The elderly Guardian cleared his throat and strode heavily toward Sun Yu. In a grave voice, he asked, "May I ask what brings you to my humble abode?"
"Please, Guardian, you're too kind." Sun Yu stepped forward and bowed to him. Since he was here to seek instruction, he naturally had to show the proper respect. "I'm Sun Yu, and this is my cousin Lana. We heard that Korin Sacred Land was the birthplace of the world's martial arts, so we came to ask for guidance on how to train."
After hearing Sun Yu out, the old Guardian studied him and Lana carefully. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm afraid both of you are far stronger than I am. Besides, you carry a heavy burden of sin. Forgive me, but I can't teach you."
It was true. Saiyans were born to kill, often tasked with wiping out all life on entire planets. Just before Sun Yu had crossed over, they had wiped out the Dwarf Planet, so it was fair to say they carried a heavy burden of sin.
"Hey, you old geezer! What's that supposed to mean?" Lana, standing nearby, took offense. She didn't care how others saw her, but she absolutely wouldn't tolerate anyone saying a single bad word about Sun Yu. "Who are you calling sinful? Believe me, I'll wipe you all out!"
"Lana, don't get mad just yet!" Sun Yu hurried to calm her down, then apologized tactfully to the Guardian. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't take it to heart, Guardian. Lana's just fiercely protective. She's actually a good person!"
This wasn't going well at all!
"Heh, I don't see what's so good about her!" Korin said. He'd been hostile toward Sun Yu from the start. Perhaps his feline instincts had sensed the Saiyans' bloodthirsty nature.
This time, Lana didn't lose her temper. She just glared at Korin, who bristled and darted behind the Guardian with a swish.
"Enough. Stop quarreling. Mr. Sun Yu, you're not welcome here. I hope you'll leave." The old Guardian struck his staff against the ground, delivering a blunt dismissal. Then he turned and headed back toward the Lookout.
"Wait, Guardian..." Sun Yu hadn't expected the Guardian to be so prejudiced against Saiyans. He hadn't even done anything wrong. He refused to take the blame for their sins!
In a moment of desperation, Sun Yu came up with an idea. His brow furrowed, then he smiled mysteriously. "Guardian, don't you want to return to your home planet?"
Sun Yu's words hit like a torpedo exploding underwater, leaving the Guardian and the others stunned in place.
"What did you say? What do you mean, return to my home planet? Explain yourself!" The Guardian's calm was gone. He demanded an answer.
To win the Guardian over, Sun Yu decided to make Frieza, the universe's greatest enemy, their common foe. Frieza hadn't yet taken notice of the Namekians, but so what? As the great villain, he had to play his part—like taking the blame whenever the protagonist needed a scapegoat!
"Surely you've noticed that you look different from the people on this planet. That's because, like us, you came from outer space. At the coordinates of the universe, there's a planet called Namek. Its population had plummeted because of environmental degradation, so the Grand Elder sent an outstanding member of the Dragon Clan into space to search for another planet..."
"However, after learning about Namek's miraculous Dragon Balls, Frieza, the emperor of the universe, wanted eternal life so he could conquer the endless universe. He planned to use Namek's Shenron to achieve that. Can you guess what he'd do first after getting his wish?" Sun Yu asked in a low voice. Everyone present looked grim.
The Guardian swallowed, trying to moisten his parched throat. He murmured, "He would... destroy Namek completely, to eliminate any future threat!"
With Frieza as their scapegoat and common enemy, the Guardian's attitude had changed just as Sun Yu had expected.
"Guardian..." Mr. Popo looked at him anxiously.
The elderly Guardian seemed even older now. Learning the truth about his past should have been a happy occasion, but instead he'd discovered something horrifying. He took several deep breaths, then asked Sun Yu, "Does that mean my home planet is in great danger now?"
"On that point, you can rest easy for now, Guardian. Frieza fears the legend of the Super Saiyan from our race, so he won't attack your home planet before he's finished wiping out the Saiyans!" Sun Yu reassured him.
Lana, who had been silent up until then, couldn't stay calm any longer. She grabbed Sun Yu's arm and said urgently, "Kael, what are you talking about? Lord Frieza has always treated us Saiyans well. Why would he ever attack us?"
What a headache! How had he forgotten this girl? She was a pure Saiyan. She might still have plenty of family and friends on Planet Vegeta. How could Lana just stand by while he claimed Frieza planned to destroy the Saiyans?
"Guardian, listen to that! They're in league with that Fluoride fellow!" Korin jumped in to stir up trouble. He'd been hostile toward Sun Yu from the beginning.
"It's Frieza, you senile old cat!" Sun Yu shot Korin an exasperated look, then turned solemnly toward everyone. "To be honest, for certain reasons, I know some things about the future. I know Frieza's ambitions, and I also know that I can find the power to oppose him here. Guardian, you should have the ability to sense people's hearts. You can tell whether I'm lying!"
"Guardian..."
Everyone looked to the Guardian, hoping he would give them an answer. The old Guardian pondered for a moment, then finally nodded slowly. "He isn't lying. So I want to know: do you have the power to fight this Frieza you speak of?"
"Not yet. But once we fully awaken the potential within us, we'll have enough power to defeat him!"
Could he tell them they couldn't win? The Guardian certainly wouldn't waste time training him if he did!
"Hmm..." The old Guardian nodded. "You do have tremendous potential, but your ki is unstable, and you're nowhere near displaying your true strength. First, have Korin train you to control your ki. Once you've made some progress, I'll personally instruct you."
"Heh, thank you, Guardian! My teacher, please accept this student's bow!" Sun Yu stepped forward and bowed deeply to him.
"I couldn't possibly!" Cold sweat nearly broke out on the old Guardian's forehead. Sun Yu's actions left him unable to gauge the young man's true strength. "You're far stronger than I am. I don't deserve to be called your teacher!"
"You do, you do!" Sun Yu said with shameless cheer. "As the saying goes, the one who knows more is the teacher. Since I'm asking you for guidance, you're my teacher!"
Sun Yu had made his case, so the old Guardian didn't press the matter. Otherwise, he'd seem overly formal. "Korin, take Sun Yu and the others down first. Please train them."
"Y-yes, Guardian." Korin still hadn't let go of his wariness, but since the Guardian had given the order, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead Sun Yu and the others off to train.
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