Originally Posted by
Sub-Zero MKA
“You failed.”
On the planet Vacado, home of some of the strongest saiyans – in their own minds – in the universe, strength was everything. Quite literally, it was everything. Every walk of life – from romance, to employment, to position in society – was determined by how strong one was. The strong lived comfortable, care-free lives; the weak were trampled on, stomped on, stepped over, and overlooked. The strong were glamorous, the weak were shabby. The strong were the pinnacle of society; the weak would have been lucky to have enough food to last them a few hours. The strong were the pride and joy of Vacado; the weak were considered slaves.
On Vacado, where strength was everything, the lessons and classes taken by the young saiyan warriors of tomorrow were tailored to draw out what strength they had inside. Some had more than others. The children of Saiyan Elites and the master-class Super Elites were ahead of the pack. Usually. Every so often, a child of an Elite fell behind her lineage. Every so often, a daughter of not one, but two Elites failed to measure up to the understandably lofty standards her parents set before her.
Sarada, daughter of Saiyan Elites Lettise and Guar, only had a power level of 50. After six entire years of training, she was barely stronger than she was when she first started. Granted, it was well known throughout the galaxy that strength was grown in a kind, nurturing environment, where harsh requirements and horrific consequences didn't compel the student to force herself to become stronger. Saiyan society on Vacado was extremely self-defeating.
Not that anyone on the planet actually realized that. Sarada certainly didn't. Opposed to questioning the teaching methods and the rewards for passing her final exam – freedom as opposed to a life as a slave – she questioned herself. I'm just a disgrace.
“After six long years,” the Combat Training Center overseer, Okra, continued, “you're only a little stronger than you were when you started.” She shook her head in disgust. “Six years of my life, wasted.” She glared angrily at the young saiyan, who, in turn, glared at the ground. “I should kill you where you stand for wasting my time. Go home, pack your belongings, and prepare for your new life.” She turned to walk away, her tail unwrapping itself from her waist and letting itself dangle freely from her black trunks. “If you're lucky, you may be allowed to clean your sisters toilet one day. Hahaha!”
When Sarada returned home, she wasn't expecting to be coddled and told it was going to be okay. Which was good, because otherwise, the sharp backhand she received from her mother would have shattered that expectation with thunderous force. She fell to the ground, a red mark already forming on her left cheek.
“Absolutely disgraceful,” she snarled. “To think that I birthed such a sorry excuse for a saiyan makes me want to throw up. I should kill you where you stand, but I don't want to waste energy on garbage.”
Her words stung, even if she never gave her the satisfaction of seeing her crumble under their immense weight. She had disappointed her mother. That hurt worse than anything else.
Her eyes cut to her father. His back was turned. He hadn't said a word since they received the report from the CTC. That was to be expected. He never really showed much care about anything.
Her mother left without another word, her father shortly after her. Sarada was left alone to contemplate her future.
She was to be a slave, a servant grovel at the feet of others. It was so... infuriating and humiliating. No! She would die before she would bend at the knee before anyone – the King and Queen notwithstanding.
While it was normal for a saiyan sentenced to the Meat Market to commit suicide rather than have their pride trampled on like chaff, Sarada didn't want to stoop to that level of cowardice. At the same time, however, she didn't want to just accept this fate, not while she knew in her heart that she had the strength of an elite coursing through her veins.
There was only one recourse left. In order to get stronger, she needed to leave this place. They would never allow her the time she needed to prove herself. The only way to reach the level she knew she was capable of was to try and reach it on her own, on her own time. Then, once she fulfilled her destiny and rose to the ranks of super elite, she would return to Vacado and take her rightful place near the top of the social ladder.
Yes, this was brilliant idea, if she said so herself. She would leave in the middle of the night, once most everyone went to sleep.
Night fell without any further incident. Her parents didn't say a word to her. She soon found out that they had been called away to different assignments. Slaves were needed to fill in the shanties in the Meat Market, plus competition for the Arena had been scarce as of late. That was just fine with her; one less obstacle in her way.
To that point, there were only two obstacles in her way. Parsley and Pinach, her two siblings. Parsley was her older sister by four years. Her skin was the same dark tone as hers, but her hair was much darker. She was also much thinner, as far as curvature went. If Sarada was being honest – as much as she had been in the past – she would say that Parsley was actually a boy disguised as a girl for one reason or another. Of course, she said this to get under her sisters skin; it worked every time.
As far as Pinach, he was of the same skin tone, but his hair was much shorter than his sisters. He was only 10, so he was still slight in stature and build.
“So, you're leaving,” Parsley commented.
“What do you care?” Sarada replied snappishly.
She sneered haughtily. “I don't. I just wanted to see whether you would accept your fate or not. You didn't disappoint me. You're planning on running away, aren't you?”
Sarada didn't answer.
“Thought so. This is a waste of time, you know. You'll never get stronger on your own if you couldn't with the very best tutors elite money can buy.” She shook her head, words dripping with the manipulative emotion that she had become famous for. “I can't imagine how hurt our mother will be once she finds out you left.”
“Our mother wouldn't give a damn and you know it,” she spoke before Parsley could even finish. “She doesn't care about anyone. Not you, not me, not him,” she continued, cocking her head at their brother. “If you think your horseshit will stop me from leaving, think again. You're going to get the hell out of my way, and I'm leaving this place so I can train and become the strongest saiyan the universe has every known.”
Parsley snickered, then outright laughed in her face. “You're delusional!” she choked. “Fine, by all means. Die in outer space for all I care. More food for me, anyway.”
Sadara stared her down, her white hot rage evident behind her striking amber eyes. She turned her gaze to Pinach, who had been standing silently for the duration of the conversation. They locked eyes for a long time, but he said nothing.
She expected nothing less. He was becoming just like their father.
Sadara brushed past her sister, who was still giggling, and left the place where their “family” met every once in a while for the last time.
Days passed and the pod ship Sarada stole was nearing its destination. When she left, she quickly realized that she had very little experience navigating a pod, and resorted to inputting a random set of coordinates in a bid to leave as soon as possible. Those random set of coordinates took her a lot further away than she anticipated.
"Arrival imminent. Prepare for landing."
Alright, Sarada. Your journey to absolute, unrivaled greatness if about to begin. Let's see that bitch Parsley laugh when she sees how strong I've become!
The pod penetrated the planet's atmosphere as it made its descent. Sarada's heart was racing with anticipation. She could hardly wait to land and get started with her training. This planet was sure to have many strong fighters that could possibly help her reach her full potential. Even if it was just fighting her with their full power; if she played her cards right, they may have even shared a few of their techniques. She wasn't so far up Vacado's ass that she refused to acknowledge that the universe was just filled to the brim with powerful people who knew how to channel their ki in ways the saiyans had likely never thought possible.
It was so exciting!
The pod landed with a tremendous crash, leaving in its wake a massive crater. However, thanks to the cutting edge collision-absorption technology equipped within the pod's outer shell, Sarada didn't feel so much as a jostle. "Alright! Here we go!" She clipped her scouter to her ear and opened the pod door. A burst of freezing cold air slapped her in the face, but she paid it no mind.
"Let's see where all the strong people are." She tapped the scouter to scan the area. Almost immediately, a large cluster of blips flashed across the screen, as well as an arrow directing her in their direction. Nodding, she started sprinting in that direction.