"Hyah!" Kai threw a punch toward Tropod, who narrowly avoided the attack.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Tropod threw a spin-kick aimed at Kai's ribs, just to be met with Kai's arm that was braced for the impact.

Creating some distance between them, Kai threw out two blasts of energy. Tropod easily dodged them, but they didn't disperse. Instead, the two energy attacks followed Tropod. He started flying faster to outrun them, but he couldn't quite lose them.

When he looked behind him to see where the blasts were, he was kicked in the jaw and sent flying higher. Kai started slinging dozens of Ki blasts straight at Tropod, creating a gigantic cloud of smoke.

Just as it started to disappear, several icicles sped straight toward Kai. He didn't have time to dodge. Taking a deep breath in, Kai concentrated really hard on his energy.

"Barrier!" A thick coat of white energy surrounded Kai. The icicles made contact with the barrier, and most of the spell was vaporized. However, he was still hit.

"Yeowch! You didn't have to do it that rough!" Kai started floating toward the ground.

Tropod quickly followed. "Hmph."

The day ended with the two of them sitting around a small fire that Kai was forced to make. Sitting down with a thud, Kai let out a groan.

"Uuung... Today was rough..." There were scrapes and bruises all across his body.

Tropod scoffed. "You're a Saiyan, act like it."

"Right... What's a Saiyan?"

Tropod was surprised. Sure, the kid didn't know much about energy, or all that much about fighting, but not even knowing about his own kind? Though, it did make some sense. The last Saiyans on this planet died about 12 years ago. He had thought that this kid was theirs, but he remembered that their child had two different eye colors.

"It's what you are. I don't know all that much about them, but I know a few things from our book of legends and knowledge from long ago... Long... long ago." Taking a moment to think, Tropod looked Kai in the eyes. "I'm not one hundred and twelve. Though this incarnation of myself is, my original self dates back thousands of years. The exact year... I no longer know."

Kai was a little surprised. Someone living for thousands of years... it sounded... like torture.

"I came to this planet around 6,000 years ago, just after a great disaster struck the lands. Since it was so long ago, I cannot quite remember the details, but it is why the humans fear both elves... and demons like us."

"You... wait a second, you said came to this planet, right? So, where are you from?"

"Planet Namek, of course."

Kai felt like his brain was going to explode from the information. The guy in front of him was thousands of years old through incarnations of himself, plus he was an alien. Besides that, something happened 6,000 years ago that made humans fear Elves, Saiyans, and Tropod. Thinking about it just made a heavy sadness fill his mind. Something was going on here.

"So... Kai, tell me, how many Zenkais have you had?"

Seeing Kai's confused look Tropod let out a sigh. "Should've known... How many times have you been beaten so bad you felt as though you could die?"

Kai started counting on his fingers. "Eh... Guiche, Fouquet, Fouquet, Wardes, Wardes, Wardes, and... that's it. Six times."

Tropod looked Kai over. It made perfect sense. The amateur fighting style, the lack of proper control over his own energy, everything! The boy had barely started fighting, and had been struggling so far!

"So, Kai, how did you learn those techniques, who was your previous master?"

"G-"

No.

Gandy stopped Kai before he could finish. It was as if he couldn't say Gandy.

"Kai?"

Kai shook his head. "It's cause of my runes." He showed off his left hand. "The power of Gandalfr."

"Right, you mentioned that before. What is it?"

"To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure. I was summoned and became a familiar. Before that, I was human, then turned into a Saiyan."

Tropod inched closer to Kai. "Do you mind if I see your hand?" Kai put his hand forward, and Tropod grabbed it, lightly touching the runes with two fingers. "Hm... Ancient magic, I can't tell what it is... Somewhat similar to an ability we Namekians have, though this mainly applies to the runes themselves... Ah, I see. I assume either the previous 'Gandalfr' was a Saiyan, or somehow, a Saiyan's power was added into the mix."

Backing away from Tropod, Kai put his hand to his chin. "Hm... Eh, it doesn't matter too much, but just what ability are you talking about?" Kai seemed curious, wanting to see if he could use whatever ability it was. He was quite greedy when it came to learning techniques.

Tropod let out a small sigh. "I actually didn't learn of the ability until somewhat recently. Around 500 years ago, a dying Namekian arrived on this planet. His spaceship is long gone, but that doesn't matter. His name was Gard. I was lucky to find him..." Tropod had a small smile on his face, but it quickly turned to a sad frown. "I had tried to nurse him back to health, but to no avail. His body was far too frail."

"What happened to him?"

"He said that a devastating drought had hit our planet. He told me that he was lucky to escape when he did, but he had no supplies for the journey."

Kai looked down. "Sorry for your loss."

"Don't be boy. This was far too long ago, besides... He still lives on. I learned a forbidden Namekian technique from him. We merged into one being, though since he was already fading from this world, most of him didn't make it. I have some of his memories."

"You're just full of surprises, ain'tcha?"

Tropod let out a small chuckle and stood up. "Kai, get ready, I'm going to teach you one of my personal techniques. Most Namekians know something similar, but they rely on magic to do it, whereas I use my own Ki to use it."

Raising an eyebrow, Kai nodded.

Holding up his hand, Tropod formed an energy ball. "Condense your energy into a string." The ball in his hand started to twist and turn until it straightened out to a thin string. "Next, line it up with your clothing." The string of Ki went directly into Tropod's clothing. "Finally, stretch it out to fit into your clothing." The string started to go back and forth in a small hole in Tropod's shirt before shifting color to purple. "If you want better training, you can add more of your energy to it to make the Ki denser, making it heavier."

Kai slowly started to mess with a ball of his own energy. The string wasn't nearly as refined as Tropod's, but it was still a string. Gently guiding the string into his beat-up T-shirt, Kai started to repair it. It wasn't a great job, and the coloring was a bit off, but he did manage to repair his shirt.

Giving a satisfied smile, Tropod looked toward the fire. "It's getting late, get some rest."

Kai looked toward the sky. Saito and the others had left the day before.

ㅤ

As morning broke, Kai was rudely awoken with cold water splashed across his face. He hurriedly got up, panting and patting himself over.

"What happened?!" He wildly looked around, only to see Tropod's hand raised.

"It's time to train."

Giving a weak smile, Kai got into a fighting stance.

ㅤ

Their sparring match went about as well as the previous day's though Tropod cut it short.

"What's up?" A white aura dispersed around Kai as he landed on the ground as Tropod did the same.

"Today is going to be our last day, so I want you to work on that technique you used before."

Kai looked vaguely confused. "Which... one?"

"The one you used to get near me and your friends."

Kai tapped on his head with his knuckle five times. "Er... It was..."

Instant Transmission.

"Instant Transmission!"

Tropod put a finger up to his chin and whispered, "That sounds like a Yardratian technique... It doesn't matter, use it again."

Scratching the side of his head, Kai let out a nervous laugh. "Eh... Well, I'm not sure how to..."

Kai, listen closely. This won't be as easy as the Kamehameha, or even the Kaioken. I'll try to guide you, but it won't be easy. You'll need to focus. Remember, focus on the energy, and imagine being there. Two fingers on the forehead will help you focus.

Under Tropod's glare, Kai focused hard on the Namekian's energy. Placing two fingers on his forehead, he started to supply energy to his runes. With the runes shining brightly, Kai felt his senses grow sharper.

Not a moment later, he appeared right next to Tropod.

"Ah... I did it! I-" Tropod cut Kai off by punching him.

"Teleport faster!" Tropod charged up a ball of energy in his hand.

Seeing the ball, Kai panicked and focused once more. As the attack was fired, Kai tried to teleport away, but was hit. Thinking he would at least have a little time in between attacks, Kai tried to readjust himself, just to be attacked once more. Starting to get frustrated Kai tried to force himself to teleport, but once more a Ki blast was shot straight at him, blowing up right in the boy's face.

Before the next attack could land, Kai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused on Tropod's energy. The next moment, he didn't feel the blast's explosion, but he felt the air around him suddenly change. Opening his eyes, he found himself right next to Tropod.

Seeing Kai teleport, Tropod started to fly away and shoot more and more blasts. Of course, Kai didn't teleport every single time, but he was able to start to get the hang of it.

Every time Kai teleported, Tropod flew further and further, making sure the distance between them grew every time that Kai teleported.

ㅤ

After about an hour, Kai couldn't continue. He had his hands on his knees as he panted heavily.

Crossing his arms, Tropod sighed. "I think that this brings an end to our training. For now, at least."

"Yeah... I guess it is about time I go back..."

"Now then, Kai. I want you to try and go over everything you've learned over the past three days."

Giving a short nod, Kai said, "Well, for starters, you taught me how to properly maintain my energ- Sorry, my Ki. Like with flight, I was using much more than I needed to. After that, you went on to explain how to properly meditate, to focus my mind. Next, we moved on to sparring-"

"Don't go over every little detail."

"Yeesh... Anywho went over what Ki was, you taught me a few techniques, like repairing my clothes and making them heavier, and... just now... you made me learn how to use Instant Transmission on the fly."

Tropod gave a wide smile. "That's exactly correct. However, you forgot one important thing. I want you to explain what your energy is."

Kai nodded. "My energy, otherwise known as Ki, or as various other names, is my life force, which is comprised of three components. Mind, body, and spirit."

After a moment, Tropod looked toward the sky. "Now's the time that you ought to be going back to your friends."

Kai solemnly nodded and placed two fingers on his forehead. "Before that, Tropod, I just wanna say, thanks."

Tropod gave a satisfied smile. "Thank you, Kai Atsura."

Not a moment later, the boy disappeared, leaving the Namekian all alone once more.

Letting out a sigh, he began talking to himself. "That boy made so much progress in such a short amount of time. I half expected him to only learn what Ki was, but he went past that... Though, that reminds me... Gandalfr. That sounded familiar, but why?"

ㅤ

ㅤ

In Austri Court, Saito was sitting in the cockpit of the Zero Fighter, inspecting its parts. When he touched the control stick, or even if he barely touched a switch, the runes on his left hand lit up. The runes would tell him the condition of the part as well as how to use it.

So far every part seemed to be in flyable condition, though some were a bit beat up.

"Yo, Saito, I'm coming back now." Kai's voice invaded Saito's mind.

Finally! How long do you think you'll be?

"Uh... Gimme about three... two... one..."

That next moment, Kai appeared out of thin air, right above Saito.

"Gah!" Saito let out a startled yell seeing Kai suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Landing on the ground, Kai gave a short wave. "Yo!"

"H-How did you...?"

"Instant Transmission..." Seeing Saito's confused face, Kai continued. "Basically teleportation."

"That's..." Saito blinked a few times. "That's cheating! How!? When!?"

Kai simply shrugged. Seeing the Zero Fighter, Kai asked, "So, whatcha doin'?"

How was he so casual about the things he could do? Saito just couldn't get it. "Fixing up the Zero Fighter. You wanna help?"

Kai gave a little salute. "Just tell me what to do boss!"

"Could you check the underside of the left wing?" Saito yelled out.

"Got it!" Getting under the left wing, Kai quickly looked around the underside of the left wing and found a dented spot. Since the plane had been a treasure, there were people who would go find it, and upon finding it to be useless to them, hit it, or at least, that's what Kai thought.

Flicking his finger a few times as if it were a lighter, a small flame of Ki shot out of his finger. Warming the spot up, the dent was super easy to get out.

Numerous students were watching the two boys, but they quickly lost interest and left. Suddenly a girl appeared, haughtily brushing her hair to the side.

Louise stared at Kai and the thing he was messing with. "What's that?" She seemed a little angry.

While still finding dents, Kai responded, "Oh, hey Louise. This here's a plane."

"Come here." Louise pouted her lips while putting her hands on her hips.

"Gimme a minute, I'm almost done with this spot."

Louise pouted even more. "I said come here, didn't I?"

Kai sighed. "Alright alright..." He made his way over to Louise.

"Where have you been?"

Kai had to think quickly. "Uh..."

Treasure hunting.

"Treasure hunting... y'know, with Saito and them."

"And you hunted for treasure longer than them?" Louise crossed her arms and stared at Kai. It was then that he noticed that her eyes were puffy.

"I... I thought you would want some space..."

"No! You should apologize for running off again!" Seeing him looking away awkwardly, Louise employed her deadliest technique.

Looking back up, Kai saw buckets of tears streaming down Louise's face.

"Why did you run off!? Idiot! I hate you!" She wiped tears off of her face with the back of her hand.

"H-Hey, don't cry!" Panicking, Kai pulled her into a hug. Louise sobbed even harder.

Leaning out of the cockpit of the Zero Fighter, Saito held back a smile. "Jeez man, you can't make her cry like that..."

That comment Kai made about them sharing the same bed popped up in Saito's mind which just made his grin broader.

ㅤ

ㅤ

That night...

Louise lay in her bed, tightly gripping her pillow. Kai looked around for his hoodie to repair it using that new technique, but when he found it something caught his eye. The sleeve that had been torn up and the hole over the chest was repaired. In it was a pink thread.

Seeing it made Kai's heart throb. Did... Did Louise do that?

Before he could grab it, Louise quickly grabbed it and slipped into the hoodie as if it were a given. She frantically pretended to read a book. Kai took a quick glance around the room. It looked a little messy.

"So... you haven't been going to your lessons?"

Montmorency mentioned it when they passed by her in the hallway. Mentioned meaning being snobbish about missing class, but Louise had ignored her.

Louise glared at Kai. "So what?"

"Are you feeling alright? No fever or anything?"

She was about to say something like 'Whose fault do you think it was that I skipped my lessons?' but her pride got in the way.

Putting the blanket over her head, she snuggled under it.

On one hand, it was kind of frustrating dealing with her, but on the other hand, Kai was glad to be back.

ㅤ

Three days passed.

Colbert woke up to the sound of hens. He had fallen asleep without realizing it. He had been absent from lessons and had shut himself in the laboratory for the past few days. In front of his eyes was a glass tube. He sniffed the gasoline he had gotten from the Zero Fighter and started reciting an alchemy spell at the substance in the tube while concentrating on the smell of the gasoline.

A puff of smoke came out of the tube and the color changed to a yellowish brown. The strong smell of gasoline emanated from the tube. Colbert rushed out the door.

"Saito! I've made it! I've made it! I've finished concocting it!" Out of breath, Colbert approached Kai and Saito, who were still inspecting the Zero Fighter.

Saito jumped down and opened the fuel tank, and Colbert poured down the gasoline.

"I analyzed the composition of the oil you gave me," Colbert's voice was dripping with pride. "After spending days working on charcoal from trees, I cast the alchemy spell on it, and it turned into..."

"Gas, right?"

Colbert nodded and urged one of the boys, "Quickly, turn it on. I was so excited that I barely slept."

After filling it, Saito went back into the cockpit. To start the engine, the propeller needed to be spun first.

"Hey, Kai, can you spin the propeller?"

"Can do."

The two boys had started using their runes to talk to each other. It was still weird for Saito to hear someone's voice inside of his head.

As Kai spun the propeller, Saito worked on preparing the plane. It was as if his hands moved before he could think.

A sputtering sound was heard and the engine roared to life. As it rattled, the propellers started to turn on their own and the body of the plane shook. Since the brake wasn't on, the plane started to move forward.

Colbert watched with an amazed expression on his face. After checking that the engine gauges were moving, Saito turned the plane off.

Jumping out of the cockpit, Saito started happily shouting. "Mr. Colbert! The engine started!"

"We did it! But... why didn't it fly?"

"There wasn't enough gasoline. In order to fly, we would need at least five barrels."

"That's a lot to make... But since I've done it before, I'll be able to finish it!"

After Colbert returned to his laboratory, Saito and Kai continued messing with the plane. Since there weren't any tools, they either cleaned or tried to work with what they had.

Being so engrossed in what he was doing, Kai didn't process that Louise was next to him.

"Hey, it's time for dinner. What have you been doing? It's already dark."

"We just started up the engine! That means this thing can actually fly! Eventually..."

"Really now? Good for you two. What will you do once it flies?" Louise sounded lonely.

Kai put a hand to his chin. "Well, it's Saito's plane, but I think we agreed that we'd head east."

"East? I can't believe you. Are you trying to go to Rub' al Khali? I seriously can't believe you!"

"What's the big deal? The previous owner of this thing came from there. We could probably find some clues on how to go home."

Louise's loneliness seemed to grow. "You're my familiar. You can't just do what you want. Also, the princess' wedding is in five days. I have to read an edict by then. But I haven't thought of anything good to say."

The hell's an edict?

You're a moron... Imagine it like a speech.

Ohh...

Thinking that Kai wasn't paying attention, Louise pulled his tail. She was bored. He hasn't paid any attention to me since he came back! He just runs off to train or work on this 'airplane'.

Seeing Kai being dragged off by Louise, Saito shouted out, "See you later, Kai!"

Kai limply raised an arm. "Buh..."

ㅤ

ㅤ

Louise sat down on her bed and opened the Founder's Prayer book.

"I'll read out what I've thought already for the edict." With a cute cough, Louise began to read. "On this beautiful day, I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, praying for the holy presence of the Founder, shall read the blessed edict..."

Louise then stopped after hearing Kai's small chuckle.

He straightened his face. "Continue."

"From here on I have to give thanks to the four branches of magic. It has to be poetic and also rhyme..."

"Then... make it rhyme?"

Louise pouted her lips as if she were sulking.

"I can't think of anything. Writing it poetically is a pain in the neck. I'm not a poet or anything."

"I dunno what you're expecting outta me, but I'll try and help. Just go ahead and read what you've got."

With a troubled look, she began to read. "Um... As fire is hot, one needs to be careful..."

"Hrm... Maybe instead of 'needs to' use something like must."

"Shut up. When the wind blows, those who sell barrels prosper."

That's an awful proverb to use there... Tell her that.

Kai scratched the side of his cheek. "I think a different proverb would work better."

Louise, giving up, threw herself onto the bed. "I'm going to sleep."

As per usual now, she changed while hiding under the blanket.

Giving it a minute, Kai crawled into bed as well.

A few minutes passed, and Louise opened her mouth as if wanting to say something. "So... you're really going to the lands in the east?"

"Yep," Kai replied.

"It's dangerous... Those elves hate humans..."

"Well, humans live past them, right? Besides, I think I'll be fine." Kai swore he heard some snickering in his mind.

"They're completely different than us. It'll be dangerous." Louise seemed worried. "You're still going to go?"

Kai took a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I might find a clue on how to get home."

Another few minutes passed with an awkward silence in the air. Soon Louise started moving around under the blanket. Just as Kai was about to ask what she was doing, she rested her head on his chest.

"Wh-"

"I'm just using it instead of my pillow!" Louise seemed embarrassed, but still she continued to rest on his chest. She put her hand on it and started to trace her fingers on it.

Kai felt as though his heart would jump out of his chest.

"Don't misunderstand this. This doesn't mean I like you or anything!"

Now it felt like his heart would explode.

"Are you... still going to go, even if I said not to?"

"..."

"I thought so..." Louise's voice was nothing more than a whisper. "This isn't your world... Of course you'd want to go back."

The smell of Louise's hair made Kai's mind go blank. The sound of her breathing comforted him. This was a feeling he would fight through hell and back to keep.

The two of them were silent. Kai was thinking about different things, weighing options, and Louise didn't know what else to say.

She started to hug Kai's chest tightly. "I don't want you to leave. When you're beside me, I can sleep without worrying. You make me angry..."

Louise... She... Kai brought his arm around Louise, pulling her closer. Soon, Louise's breathing steadied. She was asleep.

Listening to her soothing breaths, Kai started to think about the people he had met in this world.

He had met many people. Kind people, evil people, and... weird people.

Saito, the boy who had come from the same world as him.
There was the not-so-bad Tropod who tried to teach him.
Osmond, who had told him he would lend him his hand if he needed help.
Colbert, who seemed like a weird, but kind-hearted guy.
The absolute dumbass Guiche, who Kai had thought of as a friend now.
His partner whom he depended on, Derflinger.
Henrietta, the tragic princess.
The courageous... and dead because of it, Prince Wales.
Tabitha, a silent person but someone who can be relied on.
Kirche a really dependable friend.
Siesta, who was like another little sister to Kai.
And lastly, his master next to him, who made his heart race constantly. Arrogant and stuck up, but the one who would show kindness that would melt his heart, Louise.

When I go home, will I leave with a smile on my face?

Will I be able to leave Louise with a smile?

I dunno...

But, in the meantime... The people who have helped me... I want to do as much as I can for them.

Kai hadn't thought about helping people much. These thoughts were new, but these feelings weren't.

With those thoughts, Kai pulled Louise closer.

Louise groaned in her sleep.