Dragonball M, Chapter 1: Silent Menace Aproaches!

[Sion Reaver]

“Well, for now we are more than six days away from when we can implement our plans. For the moment, we need to get back to training. I have a new idea I’d like to run by you all at the arena site, if you would all be so kind as to head over there.”, Jinzi said, smiling delightedly.

Kami, suddenly looking up and narrowing her eyes, looks at Jinzi and a moment passes between the two. He nods, and she turns and looks at them all.

“I shall return when I can, but something requires my attention. Until next time.”

And with that, Kami disappears in a small flash of silver power.

Of what required her attention could be any number of things, though seeming as it was out of her hands she didn't think about it too much further. Jinzi's grin was met with some internal apprehension before it was quickly crushed with steeled determination. If she was going to reach her various goals, then she couldn't afford to be reluctant in these training exercises unpleasant as they may have been at times. She had another personal dog in this fight, so to speak besides the more obvious things.

[Lord Falcon]

Different kinds of strength? She had only had any use for the physical kind, as that was the kind of strength that was lauded the most on Vocado. But, there were some on her home world -- not many, but enough that their ideas were starting to gain some traction -- who held strength of the mind in a higher light. King Mato was one of these. It was him who pushed for Saiyan youths to keep learning even while in combat training so they could have the mental fortitude to go hand in hand with their physical might. Sarada was one of those youths who kept up her studies while training.

She had to admit, while she didn't see the use for it, it was fun to surprise people every once in a while with how much more intelligent than previous generations she was.

Rather than dwell on things such as alternative forms of strength too much right then, she fell upon a familiar offer. "Yes, I would like to fight you. If you can tap into that giant form again, that would make a nice training partner for my great ape form." A beat passed as the thought ran through her head. "We may need to go outside, though."

Sarada must have been referring to the form Asha'rah took during her transition here. When Kami's ki had mixed with her own, she had felt a surge within her, something bolting awake after a long slumber. She had been so large, not just in size but in being. Feeling like that again, just the thought heated her core up, even as an immense sense of responsibility threatened to settle over her like a weighted blanket. And even then, she had not been whole, more like her essence had poured out into the shape of its vessel, ever so briefly.

"If I can assume such a form again, I will be happy to oblige. Sadly, that was an accident, one that will not be easily repeated."

Invisible gears had slammed into place moments after her ascension, and her form had gone as quickly as it had come.

[rhyvurg]

She rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you learned something from the last time you tried this. The answer is no."

Adam fumes. Organics were so frustrating.

[The Dog]

Adam fumes. Organics were so frustrating.

Hearing Adam asking someone to cut them apart, Shiro gave a sigh and walked over as she said "Adam, you must realize that organic beings aren't as willing as myself and Midori were to be studied like that. And even we weren't that willing, only allowing it so you'd stop asking and for the chance for you to learn and inform us of ways to upgrade ourselves."

Seeing who he was talking to, Shiro said "Oh, hello Sarada."

At least she knew the Saiyan woman wasn't going to plunge her arm through her sister's chest right now.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Hearing Adam asking someone to cut them apart, Shiro gave a sigh and walked over as she said "Adam, you must realize that organic beings aren't as willing as myself and Midori were to be studied like that. And even we weren't that willing, only allowing it so you'd stop asking and for the chance for you to learn and inform us of ways to upgrade ourselves."

Seeing who he was talking to, Shiro said "Oh, hello Sarada."

At least she knew the Saiyan woman wasn't going to plunge her arm through her sister's chest right now.

Adam didn't appear to be too pleased with her refusal to have her eyeball torn out so he could play SCIENCE!; not that she cared one bit. He needed to understand that just because he wanted to learn how her transformation worked didn't mean she was going to let him remove body parts for the sake of studying.

She was about to tell him that when another stepped in and did exactly that. It was the other android who was hanging out next to that annoying green one. She appeared to be sensible, but then again, one could never tell just by looking. "Hi."

[The Dog]

Adam didn't appear to be too pleased with her refusal to have her eyeball torn out so he could play SCIENCE!; not that she cared one bit. He needed to understand that just because he wanted to learn how her transformation worked didn't mean she was going to let him remove body parts for the sake of studying.

She was about to tell him that when another stepped in and did exactly that. It was the other android who was hanging out next to that annoying green one. She appeared to be sensible, but then again, one could never tell just by looking. "Hi."

Not sure how to begin a conversation with the proud mass-murderer who comes from a planet of like-minded slave owners, Shiro decided to go with the diplomatic approach and asked "How have you been lately?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Not sure how to begin a conversation with the proud mass-murderer who comes from a planet of like-minded slave owners, Shiro decided to go with the diplomatic approach and asked "How have you been lately?"

Sarada raised her eyebrow. "Just peachy. You?" It was almost as if the android was nervous around her. She wasn't aware machines could emulate emotions that well.

[The Dog]

Sarada raised her eyebrow. "Just peachy. You?" It was almost as if the android was nervous around her. She wasn't aware machines could emulate emotions that well.

"I am well." Shiro replied, looking to the slightly shorter woman, whom came from and embraced a culture that was not only everything her creator stood against, but her sister was built and she was modified to fight.

Sighing, Shiro said "I've come to speak to you about my sister."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"I am well." Shiro replied, looking to the slightly shorter woman, whom came from and embraced a culture that was not only everything her creator stood against, but her sister was built and she was modified to fight.

Sighing, Shiro said "I've come to speak to you about my sister."

Sarada's eyes narrowed slightly. "The green one." She paused briefly, already forming an idea of how this conversation was about to go. "What about her?"

[grampagen]

That was a nice philosophy on the strengths and weaknesses of fear, but it had nothing to do with what she was talking about. At least, at first glance it didn't.

There was some hidden nugget of wisdom. A Saiyan who was too weak to fight face to face abandoned her pride and fought in the shadows, stealthily attacking blindspots and using diversions to hide her true intentions until her enemy was slain. If a Saiyan was too weak to fight face to face, but too proud to admit it to herself, died before she knew the battle had begun. It was a quandary that many found themselves in more times than many wished to admit. While it had its uses, subterfuge went wholly against Saiyan culture.

She had used it herself in her fight with Jack, to a lesser extent, so she saw the benefit.

To that end, she nodded in agreement, now seeing where he was coming from.

"There are a many who would claim that our pride is our biggest weakness." Be that as it may, it was also their biggest strength. Through sheer pride, that refusal to surrender simply because of what they were, a Saiyan could achieve great heights normally never before seen.

She left it at that. She knew what question he was going to ask as a followup.

The distaste in Sarada's answer held an air of apprehension about it, uncharacteristically direct and lacking her usual boisterous confidence. How strange.

And so Ochazuke, for a moment, simply nod in acknowledgement, his expression muted.

Slave to arbitrary notions of victory as mercurial as the chaotic flow of battle itself, the one who can tolerate losing face the least is the one with the biggest head.

"Naturally, the strong," he reciprocated, "have nothing to fear."

Briefly, the corner of his mouth edged into a smirk.

Ochazuke.

Totoma committed the man's name to memory, then regarded him for a moment. He spoke in a very distinct manner. He also seemed quite... hm... more of a martial philosopher than a martial artist. Interesting. Totoma could learn much from this man...

...if he cared to exert the mental effort. Which he did not. Totoma had learned years ago that thinking too deeply caused him to spiral deeper and deeper into depression. So... he trained himself to not think too much, instead relying on feeling and instinct, and then he trained himself to channel those things into positive things.

"Hm. You seem to be a very thoughtful, philosophical man, Mister Ochazuke. A... seeker of truth, I guess. The world needs people like you. Me? I'm just a guy trying to focus the evil of his Saiyan nature into something good. Protecting and saving people, mostly. "

"Cheh."

By contrast, Totoma's cloying, guarded response was a rhetorical feint. His momentary analysis of his own motivations made without inquiry, an empty congenial surface of propriety; Unexamined compliments thrown worse than limp-wristed strikes from the elbow.

A simple reductive base arrayed without independence. And he would call it altruism. Righteousness.

A hero's foundation built upon sand.

"I'm sure ya' could dissect and force me to question everything I believe, but... please don't. Just point me towards the bad guys and enjoy the fireworks."

He had enough self-awareness to realize that he was, even after a year of travel and trying to sort himself out, just a barely-functional mess, but that was still more useful than a non-functional mess.


Finally, something more up my alley.

Totoma stood up and began making his way towards the training arena. What sort of training did Jinzi have in store for the group? His tail fidgeted, the only outward expression of his barely-contained excitement.

A man who cannot stand by his own intention, afraid of questions that might come.

The Saiyan way was indeed a paradigm tethered to half-measures.

"I wouldn't waste the effort," he replied, "someone else will have to decide for you, won't they?"

A man who drifts through life, so surrendered in this way is not alive. Sarada said it so often it may as well be branded on Totoma's face.

Meat.

[The Dog]

Sarada's eyes narrowed slightly. "The green one." She paused briefly, already forming an idea of how this conversation was about to go. "What about her?"

"I would appreciate it greatly if you didn't punch your fist through her chest." Shiro said.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The distaste in Sarada's answer held an air of apprehension about it, uncharacteristically direct and lacking her usual boisterous confidence. How strange.

And so Ochazuke, for a moment, simply nod in acknowledgement, his expression muted.

Slave to arbitrary notions of victory as mercurial as the chaotic flow of battle itself, the one who can tolerate losing face the least is the one with the biggest head.

"Naturally, the strong," he reciprocated, "have nothing to fear."

Briefly, the corner of his mouth edged into a smirk.

He didn't go in the direction Sarada thought he would, instead opting to make a thinly veiled insult. She sighed deeply.

"The strong have no reason to fear anything. Saiyans rise to the occasion even if something surpasses their strength," she uttered. It was part of the reason why she had such confidence that she could and would defeat Old Kami when they crossed paths. Even if he defeated her the first time, she would get stronger for the second time, for the third time, and so on until her power dwarfed his. It was why they were an unbeatable force in the long run.

"That begs the question: what do you have to fear?"

"I would appreciate it greatly if you didn't punch your fist through her chest." Shiro said.

Was that it? She was expecting her to draw this out with more uncomfortable small talk, gradually circling around this very question. It was refreshing to get right to the point. "Fine," she agreed easily. She had no intention of doing that anyway. It was said out of extreme anger than any unwarranted malice.

[grampagen]

He didn't go in the direction Sarada thought he would, instead opting to make a thinly veiled insult. She sighed deeply.

"The strong have no reason to fear anything. Saiyans rise to the occasion even if something surpasses their strength," she uttered. It was part of the reason why she had such confidence that she could and would defeat Old Kami when they crossed paths. Even if he defeated her the first time, she would get stronger for the second time, for the third time, and so on until her power dwarfed his. It was why they were an unbeatable force in the long run.

"And to be certain, warriors all rise to the occasion," he replied, his tone starting in agreement, before he followed, "until they fall. For the last time."

Ochazuke spoke to the heart of the matter, probing Sarada's armour-clad will. Instruments of the mind, however, were the inner-images that required conscious protection.

"But those were the weak ones, I suppose."

"That begs the question: what do you have to fear?"

"The fickle whims of pretender authoritarians who, like children, cannot conceive of vision outside of their own design. And so hold others accountable to it."

He leaned forward, cocking his right eye opposite to the lensed eyed behind her scouter.

"A number of you are just visiting on a lark. But this planet is my home. We are no strangers to the determination to prove one's power by pain of death."

[rhyvurg]

Hearing Adam asking someone to cut them apart, Shiro gave a sigh and walked over as she said "Adam, you must realize that organic beings aren't as willing as myself and Midori were to be studied like that. And even we weren't that willing, only allowing it so you'd stop asking and for the chance for you to learn and inform us of ways to upgrade ourselves."

Seeing who he was talking to, Shiro said "Oh, hello Sarada."

At least she knew the Saiyan woman wasn't going to plunge her arm through her sister's chest right now.

"Organics seem to pride themselves in their lack of self understanding. The more I know about them, the more they know about themselves in turn. And they self repair with surprising efficiency."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"And to be certain, warriors all rise to the occasion," he replied, his tone starting in agreement, before he followed, "until they fall. For the last time."

Ochazuke spoke to the heart of the matter, probing Sarada's armour-clad will. Instruments of the mind, however, were the inner-images that required conscious protection.

"But those were the weak ones, I suppose."

If a warrior fell and was unable to stand, he was weak. It was simple as that. Either he was never strong to begin with, or he lacked the pride in himself and his strength to stand up. "They were," she agreed. "They lacked the will to push through their weakness."

"The fickle whims of pretender authoritarians who, like children, cannot conceive of vision outside of their own design. And so hold others accountable to it."

He leaned forward, cocking his right eye opposite to the lensed eyed behind her scouter.

"A number of you are just visiting on a lark. But this planet is my home. We are no strangers to the determination to prove one's power by pain of death."

That... sounded similar to what she believed Willia's issue with the world government was. He was a rebel, in a way. An anti-authoritarian who would rather follow his own path than be confined to the whims of someone who deemed themselves above him. Her mind flashed back to when they first encountered Kami and his reaction toward her. His words shone that reaction in a different light.

It was briefly surprising that he even agreed to be led by the nose like this, until she remembered the dragonball in his possession. He made it his duty to protect the ball at all costs, even going so far as to destroy it to prevent Old Kami from using it. It was that self-assigned duty that led him here, under Kami's command. Whether she was a fickle pretender remained to be seen; her choice in proxies left much to be desired.

"Why do you think Kami chose us?"

It was a change of subject so abrupt, it would have thrown anyone else off kilter. She was sure, though, that he would take it in stride. His comment about fickle authority figures made her curious about his opinion on why they in particular were chosen.