Videl Satan picked at her shorts as she waited nervously on the doctors to call her back beyond the waiting room. Her father sat reading a martial arts magazine, probably reviewing the last tournament's statistics, looking completely unconcerned with what was to happen today. Videl wished she could have his confidence. She hung her head, wishing that the doctors would go ahead and call her name, and yet hoping they never did. There were several other children waiting inside the clinic, each of them her age. She wondered if they were as nervous, even scared, as she was.
Videl was seven, the ideal age to introduce the Psyjic chip to a human. She was here at a Battle Clinic waiting to be examined thoroughly to decide if she was a candidate for Psyjic Integration. She didn't know what would happen beyond those doors, only that those who walked through them never returned. She had heard rumors of people who had passed the examination being given superpowers on the condition that they went to war with the Saiyans against the dreaded Morika, the Scourge of the galaxy. She didn't put much stock into the rumor, but knew that the Battle Corps. helped in some way support the war effort against the Morika. Already they had stretched their territory to several planets across the solar system, and still more planets were funded for terraforming by Battle Corps. If Battle Corps. was heading this project, it must be real.
The double doors opened, and Videl looked up in fright. "Mr. Kazuya!" the nurse shouted. Videl heard a small yelp and saw a boy with dark hair get up, leaning on his mom as she tried to soothe him of his fears. They walked to the double doors, where the nurse stopped the mother. She said words that Videl couldn't understand but could guess at. The woman turned to her son, kissed him and whispered words to him before the nurse led the boy through the double doors and out of sight from his mother. Videl wondered how many children had gone through those doors, no longer with parents, since the beginning of the war twenty-three years ago.
She turned back to her inner thoughts. She wished Erasa was here. Sharpner had already gone through his examination months ago. She never found out what happened to him, but she wished him the best of luck. If only there was someone she could go through this with. She sighed. Erasa wouldn't be seven for another month, and Videl couldn't convince her dad to wait one more month. She was on her own once she walked through those doors.
Her time came before she was ready. The double doors opened and the same nurse came out. "Ms. Satan!" She instantly recoiled at the uttering of her name, but the sight of her dad getting up and giving the nurse a glare gave her a confidence she needed to walk to the nurse without crying.
The nurse stopped them at the door. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't accompany your daughter past this point. She'll have to go alone."
Hercule grunted his displeasure and turned to Videl, kneeling to her level. She stared at him, promising herself that she wouldn't cry. His usual afro didn't seem so funny anymore; she was going to miss it. His handlebar mustache would never tickle her cheeks when he kissed her goodnight. She would never see his sparkling smile or firm stare again. "Well, Videl... This is your chance." Videl blinked in surprise. Chance? "Earth is in trouble, and humans are being called upon to protect mankind itself. I may have been the World Champion in older times, but I can't fight in this war." He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Instead, I have my own daughter going to fight for me. For mankind. I taught you everything I know, sweet pea. Now go out there and show the Morika how humans kick butt."
It wasn't the usual 'be safe, I love you' speech. Rather, it was the pep speech she would remember for the rest of her life. She smiled, blinking away tears as she hugged her father one last time. "I will, Daddy. I'll make you proud." He patted her head before reluctantly releasing her. As she stepped away and through the doors, she swore she saw a tear in his eye. That was the last she would ever see her father.
The nurse urged her forward and she turned from the door to the hallway in front of her. It was floored in sterile-gray tiles, with observation windows lining the walls. The corridor itself was ominously huge; Videl guessed it was wide enough for a hovercar or two.
"Please keep up," the nurse said, and Videl noticed the woman had already left her behind. She jogged to catch up, matching the woman's impressive speed as she was led down the corridor's winding turns. Most of the rooms that had an observation window were empty, but as the nurse came to a halt near a door to the right, Videl looked to the window across from the door the nurse was unlocking and stared in surprise.
On the other side was the same boy that had been called before her, Kazuya. He was attacking a full-grown man wearing armor. A Saiyan. They didn't look that different from humans. In fact, they looked completely identical to humans. The Saiyan dodged the boy's attacks effortlessly, despite the boy's frustrated assault. The glass muffled much of the sound, but Videl could still hear the Saiyan roar "Come at me, whelp! You call yourself a man?!"
The nurse ushered her inside the room before she could see the rest of the fight unfold - if you could even call it that. She looked about the room, a strong bleached smell invading her nose. The room was moderately sized and had a very large computer spanning the length of one wall, buttons and monitors and levers all over it. In the center of the room, facing the computer, was some sort of table, cushioned with a black material. It was on some sort of hydraulic system, angled toward the computer, as if someone were to stand in it. There were five straps hanging from the edges of the table. Around the table were different machines of various sizes and whose purpose she could only begin to guess at. On the ceiling above the table was another machine that looked almost like an X-ray machine.
Standing next to the giant computer were two women outfitted in white coats. One wore glasses and had brown hair reaching her shoulders. The other had black, unruly hair that was much shorter than the other woman's, cut just above the ears.
Both women nodded to Videl as she walked in, the one with glasses giving her a smile. The nurse walked up to them and gave her clipboard to the black haired one, who accepted it without a sound. She looked over it while the other woman dismissed the nurse and turned to Videl.
"Videl. Is it alright if I call you Videl?" Videl only managed a nod, causing the woman to smile. "My name is Elizabeth Zeier. You can call me Izzy for short. I'll be your evaluator for today." Izzy gestured to the other woman, who was still looking over the clipboard. "This is Rota Kahn, a Saiyan. She'll also be your evaluator." She turned back to Videl, squatting to the younger girl's level. "Do you know why you're here, Videl?"
Videl nodded. "You're going to test me. You're going to see if I'll go to war." She looked from Izzy to Rota and back again. "Right?"
Izzy smiled. "Correct. If you test positively, we'll begin your Psyjic Integration later this year. You'll receive training in both the psychic and martial fields of battle, and you'll be paired with a Saiyan to both protect and fight with."
"What do you mean, 'paired?'" Videl asked. She hadn't heard of this before.
Izzy smiled. "First, let's see if you pass the tests. If you pass, I'll answer all your questions." She stood and nodded to Rota, who grasped Videl's shoulder and steered her towards the table.
"First things first is I need you to take off your clothes. And no, I'm not kidding." Rota turned back to her clipboard, writing something and Videl looked to Izzy to see if she were really serious. Both women didn't acknowledge her confusion, and with shaky hands she undressed herself. The air was much cooler against her naked skin then she had expected, the steel floor being especially cold to her bare feet, and even though she stood with two women, she covered herself as best she could, fighting off embarrassment.
Rota set down her clipboard and walked up to Videl. "Stop covering yourself. Be proud of your body." Videl didn't feel pride at showing her body to anyone but relaxed as best she could. Rota grabbed her arm and held it out to her side, feeling her bicep and tricep. "Flex." Videl did, wondering what she was looking for. Rota began feeling Videl's arm, squeezing the muscles firmly from her wrist up, all the while calling things out to Izzy. "Pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, and palmaris longus are good... brachioradialis is exceptional..." Her hands moved down the arm to her bicep. "Bicep brachii is good..." Videl found herself distracted with how easily Rota could recall the muscles, but wondered why she was classifying them as 'good' and 'exceptional'.
For the next ten minutes, Rota inspected each facet of Videl's body, from her hair to her toes, all the while calling out specific findings or writing down notes. The whole time, Videl tried to make sense of it all but couldn't even begin to guess what all they were looking for. Rota had discovered everything there was to Videl's body, from the scar behind her left ear, where she had fallen from a chair at a young age, to the birthmark on the inside of her right thigh. In the end, Rota stepped back to the small monitor near the table and began typing on the keyboard furiously. "Your muscles are well-developed. You obviously use them a great deal more than the other subjects here. That only makes expectations for you greater, so you'll have to get used to a more rigorous training session if you're accepted." She jotted down a few things on her clipboard as she made a side comment, "Among other things, your body is remarkably capable of surviving the gene splicing, physically." Videl had many questions already but decided to keep quiet.
Rota looked up minutes later and gestured to the table. "Get in." Videl nodded and stood on the small footsteps at the bottom of the table, putting her back to the black fabric. She discovered the material was a sort of leather: the cold material sent goosebumps up and down her naked back. Rota strapped Videl in place and began to place sticky circular pads connected to wires all over her body. Videl couldn't turn her head to see where the wires went, but she had been to the doctor before when they did something similar to monitor her vitals. Rota began swabbing Videl's upper arm with an alcohol pad before she disappeared from Videl's field of view. Videl could almost guess what was going to happen next. She sighed when Rota reappeared, showing an I.V. to her before inserting it into Videl's arm. Videl winced but said nothing, and Rota moved to one of the small computers beside the table. The giant X-ray machine above her came to life and moved closer, positioning itself directly above Videl. She heard it hum to life.
"I'm giving you a shot of acitophalyn, a Saiyan drug. You'll feel excited, angry, and confrontational for approximately one hour." She didn't even looked at Videl as she added in a condescending tone, "This will hurt. Try not to cry."
Videl barely had enough time to blink before she felt an enormous pain where Rota had placed the I.V. She grunted but clenched her jaw. She wouldn't give this Saiyan woman the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. The drug burned as it was pushed into her system, and Videl felt her eyes begin to water. Almost immediately she felt her muscles grow heavy and tired, as if made out of steel. She didn't know why, but that sudden inability to use her arms and legs made her angry. First she was poked and prodded all over her body, and now they were taking a closer look inside her. Violated wasn't the beginning of her feelings, and she couldn't help but hate them for what they were doing.
Rota reviewed the human's file with feigned interest while waiting for the drug to course through her system. Acitophalyn was an advanced drug created with Saiyan genes, able to provide them with a complete detail of a human's inner workings just by running through its system. A side effect was that it brought the human's more aggressive traits to the surface. It was a risky way to see if the humans could survive the bonding process with the Saiyans, but it was more often than not a guaranteed way of seeing just how well the human would do during the Psyjic Integration. Despite all their research, few humans were compatible. Those that weren't were often crippled from the therapy, and had to be sent off to a recovery facility to regain their former way of life.
Rota was unimpressed with Videl's profile so far. Top grades in her class... punctual... respectful... trustworthy... responsible... Rota sighed as she looked through the worthless information, hoping beyond hope that this human would give them something worthwhile they could work with beyond being a 'perfect student.' Humans placed their values in worthless skills. She already had hopes for the girl; only seven with well-developed muscles. She must take conditioning her body very seriously, an admirable trait in one so young. The human, Videl, grunted, and Rota looked up to see her eyes closed, her face twisted into a snarl. Rota smirked, inwardly pleased that the girl was at least taking the drug well, and turned back to her clipboard.
It was insulting that she was assigned to the Battle Corps. She should be fighting with her brothers and sisters across the galaxy, not looking over pampered girls for recruitment into the Battle Bond program. The fact that she was recognized as one of the top geneticists of her race, and was given full reign over this particular Battle Corp. gave her little pride. Every Saiyan should aspire to meet the enemy in battle. All she had met here were scared and spoiled girls crying for their parents. Most of them cried throughout the examination, and one even wet herself when Rota yelled at her. She failed her immediately, despite Zeier's protests. She didn't care that the girl checked out physically. If she couldn't control her fear and stand up to others, she deserved no part in this.
She turned a page and continued reading over Videl's file, becoming more and more intrigued with the girl who lay on the examination table. Daughter of the World Champion... Winner of the Junior Martial Arts Championship last year... Shows potential to achieve mastery over most known forms of martial arts... Rota shook her head, conflicted about the news. Either the humans were so inept at combat that a mere child had surpassed many older, more experienced fighters... She looked up at the girl, who lay snarling with a glare befitting of a Saiyan... or this girl was different in every way from what she had seen here so far. She was betting on the latter. It would explain her near-perfect physique.
She lowered the clipboard and walked up to Videl. Time to see how emotionally stable this girl was. "You'll never see your pathetic excuse of a father again. From now on you belong to me, whelp." Videl wouldn't look her in the eye so she poked her sharply on the cheek. Videl's eyes turned to her, and her glare intensified even more. "If you expect to survive your training, you'll have to give me more than I expect. And I expect a lot from you." She patted the clipboard for emphasis. Videl continued glaring at her, and Rota wondered if the drug or the girl was truly the source of the rage she sensed in her. "You stupid or something? You answer me when I speak to you." Still, Videl said nothing. Rota pulled back her hand and slapped the girl across the cheek.
"Rota!"
"Get back to the computer, Zeier! I'm evaluating this girl!" Rota glared at Videl, impressed to see her recover from the assault and continue her seething stare. "That's right, girl. Glare at me. It's all my fault you're here, isn't it? Well I promise you this: your life until now has been a paradise compared to the Hell you'll see in years to come." Rota met Videl's glare for a moment before turning to the small computer that monitored the girl's bio-levels. "Endorphin levels at 56%... blood pressure 153 over 92 and climbing. Administering spironolactone..." She watched as the monitor tracked the medicine flowing through the girl's system. Within moments, Videl's blood pressure declined to nominal levels. "Blood pressure returning to normal range..." Her hands danced across the console as she scrolled through the various reports of internal readings. "Bone density is 30% above normal... Muscle growth has progressed significantly faster than average... upwards to around forty percent... Impressive..." Rota shook her head of the momentary distraction, instead looking to the progress of the test that the acitophalyn was conducting. "Acitophalyn advancing through the edocrine system... Hypothalamus activity up by 82%... and rising." She watched as the drug influenced the gland, pumping out more aggressive hormones into the girl's body. "Acitophalyn is stimulating the amygdala." She watched the monitor, waiting for the result of the first test: to see if the girl could survive bonding with the chip itself. She sighed aloud with relief when the monitor gave her two words.
"Positive response."
"Wonderful!" Izzy exclaimed.
"You've still got a ways to go, girl, so don't get your hopes up yet." Rota typed a few commands into the keyboard and the giant scanner lit up, casting Videl in a blue glow. For the next hour, the scanner, a technological breakthrough created by Battle Corps., scanned and examined each and every part of Videl, from her hair follicles to her very cellular makeup, determining each and every facet of Videl's DNA. During the scan, Rota couldn't help but feel envy on what she was seeing. Videl's genetics indicated that a perfect symbiosis with Psyjic technology and human genes would be achieved. As far as genetics went, Videl was biologically perfect for the integration. Eventually, Rota typed a few keys and the scanner raised away from the table. She went over to Videl and removed her I.V., not bothering to put anything over the wound to stop the bleeding. "You seem to know more about fighting than most girls..." She began to undo the straps that held the girl down. "I want to see just how much more." She unclasped the final strap at the feet and was quickly kicked in the face. Caught unawares, she fell back onto the floor with a cry of surprise and was tackled by a seven year-old blur. Videl got two good hits on her face before Rota threw her back with inhuman strength. The Saiyan stood, wiping blood from her mouth as she gave a smile. "Not bad, human, but you'll have to do better than that to get my approval. Surprise attacks only work once." She lowered herself into a stance, watching as Videl rose from on top of the table, all modesty forgotten in place of rage.
"No Rota! Not here!" Izzy walked up to Rota briskly, standing between both women despite the tension arcing between them. "We have valuable equipment here! You test martial skills in Test Room B!"
"Oh, shut up, woman! You think you can move her as she is right now?" She gestured to the snarling girl lowering herself into a battle stance. "She's more volatile than any other subject we've tested on. A reactive response to the drugs... I don't know! She's not listening to anyone."
"Rota, we can't risk you or her damaging any equipment! You've got to get her out of here!"
"Oh, son of a... Fine! Open the door! Open the door!" Rota backed away from the girl, still keeping her guard up as Izzy opened the lab door and stood aside.
With a shout, Videl leapt at her, twisting in the air and bringing up her leg in a brutal kick. Rota blocked and threw the leg aside, caught by surprise again as Videl brought her other leg up to kick her in the face. Thrown off by the second surprise, Rota stumbled back, blood gushing from her lip. Videl had tumbled to the floor but was back up in seconds, continuing her assault with deceptively strong punches and kicks. Rota recovered and blocked them easily with her Saiyan speed and strength, but felt the power behind each blow and smiled. This girl was a perfect candidate indeed. She didn't allow herself to fight back for fear of injuring the underclassed girl, resolving herself to block every punch or kick.
She backed out of the room into the hallway, almost bumping into several men and women dressed in business suits and dresses. They were shocked at the sudden sight of one of the evaluators leaving the room with blood on her coat, but were even more surprised at the nude girl attacking the same woman.
"Back away, all of you! Now!" Even as she shouted at the group of people, she blocked another attack from Videl, moving to the side to allow Izzy by. She walked down the hall, blocking each attack with increasing difficulty as Videl undoubtedly learned her defenses and fought to overcome them. As Rota backed into the Testing Room B, she couldn't help but admire Videl's tenacity. The girl was attacking with speed and strength befitting a more aged fighter of her species. Had she been a human as well, Rota knew with grudging respect that the girl would outclass her with ease.
Izzy closed the door to the room and Rota took that as her cue to block Videl's latest attack, grab the girl by the arm and hurl her away. "Stop right now, Videl! I surpass your skill in every way; fighting me is futile!"
Whether she heard it or just ignored it, Videl gave no sign. With renewed vigor, the girl launched herself at Rota once more, and once again, the two women were locked in combat.
"Izzy, you'll have to make your observations from here. The girl isn't listening anymore!" Rota herself was making her own evaluation of the girl, pleased with what she was seeing. Videl would attack at Rota's left side more often than not; she must've figured out Rota's partial blindness in that eye and was using that to her advantage. Her footwork was equally impressive. Rota had never been one for mastering maneuverability in combat, focusing instead on tough defense that didn't require moving much. Videl was using her smaller frame's agility to always be on the move, never striking in the same place twice.
They fought for a productive half hour, until the acitophalyn began to wear off. Rota saw it in Videl's eyes as much as her body: her blows were getting softer, she was moving slower, and she wasn't radiating the same anger she had first felt at the height of the drug's effects. In a matter of moments, Videl turned from a frenzied monster to an exhausted child. She let up on her attacks, panting hard before slumping to the ground in a heap. Izzy was by her side in seconds, but Rota simply turned away, unconcerned.
"She's fine, Izzy. Just tired." Rota smoothed the wrinkles from her coat, picking at the small stain of blood just above her breast pocket.
"Rota, her knuckles and knees are all busted! You should have stopped her before this!"
"That was a fantastic chance for observation of this girl's potential, Izzy! A few bloody knuckles, a skinned knee, hell, a broken arm is worth the data we got on her!" Rota looked at the now sleeping form of Videl, pride welling up inside her. "Videl Satan has proven in the span of minutes what I have to train girls three months for. She's the best candidate we have for the Battle Bond Program. She'll have to receive the best if she's to get results."
"Rota, that's favoritism. The other kids will kill her."
"Let them try. If Videl can't survive the training with her fellow brothers and sisters, she doesn't deserve to fight. If she does survive, it only proves her the strongest. That's something I intend to find out."
Videl woke to find herself in a soft bed, covered up to her neck in thicket red blankets. She looked around curiously, unable to remember how she got here, or even when she fell asleep for that matter. One thing she did know, though, was that this wasn't her room.
It was a small room with simple furnishings. Apart from her bed, there were only two chairs and a nightstand beside her bed. On one of the seats were neatly folded clothes. The nightstand had a vase with flowers and a note. An I. V. was dripping into her right arm, the bag filled with a clear fluid. Videl moved to sit up but found it almost impossible to even twitch in any direction; her limbs felt like lead. She decided to lay there for the time being, trying to remember what had happened.
She remembered getting the note from Battle Corps. about her eligibility to test for Psyjic Integration this year. Her heart had sank at that note. She had hoped her dad would have found a way to save her from the testing, but even the World Champion answered to the Battle Corps., it seemed. She had cried for two days, and none of her friends could console her. It was only when her dad sat down with her and had a talk with her that she finally decided to go through with the testing.
"Videl... Are you afraid?"
She had thought about lying - after all, the World Champ's daughter wasn't supposed to be afraid - but her father would see through it easily. She nodded.
Hercule smiled tenderly. "It's okay to be afraid, Videl. That's the only time a person can be brave. Did you know that?"
Videl thought about it now and realized he was right. No one's ever unafraid of something. Even the Saiyans must realize that. You can't be brave without having a fear to overcome.
Her memory reflected to her time in the waiting room, and the testing after. She remembered being called from the waiting room, saying goodbye to her dad, and meeting Izzy and Rota. Rota had examined her body thoroughly, making observations and notes before hooking her up to a machine and giving her some type of drug. It had hurt, but she couldn't remember anything past that. She wondered how long ago that had been, and where she was now. Above all, she wondered what was going to happen to her.
She didn't wonder long before the door opened and a nurse stepped in. "Ah. You're awake." She closed the door behind her and stepped up to I.V., checking that it was connected and dripping steadily. "Your I.V. is good... The acitophalyn should be flushed from your system by now."
Acitophalyn.
Videl remembered the Saiyan woman, Rota, hooking her up to the machine and given her that drug. She had said it would make her 'confrontational' and angry, but if so, why was she in bed? Did she attack someone and the Saiyan knock her out or something?
The nurse took her vitals and wrote them down on a clipboard before setting it down and turning to her. "Alright, let's see how your hands and feet are."
Videl blinked, confused. "My...hands?" The nurse only smiled as she gently unfolded the blanket away from Videl's hands. Videl almost gasped when she saw them completely wrapped in bandages. "What happened?"
The nurse gently grabbed one, unwrapping the bandage. "Your evaluators can explain in further detail, but your file says you injured them during your first testing phase." She had unwrapped the left hand, exposing a grotesque bruise on almost the entire hand. There were several splits where the skin had broken, and now that she could freely move the hand, she found she didn't want to for fear of causing further damage. "Alright, I'm going to test some movement. Tell me if you feel anything."
She grasped the index finger and gently flexed it. Videl waited for a burst of pain, but none came. The nurse continued flexing the finger, testing movement at each knuckle while awaiting a response from Videl. Videl almost felt obliged to feel pain; it was obviously what she was checking for.
The nurse gently set down her hand and wrote down notes onto a clipboard. "Alright. Now the other one." She unwrapped the right hand, testing the movement and, after finding the same results, moved to the feet. Videl saw that she was now clothed in a patient gown and that her knees were wrapped as well as her feet. The nurse unwrapped both feet, also bruised, and tested the movement. Again, Videl thought she should feel pain, but felt nothing. In fact, she couldn't feel anything. Not even the nurse's hand on her foot. The nurse had gone back to her clipboard, writing down notes before moving to the knees. As she unwrapped them, Videl could see they were swollen and bruised as well. The nurse felt them gently, prodding in several places before writing more notes down on the clipboard and moving to the door.
"Your evaluators will be with you in a moment," was all she said, and then she was gone.
Videl lay there for several minutes, wondering what her evaluators would say. Would they tell her she failed? Is that why she was here? Or maybe she had passed and she was given a room to live in while she trained. She couldn't decide which was more likely and lay there fretting about her future when the door opened and Izzy and Rota walked in.
Izzy started first. "Hi Videl. Good to see you're awake."
Videl managed a weak 'hi' to both women.
"Well, we've got some good news," Izzy continued. "Your body checked out, and it can take the Psyjic Integration. Your muscular system in particular exceeded expectations." She pulled out a piece of paper from the folder she was holding, looking at it. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with your nervous system's reaction to the Psyjic technology... Almost your entire system shuts down..." She looked at Videl and smiled. "You probably noticed it when the nurse tested your hand's and feet's movements. Nothing a little nerve therapy can't fix. We can't have your nervous system shutting down on you out there." Videl gulped at the thought of suddenly collapsing or having uncontrollable seizures. Izzy must've noticed and laughed. "Don't worry. We'll make sure you're in perfect condition before we greenlight you for battle."
Videl nodded. "Thanks, I guess."
"You're welcome!" Izzy flashed her a smile before continuing. "We have a record of your eligibility and performance for the initial test, if you'd ever like to review them. Since you've passed the preliminary tests, we're submitting you for further testing. You'll start the next testing phase later this month. Rota will give you more information, if you'd like."
Whether Videl did or did not like, Rota stepped up anyway. "You did well, human. Better than the others by far. Physically, you check out, apart from a few minor issues, but we'll clear them up with some therapy. Now we're going to check and see if you're mentally capable." She crossed her arms. "Subjects who pass the tests go through several surgeries critical to developing telepathic abilities. Through these surgeries, we implant cybernetic nodes throughout your nervous system that allow you to manipulate objects telepathically through electric impulses sent from your brain. The final surgery installs the actual Psyjic chip, a core part of your ability to battle the Morika. The Psyjic chip amplifies a human's psychic capabilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, even teleportation in more talented individuals. The main priority for any chip holder is to protect their Saiyan counterpart from mental assault from the Morika Sages."
"Morika Sages are individuals whose mental capabilities far exceed their brethren. While all Morika are mentally inclined, these Sages have surpassed the majority of their race and developed powers and abilities that can wipe out entire cities in the blink of an eye." She pointed a finger at Videl to further emphasize her point. "Until these Sages appeared, we Saiyans had held off the Morika with ease. Their technological power was nothing compared to our martial might. Now we can't fight them without a partnership. To do so is suicide."
Videl risked a question she was afraid wouldn't be answered. "Why do you need to partner with humans?" She shrugged. "What can we do?"
Rota began pacing. "Your race is one filled with innate compassion. It's in your genes, much as hate and anger is in ours. You are the perfect counterpart for us." She looked at Videl. "The Morika Sages use psychic abilities to attack a Saiyan's mind when he is angered, our most vulnerable emotion. When angered, a Saiyan can level a city, but his mind is very fragile and can be manipulated, even controlled, by someone with psychic abilities. That is what the Sages do. They control an angered Saiyan and turn him against those he fights to protect." She glowered at the thought. "It's the most despicable act of warfare I've ever seen."
Videl couldn't hide her gasp. It was despicable! "But how can I help?"
For once, Rota smiled. "If you pass this next testing phase, we'll clear you for the integration. It's your duty to humanity, to the galaxy, to learn and train in both physical and mental warfare. You'll learn how to fight the Morika warbots, how to mentally link with your Saiyan partner, how to protect him or her from a Sage, how to mentally attack the Morika..." She shrugged. "You'll learn everything you need to know to kill Morika." Videl couldn't help but show her disgust at the very idea, but Rota waved it off. "That's the honest truth. You must protect your fellow humans from the Morika, or they will kill you without a second thought. You must kill them first, to save your friends, family, even species." She crossed her arms. "As long as the Morika are alive, we're an endangered species." She looked at Videl with a patient eye as the girl took it all in.
"So, Videl... Do you want to learn how to kill?"