Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

From her reaction, it was clear that Meagan didn't have a clue about what it meant to be a Guardian, "Well, I am who I am. I'm no scholar like Lady Iris. I do like to read and learn new things, but the Orphanage only offered the equivalent of an elementary school education. Technically, I never went to high school, much less had any advance education. Lady Reimi made sure I was exposed to a wide range of educational experiences, that's how I learned to dance; and Jinzi has been helping me with it as well. Though with all of the fighting and training there hasn't been much time to complete my education."

Looking thoughtful, "I do enjoy teaching, realized that when I was helping the other learn to fly. Spent time back home teaching Martial Arts to a group of eager students."

Pursing her lips slightly in thought, "As far as getting involved, not sure I entirely have a choice. My people have already made it abundantly clear that the next Guardian has to be involved. They don't want a Guardian who sits in the temple like a hermit, only appearing when someone comes to her. That was how it was with Lady Iris. From what I have been told, Lady Iris enjoyed spending her time in the Temple, working on her projects. There were usually one or more members of the Sisterhood there to help out and keep her company, and when there was something really important going on she would occasionally leave the temple to deal with it. But otherwise, if anyone, from child, to scholar, to politician wished to speak with her, they had to make the trip there and ask for permission."

"I'm just the daughter of Peacekeeper and a Nurse. I'm not royalty or wealthy or socially connected. The only thing special about me was that I was crazy enough, or brave enough, to take a risk to help my people. This whole Guardian thing, at times it just doesn't feel right. I feel like I'm being asked to step into shoes a million times greater than my own. Still, if it is what my people need, if it is what they want, if I can help them, then I'll do it. However, I'll have to do it my way. That means helping my people learn to help themselves. I plan on eventually opening the temple up to my people as a school. A place where they can learn from all of the knowledge Lady Iris accumulated. I really believe she intended to do that herself someday, so I don't think she'll mind."

Eva nods.

“Then you will need to be active in your people’s rebuilding efforts and continued living, but not so much that they become dependent on you. A Guardian is supposed to watch over their planet, proactive ones taking that to mean watching and protecting from threats. However, that tends to lead their charges to be less resilient or reliant on themselves. So a balance needs to be met. Perhaps a school of sorts so you may train others up to be strong and help shoulder the burdens of raising Chroma from its near ruin.”

[Tami]

Eva nods.

“Then you will need to be active in your people’s rebuilding efforts and continued living, but not so much that they become dependent on you. A Guardian is supposed to watch over their planet, proactive ones taking that to mean watching and protecting from threats. However, that tends to lead their charges to be less resilient or reliant on themselves. So a balance needs to be met. Perhaps a school of sorts so you may train others up to be strong and help shoulder the burdens of raising Chroma from its near ruin.”

"Those are my thoughts as well. Assuming I live long enough to do this. I am not afraid of dying, but the thought haunts me. It's one of the reasons why I asked Lady Iris' spirit to make Cyanna and Dash apprentices as well, though they are more my apprentices, but still, if anything happens to me and at least one of them survives, they can take over as Guardian."

Meagan then shook her head slightly, "Both of them are even less prepared for this than I am, and I hated to place them in this position, but they understood why. If I am destined to die young, then at the very least I would wish my death to have a purpose, to have a meaning. Not to be caused by ignorance, or stupidity, or carelessness."

She then gave Eva a weak smile, "Of course I'd prefer not to die. I'd prefer to grow old together with Jinzi, to help my people, and maybe have a family someday."

"I just..." Meagan suddenly stood upright with a posture of determination, "I just want to be as prepared as I can be. I hate jumping into a fight, or taking on a role, in complete ignorance. Since I can't ask Lady iris for advice, I felt it would be careless of me not to ask you. Thank you for your help."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Killrog's First Cameo

on planet Qacriea in a swampy area inside a castle sitting on his throne room lays a lizard like alien with dark Green scales , Red eyes with black stripes and a Mohawk head fin. he sitting on a throne compose of bones . standing front of him is a another Lizard like creature standing at around 9 feet.

the lizard alien on the throne tips his right index finger saying " so how is the progress of that planet call earth going?" the bigger Lizard Alien replies to this saying " my Lord Vanwizer the Toadian know as Praxat hasn't sent over any of the data on earth and we lost contact with her." " you know I been thinking my Lord why the interest in that planet?" " is it really worth conquer?"

Vanwizer stares at the bigger lizard alien saying " you're incompetence annoys me." " you are too simple minded to see the big picture." " just like my father he too was a simple minded fool." " my old man was a fool always tell me that silly folktale about the Toadian on the top of the hill and the Replita on the bottom."


" it was supposed to be some life lesson but what I got from it was." "that the Replita in the story was too simple minded to realize he could just walk up the hill any take the top of the hill from the Lazy Toadian by force." " I have ambition and goal on a grand scale than my foolish father could ever dream of." " Might is power , fear is power , control is power!"


" I want the entire universe under my control but their are obstacles in my way of power such as the Saiyans!" " the more planets I have under my control the more power I have it's not simple ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." " the large Replita replies to this saying " ah well I'll be going my lord." Vanwizer laughs manically saying " know stay I'm quiet hungry."

Large Replita replies to this saying " but Lord I have bought you any food to eat." Vanwizer smiles saying " of course you have, you!" Vanwizer gets off his throne and faster than the Large Replita can react he cuts off the Large Replitas head in one swipe. blood squirts everyone and gets on Vanwizer face.

Vanwizer then begins to eat bigger Replita raw saying " soon your energy will be add to mine."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Those are my thoughts as well. Assuming I live long enough to do this. I am not afraid of dying, but the thought haunts me. It's one of the reasons why I asked Lady Iris' spirit to make Cyanna and Dash apprentices as well, though they are more my apprentices, but still, if anything happens to me and at least one of them survives, they can take over as Guardian."

Meagan then shook her head slightly, "Both of them are even less prepared for this than I am, and I hated to place them in this position, but they understood why. If I am destined to die young, then at the very least I would wish my death to have a purpose, to have a meaning. Not to be caused by ignorance, or stupidity, or carelessness."

She then gave Eva a weak smile, "Of course I'd prefer not to die. I'd prefer to grow old together with Jinzi, to help my people, and maybe have a family someday."

"I just..." Meagan suddenly stood upright with a posture of determination, "I just want to be as prepared as I can be. I hate jumping into a fight, or taking on a role, in complete ignorance. Since I can't ask Lady iris for advice, I felt it would be careless of me not to ask you. Thank you for your help."

“Well, to be fair, I sort of failed on the whole as a Guardian to a certain point. Failed to save Fife, died, lost all my friends, and then broke the cosmic law of tampering with Fate. Then was captured AND killed again.”

[Tami]

“Well, to be fair, I sort of failed on the whole as a Guardian to a certain point. Failed to save Fife, died, lost all my friends, and then broke the cosmic law of tampering with Fate. Then was captured AND killed again.”

"Well, to be fair, you did manage to bring all of us together and train us to defeat, not only Fife, but countless others, saving at least two worlds in the process, possibly three if all goes well tomorrow." Meagan placed her hand, gently, on Eva's arm, "You had no idea what you were dealing with back then. Even if you did, there is no guarantee that you and your friends could have done any more than you were able to. In taking on the mantle of Guardian, you insured that this world would be protected."

She then took here hand away and sighed, "When you fight, you need to be prepared to die. Though survival is always preferable, sacrifices do happen." her eyes showed a hint of sadness as she spoke, then turned serious, "Even a novice like me knows that much. Your wisdom and experience has proven invaluable. So don't start selling yourself short. You're better than that and you know it."

[Lord Falcon]

Good, she took the bait. Ishtar's proxy was assured safe deliverance away from Asha'rah at Sarada's own expense. That was fine, as she had a plan that would -- hopefully -- lead to her also escaping the swirling sphere of destructive energy.

"Fine," she agreed, and seemed to drop her guard to show she meant what she said.

I'll need to time this right. That **** is permanent. One slip and it's over.

Asha'rah strode forward one step. Two. Three. Releasing feather's flight, each stride reverberated through the red soil like a small earthquake. Her features, even more impassive than her robotic form, was silhouetted by the sun. She reached out with her free arm while holding "Ishtar" off to the side. Violet energies flowed forth from a great empty palm, encasing Sarada even as they left Ishtar alone.

If Sarada did nothing, she would be carried off and annihilated. And then Asha'rah would return, and kill Ishtar and everyone else on the planet anyway.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Asha'rah strode forward one step. Two. Three. Releasing feather's flight, each stride reverberated through the red soil like a small earthquake. Her features, even more impassive than her robotic form, was silhouetted by the sun. She reached out with her free arm while holding "Ishtar" off to the side. Violet energies flowed forth from a great empty palm, encasing Sarada even as they left Ishtar alone.

If Sarada did nothing, she would be carried off and annihilated. And then Asha'rah would return, and kill Ishtar and everyone else on the planet anyway.

Excellent. Everything was going just according to plan. Asha'rah accepted the trade and delivered the false Ishtar safely. In return, the violent energies of destruction enveloped Sarada.

The next phase of Sarada's plan required more grit and determination than she was certain she was capable of. She had seen the pure annihilation wrought by this destruction energy when Ishtar destroy the mountaintop months ago. There was nothing left. And while she was certain she was stronger than a mountain, there was no guarantee she was strong enough to survive this.

Only one way to find out.

Once she was enveloped and encased, she closed her eyes. She breathed in once, twice, a third time before opening her eyes and letting loose the most powerful Roar of Defiance she could muster. If all went well, the energies around her should have been pushed away and dispelled far enough for her to get away and to Ishtar to protect her from any retaliation. If things didn't go well, she was going to die.

Asha'rahhas a weird definition of training.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Killrog Second Cameo

as Praxat at Capsule Corp goes to get her special Googles a hologram appears before her and she she's a Replita wearing a crown made out of bones and a loincloth saying " oaky I sure know that Jinzi hasn't made that communicator yet ." " so this isn't his work!" Replita in the hologram speaks saying " Hi there Praxat how is report of earth going?" " one of my subordinates told me you failed to send over any reports on Earth."

Praxat tights up her right hand into a fist saying " I have not to say to you, you monster." Replita replies to this saying " really did you forget that your entire race is under my control." " which means you served me." " you were sent to earth to gather information on it and report it back."

" yet I see you have been neglected my orders." Praxat yells saying " I don't take orders from you and I'm not scare of you." " Your reign over my people will come to a end Killrog!" the hologram Killrog laughs at this saying " well look who decided to grow a spineless ."

" here I was think all your Toadians were spineless cowards. " " I mean it was really easy for me to get your race to make me the communicator I'm using right now." " so if your suggest I'm going to get overthrown by a bunch of spineless weaklings than that's a laugh."

" I know your race." " Toadians are peacefully loving creatures who don't like violence." "they ridged pacifists and stand by their beliefs even when they see their love ones murder in front of their own eyes." " I have tortured them, murder them and even eating their own kind in front of them."

"yet despite my atrocious acts commit upon them they do nothing." " they just sit there and just watch me commit these atrocious acts , because the act of violence ." " even if it is to protect their own kind goes against their beliefs. " " the Toadians are spineless cowardly species."

" hell even the last living Toadian Royal member Qaztoh has bailed on her own kind." " so all your species is doing is waiting , waiting for some one to say them , because they don't have the balls do it themselves." Praxat yells at Killrog I promise you that your reign over my people will end Killrog!" Killrog laughs at this saying " oh please the day your species grows a pair is the day hell freezes over."

" now giving report to me what you know about this planet earth , because if you don't I might just deiced to off each member of your family one by one." Praxat replies to this saying " you won't dare!" " you're bluffing." Killrog replies to this in stern tone " I'm not like the rest of my simple minded race."

" who would forget where their heads if they weren't attached." " it's thanks to me my simple minded brethren even have a resemblance of army. " "so when I say I'm going to off your family members one by one if you don't report to me I mean it." " I'll give you some time."

" if I don't have a report on this planet with in the next few week I will off one of your family members Praxat!" " now before I go Praxat let me tell you something." " I have ambition on a grand scale!" " I want power, and Fear, control, and might are power."

"if I can get enough planets under my control , get enough people to fear me, and build a large enough army with enough fire power." " I could be the King of cosmos!" " yeah I like the sound of that and the picture of every race bowing before me." " of course any planet who doesn't cooperate with my demands will be annihilate."

"the hologram ends and angry Praxat lets out storm of swearing in her native tongue loud enough to be heard by anyone in the vicinity. then says out loud " that bastard he's going to massacre my family if I don't follow his orders." " this there anyone in the cosmos more depraved than that bastard!"

" the way he talk to me and the way he sound." " the rest of the Replitas maybe savage, but Killrog is a damn sadist." " still I have I shouldn't focus on Killrog right now." "yeah that's right I shouldn't let my emotions control me and need to focus on the current threat at hand."

" right now the Saiyan Jagam ." " Killrog can wait." Praxat walks down the halls of Capsule Corp saying out loud " logically speaking the Replitas are a simple minded race." "such things like world conquest would be beyond their thinking capabilities."


"the Replitas are pure savages and fight because Killrog orders them to and they will blindly follow his orders." " they won't question his orders because they lack the intelligent to." " they follow who ever is the strongest of their kind and that happens to be Killrog." " Before Killrog became the Leader of the Replitas. "


" the Replitas never attack my people." "it was only when Killrog became the leader of the Replitas." "that my people were attack and enslaved." " going by how a normal Replita acts."


"Killrog's thought process, behavior and intelligent not shown in the rest of his species would logically be classified as abnormal for his kind." " which means Killrog is a mutant more precisely he's a mutant of his species." " still the current threat is Jagam ." " he needs to be dealt with first."

OT: what Killrog sounds like. if any one has ever played Super Daryl Deluxe. well Killrog sounds like the antagonist of the game Eli Bavarius.

[Tami]

It took as much stealth as she could muster to slip past all of the Etrinas, but Dash quietly made her way deeper into the building. The only problem was, in searching for the washroom while trying to evade attention, she ended up getting lost.

In her desire to make amends for, inadvertently, making moves on someone else man, Dash's over-eagerness to vanish so that there would be no chance of running into either Zaofan or Etrina, resulted in wandering around the deepest levels of the Lookout.

While searching for the stairway back up, she stumbled into a large room. The room was immaculate, with polished stonework and pillars. Stepping inside, more out of curiosity then anything, she found herself back at the Tournament where she had first met Zaofan. Looking behind her, she saw, herself, leaning against a tree, unable to move. Turning forward she watched the others battle Battersea, and she froze briefly before summoning up her courage and taking a flying leap at the world champion. As she was about to unleash her attack, she was thrown back, again being slammed against the tree.

The scene faded, and she looked around, back now in the polished room. Standing up carefully, she was relived to find herself uninjured, though she still rubbed the base of her spine where the original injury had occurred. Once she had been healed, she was assured that the injury would not stop her again. But a lingering doubt still nagged at her. The fear that came from nearly losing the ability to walk, this room reminded her of it. She did not know why it did, but maybe its' for the best. The worst thing that could happen is to become frozen in fear over something in the past, something she had already overcome.

Leaving the room, she did some stretching exercises, making sure that everything was in working order, before heading back upstairs and hopefully a hot shower.

[Lord Falcon]

Excellent. Everything was going just according to plan. Asha'rah accepted the trade and delivered the false Ishtar safely. In return, the violent energies of destruction enveloped Sarada.

The next phase of Sarada's plan required more grit and determination than she was certain she was capable of. She had seen the pure annihilation wrought by this destruction energy when Ishtar destroy the mountaintop months ago. There was nothing left. And while she was certain she was stronger than a mountain, there was no guarantee she was strong enough to survive this.

Only one way to find out.

Once she was enveloped and encased, she closed her eyes. She breathed in once, twice, a third time before opening her eyes and letting loose the most powerful Roar of Defiance she could muster. If all went well, the energies around her should have been pushed away and dispelled far enough for her to get away and to Ishtar to protect her from any retaliation. If things didn't go well, she was going to die.

Asha'rahhas a weird definition of training.

Scant had the hostage exchange taken place did Sarada close her eyes, entering a trance-like state. One breath, two breaths. This seems promising. Three breaths. Bracing her arms against her sides in a manner reminiscent of common high-level martial arts techniques to summon ki, Sarada wasted no time harnessing it for a different purpose. Instead, she used that ki immediately in its rawest but most fiery state, pushing outwards with an omni-directional attack. It was a simple plan, one reliant on Sarada being in good enough condition to pull it off. But it was a significantly better one than Sarada had had in mind just moments before. More importantly, Sarada was starting to grasp the situations she would be facing in the future and how she might deal with them. Good enough for now.

There was absolutely no chance of Asha'rah even brushing with killing Sarada. Not only would it immeasurably harm the progress of the Saiyan people, but Asha'rah would never voluntarily put Ishtar through the pain of losing a second lover. They were good for each other, more so than Asha'rah could hope to be, even if such an admission conjured a dull ache deep within the goddess. Sarada's fire helped lure Ishtar out of her otherwise timelessness, fueling a drive to do better and live better that her immortal life had not originally seeded in her. And Ishtar's steady, true presence was a rock upon which Sarada could rest, compass and anchor both to a Queen grappling with issues far beyond what she had ever dealt with. They balanced each other out, as Ishtar might put it.

Even if Asha'rah was capable of holding her sphere of destruction energy intact in the face of Sarada's counter, and she was not sure that she could, such a fact was irrelevant here. Asha'rah felt the sphere breaking apart, and allowed it and the arm supporting it to crumble away in the face of the Queen's overwhelming might, combined with the attacks of her illusory allies for good measure once they saw that Sarada was fighting back. A hint for the future, perhaps. Soon after, the rest of Asha'rah's form fell away, leaving behind but the robotic body that Sarada was long familiar with. The goddess bowed, hands clasped in front of her in salute.

"Some view love as a great source of strength, capable of stirring hearts to heights unknown. Others view it as a weakness, an anchor slowing them down and exposing soft spots in their armor. I have always found it to be both, one aspect or the other varying depending on the circumstances and what we make of them."

Finishing her bow, she arose back in her form of flesh, misty hair flowing and teasing around sun-burnished skin. She glided slowly downwards, planning to rest here a while. Sarada might have suffered the greater injuries, but it was Asha'rah who had expended the greater reserves of energy. It was all she could do to keep herself from panting and letting on how tired she was.

"What you make of them. Your ploy today was...plausible. It will not always be, but today it was. What I sought to show you here today is but a glimpse of what lies ahead for you, Queen of millions, lover of this universe's most precious future. Perhaps in the future, you will be that much better prepared. It is the best a fallen goddess and outmatched suitor can do."

[Ptrvc]

Everything was water. It washed over him for eternity, a great surging river of force that swept him along, powerless to struggle against. His body was drug across the bottom, dashed against unseen boulders, whirled around and around in some unseen whirlpool in the darkness.
See you around, Space Girl...
The drowning man struggled desprately, to reach out, to grasp that thought that memory before it was whisked away by the current. Others began to spill out, he grasped them, with each passing moment that tide washed away another, and another. With each moment he could feel more and more of himself being washed away. If he did not find some sense of self to cling to, a grain of sand in a raging torrent, it would wash him away. A being stipped bare of any identity.
Jack Knave's eyes snapped open. Sweat pouring down his brow.
He was back on the Look Out, alive.
He shook his head.
"Dying sucks. Gotta remember to avoid that in the future."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Everything was water. It washed over him for eternity, a great surging river of force that swept him along, powerless to struggle against. His body was drug across the bottom, dashed against unseen boulders, whirled around and around in some unseen whirlpool in the darkness.
See you around, Space Girl...
The drowning man struggled desprately, to reach out, to grasp that thought that memory before it was whisked away by the current. Others began to spill out, he grasped them, with each passing moment that tide washed away another, and another. With each moment he could feel more and more of himself being washed away. If he did not find some sense of self to cling to, a grain of sand in a raging torrent, it would wash him away. A being stipped bare of any identity.
Jack Knave's eyes snapped open. Sweat pouring down his brow.
He was back on the Look Out, alive.
He shook his head.
"Dying sucks. Gotta remember to avoid that in the future."

Eva sits down by him where he lays flat on the Lookout, having dozed off. Kai has healed some of his wounds taken in Otherworld, and Eva now gazed down with a kind smile.

“I never thanked you for your help in Otherworld and HFIL, Jack. Thank you.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Well, to be fair, you did manage to bring all of us together and train us to defeat, not only Fife, but countless others, saving at least two worlds in the process, possibly three if all goes well tomorrow." Meagan placed her hand, gently, on Eva's arm, "You had no idea what you were dealing with back then. Even if you did, there is no guarantee that you and your friends could have done any more than you were able to. In taking on the mantle of Guardian, you insured that this world would be protected."

She then took here hand away and sighed, "When you fight, you need to be prepared to die. Though survival is always preferable, sacrifices do happen." her eyes showed a hint of sadness as she spoke, then turned serious, "Even a novice like me knows that much. Your wisdom and experience has proven invaluable. So don't start selling yourself short. You're better than that and you know it."

She bows slightly at the acknowledgment.

“Thank you. As to the final part of tour question, about dukes, each position has its own and its own limitations and freedoms. I cannot really say what Chroma’s will be.”

[Tami]

She bows slightly at the acknowledgment.

“Thank you. As to the final part of your question, about threats, each position has its own and its own limitations and freedoms. I cannot really say what Chroma’s will be.”

"I understand, though I had assumed there were some universal commonalities among Guardians. Then again, there aren't many of them, are there?" Meagan then bowed slightly, "Thank you for your help." She stood up and smiled, "I'm lucky to have you as a role model."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Scant had the hostage exchange taken place did Sarada close her eyes, entering a trance-like state. One breath, two breaths. This seems promising. Three breaths. Bracing her arms against her sides in a manner reminiscent of common high-level martial arts techniques to summon ki, Sarada wasted no time harnessing it for a different purpose. Instead, she used that ki immediately in its rawest but most fiery state, pushing outwards with an omni-directional attack. It was a simple plan, one reliant on Sarada being in good enough condition to pull it off. But it was a significantly better one than Sarada had had in mind just moments before. More importantly, Sarada was starting to grasp the situations she would be facing in the future and how she might deal with them. Good enough for now.

There was absolutely no chance of Asha'rah even brushing with killing Sarada. Not only would it immeasurably harm the progress of the Saiyan people, but Asha'rah would never voluntarily put Ishtar through the pain of losing a second lover. They were good for each other, more so than Asha'rah could hope to be, even if such an admission conjured a dull ache deep within the goddess. Sarada's fire helped lure Ishtar out of her otherwise timelessness, fueling a drive to do better and live better that her immortal life had not originally seeded in her. And Ishtar's steady, true presence was a rock upon which Sarada could rest, compass and anchor both to a Queen grappling with issues far beyond what she had ever dealt with. They balanced each other out, as Ishtar might put it.

Even if Asha'rah was capable of holding her sphere of destruction energy intact in the face of Sarada's counter, and she was not sure that she could, such a fact was irrelevant here. Asha'rah felt the sphere breaking apart, and allowed it and the arm supporting it to crumble away in the face of the Queen's overwhelming might, combined with the attacks of her illusory allies for good measure once they saw that Sarada was fighting back. A hint for the future, perhaps. Soon after, the rest of Asha'rah's form fell away, leaving behind but the robotic body that Sarada was long familiar with. The goddess bowed, hands clasped in front of her in salute.

"Some view love as a great source of strength, capable of stirring hearts to heights unknown. Others view it as a weakness, an anchor slowing them down and exposing soft spots in their armor. I have always found it to be both, one aspect or the other varying depending on the circumstances and what we make of them."

Finishing her bow, she arose back in her form of flesh, misty hair flowing and teasing around sun-burnished skin. She glided slowly downwards, planning to rest here a while. Sarada might have suffered the greater injuries, but it was Asha'rah who had expended the greater reserves of energy. It was all she could do to keep herself from panting and letting on how tired she was.

"What you make of them. Your ploy today was...plausible. It will not always be, but today it was. What I sought to show you here today is but a glimpse of what lies ahead for you, Queen of millions, lover of this universe's most precious future. Perhaps in the future, you will be that much better prepared. It is the best a fallen goddess and outmatched suitor can do."

Sarada's will was iron-clad and unshakable. It needed to be if she was going to survive this battle and the battles that were looming on the horizon. She could feel the dome of destruction around her giving way under the relentless pressure of her Roar of Defiance. It was just as much out of desperation; while she had no doubt that Asha'rah would relent just before killing her, she was leaving nothing to chance. She was a creation goddess, after all; it would have been little issue to remake Sarada.

Finally, after giving tangible, physical evidence of her determination and willpower combined with the timely help from the illusions of her friends, Sarada burst free, the destruction energy pushed away and crumbling apart. Asha'rah's form also gave way, leaving behind the familiar robotic form of the fallen goddess. With the kind gesture of a respectful bow, it seemed that their training exercise was over.

While she likely wouldn't get any stronger from this, she learned a great deal. She understood that she would likely have to make a very difficult decision if Jagam's back was pressed against a wall with defeat imminent and he learned of her affection for the blue Oni. Not only that, but all of the others -- even her sister -- could have been used against her. She needed to do what she did a few moments ago -- "sacrifice" herself for their sake, then dig deep to fight her way out of the bind that self-sacrifice would get her in. She would also need to rely on the others. That blue and white orb in the distance was their home, and it was unwillingly made the battlefield on which the fate of her worlds would be fought. At that, this was just a much their fight as it was hers.

She couldn't fail. She wouldn't. Not just for the Saiyan race, but the human race, also.

Sarada returned the bow with a salute of gratitude. "Thanks, Asha'rah. I've learned a lot from this. To be honest, I intended to let Jagam focus on me and Parsley, but now I think that'd be a mistake. I think we will all have to fight together to win."

Her knees were wobbly. Her Hitozaru form faded away, leaving only a tired Saiyan girl-Queen to slump to her knees. The battle had taken much out of her, but it was better to be tired today and readier for tomorrow, than well-rested and still of the same ignorant mind. "I think I'll just rest here for a bit." She shifted so she could lay on her back. Her half-open gaze was focused on the glittering stars in the faraway distance. They were so beautiful. She could hardly believe that their creator was just a few feet from her.

"When I was younger, I would look up at the sky at night when there wasn't a full moon and marvel at how they glimmered against the sky. Thanks for making them so beautiful."

She decided to just ignore that part about Asha'rah being an outmatched suitor. It wasn't worth it to ruin the moment. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't have her own failed suitor.

Jack! He's probably back by now. I can't wait to see him again so I can kick him in the face.