Part One: Discovery of a Power
"I can't believe it's been nine years." Henokai said. Over the years, he had aged considerably. He appeared to be ninety even though he was only seventy-five. Despite this, he still refused to accept the belief that fighting keeps saiyans young.
"Yeah, but I've gotta go." Gina replied, putting the last of her things in her bag. "I want to go to school and make friends. I want to meet other people."
"I understand that, but it'll be quiet around here without the three of you around."
"We'll be okay."
Gina slowly walked down the steps and outside into the sunlight. She had also changed in nine years. It was true, she had shot up like a weed after being on Jungar 7 for a while, but she was still much shorter than anyone she had ever met. Niro and Xavier towered over her by almost a foot each.
As she neared the clearing where the ship was, she caught sight of Niro and Xavier, who were already finished loading the ship. Niro's hair was shoulder length now, and Xavier had kept his short, thinking it was a good luck charm after he won his first tournament.
"Come on, Gina." Niro said, his shoulder length greenish hair blowing in the light breeze. "We've got to get going if we want to be on Scrapula by Monday."
"We've got plenty of time." Xavier said, coming off of the ship. "Well, old timer," he said to Henokai, "We're leaving now."
Henokai, who had become slightly winded on the trip to the clearing, stopped and looked at the three youths that had become the only thing he cared about in life. They were leaving him, but he wasn't about to stop them. It was normal to want to travel and see what else was in the wide universe. He sighed and took a slip of paper out of his pocket.
"Here's the address of the house where you'll be staying. Everything has been taken care of. And the high school should be just down the street, so Gina can walk there."
"Yeah, yeah." Xavier said, taking a small piece of paper from Henokai. "Hey I wonder who'll win the martial arts tournament with me gone?"
"There's no telling these days..." Henokai said, giving a slight smile. "Good luck, and have a safe journey." He extended his hand to Xavier who shook it.
"See ya."
After taking one last look at the beautiful landscape of Scrapula, Xavier boarded the ship where Niro and Gina were already seated.
"Let's get this thing off of the ground." Niro said. "Buckle your seat belts..." Niro then proceeded to push a few buttons on the control panel and the ship began to take off. The three were thrown against the backs of their seats. After the ship had gone through the atmosphere of Jungar 7, Xavier unbuckled his belt.
"I'm going to sleep." Xavier said, retreating to the back of the ship. Gina then unbuckled her seatbelt and knelt on the floor beside Niro, who was busily working at the controls. His hands moved diligently and expertly over the knobs, switches and buttons, like a seasoned veteran.
"So how long until we get to Scrapula?" Gina asked, putting Niro's hair behind his ears. He looked up from his work and smiled at her.
"About three days, and we'll have to stop on Jungar 11 halfway through for refueling."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No, but they've got one of the best technical schools in the galaxy. I'm looking forward to studying there."
"That's all you worry about." Gina said.
"What?"
"Studying all of this technical stuff. It's all that's ever on your mind. Don't you ever think about anything else?"
Niro gave Gina a surprised glance, and then his face slowly turned back to normal.
"I study so much because it's the only place where I'm better than Xavier. Of course I think about other things..."
"Like what?" Gina said
Niro stood up and began tinkering with the control panel nervously. He turned around and looked down at Gina, who was patiently awaiting an answer. Gina stood up and put her hand on Niro's shoulder.
"You can tell me..."
Niro turned and looked into her eyes. They were a dark brown to black color, but that was what Niro liked most about her... that and her sparkling personality, her angelic laugh, her baby soft skin…
"Kiss me..." he said.
Gina removed her hand from his shoulder.
"I'm going to bed." she replied, walking out of the control room. "I suggest you do the same."
Gina walked into the bedroom and began taking off her clothes in the dark. She heard a feint rustle from the bed in the corner.
"He tried to kiss you again, didn't he?" Xavier asked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"We're about to land, " Niro stated, hurriedly pressing the controls. "Everyone better take their seats!"
Gina and Xavier sat down as the ship entered the planet's atmosphere. They all were shaken violently from side to side as the atmosphere resisted the ship's entry. Niro quickly mashed the controls and the ship came to a smooth stop. They had reached Jungar 11.
The three exited the ship and were greeted by a large Jungarian man. He had the purple tinted skin that was normal to all Jungarians and his gray hair protruded from the sides of his head.
"We need a refueling." Niro said
"It also looks like you've ruptured your first valve." the man replied, looking at the underside of the ship.
Gina looked behind her and found that Xavier had wandered off.
I should do the same, she thought, listening to the man and Niro talk their technical mumbo-jumbo.
She began to wander around the port, watching the Jungarian mechanics repair and refuel the incoming ships.
"Hey wat'cha doin?" asked a smooth, yet slightly gruff voice. Gina turned around slightly and a large Jungarian man was behind her. He was fairly tall with black, wavy hair and mysterious eyes. He was slightly muscular, with a scar on his left cheek. A black tank hung from his broad frame, and a holster with a blaster in it hugged his chest.
"Nothing.... I wasn't doing anything. What's it to you anyhow?"
" I was just wondering. It's not often we get a saiyan in these parts."
"A what?"
"So, where are you headed?" he asked, moving in front of Gina. He smiled a sly smile.
"My two brothers and I are going to Scrapula. They're both fighters.... big masculine fighters." Gina said, lying through her teeth.
"By the way, my name's Saquel." he said, extending his hand to Gina.
"I'm Gina." They shook hands.
"So what kind of ship do you have?" Saquel asked.
"What is this- twenty questions?"
"No, I was just wondering."
Gina looked back at the ship and saw Niro motioning for her to come over.
"I have to go." Gina said, walking away.
"I'll come with you. " Saquel said, following her.
Gina reached the ship to see Niro with a surprised look on his face. Gina turned around and surprisingly saw Saquel behind her.
"Who's your friend?" Niro asked, giving Saquel the 'evil-eye'
"This is Saquel." Gina replied, as shocked as Niro was to see the Jungarian behind her. "Saquel, this is Niro."
Niro looked at Gina oddly and then looked at Saquel.
"I'm going to pay for the repairs and go find Xavier," he said. "We'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes. I need you to watch the ship." He gave Saquel a deadly look and walked off.
"I think it's time for you to go now." Gina said, beginning to walk up the stairs that led to the main door of the ship.
"Show me the inside of your ship." Saquel commanded, " Then I'll leave you alone."
Gina grabbed the door handle and began to walk into the ship. She then turned around and looked at Saquel standing there. He had a grin on his face, like a child eager to see a toy that he may one day get.
"Come on..." she replied, and led Saquel to the main control room of the ship.
"Hmm. Very advanced..." Saquel commented, looking at the controls.
"Yeah, I know..." said Gina, walking up beside Saquel, "I don't even know how to fly it." Gina looked down at the controls and that was when Saquel struck. He clasped his hands together and brought them over his head. He hit Gina over the head and she fell to the ground.
"I've got to get off of this planet..." Saquel said, starting up the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Niro found Xavier conversing with a few guys who looked like they were fighters.
"Yeah," one replied, "We're all headed to Scrapula for this big tournament they have there every year. It's in about six months, but I want to get used to the gravity and have a chance to train there first."
Xavier was intrigued.
"Is it anything like the tournament on Jungar 7?" he asked.
"Yeah," a Jungarian with dark brown hair replied, "Except the guys are a lot stronger."
"No prob, I won that tournament five years in a row."
Niro chose this moment to walk up.
"You won the tournament on Jungar 7?" the Jungarian asked.
"Hey, Xavier..." Niro said.
"Yeah, of course I did...no sweat."
"Xavier..."
"Wow, those guys are tough..."
"Yeah, but I'm good..."
"Xavier!!!"
"What the hell do you want?!" Xavier yelled and at the same time going to punch Niro, who quickly blocked it. That was when Xavier's face changed. The color slowly began to drain.
"Niro..." he said, pointing a shaking finger in the direction of their ship. They both listened in horror as the engines on the ship went through the preparatory stages for launch. "She wouldn't..."
"No, she can't." Niro said, "She doesn't know how to fly the ship."
They looked at each other and then began to run towards the vehicle.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina awoke with a splitting headache.
"What are you doing?" she asked Saquel.
"Getting off of this hell hole. You saiyans are such a gullible breed. Now just shut up and don't get in my way."
Gina stood up and walked over behind Saquel.
"Maybe we can talk this over..." she said. Saquel responded by effortlessly pushing Gina into a nearby wall.
"Infernal race." Saquel mumbled under his breath. He suddenly detected a bright light behind him, in the corner of his eye. He turned around and to his surprise, the air around Gina was glowing and she had levitated into the air. The pupils of her eyes had disappeared and a murderous look was emblazoned on her face.
"You idiot! What the hell are you trying to do?! Blow up the ship?!" He yelled at her.
That sent Gina into a rage and she began to scream a horrific scream as the air around her turned bright purple. She held out her left hand and a purple energy surged from it, knocking Saquel into the wall. He stood up, with blood running down his now battered shirt. His suave facade had vanished, and he yelled in anger and rushed at Gina, who opened her eyes and knocked Saquel through the main window. He landed unconsciously just in front of Xavier and Niro.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina awoke a few hours later. She sat up and removed the cold cloth from her head that Niro had put there. It took every bit of strength to move, she was so weak. A small light was on in the corner and Gina saw that Niro had fallen asleep in the chair by her bed.
She removed Niro's hand from her outstretched arm and looked to Xavier, who was asleep in his bed on the other side of the room. He had fallen asleep in his clothes.
Gina got up uneasily and walked into the main control room. Her legs felt as if they were going to collapse under the weight of her body. There was a large bump on her head that was turning blue and it was pounding like a jackhammer on a worn down city street. She decided to take a shower.
The water felt warm compared to the cold, emptiness of space. She changed into a t-shirt and shorts and sat in the pilot's seat in the main control room, looking through the main window. The ship was completely quiet, except for a beep every few seconds where the navigation system was working steadily to make sure that they stayed on course. Gina didn't hear the light footsteps behind her and jumped as a cold hand fell on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Xavier standing there.
"You scared me..."
"What happened today?" Xavier asked, getting right to the point.
"That guy knocked me out and if it weren't for you and Niro, I don't know what would have happened to the ship."
"You don't remember that power?"
"What are you talking about? What power? What do you mean?"
"I saw what you did. You knocked that Jungarian clear through the window."
Gina gave Xavier a strange look.
"I saw that power," Xavier continued, "and the potential that you have." He began to leave the control room.
"Potential for what?" Gina asked, coming to her feet.
"Fighting potential." Xavier said, without turning around. "You're going to train when we get to Scrapula, and they'll be no argument about it. Now, I'm going back to sleep."
"But what if I don't want to train?"
Xavier didn't answer, only went back the way he had come.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina didn't get any sleep. It was seven o'clock Scrapula time when Niro awoke. He found Gina sitting in the pilot's seat. Niro stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching Gina, who had taken her hair down and was brushing it carefully. She almost never did so, because it was a wild mane that she couldn't control if she kept it down. It always fell the wrong way, never kept a part and spiked out in all directions.
Is this the same girl, Niro thought, that I saw yesterday?
"You can stop watching me now," Gina said suddenly, "because I know you're back there."
A little startled, Niro walked up behind Gina and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, massaging her shoulder gently.
"Yeah, but my head still hurts a little."
Niro put his other hand on Gina's other shoulder.
"Hey!" Xavier interrupted, "How long 'til we get to this Scrapula place?"
Niro jumped and quickly removed his hands from Gina's shoulders. He turned around to face Xavier.
"Yeah.... um.... We should be there in about an hour." Niro stammered, pulling his hair back into a ponytail with his hands.
"Don't sweat too much there, Niro." Xavier said, retreating to the back of the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Be careful with those boxes!" Gina yelled to Xavier, who was carrying four boxes at once. They had reached Scrapula with virtually no problems, aside from Niro's obvious emotional ones…
"Don't worry about me." Xavier said, smiling. He then carried the boxes into the house that Henokai had bought them. It was a dream: solid white brick, two stories, with a big backyard, a room for Niro to do all of his machine manipulation, and a special dojo that had been set up for Xavier downstairs.
"That should be everything." Niro said, looking at his clipboard.
"Why don't we go ride into town? "Gina said, out of the blue.
"We kind of have a lot to do…" Niro said in reply.
"Good idea." Xavier said, completely disregarding Niro's comment, "and why don't you drive, poindexter?" Xavier smiled at Niro, who gave him a look of contempt, but began to make his way toward his new car that he had purchased upon arrival.
The three piled in, and they drove into town.
"Check out the people!" Xavier said, pointing out of the window.
"Stop acting like a baby." Niro said, leering at Xavier.
"Just shut the hell up and drive."
"If it weren't for..."
"Hey! What's that?" Gina interrupted, referring to a large department store in the middle of the city. "Why don't we go check it out?"
Niro parked and the three exited the vehicle.
mommy, why does that girl have a tail?
shhh. don't stare.
They walked into the store and Gina began looking at some hair ribbons while the guys checked out the sporting goods department.
isn't that one of those awful saiyans?
yes, i think we better leave. come on.
"Excuse me, Miss?" A sales clerk came up behind Gina with fear in his eyes. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"What did I do? Am I not allowed to touch? I'll put it back." Gina said, putting the ribbons back on display.
"N..No, it's not that..."
"What is it then?"
"W...We don't allow your kind in here." he said, pointing to Gina's tail. "P..Please leave."
"It's because of my tail?"
"J...Just please leave..."
Gina looked at all of the people watching her. She didn't want to cause an even bigger scene. She began walking amongst the stares of people as black clouds began to roll in.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Damn it! Where is she??" Niro exclaimed, looking out of the window into the pouring rain. "Why would she wander off like that?!"
Xavier shrugged. He had managed to stay calm despite Niro's nervousness.
"I don't know either, but I'm going out looking for her." Niro said, picking up his raincoat and flashlight. "She's not safe out there."
"Sit down, Niro." Xavier said. "She'll make it home."
"But-"
"Sit down. If I know Gina, she's on her way back here right now."
"That's just it. Gina would never be able to make it back here. She's probably somewhere crying her eyes out trying to figure out why we left without her. I told you we should have waited longer!"
"You don't know this Gina." Xavier said. "That incident on Jungar 11 changed her. Gina is discovering who she is."
Niro gave Xavier a strange look, but sat down, regardless.
"I just don't understand her." Niro said. "She was impossible to deal with before, and now this? I've never seen anybody that strong."
Xavier went to look out of the window.
"I don't know, maybe it's a girl thing. But I don't think that power was a fluke. She's got it in her to be a great fighter."
Suddenly, the door flew open and there stood Gina, soaking wet.
"Where have you been?!" Niro exclaimed. "I was worried sick!"
Gina turned her glance to Xavier.
"I want to train."
"I knew you would."
"But first," Gina said, "what am I?"
Xavier and Niro exchanged glances.
"Sit down." They said in unison.
Gina sat down on the sofa. Xavier sat down beside her and Niro on the floor.
"You are a saiyan." Xavier said.
"So I've heard, but what is that?"
"Henokai told me that one day you might become curious about your origin. He told me this story the day that you arrived on Jungar 7. I never thought that I'd have to pass it along, but here goes. You see Gina; the Saiyans were a race of people from the planet Vegeta. They were terrific fighters with great strength, but they used their powers for evil."
"What do you mean 'WERE'?"
"Gina, the saiyan home planet was destroyed years ago. You must have been the last of them."
Gina sat in silence as Xavier went on with his explanation.
"The saiyans were planet ravagers. They moved from planet to planet, obliterating all of the life and selling the desolated planet. By using their tails and the light from a full moon, they were able to transform into giant beasts with ten times their normal power. You haven't transformed because the moons of this system don't give off the right kind of radiation… or at least that's what Henokai told me.
"Henokai found you nine years ago on the planet of Tumul. You had been illegally hidden by two Tumulians for about seven years. They were apparently hoping to use you in their fight against their captors. You were one of the saiyan babies sent to clear out a planet. And I'm sorry to tell you, that's exactly what you did."
"Do you mean...that I..."
"It was the first full moon in ten years. Henokai was lucky that he came when he did. By cutting off your tail, he was able to save the half of the population that were still alive."
Gina grabbed a hold of her long, monkey like tail.
"They grow back." Xavier said. "So, do you have any questions?"
"So they just dropped me off... and forgot about me?"
"Not exactly the best parents..." Niro joked and Xavier immediately hit him over the head.
"They were expecting you to return, after you killed all of the beings on the planet." Xavier said, refracting Niro's comment.
Gina stood up and walked over to the window, watching the rain pour down. There were so many thoughts racing through her head… So she wasn't like everyone else. She wasn't human like Xavier. Her tail wasn't just a strange deformity like Henokai had once told her. She was a saiyan. Gina stood there for a few moments, a look of thought grazing her face.
"I guess that settles it then," she said.
"Settles what?" Niro said uneasily getting up from the floor.
"I've got to train." Gina replied, turning around and smiling.
"You still want to train?!" Niro asked, surprised.
"Of course." Gina said. "If I'm a saiyan, then I'm supposed to be a natural born fighter, right?" She went to leave the room, but suddenly turned around. "Who knows," she said, "maybe I'll be stronger than Xavier."
You better get some sleep." Xavier said to Gina. "I like to get an early start." Gina nodded and went upstairs.
Niro stood up, holding his head that was throbbing from where Xavier had almost bashed it in.
"Why do you want to start so soon?" he inquired. "Shouldn't you give her time to take this all in?"
"She doesn't have time to take this all in. That is, if she wants to make the tournament."
"You're not-"
"Serious? Of course I am. There's only six months until the martial arts tournament. With enough training, I think she might be able to qualify."
"Do you think she could win?"
"With me entering? Are you serious?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was 4:30 when Xavier went into Gina's room. Quietly, he slunk in through the door, making not a sound. Then he pushed her out of bed.
THUD!
"Hey! What's the big deal?!" Gina cried as she recovered from the fall.
"Rise and shine, it's time to get started. You have three minutes to get dressed or I'm walking in on you."
Gina looked up at Xavier from the floor and watched him leave without even giving her a comforting look.
She stood up and put on a pair of pants and a tank top. I didn't think he was going to be this bad… She quickly put her hair up and ran downstairs to the dojo. Xavier was sitting on the floor in a meditative trance. Gina removed her slippers and slowly walked up to Xavier.
"Xavier...Xavier? I thought we were going to train…"
Xavier's eyes opened and he quickly flipped Gina over his head. Gina landed on her back and cringed as the pain shot through her body. She lay on the floor in pain. Xavier stood up and looked down on her.
"Here is your daily regimen for the next three months before school starts. 4:30 is your wake up time. From then until 6:30, we will spar. Fifteen minutes for breakfast, and then we jog until 7:15. 7:30 we meditate, and we will spar again at 10. After that, I'm done with you. When school starts, half of your regimen will be before school and the other half after. Any questions?"
Gina shook her head 'no' and slowly stood up.
"Okay then. Come and hit me."
"Huh?"
"I said come and hit me! Don't think about it, just do it!"
Gina took a makeshift fighting stance and ran at Xavier. She punched him in the face, and he looked back at her, un-amused. It hadn't fazed him a bit.
"Is that it? Come on, give me all you've got!"
She hit him again, this time hard enough to move his head to an angle. He quickly countered by kicking Gina in the stomach. She went flying and landed on her side.
"When we spar," Xavier said, " I am your enemy. You must anticipate any move that I can make. Now get up and try again."
Gina sat up painfully and smiled. Her side was killing her because she had landed so hard, but this was beginning to invigorate her. She sprung to her feet and ran at Xavier again, this time landing her first punch and blocking one from Xavier before he was able to kick her in the head and send her flying. Gina landed on her feet and sprang back at Xavier, who grabbed her arms and threw her over his head. She slammed into the wall and fell to the ground. Gina slowly rose to her feet.
"You've... done this before?"
"No..." Gina said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and pushing her hair out of her face, "I've seen you do it so many times... and I don't know, it all just seems to come so naturally..."
" I have decided. We will spar in the evenings also."
"Good." Gina said, and she ran at Xavier again.
*~*~*~*~*~*
After the evening sparing session, Gina ached all over. The "light jog" that Xavier told her about turned out to be a 15 Kilometer run that Gina had barely managed to finish, and she had struggled to stay on her feet during the last sparring session of the day.
Gina went into the kitchen to get something to eat; she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Niro was standing by the counter with the bread, obviously fixing a sandwich.
"Want one?" he asked.
Gina nodded hungrily and had to quickly wipe a bit of drool from her mouth. She was sooo hungry... Gina watched as Niro Sloowwly took out the bread...
"Where's Xavier?"
"I don't know... I think he went to sleep."
The sandwich was looking really appetizing. Cheese…ham…mustard…Gina wiped her mouth once more. Suddenly, Niro stopped making the sandwich and leaned on the counter.
"Listen, I've been working all day and I've come up with something that you're going to love."
"Huh...?" Gina was ever so slowly moving her hand towards the sandwich that Niro had already finished making. He grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the room. Gina took one last look at the sandwich that she wasn't going to get to eat...
He led her out to the backyard; there were parts strewn everywhere.
"So this is what you've been doing all day..." Gina said, astonished at the gigantic white box structure that was almost as tall as the house.
"I present to you, my first invention, the battle simulator. With this machine, you can be stronger than even Xavier."
"How is that going to make me stronger?"
"Like I said, it's a battle simulator. This machine can simulate any opponent on virtually any battlefield. It's almost like the real thing. I've been working on the design and programming for about a year, but I finished by building the outermost structure yesterday and today. Originally, I designed it for Xavier, but his ego is out of control. I figure that you can cut it to shreds if you beat him."
"Has it been tested? Can I try it?" Gina asked, forgetting about the aches and pains she had accumulated that day.
"Yeah, my friend Kismet tried it today."
"Kismet?" asked Gina, with a hint of curiosity. Niro suddenly became red in the face.
"I met her at the hardware store the other day when I was picking up parts for this thing. It turns out, she's training for this big tournament that they have here every year. I think she's coming over tonight to use the machine."
"Can I try it first?"
"Sure." Niro replied without hesitation, and Gina stepped inside the machine. It was a large white room with the walls, ceiling and floor covered in white tile. Bright lights were lined up on the ceiling and there was a small window where Gina could see Niro pushing buttons on a control panel. The door then closed and Gina heard Niro's voice over a loudspeaker.
"I'm going to put you up against Xavier." he said. "I've entered all of his training experience and a picture of him into the machine, so it'll be just like you're fighting the real thing. But first the computer has to scan you to find out your power level."
"Power level?"
"It's an indication of how strong you are."
A panel of tile opened up and a machine on a pole extended out of it. A chip was attached to Gina's arm and then sent a warm laser beam through her body.
"POWER LEVEL- 500." a mechanical voice said. The machine then retracted and the tile closed up once more.
" Is that good?" Gina asked, yelling to make sure that Niro could hear her.
"I'm not sure. Kismet was at 300, so I guess it's pretty good. Gina, I'm going to add in another little twist. I'm going to give the battlefield the gravity of Tumul. It's a lot stronger that the gravity here, so it should prove to be a challenge."
"Just start this thing up!" Gina cried, becoming impatient.
"Okay, okay..." Niro said, and he began to push buttons on the control panel.
Gina watched as Niro seemed to disappear and the room became dark. The lights then dimly came on. That was when Gina found herself growing heavier. It was a little harder to stand up and keep her balance, but it proved no challenge. Suddenly, Gina was struck from behind and went spiraling to the ground. There stood an image of Xavier. Gina came to her feet and took a fighting stance.
"POWER LEVEL- 600...700...800...900..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Where is she getting this power?" Niro asked.
"What's going on?" Niro turned around and saw a girl with long red hair that had been pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were as green as his hair, and a smile cascaded across her face.
"Hey, Kismet." Niro said. "You'll have to wait a minute to use the machine.
"No prob. Hey, who's that? She's pretty strong!"
"Yeah. I know..."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina ran at the Xavier facsimile and jumped over his head. Her legs ached from the increase in gravity, but she was able to execute a flying kick while he was confused. A strange feeling came over her and a smirk slipped onto her face. She thought about it for less than a second then she quickly turned her attention back to the fight.
Xavier's feet hit the wall and he came back at her. Thinking quickly, Gina used Xavier's own trick against him and flipped him over her head.
He fell to the ground and began to fade out. The room became white again, and Gina heard the machine shut down. She exited.
"That was too easy." Gina said trying to fix one of the buns in her hair that had come loose during the battle.
"Xavier is a good fighter." Niro said, "but it doesn't take a lot to get him down. Of course you have to take into consideration that it was just a simulation. I'm not sure of Xavier's real power level.
"Can I go now? " Kismet asked. She looked Gina and smiled. "You were really good in there. Are you going to enter the tournament?"
"What tournament?" Gina asked, genuinely confused
"Duh! The biggest tournament in this part of the galaxy. The top fighters enter and it's always a blast to watch. I'm entering for my first time this year. It's in six months and I've already started training. By the way, my name is Kismet."
"I'm Gina." She quickly tried to smooth her hair down.
"Wish me luck!" Kismet said, giving a 'V' for victory. She then went into the machine.
The machine scanned for the chip that Kismet had on her arm.
"POWER LEVEL- 350."
"Who is she going to fight?" Gina asked looking at the white room through Niro's viewing window.
"She's going through my training program." Niro said.
Gina watched as the program loaded and Kismet dodged the flying black spheres with skill and dexterity. As they shot laser beams at her, she destroyed them with flying kicks and punches. Ten minutes later, it was over. Her power level had peaked at 500. When Kismet walked out of the machine, her hair was perfect.
"How did I do?" She asked, slightly winded.
"Pretty good. " Niro said, shutting down the machine. "You peaked at 500 tonight."
"Hey Niro, aren't you going to try it?" Gina asked looking at him and Kismet who looked as if they were in another world. They didn't answer her as they looked at each other in a daze.
"Niro! Did you hear what I said?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you going to use the machine?"
"Oh...no, I figured I'd get something to drink. Anyone want to join me?"
"Yeah, sure." Kismet said. "What about you, Gina?"
Gina looked at the two of them together. They were about the same height, and if Gina imagined hard enough, she could almost see the two of them as a couple. Far be it of her to interfere.
"No, I think I'd better get to sleep...you know, I've got to get up kind of early."
"So I guess I'll see you when school starts..." Kismet said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Huh?"
"You're going to be in your eleventh year, right? But I guess I'll probably be around here though. I'll catch you later, you know, when I come back around." Kismet asked.
"I guess I'll see you then..." Gina said, beginning to leave the room.
"By the way, nice tail." Kismet commented, and Gina grasped her tail, awaiting an insult. "If you think that you being a saiyan is going to scare me, then you've got another thing coming." Kismet then gave Gina a sly smile. Gina smiled back.
Gina then went up to her room and she got dressed in an oversized t-shirt. It was midnight and she was starting to feel the effects of her last fight. She could barely move and knew that Xavier was not going to ease up on her in the morning. Gina laid her head on the pillow with dreams of the tournament that was only six months away...
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Ok, let me explain a few things…There are two systems in this story, the Jungar system and the Scrapulan system. The planets in the Jungar system are numbered, but those in the scrapulan system aren't. Also, Niro's machine kind of sprung from a combination of the one on DBZ and on the Power Puff Girls…
Name notes:
Saquel: just a name I came up with
Kismet- fate
"I can't believe it's been nine years." Henokai said. Over the years, he had aged considerably. He appeared to be ninety even though he was only seventy-five. Despite this, he still refused to accept the belief that fighting keeps saiyans young.
"Yeah, but I've gotta go." Gina replied, putting the last of her things in her bag. "I want to go to school and make friends. I want to meet other people."
"I understand that, but it'll be quiet around here without the three of you around."
"We'll be okay."
Gina slowly walked down the steps and outside into the sunlight. She had also changed in nine years. It was true, she had shot up like a weed after being on Jungar 7 for a while, but she was still much shorter than anyone she had ever met. Niro and Xavier towered over her by almost a foot each.
As she neared the clearing where the ship was, she caught sight of Niro and Xavier, who were already finished loading the ship. Niro's hair was shoulder length now, and Xavier had kept his short, thinking it was a good luck charm after he won his first tournament.
"Come on, Gina." Niro said, his shoulder length greenish hair blowing in the light breeze. "We've got to get going if we want to be on Scrapula by Monday."
"We've got plenty of time." Xavier said, coming off of the ship. "Well, old timer," he said to Henokai, "We're leaving now."
Henokai, who had become slightly winded on the trip to the clearing, stopped and looked at the three youths that had become the only thing he cared about in life. They were leaving him, but he wasn't about to stop them. It was normal to want to travel and see what else was in the wide universe. He sighed and took a slip of paper out of his pocket.
"Here's the address of the house where you'll be staying. Everything has been taken care of. And the high school should be just down the street, so Gina can walk there."
"Yeah, yeah." Xavier said, taking a small piece of paper from Henokai. "Hey I wonder who'll win the martial arts tournament with me gone?"
"There's no telling these days..." Henokai said, giving a slight smile. "Good luck, and have a safe journey." He extended his hand to Xavier who shook it.
"See ya."
After taking one last look at the beautiful landscape of Scrapula, Xavier boarded the ship where Niro and Gina were already seated.
"Let's get this thing off of the ground." Niro said. "Buckle your seat belts..." Niro then proceeded to push a few buttons on the control panel and the ship began to take off. The three were thrown against the backs of their seats. After the ship had gone through the atmosphere of Jungar 7, Xavier unbuckled his belt.
"I'm going to sleep." Xavier said, retreating to the back of the ship. Gina then unbuckled her seatbelt and knelt on the floor beside Niro, who was busily working at the controls. His hands moved diligently and expertly over the knobs, switches and buttons, like a seasoned veteran.
"So how long until we get to Scrapula?" Gina asked, putting Niro's hair behind his ears. He looked up from his work and smiled at her.
"About three days, and we'll have to stop on Jungar 11 halfway through for refueling."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No, but they've got one of the best technical schools in the galaxy. I'm looking forward to studying there."
"That's all you worry about." Gina said.
"What?"
"Studying all of this technical stuff. It's all that's ever on your mind. Don't you ever think about anything else?"
Niro gave Gina a surprised glance, and then his face slowly turned back to normal.
"I study so much because it's the only place where I'm better than Xavier. Of course I think about other things..."
"Like what?" Gina said
Niro stood up and began tinkering with the control panel nervously. He turned around and looked down at Gina, who was patiently awaiting an answer. Gina stood up and put her hand on Niro's shoulder.
"You can tell me..."
Niro turned and looked into her eyes. They were a dark brown to black color, but that was what Niro liked most about her... that and her sparkling personality, her angelic laugh, her baby soft skin…
"Kiss me..." he said.
Gina removed her hand from his shoulder.
"I'm going to bed." she replied, walking out of the control room. "I suggest you do the same."
Gina walked into the bedroom and began taking off her clothes in the dark. She heard a feint rustle from the bed in the corner.
"He tried to kiss you again, didn't he?" Xavier asked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"We're about to land, " Niro stated, hurriedly pressing the controls. "Everyone better take their seats!"
Gina and Xavier sat down as the ship entered the planet's atmosphere. They all were shaken violently from side to side as the atmosphere resisted the ship's entry. Niro quickly mashed the controls and the ship came to a smooth stop. They had reached Jungar 11.
The three exited the ship and were greeted by a large Jungarian man. He had the purple tinted skin that was normal to all Jungarians and his gray hair protruded from the sides of his head.
"We need a refueling." Niro said
"It also looks like you've ruptured your first valve." the man replied, looking at the underside of the ship.
Gina looked behind her and found that Xavier had wandered off.
I should do the same, she thought, listening to the man and Niro talk their technical mumbo-jumbo.
She began to wander around the port, watching the Jungarian mechanics repair and refuel the incoming ships.
"Hey wat'cha doin?" asked a smooth, yet slightly gruff voice. Gina turned around slightly and a large Jungarian man was behind her. He was fairly tall with black, wavy hair and mysterious eyes. He was slightly muscular, with a scar on his left cheek. A black tank hung from his broad frame, and a holster with a blaster in it hugged his chest.
"Nothing.... I wasn't doing anything. What's it to you anyhow?"
" I was just wondering. It's not often we get a saiyan in these parts."
"A what?"
"So, where are you headed?" he asked, moving in front of Gina. He smiled a sly smile.
"My two brothers and I are going to Scrapula. They're both fighters.... big masculine fighters." Gina said, lying through her teeth.
"By the way, my name's Saquel." he said, extending his hand to Gina.
"I'm Gina." They shook hands.
"So what kind of ship do you have?" Saquel asked.
"What is this- twenty questions?"
"No, I was just wondering."
Gina looked back at the ship and saw Niro motioning for her to come over.
"I have to go." Gina said, walking away.
"I'll come with you. " Saquel said, following her.
Gina reached the ship to see Niro with a surprised look on his face. Gina turned around and surprisingly saw Saquel behind her.
"Who's your friend?" Niro asked, giving Saquel the 'evil-eye'
"This is Saquel." Gina replied, as shocked as Niro was to see the Jungarian behind her. "Saquel, this is Niro."
Niro looked at Gina oddly and then looked at Saquel.
"I'm going to pay for the repairs and go find Xavier," he said. "We'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes. I need you to watch the ship." He gave Saquel a deadly look and walked off.
"I think it's time for you to go now." Gina said, beginning to walk up the stairs that led to the main door of the ship.
"Show me the inside of your ship." Saquel commanded, " Then I'll leave you alone."
Gina grabbed the door handle and began to walk into the ship. She then turned around and looked at Saquel standing there. He had a grin on his face, like a child eager to see a toy that he may one day get.
"Come on..." she replied, and led Saquel to the main control room of the ship.
"Hmm. Very advanced..." Saquel commented, looking at the controls.
"Yeah, I know..." said Gina, walking up beside Saquel, "I don't even know how to fly it." Gina looked down at the controls and that was when Saquel struck. He clasped his hands together and brought them over his head. He hit Gina over the head and she fell to the ground.
"I've got to get off of this planet..." Saquel said, starting up the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Niro found Xavier conversing with a few guys who looked like they were fighters.
"Yeah," one replied, "We're all headed to Scrapula for this big tournament they have there every year. It's in about six months, but I want to get used to the gravity and have a chance to train there first."
Xavier was intrigued.
"Is it anything like the tournament on Jungar 7?" he asked.
"Yeah," a Jungarian with dark brown hair replied, "Except the guys are a lot stronger."
"No prob, I won that tournament five years in a row."
Niro chose this moment to walk up.
"You won the tournament on Jungar 7?" the Jungarian asked.
"Hey, Xavier..." Niro said.
"Yeah, of course I did...no sweat."
"Xavier..."
"Wow, those guys are tough..."
"Yeah, but I'm good..."
"Xavier!!!"
"What the hell do you want?!" Xavier yelled and at the same time going to punch Niro, who quickly blocked it. That was when Xavier's face changed. The color slowly began to drain.
"Niro..." he said, pointing a shaking finger in the direction of their ship. They both listened in horror as the engines on the ship went through the preparatory stages for launch. "She wouldn't..."
"No, she can't." Niro said, "She doesn't know how to fly the ship."
They looked at each other and then began to run towards the vehicle.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina awoke with a splitting headache.
"What are you doing?" she asked Saquel.
"Getting off of this hell hole. You saiyans are such a gullible breed. Now just shut up and don't get in my way."
Gina stood up and walked over behind Saquel.
"Maybe we can talk this over..." she said. Saquel responded by effortlessly pushing Gina into a nearby wall.
"Infernal race." Saquel mumbled under his breath. He suddenly detected a bright light behind him, in the corner of his eye. He turned around and to his surprise, the air around Gina was glowing and she had levitated into the air. The pupils of her eyes had disappeared and a murderous look was emblazoned on her face.
"You idiot! What the hell are you trying to do?! Blow up the ship?!" He yelled at her.
That sent Gina into a rage and she began to scream a horrific scream as the air around her turned bright purple. She held out her left hand and a purple energy surged from it, knocking Saquel into the wall. He stood up, with blood running down his now battered shirt. His suave facade had vanished, and he yelled in anger and rushed at Gina, who opened her eyes and knocked Saquel through the main window. He landed unconsciously just in front of Xavier and Niro.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina awoke a few hours later. She sat up and removed the cold cloth from her head that Niro had put there. It took every bit of strength to move, she was so weak. A small light was on in the corner and Gina saw that Niro had fallen asleep in the chair by her bed.
She removed Niro's hand from her outstretched arm and looked to Xavier, who was asleep in his bed on the other side of the room. He had fallen asleep in his clothes.
Gina got up uneasily and walked into the main control room. Her legs felt as if they were going to collapse under the weight of her body. There was a large bump on her head that was turning blue and it was pounding like a jackhammer on a worn down city street. She decided to take a shower.
The water felt warm compared to the cold, emptiness of space. She changed into a t-shirt and shorts and sat in the pilot's seat in the main control room, looking through the main window. The ship was completely quiet, except for a beep every few seconds where the navigation system was working steadily to make sure that they stayed on course. Gina didn't hear the light footsteps behind her and jumped as a cold hand fell on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Xavier standing there.
"You scared me..."
"What happened today?" Xavier asked, getting right to the point.
"That guy knocked me out and if it weren't for you and Niro, I don't know what would have happened to the ship."
"You don't remember that power?"
"What are you talking about? What power? What do you mean?"
"I saw what you did. You knocked that Jungarian clear through the window."
Gina gave Xavier a strange look.
"I saw that power," Xavier continued, "and the potential that you have." He began to leave the control room.
"Potential for what?" Gina asked, coming to her feet.
"Fighting potential." Xavier said, without turning around. "You're going to train when we get to Scrapula, and they'll be no argument about it. Now, I'm going back to sleep."
"But what if I don't want to train?"
Xavier didn't answer, only went back the way he had come.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina didn't get any sleep. It was seven o'clock Scrapula time when Niro awoke. He found Gina sitting in the pilot's seat. Niro stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching Gina, who had taken her hair down and was brushing it carefully. She almost never did so, because it was a wild mane that she couldn't control if she kept it down. It always fell the wrong way, never kept a part and spiked out in all directions.
Is this the same girl, Niro thought, that I saw yesterday?
"You can stop watching me now," Gina said suddenly, "because I know you're back there."
A little startled, Niro walked up behind Gina and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, massaging her shoulder gently.
"Yeah, but my head still hurts a little."
Niro put his other hand on Gina's other shoulder.
"Hey!" Xavier interrupted, "How long 'til we get to this Scrapula place?"
Niro jumped and quickly removed his hands from Gina's shoulders. He turned around to face Xavier.
"Yeah.... um.... We should be there in about an hour." Niro stammered, pulling his hair back into a ponytail with his hands.
"Don't sweat too much there, Niro." Xavier said, retreating to the back of the ship.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Be careful with those boxes!" Gina yelled to Xavier, who was carrying four boxes at once. They had reached Scrapula with virtually no problems, aside from Niro's obvious emotional ones…
"Don't worry about me." Xavier said, smiling. He then carried the boxes into the house that Henokai had bought them. It was a dream: solid white brick, two stories, with a big backyard, a room for Niro to do all of his machine manipulation, and a special dojo that had been set up for Xavier downstairs.
"That should be everything." Niro said, looking at his clipboard.
"Why don't we go ride into town? "Gina said, out of the blue.
"We kind of have a lot to do…" Niro said in reply.
"Good idea." Xavier said, completely disregarding Niro's comment, "and why don't you drive, poindexter?" Xavier smiled at Niro, who gave him a look of contempt, but began to make his way toward his new car that he had purchased upon arrival.
The three piled in, and they drove into town.
"Check out the people!" Xavier said, pointing out of the window.
"Stop acting like a baby." Niro said, leering at Xavier.
"Just shut the hell up and drive."
"If it weren't for..."
"Hey! What's that?" Gina interrupted, referring to a large department store in the middle of the city. "Why don't we go check it out?"
Niro parked and the three exited the vehicle.
mommy, why does that girl have a tail?
shhh. don't stare.
They walked into the store and Gina began looking at some hair ribbons while the guys checked out the sporting goods department.
isn't that one of those awful saiyans?
yes, i think we better leave. come on.
"Excuse me, Miss?" A sales clerk came up behind Gina with fear in his eyes. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"What did I do? Am I not allowed to touch? I'll put it back." Gina said, putting the ribbons back on display.
"N..No, it's not that..."
"What is it then?"
"W...We don't allow your kind in here." he said, pointing to Gina's tail. "P..Please leave."
"It's because of my tail?"
"J...Just please leave..."
Gina looked at all of the people watching her. She didn't want to cause an even bigger scene. She began walking amongst the stares of people as black clouds began to roll in.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Damn it! Where is she??" Niro exclaimed, looking out of the window into the pouring rain. "Why would she wander off like that?!"
Xavier shrugged. He had managed to stay calm despite Niro's nervousness.
"I don't know either, but I'm going out looking for her." Niro said, picking up his raincoat and flashlight. "She's not safe out there."
"Sit down, Niro." Xavier said. "She'll make it home."
"But-"
"Sit down. If I know Gina, she's on her way back here right now."
"That's just it. Gina would never be able to make it back here. She's probably somewhere crying her eyes out trying to figure out why we left without her. I told you we should have waited longer!"
"You don't know this Gina." Xavier said. "That incident on Jungar 11 changed her. Gina is discovering who she is."
Niro gave Xavier a strange look, but sat down, regardless.
"I just don't understand her." Niro said. "She was impossible to deal with before, and now this? I've never seen anybody that strong."
Xavier went to look out of the window.
"I don't know, maybe it's a girl thing. But I don't think that power was a fluke. She's got it in her to be a great fighter."
Suddenly, the door flew open and there stood Gina, soaking wet.
"Where have you been?!" Niro exclaimed. "I was worried sick!"
Gina turned her glance to Xavier.
"I want to train."
"I knew you would."
"But first," Gina said, "what am I?"
Xavier and Niro exchanged glances.
"Sit down." They said in unison.
Gina sat down on the sofa. Xavier sat down beside her and Niro on the floor.
"You are a saiyan." Xavier said.
"So I've heard, but what is that?"
"Henokai told me that one day you might become curious about your origin. He told me this story the day that you arrived on Jungar 7. I never thought that I'd have to pass it along, but here goes. You see Gina; the Saiyans were a race of people from the planet Vegeta. They were terrific fighters with great strength, but they used their powers for evil."
"What do you mean 'WERE'?"
"Gina, the saiyan home planet was destroyed years ago. You must have been the last of them."
Gina sat in silence as Xavier went on with his explanation.
"The saiyans were planet ravagers. They moved from planet to planet, obliterating all of the life and selling the desolated planet. By using their tails and the light from a full moon, they were able to transform into giant beasts with ten times their normal power. You haven't transformed because the moons of this system don't give off the right kind of radiation… or at least that's what Henokai told me.
"Henokai found you nine years ago on the planet of Tumul. You had been illegally hidden by two Tumulians for about seven years. They were apparently hoping to use you in their fight against their captors. You were one of the saiyan babies sent to clear out a planet. And I'm sorry to tell you, that's exactly what you did."
"Do you mean...that I..."
"It was the first full moon in ten years. Henokai was lucky that he came when he did. By cutting off your tail, he was able to save the half of the population that were still alive."
Gina grabbed a hold of her long, monkey like tail.
"They grow back." Xavier said. "So, do you have any questions?"
"So they just dropped me off... and forgot about me?"
"Not exactly the best parents..." Niro joked and Xavier immediately hit him over the head.
"They were expecting you to return, after you killed all of the beings on the planet." Xavier said, refracting Niro's comment.
Gina stood up and walked over to the window, watching the rain pour down. There were so many thoughts racing through her head… So she wasn't like everyone else. She wasn't human like Xavier. Her tail wasn't just a strange deformity like Henokai had once told her. She was a saiyan. Gina stood there for a few moments, a look of thought grazing her face.
"I guess that settles it then," she said.
"Settles what?" Niro said uneasily getting up from the floor.
"I've got to train." Gina replied, turning around and smiling.
"You still want to train?!" Niro asked, surprised.
"Of course." Gina said. "If I'm a saiyan, then I'm supposed to be a natural born fighter, right?" She went to leave the room, but suddenly turned around. "Who knows," she said, "maybe I'll be stronger than Xavier."
You better get some sleep." Xavier said to Gina. "I like to get an early start." Gina nodded and went upstairs.
Niro stood up, holding his head that was throbbing from where Xavier had almost bashed it in.
"Why do you want to start so soon?" he inquired. "Shouldn't you give her time to take this all in?"
"She doesn't have time to take this all in. That is, if she wants to make the tournament."
"You're not-"
"Serious? Of course I am. There's only six months until the martial arts tournament. With enough training, I think she might be able to qualify."
"Do you think she could win?"
"With me entering? Are you serious?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was 4:30 when Xavier went into Gina's room. Quietly, he slunk in through the door, making not a sound. Then he pushed her out of bed.
THUD!
"Hey! What's the big deal?!" Gina cried as she recovered from the fall.
"Rise and shine, it's time to get started. You have three minutes to get dressed or I'm walking in on you."
Gina looked up at Xavier from the floor and watched him leave without even giving her a comforting look.
She stood up and put on a pair of pants and a tank top. I didn't think he was going to be this bad… She quickly put her hair up and ran downstairs to the dojo. Xavier was sitting on the floor in a meditative trance. Gina removed her slippers and slowly walked up to Xavier.
"Xavier...Xavier? I thought we were going to train…"
Xavier's eyes opened and he quickly flipped Gina over his head. Gina landed on her back and cringed as the pain shot through her body. She lay on the floor in pain. Xavier stood up and looked down on her.
"Here is your daily regimen for the next three months before school starts. 4:30 is your wake up time. From then until 6:30, we will spar. Fifteen minutes for breakfast, and then we jog until 7:15. 7:30 we meditate, and we will spar again at 10. After that, I'm done with you. When school starts, half of your regimen will be before school and the other half after. Any questions?"
Gina shook her head 'no' and slowly stood up.
"Okay then. Come and hit me."
"Huh?"
"I said come and hit me! Don't think about it, just do it!"
Gina took a makeshift fighting stance and ran at Xavier. She punched him in the face, and he looked back at her, un-amused. It hadn't fazed him a bit.
"Is that it? Come on, give me all you've got!"
She hit him again, this time hard enough to move his head to an angle. He quickly countered by kicking Gina in the stomach. She went flying and landed on her side.
"When we spar," Xavier said, " I am your enemy. You must anticipate any move that I can make. Now get up and try again."
Gina sat up painfully and smiled. Her side was killing her because she had landed so hard, but this was beginning to invigorate her. She sprung to her feet and ran at Xavier again, this time landing her first punch and blocking one from Xavier before he was able to kick her in the head and send her flying. Gina landed on her feet and sprang back at Xavier, who grabbed her arms and threw her over his head. She slammed into the wall and fell to the ground. Gina slowly rose to her feet.
"You've... done this before?"
"No..." Gina said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and pushing her hair out of her face, "I've seen you do it so many times... and I don't know, it all just seems to come so naturally..."
" I have decided. We will spar in the evenings also."
"Good." Gina said, and she ran at Xavier again.
*~*~*~*~*~*
After the evening sparing session, Gina ached all over. The "light jog" that Xavier told her about turned out to be a 15 Kilometer run that Gina had barely managed to finish, and she had struggled to stay on her feet during the last sparring session of the day.
Gina went into the kitchen to get something to eat; she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Niro was standing by the counter with the bread, obviously fixing a sandwich.
"Want one?" he asked.
Gina nodded hungrily and had to quickly wipe a bit of drool from her mouth. She was sooo hungry... Gina watched as Niro Sloowwly took out the bread...
"Where's Xavier?"
"I don't know... I think he went to sleep."
The sandwich was looking really appetizing. Cheese…ham…mustard…Gina wiped her mouth once more. Suddenly, Niro stopped making the sandwich and leaned on the counter.
"Listen, I've been working all day and I've come up with something that you're going to love."
"Huh...?" Gina was ever so slowly moving her hand towards the sandwich that Niro had already finished making. He grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the room. Gina took one last look at the sandwich that she wasn't going to get to eat...
He led her out to the backyard; there were parts strewn everywhere.
"So this is what you've been doing all day..." Gina said, astonished at the gigantic white box structure that was almost as tall as the house.
"I present to you, my first invention, the battle simulator. With this machine, you can be stronger than even Xavier."
"How is that going to make me stronger?"
"Like I said, it's a battle simulator. This machine can simulate any opponent on virtually any battlefield. It's almost like the real thing. I've been working on the design and programming for about a year, but I finished by building the outermost structure yesterday and today. Originally, I designed it for Xavier, but his ego is out of control. I figure that you can cut it to shreds if you beat him."
"Has it been tested? Can I try it?" Gina asked, forgetting about the aches and pains she had accumulated that day.
"Yeah, my friend Kismet tried it today."
"Kismet?" asked Gina, with a hint of curiosity. Niro suddenly became red in the face.
"I met her at the hardware store the other day when I was picking up parts for this thing. It turns out, she's training for this big tournament that they have here every year. I think she's coming over tonight to use the machine."
"Can I try it first?"
"Sure." Niro replied without hesitation, and Gina stepped inside the machine. It was a large white room with the walls, ceiling and floor covered in white tile. Bright lights were lined up on the ceiling and there was a small window where Gina could see Niro pushing buttons on a control panel. The door then closed and Gina heard Niro's voice over a loudspeaker.
"I'm going to put you up against Xavier." he said. "I've entered all of his training experience and a picture of him into the machine, so it'll be just like you're fighting the real thing. But first the computer has to scan you to find out your power level."
"Power level?"
"It's an indication of how strong you are."
A panel of tile opened up and a machine on a pole extended out of it. A chip was attached to Gina's arm and then sent a warm laser beam through her body.
"POWER LEVEL- 500." a mechanical voice said. The machine then retracted and the tile closed up once more.
" Is that good?" Gina asked, yelling to make sure that Niro could hear her.
"I'm not sure. Kismet was at 300, so I guess it's pretty good. Gina, I'm going to add in another little twist. I'm going to give the battlefield the gravity of Tumul. It's a lot stronger that the gravity here, so it should prove to be a challenge."
"Just start this thing up!" Gina cried, becoming impatient.
"Okay, okay..." Niro said, and he began to push buttons on the control panel.
Gina watched as Niro seemed to disappear and the room became dark. The lights then dimly came on. That was when Gina found herself growing heavier. It was a little harder to stand up and keep her balance, but it proved no challenge. Suddenly, Gina was struck from behind and went spiraling to the ground. There stood an image of Xavier. Gina came to her feet and took a fighting stance.
"POWER LEVEL- 600...700...800...900..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Where is she getting this power?" Niro asked.
"What's going on?" Niro turned around and saw a girl with long red hair that had been pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were as green as his hair, and a smile cascaded across her face.
"Hey, Kismet." Niro said. "You'll have to wait a minute to use the machine.
"No prob. Hey, who's that? She's pretty strong!"
"Yeah. I know..."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Gina ran at the Xavier facsimile and jumped over his head. Her legs ached from the increase in gravity, but she was able to execute a flying kick while he was confused. A strange feeling came over her and a smirk slipped onto her face. She thought about it for less than a second then she quickly turned her attention back to the fight.
Xavier's feet hit the wall and he came back at her. Thinking quickly, Gina used Xavier's own trick against him and flipped him over her head.
He fell to the ground and began to fade out. The room became white again, and Gina heard the machine shut down. She exited.
"That was too easy." Gina said trying to fix one of the buns in her hair that had come loose during the battle.
"Xavier is a good fighter." Niro said, "but it doesn't take a lot to get him down. Of course you have to take into consideration that it was just a simulation. I'm not sure of Xavier's real power level.
"Can I go now? " Kismet asked. She looked Gina and smiled. "You were really good in there. Are you going to enter the tournament?"
"What tournament?" Gina asked, genuinely confused
"Duh! The biggest tournament in this part of the galaxy. The top fighters enter and it's always a blast to watch. I'm entering for my first time this year. It's in six months and I've already started training. By the way, my name is Kismet."
"I'm Gina." She quickly tried to smooth her hair down.
"Wish me luck!" Kismet said, giving a 'V' for victory. She then went into the machine.
The machine scanned for the chip that Kismet had on her arm.
"POWER LEVEL- 350."
"Who is she going to fight?" Gina asked looking at the white room through Niro's viewing window.
"She's going through my training program." Niro said.
Gina watched as the program loaded and Kismet dodged the flying black spheres with skill and dexterity. As they shot laser beams at her, she destroyed them with flying kicks and punches. Ten minutes later, it was over. Her power level had peaked at 500. When Kismet walked out of the machine, her hair was perfect.
"How did I do?" She asked, slightly winded.
"Pretty good. " Niro said, shutting down the machine. "You peaked at 500 tonight."
"Hey Niro, aren't you going to try it?" Gina asked looking at him and Kismet who looked as if they were in another world. They didn't answer her as they looked at each other in a daze.
"Niro! Did you hear what I said?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you going to use the machine?"
"Oh...no, I figured I'd get something to drink. Anyone want to join me?"
"Yeah, sure." Kismet said. "What about you, Gina?"
Gina looked at the two of them together. They were about the same height, and if Gina imagined hard enough, she could almost see the two of them as a couple. Far be it of her to interfere.
"No, I think I'd better get to sleep...you know, I've got to get up kind of early."
"So I guess I'll see you when school starts..." Kismet said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Huh?"
"You're going to be in your eleventh year, right? But I guess I'll probably be around here though. I'll catch you later, you know, when I come back around." Kismet asked.
"I guess I'll see you then..." Gina said, beginning to leave the room.
"By the way, nice tail." Kismet commented, and Gina grasped her tail, awaiting an insult. "If you think that you being a saiyan is going to scare me, then you've got another thing coming." Kismet then gave Gina a sly smile. Gina smiled back.
Gina then went up to her room and she got dressed in an oversized t-shirt. It was midnight and she was starting to feel the effects of her last fight. She could barely move and knew that Xavier was not going to ease up on her in the morning. Gina laid her head on the pillow with dreams of the tournament that was only six months away...
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Ok, let me explain a few things…There are two systems in this story, the Jungar system and the Scrapulan system. The planets in the Jungar system are numbered, but those in the scrapulan system aren't. Also, Niro's machine kind of sprung from a combination of the one on DBZ and on the Power Puff Girls…
Name notes:
Saquel: just a name I came up with
Kismet- fate
