Dragonball M, Chapter 4: Kidnapping! Invasion! A new Threat Strikes First!

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

The next month passed quickly. Once she was used to having no actual indicator for what time it was, she grew accustomed to waking up and falling asleep at approximately the same time each day. The schedule being consistent with no deviations helped a lot. Training days were full throttle from beginning to end. Avoca could feel herself growing stronger even during individual days. In the beginning, it was difficult to keep up with Tasure's pace. Over time, she found herself able to push the older Saiyanness closer and closer to her max without taxing herself as much.

She also found that she was better able to utilize the three techniques taught to her by the Triumvirate. Not to the point that she could improve them like she wanted and planned to, but it didn't take as long to get them started.

The off days were spent talking and meditating to improve her concentration. She also spent her downtime thinking about Parsley and her kids. The former she was certain was fine in that weird other dimension she kept talking about. Those two brats, on the other hand... she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Maybe it was her motherly intuition or she was just worrying over nothing, but it was hard to ignore. As the days went on, that feeling got stronger and stronger.

Ugh. It's not distracting me during training, but it's getting hard to relax.

Turned out Tasure was getting the same feeling about her boy. Something was definitely up, in that case. She only hoped that they were alright. And had stayed far the hell away from Ruco. Though, she had a feeling that Totoma character was right in the middle of things. If he was anything like what Pinach and Rutuba kept babbling about, his "heroic sense of justice" wouldn't let him stay away.

Feh.

It would only get him killed.

She would have said not her son, not her problem, but they had gotten about as close as two Saiyans could get over this month, so her feelings had softened a little.

Finally, it was time for her ascend. Learning Hitozaru was fine, but this would put her in rarefied air. There were only, by her count, four Super Saiyans in the entire universe. Out of over thirty million. If that wasn't the epitome of Ultra Elite, she didn't know what was.

"Okay. Brute force it." Tasure told her at one point that she managed to force it by focusing on a tingling sensation on her back. Which, as she told her, was the stupidest thing she had ever heard in her entire life. And having partaken in a fifteen year friendship with Sarada, she had heard a lot of stupid shit over the years.

"Okay."

She closed her eyes and tried to find that tingling feeling on her back that Tasure talked about. She focused, really concentrated as hard as she could. She felt about as dumb as she thought she looked. After about five minutes of straining, she gave up. "Okay, I tried, but can't find it. Guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

"Your funeral," said Tasure. She was a bit disappointed that Avoca hadn't been able to brute force it, but... not many had the advantages she'd had. And besides, this way would be much funner. Walking a fair distance away, Tasure turned, meeting Avoca's gaze. Gold crept into her aura, and then she exploded into the Super Saiyan form. She took to the air and drew back her hands, her aura taking on a crackling, electric character as she began charging her Galick Cannon.

Avoca was strong enough to transform now, and while her normal level of power as a super saiyan, right now, would be inferior to that of Hitozaru, Tasure had realized something--for a brief instant after one's first transformation into a super saiyan, one's power would briefly spike far higher than their more... controlled level afterwards. It was this quality that indicated that the potential of the transformation was far higher than it initially appeared. As such, even in the face of a Super Galick Gun, Avoca should be able to survive... provided she transformed.

This time, the charge was much quicker. Without a moment's hesitation, Tasure thrust her hands forward, releasing an awesome wave of energy far in excess of the Galick Cannon she'd used to 'test' Unlimited Eat Works a month ago. Most notably, unlike that time, Avoca would pick up... definite killing intent. Not intent born out of hatred or malice, but rather an intent born out of forcing the young saiyaness into a situation where transforming went from a mere desire to a need.

[MrSandman]

"You know I can't resist stealing something shiny... and a rainbow blade is certainly that." Inanna said with a grin. "Hope you don't mind much Bullshido buddy; but I'm going to be using you.... but considering you're the ultimate weapon. A blade folded in on itself an infinite number of times, ways, and in an infinite number of possible outcomes shouldn't be too much of a problem, ne?"

Ah well. One way or another Inanna was getting a new sword.

"En garde~" without warning, the golden-eyed woman swung Muramana at Etrina, the sheer force of the blade splitting the air- the shockwave from the sound barrier being absolutely destroyed shattering the quiet not a moment later as an invisible wave of pain rocketed toward the Time Mage.

Etrina couldn't help but give a deadpan stare. "Bullshido? Don't you mean..."

No time to continue, Inanna had swung the blade. The pressure produce was immense, and unlike the clouds from earlier....the effect was much more localized and, more the point, heading straight for her.

The Mage had only one recourse, she lept backwards......clearing as much distance in a single bound as she could conceivably perform given the space. One might imagine attempting to outmanuver a shockwave with a simple backwards leap a effort in futility, and yet the subtle glow of magic she left in her steed was but a small indicator of her ploy.

A graceful leap, a moment to orientate her blade....and then....riposte.

Etrina moved forward, or rather, she simple return to where she had been standing previously....bypassing the pressure wave altogether with a technique that register to Inanna as the manipulation of a frozen moment in time. Now on the offensive, Etrina closed and struck, aiming a thrust to try and catch the oni clone before she could bring up the sword in defense.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

There was nothing. No avenue for attack, no chance of it slipping up and making a mistake, nothing. This enemy had no weakness. It was the first time either of them had encountered this. Every thing, every person they faced up to that point had some kind of exploitable weakness of some kind that allowed them at least a small sliver of hope for victory. With this Archon of Ice, they were presented with something they had never faced in battle before.

An insurmountable wall.

They weren't strong enough to beat it straight up, and with no weakness, they couldn't "cheat" their way past. There were only three ways this was going to end. They could either one, keep fighting until they exhausted themselves and pass out; two, be beaten into unconsciousness, assuming the Archon decided to get serious; or third, surrender.

The third was out of the question, even if it was the most tactically sound thing to do. It was either one or two.

Sarada let out a roar and joined her sister in the close up engagement. There was nothing else they could do, they might as well have gone down swinging.

"I would suggest withdrawing for the moment," boomed a familiar voice. Shortly there after, two Ether Strikes came screaming down upon the foe the sisters had been fighting, spiraling around each other and combining into one just before impact.



Up above, Nevanlinna... and another Nevanlinna, hovered, having been awakened from her slumber by the ruckus caused by all this fighting. And she looked annoyed. Not because she had been awakened, but rather because she had not! Whatever these two were up to, it looked like good training.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"It's been a hot minute. Shame it's under... decidedly sketchy circumstances." Inanna replied, gesturing at Lampton and their current meeting place.

"Ritual in Hell to hopefully pave the way for... Ascension. Of what shape or form, I can't say. Only that I'll do what needs doing to attain the best possible end." The golden-eyed Oni responded.

"Just waiting on Ereshkigal, and Nunlil. Little Sister, and Cousin if you will..."

Durga quirks an eyebrow, then turns as Sheki’hinah reappears with Nunlil and Ereshkigal.

The small Oni looks at Inanna and laughs, running over and hugging her.

“Big sister! Mother said we’re going to help you get stronger!”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As Kai runs out, Dash was about to follow when her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor in a sitting position. Leaning her head back against the wall, she felt tired, confused, and was having trouble focusing her eyes. "Maybe ah'll just rest here..." she spoke softly to herself.

Eva moves in, looking for Kai, then frowns as she sees Dash.

“Dash, Dash, focus on my voice. Can you hear me?”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Kai nearly walked into Pinach as the young hero was walking out of Totoma's room. "Oh, you're that healing guy. Just Saiyan is resting in there. He's in pretty bad shape." Though, just looking at Pinach made it easy to see he was in bad shape himself.

Kai takes Pinach over to Totoma and begins his ritual healing.

“You Saiyans can’t seem to stay uninjured. What happened?”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"I would suggest withdrawing for the moment," boomed a familiar voice. Shortly there after, two Ether Strikes came screaming down upon the foe the sisters had been fighting, spiraling around each other and combining into one just before impact.

*snip*

Up above, Nevanlinna... and another Nevanlinna, hovered, having been awakened from her slumber by the ruckus caused by all this fighting. And she looked annoyed. Not because she had been awakened, but rather because she had not! Whatever these two were up to, it looked like good training.

The sisters dove out of the way just before Nevanlinna's attack struck the Archon. Sarada already knew it wasn't going to do any good, but having a third party would make defeat taste just a little less bitter. "About time you woke up," she said.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Durga quirks an eyebrow, then turns as Sheki’hinah reappears with Nunlil and Ereshkigal.

The small Oni looks at Inanna and laughs, running over and hugging her.

“Big sister! Mother said we’re going to help you get stronger!”

"Something like that~" Inanna responded, before scooping up Ereshkigal and spinning her, happily. "It was also an excuse to get you to meet your big brother. Durga. See?"

With the lot of them assembled however, it was in the hands of their host.

"No time like the present to start I figure, Lampton."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Kai takes Pinach over to Totoma and begins his ritual healing.

“You Saiyans can’t seem to stay uninjured. What happened?”

Pinach gave him a tired smile. "It's a cheap way to get stronger faster." The smile didn't last long. He frowned. "We went to Ruco to stop the invasion. We did, for the most part, and managed to save all the innocent people who were trapped by the army. Then these two strong guys showed up. They were way stronger than anyone else on the planet! We barely managed to get away with our lives!" He glanced at Just Saiyan and sighed. "Just Saiyan fought one of them by himself. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive, much less unharmed. There were only four of us there, but it wouldn't have matter if we were all there."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Something like that~" Inanna responded, before scooping up Ereshkigal and spinning her, happily. "It was also an excuse to get you to meet your big brother. Durga. See?"

With the lot of them assembled however, it was in the hands of their host.

"No time like the present to start I figure, Lampton."

Eresh gasps and Durga walks up and, in a familiar move to Inanna, produced a piece of candy and hands it to Eresh, patting her head and smiling at her.

“Hello little sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you.“

Eresh blushes and accepts the candy, smiling at Durga and giving him a quick hug.

Nunlil walks over and also gives Inanna a quick hug.

“Sheki’hinah....mother....whatever she is to me said I can help you. Let’s hope it’s not going to change your exterior again. I’ve just gotten used to this look.”

She smirks then nods to Durga, who nods back, as Lampton walks around them all, humming to himself. Sheki’hinah meanwhile can’t seem to stop smiling at her children.

“Lampton thinks this will do. Lampton needs your energy contributions, now. Oh, and join hands around Inanna, all of you.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Pinach gave him a tired smile. "It's a cheap way to get stronger faster." The smile didn't last long. He frowned. "We went to Ruco to stop the invasion. We did, for the most part, and managed to save all the innocent people who were trapped by the army. Then these two strong guys showed up. They were way stronger than anyone else on the planet! We barely managed to get away with our lives!" He glanced at Just Saiyan and sighed. "Just Saiyan fought one of them by himself. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive, much less unharmed. There were only four of us there, but it wouldn't have matter if we were all there."

Kai winces.

“It seems like everything is going to HFIL right now. I got word from a few friends in the Galaxy Police not long ago. Miras Thane reported that a lot of unrest and violence has erupted on multiple worlds. Seems the invasion against your people was planned to follow up this distractions, so the GP wouldn’t be around to help. Clever.”

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Pinach gave him a tired smile. "It's a cheap way to get stronger faster." The smile didn't last long. He frowned. "We went to Ruco to stop the invasion. We did, for the most part, and managed to save all the innocent people who were trapped by the army. Then these two strong guys showed up. They were way stronger than anyone else on the planet! We barely managed to get away with our lives!" He glanced at Just Saiyan and sighed. "Just Saiyan fought one of them by himself. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive, much less unharmed. There were only four of us there, but it wouldn't have matter if we were all there."

Totoma stirred in his bed, then his eyes slowly opening. His entire body still burned... especially his tail, but at least he seemed to be alive. Jeez, once his mom found out about that stunt--and she somehow would, he figured--she was going to chew him out. And he'd 100% deserve it.

After a moment, his vision focused, and he saw Pinach--thank the three he got out safely--and Kai. "Oh, uh... hey... been a while, Kai." He plopped back to a laying position. "Man..."

For a moment he remained silent. "Can't believe I went all out and the best I could manage was just trapping that dragon-looking guy..." Admittedly, he went quite a bit further than 'all out', especially judging from how he felt right now... and his ki felt kind of off. Probably--hopefully--just a temporary thing.

He turned to Pinach. "Glad you got back safely. My mom and Avoca out of the chamber yet? Bet they'll have better luck than we did..."

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Eresh gasps and Durga walks up and, in a familiar move to Inanna, produced a piece of candy and hands it to Eresh, patting her head and smiling at her.

“Hello little sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you.“

Eresh blushes and accepts the candy, smiling at Durga and giving him a quick hug.

Nunlil walks over and also gives Inanna a quick hug.

“Sheki’hinah....mother....whatever she is to me said I can help you. Let’s hope it’s not going to change your exterior again. I’ve just gotten used to this look.”

She smirks then nods to Durga, who nods back, as Lampton walks around them all, humming to himself. Sheki’hinah meanwhile can’t seem to stop smiling at her children.

“Lampton thinks this will do. Lampton needs your energy contributions, now. Oh, and join hands around Inanna, all of you.”

The bullet was a simple enough offering. A snap to produce it, and a flick to pass it over to Lamtpon. The energy from Zurvan however was a bit of a hassle, time energy being fickle and existing in all states simulateneously... but after some seconds it too- in a small ever-fluid sphere- was passed over to Lampton.

"The bullet of a God, and the energy to freeze time for ten seconds. I'd have perhaps never used them... if not for this." Offerings of contributions made, Inanna took the two hands nearest her own and cackled.

"I quite like this body too, Nunlil. Given the option I'd like to keep it myself~"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

After informing Frogspierre how Qacriea's new government came to be. Rather than tell Frogspierre about her mother's accomplishments, she takes out her phone and shows them to him. Showing pictures and videos of all the good stuff. Her mother is doing for Qacriea, and it's people.

On a website that lists all of the good, her mother is doing for Qacriea and its people. Such as better healthcare, equal education for Toadians, and Replitas. Constructed space stations for living quarters. Reestablishing foreign trade.

Reestablished and established alliances with other planets. Improved food production and supply. Established a strong military, and etc.

OT: Praxat's mother's voice sounds like Balalaika From Black Lagoon.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Your funeral," said Tasure. She was a bit disappointed that Avoca hadn't been able to brute force it, but... not many had the advantages she'd had. And besides, this way would be much funner. Walking a fair distance away, Tasure turned, meeting Avoca's gaze. Gold crept into her aura, and then she exploded into the Super Saiyan form. She took to the air and drew back her hands, her aura taking on a crackling, electric character as she began charging her Galick Cannon.

Avoca was strong enough to transform now, and while her normal level of power as a super saiyan, right now, would be inferior to that of Hitozaru, Tasure had realized something--for a brief instant after one's first transformation into a super saiyan, one's power would briefly spike far higher than their more... controlled level afterwards. It was this quality that indicated that the potential of the transformation was far higher than it initially appeared. As such, even in the face of a Super Galick Gun, Avoca should be able to survive... provided she transformed.

This time, the charge was much quicker. Without a moment's hesitation, Tasure thrust her hands forward, releasing an awesome wave of energy far in excess of the Galick Cannon she'd used to 'test' Unlimited Eat Works a month ago. Most notably, unlike that time, Avoca would pick up... definite killing intent. Not intent born out of hatred or malice, but rather an intent born out of forcing the young saiyaness into a situation where transforming went from a mere desire to a need.

Goku Arrives on Namek

Avoca had been expecting this. She had been told that there were many ways a Saiyan could achieve this ultimate form. An emotional response was only the most common, but it always boiled down to a need. A need for strength to overcome, to protect, to survive. Doing it this way during training was, she thought at the time, much safer than having to try and do it during a battle when she would really need the power to survive.

She quickly realized, though, that just because this was training didn't mean it was safe. She immediately sense the killing intent pouring out of the woman from the moment she fired her Galick Cannon. It was coming at her too fast for her to dodge, forcing her to throw her hands up to try and block it. She was instantly pushed back deeper into the endless abyss that was the RoSaT. Her hands burned and ached, her muscles screamed in agony. Teeth clenched, she let out a guttural groan and dug her heels in.

I can do this. She was always the weakest. Ever since Sarada returned from Earth for the first time years ago, the comfortable lead she enjoyed over her was gone, a thing of the past. Every day that past, every month, every year, the gap between the only grew wider and more pronounced. It grew more insurmountable with every minute. Sarada, and Parsley, could do things and achieve goals that seemed like a far off dream to Avoca. This would be nothing to them. They were both so strong, and she was so weak.

She was the weakest out of all of them. She was even behind those kids at one point. She was the weakest, and the last to do everything. She couldn't even stop this stupid beam. It was going to kill her!

Purple light washed over her. She couldn't hold it back any more; it bled through her defense like water leaking through a broken dam. Then, it broke.

Something broke.



A primal roar emerged from within the surge of the Galick Cannon. With a burst of power she had never felt in her entire life, she shoved it back where it came from. The light from the Galick Cannon, almost the instrument of her sudden death, faded, giving way to the glorious golden glow that was wrapped around her.



She had never known such elation. Such power. She felt invincible! It was like she could defeat Tundra and all his stooges at the same time without breaking a sweat!

She, Avoca, was finally a Super Saiyan, a dream she didn't even know she could achieve until a month ago. I did it, Parsley. I did it.