— "No, no, no… I'll give you whatever you want. Wait… wait, I have proof."
The old man watched as the boy hurried to show him the chip Alexander had given him. When he saw the chip, his eyes lit up, and he asked again.
Boiton was confused, questioning the old man's expressions and actions.
— "How does he know about this? Could this old man be one of the bad ones? Or maybe he sent that woman…" Boiton thought, troubled and angry at the memory of the assassin.
The old man kept staring at the artifact in contemplation, then looked at the boy holding this fine piece of engineering and asked:
— "4 L 3 – X4," he murmured.
Boiton, intrigued, raised an eyebrow.
— …
— "Project SH1‑R0: [4 L 3 – X4]."
Boiton answered reluctantly: — "The ship? That's it, the ship!"
The old man nodded and pulled a lever. The net released the boy, who fell face‑first to the ground, provoking the old man's laughter and Boiton's total discomfort.
The boy rubbed his face and demanded an explanation. The old man introduced himself:
— "Hey, kid, they know me as The Creator, and I'm a friend of Valentino. By the way, how's that cheerful old man?"
Boiton lowered his head, and a tear ran down his cheek.
— "He…"
He tried to say something, but the words stuck in his throat, his mind replaying the moment when the workshop exploded.
The man saw the boy and changed his question: — "What's your relationship with him?"
Boiton, still with his head bowed, replied: — "He was like a father to me."
The man looked at the boy sadly and encouraged him: — "Foolish child, Valentino is tough as nails. I've known him forever. He was the leader of our group—the Alpha Group," he said with a smile and a slight tremor. Then he pressed another button on his device, summoning a robot that carried two cups.
The boy seemed to regain a bit of hope. He glanced at the robot but ignored it, turning his gaze back to the old man with a pleading look.
— "Do you know where he is?"
— "I'm sorry, boy, I don't," the old man replied.
— "But I can assure you that if there's trouble, he's making plans and waiting for the perfect moment to act. I swear it, as surely as my name is Sisly."
— "Sisly…" Boiton thought, as if the name sounded strangely familiar.
Flashback, a few months earlier…
Valentino and Boiton were walking side by side toward the market.
Valentino noticed a poster with the face of an old ash‑haired man. He chuckled at the sight, and Boiton grew curious.
— "Old man, did I do something funny?" he asked.
— "Oh, little one, it's nothing. I was just remembering old Sisly, my former servant," Valentino said, as a wicked smile formed on his face.
— "Aísle?"
— "No, little one, Sisly."
— "Okay," Boiton replied.
End of Flashback
— "Old man, I want to help Valentino," Boiton said with determination.
The elder gave him a smile and began to speak.
Forty minutes later, Boiton was hiding among rocks, waiting for something. He placed his hand to his ear and spoke:
— "Old man, are you sure this will help us save Valentino and Mr. Alexander?" he asked.
— "Of course," Sisly replied.
Boiton stopped talking and looked ahead. A ship hovered a few meters above the ground, guarded by mid‑class soldiers.
Boiton felt his blood boil, though fear also rose within him. He knew that if he tried, he might be able to fight one of them—maybe two if he was lucky—but no more.
As the ship drew closer, he prepared himself and recalled Sisly's plan. From the pocket of his old clothes, he pulled out small metal spheres. He threw them, and when they struck the ship, an electric discharge coursed through it, causing the vessel to crash to the ground.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a small device and hurled it toward the mid‑class warriors. Seeing the object approach, they instinctively destroyed it with a ki blast. But this triggered the device, blinding them all.
Boiton leapt and hurled two more devices at the guards. These red‑colored devices latched onto their chests and released a powerful electric shock, leaving them fried. Boiton quickly broke open the back of the ship with force and pulled everything out from inside. Then he flew at maximum speed back to Sisly.
These missions for Sisly repeated about thirty times, and the last one was the hardest. In the end, he faced a mid‑class warrior. Fortunately, the opponent wasn't as skilled in combat as Boiton, and even so, Boiton managed to return with all his limbs intact.
The old man, seeing his servant/partner return alive, sighed with relief. Boiton handed him the materials and asked:
— "What is all this for?"
The old man didn't answer the question and instead said:
— "You have one last job, boy. You must infiltrate the king's research base and retrieve the Alpha Chip."
Boiton looked at Sisly in shock. He shook his head, remembering that ultra‑powerful shadow.
Sisly gave him a sympathetic look, though accompanied by a sly smile. He spoke in a calming tone:
— "I have a plan. You don't need to worry," Sisly said.
— "You're crazy, you senile old man," Boiton retorted.
— "Maybe."
Boiton never understood what this old man thought or intended. But he felt he was doing something good.
As always, the old man proceeded to explain his plan.
Five minutes of explanation.
— "In short, you'll pose as a cadet in training and get close to the Alpha Chip. Once you have it, you'll hide it in this metal sphere and press the button. And if anything goes wrong, you'll have to run."
— "I think I get it… but what if I can't find the Alpha Chip?" Boiton asked, doubtful.
— "I'll give you a device so you'll know which one it is. Like I said, I've got everything planned, hehe," Sisly clarified, his malicious smile returning.
The boy sighed and nodded.
One week later. King's Castle.
A loud voice announced the new mid‑class recruits. Each one called stepped forward and struck a combat pose. When the examiner called Boiton, he nearly tripped headfirst. The recruiter's voice rang out:
— "Chispitas Ahhh! Is Chispitas Ahhh here?"
— "Haha, who's the fool with that name?" Boiton mocked in his mind.
The recruiter, confused, changed his question.
— "Is number 2021 here?"
Boiton heard his number and stepped forward. The recruiter looked at him, wore a confused expression, and told him to proceed. Boiton was intrigued by the man's reaction, who seemed to look at him strangely. The boy walked toward him, stood with his arms behind his back and legs apart, looked at the man, and spoke in a firm, authoritative tone. The recruiter smiled at the boy's demeanor, but then returned to his confused expression. This alarmed Boiton, who grew nervous, cold sweat running down his neck, his anticipation turning into worry.
Suddenly, silence settled between the recruiter and the recruit. The other recruits focused on them with curious stares. Minutes passed, their wrinkled mouths showing discontent, murmurs began to rise, and their feet stomped impatiently, creating a thunderous rhythm. The recruiter shifted his attention to the restless crowd and shouted at them. They calmed down, and finally, the recruiter spoke:
— "Boy, are you sure you're old enough to join? Remember, if your power is less than a thousand units, you'll be dead. Besides, the weak are slaves to the strong—that's reality," the recruiter said with his eyes closed.
Boiton noticed that this recruiter didn't show arrogance or disdain, which confused him. A flood of doubts filled his mind. The recruiter spoke again without waiting for his answer:
— "Well, I suppose this is something you have to do, isn't it? You seem like a busy boy, so you won't mind this old man. Still, I ask you to be careful, and it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm known by the alias Seven," said Recruiter 7. "Now go, and I hope you survive."
— "Thank you," Boiton whispered, still unable to believe there could be another kind Saiyan, like the smiths.
Still surprised, the boy walked to the designated place. As he walked, he saw a crowd gathered around a stage. On the stage stood another man dressed similarly to the recruiter. In his right hand, he held a large device that scanned the recruits' battle power. As the device emitted technological sounds, it displayed a number: four hundred.
The recruit puffed out his chest and smiled arrogantly. But the imposing man spoke an unexpected phrase:
— "Trash," he said in a grave tone.
The recruit, hearing this, grew frightened. Immediately, the man grabbed him by his battle suit and hurled him through the air. The recruit crashed into the wall, badly injured. Then the man shouted:
— "You are a disgrace to us! Miserable! I don't understand why they didn't send you to die on an external planet!" he roared furiously. With an even louder shout, he ordered that the useless recruit be taken to the cleaning group. The ex‑recruit, hearing this, tried to escape, but two guards seized him. Desperation consumed him, and he began to cry out for mercy.
Boiton watched, terrified but furious. Hearing the boy's cries, he took a step forward to help—but was stopped by Sisly's voice. Boiton clenched his fists in frustration, while the desperate screams echoed in the background.
From afar, Sisly used special binoculars and spoke through a microphone:
— "Boy, we're here for a reason. Remember, that kid has no salvation. If you help him, it will also be your downfall."
— "But…" the boy protested angrily.
— "But nothing," Sisly interrupted. "You can't play the hero—not for him."
Sisly managed to irritate Boiton even more, but at the same time convinced him not to throw everything away. With a sigh, Boiton cut off the communication between them.
Boiton walked toward the platform, annoyed yet determined. His hatred for the arrogant grew, and his worry for his friend deepened. In his mind, he imagined his father and uncle suffering. This made him clench his fists so tightly that blood began to seep from them. He stepped onto the platform and, with a leap, landed beside the man dressed like the recruiter.
The man looked at him and activated the device. The machine began to hum and then stopped at a number. The number displayed surprised the man, and he said:
— "One thousand eight hundred twenty‑one."
Sisly, watching from afar, was also impressed. When the boy had first appeared and been captured, his power had only been 1,400 units. But now it had grown so quickly.
Boiton paid no attention to the number and looked directly at the man. The man returned his gaze and told him to proceed to the guard's hall. Boiton obeyed, leaping into the hall.
There, he felt an oppressive aura. It frightened him. Meanwhile, Sisly, using his special binoculars, detected the energy in that room and warned the boy. Sisly said he had sensed an aura of nearly three thousand units of power.
Boiton felt the pressure fade, and little by little he relaxed. Then he walked toward the control panel of the room, recalling what Sisly had previously told him.
Flashback
"Well, boy, once you get through the recruitment filters, you'll be asked to go to the guards' hall. There you'll find a panel where you'll have to place your hand. It will register your fingerprints and give you a pass according to your rank. Since you're new, it'll only give you a low‑rank pass—but we can use that for our purpose," said old Sisly excitedly, handing him a device. "This device will help you hack the network without anyone noticing, and you'll be able to use your card to access the server of the barracks."
— "But old man, if you have such a device, why don't you just free Valentino?" Boiton asked, confused.
Sisly smacked Boiton on the head, leaving him with a big lump. The boy rubbed his head and shouted at the old man:
— "OLD MAN -)#;( HOW DARE YOU HIT YOUR PARTNER!" he protested.
— "WHEN YOU TALK NONSENSE, IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO HIT YOU," Sisly said irritably. "Listen, foolish boy, how do you think I could fight against royal guards and at the same time hack the castle's security? Those are completely different things—the barracks and the castle. Do you think this is as easy as writing a few codes? Ignorant child!"
— "Grumpy old man. But wait—if you can't hack the king's castle, then how are we going to rescue Valentino?" Boiton expressed his doubts, then furiously asked: "Have you been fooling me all along?"
Sisly looked at the boy and sighed.
— "I'm too old to be explaining everything, but I suppose I have to," Sisly said, sighing again. "I told you—I can't do both things at the same time, boy. But together, we can. Do you understand?"
Boiton saw Sisly sigh and explain with boredom. Finally, he understood the situation, and a blush of embarrassment formed on his face. He nodded slightly in affirmation to the old man's question.
End of Flashback