Kaido was a light sleeper. He had to be, if he wanted to navigate life in the great Artiko's household unbruised. So as soon as the Saiyan boy heard the sound of his father's footsteps, he roused from his slumber. By the time his door had slid open, the boy had sat up to meet the gaze of his father. At eleven years old, Kaido was tiny in comparison to his father, but there was an undeniable resemblance between the two of them. Save for a massive burn scar that covered his father's face from his neck to his nose, Kaido was the spitting image of his father in his youth.
Artiko met the sight of Kaido roused from rest with the smallest of smiles, though that shred of satisfaction was brief.
"You're awake, good– that means you haven't forgotten the importance of today."
Rubbing his eyes, Kaido responded. "How could I?" In truth, Kaido had hardly slept at all. The entirety of the past day had been one long session of training- if withstanding a stronger fighter's blows and barrages could even be considered training. But despite how exhausting the previous day had been, his sleep had been false. Though he knew that he had not literally remained awake the whole night, he'd felt semi-conscious throughout, anticipating what would come next: The Placement Trials.
His father answered Kaido's question with a strong pat on the back. It snapped Kaido out of his recollection of the previous night, but he hardly felt it- it was soft compared to the strikes he'd felt during the harsh training of days before. "That's my boy. Now go get ready- food's on the table, and I won't have you falling to some low-class brat over hunger pangs."
Normally the mention of food in the morning would have made his stomach twist in knots. Today, he hardly wished to eat at all. Though the thoughts didn't really make sense, he wondered if doing so would slow him down, and even toyed with the concept of only breaking his fast as a 'reward for winning a match'. In the end, he pushed those silly thoughts down. Artiko rarely brought food back to their residence, and Kaido usually had to collect it himself. He wasn't about to disappoint the older Saiyan by rejecting the food he'd already brought back. Not today, not when his father's eyes would be keeping the closest watch on him.
The young boy got off his bed, and looking to the ground lost in thought, he slowly made his way out of his room towards the living room table. Arrayed on the table was a large, but simple meal. Three large eggs and a slab of roasted meat his father had likely gotten from the Royal City's distribution center. As he sat down to eat, he reminded himself of the fights to come.
Every year, Saiyan children coming of age had to take part in a rite, a gathering where they could prove their fighting prowess and their worthiness of being called true Saiyan warriors. His father rarely taught Kaido anything of history, but he had always told Kaido the practice was ancient, from a time before their people bowed down to 'alien scum'. Now, however, the gathering had become a thing observed only in the Royal City, for the entertainment of those same 'scum'. During the Placement Trials, young Saiyans would prove their usefulness not only to the King, but to offworlders and their fellow Saiyans. While those at the top of the trials could become trainees for the King's Royal Guard, others who passed the first and second rounds would become obvious candidates for recruitment and conscription by the Planet Trade Organization. Long ago, when Kaido's father was young, he had passed those trials with shining colors, rising above his station to become a member of the Royal Guard. Now, Artiko expected the same of his only son- failure was simply not an option, not after what happened with Nachi.
As Kaido grabbed one of the great blue-shelled eggs from his plate with both of his hands, he looked for the words to bring up his older sister. He wanted to ask if his father had heard of her exploits, or even if she was coming back to Planet Vegeta to witness his own trials. He mustered up the courage just as his thumbs managed to pierce the egg's shell and allow him to drink the yolk inside.
"Do you think Nachi will be watching me?" The words cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter, and what little pride Artiko wore on his dour face disappeared. His father looked at him like he'd been spat in the face, and his response sounded venomous. "That traitor? Why in hell would she? She's off-world licking alien filth off of Frieza's boots. She doesn't care about our people, so why would she care for you?"
Kaido should have expected that response. He still remembered the day his sister had left. She had made it to the semifinals of the Placement Trials, and she had returned home triumphantly, declaring she was going to follow the footsteps of their mother as a warrior for the Cold Force. Kaido had never seen his father so angry, and when Nachi left with her new superiors, she had told Kaido she'd come back to visit. Six years had passed since then, and that visit had never come. As far as he knew, Nachi had never returned to Planet Vegeta, and if she did- she never came to the Royal City.
"Maybe she'll come to see where I'll be assigned." Kaido said the statement quietly, just before raising the blue egg up both to drink and block his father's gaze. It was a pointless endeavor. A moment after, his father was standing over him, a glare on his face. "You'll be assigned to the Royal Guard, Boy. Failure isn't an option. Treachery isn't an option. You'll do anything to ensure your victory. Is that clear?"
Kaido didn't respond. He tried to stay quiet and finish his meal. That attempt to avoid the question was forced to end when the older Saiyan slammed the egg down on the plate, shattering its shell and sending the yolk in all directions. Most of it was splattered on the plate's contents, but a lot did end up on Kaido's face and resting clothes. He could've yelled, but that would've made it worse. "Is that clear, Boy?"
Kaido's response wasn't timid, but he could not call it defiant either. "I get it, Father. Failure isn't an option." Artiko did not budge from where he was, still glaring down at his son. "I will be watching your match, and so will the King. Remember that as you face your opponents, and you'll triumph over the weaklings." Kaido could only nod, and thankfully that was enough to handle his father's ire.
The older Saiyan did not sit down at the other side of the table, but he stopped looming over his son. "I must be off to report to the Palace. Change out of your mess. You'll stand out through your victories, not because of your clumsiness." And with those words, Artiko was off- flying away just as quickly as he'd made it out the front door.
Kaido realized just a few moments after his father had departed that Artiko must've known where he'd be assigned to fight, but was making him find that out himself. That wasn't a huge deal- he'd just have to find out like everyone else- but it was a clear sign of his father's displeasure he found hard to ignore. As much as he missed his sister, the Trials today were something he'd looked forward to for years. His father was right- failure wasn't an option.
"I'll make you proud, father."
The streets of the Royal City were packed with visitors – a rare sight even in the most populated city of Planet Vegeta. Kaido had overheard once that too many Saiyans in one place always brought chaos and anarchy, and that most of his people needed to be sent away just so they could 'blow off some steam elsewhere'. When he'd made the same joke to Artiko, his father had scolded him. 'Too many Saiyans in one place is a problem for Frieza, not true scions of Planet Vegeta. United again, we'd never fail'. Regardless of what sentiment was correct, it was something Kaido couldn't help but think about every year when the trials came around.
Aside from the many Saiyans arriving on the Royal City to watch over their offspring perform in the trials, there were also many offworlders and aliens Kaido couldn't help but notice. From humanoids without tails to aquatic and reptilian aliens, the Trials had brought numerous visitors. Kaido didn't know if it was just for betting, recruitment, or just for the sight of Planet Vegeta's most hopeful beating each other to a pulp. He honestly didn't care. He didn't hate all offworlders like his father did, but he couldn't afford to be distracted from his goals, visitors be damned.
When Kaido arrived at the building he had been told to report to, the magnitude of it all finally got to him. There must have been a hundred other Saiyan children gathered, and he hardly recognized any of them. Not every young Saiyan coming of age would be paired against each other at the same arena- and he'd of course only ever been able to spectate one arena at a time when he'd witnessed the events in the last few years. Even though he knew he would not be fighting or even meeting the vast majority of his fellow candidates, it was still daunting to see how many were competing against him for the treasured position in the Royal Guard. Kaido had to remind himself that many would be content with just passing the first round of their trials and becoming grunts of Frieza's Empire.
After what felt like forever, a man Kaido recognized arrived in the building to address the growing crowd of preteens. The man wore the caped armor of the Saiyan Royal Guard, a black and red variant of the Battle Armor worn by all soldiers of the Planet Trade Organization. Zorn, Captain of the Guard. If all went as planned, Zorn would become his superior and his mentor, once Kaido proved to be victorious in the trials. Kaido obviously wasn't the only one to recognize Zorn, as the older Saiyan's arrival was met with excitement and rowdiness. The captain himself seemed less pleased.
"Alright, alright settle down. There's enough of you hear to start, and I'm not repeating myself." Those words were followed by a small pause to let the excitement die down. "Welcome to the Annual Placement Trials. As you are all well aware of, your performance today will determine your first assignments as members of the Saiyan Army and the Planet Trade Organization. Prove yourself the best warrior among your sets of eight, and King Vegeta and I will consider your candidates for the Royal Guard. Prove yourself adequate, and perhaps one of Frieza's people will want you."
Zorn had said the name 'Frieza' with such venom that Kaido could not help but think of his father. Were all among the Royal Guard and the elite like this? If he rose to his father's station, would Kaido also need to speak with such barely-hidden disdain? The Arcosian tyrant Frieza had lorded over Planet Vegeta for four years, and Kaido had never even seen him- not even when the 'Emperor of the Universe' had arrived on the planet to announce the retirement of his father and his ascension to the throne. All Kaido knew was that he was crueler and more despised than his father King Cold, and the boy couldn't understand how Zorn could feel comfortable openly showing contempt for a being known for punishing that behavior.
"If you fail to accomplish anything at all, well…" Zorn didn't continue. He didn't have to, as there was no Saiyan child present that wasn't aware of what few uses there were for weaklings. The luckiest of the failures could prove themselves elsewhere, as scientists and engineers. That required more patience and education than most Saiyans had. The less lucky could work smaller jobs as butchers and cooks, or make a ditch effort to prove themselves as fodder for the Saiyan Army. There was nothing to say a loser couldn't return another year- but no previous failure would ever be considered for elevation to the Royal Guard.
"Need I go on?" Zorn really didn't have to. All those gathered before the Saiyan were waiting to hear their names and their assigned arenas, and few planned to remain longer except to hear where their friends and rivals would be assigned. If he had managed to ask his father beforehand where he would be assigned, Kaido would already be at the arena, getting prepared for battle.
Before the Captain of the Guard could continue, his rhetorical question was answered by one of the impatient competitors– a young girl named Arra, who Kaido recognized. "Just hurry up and tell us where we have to go! I can't stand just waiting around!" Arra sounded more excited than annoyed or disrespectful, but Kaido still expected a fierce response from the adult. That fierce response never came. To Kaido's surprise, Zorn just smiled at the comment. Even though some of the other children looked annoyed at Arra's interruption, none of them yelled at her either– they'd be stupid to. Arra had a reputation as a fierce fighter for her age.
With a shrug, Zorn raised an electronic tablet from which he could read out names and continued. "In a hurry, I see. I suppose you don't need to hear the rules, then. They're the same as every year, after all. For your sake, I hope you were paying attention then." Kaido saw the discomfort on many faces, but he himself wasn't worried. He had been paying attention in previous years, and he knew what boundaries he could cross.
"The following people must rush to Arena A: Erkin, Onio, Avoca, Ceria, Okaro, Totoma, Sallot, and Letas. Get there quick, 'cause if you're there late, you're disqualified." Once he'd said it, the named eight rushed out quickly, their eagerness having become panic. Zorn had to chuckle at the sight, but once the laughter had died down, he returned to his list of contestants. "In Arena B, in the southwestern part of the city, we have Nipu, Lero, Kaido–"
Kaido didn't care for the rest. He didn't think Zorn was serious about disqualification, but he wasn't about to stick around and find out. As soon as he was out the door, he raised himself to the sky, flying as fast as he could to his destination. Kaido had no room for fuckups and failures today. Not if he was to triumph, and definitely not if he was going to live up to his promise to his father. No matter what, he was going to win.