Different Powers

Krillin was struggling to sleep that night. And who could blame him? His wife and just told him to do the impossible. Goku, the man who has defended Earth as long as they could remember. The man who has struggled and surmounted every enemy at every turn. The man who even dueled with Beerus, the god of destruction, and lived to tell the tale. The man who attained a newer and even more powerful form than Super Saiyan God and soundly defeated Golden Frieza. In order to receive 18's forgiveness for running off without a word, Krillin had to exceed this man in six months. And for our 5'0" friend, that is not long at all.

"Krillin," the angel cheerily chimed. "It's time to begin your training."

His student rolled out of bed and fell on the ground, mildly hysterical from the task his wife dropped on his lap.

"Uhh, Krillin? Are you with us? We need to start your training so you can beat Goku."

"Sure," Krillin sighed hysterically, rolling out of his bed and onto the ground. "Let's train so I can beat the strongest man in the universe in a matter of months. What could go wrong?"

After a little more encouragement from his teacher, the worried dwarf got up from the ground and joined Whis for a hearty breakfast. Beerus was there. Picking his teeth with his fingernails again after finishing his meal. When Krillin entered the dining room, he glared him down again. Although this would normally scare the dwarf out of his wits, he was more worried about the goal 18 had set before him, and as a result, took no notice of the cat. He simply sat down and ate with Beerus looking down on him the entire time, then rising from his own meal and leaving for his training with Whis.

The angel led Krillin to the valley where they sparred for the first time. He was a little confused because the area was completely pristine like it was never touched by human hands.

"Hey, Whis. What happened here?" Krillin inquired. "Didn't we spar here on my first day? Last I remember it was in shambles."

"Right you are," the angel affirmed. "I restored everything back to normal yesterday."

"Are we going to spar some more?"

"Indeed."

Krillin sighed nervously and got into his stance. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

Whis twirled his staff around and got into his stance. "Let's."

Both angel and human disappeared and began to throw their respective flurries of kicks, punches, and ki blasts. But this time, there was something off about the way Whis fought. His movements were different. Not that they were slower (Krillin couldn't match the angel's speed in a million years) but they were, in a way, smoother and more efficient. He barely moved from his own position, dodging most of Krillin's attacks within a hair's breadth and returning with his own. His attacks were different too. Instead of swarming Krillin with punches and kicks as he did when they first sparred, he only threw one punch, kick, or ki-blast and these were different too. Everything Whis did was purely economical. He didn't move or use any more energy than was necessary, and every time he attacked, it connected, but not with that explosive power it once had. Oh no. This time, it was worse.

They were continuing with their exchange until Whis dodged and threw a very good punch. That one punch, in particular, was more painful than any punch Krillin experienced before. It felt as if he was being gored by something the size of a quarter all the way through, tearing muscles, bones, sinews, and all. The force was so great that it ripped a perfect hole,the size of an orange, on both sides of his gi. Krillin doubled over clenching his stomach, pupils white, gagging for air and fell to the ground. Whis floated down to his side.

"What was different about the way I fought now compared to how I fought a week ago?"

Krillin was still on the ground gagging for air. Clutching his stomach over the newly formed hole in his gi. The angel looked for a moment and then gently placed the palm of his free hand over his back where the hole was. The pain vanished and air immediately rushed into his lungs and he was finally able to breathe again. Krillin drank in that sweet air as if he was dying of thirst and coughed and sputtered until he regained his composer. Once that was regained, he turned to see his master who was wearing that grin he always wore on his face.

"So, what was different about the way I fought now compared to how I fought last week?" he gleefully inquired. Krillin simply stared at the angel with an expression of awe mixed with terror. In only a few minutes, Whis demonstrated something that he already knew. That there was truly no limit to this creature's abilities. Quirky and childish though he be, he truly was the master who taught the god of destruction, there was no more room for doubt in his mind.

"What did you do?" Krillin gingerly asked, breaking the mild silence.

"I am happy you asked," Whis replied. "Let me show you." The angel motioned Krillin to his feet and showed him his hand. "Look at this." A small yellowish green sphere began to form and grow until it reached the size of a quarter. Little green sparks of electricity flickered around the edges of the orb and along the angel's fingers. Krillin starred with the largest eyes imaginable at this magic.

"What is that?" he inquired. "Is it some kind of magic or somethin'?"

Whis laughed. "This is not magic. Surely you recognize the energy you and your friends frequently use."

Krillin's eyes widened even further. "You don't mean that that's…"

"Ki?" the angel finished. "It is. This here is nothing more than the same ki that you, yourself possess."

"What are you saying? My ki doesn't do that," the dwarf said in disbelief.

"Oh? Look and see." Krillin looked back at the electrical orb. The strands of crackling electricity began to subside and the colors returned to a recognizable golden hue. "A little more recognizable now?"

He couldn't believe it. Krillin quickly pulled out his palm and generated a golden orb of his own for comparison. Aside from the variation in size, his ki was nearly identical to the sphere that Whis created.

Krillin put away his ki and stared into the angel's face like a child seeing a simple parlor trick. "Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked with begging eyes.

Whis didn't answer but looked back at his golden sphere. Krillin followed suit. The orb began to shrink, reaching the size of the head of a pin. The angel, now satisfied with his sphere, extended his hand to his student. "If you can hold this with one hand, I'll teach you everything I know about ki."

Krillin looked at his master and then to the orb. Starting with two cupped hands, he gingerly positioned them under the angel's aqua blue hand and waited for him to drop the ki into his own. Whis tilted his wrist and the sphere quickly descended into his student's waiting grasp.

It made contact and weighed a ton. Actually, a ton would have been nothing to Krillin now. More accurately, it weighed close to a hundred tons. Veins quickly appeared all over his arms and a few on his forehead. His hands trembled uncontrollably under the weight, but despite its magnitude, he wouldn't let it go. His feet were driving through the soil now making holes the precise size of his shoes.

He went down three inches but didn't let go.

He went down five inches now but didn't let go.

Seven inches but didn't let go.

Twelve inches now, but didn't let go. The earth had risen above his knees by now.

The angel began to look worried. "You know you can let go whenever you…"

"NO!" Krillin erupted. "I can do this!" The earth was past his thighs now with a surprised angel standing a little taller than usual beside him.

He went down eighteen inches, but still didn't let go. His arms felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. In fact, that is precisely what happened. One of his arms, the left one, suddenly dislocated. Krillin let loose a scream that shook the very air around them. He felt his shoulder tearing and the pain was excruciating. He dropped that arm to his side and was holding the orb with his right.

The earth was now past his waist, every muscle in his right was bulging beyond normal, and he could feel his shoulder start to fall out of place. Sweat pelted his face and arms. It felt like his veins were going to burst. Sight was starting to flicker from black to color to black and to color again. The only thing that he focused on was that golden orb.

"If I can't hold one tiny little ball of ki, how could I ever beat Goku…"

Memories were flashing through his mind. Good times and bad. He recalled all the times he had with Goku when they were children. He recalled every fight he had. As well as every time he… lost. Every villain they faced, and how a saiyan had to save them. From the Red Ribbon Army. From Nappa and Vegeta. From the Ginyu Force and Frieza. From the Androids and from Cell. From Dabura and all the variations of Buu. From Beerus, the God of Destruction. And most recently, Frieza once again. Every time the earth was in peril, a saiyan had to save it… A saiyan had to save them. And the fact that he couldn't do a thing… made him quite mad.

He was done with that life.

The earth had risen up to his chest now. By this time, Krillin had already powered up and used every ounce of energy he possessed to no avail. But something happened. He didn't transform and gain more energy, but somehow, he began to slowly rise above the dirt. He got his right knee out and on the solid ground eventually followed by the left. And there he was. Standing with that golden orb in one hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he went black.