Dragon Ball Roshi

Taro, the Northern Kai, and Hathaway walked through the winding corridors of the Grand Kai's Mansion. Despite walking for what felt like an eternity, the end of the path remained out of sight.

"Could it be we're heading underground? No, that's not right. Judging by the feel of the ground underfoot, it's been level the entire time without any downward incline," Taro thought silently as he calmly walked at the back of the group, holding Hathaway's hand tightly. "From the exterior of the Mansion, even accounting for the winding corridors, the overall path should have led us forward. The depth of this house shouldn't allow for such an extensive interior."

In other words, if their destination wasn't within the house itself, they should have already exited the structure by now.

And yet, the procession of 133 individuals — five Kais included — continued forward through the Mansion's seemingly endless corridors.

Walking beside the Northern Kai, Taro glanced at Hathaway, who was carrying their son, Tam. Noticing the faint strain on her face, he spoke. "Let me take him."

Although Tam's growth had been slow, he was still eight years old. While Hathaway regularly exercised (albeit not in martial arts), even she was beginning to struggle with carrying him for such a prolonged period. Taro, who rarely considered fatigue an issue, felt a twinge of guilt as he realized her difficulty.

Without hesitation, Hathaway handed over the sleeping child to her husband. Taro, however, didn't handle him with the same tenderness — he simply held Tam under one arm as if carrying an object. This, apparently, was the father's way of "helping."

Hathaway couldn't help but feel a bit speechless at the sight, but she also trusted Taro's martial prowess. Even carrying their child in such a casual manner, she knew Tam wouldn't feel any discomfort.

Relieved to be free of the burden, Hathaway stretched her arms and ran her hands through her long, voluminous purple hair, smoothing it back before letting it fall behind her shoulders. She sighed softly, her mood noticeably lightened.

Peering ahead at the long line of contestants, she couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't reached their destination yet.

Even without Taro's immense mental faculties for calculation and deduction, Hathaway's own intelligence was extraordinary. She, too, had already realized the spatial incongruity. Her mind quickly constructed a mental map of the house based on her observations from outside and their path within. By all logic, they should have exited the Mansion long ago.

"These rooms… they all look exactly the same," Hathaway remarked, scrutinizing the doorways they passed. Each was styled in the same Western fashion as the Mansion itself.

Taro, carrying Tam under one arm and resting his other around Hathaway's slim waist, also glanced at the door they were passing. This identical design had repeated itself countless times along the corridor.

"Don't lose focus. Stay close. The Grand Kai's house is full of spatial and temporal distortions," the Northern Kai reminded them.

"Spatial and temporal distortions? That explains it." Taro muttered, finally understanding why the corridors seemed to stretch far beyond the Mansion's physical limits.

Hathaway, however, looked intrigued rather than merely surprised. With her husband's arm still around her waist, she tilted her head thoughtfully, one hand supporting her elbow while the other rubbed her smooth chin. Her gaze wandered across the strange corridor, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Spatial distortions... temporal folds..." she murmured, her thoughts beginning to explore the possibilities of such phenomena.

Hathaway's husband, Taro, also seemed to recall something. His mind wandered to the Majin Buu Saga from the original story, where Piccolo had led Majin Buu through a lengthy, winding path beneath the Lookout to buy time.

Of course, the corridors beneath Earth's Lookout weren't imbued with any spatial or temporal distortions; they were simply complex in design. Yet, the elements of "corridors" and "rooms" made it hard for Taro not to associate their current surroundings with a pivotal location in Dragon Ball Z — the place where the Z Fighters defied all odds to stage their comebacks.

The Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"Spatial distortions... Could it be that Earth's Time Chamber was originally inspired by this place? Perhaps, at some point in the past, a Guardian of Earth had trained here at the Grand Kai's realm, then returned to replicate the concept, giving birth to the Time Chamber.

But the Hyperbolic Time Chamber didn't just alter space — it manipulated time as well."

As Taro's thoughts spiraled outward, he even recalled an "anime-original" storyline, where Goku had encountered a device capable of transporting him through time to meet Master Mutaito. He wondered whether something like that truly existed in the Lookout, though he had never asked Piccolo about it.

"Yes, if you get lost in here, it would be... well, not that big of a problem for you," the Northern Kai mused, realizing with a resigned chuckle that even if Taro lost his way, Instant Transmission could easily get him out.

The thought didn't linger long — at that moment, their destination came into view.

The procession ahead came to a stop somewhere along the corridor.

"Have they opened a door?" Taro's sharp eyesight allowed him to see the front of the line even from the rear. He noticed the participants entering a room on one side of the corridor, one after another. As more people filed in, the corridor gradually emptied, and Taro, Hathaway, and the Northern Kai advanced forward. Soon, the last person before them stepped into the open door.

Though the door was wide open, it revealed only a blinding white glow. The dim corridor made it seem as though a tall, vertical strip of blank white paper had been placed against the dark wall. In other words, from within the corridor, it was impossible to discern what lay beyond the door.

"Let's go," the Northern Kai said, ambling in without hesitation.

At that moment, the small figure in Taro's arms stirred. Tam had woken up, rubbing his eyes in confusion, clearly unsure of where he was. Taro and Hathaway exchanged a glance, smiling slightly. Gently setting Tam down, Taro watched as Hathaway took their son's hand. Together, the family stepped through the glowing doorway and entered the white light.

---

As the blinding light began to fade, the scene before them slowly became clear. What followed was a cacophony of noise.

"So many people." Hathaway murmured, raising a hand to shield her eyes as she looked ahead in astonishment.

They were standing in what appeared to be a massive arena. At the center was an enormous platform resembling a fighting ring, while the surrounding area featured circular spectator stands. These stands were already packed with a dense crowd of onlookers.

Waiting for them near the entrance, the Northern Kai chuckled. "Strictly speaking, those aren't people. They're ghosts."

Indeed, among the crowd, many were simply white flame-like souls. These were spirits who had traveled from Heaven to witness the Other World Martial Arts Tournament. This rare event, held on the Grand Kai's planet, was one of the few opportunities for the spirits of the afterlife to venture out and enjoy some entertainment. Bored after their time in paradise, they flocked together to watch the competition, treating it as a welcomed distraction.

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