His eyes fluttered open in startlement, finding himself in an unknown room with very little furnitures. A bed in which he lied, a coffee table next to it... that was it, except for the things on the table. He tried to identify them, in vain. Maybe their culture and tools were just as different than human's were from his... After all this time apart from his people and the stories of Bana, maybe his people weren't at all how he pictured them... ? Exhibit A : he had been knocked unconscious !

The only good thing he could see right now, was the fact that he was still alive. Then again... maybe they kept him for some nefarious agenda, like torture or a death game ! Silently, the young namekian admonished himself for his imagination and the fact that he succumbed to Sala about watching TV. Although it did help his common sense, it also polluted his mind with all kinds of stupid things !

Shaking his head in an attempt to dispel the useless thoughts, he resumed his reconnaissance. Weirdly enough, he soon realized that he couldn't sense anything beyond the door : something was blocking his perception.

“Magic, huh ? Maybe it's also the reason why I couldn't see anyone even though they were right there !”

Coming from a corner of the room, a voice interrupted his reflexions :

“Correct ! Now, tell me... Which Tribe do you come from and why are you here ?”

Although he turned towards the sound, he still couldn't see anything else aside from the walls. Surprised and perplexed by his question, he asked in return :

“Tribe ? Is that how it works on this planet ? I came from beyond the stars... My name's Avo Cado and I came to learn Magic from a master !”

The voice went silent for a while, probably considering what he was saying. Finally, he said :

“No, seriously ?...” In front of his serious face, he dispelled his invisibility, appearing in all his namekian glory, wearing weird clothes (compared to human ones'). First, the colors : blue and orange tunic with a brown and white pants. In his hands, he held a wooden staff, some animal's skull inserted at the top. In its eye sockets, there were two green gems. Maybe emeralds... then again, this planet wasn't Earth.

“You're really from another planet ?” Considering Avo's strange attire, the namekian started to believe him. After that, his face turned grim. “You want to learn the secret arts from the master ? Why ?”

Avo didn't really want to answer this question. However, this dude could be the aforementioned master... or he could be acquainted with him. At that time, Avo realized... he could perfectly understand him. Also, he wasn't speaking namekian... at least, it didn't sound like it. Puzzled, he asked :

“Why can you speak earthling ?” Seeing how the magician wouldn't respond, Avo decided to answer his earlier question : “I come from a planet called earth where I lived with my genitor Bana. A couple of months ago, there was this duo of evil magicians tearing the planet apart... At that time, I decided to learn about magic so that I could defend myself and my people.”

Nodding the namekian eased his features somewhat and continued the conversation on a more friendly tone :

“I'm not speaking earthling. It's a translation spell. Since I didn't know which tribe you came from or which dialect you used, I cast it... Are there a lot of namekians on earth ?"

Avo shook his head, explaining : “I don't think so... There should be some, but I never met them. When I mentioned my people, I meant friends.”

After another silence, the namekian introduced himself (finally !) :

“My name's Escar. I'm an adept of the dragon clan. The master sent me to find out your identity and intentions... What do you think a magician is ?”

Avo thought for a second, then answered :

“I guess... Someone who studies and channel mystic energies ?”

“Yes, but your definition is incomplete. A magician is a student and a researcher into the Laws of the Universe. Most of them can't use magic in combat... It's all about preparations, studies, rituals and incantations... Why would you become a magician if you wanted to protect things ? Why not become a fighter ?”

“I've seen magicians fight... Also, I'm not much of a fighter. All I've ever learned was about magic : healing magic, nature magic, a bit of body modification... Besides, what's a fighter going to do against a powerful mage ?”

“Punch him in the face hard enough that he can't speak ? Move so fast that he can't complete his rituals ?”

“That... would probably work. However, I've never used incantations, rituals or whatever...”

Avo was at a loss. His whole purpose was to gain strength and he thought magic would be his way ! Maybe it was a fool's errand ? Why, then, would he waste two wishes on this, or travel for weeks in the void of space ?

“I'm kidding ! We have lots of ways to protect ourselves from a fighter ! For example, I can ward a house in order to make it or its inhabitants invisible. Or I can project my image and energy in a place far from me... Or I could simply take over his mind and erase his memories...”

Avo's brows covered in sweat, thinking of his potential fate. He really didn't want to lose his memories. Otherwise, would he still have the resolve to go on this journey ? Without the event that decided him – Babidi's rampage – the namekian would stay on earth. Stuttering a bit, he asked :

“So... What will happen to me ?”

Getting up briskly, Escar declared :

“I'll take you to the master. He'll decide what to do with you !”

With no choice left, especially considering the fact that just outside the door stood a dozen fighters looking at him with hostility, Avo followed Escar to one of the namekian spaceships. Half buried into the ground, it looked just like an insect died burrowing. The door opened before either of them said anything, Escar motioned him to step in. With a silent gulp, Avo passed the threshold...

The master was an old wrinkled namekian, with noble bearing despite the slightly bent back. He was wearing something similar to Escar but the colors were different, as well as his cane. It was more ornamented and creepy... Avo stood there, unsure of what to do. The magician talked :

“I hear you are seeking for the Truths of the Universe. Do you really want to become an arcane warrior ?”

The young namekian nodded, unaware of the reason why he knew about his earlier conversation with Escar. Puzzled, he kept on listening to the old namekian :

“Even though you are of our people, not anyone has the potential to study magic. You will undergo a... test of sorts. Come over and sit !”

Avo did as he was told, sitting cross-legged near the fire. On the outside, the house looked like his spaceship. On the inside however, it felt like a tribe chief or shaman's hut, without much furniture and with mysterious things hanging from the ceiling. After he observed the interior for a while, he focused on the old magician who was in a midst of concocting something. When he finally deemed the content of his mortar satisfying, he took a bit of powder inside before sprinkling it in the fire, encouraging Avo to breathe a deep breath in. Hesitating only for a second, he inhaled strongly... and waited, a little anxious about the effects of the powder.

The drug didn't act immediately, slowly taking over his senses. Meanwhile, the namekian explained its purpose :

“We use this concoction to reveal the potential of a person. Every youngling in our tribe – in every tribe – goes through this initiatory journey. You will feel, hear and see... experience something you probably never have but do not fear ! Fear tends to make the experience... unpleasant !” As the drugs were starting to really hit him hard, and he had trouble focusing on the magician's explanation, he heard almost as if he was talking through a thick wall or door, the end of his speech :

“I will accompany you as a spectator to determine if you are suited or not. However, you won't be able to see or hear me. This journey is your own...”

Avo felt the ground disappear or move away from him, then his own fall through a dark pit. It would have seemed endless if he didn't make use of his flight magic. Instead, the darkness cleared and he found himself hovering in a bright blue sky, among sparse clouds. His senses scanned the surroundings, in search of information. At first, he didn't feel anything... Then he felt a enormous surge of power from his left. It was so gigantic, he felt crushed by it. Even so, he started to head there with difficulty. When he finally arrived in the surge's sight, all he saw were two weirdly hair-styled humans and... what seemed like a humanoid bubble-gum – kid-sized – with holes all-over his body, and jet-black eyes with red irises. It reminded him immediately of buu's appearance... maybe a brother or something...

Kid Buu raised a hand in the air, generating a big energy ball he threw towards the earth below. Avo thought : So that's how it happened ! The events flashed forward at an amazing speed, disorienting him – as well as the old magician – before time slowed to its natural rhythm. It wasn't an understatement to say that Avo saw his life pass before his eyes. Only it didn't flash, and it was a jumble mess of situations he couldn't make heads or tails ! Once he was alone, fighting some weird monster, doing incredible things like changing his nails into claws, teleporting or throwing fireballs like grenades. Other times, they were other people : Sala, two kids (probably twins although one was black and the other white skinned... and not like humans too, more like chalk and coal), other seeming mage in a classroom...

One particular scene imprinted itself into his memory. Avo was back on earth with Sala. Only she seemed more mature, womanly and charming, she also wore a metal suit, like an armor or exoskeleton. He didn't really know why they were there, since he was just a spectator on this trip, but he knew they were facing something fearsome... Something very few people on earth could deal with and only they were specialized in dealing. He felt Vision Avo was tense, worried that his kekkaïwould rupture and reality would slip in. Sala was reading something on her visor's helmet. Nothing more happened, but he felt like it was the end of his road... the culminating point of his journey for power : finally, he would use what he learned to defend his home ! The vision ended soon after. Nausea overcame him, or at least something similar : he felt like crap ! At the edge of his vision, he saw the magician shake a bit.What conclusions did he come to ? Avo thought.