[13]. Three Wishes

After some time, little Nail finished traveling to the remaining six villages and retrieved one Dragon Ball from each of them.

The Namekians weren't particularly fond of using this supernatural power. They revered nature and lived in harmony with it. The Dragon Balls were sacred relics to them—treasured, but rarely used.

Now, seven glowing Dragon Balls sat arranged on the ground.

Unlike the Earth's Dragon Balls, which were only about the size of an adult's fist, Namek's Dragon Balls were the size of basketballs. Naturally, their capabilities were also far greater. Earth's Dragon Balls could grant only one wish, but the Namekian Dragon Balls could grant three.

That said, their limitations were a bit different too. The Namekian Dragon Balls could only revive one person at a time, provided they hadn't died of natural causes—but they could be used to revive the same person multiple times. By contrast, Earth's Dragon Balls could revive multiple people at once, but each person could only be revived once in their lifetime.

"Rise, Porunga!"

Little Nail stood beside the enormous Dragon Balls and chanted in the Namekian language.

Instantly, the skies turned dark and storm clouds gathered. It felt like a city beneath the crushing weight of an impending storm.

Thunder cracked in the darkened skies, but no rain fell.

Boom! Boom!

Lightning flashed across the clouds, illuminating the dim sky in bursts of light—lighting up the young faces of kaso and Nail.

A massive, dragon-like creature soared upward from the Dragon Balls, its serpentine body coiling around itself like a western-style dragon. Lightning traced the length of its glowing green scales. Within moments, the entire sky was dominated by its majestic form.

kaso stood there, stunned—eyes wide, mouth open. His heart pounded with excitement.

This… was the Eternal Dragon!

He had grown up watching Dragon Ball, where the seven Dragon Balls were always at the center of the story. And now he was here, in the flesh, witnessing the moment he had once only dreamed of.

"I am Porunga, the Eternal Dragon! Speak your wishes, you who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls! I shall grant three wishes—anything within my power!" the great dragon bellowed in a thunderous voice.

"Go on, say it," Nail said, glancing at kaso with a slight smirk.

The look on kaso's face was clearly that of a country bumpkin—starstruck and utterly inexperienced.

"For the first wish… I want all Saiyans to be able to survive in the vacuum of space," kaso said.

Nail translated the wish into the Namekian language.

kaso had already thought long and hard about what three wishes to make before coming to Namek.

Everyone knew Saiyans couldn't survive in space. During Goku and Frieza's battle in the original story, Frieza detonated Planet Namek, hoping to kill Goku in the vacuum of space. Luckily, Goku found the Ginyu Force's abandoned ship and barely escaped.

This ability—to survive in space—was absolutely vital.

"Your first wish has been granted. Speak your second wish," Porunga said, his crimson eyes flashing as the wish was fulfilled.

kaso suddenly felt a strange clarity in his body, as if something had been altered on a fundamental level.

He smiled. So now Saiyans really could survive in the vacuum of space.

——

Far, far away on Planet Vegeta…

Bardock had just returned from a mission. On his way home, he suddenly froze midair.

"Huh? What was that?"

He felt a mysterious energy surge enter his body. A strange lightness filled him.

"Was I imagining things…?" Bardock checked himself but couldn't sense anything unusual, so he shrugged it off and continued flying.

——

"For the second wish… Please restore the Saiyans' original homeworld, Planet Sadala," kaso said, and Nail repeated it aloud in Namekian.

kaso knew Planet Vegeta couldn't be saved—it was doomed. The Saiyans would soon need a new place to call home. The true origin world of the Saiyans—Planet Sadala—was the ideal sanctuary.

"Your second wish has been granted. The coordinates of Planet Sadala have been transmitted to your minds. Speak your third and final wish."

"For the third wish… At the moment Planet Vegeta explodes in the future, please teleport all surviving Saiyans to the restored Planet Sadala."

kaso spoke slowly, and Nail once again translated his request.

Porunga's eyes flickered red—but this time, he didn't respond immediately.

Then came the reply, low and heavy:

"This wish cannot be granted."

kaso was stunned. Even Nail froze in disbelief.

Even the Eternal Dragon couldn't grant it?

"The destruction of Planet Vegeta and the extermination of the Saiyans… were decreed by Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction. As such, this wish exceeds my authority."

A few drops of cold sweat rolled down the Eternal Dragon's mighty face.

"Speak your third wish," Porunga urged again.

kaso's heart sank. He had considered this possibility. A God of Destruction was a deity of immense power, and even a dragon like Porunga—crafted by the Namekians—couldn't go against such a divine order. Probably only the Super Dragon Balls could bypass a god's will.

So… the Saiyans were still doomed?

But just as that despair began to rise, kaso realized something.

Wait—Beerus only ordered Frieza to carry out the destruction. He never checked afterward to see if the Saiyans were truly extinct. That's how Goku and Vegeta survived, after all.

Porunga couldn't help directly—but nothing was stopping kaso from doing it himself.

Yes. It was still possible.

He let out a deep breath, clarity returning to his mind.

"I'll take a different third wish. Please create a fertile plot of land on Planet Sadala where Senzu Beans can grow and ripen instantly."

Nail relayed the final wish.

"Your third wish has been granted!"

Whoosh!

The Dragon Balls flared with golden light, and Porunga's immense form vanished from the sky. One final gleam of light shimmered across the horizon, and the Dragon Balls on the ground turned to lifeless gray stone.

The Eternal Dragon was gone.

kaso stood in place, brow furrowed.

So… Planet Vegeta would be destroyed. The Saiyans would still face extinction.

But perhaps, not all hope was lost.

He looked over at the little Namekian standing beside him.

"Nail, I'm leaving now. Please tell the Grand Elder that I said goodbye. And tell him… I'll honor my promise. The Namekians will always be friends of the Saiyans—and of me, kaso."

He was really going.

Nail felt a ripple in his chest.

Through their time together, he had come to realize—kaso was no ordinary child. Every wish he made had been for his people, not himself. He hadn't run away when faced with extinction. He had done everything he could to save his race.

Such a person deserved respect.

After all, Nail had made the same choice in the original future—fusing with Piccolo to try and save his people.

"Alright," Nail said softly. "In the coming battles, do your best. But if you truly can't win… then don't hesitate to run. Live to fight another day."

He gently patted kaso on the shoulder.

kaso smiled. He didn't expect this softer side of Nail.

But he agreed—if facing Frieza head-on was suicide, he'd run.

Frankly, calling himself an "ant challenging an elephant" was already flattering himself.

"Goodbye!"

With that, kaso shot up into the sky like a comet.

Nail stood still, watching the small white dot in the sky vanish into the distance. He wasn't sure what he was thinking.

Then, slowly, he turned and flew back toward the Grand Elder's home.

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