Back again with another piece for Xenoverse. Just might think about changing the title a bit, but oh well. Also, I'm debating about throwing in a few more masters in for Aria to train with. Why don't you guys tell me what you think in your reviews? It would help!
I own only my OC.
Once back in the Time Vault with Trunks and Tokitoki, Aria let out a huff in frustration. "Dammit…"
Trunks walked up to her, smiling. "Excellent job. That was a great fight. Now… history is back to normal… Not only that, but you've found them… You've finally found the ones changing history… They call themselves Towa and Mira…"
Aria merely nodded. Trunks clenched his fist at the prospect. "They're thieves… Stealing energy from warriors of all time periods… and because of that, history is changing for the worse…"
Aria still stood in disappointment. Trunks noticed this and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? I'd thought you would be happy about this."
Aria let out a defeated sigh. "Sorry, Trunks. It's not that, really. I'm glad we were able to put things back in the proper order."
Trunks lifted a brow in concern. "Then what's wrong, Aria? You can tell me."
She met his gaze with silent anger. "I just feel frustrated that I couldn't fight them off like I thought. I mean, yeah, I managed to hit that guy a couple of times, but to him, it was almost as if I was hitting him with a feather!" The young girl clenched her fists in her regret.
Trunks smiled and shook his head. "Then you just need to train more, that's all. I know how it feels, believe me. If you want, why not go and train some more with Piccolo? I bet he'll want to know your progress so far with that move he taught you, right?"
Aria then widened her eyes in realization. "Oh crap! Yeah, I almost forgot! I can definitely train some more before the next mission! Thanks, Trunks!"
He nodded, only to turn to a pensive position. "Those two… what're they about? That one… The man named Mira… He's especially dangerous…"
Aria nodded. "Yeah. That guy was far stronger than I originally assumed."
The voice of the Supreme Kai of Time rang through the room, making her presence known to the two. "They're the inhabitants of the Demon Realm from hell in the distant future…"
Trunks and Aria both turned to face the pink goddess before them. "Supreme Kai of Time…" The kai walked up to them both, facing Trunks with a serious expression. "Towa. She's the little sister of Dabura, the Demon King. And Mira, he is a strong warrior that Towa created for her own purposes."
The earthling in the room raised a brow in disbelief. "You mean she created her very own boy-toy? Well, that's a new one!"
The Supreme Kai of Time dismissed that blatant comment and continued. "Together, they are stealing energy. In the hopes of releasing the seal that contains the Demon Realm."
Trunks didn't like where this was going. "So if the seal is released, what will happen?"
The kai replied with a shocking revelation. "The balance of this entire world will collapse. And not just this world, but the entire universe. Nothing will remain the same."
This news stunned both other entities in the room. Trunks was far more frantic, whereas Aria kept a surprised look, but attempted to remain calm. "Oh no! Then they're horrible people!"
Supreme Kai of Time shook her head with the truth of it all. "Villains exist in every era, I'm afraid. In the past, there was another who tried to overtake the Nest of Time and seize control. But luckily, he failed."
The vault then hummed, as everyone in the room came at attention. Trunks was the second to notice apart from the Supreme Kai of Time. "This feeling…?! No! It's too early! Why would a history shift happen so quickly?!"
The half-Saiyan turned his attention towards Aria. "Dammit! Aria, I need you to go and finish the remainder of your training with Piccolo! Will three hours suffice?"
The human girl smirked. "Three hours is more than plenty! Don't worry, Trunks! I'll go finish my training and be back before you can say 'Kamehameha'!"
The girl then rushed out of the vault to seek out her mentor, who was more than likely waiting patiently for his pupil's return.
Once she was out of earshot, the Supreme Kai of Time looked over to Trunks. "Wait! You mean to tell me that she still needs to accomplish her training with Piccolo?"
"Uh, yeah. She only got to learn one technique from him."
"Only one?! Trunks, at the rate she's going, she won't stand a chance against any of the enemies that she's bound to face! Do you hear me? Not a chance!"
Trunks flinched back at her remark. "T-Then what do you want me to do about it?"
Supreme Kai of Time merely rubbed her hand over her face at the rationale of it all. "She might need more time to prepare, which is something we have to use wisely and sparingly. I won't have any other choice but to send out another mentor to train her immediately once Piccolo is done with her."
Trunks then stared at her blankly. "R-Really? Who, then?"
The kai shot a glare at the half-Saiyan, who immediately shrunk back with a yelp. She then began marching out of the vault fuming. Before he could utter another sound, she was already at the base of the steps and stopped where she was. Raising her hands in front of her, she closed her eyes and focused her magic into a summon. "Alright. Please, I need you to come forth. There's someone who is in dire need of your guidance and training!"
A bright golden light shone before them, and from that light, stepped out a figure. Trunks' eyes nearly boggled out of his skull at the sight of who it was. "Y-You're…!"
Meanwhile, Aria ran through the gate and bolted straight towards the bridging terminals, where Piccolo stood in front of the giant statue that was in place there. Sensing her approaching, he opened his eyes and turned to face her. "Oh? You're a little stronger. I can tell it in your eyes. Did you master the Evil Explosion I taught you?"
Aria took in a couple breaths from her short marathon, nodding. "Yes. However, I don't think it'll be enough for me to defeat this powerful enemy that I now must face. Please, Piccolo! I desperately want to become stronger and better! I request to accomplish the remainder of my training with you and learn as much as you can teach me!"
Piccolo was taken aback at such a request, He had never seen such determination from his previous pupil like this one showed. The fire that was ignited inside her piqued his interest in the girl. He stared down at her firmly. "So you wish to complete your training and become stronger? Hnn, you have guts. Aria, you do realize the remainder of my training won't be as easy as your first trial, understand? I could actually end up killing you…"
She shook her head. "It's not just brute strength that makes up a good fighter, Piccolo. These maneuvers, these techniques; they form a bigger purpose in this training. I'm in training not for show. Besides, striving to be better than I was before is the goal in any aspect of life, right?" He was stunned beyond words. This young woman before him was willing to do whatever it took to improve and to learn as much as she could from him.
He smiled inwardly, knowing this was definitely well worth his time and effort. "Very well. But first, I'll spar with you to see how well you can use the Evil Explosion."
"Alright. That I can do." She smiled eagerly. Piccolo gave her a serious look. "Just winning isn't good enough. You much finish with Evil Explosion. Do it well, and I'll teach you a new skill." Aria knew it wasn't going to be easy like it's expected to be. She was going to have to give it her all if she was to prove her worth at becoming an even stronger fighter than before.
With no further comment, Piccolo grasped her shoulder firmly and a light illuminated around them, sending them to an isolated area in the skies above.
Once there, Piccolo took his space apart from the girl and tossed away his cape and turban. Upon taking his stance, he noticed the girl's face having a light pick hue covering her cheeks and the tips of her ears as she stared at him. "This isn't a fashion display, Aria! Stay focused!"
The girl snapped out of her reverie and positioned herself at the ready. "Right! Sorry!"
Slightly raising a brow ridge, he mentally chastised himself as well. 'Concentrate! Dammit… This girl may be a good pupil, but she's certainly rubbing off on me in a strange way… Thank Kami that Gohan broke through me long ago, otherwise it certainly wouldn't bode so well for this woman.'
Both fighters were now at the ready, as the shallow whistle of the wind blew around them. "Are you ready? Good! Then start!"
The two went straight for one another, their training now commencing. Aria threw and array of punches and kicks that were strong enough to blow him back a few spaces. This surprised the Namekian greatly. But he knew a close call like that wouldn't be enough if she was in a serious fight. "I'm not going to go easy on you. Come at me with all you've got! Let's go!" She then fired several ki blasts at him, followed by a slightly larger blast at the end, which all managed to hit him spot on. He composed himself, wiping away a small dribble of blood from the corner of his lip.
He smirked at her and began to fire ki blasts at her with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Aria knocked away a dozen blasts before zipping through the side in avoidance.
Using her afterimage technique, she appeared behind her mentor and swung her fists in one go at his back, chasing some of the wind out of his lungs.
The Namekian was in awe. Not only was she moving faster, but her blows indeed packed some serious force. He back flipped through the air and came to a stop. He hasn't felt this excited in a while, not since he fought against Goku in that tournament years ago before Gohan was born.
As he was about to fire another attack, she disappeared from his sight. He stopped generating energy and glanced around to find her. He then tried to sense her ki, which eventually worked… Just a little too late.
Aria landed a kick to his side, causing him to double over. He growled lowly, some of it from the pain in his side, but mostly because of the amusement he had about this girl. They both then got back into the fit of delivering kicks and punches to one another, which some of them landed successfully on both opponents. Piccolo made a slashing movement with his hand and hit her square of the back. "Ahh!" she let out a cry as she doubled over herself. She then quickly rebounded, swirling her leg and hitting him square in the chest. They both backed up away from one another, sweat lightly coating their foreheads. Piccolo was mildly impressed. He never thought she would be this far in her training, but the hard stuff was far from over. "Stop wasting time! Defeat me with the moves I taught you!"
He then disappeared and reappeared above her, ready to deliver a harsh punch to her. Once again, she quickly dodged and took her chance. Appearing right behind him, Aria gathered her energy and before they knew it, it was over in one clear shot. "Evil Explosion!"
The blast was phenomenal. Aria could have sworn she saw stars parading around her head as the blast was almost big enough to consume them, what with the little amount of space between them. Piccolo was sent reeling backwards from the force of the blast and barely managed to stop himself from flying off too far. His eyes were wide in surprise. "A-Astounding…" He sputtered stupidly. He then caught himself and smirked with satisfaction. "Good! Don't forget that!"
He approached her with a senzu bean that he had in his pocket and gave it to her. "Eat this. It will replenish your strength and stamina." She gratefully took it and ate it, with him eating one as well. The energy now fully restored in their bodies, Piccolo floated in front of her with approval. "All right. That wasn't bad at all. You finally mastered the Evil Explosion. But don't let it get to your head, Aria. This is still just the basics. How long have you got until Trunks needs you back?"
Aria placed her hands on her hips as she replied. "He said he would be willing to let me train for three hours. Why? How long has it been already?"
Piccolo chuckled. "It's been barely half hour. You still have time to complete your training with me, so don't worry." He gently placed a clawed hand on her head, rubbing through her spiked her lightly. This earned him a merry laugh from the young woman, who was beaming with a radiant smile. Realizing the notion, he quickly pulled his hand away and crossed his arms, covering his mouth with the same hand as he cleared his throat. He calmed his nerves as a slight purple tinge rose on the top of his cheeks and ears.
"This new technique I taught you is called the Superior Explosive Wave. The Superior Explosive Wave you learned interrupts enemy movements and stops attacks. We will be using this skill now in our training. I strongly encourage you to use it in battle as well so you can further master it."
She nodded her head, excited to be able to use a new technique that has been taught to her by him again. Piccolo bit the inside of his cheek in deep thought, then glanced down at the girl before him. "I should give you your next lesson. You've seen the past of our history thus far… So you should know how the Dragon Balls have changed our fate so many times."
Aria was slightly confused with where he was going with this. "Battles are not only determined by one's strength. Items can also play a huge role." He smiled at the idea of his next task. "Let's head back to base first, then I will give you your task." She nodded and prepared for him to grip her shoulder, but instead of doing that, he wrapped a green arm around her and pulled her close, almost in a half hug. The light shone brightly around them as they disappeared back to Tokitoki City.
Once back, the pulled apart from one another. Piccolo glanced down at the girl as he produced a new cape and turban out of thin air and onto his person. "The next training is to look for items. Bring me an All-Energy Capsule S."
Aria stared blankly at him. "W-What? So all I have to do is search for an item and bring it back to you?"
He nodded. "That's correct. Now don't dawdle! Hurry up and go get it!"
"B-But where do I go?" The poor girl was now confused.
Piccolo snorted. "I won't tell you where to get it. The hint is to use the mix shop. Now go!"
Not willing to argue with her mentor's instructions, Aria sped off in the other direction of where she came from.
Once she reached the plaza where the various shops were, the earthling came to a stop and sighed. "Well, now what do I do? He said that the only hint he'll give me is to go to the Mix shop…" She looked up and on the sign she saw that it read "Mix Shop".
"Bingo! Now to get me that item so I can go back to my training!" She looked at the ingredient list that was in front of her on the shops' counter and read through it. "Wow! Look at all the items you can make! Now let's see… All-Energy Capsule S… Dammit. It's not on here?"
"Why don't you try buying it from the Item Shop? Seems better than wasting money and items over something as simple as an All-Energy Capsule, wouldn't you agree?" A voice spoke from behind her. It was a voice that rang all too familiar in her mind. She turned around and was stunned to see the person right in front of her.
"Well? Are you just going to stand there and look at me stupidly, or are you going to get that blasted item so you can finish your training with the Namek and start your training with me?"
Her eyes grew wide as she saw the very proud figure before here, his obsidian eyes glaring at her in annoyance. "V-Vegeta?!"
The Saiyan Prince stood before here in his proud splendor, arms crossed sternly as he growled at her. "You really are hopeless, aren't you? Stupid girl… Now take this!" He tossed something at her and she managed to catch it, despite her state of shock still being apparent. She glanced down and saw it was the item that Piccolo asked her to retrieve: the All-Energy Capsule S.
The proud prince's voice shattered her reverie as he snapped at her. "Now hurry up and go give him that worthless thing! I want you to finish your training with him as soon as possible!"
She glanced back up at him, still confused. "W-Why are you helping me? Did the Supreme Kai of Time send you?"
The prince scoffed. "Frankly, I could care less what that obstinate elf says to me or has me do. The fact of the matter is I'm here, just as you are. And believe me, girl…" He smirked as intent formed in his mind. "Your training with me… Is just the beginning of your hell…"