The first few matches went just as Aria expected. Each man she had matched with a Z fighter was easily picked off without much delay. It was now down to the last two fights of the first round. While Goten was busy laughing at his stooge of an opponent, Captain Chicken, Aria decided to strike up a little conversation with her unsuspecting rival. He was leaning against one of the posts that held up the Pagoda, looking distrait as he watched the fight.
"So, it looks like we'll be fighting soon," she said as she approached, with a hint of condescension.
He glanced at her with surprise.
"I suppose so," he replied absently.
She flashed a devious smile.
"I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't go easy on me."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"Well, I…"
"Just because I'm a girl, it doesn't mean I'm any less of a fighter," she snapped.
Trunks stepped away, taken aback. She moved closer, raising a finger just a few centimeters from his nose.
"And if you have any doubts that I'm not as strong as you are, forget them."
He was plastered against the post now, desperately trying to avoid unwanted conflict.
"I'll see you in the ring."
She backed off, turning and walking to the stadium in a huff. The feedback from the microphone rang shrilly over the loudspeakers as Captain Chicken was catapulted into the stadium wall beside her. She continued on without a flinch.
"You've seen the competition heat up like a volcano here folks, and now it's the final match of the first round!" announced the host. "A newcomer from the hills near South City that stunned in the preliminaries will be facing off against a former champion. It's Aria White vs. Trunks Briefs, Are you ready?"
The crowd roared to life, ready to see some action after the disappointingly boring prior matches.
"Here they are!"
Everything Trunks had ever learned about fighting was telling him that this would be a simple match, but a gripping feeling of doubt was tugging at him. She was so brash, yet he felt as if it was warranted. But it couldn't be. After all, she was only human.
The warriors entered on opposite sides of the ring, stopping about fifteen feet away from one another. Aria stared Trunks down with a penetrative gaze, while he shifted uncomfortably into his warm up stretching. She was sensing the vigor he'd had when he fought as a junior champion, but it was dulled somewhat.
Aria breathed in deeply.
"Trunks," she addressed him sharply.
The host noticed the tension, and decided to slip the microphone towards her to catch her opening statement.
He raised his head from stretching.
"I must confess that I haven't been completely honest with you," she said, noticing her words coming through on the loudspeakers. The crowd rustled with anticipation.
So she was hiding something, he thought.
He righted himself from his exercise, and nodded for her to continue.
She sighed, and began her speech.
"I am not just another fighter, coming here to win a paycheck through pointless savagery."
That caught Vegeta's attention from the sidelines. He pricked up and surveyed her carefully as she spoke.
"I am a warrior. It's always run through me, as if ingrained in me from birth. Now that my parents are gone, far away in a distant star system, I'm finally able to show the world who I am, who I've always been."
She tensed and readied herself to release her ki.
"And you, someone I've seen fight before in the championships of this very tournament will bear its witness. You should recognize what I'm about to do, as I've learned this little technique from you, golden boy."
Golden boy?
Hundreds of thoughts were going through Trunks' head, not one coming to a valid conclusion.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. He tried to remember what miraculous technique she could have possibly learned in Trunks' fight with Goten ten years ago. It was all a blur.
"Artemis, Lilina, this is for you," she murmured.
With a colossal surge of energy, she exploded into a blast of gold, blue and white. Lighting currents surrounded her limbs as her hair whipped upright, bleaching blonde as if soared above her. Her calm cerulean eyes turned fiery turquoise, and her muscles bulged from her frame. Her body surged with power, the pure energy radiating through her veins. All of the limits she'd placed upon herself had been disintegrated in the physical and emotional blast she had exuded. The raw power filled her with fervor, serving as her last rebellion against her bondage. When the dust cleared, the crowd stared in fear and awe at her new appearance. Trunks staggered backward, mouth agape.
Goku and Goten were equally dazed, and Pan was shivering behind Goku's leg.
"That's n-not possible…" Vegeta stammered. "She can't be!"
Trunks looked desperately at his friends for an answer, all of which had the same confounded expression.
Aria took in her first breath as a Super Saiyan 2, relishing the liberation.
She saw Trunks, as well as the other fighters, staring at her in wonder.
"Don't act so surprised," she said haughtily.
Vegeta quickly recovered from his shock.
"You! Girl!" he snapped, stepping forward into the field.
Aria glanced sideways at him, slightly irked by the interruption.
"I'm aware that this entrance is a little dramatic, but I would like to start my fight." Her words reeked of an arrogance Vegeta knew all too well. He growled, but held his tongue as he surveyed her up and down. Her body was built very much like a Saiyan female, minus the tail, and her hair was dark and thick like his. Then something caught his eye, something he would have never expected. A Dragon with blue gems for eyes was sitting atop her ring finger.
"Get ready, golden boy!" she shouted.
Vegeta could only look on in silence as she lunged at Trunks.
Despite his earlier distress, Trunks rapidly changed into his Super Saiyan form, readying himself for her blows.
She grinned, pleased that she was able to get him into the fight so quickly. When her fist connected with his upturned forearm, a small shockwave was sent across the ring. She assaulted with a whirlwind of punches and kicks, each barely blocked by Trunks. He was just able to dodge a kick directed at his left cheek, and retaliated with a hefty punch towards Aria's stomach. She grabbed his fist with both hands, stopping it just short of her abdomen. With a lithe movement, she kicked upwards, cocking Trunks' jaw.
The crowd ogled at the spectacle, too astonished to make a sound. By this point, the host had passed out, and was lying listless on the grass surrounding the ring.
Vegeta stared at Aria as she fought.
Could it really be possible?
By now, he should have realized that anything is possible.
Her facial structure was almost exact in likeness, and her body was undeniably Saiyan. She was agile, flexible, and her form was impeccable. Her power was enormous, and there was no way he could have overlooked it if she'd reached this state before.
As she continued her spar, Vegeta realized that she must have experience in Super Saiyan form. Just unleashing it at will is a mark of past encounters with the state.
Just then, Trunks was catapulted backward towards the edge of the ring from a strike to the right side of his face. Before he knew it, Aria was behind him again at blinding speed, kicking him forward again. Trunks regained his footing and thrashed an arm backward, knocking Aria sideways across the stage. Before she could recover, Trunks slammed down hard on her back, crushing her into the tile. He lack of a fighting partner all of those years bedeviled her greatly. Dealing out blows was easy enough, but anticipating when and where Trunks was going to strike was unbelievably difficult. Using her arms as a brace, she was able to lift herself out of the way before he could hit her again. They parted from their burst, once again facing each other from separate sides of the stage. They were both panting heavily, and Aria clutched at her back. Blood was trickling from her lip to her chin. Her off-planet training had proved to be of great help in her fight with Trunks. The elements she'd weathered in her sessions on Alpha Six and Groen had increased her stamina exponentially. She was able to perfect her use of his glowing technique on Groen, and her evasiveness was heightened on Alpha Six with the meteor storms. It was her only defense against his attacks.
They were about to leap forward…
"Stop!"
Vegeta was walking towards them now, a deep expression on his face. She scowled, and glanced briskly between him and her opponent.
"What do you want now?" Aria growled.
"When exactly did you learn how to turn into a Super Saiyan?"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb."
His directness disconcerted her.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh please," he scoffed, "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."
Aria was nonplussed, but she did not let down her guard.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is, and frankly I don't care. But you are once again inhibiting my fight. We will talk afterwards. If you think what you have to say is still important and relevant, you'll remember it by the time I'm done here."
Vegeta was stunned by her rudeness. His blood began to simmer.
"Trunks!" he said suddenly.
Trunks looked puzzlingly at his father.
"You are not to attack this girl until my conversation is finished, understood? I want her undivided attention."
Never once had his father ordered him to stop an attack, unless he was interfering in a battle. He nodded grudgingly, not being so bold as to disobey him now.
Vegeta looked back at Aria.
"There, you now have no distraction. Answer me!"
She clenched her fists with fury.
"How dare you!"
Vegeta smirked.
"I dare."
Aria did not know what to do at that point. If she attacked Trunks, it would be foul play. If she attacked Vegeta, she would be disqualified. Her only choice was to answer.
"I still don't know what you're talking about," she repeated slowly.
Vegeta's eyes grew fiery.
"You can't possibly say that you have no clue that I'm referring to your transformation."
"Wait, are you talking about this?'" she asked, gesturing to her hair and aura.
Vegeta slapped a hand to his forehead.
"No, I'm referring to your choice in wardrobe. Your stupidity amazes me. Of course I'm talking about that!"
She rolled her eyes.
"Why are you even asking me? Power Glow is a technique I learned from him," she said, gesturing to Trunks, "I gather you're his old man. You should know all about it."
He was about to protest, when he noticed her usage of 'Power Glow' as nomenclature.
"Wait, you actually call it "Power Glow?" he said cynically.
"You call it 'Super Saiyan,'" she scorned, emphasizing the quotations around 'Super Saiyan', "It makes no sense. 'Power Glow' seems pretty fitting, I think."
Vegeta cocked his head, bemused by her ignorance. He then remembered her ring.
"Then where did you get that ring?" he pointed to her ring finger.
She glanced at it dismissively.
"I've had it since I was born. I don't know where it came from. What's it you anyway?"
"Your mother's name is Selera, am I correct?" he snapped.
Aria shook her head. What a peculiar non sequitur. This guy was obviously delusional, spouting off queer names that she had never heard of.
Trunks stood wordlessly on the sidelines.
"You've got the wrong kid. My parents are Artemis and Lilina White, and I have no knowledge of anyone by that name. Are we done here?"
"Not until you quit blatantly lying to me," he replied brusquely.
Whether it was Vegeta's remarks, the shooting pain in her back, or her heightened rage due to her Super Saiyan form, that comment put her over the edge.
"Do you honestly think I would try and lie?" she cried, glaring at her accuser with rage. "That would serve no purpose for either of us. It would only serve to make this situation that much more aggravating. I would only lie if I had something to hide, and I am not hiding anything anymore. For years my parents told me to lie, constantly drilling it into my head that it's a sin to be who I am. I've still not forgiven them for it. Now you accuse me of lying, after I have revealed everything in this match; it's abominable."
Vegeta was in shock. Of all of the things to set her off, he hadn't expected that to be the trigger.
"As for your questions, they are absurd. Are we done?"
His temperature rose to a boiling point.
"No we are not!" he bellowed, "That little speech is not going to dissuade me. Since you wear that crest, there is no way in hell you don't know. That ring is the crest of a premiere Saiyan bloodline. Ring any bells?"
Aria was completely flummoxed.
"NO! It doesn't!" she shouted, her arms flailing about in the air.
For once, Vegeta stopped his barrage. He checked her face, and saw no traces of dishonesty. She was genuinely clueless. In all likelihood, she thought becoming a Super Saiyan was nothing more than a fighting technique, as she had referred to it earlier. Suddenly, a disturbing thought plagued Vegeta.
"Do you know you are a Saiyan?" he asked calmly.
"You keep on using that term. What is a Saiyan?" she responded, puzzled.
Vegeta's fear had been realized.
"You really don't know," he breathed.
"Now you're getting the picture. I'll figure this out later; in the meantime, this conversation is over," she said gruffly, turning back towards the dumbfounded Trunks.
"I'm continuing this match. Are you ready?" she said with a trace of unease.
Trunks thought for a moment. He didn't really care about the tournament anymore, as the chance to fight his father would arise eventually. It was mere sport for him, but his Saiyan instincts begged him to fight her. She was another of his kind, mysteriously ending up on earth. She had no knowledge of the Saiyan race, or the source of her miraculous power. It was a fascinating new challenge. But his inquisitive, logical side swayed him away. Vegeta had just broken her concentration considerably. She needed to know who she really was, and that couldn't happen as long as she was in this state. He wanted answers as much as she did, and therefore couldn't put his full focus on the fight. With that, he dropped his stance.
"No."
It was as if Aria was his by a thunderbolt.
"What?" she whispered.
Trunks shrugged his shoulders, powering down to his normal form.
"I forfeit."
