in the attack. Only about a hundred survivors gathered, awaiting Karnel's return after he had eliminated the last of the invaders. Hush led a burly Yardratian toward Karnel as he descended from the sky.

"Powerful stranger, we thank you for saving our Yardratian people," the muscular alien said, wiping his reddened eyes while forcing a brave smile. "I am Supa, leader of our tribe. If not for your intervention, we would have been completely exterminated. Please, come to our village."

"Leader Supa, my name is Karnel," he replied with a respectful nod. "You should attend to your people first." Having reached his destination of Yardrat, Karnel was in no hurry and wanted to give the survivors space to regroup.

"This is all that remains of our people," Supa said grimly. "The other villages have been destroyed. I plan to gather everyone in my village, the only one left untouched by the invaders. Please, accompany us." Supa bent down to lift an injured tribesman who had been wounded by an energy weapon, then began walking slowly toward his settlement.

They proceeded at a gentle pace for about ten minutes before a small village came into view. Several distinctive Yardratian structures stood at comfortable distances from each other across lush green fields. The architecture was uniquely organic, with curved walls and dome-shaped roofs that seemed to grow from the landscape itself.

Nearly half of the hundred survivors had suffered injuries. Upon their arrival, unharmed villagers rushed forward to help, escorting the wounded to two elderly Yardratians who apparently possessed healing abilities.

Karnel remembered the senzu beans he carried, a magical item that could prove invaluable in this situation. He approached Supa, who was organizing the survivors, and handed him a small pouch containing about a hundred of the miraculous beans.

"Leader Supa, these are senzu beans from Earth. Eating just one will heal any injury completely," Karnel explained. His capsule collection contained tens of thousands of beans, so he didn't hesitate to share a hundred with these suffering people.

"Senzu beans?" Supa's eyes widened in amazement. "Such magical items... these are incredibly precious to us right now. When Yardratians suffer minor injuries, we typically rely on our natural healing abilities. Only those with severe wounds seek treatment from our healers, and we have just two in our village who possess such magic. Without your generous gift, they would be overwhelmed. Thank you, Karnel. Please wait here while I distribute these beans to our most critically injured."

As Supa hurried off to help his people, Karnel seated himself on a natural stone bench in the village center. He observed the Yardratians going about their recovery efforts, impressed by their resilience in the face of such tragedy. An hour passed as he waited patiently.

"Karnel, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Supa said as he finally returned. "I see you found our stone bench! It was created by our people using magic. Even the buildings we live in were constructed with magical techniques."

"Your race's magical abilities are truly fascinating," Karnel replied, genuinely intrigued. "I've never encountered anything like it on any planet I've visited. Would it be possible for me to learn some of your magical techniques?"

"Of course!" Supa responded enthusiastically, clapping Karnel on the shoulder. "We welcome any good-hearted person who wishes to learn Yardratian magic, especially one who saved our entire tribe."

With that, Supa led Karnel on a lengthy walk beyond the village, eventually arriving at a cave nestled in the mountains behind the settlement.

"This cave contains records of all the magical techniques our ancestors developed, from the earliest days to the present," Supa explained, gesturing toward the entrance. "You may enter and choose what you wish to learn. But I must caution you, learning our magic requires exceptional mental fortitude. It's best not to attempt more than two techniques, as the spiritual strain could be too much to bear."

"I appreciate your concern, Leader Supa," Karnel replied. Though he doubted such limitations applied to him given his extraordinary power, he respected the Yardratian's well-intentioned advice.

"I'll leave you to your studies then," Supa said. "I must help arrange accommodations for all our people now that we're consolidated in one village. Take your time exploring."

Not far into the cave, Karnel discovered an expansive stone wall covered in thousands of intricate, glowing patterns. There were no written wordso, nly mysterious symbols that pulsed with dim light. As he gazed at each pattern, something remarkable happened: the technique, purpose, and practice method represented by the symbol naturally materialized in his mind.

One pattern showed irrigation techniques, with mysterious energy being poured onto planted seeds to accelerate their growth. Another revealed methods for manipulating the weather. Pattern after pattern, knowledge flowed directly into Karnel's consciousness.

While a normal person might require days to comprehend even a simple magical technique, Karnel's exceptional mental capabilities allowed him to absorb the information instantly. Each pattern he observed transferred its complete magical method directly to his mind without the need for gradual study.

As he scanned the wall, one particular pattern caught his attention, causing his eyes to light up with interest. "This magic is exactly what I need," he murmured.

Dimensional Pocket, a technique to create a personal storage space within another dimension using mysterious magical energy.

Following the pattern's guidance, Karnel practiced the technique for a brief period. After experimenting with it, he had to admire how sophisticated the Yardratians' magical capabilities truly were.

"With this magic, I won't need to rely on capsules anymore," he thought, pleased with his discovery. Capsule Corporation's technology, while impressive, had its limitations, capsules could be lost or damaged in intense battles. A dimensional pocket, however, would always be accessible.

Following the method now imprinted in his mind, Karnel channeled his mental energy through his fingertips and traced a pattern in the air. A stable pocket dimension approximately 100 square meters in size materialized before him.

He promptly accessed his capsule case and began transferring his possessions into the dimensional pocket: a large container of senzu beans, spare clothing, and even a dozen magazines that he'd acquired on Earth, which he insisted to himself were solely intended as gifts for Master Roshi, though he'd never admit to having browsed through them.

He also transferred his portable gravity chamber, a valuable training tool that would help him continue growing stronger even while traveling the cosmos. The dimensional pocket easily accommodated all his possessions, securing them in a space that only he could access.

"Remarkable," Karnel whispered, admiring the efficiency of Yardratian magic. "But this isn't the primary technique I came here to learn..."

His eyes returned to the wall, searching for the pattern that would teach him the legendary Instant Transmission technique.