Thinking of You

Part 20

In the endless abyss of space, among the countless stars and mesmerizing planets, there floated a beautiful palace of grand proportions. Blue, white, and gold, it hovered above an array of golden clouds. Colors of pink and blue swirled through the stars around it, creating a breathtaking view of what appeared to be outer space, but it was impossible to tell for sure. The clouds underneath and around it were like a shield, as if to keep it in its own world forever.

The palace resided above what was shaped like a jellyfish, all blue with swirls of white reaching the top. It was in a far separate location from the other universes, quite literally in its own world. Around the castle were twelve floating rocks, each one representing a different universe. The palace was said to be in the shape of the kanji for "all", which was most likely to call attention to the fact that the palace belonged to the Omni-King, Zeno.

The inside of the palace was a dark void that seemed to stretch on forever, only brightened by the glowing floor, which showed thousands of pillars reaching all the way into the darkness extending before anyone who entered. It was not designed to be intimidating, not in the slightest, but it would be false to say that the Omni-King didn't deserve a grand palace of such a resplendent appearance. It gave the impression of affluence, but money hardly mattered to an Omni-King.

Deep inside the palatial castle, it opened up into what resembled a throne room, though far less intimidating and dim. In the center of the room, a gold chair hovered a few inches above the pristine and colorful floor, accompanied by Zeno's two attendants, who stood perfectly straight with expressionless faces. Beside Zeno sat another Zeno, known as Future Zeno due to complicated events, both wearing equivalent expressions and uniforms as they stared ahead at nothing in particular.

The brightness of the room gave a rather pleasant feel, as both Zeno's weren't known to be overly aggressive. Although there were times when Zeno had shown a rather profound indifference for life, as well as sadism after gleefully erasing a Universe 9. No one would suspect such a friendly-looking blue and purple alien to be delighted in effacing a Universe from the collected Universes, but it is sadly the truth. Being an Omni-King, he was far different from what others expected, what with his childish nature and adorable laugh. A remorseless being with an incapability of understanding the horrible action of easily destroying trillions of lives with a wave of his hand.

The two Zeno's sat in silence for the longest time, no sounds ever surfacing. In the dead silence, one would most certainly go crazy. Who enjoyed being quiet for so long, anyway?

Then, breaking the silence, Future Zeno gasped with child-like shock, his expression morphing into a happy exclamation.

Zeno turned to Future Zeno with a curious look, round eyes wide. "What is it, Zen-Chan?"

"I have a great idea!" Future Zeno replied with a loud giggle. The attendants on either side of them cast each other confused glances, but neither spoke up.

"Oh? I want to hear your great idea, Zen-Chan!" Zeno said happily, clasping his tiny hands together.

"Let us hold another Tournament, Zen-Chan!" Future Zeno chirped cheerfully, leaning towards his present-day counterpart, his hovering chair tilting to the side in the process. "A great show to watch, indeed!"

"Oh, yes!" Zeno replied with a firm shake of his football-shaped head. "I do agree, another Tournament just like the one we had before! Such fun that was, such fun indeed!"

"We must invite our friend Goku!" Future Zeno squeaked eagerly. "Goku is a very strong fighter! Watching him fight was so much fun!"

"Yes!" Zeno agreed, bouncing from his chair in a single leap, his small feet barely making a sound on the smooth floor. "Mister Goku must fight again, he must!"

At that moment, the palace doors opened to reveal the Grand Minister. He stepped lightly into the room with his hands behind his back, his face calm yet unreadable. He wore an outfit typical for a Guide Angel. A dark blue long-sleeved shirt, baggy shoulder pads that ran beneath his red belt adorned with the kanji symbol for "grand," and completed with a dark blue pair of jodhpur-like pants and white boots that ran beneath his shins. He walked regally, with a straight posture and authoritative entrance. Upon seeing the excited Zeno's, he quirked a brow.

"I heard the rather uproarious cacophony of talk and have come to see what the commotion is about." He said, giving a respectful bow to the two Zeno's.

"We want to hold another Tournament of Power!" Both Zeno's exclaimed in unison, followed quickly by their childlike laughter.

Grand Minister tilted his head to the side. "Another Tournament? Whatever for?"

"To see Mister Goku fight again!" Zeno said.

"He is so much fun!" Future Zeno added.

"There must be a reason to gather fighters once more for such a competition." Grand Minister said. "Are you planning on erasing more universes upon someone's ultimate defeat?"

"Nope!" Both Zeno's shook their heads back and forth.

"No?" Grand Minister repeated, as if he hadn't heard them correctly. "Then what is the goal of another Tournament if not to erase the weaker universes? As I do recall, that was the entire purpose of the first Tournament of Power."

"We know, we just want to see Mister Goku fight!" Zeno said.

"It was so exciting!" Future Zeno agreed. "Such strong fighters fighting other strong fighters!"

"Uh...yes, it was quite a competition..." Grand Minister said quietly. He wasn't sure how to come about the decision of the two Omni-Kings. Another Tournament of Power? All to see one person fight? They were certainly playing favorites now. It wasn't like he could deny their pleasure of seeing their beloved Saiyan, but he wasn't sure starting another high-stakes tournament was the way to go. It was most likely due to them being bored, or their strong friendship with the dumb-witted Saiyan. Although, he had to admit that the fights were very thrilling to watch. The drama, the pulse-pounding action, the edge-of-your-seat transformation moments. The strong affection the two Zeno's placed on Goku was strange, in his opinion, yet of course he did not question their actions.

He gave a sigh, looking between Zeno and Future Zeno. "Are you positive you wish to commence with a second Tournament? You do realize that most of the fighters from the previous Tournament might not view this to be as much fun as you two."

"We're sure!" They both replied simultaneously, clasping hands tightly. "We want another Tournament, it will be so much fun to watch, and to see Mister Goku again!"

"Very well, then." Grand Minister bowed his head. "I assume you will be alerting the Angels attending the Gods of the Universes of this...rather sudden news?"

"Yes, we will!" They both said cheerfully.

"Very well." Grand Minister turned and headed to the large double doors leading out of the palace. What interesting news. The start of another Tournament of Power, one where no universes will be in danger of destruction. Very interesting, indeed.