Dragon Ball: After the End
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
Use the age-old technique: If you don't know what to do, have someone pull a gun!
. . . that may be less useful in this quest than in normal writing.
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Everybody's heads snapped over as the man pulled out a gun and started waving it around. "Everybody get on the ground! This is a robbery, and don't think I won't shoot the first person who makes trouble!"
Jaffur's face slowly split in a wide, feral grin.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
The most recent vote has closed, but my vote won.
Compliant Omake: Meanwhile, IN SPACE!
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Omake: Meanwhile, IN SPACE!
Brother and sister traded blows high in the air, lightning crackled around them from the sheer force of the blows they struck. Those on the ground could not see them, both because of distance and because of the sheer speed at which they moved. Finally a right hook to the face from the sister sent the brother falling to the ground.
"Damn sis, and here I thought I was supposed to be the stronger twin."
The blond woman floated down, before smirking, "Maybe if you took your training more seriously you would be."
The black haired man pouted for a moment before wincing and holding his jaw, "Think you actually knocked my jaw out of alignment there.
The woman shrugged, "Eh, I'll fix it later, we're due for some maintenance soon anyway."
"I didn't think Frozen wrecked us that badly? I mean, we did drive him off."
"If your jaw was knocked out of alignment from sparring practice, he definitely did."
The man snorted, and opened his mouth to retort further, but was interrupted by the approach of a large spider like creature.
"Champions, I bring important news!"
The two glanced at each other, before the woman answered, "What is it Rikal?"
"Coolant is dead."
"What?"/"How?" the twins asked, before looking at each other again and the woman continued, "He's stronger than the two of us put together, and the strongest of his brother Fridge's underlings."
"Yes. Apparently he was confronted by a fat pink creature and turned into chocolate by it and then eaten. We have no idea who this pink creature is or what it wants." It produced a dataslate with a picture.
This time the look between the twins was significantly longer. The man got up, "Well 18, looks like we should fix each other up right now. Want to be at our best when we meet up with your old friend Buu, yeah?"
Brother and sister traded blows high in the air, lightning crackled around them from the sheer force of the blows they struck. Those on the ground could not see them, both because of distance and because of the sheer speed at which they moved. Finally a right hook to the face from the sister sent the brother falling to the ground.
"Damn sis, and here I thought I was supposed to be the stronger twin."
The blond woman floated down, before smirking, "Maybe if you took your training more seriously you would be."
The black haired man pouted for a moment before wincing and holding his jaw, "Think you actually knocked my jaw out of alignment there.
The woman shrugged, "Eh, I'll fix it later, we're due for some maintenance soon anyway."
"I didn't think Frozen wrecked us that badly? I mean, we did drive him off."
"If your jaw was knocked out of alignment from sparring practice, he definitely did."
The man snorted, and opened his mouth to retort further, but was interrupted by the approach of a large spider like creature.
"Champions, I bring important news!"
The two glanced at each other, before the woman answered, "What is it Rikal?"
"Coolant is dead."
"What?"/"How?" the twins asked, before looking at each other again and the woman continued, "He's stronger than the two of us put together, and the strongest of his brother Fridge's underlings."
"Yes. Apparently he was confronted by a fat pink creature and turned into chocolate by it and then eaten. We have no idea who this pink creature is or what it wants." It produced a dataslate with a picture.
This time the look between the twins was significantly longer. The man got up, "Well 18, looks like we should fix each other up right now. Want to be at our best when we meet up with your old friend Buu, yeah?"
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- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
...damn it, too good.
Canon.
Threadmark.
Cookie.
I do believe this one has decided my stance on the twins' survival for me.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
I do believe this one has decided my stance on the twins' survival for me.
Huzzah!
Now we can be reintroduced to them when Frigid's band of conquerors comes along to Garenhuld. See, I gave you a new group of antagonists to play with if you need more gradations of power.
The Fourth Monado
S U B A R A S H I I
- Location
- Away
Dear Omake:
STOP BEING SO HARD TO WRITE, DAMMIT
I WANT TO GET YOU OUT SOON
Signed,
One Frustrated Author
STOP BEING SO HARD TO WRITE, DAMMIT
I WANT TO GET YOU OUT SOON
Signed,
One Frustrated Author
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
Have you tried having ninjas with Uzis show up?
I can just see him now.
"Is this really happening?! Yay! I can't believe it! I must have done something really nice in a past life!"
Two seconds later, while the blood is still airborne.
"Can't imagine what that was..."
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Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
@PoptartProdigy
I know it may be rude, but your wording of Update Incoming has had me on the edge of my seat all day. How's it coming along?
I know it may be rude, but your wording of Update Incoming has had me on the edge of my seat all day. How's it coming along?
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
I would assume 'slowly'.
I expect someone with a gun to show up. QM got writer's block?
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
In fact, it is incoming within the hour.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Damn it. You tell me this after I take my melatonin. I guess I'll be enjoying it in the morning.
- Location
- Australia
@PoptartProdigy, is there any chance we can develop Roshi's Max Power form? As far as I can tell it's basically the same as Ultra Super Saiyan except the speed/stamina decrease isn't so cripplingly severe and it doesn't make the user more instinctual. His Serious Power form is possibly even better, since it's basically a pure upgrade over his base form, even if it doesn't provide as much power as the Max Power form.
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- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I had similar thoughts. But you are a Saiyan, and cannot do those things.
Update is done and going for editing. Up in like ten to twenty minutes.
- Location
- Australia
So only pure humans can do it?
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ack ack ack did something out of order, removing, replacing, update in like thirty minutes I swear.
I have decided to rule thus, yes.
I have decided to rule thus, yes.
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Far enough in the future? Yep.
Have I actually done it? That will join SSJ4 and whatever the Enemy is on my pile of "wait and sees."
And, without further ado...
Turn the Gears
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[x] Plan Aranfan
[x]Attend School (Mandatory, choose one of the following): Time-consuming, tiring, and the part that you're most likely to be discovered doing. Unfortunately, you really have no choice. Current grades: trending A-. Effect: Attend school.
-[x] Slack (1 action): You have better things to do! Slack off on schoolwork to focus on other pursuits. Effect: Possible grade loss. You're smart and this is primary school, you you have a decent chance of not dropping a grade.
[x] Strange Peg For a Strange Hole (1 action): The Misfits are, oddly enough, the place you fit into the most. So you'll make sure to put in the time to really fit in with them. Friends are nice, and they demand the extra effort. Effect: Go above and beyond the effort needed to merely maintain your new friendships, and try to strengthen your new bonds. You will almost certainly succeed.
[x] Improve Masque Affinity (1 action): The human world of Garenhuld offers many intriguing possibilities, but when you're Masqued, you're well aware that you're always just a little bit...off. You've never made the rookie mistake of trying to grab a chair with your tail, but it's been close. If you wish to involve yourself deeper in the human world, you'll need to improve your comfort in your Masque first. Effect: Grind your Masque Affinity, reducing your tells in human form and unlocking more involved options. Success in this is guaranteed with any amount of time investment; the only thing in question is how much you'll improve by.
-[x] Train in 'normal human' martial arts (possibly with a Masqued Gokun-Saiyan teacher) and try to get our friends to join us.
[x] Training (Mandatory, 1 action): You have mastered the transformation, and now all that's left is to finally reach your limits.
-[x] Train Base Strength: 375 million units...it was just last year that that felt like an unreachable pinnacle of strength. Now you look ready to hit it by the end of the year. Effect: Raise your base form's strength by conventional training. WILL COMPLETE THIS YEAR.
[x] A Warrior's Path: being a warrior is about more than brute strength. Master the art of combat to gain your people's respect. Your mindset will hold you back in all aspects, though.
-[x] Train Specific Skill (1 action, may be taken multiple times): As you train your skill in an overall field, your skill at individual techniques will rise to match it, but maybe you can focus on something in particular. Effect: Choose a specific Skill you wish to train or learn. Crowd fighting? Fighting in a team? Specific ki projection techniques like the Kikoho? Odder stuff, like the multiform? (ask your GM for an extended list of techniques if you're not sure) This would give a higher chance of success than simply training the whole related field.
--[x] Multiform
-[x] Train Oozaru (1 action): You failed to figure this out last year, despite the very good odds in your favor. Despite that, you are determined to continue, your odd hunch growing only stronger. And with lessons learned, you knowyou'll succeed this time. Effect: As the QM increasingly loses patience with the dice, automatically succeed in gaining control over the Oozaru form and gain a variable amount of strength in it.
[x] The Mysteries: You are a Seer, an heir to the legacy of Bardock. This alone has radically changed your path in life. Yet despite this, you cannot ignore the impact of Sorcery on your life.
-[x] Train With Sensei (1 action): Nothing for it but time. Effect: Grind your talent in Seer abilities. Sensei tells you that this will be gruelingly hard, and take years to master no matter how much of a prodigy you are.
[x] The Pulse of Life: You are a part of this society, and it's the people who make it tick.
-[x] Family First (1 action): Your relationship with your Father has stopped actively collapsing, but the two of you are still distant from each other. You want to fix that, even though it'll never again be what it once was. Effect: Repair relationship with Dad.
-[x] A Scion's Duties II (1 action): You've begun the first of your training and learned the basics of how your society works. Now it's time to really delve into it. Effect: Learn the art of diplomacy and Clan management at the feet of your father, improving your Communication Skill and learning about the practical side of managing hundreds upon thousands of Saiyans who all want a fight.
[x] Breaking the Seal: You know some of the details of Jaffur's Seal, and have an ally in your Grandma Apra. What else is there to do?
-[x] Contact House Senzu (1 action): House Senzu has withdrawn from society at large with all members, including their Sorcerer, and their Senzu Beans in tow, but when last you met you were allies. Perhaps if you find them...somehow...you can be again. Effect: Search for House Senzu, and if possible bring them in on the plot.
[x] Attempt to openly attended The Ancestor Cult meeting. Ask the organizers to let you attended, given your position as Scion and how important this will be to Saiyan Politics.
[x] Personal Ki Control
[x]Attend School (Mandatory, choose one of the following): Time-consuming, tiring, and the part that you're most likely to be discovered doing. Unfortunately, you really have no choice. Current grades: trending A-. Effect: Attend school.
-[x] Slack (1 action): You have better things to do! Slack off on schoolwork to focus on other pursuits. Effect: Possible grade loss. You're smart and this is primary school, you you have a decent chance of not dropping a grade.
[x] Strange Peg For a Strange Hole (1 action): The Misfits are, oddly enough, the place you fit into the most. So you'll make sure to put in the time to really fit in with them. Friends are nice, and they demand the extra effort. Effect: Go above and beyond the effort needed to merely maintain your new friendships, and try to strengthen your new bonds. You will almost certainly succeed.
[x] Improve Masque Affinity (1 action): The human world of Garenhuld offers many intriguing possibilities, but when you're Masqued, you're well aware that you're always just a little bit...off. You've never made the rookie mistake of trying to grab a chair with your tail, but it's been close. If you wish to involve yourself deeper in the human world, you'll need to improve your comfort in your Masque first. Effect: Grind your Masque Affinity, reducing your tells in human form and unlocking more involved options. Success in this is guaranteed with any amount of time investment; the only thing in question is how much you'll improve by.
-[x] Train in 'normal human' martial arts (possibly with a Masqued Gokun-Saiyan teacher) and try to get our friends to join us.
[x] Training (Mandatory, 1 action): You have mastered the transformation, and now all that's left is to finally reach your limits.
-[x] Train Base Strength: 375 million units...it was just last year that that felt like an unreachable pinnacle of strength. Now you look ready to hit it by the end of the year. Effect: Raise your base form's strength by conventional training. WILL COMPLETE THIS YEAR.
[x] A Warrior's Path: being a warrior is about more than brute strength. Master the art of combat to gain your people's respect. Your mindset will hold you back in all aspects, though.
-[x] Train Specific Skill (1 action, may be taken multiple times): As you train your skill in an overall field, your skill at individual techniques will rise to match it, but maybe you can focus on something in particular. Effect: Choose a specific Skill you wish to train or learn. Crowd fighting? Fighting in a team? Specific ki projection techniques like the Kikoho? Odder stuff, like the multiform? (ask your GM for an extended list of techniques if you're not sure) This would give a higher chance of success than simply training the whole related field.
--[x] Multiform
-[x] Train Oozaru (1 action): You failed to figure this out last year, despite the very good odds in your favor. Despite that, you are determined to continue, your odd hunch growing only stronger. And with lessons learned, you knowyou'll succeed this time. Effect: As the QM increasingly loses patience with the dice, automatically succeed in gaining control over the Oozaru form and gain a variable amount of strength in it.
[x] The Mysteries: You are a Seer, an heir to the legacy of Bardock. This alone has radically changed your path in life. Yet despite this, you cannot ignore the impact of Sorcery on your life.
-[x] Train With Sensei (1 action): Nothing for it but time. Effect: Grind your talent in Seer abilities. Sensei tells you that this will be gruelingly hard, and take years to master no matter how much of a prodigy you are.
[x] The Pulse of Life: You are a part of this society, and it's the people who make it tick.
-[x] Family First (1 action): Your relationship with your Father has stopped actively collapsing, but the two of you are still distant from each other. You want to fix that, even though it'll never again be what it once was. Effect: Repair relationship with Dad.
-[x] A Scion's Duties II (1 action): You've begun the first of your training and learned the basics of how your society works. Now it's time to really delve into it. Effect: Learn the art of diplomacy and Clan management at the feet of your father, improving your Communication Skill and learning about the practical side of managing hundreds upon thousands of Saiyans who all want a fight.
[x] Breaking the Seal: You know some of the details of Jaffur's Seal, and have an ally in your Grandma Apra. What else is there to do?
-[x] Contact House Senzu (1 action): House Senzu has withdrawn from society at large with all members, including their Sorcerer, and their Senzu Beans in tow, but when last you met you were allies. Perhaps if you find them...somehow...you can be again. Effect: Search for House Senzu, and if possible bring them in on the plot.
[x] Attempt to openly attended The Ancestor Cult meeting. Ask the organizers to let you attended, given your position as Scion and how important this will be to Saiyan Politics.
[x] Personal Ki Control
Turn the Gears
Due to your balance of positive to negative stressors being notably positive at year's start, you need make no mental health check this year.
* * *
With a metaphorical clap of your hands, you get ready to attend to the year's work. You always get so excited at this time of year. The infinite possibilities, the burgeoning time ahead of you to do things. The glorious sight of a to-do list unrolling out the door!
You cackle madly, rubbing your hands together in glee. It's time. Time to get down to some real, serious-
* * *
"Slacking, Karen?" asks Gemma, taking her nose out of her book just to frown at you. "That's bad."
You flinch at the sudden and unexpected direct attention. "It's not that bad!" you object, shaking your head. "I just have better things to do!"
And you do, to be fair. You're semi-running a planet-spanning conspiracy to free the royal heir to the Lordship over half of a race in exile from his sorcerous enslavement, under the nose of your own Lord Father, while in an uncertain position of authority over/under your ex-Lady Grandmother, and with countless unknown factors arising to try and spoil that. You're swamped.
But Gemma doesn't know that. "You're smart," she says, narrowing her eyes. "You could be getting top marks."
"I already almost am!" you say, crossing your arms. "It's not like my grades are going down." And that too is true, to again be fair. You're very sharp, and primary school is not an academically rigorous setting on the scale of later education. Your smarts are more than enough to carry you through, even with your lackluster performance on homework.
"You can't count on that!" says Gemma, getting genuinely irritated. "Jenny, tell her!"
The bluenette looks up from her own homework. "Eh? Yeah, sure, whatever. Hey Gemma, what's five times eight divided by two?"
"Twenty- hey!"
Jenny grins, evading Gemma's attempt at swatting her. "Sucker!"
"Cheater," grumbles the blonde girl, grabbing up her textbook again. "Not going to catch me again."
Sophie then walks in, Maya in tow. "Hi, everybody!" says the redhead. You all chorus a hello back at her.
"You're doing homework?" asks Maya, again giving you that weird sidelong glance.
"Not Karen," grumbles Gemma, hissing in irritation as she presses down too hard while making a note and snaps the tip off of her pencil. "She apparently doesn't need to study."
Sophie looks over. "I can get that. School's boring. But what are you working on, Karen?"
"Stuff," you say, serenely bending your head over your notebook. You cross out a line of text.
"What stuff?" asks Maya, cocking her head.
"Private stuff," you reply, turning away as Sophie makes an attempt to snatch it with a wide grin.
"Come on!" says Sophie. "What's the harm?"
"I would have to kill you," you reply, to laughter from your friends.
Your Holiness, you write, I respectfully request a place at the Second Garenhuld Ancestral Council. I believe that my involvement in recent events more than warrants my presence, and to be honest, you couldn't keep me out anyway.
You grimace and scratch that line out. Satisfying? Yes. But unwise.
"Well if you're not going to study, you're just going to have to come up with something else for us to- ow!" Sophie rubs at her scalp, glaring at Gemma. "Don't throw things at me!"
The other blonde simply keeps reading. "We're studying. You're not getting out of it this time."
"Gemma's right, Sophie," you say, grinning. "You need to pay attention in class."
"Oh, you're one to talk," says Jenny.
"I'm special," you reply, closing your notebook and again twitching it away from Sophie with ease. "Although, since we're on the topic-" You idly dodge another thrown pencil from Gemma. "I had an idea for something to try later…"
* * *
"I feel weird," announces Maya, tugging at the sleeves of her training gi. "Why are these clothes so loose?"
"Makes it easier to move," you say, stretching and relishing the feeling of the familiar clothes. This will make it much easier to get used to your Masque! The more similarities, the better. If only to highlight the glaring differences between this and your normal form.
"Karen is right," announces your instructor, one of Sensei Carrick's nephews. "Training gis like this give your more freedom of movement than almost anything else. And trust me, flexibility is very important." He stretches. He, like you, is Masqued. But he is quite obviously used to it. "Now, I already know Karen's skill level. Have any of you had training before?"
To nobody's surprise, Sophie's hand shoots right up. To your surprise, Maya raises her hand as well.
Your teacher nods. "Alright, better than I was expecting. How much? Mousy, you first."
"Eep?"
* * *
Eventually, your teacher sets Jenny and Gemma to doing forms off in a corner until he can get to them, and then tells Maya and Sophie to spar with you a while to show him what they have.
"That's not fair!" says Sophie.
"Don't worry," he says, taking a healthy step backwards. "She'll go easy on you."
Your friends blink and turn back to you.
You don't like fighting. But you love winning.
You flex your fists and give them an evil smile. "Scared?"
Sophie huffs and comes after you.
A moment later, as she tries to sort out which direction is up, you bound over to Maya and get right in her face.
She flinches back. "Waa!"
"Hit me," you say, grinning.
"W-What?"
"Hit me," you say. "Come on, you're not going to get far against me if you hold back."
"No, you're my friend!"
"You're not going to hurt me," you reply, in absolute honesty.
"No!"
You roll your eyes. "Hey, Sophie! You get a free shot!"
Your friend, just picking herself up, raises an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Yes."
Without any further ado, she launches into an absolutely vicious spin kick. It's slow and obvious and you really hope she wouldn't use it against somebody who was going to fight back. But it hits like a truck.
Regrettably, you're more durable than most planets. As her heel crashes into your solar plexus, your smirk simply widens, and you grab her by the ankle. She has just enough time to gulp before you dump her on the ground again.
You turn back to Maya. "See?"
The smaller girl steels herself, eyes wide, and then comes after you. A moment later, she too makes the acquaintance of Mr. Ground.
Things continue in that vein for quite some time.
Ability Improved: Masque Affinity [Unpromising-->Competent], due to picking an incredibly effective means of getting comfortable with one's body even outside the context of being in a sorcerous guise.
Your role in the Misfits has consolidated. You are now the physical one who is really good at fighting and drags the group to martial arts lessons. All Misfit relationships improved to: Ally [Dependable], from: Acquaintance [Friendly].
* * *
That is, however, not the only training you do this year.
"HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
Your Dad stands opposite you, fully transformed in the Training Hall, as you power up to max. "Just a bit farther!" he says.
You double down, clench your fists, and howl, exploding with golden light as you transform as well.
Dad grins at you, takes an opening stance of the Goku Style, and waits.
You're not particularly learned in any given style, but you're quite good at this, and besides that, you know some stances just by paying attention. You take a defensive stance that you recall reading about from the Tenshinhan Style.
Dad lunges forward on the attack, as is the norm for his form, and you block him.
Your blows ring out across the Hall as you try to keep ahead of your father's overwhelming assault. You've studied all of the forms, and so you can recognize what he's doing. The Goku Style is almost entirely offensive and has little to no response to being put on the back foot. If momentum is kept, it's devastating, and given that your father is always the strongest man around, it's not hard to see why he chose that one, even setting aside his stance on the proper role of a Lord, in traditional opposition to Clan Vegeta.
But your Dad isn't facing just any other Saiyan at the moment. He's fighting you. And you've been practicing.
You phase out of the way of one of his strikes and twirl in a backflip, turning your momentum into a vicious kick that knocks the air out of him and completely steals his momentum. You wince at his pained expression, but keep up the attack, realizing that you need to keep him backpedaling if you're to have any hope of keeping ahead of him.
In between strikes, you can see Dad switching to Krillin Style, but it's too late for that; you've gained control of the fight. You sweep his feet – not necessarily a critical advantage while flying, but still profoundly disorienting. And then, as you see him start to tense for the expected strike, you instead place your fingers to your forehead and-
vip
You immediately cup your hands together and take a deep breath, focusing on your Dad's ki to the exclusion of all else. "Ka…me…"
He responds, instantly, regaining control and rocketing after you.
And focus…
vip
"HA…ME…"
He whirls, eyes wide, and puts his fingers to his forehead, flashing behind you-
But you were ready, and-
vip vip vip vip vip vip vip vip vip
-flashing around the Hall in a flurry, confusing him as to where the heck you even are, and behind him-!
vip
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A colossal blue blast envelops him and strains at the wards surrounding the Hall, threatening to burst them. But they're well-made, and react perfectly, containing it in its entirety.
And when the light clears, Dad is picking himself off of the ground, laughing.
"Brilliant, Kakara!" he calls, zipping up to you and dragging you into a hug. You laugh in delight as he spins you around.
"That was spectacular," he says, flying you both back to the ground. "Obviously, not enough to put me down, but that would have turned the fight, kiddo." His eyes twinkle, and he warns you, "Won't work twice, though."
You grin back at him, happier than you can say at how…normal…this all feels.
He puts a hand on your shoulder, and the twinkle…shifts, becoming something far deeper. "More importantly…" he says. "Kakara, do you know how strong you were just then?"
You cock your head. "Hm? No."
His smile widens. "Well…give you a hint…"
BANG.
He flares his aura to full brightness, taking it to the absolute limit and bathing the Hall gold. The gust of wind from all the energy he's putting out blasts your hair back.
But it doesn't move you. In fact, you don't even twitch. Your eyes widen, and his smile gets even brighter, exploding into overwhelming pride. "You've done it, Kakara," he says. "Your training is at an end. And I am so proud of you."
You flush bright red in happiness, ducking your head. You feel accomplished and stunned, all at once. You hadn't even thought to check your power level today, but now that you are…one billion, one hundred and twenty-five million. There are two ki signatures of that strength in the Hall today.
You look up. "Dad…just because my training's over…"
He cocks his head. "Hm?"
You shrug, embarrassed. "Well, just because it's over doesn't mean we have to stop, right?"
The moment freezes, stretching out for an eternity as the two of you let the words echo in the Hall. In that moment, everything between the two of you over the past couple of years bounces in the space between your question and his response, choking the air.
And then he reaches forward and pulls you into a tight hug, and all of that falls away. "Of course not, Kakara," he says, voice soft. "We can keep training together as often as you like."
It's not what the two of you once had. You won't ever get that back, not until something about your relationship changes, again. He's not your superhero anymore, and won't be ever again.
But in this moment, and all the moments to come, you can feel safe in the knowledge that he'll always be your Dad.
Your tears soak into his gi, like they did on the day of the Sealing. But this time, they are profoundly happy.
Base Power Level is now 375 Million. You have reached your limits, and can go no further. By the laws of your people, even for you the second transformation is forbidden. But now you stand atop the heap – one of the two most powerful beings on Garenhuld. In the eyes of many, you are a Saint. You are Kakara Goku. And you are a Super Saiyan.
During your training, you have made the effort to get closer to your father, letting all that has passed between you fall aside from the simple fact of your relationship with each other. While you may disagree, and indeed still do, nothing can take away the fact that he is your father. Relationship improved: Berra Goku, Ally [Dependable-->Strong].
* * *
You sit, meditating. Not all training is simple strength. Not all techniques are for fighting. You are nobility – in fact, should you care to claim it, you have every bit as much right to the title of Princess as Jaffur does to the title of Prince.
Not everything you do can be in service of fighting, even if you even remotely wanted it to be that way. And in particular light of the growing conspiracy to free Jaffur and your part in it, certain skills of…subterfuge…are required.
You concentrate on your ki. One thing you found over the course of your studies is that for learning anything to do with ki, a firm grasp of ki control is essential. And you have practiced with your own ki every day, raising and lowering it as quickly as you can, and at least once every day bringing it into the almost liquid haze of Jaffur's form. You can now do it with ease, although true understanding of his form still eludes you. When you do it, it is a pretty light show and nothing more; something else is still missing, something you will need to research yourself, or else ask Jaffur to teach you if you ever find yourself in his mind again.
But as a result, your talent in its use has improved. You possess skill in the control of your own ki beyond any on the planet save perhaps Jaffur or some few you don't know of. You know for a certainty that this, along with your ki senses, are a place in which you have surpassed your father. You move with constant poise and grace, every ounce of your own energy fully under your control.
And under the weight of that much expertise, it is a matter of simple seconds before you feel the body of your ki splitting down the middle, and one half flitting away to settle opposite you.
You open your eyes, and meet the gaze of your copy, sitting across from you.
You pick up the letter sitting between the two of you and glance through it.
Lady Scion,
I gladly grant your request to attend the Second Garenhuld Ancestral Council in the Training Hall this upcoming summer. It pleases my heart to see a Scion taking an interest in the Faith.
I of course understand that you are not interested in converting as of yet, although I urge you to keep your heart open. Please be assured, the Faith will welcome you with open arms and nothing but hope that you might find our beliefs worthy.
Your Lady Grandmother, I imagine, will be most pleased to sit with you on the day of the Council; when you arrive, please find her in order to find a place to sit.
I look forward to meeting you in person. May the Three watch over you and grant you wisdom and strength.
Yours,
Celeran Peat,
High Priest of the Church of the Ancestors, and
Leader of the Faithful of Garenhuld.
You look back up at your copy. "This'll be interesting."
"I wonder if we'll have to use me," she says.
"Maybe, if they go off and talk by themselves for a bit," you reply.
"I guess we'll see."
"Guess so."
The two of you grin at each other.
Ki Control [Talented-->Exceptional].
Multiform Skill Acquired [Competent].
You have secured permission to attend Garenhuld II, with a pair of cookies expended in the effort.
* * *
You and the Misfits walk through the halls on your way to lunch, chattering with each other.
"Come on, Maya, talk about something else," says Jenny, laughing. "You've been talking about this every free minute since science class."
"But planets are interesting!" exclaims your smallest friend, unusually animated. "Come on, think of how many there are out there! What if there's one we could live on?"
You smother a snort in the cradle.
"Come on, that's not likely," says Jenny, rolling her eyes. "They're just rocks. Who cares about going there?"
"Because it's a mystery?" says Maya. "Who doesn't like mysteries?"
You notice people around you looking at her in shock, and grimace; the Exiles maintain the cultural traditions of Earth, but Garenhulders hate innovation; no wonder Maya only fits in with the Misfits.
"I like mysteries just fine if they stay mysteries," says Jenny, ruffling Maya's hair. "Why do I need to learn about other planets?"
"You should listen to your friend, pipsqueak," says one of the students passing by. "Nobody cares about anything out in space."
Maya shrinks back, flushing red, and mumbles to herself.
You scowl at him and pull her into a hug.
Sophie steps up into his face, making him take a step back.
He promptly runs into Jenny, who gives him a terrifying, broad grin when he whips around to look at her.
Gemma snaps her book shut, tucks her pencil away, and gives him a look that a teacher would be proud of.
"Hey, jerk," says Jenny, leaning in. "Shut up."
He takes a bewildered step back and runs straight in Sophie. He suddenly realizes that the two have him bracketed.
"Just because you can't understand it doesn't mean it's not interesting," says Gemma, her eyes sharp behind her glasses.
"I think you should go," says Sophie.
"Nobody really wants you here," you say, squeezing Maya reassuringly.
"...go away," She mutters, shooting a quick glance at the boy.
He looks around at each of you, flustered, pride stung by the speed with which you all closed ranks. He flushes bright red in fury and embarrassment, and glances back at a cluster of boys who must be his friends. Then he looks back at you all, scowling.
"I can say what I want to," he says, turning to Sophie. "You're the ones nobody cares about!"
And then he shoves her.
The boy is probably a year or two above you, and he's big. He's a real early-bloomer, too -- Dad tells you that no matter what your Masque does, your Saiyan self won't start growing until you're fourteen or so, but you know enough about human puberty to understand that he's started about as early as boys physically can, which makes him stand out as oddly unrealistic in the crowd of primary school students. But there he is, and his simple shove sends Sophie flying across the hall and to the floor.
You all freeze in a moment of shock, and he takes a step forward and away from Jenny -- maybe forgetting her, maybe assuming she won't do anything considering how big he is. He sneers down at Sophie, looming over her. He opens his mouth, and then his legs promptly go out from under him.
He crashes to the ground as the boy who tripped him recovers his poise from the leg sweep, standing and dropping his backpack. Your eyes widen in absolute shock as you stare into a pair of blue eyes that are hauntingly familiar.
Jaron Somerlad stares down at the boy he's just tripped, gulps, and says, "You shouldn't have done that."
Your mind stutters on the sheer fact of his presence.
He- but- how- WHEN- later. Okay, Kakara, okay, think, think, Jaron has bully problems, right? He's scared of them, and he's not Jaffur, so a boy who doesn't know how to fight just tripped somebody bigger and stronger than him and he's afraid into the bargain. Okay this is bad.
You unwind your arms from Maya and prepare to step in.
But it seems you were at least a little mistaken in your assessment of Jaron. The downed boy says something, and Jaron's face freezes. You start moving forward and then Jaron's face twists into a mask of fury. He kicks the older boy hard enough to draw out a pained howl and promptly turns away, walking over to Sophie.
He reaches out with a hand. "Here."
She grabs it and scrambles up. "Thanks."
"You okay?"
"F-Fine." She flushes and looks away.
The Misfits regroup around Jaron and Sophie, and the boy, struggling to his feet, freezes and reconsiders his anger upon seeing the group all together. He scowls and turns, walking away from you all. Tension bleeds out of the air.
You, however, remain on edge, and turn to face Jaffur's Seal. You look at him and flinch as you meet his gaze square-on.
"Do...I know you?" he asks, cocking his head. The other Misfits watch the interaction in confusion.
"N-No!" you say, prompting an offended look from him. "No," you say, calmer. "Sorry. No, I don't think we've met."
He nods, still looking confused. "Right. Um." He looks around the group as all of your eyes fall on him and turns bright red. "...hi?"
Sophie takes a step forward. "Hi. I'm Sophie. Sophie Schultz." She steels herself as if preparing to do something very daring and then sticks her hand out to shake.
He mirrors the gesture hesitantly. "Jaron Somerlad."
"It's nice to meet you!" she says, cheeks faintly red themselves, which is odd for her. "They're Maya, Jenny, Gemma, and Karen."
You all murmur your hellos as she counts you off.
"...nice to meet you, too," he says, looking away. His boldness earlier, it would seem, is completely gone.
Sophie hesitates -- and again, you note that as being distinctly unusual. "So...are you going to lunch, or...something...?" she asks.
He blinks. "Oh! Right, yes." He turns around and grabs his backpack. "I-I was just going there, but I saw...well..." He shrugs, ducking his head, and mutters, "He shouldn't have done that." There's an odd emphasis there.
You wonder if Jaffur is cheering because Jaron stood up for something or too busy staring intently at you through the sky in the Seal to even notice.
Sophie, for her part, brightens quite a bit. "Yeah, we're going there too!"
He actually meets her gaze for a moment, there. "Well...yeah...it's...kind of the lunch period sorry that was mean."
Jenny laughs, snapping some of the tension. "Wow, you're like me crossed with Maya! I think I like you."
He turns crimson.
And abruptly, even Jenny realizes that she just said something embarrassing, matching him for color. "I-I meant...not like..." she buries her face in her hands. Maya reaches up to pat her on the shoulder. Gemma smirks.
"I...it's fine," he says, looking like he desperately desires to be anywhere else.
Sophie clears her throat. "So, um...do you sit with anybody?"
He shakes his head, regaining his footing a bit. "No, I'm...I'm new. My family just moved into the neighborhood last week. We had to leave our old home for some reason...just a year after we left the last one. Sorry, I'm rambling."
Sophie grins, regaining her confidence. "Well, that's perfect! You can sit with us!"
He flushes again. "I...I...um...I..."
"I insist," she says, grabbing his arm and tugging him along. "We have to thank you for helping, right?"
She looks back at you all, giving you a "play along" look. Jaffur stutters, looking very close to panic.
* * *
Well. Shit.
How do you react?
[ ] NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. How about some NOPE to go with all of that NOPE? This is a bad idea! Make an excuse! Something! Anything! Get him out of here! This is a terrible idea!
[ ] Okay, but seriously, he looks terrified, let the poor boy go.
[ ] ...roll with it. Okay, let's see how this turns out. When did this happen, and why were you not informed?
[ ] I smell a golden opportunity. What better way to analyze the Seal than this?
[ ] Write-In.
What's your attitude?
[ ] Business as usual. This is awkward. People are blushing. Sophie is obviously crushing. Ready the cannons, because you've got yourself some ammunition to spend. Tease everybody present! Tease them right this instant!
[ ] The world has ended. Act like it, and remain firmly distant while you figure out how this will impact things.
[ ] Write-In.
THESE VOTES ARE NOW CLOSED.
* * *
I occasionally find myself faced with the dilemma of how much social intelligence to credit Kakara with. I generally err on the side of generosity, given that while I'm a big fan of unreliable narrators, there's being unreliable due to limited IC information, and there's being unreliable due to forcing an audience of teens-upwards to work with the social intelligence of your average nine-year-old girl. And Kakara is, bear in mind, pretty damn near to being a genius.
You're at about an April-equivalent month in Garenhuld's year by this stage. I'm considering whether or not to bother with making a specific calendar, but for now I'll just say it's the middle of spring and leave it at that.
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Mortifer
Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.
- Location
- Under a rock.
[X] NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. How about some NOPE to go with all of that NOPE? This is a bad idea! Make an excuse! Something! Anything! Get him out of here! This is a terrible idea!
[X] The world has ended. Act like it, and remain firmly distant while you figure out how this will impact things.
A hard decision between this and 'Golden Opportunity-Business as Usual,' since I think they're both interesting story-wise, but in the end, I'm gonna go with the option which doesn't risk Lady Vegeta hearing that we're getting close to her son because let's not make her paranoid.
[X] The world has ended. Act like it, and remain firmly distant while you figure out how this will impact things.
A hard decision between this and 'Golden Opportunity-Business as Usual,' since I think they're both interesting story-wise, but in the end, I'm gonna go with the option which doesn't risk Lady Vegeta hearing that we're getting close to her son because let's not make her paranoid.
DevilsAdvocate
Always follow the golden rule.
[X] I smell a golden opportunity. What better way to analyze the Seal than this?
What's your attitude?
[X] Business as usual. This is awkward. People are blushing. Sophie is obviously crushing. Ready the cannons, because you've got yourself some ammunition to spend. Tease everybody present! Tease them right this instant!
What's your attitude?
[X] Business as usual. This is awkward. People are blushing. Sophie is obviously crushing. Ready the cannons, because you've got yourself some ammunition to spend. Tease everybody present! Tease them right this instant!
- Location
- Australia
[X] I smell a golden opportunity. What better way to analyze the Seal than this?
[X] Business as usual. This is awkward. People are blushing. Sophie is obviously crushing. Ready the cannons, because you've got yourself some ammunition to spend. Tease everybody present! Tease them right this instant!
Good way to analyse the seal and keeps in-character with Kakara's Oddball trait.
EDIT: Convictions, Inquisitive, and Oddball will help us with our seal-analysing.
[X] Business as usual. This is awkward. People are blushing. Sophie is obviously crushing. Ready the cannons, because you've got yourself some ammunition to spend. Tease everybody present! Tease them right this instant!
Good way to analyse the seal and keeps in-character with Kakara's Oddball trait.
EDIT: Convictions, Inquisitive, and Oddball will help us with our seal-analysing.
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She's the one who choose to enroll her son at our school, she really can't accuse us of doing anything suspicious.