Chapter 11
I swiped the card to the Capsule Corp building as quickly as I could. The little red light to the side turned green, and I quickly opened the door dashing in as quickly as I could. This area actually looked quite familiar; Vegeta had showed me the closest ways to the Gravity Room if I ever wanted him to train me. Of course, now I had found it to be the most appropriate. The only thing I needed to do at this moment was purge any thoughts of Trunks from my mind! ARGH! He was going to send me to the funny farm!
I notice the Gravity Room just straight ahead. I was actually quite surprised because I had been running blindly (actually stuck in my thoughts) but that's beside the point. I punch in a quick code (which Vegeta had forced me to have sworn secrecy about) and noticed the machine turned off. I mentally sighed as the door opened up. All I had to do was slip inside and...
"I've been waiting for you."
Ah yes... the deep voice of my sensei; it turns out that Vegeta was sitting in the middle of the room cross legged while meditating- um... not exactly mediating any more. His eyes were opened as a pleased smirk was placed across his lips.
I respectfully bowed my head to him; the door had closed behind me on its own as I walked in. I don't know what to say. This place brings me some kind of strange comfort, and to be honest... I love it.
"Sensei Vegeta?" I question as I raise my head form its bow. I noticed his eyes watching me carefully. "I need to ask a favor of you."
He uncrossed his legs and quickly stood up from the floor. His arms were crossed; I couldn't help but notice the muscles, which seemed to ripple at every movement. This guy must have had many years of martial arts behind him! I now feel ashamed. Here I am, in my teens, and this guy must have started when he was but an infant... or at least that's what I had thought.
"What is it, Pan?"
I look up to my martial arts teacher and I bow to him once again as I snapped out of my thoughts. "Sensei, do you think I should get this caste removed?"
Vegeta took a step closer to me as he looked down to the repulsive bulky bandage. "Is it too much of a burden for you?"
I suddenly felt a bit nervous as I tried shifting from foot to foot. The balance I thought I had didn't work as I had hoped it would; I stumbled just a little. My cheeks burned in embarrassment. "It's just so uncomfortable, and I know the bones broken are completely healed; this thing is just making my life more miserable."
The next thing I knew Vegeta had his finger pointed to the caste with one eye closed. I almost shrieked when I noticed some kind of beam come out of his finger. I immediately jumped out of the range! Was Vegeta crazy? He was going to kill me if he used that energy! He knew I wasn't familiar with energy attacks!
My sensei stopped the beam of ki and he glared at me. He GLARED at me! How dare he! Why should he be the one angry? I was the one who was being carelessly shot at with energy! I actually WANT to live to see my martial arts ability increase tenfold!
"Pan, you need to remain still," he commanded as he brought his finger out once again.
I still moved my foot away from his aim while shaking! I was SHAKING! I'm never scared! NEVER! ... Um... well... except for this one instance... Maybe I put too much confidence in my sensei... for all I know, he could chop off my leg with that energy!
I took a quick glance at Vegeta as he shook his head in disappointment before vanishing! Now, it's not everyday that you see someone disappear from sight! That alone brought me to question, 'Who was this guy?' Or worse... what he could do!
Next thing I knew, I couldn't move at all. I could feel three fingers somewhere along my neck. All I could see was the ceiling to the chrome gravity room. This was the first time that I was actually scared of what as happening. I never feared about anything because I knew how to beat the system of rules, ALWAYS! I was the one with the strength, the one with brains, the one with power!
None of that seemed to matter here.
I felt something warm against my leg and then foot. My only guess was it was that beam thing Vegeta tried to use against me. Okay... so maybe asking Vegeta to take this off was a stupid request...
The numbness of my body began to leave to be replaced with the feeling it had before. I could feel my body carefully being placed on the ground, the cold hard ground.
I couldn't help but close my eyes. So... it was over. That guy must have done SOME kind of damage to my leg... oh, I just know it! And I just waited as time passed... it almost felt like an eternity till feeling came back to my whole body.
"I can't believe you're so weak," replied Vegeta. His voice sounded like it was on the other side of the room. I could hear his light footsteps pad against the floors of the Gravity Room.
I couldn't help but slowly open my eyes. I knew a certain doom was awaited for me... I just knew it!
I look down to my leg.
Are my eyes deceiving me?
Is my leg still in tact?
I touch to see if it's real. The smooth skin over my ankle seems to be normal... there's no more of that purplish color it once took when the bones and ligaments were torn and broken.
"If you are finished gawking at the job done in removing that detestable... thing... than you can get up off your lazy ass and start with stretching," snapped my sensei; hm... turns out that he isn't in the greatest of moods today... maybe it was after I showed my lack of trust in him... oh well.
He then continued on saying, "I want to test your limits and see what potential you have with that thing off of your foot. I know it was slowing you down."
Okay... so maybe this person wasn't just born yesterday. He does seem to have more common sense that your average puffed up martial artist. ...er... did I actually think that aloud?
And being the good student I was I began my stretches. I don't wish to go into details about how I was able to loosen up all my joins and stiffness... that it unless you WANT me to continue on with that useless prattle.
No?
I didn't think so.
Anyways, I notice Vegeta crouching down into a, what seems to be, flawless stance as he peers at me expecting to see what style of martial arts I would pull off. I honestly don't know myself... I taught myself from numerous battles I had witnessed on TV or at that World Martial Arts Tournament.
I do have to admit though... it feels really good to have finally released the strain on my muscles that had been effecting my body for the past few days... and to be honest I really think Martial Arts helps for me to fall into a state of relaxation.
Strange, right?
I don't know. It's almost like... like it's in my blood. It's almost like the natural talent of an artist... or chef, or athlete...
Or...
"Hey, dad. I came in for a spar."
...Wait... a second...
I turn my head in a known horror. That too well known masculine voice... that presence... oh... I just know it all too well.
My eyes lock onto his, and his to mine. It's almost as if an eternity passes by as we continued to stare into each other's eyes.
That is... until I brought my finger up pointing at my stalker while hissing. He looks back at me with a tilt in his eyebrow almost with a questioning look in his eye... Yet, I break out of my battle stance to cross my arms while glaring up at his towering presence.
As I brought out my infamous pointing finger jabbing Trunks non-too gently in the ribs, I asked non-too friendly, "And what brings YOU here, Boxer-boy?"
