The Prince Ascendant

Chapter Thirteen: Outtakes, Volume One

Preface

This chapter contains bits that I missed from (or between) other chapters. It's mostly exposition and character development that I, as well as some of my reviewers, think was either missing or a little rushed. While this chapter isn't critical to understand the overall plot, it does help flesh out the characters and their evolution, which some readers may find enjoyable. If this isn't your thing, then Chapter Fourteen will mark the continuation of the story proper as Vegeta and Pals deal with the threat of Majin Buu, the freaky monster that turns people into food.

Outtake One: Training Day

[The events of this outtake are placed between Chapters One and Two. This should help flesh out some of Vegeta's character development between the two chapters and why he seems more heroic and less pointlessly antagonistic.]

"The boy is late," Vegeta grumbled to himself. It'd been a week since Kakarot's funeral, and his son was due to start his weekend training with him today. Just then, the door to the gravity chamber opened, revealing a boy in a purple gi with messy hair: Son Gohan.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Vegeta!" he cried out. "Mom wouldn't let me leave without giving me two dozen different rules to follow."

"Hmph," the Prince replied. "Do not delay again. Training begins now."

Transforming into a Super Saiyan, Vegeta dropped into a ready stance and beckoned Gohan toward him. If this boy was half the warrior his father was, then he'd make an excellent tool to gain so much power that he'd far outstrip Kakarot, so far that the clown would have no hope of ever catching up. As they traded blows, Vegeta noticed the boy was clearly holding back, a weakness he'd picked up from his father. After a particularly pathetic blow to the chest, the Prince swatted the boy away like an insect.

"Take this seriously!" he yelled commandingly.

"Mr. Vegeta?" the boy asked, confused.

"You're training to fight," Vegeta stated with exasperation. "Not attend an Earthling girl's tea party! Strike like you mean it!"

"Dad wouldn't have-!" the boy began before being hit hard in the chest, forcing the air from his lungs.

Picking the boy up by his collar, Vegeta said angrily, "I am not your father! I will not coddle you like that weakling Kakarot so obviously did. Do not expect me to take it easy on you, because I will not!"

Something he said seemed to have done it, the boy's power flared and he kicked Vegeta hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"My dad's not weak!" the boy demanded.

"Defending your father's honour, huh?" Vegeta asked mockingly. "If you're going to be so insistent, then bring it, boy."

The boy's insistence that his father wasn't a weakling and a fool seemed to drive him to fight harder. The boy had some Saiyan fire in him, after all. So it went, whenever the boy would start to slack off, Vegeta would goad him and draw him out of his "timid scholar" act. Every time he did, the boy would give him a real fight. The Prince of All Saiyans, however, wasn't a stupid man, nor was he unobservant. Something was driving that boy more than mere taunts. Maybe his failure to kill Cell had wounded his pride…his pride. The more Vegeta thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more it made sense, the more he realized that the boy was reacting almost like he had when Kakarot had beaten him when he first came to Earth. The boy had been denied a chance to prove himself, just like the chance to do so against Kakarot had been done to him so many times before.

When the boy fought as an ascended Super Saiyan, his kindly veneer fell almost completely. He was getting used to the form, but the more his normal personality started to seep into his new form, the less powerful he seemed to become, and the less efficient his attacks were. This would not do. The Prince vowed to ensure that the boy became more powerful with time. It was then that a realization hit him: he wasn't just training to become the best, anymore. No, he was training to make Gohan the best he could be, as well. He was seeing potential in the boy, he was seeing why Kakarot had said that Gohan could kill Cell.

However, another transformation was taking place, this one inside the Prince's own mind. The lessons he'd learned when he was a boy were starting to make sense, now. Time was, he thought being a mere warrior was the path to true power, but…what if he was wrong? Time and time again, his tutor would try to impress on him the importance of one's comrades, of being a soldier. Time and time again, the advice would fall on deaf ears. Relying on others was a sign of weakness, wasn't it? Wanting to help people meant you were small…right? As he trained with the boy, with Gohan, Vegeta realized that the way of the warrior was full of flaws. No one person could be the best at everything, the times when Gohan gave him an honest run for his money was proof of this.

As the weeks passed, the Prince realized that there was nothing wrong with mutually beneficial agreements, with helping others. He began, more and more, to adopt the way of the soldier, of building up one's unit so that, together, the combined whole could do what a single warrior could not. His old self would be admonishing him, right now, telling him that such things were foolish in the extreme. That others couldn't be trusted with such things. However, as he drew Gohan out of his shell, Vegeta realized what a lie that was. Vegeta wasn't a stupid man, he knew that, when one way didn't work, then trying something else might yield superior results. He'd turn this shy little boy into a force to be reckoned with. Together, they'd help fill in the gaps in the other's defenses, and learn to work together as a whole. Perhaps, with Gohan's help, he could achieve what he couldn't do alone: he could well and truly become a greater man than Kakarot. Maybe Kakarot's friends had been right when they'd called him…hero. The title felt good. Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans, Saviour. Yes, it would be a hard road, but the easy path is rarely the best one. Let's see if I can't beat Kakarot at his own game, Vegeta thought as he entered the gravity chamber where Gohan was waiting to begin their training once more.

Outtake Two: Therapy

[The events of this outtake are between Chapters Three and Four. This one's a look at what Sakura had to go thru to become who she is, currently. This one will be quite emotional, but this is what I'd had in mind when I imagined her therapy in the first place. Treating the mental scars after a single rape are a difficult enough task, but treatment for five years of it is a herculean task. Hopefully, I handled it realistically enough…if I didn't please let me know.]

"Tell me, Sakura," Dr. Ward said as she walked through the doorway into the girl's room. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine," Sakura responded in a slightly flat tone. To be honest, Sakura didn't know how she felt, anymore. It'd been just over six months, according to the calendar Gohan's mother had put in her room, since Lord Arctic had been killed and she'd been whisked away to this place by Gohan and Mr. Vegeta. For the past five years before then, she'd been running on almost complete auto-pilot, simply doing what she was told and letting what happened to her happen. She ate when it was time to eat, washed when it was time to wash, and slept when it was time to sleep. It was a simple life, and it'd been all she had known for so long, she hardly knew any other way to live.

"What do you want to talk about today, Sakura?" Dr. Ward asked her in a kind, yet sincere voice.

Sakura thought hard. There were a lot of things she thought might be good to talk about, but…talking about what she'd been through was difficult, at times outright impossible. During the early days, it had been Dr. Ward that had done the talking. She told Sakura that what had happened to her wasn't her fault, that she didn't deserve what she got, that the ones who were to blame were the men who did those awful things to her. It took a long time before she could believe that. It was so easy to think that she could've done something, but…maybe that just wasn't true. Maybe she could no more have helped what had happened than she could help the fact the sun rose in the east. Dr. Ward called what she'd been trying to teach her "acceptance." It was a difficult thing, but at the same time, this acceptance had felt freeing, in a way.

"My parents," came Sakura's quiet reply.

"What were they like?" Dr. Ward asked.

"They were kind. They taught me how to read and write," Sakura said, each word coming slightly easier than the last. "Being with them, I felt so safe…so secure. With them…I was happy."

"Does it hurt to remember them?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied somewhat lamely. "It's like, some days, I wake up, and I expect to find myself back in my bed, hearing my mother tell me that breakfast was ready. Then, I remember…I remember that they aren't coming back."

As she started to cry, Dr. Ward put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Sakura," she said gently. "Let it out."

"Arctic and his men," she choked out through the sobs. "They were killing everyone. I ran, I ran as fast as I could, and I tripped. I tripped…I tripped on my dad's entrails!" Sakura was wailing now as the memories flooded her mind. "I saw him and mom lying there, all mangled, and their eyes! I can't get their eyes out of my mind!"

Dr. Ward pulled Sakura into a tight embrace, gently shushing her. "It'll be alright, Sakura," she said in an uneven voice.

Like many of their sessions, Dr. Ward gave Sakura quiet comfort as she bawled her eyes out. There was something about that act, about crying, that lifted a small weight in Sakura's mind, when she was done. It was as if she'd been hollowed out and allowed to drain. Talking about her experiences before and during her…life with Arctic always left her exhausted by the time she and Dr. Ward were done. However, as much as it hurt, it also helped her come to terms with what had happened. As time wore on, the sadness and pain when she thought about her parents were replaced with anger. After she'd broken down and told Gohan and Mrs. Chi Chi everything that had happened some ten months after she'd been rescued, she started to feel less like a swimmer drowning in the midst of a massive current. Sakura had begun to understand that these people, not just Gohan and his mother, but Mr. Vegeta's family, too, genuinely cared about her. They had become a new family, for her, and it felt good knowing that they were there to help her, as well.

Mr. Vegeta was…an interesting man. He was always kind to her, but he didn't coddle her, either. This was especially highlighted when she started training with him. He'd helped correct flaws in her stances, helped her become stronger, and was always ready to give advice where it was needed, but he also wasn't afraid to tell her when she was making mistakes, either. Mr. Vegeta was a proud man, there was no doubt about that, and he was a bit gruff, too. As strong as little Trunks had gotten in such a short time, she figured Mr. Vegeta had good cause to be proud.

"Mr. Vegeta," Sakura began one day after their training. "What was the King…your father, like?"

Vegeta started a bit at this question, one he honestly hadn't been expecting, especially out of the blue. "He was," he said, trying to get his thoughts right in his head. "Proud. Proud to be a Saiyan, proud to be my father. He cared for me after my mother died. He wasn't always the nicest man, but he did try to teach me what I needed to know. At times," he started in a more sombre tone. "I wonder what it would've been like had he been able to raise me himself."

"I'm sorry-"

Vegeta put his hand up. "It isn't your fault," he said. "Frieza was the one that killed him and destroyed our world, and he was brought to justice. I lost him a long time ago, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't still miss him, some."

"Does it ever get easier?" Sakura asked in little more than a whisper.

"In time," Vegeta said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But, there will always be a part of you that misses them, that's normal. I think your parents would be proud of you, Sakura."

She looked up at the man that'd become like a second father to her with wet eyes, asking, "You do?"

The Prince nodded solemnly. "I do," he said gently. "You've grown a lot since you started living on Earth with us. You're not as scared as you used to be. You're a strong young woman and you've become an excellent fighter. I have little doubt that they're grinning, right now, seeing how far you've come. They're proud of you, just as I am."

Sobbing slightly, Sakura hugged Vegeta, startling him a little. "Thank you," she said after a short moment. "I needed that."

"I meant it, Sakura," the Prince of All Saiyans said a little unevenly. "Every word."

It was then that she learned that Mr. Vegeta was doing more than just turning her into a good fighter. He was, in his own way, trying to help her heal from her past by training her so she could be strong enough to face her future. From a few oblique hints Mr. Vegeta had given, it seemed like this world was a magnet for powerful, deranged lunatics. Besides, she needed to be strong. If one person could be like Arctic, then it stood to reason that there would be more. One of the "mathematical laws" she'd studied, thanks to Bulma's gift, called the "Law of Large Numbers" seemed to imply that such a thing was inevitable…and the universe was a big place. She might not be able to protect the entire universe, but she would do what she could for her little corner of it. It was then that Sakura realized that she had begun to think of Earth as her home. Even more shocking was that she had, without her even knowing it at first, garnered friends. Granted, they were friends of Gohan and Mr. Vegeta, but they welcomed her as if she were one of their own.

Master Roshi and Mr. Yamcha seemed to be a bit…enamored with her, but they wisely kept that to themselves. Sakura honestly didn't know how she'd respond to any advances. The memories were still too raw for her. The last thing she wanted to do was unintentionally offend them by having a panic attack when one of them made a pass at her. They still complimented her on her appearance, which felt good, but they always kept it at that. The few times Master Roshi nearly slipped, Mr. Krillin or Cyborg 18 would encourage him to keep his mouth shut, usually by discreetly stamping on his foot or kicking him in the shin.

Working with Mrs. Bulma and her father was…educational, to say the least. She could scarcely understand half of what they were saying when the two of them started getting technical, which usually happened when they got excited about whatever it was they were doing, but the fact that they included her at all was a nice feeling. Besides, she wanted to be smart like Mrs. Bulma, the woman was a certified genius. From just a single Dragon Ball, she said, she'd managed to isolate their unique electromagnetic radiation signature and created a detector that could pinpoint their location, anywhere in the world, to a 10 square meter area. That she not only managed to make something like that, but make it small enough to fit in one's pocket was downright astonishing. Maybe she could use this "scientific method" to understand how her powers really worked…if understanding how things worked let you make things like gravity machines and capsules that could store entire houses in them, then understanding how ki worked would be useful, indeed.

She was a bit jealous when she found out Gohan had been training a girl named Videl, to whom he was quite obviously attracted, even if he, himself, denied it. Sakura never really thought of Gohan in that way, so she was understandably somewhat confused when that twinge of jealousy reared itself. In the end, though, she understood. Gohan had always treated her more like a sister, and truth be told, Sakura was fine where she was. Besides, Videl seemed to make Gohan happy, and that was what mattered most. Sakura did, however, let the girl know, in no uncertain terms, that if she broke Gohan's heart, she'd make her regret it.

Friends and family…two things Sakura never thought she'd ever have again. The other slave girls on Arctic's ship had a sort of bond, but it was always strictly an "at arm's length" deal. But, now, she had people that cared about her, people that were trying to help her feel like a normal person again. Truth be told, it'd worked. She felt like a young woman, now. She might not have the same proclivities as others her age, and she was still unsure if she'd ever be able to have a … special relationship like Videl and Gohan had, but that was fine. Sakura was happy where she was, and that was a fry cry from what she'd been before.

Outtake Three: Gohan's Student

[The events of this one take place during Chapter Five. This is after Gohan teaches Videl to fly, as that went pretty much the same way here as it did in canon. Hopefully, this will help flesh out Gohan and Videl's relationship and explain why Videl is so much stronger than she was in canon.]

This whole "ki" thing is nuts! Videl thought to herself as she watched Gohan and Mr. Vegeta spar. When Gohan agreed to a demonstration with Mr. Vegeta, Videl thought it'd go much like watching her dad train one of his disciples. What she got, however, was a demonstration of impossible speed and a minor, eye strain-induced headache. Even in this weird training room Mrs. Briefs built, where the gravity was triple that of Earth's, these two men were throwing punches and kicks so fast, Videl was honestly surprised that the air didn't burst into flames around them.

"So, Videl," Gohan said after they'd called a halt to their demo. "What do you think?"

"You," she started, struggling to find the words to describe what she'd just witnessed. "You're training me to do that?!"

"And more," Gohan replied, nodding. "Once you're strong enough, we'll teach you some of the really fun stuff!"

"Like turning into a blonde super warrior?" she asked in an awed tone.

Mr. Vegeta laughed a little at that, saying, "Unfortunately, that's something only we can do. You don't have any Saiyan blood, so you can't become a Super Saiyan."

"Saiyan?"

"Well, Videl…" Gohan said, embarrassed. "I'm not totally human. My dad was a Saiyan like Mr. Vegeta, here. My mom's a normal human, though, so I'm only half Saiyan."

"And my strongest pupil," Vegeta interjected.

"So," Videl said in a suspicious tone. "You mean to tell me that you're some kind of alien hybrid?"

"Well…yeah."

"That," she said before her eyes lit up like miniature suns. "Has to be the coolest thing I've ever heard! Seeing what you can do, I don't doubt it!"

"Wait, what?" Gohan asked, now officially confused.

"And you're his," Videl said, nodding toward a smirking Vegeta. "Top student? Gohan, you have got to be the coolest guy I know!"

"Can't say I saw that one coming," Vegeta said, laughing. "I'm going to go wash up. Gohan, I'll give you some time alone with your new fangirl."

"Vegeta!" Gohan called out in vain before the Saiyan Prince closed the door behind him.

"So," Videl said, stepping up to a flustered-looking Gohan. "Mr. Ultra-Strong Alien Hybrid…what are you waiting for?"

"Huh?" Gohan asked desperately. "What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you going to train me?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Oh!" Gohan said, relieved. "Sure!"

Gohan dropped into his training routine, helping correct flaws in her stances as well as teaching Videl how to use her ki to enhance her other senses and speed up her reaction times. It took a little more than a week, but Videl was finally getting used to working in 3x gravity, and after two weeks, she was able to move as freely in it as she was outside. Using her ki to help support her body made the process a lot easier and, as Gohan had said it would, she could feel her reserves improving every day. After two and a half weeks at triple gravity, Gohan informed Videl that he'd turned the gravity up to 5x. It was difficult to move in, but not nearly as bad as going from normal gravity to triple had been.

With all the encouragement Gohan had given her, and the inspired looks Mr. Vegeta's daughter gave her when she was training with the rest of the Briefs family, Videl pushed herself as far as she could go. Three months into her training, she was working at 15x Earth's gravity and the difference she could feel in herself was drastic. The times she watched as Gohan and Mr. Vegeta pulled out all the stops demonstrated that he was still taking it easy on her, but she understood. Try as she might, she couldn't help but watch every nuance of Gohan's moves as the electricity from his aura arced between him and Mr. Vegeta. Even though she and Gohan were more-or-less officially an item, she savoured the times when she got to watch him fight.

"Gohan," Videl said one day as they were walking through Satan City after school. "I…I really enjoy watching you fight."

Gohan had the good grace to blush a little and, scratching the back of his head, replied, "Really? Thanks, Videl!"

"I think it's, well," she continued, a little embarrassed. "I think it's kinda hot."

"Videl!" he replied, sounding scandalized. "What are you saying?"

Videl thought over her approach for a minute, before settling on simple honesty. "That I think you're attractive," she said plainly.

"I-I!" Gohan stammered before sighing and lowering his head in defeat. "I feel the same way about you, Videl."

"Thank you, Gohan," she said happily. "That means a lot, really."

It was clear to Videl that Gohan didn't have much experience when it came to girls. That seemed a bit odd, to her, given how handsome he was, but she figured that living in the middle of nowhere and being homeschooled most of one's life would make that inevitable. Though she wouldn't stop teasing him, it was far too fun to fluster a person as powerful as Gohan, Videl promised herself that it would never be hurtful. She just wanted to…draw him out of his shell, a little. He was so guarded, it was difficult to get a read on him, sometimes, but Videl knew that, if she drew him out some, that he'd be happier for it. A teacher that's also your boyfriend…it sounded scandalous on paper, but since Gohan was only a year older than she was, it wasn't a huge issue. Besides, it make Erasa insanely jealous, which was great. The blonde girl always got praised for her good looks, but now she had the most handsome guy in the school who just so happened to be able to crush mountains with his mind. It certainly didn't hurt that he was easily the nicest guy she'd ever met and that she could see that she made him happy. Her dad might not totally approve, but he was at least mollified when she told him that Gohan was the son of a former World Martial Arts Tournament champion. Who knew that finding out Gohan was the mysterious "golden warrior" would've yielded such wonderful fruits?

Author's Notes

As promised, a look into some of the bits I missed! I hope you guys enjoy reading them, because I definitely enjoyed writing them! The third outtake wasn't wanting cooperate, which is one of the reasons that this update took a bit longer than it should have. The other reason is that I've gone and fired up a new story, The Bardock Effect. I'm having a tonne of fun writing that magnificent bastard, Bardock, and from the feedback I've been getting, you guys have been having fun reading it! I'll probably do an Outtakes for that story, at some point, as well, since I occasionally miss things, but that will be a while coming, since that story doesn't have as much written as this one does. I just want to take the time to say thank you to everyone out there who followed, favourited, and gave me feedback. You guys are the reason I keep going, I mean it, so again, thank you.

I've run out of things to say, soooo…I suppose I'll catch you guys later for Chapter Fourteen of The Prince Ascendant: Desperate Times! Take care!