"No problem. Just give me the final word, and I'll have the team begin construction," Dr. Brief agreed readily. With the existing blueprints and experience, scaling up the Gravity Chamber's output was a manageable engineering challenge.
"Thank you for your trouble. I'll leave you to your work."
With a final nod of gratitude, Rhode exited the humming laboratory. He emerged onto the expansive, manicured lawn of Capsule Corp's gardens. In the distance, employees went about their day, and the small, blue-haired form of Bulma could be seen chasing a butterfly with single-minded intensity. The scene was one of peaceful, mundane order. It was... nice.
After a moment of quiet observation, contemplating the simple, rooted life he was about to build, Rhode vanished from the park.
He reappeared in a nondescript government office in West City, seeking out the department responsible for land management.
While Capsule Corp's grounds were vast and the Brief family endlessly hospitable, a permanent guest was not a tenant. If he was to make Earth his home, he needed a space of his own.
His initial thought had been a remote mountain peak or a secluded island—a classic hermit's retreat, perfect for undisturbed cultivation. But the practicality of it gave him pause. The daily hassles of sourcing food, maintaining utilities... it was a distraction. He was a warrior-scholar, not a survivalist.
The alternative presented itself: True seclusion is not in the wilderness, but in the heart of the crowd. A residence within the bustling city would offer convenience while providing a constant, low-level test of mental focus. The noise of the world would be his whetstone.
Armed with this reasoning and an offer the city officials couldn't refuse (a "generous development donation" drawn from his new Capsule Corp dividends), Rhode secured a sizable, prime plot of land right next to the Capsule Corporation park itself.
With the land acquired, the vision took shape. He wouldn't just build a house; he would establish a Martial Arts Hall. It would serve as his public-facing identity in the city. He might accept a truly exceptional student or offer casual pointers to the curious, but it would primarily be a front, a way to blend in.
Over the following weeks, with a team of architects and contractors sourced through Dr. Brief's connections, construction began at a brisk pace.
The design was bifurcated. The front section was for the public: spacious training halls, basic dormitories, a communal dining area—a legitimate, if elite, martial arts school.
The rear section, occupying the majority of the land and hidden from public view, was something else entirely. This was the domain of true Ki adepts. Here, Dr. Brief's team would eventually install the new, monstrously powerful Gravity Chamber. Rhode himself oversaw the construction of a training ground modeled on Yardrat's needle-point forest. The living quarters here were not barracks but private, well-appointed residences; the dining would be a private chef's affair.
As the skeleton of the grand hall rose from the ground, Rhode stood on a temporary overlook, supervising the progress.
"What is he doing?"
The voice came from beside him. Aira had materialized silently, her gaze following the cranes and workers below, a frown of confusion on her face.
"Building a Martial Arts Hall," Rhode answered, a note of genuine enthusiasm in his voice. Seeing her continued puzzlement, he elaborated. "Since I'm settling on Earth long-term, I need my own base. Somewhere to call home, and a... vocation, of sorts. It's not right to impose on the Briefs indefinitely."
"That makes sense," Aira conceded, her eyes still scanning the organized chaos of the construction site. A flicker of something—perhaps anticipation, perhaps a spark of her own ambition taking a new shape—passed through her gaze. She wasn't just looking at a building site; she was seeing the foundation of a rival's kingdom, and perhaps, a template for one of her own.
The thought of personally instructing a horde of clumsy, weak Earthlings, however, made her brow furrow. "You plan to teach those humans yourself?"
"How could I?" Rhode answered without hesitation, his tone dismissing the notion entirely. "Being the master is just a title. At most, I might point out a true prodigy. I'm not running a kindergarten."
Even for talented Earth warriors, his involvement would be minimal—a nudge at a bottleneck, a clarification of a principle. Martial arts, at its core, was a personal journey. Guidance could open the door, but one had to walk the path alone.
"Once it's built," he continued, gesturing to the front section, "I'll find some capable people with solid foundations to manage the public school. Profit doesn't matter; it's just a cover."
The real purpose, the heart of the complex, was the secluded rear section—his private sanctuary for research, training, and living.
"Oh~" Aira breathed out, the sound carrying a note of understanding and something else—a fresh curiosity. She studied him, her gaze lingering on his profile as he surveyed the construction.
The more she looked, the more the contrast solidified. He was so fundamentally different from the Saiyans of her memory—the brutes who lived for conquest and cared for nothing but their own strength. A small, genuine smile touched her lips. Of course he's different. That's why... Her thoughts trailed off, unfinished, but the smile remained, softening her usually fierce features.
"Hmm?" Rhode turned, catching her observation. He was met with that uncharacteristically serene smile, which, paired with her striking blend of strength and delicacy, held a disarming allure.
"You've gotten much quieter, Aira," he noted after a moment's consideration. "In the past, you wouldn't have reacted so... calmly."
The smile vanished as if snuffed out. "Hmph!" she snorted, the familiar fire flashing back into her eyes. "You'd better finish this quickly. Otherwise, I'll surpass you sooner or later!"
With that final retort, she turned on her heel and vanished, presumably to resume her own relentless training.
"What's her problem? I was just stating a fact," Rhode muttered to the empty air, scratching his head in mild bewilderment.
Shaking off the minor irritation, his attention was recaptured by the sight of Dr. Brief arriving on-site, blueprints in hand, to consult on the Gravity Chamber's foundations. Rhode descended from his perch, his mind refocusing on the tangible task of building his new home. The enigmatic moods of a rival Saiyan were a puzzle for another day.
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