New Disciples

'Time to leave this planet and continue my journey', Karnel thought as he surveyed the battle-damaged landscape around him.

He was preparing to depart when an eager voice called out from the distance.

"Warrior of justice! You defeated that evil man!" It was Noen, the chubby rabbit prince, racing toward him with his brother in tow. "You're incredibly powerful! Would you teach me your abilities?"

"I want to be strong like you too!" Noffey added, huffing as he struggled to keep pace with his brother. "Please teach us how to become powerful enough to protect our homeworld!"

Karnel's somber mood lightened at the sight of the two young rabbit princes. There was something undeniably charming about the pair; one plump and one slender, running upright on their hind legs, long ears bobbing with each step. Their earnest enthusiasm brought an unexpected smile to his face.

"Hoo... hoo..." Noffey panted as they reached him, revealing prominent front teeth as he caught his breath. "Mighty warrior, my name is Noffey. This rotund one is my elder brother Noen. Would you consider becoming our teacher and showing us how to develop such amazing skills?"

"Oh? And why should I teach complete strangers?" Karnel asked with a raised eyebrow, though his tone was playful rather than dismissive.

"Great warrior," Noen interjected, "our father is King Norris, ruler of all Durastar. He can provide whatever you desire if you agree to be our teacher." The pudgy rabbit prince stood tall despite his exhaustion, clearly proud of his royal lineage.

"So you're actually princes of this planet?" Karnel reached out curiously to touch one of Noen's long ears, finding it soft and velvety like an ordinary rabbit's. "I'm not sure there's anything I particularly want, though."

"Well..." Noen hesitated only briefly before blurting out, "We have a sister! She's extremely beautiful! I could ask her to marry you as your wife—"

"Noen, you idiot!" Noffey smacked his brother on the back of his head. "Is your brain stuffed with nothing but carrots? The warrior is from space! Why would he be interested in rabbit people like us?"

"But what then?" Noen rubbed his head, looking genuinely perplexed. "If he doesn't want anything our planet can offer..."

Karnel regarded the brothers with sudden seriousness. "Let me ask you something first. Why do you want to become strong?"

Seeing Noen about to speak, Noffey quickly pulled his brother back and answered instead. "That evil space traveler was right about one thing, we lack the ability to protect our homeworld. We're too weak to defend against invaders. My brother and I want to learn from you how to become stronger because only with sufficient power can we truly protect our home and people."

"Power to defend your homeland..." Karnel repeated thoughtfully.

The rabbit brothers watched him anxiously, afraid to speak as he considered their request.

After what seemed to them an eternity, though it was merely seconds, Karnel nodded solemnly. "That's a worthy reason. I accept."

The brothers' eyes widened with excitement, but Karnel raised a hand to continue.

"However, I want you to remember this: maintain the purity of your intentions. Don't let your growing strength corrupt you. Never become like that evil Saiyan, pursuing power through any means necessary." His expression darkened. "If I ever discover you've strayed from this path, know that no matter where you run, I will find you and deal with you myself. Is that understood?"

He paused, then added with a lighter tone, "Also, I should introduce myself properly. My name is Karnel. Remember it well."

"Yes, yes! Teacher Karnel! We'll remember every word!" Noen jumped up excitedly, grabbing his younger brother's paws and spinning him around in what appeared to be a traditional rabbit dance of joy.

"Good," Karnel said, finding their enthusiasm infectious. "It's getting late. Return home for now, and I'll begin teaching you tomorrow. Keep our arrangement between us, don't mention it to anyone else. Meet me here at dawn."

"Yes, Teacher Karnel!" Noen agreed eagerly before looking around with confusion. "Although, the environment here is pleasant enough, but where will you stay tonight?"

"Don't worry about my accommodations," Karnel replied, shooing them away with a gentle motion. "Now hurry back before you're missed."

After the princes departed, heading toward the edge of the forest that had been stripped bare by the Tree of Might's influence, Karnel reconsidered his plans.

"I suppose a brief stay wouldn't hurt," he mused aloud. "My spiritual training can continue here as well as anywhere. And I should plant those Divine Tree seeds that Kaku gave me."

Remembering the remarkable fruits that could transform into any flavor one desired, Karnel reached into his dimensional pocket and withdrew the small pouch of seeds he'd received from the refugee merchant.

How ironic, he thought with amusement. Turles just planted his parasitic tree, and now I'm planting these beneficial ones.

Karnel dug several small holes, each about a meter deep, and carefully placed the seeds inside, covering them with soil. He planted around a dozen in total, spacing them appropriately to allow for growth.

With that task complete, he found a comfortable spot and sat cross-legged on the ground to meditate and plan his time on Durastar.

"First priority is to master the Super Saiyan transformation," he murmured to himself. "While the power multiplier remains fixed at 50 times my base strength, I can work on extending the duration significantly."

He recalled the concept of the 'Full-Power Super Saiyan' state, a mastery level that allowed a Saiyan to maintain the transformation indefinitely with minimal energy drain, essentially making it their new baseline state.

"What else?" he pondered. "Energy techniques? With my current level of control, I can usually replicate most energy attacks after seeing them just once. Perhaps I should focus instead on that physical clone technique I learned from the Yadratians but never fully mastered."

The thought of teaching the rabbit princes provided additional motivation to refine these skills. Having students would force him to articulate and systematize techniques he'd learned intuitively.

Karnel smiled as he imagined the possibilities. When perfected, the clone technique would allow him to create dozens or even hundreds of duplicates, each with a portion of his power. The strategic applications were countless.

As the twin suns of Durastar began to set, casting long shadows across the landscape, Karnel deepened his meditation. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of a new chapter, both for him as a teacher and for the young rabbit princes as warriors in training.