Namek

Somewhere in the universe, a lush green planet floated silently among the stars.

Namek.

From the spaceship's porthole, the entire planet looked like a dreamy emerald, as if it had been set into black velvet. Its atmosphere was thin and clear, and three suns wove strange patterns of light across the sky, making the surface flicker between light and shadow.

"Boom—"

The disk-shaped spaceship pierced the atmosphere, kicking up rings of green dust across the wilderness.

The hatch opened, and Son Goku stepped out, taking a deep breath—

"Cough, cough!"

He nearly choked.

Namek's air was much thinner than Earth's, with very little oxygen, while its gravity was ten times stronger. Ordinary people would struggle even to stand here, but Son Goku only adjusted his breathing slightly before adapting to the environment.

"Ten times gravity..."

He rolled his wrist, feeling the weight of his body in this environment. He had already adjusted his 30-times Gravity Suit down to 20 times.

"Grand Elder... should be in this direction."

He closed his eyes, and his awareness spread around him like a tide. The Namekians' ki was completely different from that of Earthlings: more ancient, more pure, like an old spring deep in the mountains, carrying a tranquil air untouched by worldly concerns.

To the northeast, one ki stood out as especially powerful—that was Nail, the Grand Elder's guardian. Behind Nail was an even more ancient, profound presence, like a dormant volcano: calm on the surface, yet holding unimaginable power within.

"Found him."

Son Goku leaped into the air, his figure streaking northeast like a golden meteor.

A lone stone house stood in the wilderness of Namek.

In front of it stood a tall Namekian. His skin was dark green, and he was much larger than the Namekians on Earth. He had no antennae; instead, two horns curved backward from his head, like an ancient totem.

Nail.

The Grand Elder's sole guardian, and Namek's strongest warrior.

He stood with his eyes closed, as if he were a statue. But when Son Goku's ki entered his range, his eyes snapped open—

"Who?!"

A green figure shot into the sky and appeared in front of Son Goku in an instant. Nail was astonishingly fast, moving as easily as if he were on level ground despite the tenfold gravity. He raised his hands into a fighting stance, his eyes full of suspicion.

"An alien?! How did you get to Namek?!"

Son Goku stopped in midair and looked at the tall Namekian before him, feeling a surge of familiarity.

"Nail... In the original story, he was Piccolo's kinsman. In the end, he merged with Piccolo, giving him enough power to stand against Frieza."

"He was also Namek's most loyal warrior."

"My name is Son Goku," he said with a bright smile. "I'm from Earth. I came to see the Grand Elder. I have a favor to ask."

"Earth?" Nail frowned. "I've never heard of that planet. And..."

He looked Son Goku up and down, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Your ki... is strange. You don't seem like an ordinary human."

"I'm a Saiyan," Son Goku admitted frankly. "But I grew up on Earth. My grandpa was a friend of the Namekians... well, more or less a friend."

Nail grew even more wary. "A Saiyan?! That infamous warrior race of the universe?! Frieza's lackeys?! What are you doing on Namek?!"

Son Goku scratched his head awkwardly and smiled. "Like I said, I have a favor to ask. Can you let me see the Grand Elder?"

"Impossible!" Nail snapped. "The Grand Elder is old and doesn't receive outsiders! Besides, Saiyans are all space bandits, and Frieza's underlings! We captured someone from the Frieza Force a while ago. Who knows if you're a spy sent by Frieza!"

Son Goku's expression changed.

Frieza?! Has Frieza already sent people here?

Has Frieza set his sights on Namek?

In the original story, Frieza invaded Namek with his army to obtain immortality, slaughtering nearly all the Namekians. The Grand Elder... also died in that catastrophe.

His expression turned serious. "Nail, I know what you're worried about. But please believe me, I have nothing to do with Frieza. On the contrary..."

He clenched his fists, and a white aura rose faintly around him. "I'm going to defeat Frieza too, because my planet is also within the sphere of influence of the Frieza Force. Frieza and I are bound to clash sooner or later. I came here to grow stronger, strong enough... to protect my own planet!"

Nail's pupils contracted.

He felt it—that ki. Pure and fiery, yet entirely free of evil. Like a blazing flame, warm and steadfast.

"You..."

"Let him in, Nail."

An old, gentle voice came from inside the stone house, as though drifting from far away, yet also as if it had sounded directly in their minds.

Nail stiffened. "Grand Elder?! But—"

"It's all right," the voice said with a hint of a smile. "This child's ki... is very pure. And..." The voice paused, as if sensing something. "His fate is closely intertwined with Namek's."

Nail fell silent.

He looked at Son Goku for a long while, then finally stepped aside. "...Come with me. But if you dare harm the Grand Elder—"

"I won't," Son Goku said seriously. "I promise."

The inside of the stone house was much more spacious than he had imagined.

There were no luxurious decorations, only a simple stone table and stools, and a stone bed covered with animal hide. The air was filled with an ancient, peaceful presence, like stepping into some temple of antiquity.

A Namekian sat on the stone bed.

His body was extremely frail with age, his skin shrunken like dried bark. The antennae on his head drooped limply, and his eyes were half-closed, like a life flame on the verge of going out.

But Son Goku knew—

This is the Grand Elder... Namek's most noble and wise being.

In the original story, he could awaken a person's potential with just one hand. His life force was closely linked to the Namekian Dragon Balls; if he died, the Dragon Balls he had created would become useless. However, there were other Namekians who could make Dragon Balls, so as long as the Namekians weren't wiped out, there was no need to worry about Porunga disappearing.

"Child... come closer."

The Grand Elder slowly opened his eyes. They were cloudy yet profound, like two ancient wells reflecting a thousand years of change.

Son Goku walked up to the stone bed and bowed respectfully. "Grand Elder."

"Saiyan..." The Grand Elder's voice was soft, yet everyone could hear him clearly. "I sense many things in your ki. Anger, sadness, longing... and a strange kind of 'knowledge.'"

Son Goku's heart tightened.

Knowledge? Could he sense that I'm a transmigrator?

"No, not knowledge." The Grand Elder shook his head slightly, his antennae trembling. "It's 'memories.' Memories that don't belong to you. Memories of... the future?"

Son Goku fell silent.

He hadn't expected the Grand Elder's abilities to be so terrifying. He could sense the anomaly deep within Son Goku's soul.

Memories of the future?! That's right, I really do have memories of the future!