Saiyan Castaway
By MorePlus
"" Dialogue
'' Thoughts
"Italics" other language
'Italics'-thoughts in other language
Authors Note: Here's the next chapter, this one will establish Alex's path towards becoming a hero. After this one there will be a time skip to the start of the Young Justice series, and his first meeting with the Team.
The entire week since the incident in the cabin flew by without much fanfare. For three days since returning to Gotham Alex and his adoptive parents did not speak about the strange trance he found himself in after messing with the now identified Saiyan pod he came to this planet in. In a way it was nice, almost as if the whole thing about being an extraterrestrial being from a warrior race in civil strife did not sink into their daily lives. Alex found comfort in this blissful state, but knew in the back of his mind the events of three days prior had to be discussed by his family at some point. That day came when his father, after coming home from a particularly taxing night on call at the hospital, cleared his throat as his son was finishing up dinner.
"Alejandro, we need to talk". Alex tensed: he knew that the topic of the conversation would be difficult, given that he had recounted the events of the luminescent box after it had happened. He knew it would not be an easy conversation. "First of, I want you to know that, despite all that happened three days ago, I and your mother have, and will always love you as if you were our own son," his "father" started. "That being said, if what this 'Celeron' said is true, you seem to be in danger because of your lineage. From what you told me, these 'Vegeta' and 'Frieza' persons sound like dangerous people. We need to find a way for you to be safe from them."
"My birth father mentioned something about training myself in my Saiyan abilities. I've been reading the archives I took from the pod: that weird energy I emitted at school was something called 'Ki'. Apparently, Saiyan abilities are based on the manipulation of ki, which is our life force. Everyone apparently has it, but the way it manifests in Saiyans allows them to do amazing things, like fire energy blasts and power up our attacks. They're measured by what are called 'power levels', and Saiyans use scouters like these to measure them." At this, Alex showed his adoptive father the green tinted scouter he found on the space pod. While his father was examining it, he continued: "I don't know of anyone on Earth who could train me in my abilities though, most people on Earth don't seem to manifest enough ki to really be effective in combat. I suppose I could begin searching, but it looks like an uphill battle. But I know that I'll have to master them before Frieza or Vegeta show up."
"Do you know when they're coming, from your time in the 'trance', Alex's father asked. "No, Celeron didn't mention a time frame. He suggested I should start as soon as possible." His adoptive father sighed, and lamented the situation: "They never prepare parents to deal with meta children. I'll try to see what I can find out from my friend at the University, but I can't promise anything. Anyway, I think it's about time you go to sleep, you have school tomorrow."
Alex realized how tired he was from the whole ordeal of finding out his origins, and he felt relief when, after bidding his father farewell, he felt the impact of his body on his soft bed. Thoughts rushed through his head, mostly about his uncertain future. He lamented the fact that he had no one to train him in his abilities so he could confront the threat caused by his origins. Contrary to what Celeron stated, his main reason for attempting this was so he could protect his family from the threat Vegeta and Frieza represented. He would need a trainer. 'Maybe someone from the Justice League can help, they seem to know a lot about aliens.' Such contemplations were quickly dashed by his mind when he realized that the optics of the situation did not suit him revealing himself, at least not yet. A kid from a warrior race from a galaxy far away with a penchant for conquest? The Justice League would probably assume that he was the advance scout for another invasion like the one they stopped a month ago. No, he needed to try to master his abilities so he could at least prove himself to them when the time comes. With that issue resolved in his mind, for now, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Unbeknownst to Alex and his family, a certain deity was watching him ever since the incident in the cabin. "You're right kid, no one on Earth can handle the ki necessary to train a Saiyan. Luckily for you, I'm not exactly a 'resident', hehehehe," stated the chubby figure on a far-away planet, looking at the scene from a portal. For King Kai, this Alex character would present both a challenge and an opportunity. The kid just needed a nudge in the right direction so he could grow to his potential. And he would need that potential on his side if Kai wanted to bring balance to his quadrant of the universe from what would surely be the very unbalancing forces of Frieza and Vegeta. "Looks like I'm heading to Gotham. I'll need a disguise though"
The next day Alex made his way to Gotham North Middle School after being dropped by the bus. He thought about his dilemma as the sight of the school's gate made itself known in his vision. 'Maybe there are other Saiyans that can teach me. Vegeta and I can't surely be the only ones left.' His thoughts were interrupted by his friend Robert making his presence known. "Yo, Earth to Alex. What has you so bummed? Ever since you came back to school you've been out of it."
"Nothing. I just didn't get enough sleep last night." Not a total lie, as Alex was up a considerable time thinking about his dilemma. Considering the attention his lack of focus was attracting, he thought he'd tone it down a bit, for his friend's sake at least. "I'll get over it, what's with you? You seem to be excited about something," Alex asked his friend. "Don't you know, we're getting a new P.E. teacher today! I hope he's more chill than Mr. D'avila. He was a total slave driver!" His friend's excitement was palpable, and Alex could not help be affected by it. Perhaps a new teacher in school would liven the usually dour mood at Gotham North. It would certainly serve as a bit of a distraction from his current woes.
The morning passes by quickly in a cacophony of boredom. Endless monologues by equally boring teachers pass on without making much of an impression on Alex. The morning would have been unmemorable, save for that one instant when Alex was called upon to translate a particularly difficult passage (for the other students at least) in his Spanish elective class.
"!Oh envidia, raíz de infinitos males y carcoma de las virtudes!", Alex recited. "It means, 'Oh envy, root of infinite evils and decay of the virtues'", Alex explained.
"Nerd!", one of the kids in the class whispered to his cohort. That set off a whole cacophony of laughter at Alex's expense. Looking around the room, Alex immediately shrank back to his seat so as to, unsuccessfully, avoid the embarrassment. It was an established fact that Alex was not the most popular kid in school due to his shy, quiet nature and his contemplative, studious ways, whereas most kids his age were loud and boisterous. His shy and reclusive nature made sure that he only had a handful of friends he could count on, Robert being the most recurring one. The rest of his interactions consisted mainly of a typical middle school student's casual acquaintances. All in all, it was quite a lonely life for Alex.
'Typical, maybe next period won't be as tough.' Such thoughts were in Alex's mind as he made his way to his next period-gym-right before the lunchbreak. The corridors of Gotham North Middle School blurred into a single image as he and Robert walked to the school's gym.
"I heard the new teacher is ex-Special Forces and knows all kinds of fighting techniques," Robert gushed. Robert was one to let his mind wander into fantasy about the implications of possibilities such as these. In his mind, he had conjured up a whole movie about how the newly introduced teacher would train him to defeat the bullies (and maybe get a few girls to like him). Alex's mind was on more practical things, like the possibility of this teacher not being as much of a jerk as the last one. Such were their thought patterns as the boys made their way towards the gym's entrance.
Once inside and having changed into gym clothes, Alex and Robert saw that the students that had arrived were lined up in a perfect line across from a slightly portly middle aged man wearing a track suit. What struck Alex the most about the man was his hair: It almost appeared as if the man had two antennae sprouting from his hair, but upon further inspection, they seemed to just be eccentric cowlicks. His facial hair was weird as well, sporting two protruding whisker-like extensions to his mustache. His skin was also very pale, almost a blue color if the light caught it correctly.
"Class, it's an honor to be your teacher. I understand I have some big shoes to fill because of the loss of Mr. D'avila." At this most of the class snorted in derision. "Anyway," continued the whiskered replacement, "My name is Mr. King. I'll be your gym teacher from now on. I'll throw a lot at you, but come the end of the school year you'll be glad I whipped you all into shape."
What followed was perhaps one of the most interesting physical education classes the students had ever experienced. It started off with a variety of meditation exercises, all of them involving breathing in controlled rythms from what Mr. King referred as an "Eastern technique". Then came a series of martial arts katas. Most of the students, not accustomed to such moves, labored to understand the new exercises. Alex, however, after a period of adjustment, found that the katas were quite enjoyable to do and learning them came naturally to him. 'Wonder why that is' he thought.
After a series of fast paced katas, Mr. King adjourned the class and sent the students off to lunch. Alex, having forgotten his backpack in the locker room after showering, excused himself from his friend and went back for his belongings. On his way he could not help but think about his predicament: he still needed a trainer in the art of ki manipulation if he hoped to have any chance of confronting the dangers posed by his origins. The task seemed impossible, and it did not seem like a few learned katas would help him in his endeavor. "This is fine and all, but I need more than some martial arts moves, I need training," Alex lamented.
"Perhaps I can be of help, young man." A voice at the end of the locker room caught Alex's attention, making him whip his head towards the person. "Mr. King? How exactly can you help me?" Alex was on guard: he had not told anyone at school of his otherworldly problem, and he had no intention to. This represented a new development, and it was worrying. For all he knew anyone expressing an interest in his condition could probably be working for Vegeta or Frieza.
"Now before you assume anything: no, I'm not with Vegeta or that madman Frieza. Quite the opposite actually." "How did you-", Alex was cut off by Mr. King's next words. "Now, as to how I know your secret, I'm what's known as a Kai or Boundary King, in charge of a whole section of the universe, specifically the northern part of this quadrant. I came to you because I know what happened on Planet Vegeta. And I know your predicament, you need someone Ki-sensitive to train you in your Saiyan abilities."
"How-what-ok…assuming that you're telling the truth, how can I be sure of what you're telling me?" Alex did not know whether things like Boundary Beings existed, but considering that he came from a world where people flew around in tights and had amazing abilities, he did not rule out Mr. King's-or whoever he was- explanation. He needed proof, however, and he wasn't going to bet on this new development without it.
Mr. King held out his hand and, after making sure the locker room was deserted, a ball of yellow energy materialized in his hand. Alex was amazed that it seemed to be the same color as the eye beams he shot out weeks ago. The truth of Mr. King's statement impressing itself in Alex's mind, Mr. King dissipated the ball of energy just as quickly as it began. There was an awkward silence between them, broken only when Alex asked the following questions: "So what happens now? When do we start training? And how long will it take?"
Mr. King answered in a sober manner. "We start by ascertaining your power level. We start as soon as you tell your parents you found a trainer. It'll take a couple of years to get you ready to face your enemies, so we better start now. Now I believe lunch is almost over."
"Ok Mr. King. Where do we start?" Alex asked.
"I'll let you know. And call me King Kai."
Little did Alex know that the next few years would be the most intense training of his life.