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Thank you for all my trusted reviewers for commenting on the previous chapter: Sirius Potter2, unwanted half-Saiyan demon, Rawr, RKF22, mks 12 98, Vienne, Vegetaslave87 and pix. You guys fuel me to write! *starts sobbing* I love you guys! XD (I really loved hearing about your fav parts! Haha silly Kibito XD)
Vegetaslave87: Don't worry, the reunion is on the near horizon. To be precise, it will occur after two more chapters. (I want Gohan to meet a few more peepz and enemies before I send him back.) Hope you can hold out for a little while longer! And I ain't saying anything about Trunks and Gomih… *wink wink*
Disclaimer: DBZ is not mine… (WHYYYYYYYY?!)
Happy reading!
CHAPTER 13: Friend or foe?
"Today's lesson is going to involve ki-manipulation and mind-control." Magisterial said while we were heading towards the training field. "Mind-control…" I repeated in awe, I couldn't wait for him to teach me the new techniques. He chuckled at my tone. "Yes, but we are first going to focus on ki-manipulation."
We stopped on the little hill on the fields and I sat down, looking up at my mentor as he continued explaining. "You can alter the ki-signals of plants, animals, people and basically every living thing in existence, to enhance your senses, change your physical appearance, making people see you how you want them to see you and draw forth energy from these fore mentioned separate entities to mask you own ki-signal; you will even be able to create a whole new identity by this action."
"Okay, let's do this!" I exclaimed enthusiastically.
He smiled at me. "Okay son, close your eyes."
My eyes fell shut and I welcomed the darkness. "Good, now concentrate on the life-signals of the plants, the trees and the animals around you." I cleared my mind and searched for all the life forces I could locate on the planet.
I nodded slowly, letting Magisterial know that I completed what he asked of me. "Focus on only one of those ki's." He continued easefully. I inhaled deeply and focussed on the ki of a tree. "Now make that ki your own." How am I supposed to do that? Sensing my distress he continued explaining. "Switch the ki of the life form you have chosen with yours. It is you and you are it."
I inhaled deeply again and visualised myself as the tree; my ki radiating through the stumps and my leaves bristling through the light summer day breeze. "Good job!" Magisterial gushed. "You may open your eyes now." I opened my eyes slowly and saw that I was noticeably taller; in fact Magisterial looked like a mere insect from my current view.
As I waved my hands down at Magisterial in confusion, I noticed it. My hands were branches! "I became the tree!" I yelled down at my mentor, "And yet I don't feel any different; it feels like I am in my normal human form at this moment now."
He smiled at me. "Great, you did it correctly; now visualise yourself as something else, preferably an animal." I nodded and closed my eyes again. I located the ki of a wildcat wandering in the nearby woods; perfect!
I visualised myself with four feet and a soft patch of fur. "Well done!" Magisterial exclaimed. I opened my eyes. I was now shorter than Magisterial again. I looked around me and frowned. Why was everything in black and white?
And to top it all off, I had this intense urge to lick myself from top to bottom, but I suppressed the strange feeling; maybe later, not while I have an audience lurking around me…
"Everything is in black and white." I thought aloud.
Magisterial chuckled. "Indeed, you are in the body of the Hyalina Tigress, known for not being able to see colour."
I frowned. "Tigress? So you are saying I am a girl right now?"
He laughed. "Now that you have mentioned it; yes." A deep roar of disgust automatically boomed out of my throat; this action felt so natural.
"Concentrate on your own ki again." He instructed. I imagined my own body standing in front of me in my mind and my ki enveloped my current form. I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. I let out a horrified shriek. My 'hand' was covered in feathers and random branches shot out of where my fingers should have been. I noticed that I was still situated on all four legs instead of two.
"Aaaaah! Don't eat me, I am too chewy! Unless you like chewy, then I am not chewy at all! AHHHHH!" Draco yelled terrified and ran into the plains.
"Sir?" I questioned confused with a deep frown on, what I presumed, was my face.
"You didn't concentrate, Gohan," He lectured. "You focussed on all the ki's surrounding you, instead of just your own, resulting in you to combine them all in one form."
I sighed; oops. I laughed as I funny thought crossed my mind. "I could really freak the human scientists and biologists out back on earth, if I turn into a weird specimen like this and walk into their labs." I let out another chuckle. "Can't you just imagine the stunned expressions on their faces?" I asked rhetorically and continued laughing.
Magisterial ignored my joke. "Clear your mind and only think about your original ki."
I swallowed my laughs and regained my composure. Magisterial was very serious about training. I closed my eyes and did what he said. I was relieved to see that I returned to my normal beautiful self again.
I shot Magisterial a thumbs up. "Great technique if I ever want to get the element of surprise on my side." He nodded approvingly.
"That is indeed the reason this technique was created in the first place." I stared at the area where Draco rushed off to.
"Shouldn't we go after him?" I asked concerned.
Magisterial shook his head. "Later, let's get busy with the next technique." I waited in suspense for him to continue. We were on fire today!
"You can also enhance your abilities of hearing and vision by using the ki-particles in the air and nature surrounding you to heighten what you see, hear or feel."
Sounds promising, "How do I do that?" I asked intrigued.
He smiled at my eagerness. "You are going to have to keep an open mind with this approach."
I nodded. "Sure"
"You know that the entire universe and everything in it consists out of matter?" I nodded again, remembering studying about it a few months ago.
"Well, every fragment of the universe has its own signal too, not a radiating life-force, but a small, yet noticeable energy. I want you to try to feel it."
Okay, doesn't sound too hard… I took a deep breath to steady myself and widened my searched parameters. I felt all the life signals surrounding me but I dug deeper, searching for something beyond that. I noticed that there was a small energy tugging in the clouds and playing in the winds. I smiled proudly.
"I…I can feel the energy of the universe!" I exclaimed with amazement. Who would have thought that this is possible?
"Magnificent; now use those fragments of energy to pull yourself closer to certain areas." I squinted my eyes in a specific spot and used the elements to see further ahead that was humanly possible; I pulled myself closer without moving. I could see the other side of the planet!
"Amazing…" I breathed as I perceived the surroundings of my hut, while standing miles away from it.
Magisterial chuckled. "It is, isn't it? Now try using it to improve your sound."
I nodded and concentrated on my ears instead of my eyes. I tugged on the vibrations of the energy and miraculously enough, my hearing improved drastically; I could hear Draco's heaves as clear as a bell; he was still running frantically and was about 10 miles away.
"Poor Draco, he is still running." I shook my head out of pity and Magisterial chuckled. "He has to stop sooner or later, son."
"And of course I saved the best for last; the technique you can use to change your ki-signal completely, if you ever want to mask you identity. But you can only manipulate it to those signals you have felt before and mix and match different ones. You would appear to be an entirely different person." He continued.
I was so excited to learn more. "So I can use some of your ki and Draco's ki and add it to mine to mask it?" I asked. He nodded.
"Try it." He encouraged.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. I grasped Magisterial's and Draco's ki and mixed it together in my mind. When I was ready I added a dash of mine to the mixture and let that ki surround my body. I still had my own ki, but the intensity of the mixed ki's of my comrade and sensei, made my real one fade into the shadows.
"Perfect!" Magisterial exclaimed and applauded. "You will still need to practice these moves to perfect them of course, but you managed these manoeuvres very quickly; actually more quickly than I had expected." He patted me on the back. "I am very proud of you son."
A warm feeling spread through my bones at his compliments. "Now let's move on to the next division." I gulped. He made it sound brutal.
"You want to take a few minutes to rest?" He asked concerned, when he noticed my exasperated expression.
I shook my head fiercely. I didn't need to rest. "I am still as fit as a fiddle." I said with a toothy smile; eager to learn the new techniques.
"Okay then, next is of course the mind-control section: you will be taught how to read minds of people who are within a close perimeter of you; and if you train hard and perfect this technique, you will be able to widen you perimeter and read people's minds from miles away."
Magisterial snapped his fingers and an exhausted Draco fell out of the sky and landed in front of us. He looked around him frantically and a little dazed.
"Did you guys sleigh that terrible beast?" He asked, his voice quivered out of fear.
I stifled a laugh. "No Draco, he was too strong for me." I winked at Magisterial and he smiled back. "He is still at large and galloped into the direction of those woods," I pointed to where he was running to earlier.
He gulped loudly. "Are you saying that that monster was heading in the same direction as I was?"
I nodded slowly with big eyes. "And it is said that he will gobble up anything that disturbs it, especially midgets…"
He noticeably quivered; the poor thing was petrified. I slapped him on the back. "I got you again buddy." I said and let out a chuckle.
"Got me with what?" He asked confused.
I smiled and shook my head. "When you say 'orange' very slowly, it sounds like 'gullible.'" He frowned at me and mouthed the word 'orange', probably saying it in his mind. "No they don't… Oh…." He finally caught my joke after a while and I snickered. He pouted and went to sit on a nearby boulder with his hands crossed over his chest. "Real mature…" He spat.
Magisterial cleared his throat, wanting to get my attention. I reverted my attention back to him. "Okay son, put your hand on Draco." Draco raised his hands in protest. "Whoa, hold your horses your majesty, but I am not going to allow that perverted boy to lay a finger on this perfection." He pointed to himself.
I scoffed, "You wish." Magisterial gave him a stern glare.
"Fine, but only this once, and I am only doing it for you sir!" Draco saluted patriotically. He turned and squinted at me, "Don't get any ideas lover boy!" I frowned in disgust. "Ew; I don't like this any more than you do, so let's just get this over with." I walked closer to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Good, now clear your mind of everything."
Draco giggled. "That won't be too hard because there isn't much to clear!" I made my grip tighter and he squealed out of pain. "Okay, okay! Sheesh, lighten up!"
"Now use your ki to push through his mind; it will feel like a plastic barrier at first, but you must just push through it." I pushed through his mind, quite easily I must say. I could hear Draco's voice clearly in my mind.
I understand that Scissors can beat Paper, and I get how Rock can beat Scissors, but there's no way in hell that Paper can beat Rock! Paper is supposed to magically wrap around Rock leaving it immobile? Why the hell can't paper do this to scissors? Screw scissors, why can't paper do this to people? Why aren't sheets of college-ruled notebook paper constantly suffocating students as they attempt to take notes in class? I'll tell you why, because paper can't beat anybody, a rock would tear it up in 2 seconds. When I play rock/ paper/ scissors I always choose rock. Then when somebody claims to have beaten me with their paper I can punch them in the face with my already clenched fist and say "oh I'm sorry I thought paper would protect you!
I laughed out loud. "Are you still upset that I beat you in rock paper scissors yesterday?"
He blushed. "No! What makes you say that?" He defended, but he didn't notice that my hand still rested on his shoulder. He thinks he knows everything.
"That's because I can read your mind genius!" I exclaimed.
He was rendered stunned. "Since when?" He asked nervously.
"Just now, Magisterial just taught me." I answered.
He sighed relieved. "Good…" he breathed. He must have some pretty incriminating thoughts hidden in that peanut of his.
"You will also be able to communicate effectively through other's minds if you wish. It works the same, but instead of pushing through the barrier, talk through it." Magisterial instructed and I nodded. I placed my hand on Draco's shoulder again and pushed ki in the direction of his mind. The barrier broke and I had access to his thoughts again; 'row row, row your boat gently down the stream… Uh... How does it go further?
I laughed. Testing one two three. Is this thing on? I asked in my mind.
Draco's eyes shot to my body and stared at me wearily. "Did you say something?" He asked in a jittery voice. My eyes lit up with excitement. It worked! Draco can you hear me? I shot back in my mind.
He cringed and jumped back, creating a small distance between us. "Why did I hear your irritating voice in my head?!" He yelled, confused.
I chuckled. "Chill Draco-ula, weren't you paying attention; Magisterial just taught me it. Oh wait; you were too busy singing children songs!" I laughed and he scowled at me. He jumped back on his rock again with his hands crossed at his chest.
I turned to Magisterial when he started talking again. "On extreme circumstances you can push ideas or suggestions in other's head; to them it will only appear as a whisper in their mind, but on that way you can easily manipulate someone weaker than yourself to do things to your will." His voice trailed off. "But you are not ready for that technique yet, it requires a lot of training…" His voice became distant. "And the next technique is only reserved as a last resort; it is very dangerous."
I gulped at the intensity of Magisterial's voice. "The mind crush; it is a powerful technique you can implement on your foe, where you take the bad memories and thoughts of that person and use it to your advantage. You can actually grab the unwanted memories out of your rival's brain and make them flash in front of them in their minds, causing them emotional distress. And to further the damage you can send your ki into their mind, they will be rendered immobile by the excruciating pain radiating through their vulnerable mind, like it is being crushed. Gohan, you can only use this attack when all else has failed." I nodded, understanding. "When you perfect the mind-read techniques you will be able to use this attack."
"GOHAN HELP!" Draco yelled. I was snatched out of my peaceful sleep and immediately on high alert.
"Draco?" I called.
"OVER HERE!" He yelled back, distressed.
I stretched my mind, searching for any ki's; I couldn't locate any other than Draco's, but I could feel about twelve other ki's surrounding Magisterial. This is probably an ambush! I lowered my own ki, rendering it almost as zero. I sneaked around the wall and peered for anything suspicious, there was nothing.
I just need to get the z-sword; it is next to the fireplace. I heard Draco's struggle, but I still couldn't find any ki's except for his. Maybe he is playing a prank on me, again! Nevertheless I peeked around the corner and saw Draco fighting an invisible enemy.
"Ha!" I yelled at him. "I knew you were pulling a..." I gasped as I was suddenly punched in the stomach. What the hell? I recovered quickly and got into a fighting position. I looked around me; my vision and hearing were instinctively heightened by the thought of danger. Draco fell to the floor with a loud thump.
"Draco, go tell Magisterial that we have an intruder." I instructed him while still looking around in every direction for a sign of his whereabouts.
"I am on it." He gasped out and headed towards the door. One of the plants near Draco ruffled and I tackled the air next to it. My arms curled around a warm solid body. Yes! I got it... He struggled out of my death grip and I grabbed a piece of his clothing and tugged it with all my might.
A fabric sheared under my hand and I could suddenly see a person underneath me. He wore a goofy smile on his face and he had big friendly blue eyes. He smiled up at me. "Hey." He greeted friendly. "I would shake your hand but you are kinda crushing it with your butt." His eyes suddenly shot wide in desperation. "Please don't fart!" He pleaded. I laughed; this dude didn't seem evil at all, but I was still on high alert.
"Well unfortunately I had three helpings of beans for supper yesterday…" I mocked. His eyes shot even wider and he struggles intensified under my grip. I laughed and stood up, extending my hand towards him to help him up. He didn't hesitate at all; he grabbed my hand eagerly to get up.
"Damn, you are hardcore!" He complimented me and extended his hand for a high five. I chuckled and returned the gesture. "I am Gohan by the way." I introduced myself.
"Oh I know; you have become quite popular in the fighting universe."
I smiled bashfully. "Really?"
He nodded. "Oh yes, your name is frequently used on the lips of even the most extreme fighters."
How flattering. "And you are?" I urged.
"I am Reynard The Great, but you can just call me The Great." I chuckled, this guy was funny. He picked up what was left of that rag I shredded and pouted. "Gailo isn't going to be too happy when he hears that I killed his cape of invisibility."
"Sorry about that," I muttered. "When I sense something out of place I immediately go into combat mode."
He nodded, "I know, Magisterial teaches his students to always be on alert. Rather safe than for dinner!"
My eyes shot wider. "You were one of his students!" I realised aloud. I remembered seeing a picture of him in that album.
He made a face, "Duh! How else do you think did I get here? Only a few people know about this planets' existence!"
I shrugged. "So the other twelve ki's surrounding Magisterial is his other students?"
He nodded in confirmation. "He summoned us; apparently he has some announcement or something."
Oh, I wonder what it is… "Then we should probably go meet them." I suggested.
He nodded. "Duh; no offence, but you aren't very bright dude…" He flashed away in an instant; I followed shortly after with my instantaneous teleportation. As soon as I fazed into the kitchen, thirteen unfamiliar eyes stared back at me. I smiled friendly back at them and gave a little wave.
"Hey there! I am Gohan."
I introduced myself. Nobody said a thing; I swear I could have dropped a piece of grass, and would have heard it.
A tall muscular man shoved through the little crowd to the front. He walked closer to me slowly. He had wavy blond hair flowing down to his shoulders and wide brown eyes. He was wearing a peculiar midnight-blue gi with chocolate brown boots and belt; but then again, they were all wearing that.
He stopped when he was about two feet away from me. "So you are Gohan." He acknowledged, looking me over. I nodded, "That is me." I chirped out and placed my hand on the back of my head while chuckling nervously.
Nobody seemed amused; only Reynard managed a smile, but that gesture was returned with angry stares. What is up with these people?!
"I am Gailo, the head of Magisterial's army, the most elite defence entity in the universe, and I suppose that you will one day join our little pack." He said in a stern voice. I nodded and raked my brain for the appropriate reply.
"Uh, yes, I consider it a great honour to someday be considered into your midst."
He nodded, approvingly. "Indeed, it is a privilege."
He circled me with his hands behind his back. I stood completely still as he examined me.
"I must say I am surprised by your appearance. When Magisterial talked about you, I imagined you being a full-grown male twice my size. But this…" He waved to my body.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." I flashed a toothy smile at him.
He ignored my charming gesture and lifted my left arm up with his pinkie. "Scrawny… It doesn't look like you can hold that much power…" I repressed a growl. People underestimating me just make my blood boil every time. I didn't know if this was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.
"Coming from me; definitely a compliment." He stated.
Oh, he can read minds too. I tried to push more ki into my mind, creating a thicker barrier. He laughed. "You don't really think that that pathetic layer can prohibit me from seeing what is going on in your mind, do you?" I didn't answer his question.
"Boy I have been training and in this business," He pointed to his comrades, "for almost one thousand years. Weak futile attempts like that are useless in my presence." I rolled my eyes.
Whatever, I can take him, I thought. His eyes widened in disbelief. "You really think that you, a mere child who has about two years of training, can manage me?" He asked rhetorically. I shook my head slowly but my mind had other ideas. I could take him any day of the week. My arrogant Saiyan mind shouted out. My eyes widened in distress as I saw Gailo's veins in his forehead become visible.
Crap. Stupid mind, shut up! I cursed myself.
He turned to his comrades. "Did you guys hear that; if I am not mistaken, that sounded like a full-blown challenge?" They all nodded with smirks on their faces. "That sure did, and we haven't seen you in action in years." A girl's voice rang through the cafeteria. He smiled lovingly at her.
"You convinced me, love." He turned to me viciously and I flinched. He started cracking his neck and fists.
I let out a deep breath, there is no way I am getting out of this, and I might as well try. I got into a fighting stance and everyone gasped. "He is actually stupid enough to challenge Gailo!" I heard several voices exclaim in shock behind me.
He started charging at me, but just before he could hit me I used Instantaneous teleportation to teleport back to my cabin. I scurried through the mess that was left behind by me and Reynald's quarrel earlier. Where is it? I questioned in panic. I could feel Gailo's power rise greatly. Relief filled my body as I found my trusted sword.
Now I am ready…
I teleported back to the cafeteria just to be warmly welcomed with a boulder of a fist. I flew backwards with an incredible speed; I had no defence up so the hit did more damage. I travelled so fast that I didn't have time to stop myself from crashing into an opposing mountain. I collided with the monstrosity face first. The force was so big that it came crashing down, without any way for me to escape. The boulders and giant rocks fell on top of me.
I transformed into my first SS transformation, causing the boulders and rocks to fly from my body and disintegrate. I can't believe the first blow did so much damage, I noticed when I felt blood trickling down my forehead. I have my work cut out for me…
I fazed right in front of him and tackled him to the ground. He pouted at me and threw me off, causing me to crash into a tree. "That's for destroying my invisibility cloak!" He yelled and charged at me again, this time he did not miss.
I gasped as my air-flow was cut-off by his gigantic head colliding with my stomach. I stumbled backwards and crashed against a tree. My eyes widened as I saw he was charging again; I instinctively grabbed the Z-sword from my back and held it threatingly in front of me while I got up. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the sword in surprise. "You have the z-sword?" His voice held a mixture of awe and surprise.
I didn't confirm it. I ran towards him and kicked him in the stomach; he went flying through the woods. I clasped the sword more firmly in my fist as I neared my opponent, who I was surprised to see, stand on his feet after my strong attack.
"When I heard that the z-sword was released by a mortal, I never expected it would have been a child." His voice was filled with disbelief.
He yelled as he released more energy and charged at me with full speed. I swung the sword in front of me as he neared, but he jumped up, my shot barely missing the soles of his feet and kicked me in the nose. I stuttered backwards and he grabbed my arm holding the z-sword. He twisted it in an unnatural angle behind my back and I squealed in pain.
"Had enough?" He breathed over my shoulder.
"I am just warming up…" I spat out with effort. I smiled as a brilliant idea flashed through my brain.
He laughed. "You are going to drop the sword on me? Funny…" Stupid mind reader! Well, we will see about that. I let go of the sword and the massive weapon fell on top of him and he let go of his grip on my arm.
He let out a frustrated cry as he tried to hold he posture with the sword, but it failed. He fell flat on his back with the sword between his two palms. He was struggling to get it away from his body. I almost considered helping him, but just then he used all his might to fling the sword away.
I bended down and caught the sword in one hand, before it could hit the ground. He stared at me with shock; I smiled smugly at him and turned the sword around my fingers before putting it back in its sheath. As I did this I transformed into my second transformation. My hair spiked up, my muscles grew and lighting surrounded my body. I was showing off a bit, but I liked it!
He shot me a confused glare, but still charged. I threw my arms in front of my face, to brace myself for the impact. He collided with me and I was surprised to see that I was skidding across the grass by his force.
I released more energy and pushed him back. He was skidding now. I punched him through the face, but it didn't affect him. He grabbed my fist and started crushing it. My agonised cry echoed across the planet. I jumped into the air and planted both my feet in his unsuspecting face. He started to lessen his grip, enough for me to rip my fist away and punch him as hard as I could in his face. This time he went flying into a boulder; the boulder cracked as his head collided with it.
Not wasting any time, and ignoring the pain in my fist; I charged a Kamehameha-wave. It hit his body before he could see it coming. An explosion erupted and I shielded my face from the debris scattering around.
My hands fell to my sides again as I perceived the damage I did. The dust settled and I was surprised to see that he was walking towards me; my attack barely did any damage to him. He wiped blood from the corner of his lip and smiled at me. "The rumours are true; you are damn strong. I must admit, stronger that I had expected."
He laughed as he saw that I was already charging another blast in my palms. "You don't waste any time do you? But not so easy." I frowned at him suspiciously.
He let out another chuckle. "I am still stronger than you." He retorted.
I shook my head. "I doubt that; I can sense ki, and yours at the moment isn't very impressive. I presume that you have more energy stored in your body, otherwise you wouldn't have challenged me." I noted.
He smiled. "Not bad for a kid. But how do you know that I don't have another transformation, like yourself?" He asked, smugly.
I smiled arrogantly. "Then show it." I called his bluff.
He held his arms in the air. "Fine, you got me, I don't have another transformation."
"Thought so..." I stared at him with malice eyes. I was disappointed; I expected more from the leader of Magisterial's army.
He stretched and smiled. "I am in the mood for a real fight." He snapped his fingers and started powering up. The planet shook at the intensity of his power, but I stood firmly on my spot, his power wasn't intimidating.
I realised that his new power was higher than that of my current state. I quickly powered up to SS3 before his power-up was complete and waited for him to finish.
A few seconds later his yell ceased and he looked at me. He lifted his eyebrows in confusion as he looked me over again. "You have another transformation hidden in that small body of yours." He stated, not surprised.
We both got into fighting stances. I blasted off into the sky, not allowing him to make the first move. But to my surprise he was already above me. But I didn't slow down; on the contrary, I raised my speed enough for us to be at the same level and I head-butted him in the stomach. He flew backwards.
I fazed next to him and sent a flurry of punches his way. He blocked each and every one of my blows. He grabbed both my arms and threw them away from my body; I was completely open for an attack now.
Crap! I saw his muscular arm approaching my stomach in a fast pace; everything was in slow motion, but I was too slow to stop it and he hit me. I doubled over in pain as his fist finally reached my abdomen. He was attacking me with millions of punches and kicks now; I was hit like a punching bag; I couldn't block anything! Pings of pain shot through my body from each hit colliding with my torso.
I sent more power out, trying to get him away from me. It worked, my raising ki blew him away like a used tissue; he spiralled through the air. I didn't waste any time; I was next to him in a split-second and punched him veraciously.
Every punch connected with his body, and I didn't allow him to block a single blow. I was in control now. His body fell weak under my punches after a while and I decided to stop.
His body fell to the ground softly and I floated down too. He easily got up into a sitting position and sat crossed legged in front of me with a smile planted on his face.
"You can sure give a beating kid!" He complimented. "I know," I retorted arrogantly. I frowned as I felt something in my head; it felt as if something was tugging on my brain. I ignored it and returned my attention back to him.
"I beat you." I said in a monotone. He laughed. "Who said the fight is over?" He asked, hurt apparent in his voice. "You didn't think that this was going to be so easy?" I shrugged indifferently and he chuckled.
"Well I must say; you are definitely strong and sad for me to admit; but your power towers far over mine." He said coolly, acting like his ego didn't take a great hit.
I smiled. "Admission is the first step." He snickered at my joke.
"But I am sure your sensei told you that strength isn't everything, right?"
I nodded at his statement. "So, what is your point?"
"I am saying that while you are magnitudes stronger than me; I still have the advantage."
I scoffed. "And why do you say that?" I played along with his little charade.
He smiled deviously. "You have a weak mind..."
An excruciating pain shot through my head. I yelled an agonised cry as I clutched my throbbing head.
"You see, I am from the planet Ishtar in the Southern Quadrant, I don't know if you are familiar with my species' abilities…" He looked down at me kindly, probably wanting an acknowledgement or something. I shot him a malicious glare instead and he chuckled. "Well then where was I…? Right, my kind has the power to control the mind," He pointed one of his muscular fingers to his head. This guy has muscles everywhere, even on his eyelids! ", and I have to say, you carry a lot of rage and pain with you Gohan."
I tried to power-up; trying to get rid of his hold on my mind. He laughed. "Not so fast tiger," He taunted and made the grip on my mind tighter. My scream grew more painful; it felt as if my head was being crushed. Ah, this was probably the mind-crush technique Magisterial talked about earlier.
I pushed more ki to my mind, trying to create a barrier but it was useless. It only made me weaker.
"What is this?!" I heard Magisterial yell. "I go to the bathroom for ten minutes and you destroy my planet…" His voice trailed off, he probably got a glimpse of our fight. "Gailo that is not a good idea, stop it!" Magisterial's desperate yet stern voice ran through the field.
His grip on my mind lessened enough for the pain to become tolerable while he was talking with Magisterial. I saw a gap and took it. I flew forward and head-butted him in the chest. He struggled backwards and clicked his tongue at me. He made a movement with his fingers and the mind-grip grew more intense than before. I fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
"Don't worry sir; I am not going to hurt him. I just want to see how much little macho man can withstand, that's all." He said reassuringly.
Magisterial kept his composure, but I could see that he was not happy with this. "Fine, do as you wish. But remember, I did warn you."
"Noted," Gailo said and returned his undivided attention to me.
"So where were we?" He asked mockingly. I managed to shoot him a death stare through the pain.
"Oh yeah!" He exclaimed, remembering.
He sank down to his knees, sinking to my level. "I see that you have fought with Frieza," He said out of the blue. "I must say I am impressed, you took the bastard down as a five year old!" He let out an impressed whistle. "Damn, no wonder Magisterial took you under his wing."
I tried to fight the pain, I tried to get him out of my head, but I couldn't achieve it.
"Resistance is futile," He murmured as he continued to scurry in my mind like a sewer rat. I gasped; he found the archive where I sealed my most unwanted memories and opened it. I let out a silent scream as all my disappointments flashed in front of me. The physical pain was nothing compared to this. My body twisted in agony as the fight with Cell paused in front of my eyes.
I looked at Magisterial for help; I extended my hand in his direction, pleading for him to make this horrible pain stop. He looked at me with pity and his eyes read: "Hold on for just a little more."
My hand clenched again as he rewinded my battle with Cell and played it over and over again; my most hated memory. My eyes shot wide as he replayed the first moments with Cell. "No, please," I gasped out in desperation, but he ignored me solidly.
I relived the most horrifying event of my life and to make it worse did Gailo keep whispering negative things in my ear. "You are not strong enough. You are not good enough. It is your entire fault." He continued chanting. I flinched with every insult. But then my weakness was replaced with fury. I wanted to kill him...
Who does this guy think he is to treat me, a total stranger to him, like this? I enveloped in the pain, starting to enjoy it. I clenched my fist; lightning played on my clenched hand. I slowly started to get to my knees, then to my feet; ignoring the tighter grip he issued on my brain. I saw, with pleasure, that his eyes widened in panic and he started chanting more insults.
Silly mortal, you are just fuelling my fire...
He backed away as I walked toward him. He looked at Magisterial, seeking an explanation. Magisterial shot him an 'I told you so,' look. He stared at my nearing figure again in panic and put his finger to the side of his head in concentration. I flinched as I saw the disappointed eyes of my sister stare back at me from our last encounter.
*Flashback*
I was busy putting on my gi, the one similar to Piccolo's, just without the turban. No hat can restrict these hairs of mine. I smiled at my little joke as I put my shoes on. I stretched to make the clothes fit perfectly and was about to blast off into the sky with Dad when Gomih cornered me. She took my hands in her own soft grasp. Her eyes were red, as if she was crying a lot recently. "Sis?" I asked concerned. Her grasp tightened around my hands, I almost flinched at the force. "Please don't go Gohan, stay here with Mom and me at the lookout." She begged; her voice was a little raspy. "Gomih, Dad and Piccolo are counting on me to be, there." I interjected. Her eyes shot wide in fury. "Why? Why do they need you to be there, near that piece of crap?" She asked. I searched for an answer but I honestly didn't know why. The corner of her mouth twitched into a small smile as she saw that I couldn't find a logical answer. "See, Dad is the only one who is going to fight. He will take Cell down easily and earth will be saved. You are not needed there." She persuaded. I must say, she had a point. Why did Dad want me to be there so badly anyways? "Okay, I will stay here with you guys." I said to her. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to see the battle first hand, but if my presence was going to make Gomih at ease, I will rather do that than see a battle. "Thank you Gohan, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed gleefully and did a little happy dance. I laughed at her silliness. Dad suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of our conversation. I am never going to get used to this instant transmission. "Son, are you ready to go?" He asked while putting his hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. "Dad," I started. "I have decided to stay behind here with Gomih and Mother." I said. His eyes shot wide in terror. "No you can't do that!" He said in a panic-stricken voice. I was confused by his outburst. "But Dad, why do you need me there any way?" I asked. "It's not like I am going to stand a chance against Cell. You will probably beat him in the first round." He shook his head at me. "And what if I don't win, and Cell beats me?" He asked rhetorically, but I answered him anyway. "Then Vegeta, Trunks and Piccolo will combine their abilities to defeat him. They are anyway a lot stronger than me." Dad scoffed. Why wasn't he agreeing with me; did he want me to fight Cell? "And if they fail, you are our only option, Gohan." He tried to persuade me. I refused to look him in the eyes; knowing that that will make me give in. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my face up to him; forcing me to look him in the eyes. Ugh, I hated when he does that! "Son, look at me. The fate of the earth may depend on you today." He looked at everybody on the lookout. "They are all depending on you. Don't let them down." He said. I sighed, that convinced me. "Okay Dad." I answered. I will not let my family and friends down! Gomih ran to Dad. "Daddy, please don't take Gohan with you, I don't want him to get hurt." She begged with tears in her eyes. Dad did his best to ignore her. "Gomih, I will be fine." I comforted. "Dad is there, he won't let anything bad happen to me." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You have already made up your mind huh?" She said sadly. I nodded slowly. She sighed. "Then there is nothing I can do to stop you." I hugged her. "See you after the fight. I will stick you for a milkshake!" I smiled and turned to Dad again. She forced a smile and waved me goodbye. "See you." Dad looked down at me. "Ready now?" He asked eagerly. "Yeah, let's go." I answered with enthusiasm. He smiled at me and put his fingers on his forehead and his hand on my shoulder. Just before he could teleport us, Mother ran to us with an incredible speed, she left a dust trail behind her! "Goku!" She yelled out of breath when she reached us. "Promise me that you won't let Gohan fight." She pleaded. Dad didn't answer her; he wore a 'busted' expression on his face. I frowned. Does he really want me to fight? "Goku, answer me!" She pleaded again. "Sorry Hun got to run!" He exclaimed and transported us to the Cell Games. The last image I saw before we transported was Mother and Gomih in each others' arms, crying...
*Flashback ends….*
That did it; I snapped. My arms and legs shot wide around me like a star as I broke free from his mind-grasp and released all the power I had inside of me out of rage. I reached the limit of my SS3 state but I didn't stop there. My power rose to a level above that. I could feel my hair shrink back to its normal length and spike upwards. My muscles shot bigger and the most awesome power I have ever felt before shot through my bones. The planet shook and began to crumble underneath me but I didn't care in the least, I just wanted to crush that bastard.
I finally stopped powering up and searched the planet for my foe. I saw him hanging from a cliff at a nearby mountain. "Gotcha," I sneered under my breath and rushed to his side. I was next to him in a fraction of a split second and started pounding him. He tried his best but he wasn't able to block my fists.
I felt a feather-like weight tugging on my mind again. I threw him to the ground. "You really think that cheap parlour trick is going to work on me again?!" I yelled down at him.
I floated down next to his now mangled body.
"Magisterial, guys!" He yelled for help. I glowered at him and aimed my hand to his heart.
"Any last words?" I sneered with a smile on my face. I was going to enjoy ending his miserable existence.
His eyes shot wide as he saw me starting to charge a beam in my palm. Just before I could fire it at his stupid face, I heard Magisterial in my head. "Gohan, you are not a killer." He said in a soft voice.
I tried to push his voice away; I wasn't in the mood to listen to reason. It didn't work. "Listen to me!" He yelled in my mind and I flinched at the loud volume. "This is not your enemy; he was one of my students, he is your friend." He said very slowly. I scoffed internally. My friend? Okay, notify the Oxford dictionaries that the word 'friend' is now defined as a person who wants to hurt you just to see how far you, a mere child, can be pushed! I yelled back. I suddenly aimed my hand at Magisterial. And who are you for defending the person who wanted to kill me!? I asked a little offended. I turned to you for help, and you ignored my pleas. What makes you better than that coward laying on the grass like a potato? You are all the same…
Magisterial voice became more urgent. Everybody makes mistakes Gohan, even me. But ask yourself this; if you do kill all of us now, won't that make you exactly like us, the persons you despise at the moment? I was speechless for a bit; NO! Stop with your mind games old man! I shot back. He sighed softly. Then you leave me no choice, son…
He extended his arm towards me and I suddenly lost the feeling of every muscle in my body. What the... Stop it! I yelled as he lifted me into the sky. Not until you listen to me! Gohan, I know this isn't the real you. Please get control over yourself.
"So?" I shot back in my mind. People change…
Random happy memories shot in front of my eyes; Dad and me fishing, our family trip to Disneyland where Dad punched Goofy in the face, Gomih and me sneaking food to our pet dragon Mom forbade us to keep… Faces of all my friends and family appeared in front of me and paused at their smiles.
He is right, I realised. It was as if I was a spectator in my own body; I saw it do the motions but I didn't instruct it in the first place to do so. Magisterial loosened his grip on my mind and I landed on the ground on both my feet.
I forced myself to get control over my arm again. I struggled against myself; I fought myself for control. I fell to my knees clutching my throbbing head. "It hurts!" I yelled at Magisterial.
"I know son, but you can do it. I believe in you!" He replied. I continued to fight myself for control.
This is my body. This is my life. This is me! I chanted over and over.
Relief washed over me when I felt how my body reverted back to my base form. I smiled weakly at Magisterial before fainting...
Hey again! I hope you liked it! It is almost reunion time! So you better check every day for updates! See ya!