The Guardian of Earth
Shivaroku climbed for about a half day up the pole until he saw a large circular platform spanning a few hundred yards in diameter. It was deep too, so the ladder continued to go up the inverted dome. At one point he was almost hanging upside down on the ladder, but he wasn't phased. He finally reached the top and laid down in exhaustion. He decided to take a little nap, so that he could regain a bit of his strength. After what seemed like a couple hours, he opened his eyes to the full moon. Good thing he didn't have his tail, otherwise things would've gone very bad. He got up and walked to the center of the inverted dome, where he saw a brown man meditating. As Shivaroku walked closer, he saw that the man was almost three times his size. The man also wore a white turban and curiously had no nose. Shivaroku, not wanting to disturb the man's mediation, decided to sit in front of him and waited until the man was finished. However, just as Shivaroku was sitting down, the man spoke.
"Welcome to the Lookout, child. You go by the name Shivaroku, yes?" asked the man.
Shivaroku replied, "Yes, Sir. Are you The Guardian of Earth, Sir?"
"Is that what they're calling me now? Well I guess you can say that I am. My name is Popo. I watch over this world's progress."
"It's an honor to meet you, Sir. I have made a long and arduous journey to get here, and I have passed Master Korin's challenge. I humbly ask for you to train me, Sir."
"Don't be so formal and uptight with me, child. It doesn't seem to be your style. I'm assuming Korin told you to be as respectful as possible?"
Continuing to look stiff and looking straight ahead at Popo, Shivaroku replied, "Yes, Sir. He said you were powerful and an important being, and that I should show you the utmost respect."
"Ah well, he's half right. I am powerful, and I guess you can say I hold an important position in this world. However, the respect part is just an easy way to weed out those unworthy of receiving both his and my training. Please, be casual around me," Popo said with a smile.
Shivaroku relaxed his shoulders a bit and smiled back. "Thank you, Master Popo. I would still like to refer to you as Master, since you are my teacher. Is that alright?"
"Haha, yes. I guess it is important to indicate the master and student relationship."
"I'm ready to begin my training now, Master Popo!"
"Hahaha. Be patient, child. It is late and you are exhausted. To be a good shinobi means to know one's limits and to not risk wasting any energy when they can rest and recuperate."
"Oh…sorry. You are right, I am pretty tired from that climb."
"Let me show you to your quarters. Follow me."
"Are you the only one up here, Master Popo?"
"Yes, I am."
"Doesn't it get lonely?"
"It would, if I were a mortal and if I had such weaknesses. But I have trained for over a millennium. I am able to stay in solitary for as long as possible. However, it is nice to have company every once in a while. I do have Korin, too," responded Popo with a smile.
Popo showed Shivaroku to his new room, and Shivaroku got comfortable almost immediately. Popo stated that his training would begin tomorrow morning.
Shivaroku woke up well-rested and walked back up to the top of the platform, where he saw Popo standing and waiting for him.
Popo asked him, "I can tell you have a specific goal in mind for your training. Do tell."
Shivaroku replied, "Well I have this form, that my first teacher and I call Super Saiyan. This form is awoken in a fit of rage. The issue I have with this form is that I can't control it. I almost killed my friend and my teacher because of it. I recognize its power and I know it can be a great help to the world, but only if I can control it."
"I see. For someone so young, you are wise and have a good heart. I will help you. However, there are other things you will need to learn first. Please understand that mastering a form like that takes time and lots of effort. Also understand, that I will only be able to train you for two years, for that is a rule that comes with being in my position."
"I understand. I am ready to learn whatever you will teach me."
From then on, Shivaroku's training began. It was difficult to say the least, much more difficult than Roshi's training. For almost a full two years, Shivaroku honed his skills. He increased his strength, speed, and battle IQ. On top of that, he learned many new things. He fully mastered chakra control, with which he could wield his chakra more efficiently and draw out his full potential in any battle. Furthermore, he learned how to generate ki blasts. By utilizing his chakra control, he was able to shoot ki blasts out of his hands and feet. While the Kamehameha was still more powerful than these ordinary ki blasts, it was easier for him to attack from range now without having to charge and focus his chakra. Something that also came with chakra control was his ability to sense chakra. Before, he could only sense chakra while in Sage Mode. Now, he could sense it without having to tap into Sage Mode. Of course, in Sage Mode, his senses were enhanced, but having a strong base was important. Popo also taught him the history of the shinobi, including the story of the Sage of Six Paths. Shivaroku learned about the special eyes that the Sage wielded, which were the Byakugan, Sharingan, and Rinnegan. Unfortunately, Shivaroku never had the ability to awaken these eyes because he was not a Hyuga or an Uchiha. Nonetheless, his chakra sensing was as good as a byakugan, and his movement tracking was as good as a Sharingan. Along with all of this, Shivaroku also learned to summon a flying nimbus. This was especially incredible, because a summoning usually involves a blood contract between a person and an animal, but the flying nimbus was not an animal. Popo gave permission to Shivaroku to summon the flying nimbus whenever he wanted, and it was a very good way to get to one's destination as fast as possible.
However, two years was basically up, and Shivaroku feared that he no longer had time to train with Popo. Popo, however, was not worried, since he knew of a way to do multiple months of training in one day.
"It is called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," said Popo.
"The Hypersonic what now?" asked Shivaroku, confused.
"…Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It is a room that allows you to enter a pocket dimension where time is sped up. I can set the chamber's time displacement to whatever I want. The faster it is, however, the more difficult it is to stay in there for prolonged periods."
"Wow that's amazing, does this mean I can get a lot of training done in here so I don't have to do it in the real world?"
"Well, not exactly. You can only use this room a few times in your entire lifetime. As of now, the max displacement it allows is one full year in one day, which means if you spend one full year in there, only one day passes out here. However, only I am able to withstand that kind of pressure. As I said, the faster it is, the more difficult it is to stay in there."
"I see…would've been pretty convenient if you could use it all the time."
"Yes it would, but as a mortal, you would age much faster. Now at your level, I'm going to set the displacement to one month. This means when you spend one month in the time chamber, one day will have passed out here. You have about one more week left to train with me, so about 6 days in there should do the trick!"
"Why not use all 7 days? More training is good right?"
"Yes, it is, but you will always need a full day to recover after using the chamber. I can't send you off while you are still exhausted, can I?" said Popo as he smiled.
"I get it now."
"One more thing. I won't be in there with you. If I spent all 6 months with you, I will have broken the rules. But I can offer you some advice."
"Oh…okay, what advice do you have for me?"
"Separate your emotions from the battle. There is a difference between having a goal and having emotions. Your goal can be to save a friend, but emotions like anger and sadness will get in the way and prevent you from controlling your Super Saiyan form. You have trained your body and skills out here, but you must also train your mind."
Heeding those words carefully, Shivaroku stepped into the time chamber.
The chamber was warmer. The air was heavier. It even seemed like he himself was heavier. It was an endless white void, so Shivaroku had to be careful not to get lost. Shivaroku spent a couple days adapting to the conditions of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and then he began his training.
Every few days, Shivaroku would use a full day to meditate and train his mind to not ignore his emotions, but to be able to separate them from the battle. But he had to be able to take on his Super Saiyan form without using rage. He first tried to trigger the transformation by remembering the time Bulma got hurt. He even tried to imagine not being able to save his teacher and friend. It worked, but as he was in his form, he couldn't control it…at first. Little by little, Shivaroku battled the anger in his mind and was able to achieve more control over his form. He continued this cycle of training until one day his transformation looked completely different from before. Previously he would have a blood red aura, his pupils and iris would disappear, and his muscles bulked up. This time, in addition to the spiky blond hair, his aura was golden. His muscles were no longer so bulked up that you could see his veins. His pupils went from his usual black color to a stunning sky-blue. It was almost…divine. Shivaroku got used to this form, and he was able to tap into it at will. It was much stronger than his Sage Mode, that's for sure. One drawback, however, was that like Sage Mode, he couldn't hold it forever. It dissipated as soon as he exhausted his chakra, but it was a good thing he learned to be more efficient with it.
Unfortunately by the time Shivaroku started being able to tap into his new Super Saiyan form, his time ended in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and he was thrust out, where Popo was waiting for him.
"NO! I NEED MORE TIME! DAMNIT!" yelled Shivaroku.
"It seems you made considerable progress," said Popo calmly.
"Well…I did, but not enough. There's still a big chance that if I get angry enough, I may lose control again."
Popo stared at Shivaroku. "Hmm…well in any case, show me your transformation."
Shivaroku looked up, made a serious face, and powered up to his new Super Saiyan form.
"Very impressive. It's much better than the first version. Do not be angry with yourself. You have made more than enough progress. You are able to tap into this power at will. No doubt, it will be very helpful for this world."
"Thank you, Master Popo. I just wish I could've perfected it," responded Shivaroku.
"You will. Just continue training," said Popo with a smile.
Shivaroku smiled back, but then immediately collapsed. It seemed that the fatigue and sudden end of the time displacement caused him to fall from exhaustion, which Popo said would happen. Popo carried him back to his room, where Shivaroku slept for almost a full day.
The next day, Shivaroku woke up and saw Popo standing in the doorway.
"Well, it seems that your training with me has come to an end. You have done very well, child. Much progress in the last two and a half years. Before you leave, however, I must show you something. Follow me," said Popo.
Shivaroku stood up and followed Popo. Popo was more serious than before, and it created an ominous, almost chilling atmosphere throughout the Lookout. They walked for about 10 minutes until Popo stopped at a large ornate door with chains around it.
"What is this place?" asked Shivaroku.
"This, child, is the main reason I am called the Guardian of the Earth," replied Popo.
Shivaroku looked at him confused.
Popo said, "Sealed behind this door is a powerful demon. One day this demon will be able to break the seal and the world will be in grave danger."
"Why not just destroy the demon?" asked Shivaroku
"Two reasons. As Guardian of the Earth, I am not allowed to fight evil. I can offer guidance. I can train, but I cannot fight evil. If I do, then it will be considered as me imposing my power on a mortal world, and I would be erased from existence for breaking the rules. The second reason is well…this demon may be stronger than me."
"Stronger than YOU?! But you're the strongest being of this world! That's what Master Korin told me!"
"Of this world. This demon is from another world. He goes by the name Piccolo. He is evil incarnate."
"But that's insane…if you can't beat him, who can?!"
"You, child."
"Me?! But I'm still a lot weaker than you."
"Now you are. But it will be several years before Piccolo breaks the seal. In all honesty, it was fate that brought you to me. Remember when your first teacher, Roshi, told you that you would save the world? This is what he meant."
"But…I don't get it. You mean to say that I was born specifically to defeat this Piccolo guy?"
"An oversimplification, but yes. You are more special than you realize. I cannot tell you why you are special, for you must find that out for yourself."
"That's…insane. What if I can't beat him?"
"Don't tell me you're scared. Has Gohan, Roshi, and Korin taught you nothing? The strongest thing a Shinobi can have is their will. The moment you lose heart, the instance you feel self-doubt, is when your downfall begins."
Shivaroku looked up at Popo. Popo continued, "As I said, it will take several years before Piccolo is free of the seal. Look at how much progress you have made in just two years. You're already one of the strongest mortals of this world!"
Shivaroku looked a little more determined, but still a bit worried. Popo led him back to the edge of the Lookout.
"Well now that you can summon Nimbus, you don't have to climb all the way down," said Popo.
Shivaroku summoned Nimbus and hopped on. Before he departed, Popo wanted to say a few more words to him.
"Remember, Shivaroku. Keep training. There will always be someone stronger than you. That is the harsh reality in the universe. Also, now that you are 15 years old, you will definitely have to join a village. Otherwise, you will be considered a rogue shinobi. I will give you a signed scroll. The leaders of the villages will know who I am and why you are there. Go to the Great Library, which is just a few kilometers West of the tower. There the five Kage will be waiting for you." Popo placed a hand on Shivaroku's head and wished him luck.
"Thank you, Master Popo. Maybe I'll visit again and keep you company, haha," said Shivaroku.
Popo smiled and waved to him as Shivaroku sped down the tower on Nimbus.
"Choose a village, huh? I wonder what these five Kage are like. They are supposed to be the leaders of the Great Nations, right? So, they must be super strong and skilled!"
Shivaroku got closer to the ground until he was just a bit above the trees, then he headed West towards the Great Library.