There is a difference between a fighter and a martial artist. A fighter is training for a purpose: He has a fight. I'm a martial artist. I don't train for a fight. I train for myself. I'm training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.
- Georges St-Pierre
The day Vegeta and Caulifla's big fight, she was ready to train again.
Goku had somewhat regretted watching the fight between Vegeta and Caulifla as they had gone at it the previous day, mostly because he had wanted to fight her in her new form as well. Nonetheless he looked on as Vegeta showed no mercy, fighting Caulifla as if he was hellbent on wiping her out. Goku had decided to focus on Caulifla's battle style and how she managed herself in the fight, especially against someone as strong as Vegeta. It wasn't the first time he had seen her like this, he had even fought against her himself in the Tournament of Power. Still it was good to see it from an outside view, especially when he began to notice a key flaw in her fighting style.
She's too reliant on speed. He had realized, watching Caulifla literally fly circles around Vegeta as she tried to find an opening. She needs to be faster than her opponent or she'll be left open to be comboed, she doesn't seem to have any precautions for being surprised like that.
This fact became more and more apparent as throughout the duel Caulifla was unable to gain the upper hand, always being matched and overpowered by Vegeta's superior speed and experience. At one point he almost won simply by blitzing her, Caulifla only being able to stay in by sheer willpower. When she had finally fell to Vegeta he scrutinized her before giving Goku a glare, a proud or thankful one Goku couldn't tell. Caulifla had been mad with joy after Goku revived her with a senzu, hugging and thanking him for giving her the chance to use god ki.
"It was the best time of my life," she told him, "even if I got the shit kicked out of me. Thanks for helping me out Goku, I wanna do this again!"
Goku was shaken out of thoughts as he felt an energy source rise up near him and he turned his head to see Caulifla fly down a few feet away from him. He had chosen the Lookout as their training ground this time and the stillness of the scene gave Goku a nice feeling of calm as his female counterpart approached, looking over the Lookout with her hands on her hips.
"So this is the place?" Caulifla asked, glancing around. "Seems pretty bleak."
"Yeah, it can be a little quiet." Goku admitted, smiling at Caulifla. "But that's just what we need, especially with what I have in mind for today."
Caulifla raised an eyebrow and despite her expression Goku could tell she was anticipating what he had in store for her. "Well?" she pushed. "Don't keep me waiting, Goku. What is it?"
Goku shook his head, turning his head back towards the horizon. "I can't tell you yet."
Caulifla gave him a confused look. "Eh?" she said, blinking. "Why not?"
"You'll figure it out. Take a close look, notice anything different?"
Caulifla gazed at him for a moment, taking in what could be different about the Saiyan. "The armor?" she guessed. "It's not what you usually wear."
"Right." Goku replied, looking down at himself. He was dressed in an outfit he hadn't used in a long time: Bulma's version of Saiyan Battle armor. From head to toe he looked almost exactly like he did when years previously he had trained to fight against Cell, from the white boots to the long blue jumpsuit to the yellow and gold chestplate strapped on his shoulders. Thinking about it gave him chills, he had progressed THIS much after such little time. It was incredible, impossible even. Then again, weren't Saiyans meant to do the impossible? Hell if he'd know.
"This is Saiyan battle armor," Goku explained, showing the look off to Caulifla. "At least, our universe's version of it. It's been heavily modified over the years to make it more durable and flexible but how well the suit fits each person is entirely up to them."
Caulifla leaned down and squinted at the suit, unimpressed. "Ehh...doesn't seem very menacing to me. If anything it makes you look more like those ridiculous Pride Troopers."
Goku laughed and put a hand behind his head. "It does, doesn't it?" he turned to pick up a small canister and tossed it to Caulifla. "But it's necessary for what we're going to do, so you're gonna have to wear one too."
Caulifla opened the canister after a moment of fiddling and was stunned as she looked at what came out. "This?" She said, scowling at the uniform. "You're telling me that I have to wear this trash just so we can train? What's wrong with what I usually wear?"
"Nothing." Goku responded, choosing from experience to not say anything for his own safety. "But the suit is naturally flawed in that it makes you have to get used to it and it can be hard to turn in. Because of that it makes you have to focus harder to get the same result, improving your concentration and reaction time."
After considering this and pursing her lips, Caulifla yielded. "Fine, I'll wear it." she said, motioning for him to turn around. "But if you look, you're dead. Understand?"
Goku blushed and shook his head rapidly before spinning to face away from Caulifla. "Y-yeah! Don't worry, I won't look."
"You better not." Caulifla muttered behind him, the sound of a zipper being lifted up filling the air. Eventually Caulifla called out, "Alright, you can turn around now."
Goku turned and couldn't help but feel amazed at Caulifla's transformation. She was wearing the standard armor with customizations for Bulma to better fit a woman, it was true. But for some reason it just seemed to match her. The way she showed off her figure as she stretched, the fierce gaze in her eyes, the dominant aura she gave off...it was beautiful, in his opinion. Sexy, even.
Caulifla caught his gaze and she dashed in front of Goku, looking up at him with cold, steely eyes. "What? Do you have a problem with how I look, Son Goku?"
Goku shook his head, his face turning red. "No way, I think it looks good. It suits you."
Caulifla looked at her hands and frowned, turning them experimentally. "Meh," she said, "It's not that bad, I guess."
"That's the spirit." Goku said, smiling. "But that's enough of that." he leaped back a few feet and put his arms to his sides, giving Caulifla a confident stare. "It's fighting time."
Caulifla grinned and she cracked her fingers as she backed up slightly, both opponents now standing a dozen meters apart. Each one looked at the other with a cocky, anticipating stare. This was something only Saiyans could understand, the rush of blood and adrenaline that came just before a battle. It was electrifying, a feeling that no matter what else was going on that this, this was the only thing that mattered: The fervor of battle.
"How do you want to do this?" Caulifla called, reaching in the back of her mind for her energy. "I can do any form you want me to, even try to tap into that Super Saiyan Blue form you're so skeptical about me learning."
Goku chuckled. "I'd love to, but maybe another time." He frowned and pressed his arms into his sides, channeling the energy. "For today, we're just going to be using one form."
"Then hurry up and tell me which one it is." Caulifla said. "I'm not getting any younger over here."
"Alright." Goku replied, closing his eyes. With a burst Goku began to shout, low at first but rising in strength as he began to transform. The Lookout began to shake slightly and Caulifla as the aura of a Super Saiyan overtook Goku, flaring up immediately and bursting into radiance as it was pushed to its limit. After a few seconds Goku's muscles began to bulge, growing in size as he shouted louder and louder until finally he stopped, relaxing as he gritted his teeth and smiled at Cauli. He was definitely getting Cell flashbacks now.
"You're familiar with this one," Goku stated, relaxing his posture. "You used it in the Tournament briefly."
"I did." Caulifla replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You told me not to bother with it, though. Why are you telling me to fight in it now?"
"It's tricky." Goku answered, testing his movement in the battle armor. "This form has multiple names. Personally, I like to call it a Third Grade Super Saiyan. You get the form by pushing your body to the absolute limit physically, your ki becoming so vibrant it bulks you up. It makes you 10x stronger but halves your speed."
"And it wears you out faster." Caulifla added, remembering their conversation in the tournament. "Because of that, it isn't worth using over Super Saiyan 2."
"Correct, but not in this case." Goku told her. "You see, the training we're going to do today isn't about strength or limits. It's about speed."
Caulifla nodded. "I'm listening."
"When I was watching your fight yesterday, you were too fixed on speed." Goku said, more of a statement than an opinion. "You kept trying to be faster than Vegeta to get the edge on him so whenever he did something that could counter that you would get knocked back. It's the same with Dyspo, that warrior from Universe 11. Being fast is a good thing but if you can't react to something you aren't expecting then you won't be able to last a minute against stronger opponents. You'll be too reliant on your strengths to overcome your weaknesses."
Caulifla tilted her head, thinking. "That makes sense." she admitted, "So by training in a bulkier form with a crappy suit you want to help me react better when I'm slower than who I'm fighting?"
"Yep." Goku answered, entering a battle stance. "I have more experience in this form so I should be able to have the advantage at the start. If you can get used to that and apply it later then you'll be on track."
"And if you don't?" Caulifla mused, putting her arms to her sides.
"Then I guess I have something to learn from this too." Goku said, smiling.
Caulifla rolled her eyes before closing them. After a moment she shouted with a fury, bulking up in the same way Goku had previously. In no time at all she was in the form as well, nodding to Goku.
"Alright." She mocked. "Let's see how fast you are, muscle man."
Goku braced himself, pushing his feet off the ground as he yelled "Here I come!" and dashed forward with incredible speed. Caulifla's eyes widened and she moved her arm in front of her just as Goku's fist struck it, the force sending a column of air around her. As quickly as she could Caulifla moved in with a punch of her own but Goku juked it, her hand flying into nothing as Goku made another move for her side. Caulifla reacted immediately by attempting to step back but grimaced in pain as the punch landed, pushing her back.
"See, right there." Goku noted, circling Caulifla. "You knew it was going to happen but you didn't react in time because you didn't have the speed advantage. Remember, I'm faster."
Caulifla nodded and Goku moved again, this time appearing behind Caulifla. Immediately Caulifla attempted to spin around and block but was once again stabbed with pain as she was hit, this time in her stomach. Goku didn't waste the opportunity and came at her with his leg, Caulifla barely moving her face out of the way before Goku's other leg sent her to her feet with a large crash. Caulifla winced but put everything she had into rolling sideways as Goku striked at her again, his punch sending a shockwave through the Lookout's floor as Caulifla flew back to a safe distance, panting heavily.
"You were right," she said, lifting her arms up and down. "This does constrict my movement a lot. I can't fight you like this."
"Exactly." Goku replied. "You have to adjust your style to accommodate, do things more in advance than you usually would. Try to get inside my head too, think about what you would do in my position."
Cauli moved to reply but jerked back as Goku came at her again, this time with an uppercut. He began attacking her rapidly, forcing her back as she attempted to read his movements.
Ribs, ribs, side, head... Caulifla thought, imagining where she would hit herself. Putting as much energy as she could into dodging she juked blow after blow until finally Goku reached an inch too far, his arm outstretched as she swerved under it. Now's my chance!
With all of the force she had Caulifla punched straight into Goku's stomach, throwing him back several feet until he regained his composure and skidded to a halt. Despite her exhaustion, Caulifla couldn't help but grin.
"Got you." She teased, reentering her battle stance. "Want to try again?"
Goku smiled, raising his fists. "If it's alright with you."
This time Caulifla flew forward, going for Goku's side until she backpedaled at the last second as Goku's leg skimmed her cheek. Caulifla moved to grab the leg but it disappeared just as fast as it came, forcing her into a tight spot as Goku quickly threw a punch and she lifted both arms in front of her head to deflect it, squinting as she slid across marble. When she had recovered she charged at Goku again, feinting a punch as she kicked under at his legs. To her surprise Goku jumped up and went over her, jabbing her in the back and firing a few ki blasts in for good measure. Caulifla stumbled and looked around as she regained her focus, a thick layer of smoke now hiding Goku.
He got me in the back so he'd go for my-
Pushing into the ground Caulifla jumped into the air, Goku's legs barely missing her as he attempted to sweep her the same way she had tried just seconds before. She quickly took the chance to fire ki blasts of her own, breaking the smoke apart and forcing Goku on the defensive as she landed, preparing herself for a go at his head.
This was going to take a while.
…
After what must've been an hour or so of straight fighting Goku finally called things off, grinning as Caulifla collapsed on the ground and reverted to base, completely drained.
"It's hard, isn't it?" Goku asked, offering her a hand. "Took me awhile to get used to it too."
Caulifla smiled and took his hand, getting back to her feet as she regarded the other Saiyan. Despite the training he didn't look fazed whatsoever if you discounted the scuff marks and dents in his armor, all from where she had managed to hit him.
"Clearly." Caulifla replied, shaking her head in disappointment. "You're not even winded, I must've done jack all to you."
"You did way better than I was expecting, actually." Goku admitted. "Your ability to adapt and mimic what you see is really good, you read stuff just as well as if not better than me." He turned to the sole building on the Lookout and added "You didn't hurt me for a reason, though. I spent over a year training in that palace, in a room called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I've had tons of time to learn this form."
"A year?" Caulifla said, putting her hands on her hips. "Let me guess: You didn't spend an actual year inside of there? I doubt your wife would've been happy about that."
Goku nodded, smiling uneasily. "She wasn't, not with how the Chamber works. It takes you to another dimension where time is way slower in there than it is out here, to the point of which one year in there is only a day here. It's really convenient aside from the aging though that's a small price to pay though for all the practice it gives."
Caulifla took a moment to consider that, walking over past Goku to get a better look at the temple-esque building.
"Is it working right now?" Caulifla wondered aloud.
"It is, but Mr. Popo doesn't like people entering it nowadays." Goku said, sighing. "Vegeta blew it up twice to get out early so now he's really protective of it."
"Figures." Caulifla muttered, then she paused as something caught her attention. "Wait, Mr. Popo? That's what you said, right?"
"Yeah." Goku replied, tilting his head. "What's wrong?"
"We have a guy who keeps an eye on a place like this too." Caulifla said, shivering slightly as she remembered her sole encounter with the being years before. "He calls himself Mr. Yopo. He claims to be the strongest being in existence."
Goku oohed in realization. "Is that right?" He asked, frowning. "Mr. Popo does too, that's pretty weird."
"You're telling me." Caulifla agreed, shuddering.
The two fell silent for a moment as they regarded the scene, looking solemnly at the structure in the distance as they both thought.
"Hey, Goku?"
"Yeah?" Goku tilted his head down to look at Caulifla as she kept staring at the palace, hands balled.
"Could we train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" she asked, turning to look at him. "Right now?"
Goku sucked his breath through his teeth, looking above him as he considered it. "Well, I suppose…"
he started, "I guess Mr. Popo wouldn't mind so long as Vegeta isn't in there. The last time I went in though Chi-Chi got really mad at me, I brought Gohan in too after all."
"You brought him in with you?" Caulifla repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of father brings in their child to train in an alternate dimension with them for a year?"
"It was necessary." Goku argued, recounting his moments with Gohan in the Time Chamber. "We were in a sticky situation and he was the only one who could save us. If it wasn't for him, Universe 7 would've been erased a long time ago."
"I see." Caulifla said, putting a hand to her chin. "I don't think people would really notice if I went in, though." she thought. "Worst case I'll mature a bit, but I can pass that off people not paying attention."
Goku laughed, nodding. "The food in there sure is good." he agreed. "I suppose we can go if you want, these suits were designed to last for years and there's plenty of supplies in the chamber. You would have to keep it secret, though."
"Are you kidding?" Caulifla scolded. "You really think I would give away something as useful as this? Of course I'm saving this for myself. Although, seeing Kale in there..."
"She's not ready for it just yet." Goku said, crossing his arms. "She has some key issues too. But we'll handle that once we're out of the chamber."
"Fine..." Caulifla muttered, "Let's go."
"Alright!" Goku pumped a fist in the air and pointed towards the chamber. "The sooner we're out of that chamber the better."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Caulifla teased.
"You don't know what it's like!" Goku retorted. "It can get really intense, especially when you see what it's like in there. It gets old fast."
"I'll be the judge of that." Caulifla replied, silently putting aside the fact for later. If she was going to be in here for a year, she better get a good look at the land down below beforehand.
"Say, Goku."
"Hm?"
Caulifla stopped walking and looked to him, hands at her sides. "Do you think this is all going to work out? This whole universal merge and all?"
Goku didn't reply, his face cast down as he thought. "I don't know." he said after a while. "It should be fine for us and all the other Saiyans, but from everything I've experienced humans don't like to be surprised. When they find out there's two Earths they're gonna go nuts."
"Yeah, and if that happens…" Caulifla didn't need to finish the thought. They both knew what would happen if both Earths got destroyed.
"Well, we'll just have to be careful then." Goku decided, "And get stronger than ever so that even in if everything falls apart we'll be ready for it. Right?"
Caulifla smirked, nodding. "Right."
And with that both Saiyans made their way into the temple, ready for their year together.
…
Author's Note: As per high demand, the second chapter of Training with your Reflection is here!
I got a lot of requests recently to have some more Goku and Cauli training so I decided to look at things from a different perspective, in particular one that was highlighted in the most recent episode of Super. When thinking about combat it's always important to know your strengths and weaknesses, and if you try to cover up your mistakes instead of facing them head on you won't get anywhere. Working to improve and not to win is the key, especially if you're in such a clunky form as Third Grade Super Saiyan is. Hope people liked the Cell Arc callbacks.
Off-topic but also important stuff: First of all, thanks for all the interest in this fanfic and Succumb. I really appreciate it a lot, so much that on the 28th I'm gonna release possibly the best fivesome I can possibly write to celebrate the 5th chapter of Succumb (And oh boy, is it gonna be steamy .). But I also want to come out and ask that even if you really appreciate my work for just these two stories that you also do me a favor and take some time out of your day to look at my other works, whether they're DBZ, League or (as of recently) Nier-related. I need feedback and support wherever possible so that I can know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, especially since a lot of these fics have different approaches to them. With August coming around and some stuff starting to stack up it's gonna become harder to find time to write so being able to learn from what I've already published would be super helpful. So yeah, even if you only take a look at like one random fic on my profile page for five minutes I'd be grateful. Who knows, maybe you'll like it!
As usual, please R&R and thank you for taking an interest in my work. It means a lot, seriously.
- Caulifla
7/27 Edit: Decided to move this to Dragon Ball Super since it makes more sense here. To Strawberry the Cat - You're welcome. :)
12/5 Edit: Revised this and Chapter 1. I had a lot of people complaining about how Caulifla beat Vegeta (which I agree shouldn't happen under normal circumstances) so I decided to further explain my reasoning and remove the bit about a coma. My bad guys, hopefully that makes more sense now.
3/10 Edit: Updated things considering Vegeta's new form & the difference between SSG & SSB along with minor tweaks.
