The Invitation

At that moment, inside the palace on Planet Dor, the old man seated in the highest place—the king of the planet—sat in silence, quietly watching the footage on the large screen before him.

The screen showed the scene of Kast wiping out the Ginyu Force.

"What do you all think of this?" After a period of silence, the old man, the current king, quietly turned off the screen. Then he faced the officials seated around him and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"Your Majesty!"

In response to the king's question, a young man seated on the left quickly stood up.

"I think we should try to make contact with this young man. Everyone knows that the Frieza Army is notorious throughout the universe for being a band of evil thugs and bandits. Since this young man is at odds with them, there's a good chance he isn't a bad person. And..."

Before the man could finish, an angry roar cut him off.

"What utter nonsense! What a load of rubbish!"

Just then, an old man with a beard and white hair, seated to the king's front right, suddenly stood up.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, being at odds with the Frieza Army makes him a good person? Aite! Are you really so naive? If you're this naive, I'll have to consider whether you're fit to hold your position!"

Though interrupted and challenged, Aite wasn't angered. Instead, he calmly looked at the furious old man and explained, "No, Lord Butshi. That's not the only reason. It's just one factor. There's another, more important reason. Please let me finish, and then you'll understand what I mean."

"You—!"

Before Butshi could speak, the king seated in the highest place intervened.

"Enough! Butshi, sit down. Let Aite finish."

Then the king turned to Aite and said solemnly, "Go on. Tell us what you think."

At that, Hit bent slightly at the waist, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty."

Straightening up, Aite continued, "As I said, the Frieza Army is notorious throughout the universe for being a band of evil thugs and bandits. Since this young man is at odds with them, there's a good chance he isn't a bad person. That's one factor. Another is that, faced with the Frieza Army's threat to destroy our planet, he could have simply ignored us. Yet he showed himself openly, which proves he's compassionate..."

"Hold it!"

Butshi interrupted Aite and objected again. "How can you be sure he did it out of compassion? Maybe he can't survive in space. If the planet were destroyed, he wouldn't be able to live either, so he had no choice but to reveal himself!"

After hearing Butshi's words, the old king nodded in agreement. "That's right, Aite. How can you be sure it was out of compassion, rather than concern for his own safety?"

"Heh..."

Aite chuckled at that, but instead of explaining, he asked, "Your Majesty, Lord Butshi, how strong do you think this young man is?"

"Very strong!"

"Mm."

Butshi answered without hesitation, and the old king nodded in agreement. "Yes."

Hearing their answers, Aite nodded and continued, "This young man is strong—no, extremely strong. I don't know exactly how powerful the Frieza Army is, but based on the pressure they gave off and all the equipment they were wearing, I can conclude that they're far beyond anything we can handle."

Aite paused, glanced around at the people listening, and continued with greater emphasis, "And to be blunt, even if everyone on our planet fought them, we might not stand the slightest chance!"

Then Aite abruptly shifted his tone. His eyes widened, his upright body leaned back slightly, and his smiling lips curved as he spoke with excitement. "And yet! That entire group couldn't withstand even one move from that young man. They didn't even have a chance to fight back. He wiped them out with ease, like crushing ants by the roadside!"

"Can you imagine? Could someone with power like his be an ordinary person? Would he be afraid of the planet being destroyed? To be honest, I don't believe he would! Even if he couldn't survive in space, with his strength he could easily leave this planet. I imagine that would be a very simple thing for him. After all, he only asked us to make a global announcement because the Frieza Army had eluded him before. I hope none of you forget that."

"Hmm..."

As Aite's words sank in, everyone in the hall fell into thought.

"Even if what you say makes sense, it only proves this young man isn't evil. We could simply ignore him and let him leave. Why do we need to contact him?"

After thinking it over, the old king opened his eyes and pressed Aite for an answer.

"Actually, it's very simple, Your Majesty!"

Looking at the king, Aite spoke earnestly. "Your Majesty, what do you think of our military strength here on Dole Star?"

Before the king could answer, Aite continued, "It's not weak. Yes, our planet's military strength is formidable! However, most of it comes from our technology and machines. Without them, our bodies are weak—even weaker than some wild beasts! But you all saw that young man's extraordinary techniques and abilities just now!"

At last, Aite revealed what he truly had in mind.

"We're simply missing an opportunity, Your Majesty! Don't you want to possess that young man's abilities? To fly freely through the sky, to conjure those special energy blasts in your hands, to experience the beauty of that mysterious power?"

At this point, Aite couldn't help feeling nervous.

"Besides, that young man defeated the Frieza Army, but there's no guarantee they didn't contact their comrades elsewhere and tell them what happened. If they did, and this young man then leaves, our planet could become the target of their retaliation. We don't have his strength. If that happens, destruction will be our only fate."