Chapter VII: Kariosa's Fight
"Princess Kariosa, your First Evaluation will be given to you by Captain Mankin" Frieza announced.
Kariosa and Mankin walked to the very center of the arena. Mankin stuck out a strong hand, and Kariosa took it gently. Mankin grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, "I'm very excited about this Evaluation, Princess" he said smoothly.
Kariosa sneered, "I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible."
"Well, how's about I make it a little easier for you" he whispered, "I hope very dearly that you pass this exam. But if I fight you at full strength, as Lord Frieza ordered me, you won't last a minute in here."
Kariosa tried to release her hand from Mankin's grip, but he held firmly onto her, as he continued, "If you agree to be my woman, I'll make sure you pass this Evaluation with flying colors. All you have to do is pledge your un-dying love to me. Sure, I know, you may not love me now, but I can certainly change that, after what you see what I'm capable of in the bedroom…" he smirked.
Kariosa pulled her hand out of Mankin's grip, "Sorry Captain, I'll have to deny that proposition. I think I can hold my own."
Mankin narrowed his eyes at her, "Very well, you've just signed your death wish Princess" he sneered.
Frieza raised his arm into the air, "Princess Kariosa… your Evaluation begins… now!"
The minute Frieza's hand waved, Mankin disappeared. Kariosa spread her legs and put up her fists. She looked around and saw no sign of Mankin.
Suddenly, he reappeared behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her. He flew her into the air and spun her around. After spinning for a good two minutes, he released her and threw her towards the wall. She hit it harshly, and slid down to the floor. Her impact with the wall created a large dent.
Mankin laughed as he floated down to her, "I told you Princess; you don't stand a chance."
Kariosa growled, put her hands together and fired a large blast right at Mankin. Even his speed wasn't quick enough to dodge Kariosa's blast; she was known for having the quickest blasts on Frieza's force. The blast had hit Mankin in the shoulder, and burnt a section of his perfect hair. He stared, wide-eyed at his burnt braid, and back at Kariosa, "My hair… my beautiful hair! You bitch, I'll kill you!"
He speed towards Kariosa, and slammed her back into the wall. He grabbed her arm, and threw her to the other side of the arena. She regained her strength before she hit the opposite wall. She floated in the middle of the arena for a bit then landed. She put both her hands in front of her; all her fingers spread apart. She had her index and thumbs touching. She looked through the hole her fingers made.
Mankin stared at her, "What are you planning princess?"
A blue light shined and a large ki blast exploded out of her hands. Mankin's eyes widened as the blast came closer. He blocked himself, holding his forearms crossed in front of him. The blast hit him hard, and shoved him back.
Zarbon leaned into the glass, "Unbelievable… she's never used an attack of that magnitude… that's incredible!"
Vegeta smiled, 'And that's only half her full potential… if Kariosa ever got hold of her full power, even Frieza might have a problem with her.'
Mankin struggled against the blast, and put his hands onto it. He pushed it forward, back towards Kariosa. She knew if Mankin used enough strength, he could fire the blast right back at her. This was a powerful blast; it could do serious damage to her, and quite possibly make her fail the Evaluation; she cut it off immediately. Mankin put his arms down; they were severely burnt, but he didn't seem to notice. He smiled devilishly at Kariosa, "I told you Princess, you're finished."
He disappeared again, and reappeared right above Kariosa. She stared up at him, as he aimed both his hands at her. He smiled widely, as an enormous red blast fired out of his hands, "Heaven's Cannon!" Mankin screamed.
Kariosa screamed, as it hit her head on. The blast sent her flying back. She landed on her back and grinded against the floor. Mankin landed, laughing, "Poor girl… I hope I didn't hurt her too bad."
"Mankin, you idiot! That blast was way out of line! Lord Frieza's even ordered you never to use your Heaven's Cannon except in emergencies!" Giana yelled at him.
Mankin glared at her, than at Frieza. "Even though Miss Giana has a point; that blast was a bit too harsh, Kariosa must be ready for anything. If she ever takes on a mission to conquer a planet, she has to be ready for any kind of attack from any kind of attacker" Frieza explained.
Zarbon stared at his master, then at Kariosa. She was lying, motionless on the floor, covered in bruises, scrapes, and burns. "Kariosa! Please! Get up! You've got to pass this! I believe in you Kariosa! Please! Get up!" he shouted through the glass.
Kariosa opened her eyes slowly; she could barely hear Zarbon's words, but she did hear them. 'He's right. I can't just back down now. I can't fail, not after all that Zarbon's done for me… I can't let him down!'
She staggered to her feet, and watched as Mankin walked to her; he was smiling. He stopped in front of her, as she breathed heavily. "Oh… thank goodness…" Mankin sighed in relief, "Even though that was a large blast, I managed to miss your lovely face… I wouldn't want that getting missed up." He put up another hand, "After this blast… you'll be finished. Do you have any last words, Princess?" he asked.
Kariosa looked down at the floor, looking as if she would submit to Mankin. She raised herself up to standing. She raised her head up, looking at Mankin sweetly. Mankin frowned, but kept his hand up.
"Oh Captain Mankin… I've been so foolish…" she said softly, taking a step towards him.
Mankin lowered his hand a bit, but still kept it up, "What?"
"Captain Mankin… I don't know why I couldn't see it before… what a strong, brave, courageous…and handsome man you are…"
Mankin lowered his hand more, smirking, as Kariosa walked closer. "Please, Captain… is that offer of your's still open?" she asked sweetly.
Mankin's face lit up; he lowered his hand all the way. He closed his eyes and laughed, "I knew it… sooner or later; I knew you'd finally get your mind straight. Of course the offers still open, love'" he said, while pretending to get into another fighting stance, "I'll let you throw me around a bit to convince Lord Frieza that you've gained the advantage in this fight, then I'll submit to you; you'll win."
Kariosa smiled sweetly, "Thank you so much Captain. I'm so happy I finally got my mind straight."
Mankin grinned, "You're going to love what you're in for. I'll show you tonight… if you're not tired."
Kariosa smiled at him, "Oh no sir… I'm looking forward to it…" she said, as she zoomed towards Mankin. She pretended to throw punches at him to fool Frieza that they were actually fighting. Mankin smiled; he was so excited. He hadn't had a woman grace his bed in many months, and the first to do it in a while was Princes Kariosa. Kariosa jumped back and flew into the air. Mankin suspected she would merely punch him in the face, and he would forfeit the match. But, she flew down towards him at full speed, and kicked him square in the jaw. Mankin stumbled away, wiping blood from his mouth and looked to yell at Kariosa, but she was gone. She reappeared behind him and punched his stomach, jaw and chest. These blows sent him flying to the opposing wall. He hit it hard, making a dent in the wall.
While he still lay on the floor, Kariosa flew high above the floor; even above the observation deck, spread her fingers out in front of her, and fired blast after blast at Mankin. Each of the blasts hit him; he was so stunned from Kariosa's surprise attack, he couldn't react fast enough to her next move. The blasts piled up on Mankin, forming a large cloud of smoke all around him. After about two minutes of firing blasts, Kariosa put her hands down, and floated down to the floor. She didn't touch the floor quite yet.
She floated over to him; he was on his hands and knees, coughing up blood, and moaning. He looked up at her, "I… I thought we would pretend…" he said, "You agreed to be mine!"
Kariosa put one hand on her hip and the other she stuck out, palm facing Mankin. "I may have said that, but I didn't mean it." Mankin's eyes widened. "I only said that to make you think that I would go easy on you. I pulled you into a false sense of security and was able to take full advantage of it."
A blue ki ball formed in Kariosa's hand, "I'm sorry sir, but I believe I've taken control of this fight." Mankin stared at the ki blast, closed his eyes and lowered his head in shame, he had fallen for the Princess's trickl; he was defeated.
Frieza raised his hand again, "Captain Mankin had succumbed to Princess Kariosa. Congratulations Princess; you've passed your first Evaluation" he said proudly.
Kariosa looked up at the observation deck, and lowered her hand. She looked right at Zarbon. He was smiling a bigger smile than she had ever seen on him. Everyone was applauding her. A door in the observation room opened, and a door at the end of the arena opened simultaneously. Zarbon and Giana rushed to the observation deck door, and came out in the arena.
Giana made it to Kariosa first. She wrapped her arms around her, and Kariosa hugged her back, "You did it! You did it! You really did it!" she shouted.
Kariosa laughed as Giana released her. Zarbon smiled at her as he walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly. Kariosa closed her eyes and smiled, placing her hands on his back. "I'm so proud of you Kariosa. I knew you could do it" he said softly.
Kariosa hugged him tighter. She rested her head on his shoulder, "Thank you Zarbon. I couldn't have done it without you."
Zarbon slowly released her as Frieza, Vegeta, Bardock, Raditz and Kakorot approached. Vegeta got to her and hugged her tightly, "I'm so proud of you, my little Kariosa!" he said proudly.
After Vegeta released her, Frieza stepped forward and stuck out a hand, Kariosa grabbed it and shook it firmly, "Congratulations Princess; we're all very proud of you" he said.
Kariosa bowed slightly as Frieza took a step back, and Bardock and Kakorot stepped forward. She smiled at the two to them, "General Bardock! Kakorot! You're here? I can't believe it!" she said, as she hugged them both.
They pulled away from Kariosa, "My, my! Would you just look at this girl! To think she used to be a timid young child!" Bardock said happily. "I must say, Princess; that was very impressive. I haven't seen a fight quite like that in many years. You certainly have talent."
Kariosa blushed, "Thank you sir. It's an honor getting a compliment from you sir" she said shyly.
Kakorot smiled, "That was a great fight your Highness! You certainly have gotten very powerful over these past few years!" he said.
Kariosa smiled at Kakorot. She and he had grown up together. They were best friends as children and through their teens. She and Kakorot were roughly the same age; Kakorot was a few months older. They stood together, holding hands and laughing. They were close enough to be brother and sister.
But Raditz stepped up, looked sternly at his little brother, tapping his shoulder. Kakorot sighed, and smiled one last time at Kariosa before he released her hands. Raditz stepped forward, and grasped the Princess's hands. "That certainly was a sight, Princess" he said smoothly.
Kariosa smiled weakly. She hadn't seen Raditz in eight years. He certainly had changed. His hair was just as wild as ever, except now it was longer. He looked much more powerful too. His muscles protruded out of him. His biceps were almost the size of Kariosa's head, and his legs were big and powerful.
He pulled Kariosa closer to him, almost to where her chest touched his. She had to look right up at him. Raditz could've been considered a giant; he was 6' 5 ½". "I was very impressed with your performance, Princess. You've certainly grown over these past eight years. You're a strong, and not to mention, beautiful woman, your Highness" he said, with his tail reaching over and toying with hers.
Zarbon didn't like the way Raditz was looking at Kariosa. He had the same look in his eyes that Mankin had had when he had caught him flirting with Kariosa. Zarbon growled under his breath. Giana saw him, and smiled; kariosa would be happy to know that Zarbon was jealous of another man making moves on her.
Kariosa curtsied at Raditz a bit, pulling her tail away from his, "Thank you, Commander Raditz. You've certainly grown up too. Its nice to see you again."
Raditz pulled himself down to her, "Hopefully, we'll be able to catch up some time."
Kariosa nodded and smiled weakly again, "Yes… we should…"
Raditz pulled himself back up and released her hand. Bardock walked up in front of his son as Raditz stepped back, "Forgive me our Highness, but I'm afraid we must be going. I'm so sorry that our visit had to be so short." He put his right hand on his chest and bowed; Raditz and Kakorot did the same behind him.
Kariosa bowed slightly to them, and they all walked. Vegeta hugged his sister one last time, "I'm very proud of you, Kariosa. I'm going to see them out. Congratulations" he said, and he and Nappa followed the three men out.
Kariosa sighed, and walked over to Zarbon and Giana. All of the other men from the observation room had left; Giana, Kariosa, Zarbon, and two doctors putting Mankin onto a stretcher were the only ones left in the arena. Kariosa leaned on Zarbon's shoulder. He smiled, and put his hand around her waist. "You must be exhausted, Kariosa. I'll take you to your quarters" he said.
Kariosa nodded, and Giana walked up next to her, "I'm so proud of you Kariosa! You definitely taught that creep a lesson" she smirked, looking back at Mankin, as the doctors scurried him out of the arena.
The three of them walked through the halls, talking about how great Kariosa's fight was. After a while, they reached the recruits boarding hall; where Giana's room was. She bade them good bye and good night before she walked into her room. This left Kariosa and Zarbon alone. He lifted her legs up and carried her in his arms to the elevator. She smiled, and rested her head on his collar.
"If you don't mind, Kariosa, my quarters are closer, and you're tired. If you don't mind, we can go there" he said.
Kariosa looked up at him without lifting her head. She nodded, "That's sounds nice" she said softly.
Zarbon smiled as they got into the elevator. It opened a floor below the top floor and he walked to the end of the hall. Since Zarbon was a Head Commander, he had one of the biggest rooms on the ship; smallest only to Kariosa's and Vegeta's Royalty Suites, and Frieza's Master Suite.
He walked inside and over to his bedroom. He placed Kariosa softly onto his bed. She immediately cuddled up against the pillows. Kariosa was comfortable; the sheets were silk and the pillow were like clouds. She wore a tank top and sweats; she could fall asleep. She rolled over, facing the middle of the large, king-sized bed. Zarbon walked into his walk-in closet and changed into pajamas. He walked back out only wearing black pajama bottoms, and no shirt. He walked to the other side of the bed, and lied down on the covers. Kariosa opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled, resting his elbow on the pillows and his head on his hand. She smiled and blushed a bit; even though in every training session, Zarbon wore no shirt, she was always embarrassed to look at him, but he didn't mind.
"I'm very proud of you, Kariosa" he said, reaching over and tucking a stray strand of hair behind Kariosa's head.
She smiled, "Thank you, and it's all thanks to you" she said.
She moved herself closer to Zarbon, and he moved closer in return. Kariosa rested her head on his cheast, and Zarbon pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Kariosa closed her eyes; she was so happy. She had passed her Evaluation, put Mankin into submission, saw some of her favorite people again, and now was falling asleep in Zarbon's arms.
Zarbon was just as happy. He rested his forehead on hers, and closed his eyes. They fell asleep in each other's arms, as a large moon of a nearby planet passed by Zarbon's enormous window; casting a soft white light on them.
