Chapter 10: Training is Hard
"Faster!" Gohan ordered, and Umino and Mamoru tried to comply as they ran laps around the small gym in the shrine.
The Sailor Team were doing exercises and looked sympathetically at the seemingly sadistic training method that Gohan was applying to them. "Ah, Gohan," Umino whimpered as he trudged onward, every muscle in his body aching. "I'm not cut out for this."
"Tuxedo Umino Kamen," Gohan said deadpan, his eyes lowered in a cool gaze, almost a glower. "Do you want to be some guy looking stupid and crying but never doing anything, or do you want to fight to keep your loved ones alive? How about I tell you Naru will die in a week by a low attack by some alien monster?" For a moment Umino got a stricken look, and then he continued onward, actually speeding up a little.
Gohan watched his friend manage to make several more laps, until he stripped and fell down onto the floor. He groaned, and then moaned out, "I'm through, I can't take another step, all I feel is pain, cramps and the beating of my heart."
"Perfect," Gohan said, and walked over. He lifted his left index finger which started to glow. Umino looked up at him not understanding, and the others, including Mamoru stopped to watch what was going on. Gohan bent over, and touched Umino at the side of his head with the glowing finger. A little vibration suddenly went through the boy, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"I . . . I . . . I can feel it, my energy, my ki," he said shocked, and he suddenly seemed to perk up.
"Good, now sit up in lotus position, and meditate, focus on the energy flows through your body, learn how it works, quickly," Gohan ordered, and Umino complied. He sat up, and seemed to center himself, breathing heavy, but deep and even.
"How come he gets to learn before I do? I've far better trained," Mamoru said, a little resentment over the fact that the bungling kid got the glowing touch first.
"Exactly," Gohan told him with a grin, "You're much better trained, it will simply take you a far longer time to reach the exhaustion point Umino has. You need to reach that state, where you are so deeply through every reserve that you'll feel your heart beating in your head. To have your blood streaming with great speed, thus great change of electrical charge, thus greater induction occurring, to have your mind work overtime regulating all the stressed parts of your body, having your mind be in tune with your body. Never felt a tingling sensation when you're that exhausted? You reach that state, a quick resonance burst of energy will make your ki sing to your mind. So onward! Run till you drop to the floor with exhaustion!" Mamoru regarded Gohan for a moment, processing the information, and then ran again, faster this time.
Gohan turned to the girls, six in total now, and he looked them over for a moment. "All right, Bunny" he said, addressing Usagi, who looked pissed off at him. "Let's see how much you've learned." He then beckoned her over.
Usagi took two steps forward, and then complained, "This isn't fair. How can I possibly fight you? Even /with/ my transformation I won't stand a chance."
"Transform then," Gohan suggested.
Usagi seemed happy and got out her pendant. Just as she was started to yell her transformation phrase there was a sound, a flash, and then she stood there with her hand in the air, but no more pendant. "What!?" Usagi exclaimed in surprise and mortification. She looked around and saw Gohan stand there casually, hands clasped behind his back. The other girls looked equally shocked at the disappearance of the pendant. Gohan than brought his hands forward and casually started tossing the pendant up, only to catch it, and toss it up again.
"Don't ever, ever lose this thing," Gohan told all of them intensely. "I'm going to train you enough, that hopefully you won't need this little trinket anymore, but if you need it, do everything in your power the bad guys never get it. What do you think would happen if I crush it?" The girls looked stricken. "Hide it, in a volt, better yet, don't even use it. The less often you use it, the less often anyone sees the thing, the lower the chance they'll get it, got that?" Gohan tossed the pendant back to Usagi as the team answered. Preoccupied with catching the pendant Usagi didn't answer. "Got that, Bunny?"
That was the final straw. Usagi had had enough of it, she had enough of the horrible training which was wearing her out, his constant criticism, no matter how much he was right, and she certainly had enough of being called 'Bunny'. "WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME, BUNNY!!?!?" Usagi suddenly screamed out, with her face squinted in anger, and her arms tense close alongside her body, hands clenched into fists.
Gohan was taken aback at the outburst. Confused he answered, "That's what 'Usagi' means doesn't it?"
Usagi's stance immediately relaxed. She was unaware of her friends looking at her with surprise. "Well, yeah, I suppose," Usagi muttered a little flabbergasted, then got her second wind. "That doesn't mean you have to mangle my name, it's Usagi, not Bunny."
"But it sounds so much cuter, Bunny," Gohan protested lightly, with large innocent eyes.
Usagi went ballistic, "STOP CALLING ME THAT!! You, you, YOU RICE MONKEY!! You don't see me calling you that, do you?"
"No, I don't know lipreading, I haven't heard you calling me that though," Gohan answered thoughtfully. "But 'Rice Monkey' doesn't sound cuter, or better in any way than 'Gohan'."
Usagi's jaw dropped in disbelief, while the other girls giggled, and Umino chuckled. Mamoru was too busy running his heart out of his body to notice. "He's got you there, Usagi," Ami said, and laughed some more.
"I give up!" Usagi wailed out, tearing pooling from her eyes and sinking to her knees in defeat.
"Get back up, Usagi," Gohan said with a smile, and the girl perked up at her proper name, slowly getting back to her feet. "I promise I won't use 'Bunny' often." Usagi glared at him at that answer, and grumbled in annoyance.
"All right, back on track," Gohan added and took a deep breath. "Your magical enhancements are powered by the planets, correct?" The team of girls nodded. "Right, make sure that information never gets to the bad guys. Best change your names altogether. If a enemy ever figures out your names are the names of the planet, he might figure it out. You may be able to pool your efforts and be able to beat a bad guy, but the bad guy might have enough power to obliterate planets. He might not be able to blow up this one for whatever reason - there are hardly any species out there that can survive in space, that's true for my universe, and I think for this one as hell - that won't stop him from destroying the other planets, removing your power, and your chances of defeating him. Do /not/ let that information slip, ever."
*****
"Ow, my aching body," Ami complained as she and the other soldiers staggered and limped along the Tokyo street a few days later. "I cannot believe the training Gohan is putting his through. Everything hurts, hardly any actual enemies have beaten us up this bad."
"Uh, uh, I'm beat, we were supposed to have fun, but I don't think I have enough energy to sleep, let alone to do something fun," Usagi said in a whiny voice. For once she got no objections, only agreeing grumbles.
The five of them - the ancient Setsuna didn't seem to be inclined to hang out with the teens - passed a comics store. Minako happened to turn to look at the windowsill, and froze. The others walked onward without noticing. Minako took a step closer and looked at the cover of one heavily featured comic, her mouth open slightly in disbelief. Only a few moments passed before the others noted her absence and turned back around. "What's the matter, Minako?" Makoto asked with curiosity.
"I /cannot/ believe this," she said in shock and pointed at the comic. The other girls leaned over and checked out the cover. With wild letters it proclaimed, 'Sailor V and Ninja Z, the greatest romantic crossover event!' There was picture of Sailor V, Sailor Venus' earlier persona, in her full regalia, and then there was Ninja Z; golden hair, embracing the Sailor-suited heroine in his arms, and kissing her deeply. Then below, there stood, 'Will she stay Sailor V? Or become Sailor Z?' The other girls smiled, and started chuckling. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!!" Minako screamed out, only making the other girls laugh more.
The blonde stormed into the store. It had rows and rows of all kinds of different comics. She quickly found the big stand with the Sailor V / Ninja Z crossover comics. She grabbed one and started leafing through it. The other girls came standing behind her. Makoto and Usagi both grabbed their own copies, Ami and Rei looked over Minako's shoulder. The blonde's mouth opened further and further as she turned page after page without reading. Sailor V and Ninja Z beating a bad guy together, being attracted to each other but both quickly leaving. A little further on the two had their first kiss, Ninja Z's mask pulled up just enough to free his mouth but nothing else. An origin story for Ninja Z. Another big giant battle with a bad guy that beat the crap out of both of them before they finally found a combined attack to beat him. Their relief turning to lust, them spending time in a motel room. Minako looked with shocked, and slowly enraged growing eyes at the picture. It wasn't porn, but the pictures showed quite some skin, not just of legs, but also other more private parts, of course the same went for Ninja Z's body.
"Hmm," Ami murmured, her eyes glued to Ninja Z's - Gohan's - body or what the artist imagined it would look like.
Minako flipped onward, looking with horror at the white wedding dress on the last few pages, and the tuxedo-ed Ninja Z, the both of them still wearing their masks in the public wedding, and virtually all other super heroes in comic book history as guests. Then the last page showed Sailor V in sexy lingerie diagonally from the back in a full page drawing; bare ass - only a little line of cloth into her crack - stockings, and her body turned just enough to show glimpses of the see-through bra, with lots of cleavage. Ninja Z - unmasked now - was lying on the bed in the back ground, but still large, bare chest above the sheets, bare leg sticking out below, and a big grin on his face. The final, final page, the back of the back of the comic, contained a large add: 'From next week onward; brand new Sailor Z comics! With plenty of appearances by Sailor Z's brand new husband and everyone's favorite new super hero: Ninja Z! And the new Ninja Z comic series continues onward, now having regular appearances from his brand new wife and everyone's favorite sailor-suited heroine: Sailor Z formerly Sailor V!'
"No!" Minako whispered in horror at the cheap selling ploy: she was never too fond of her comics, but never really had a problem with them, in fact she had a few issues secretly tucked away; but this was just disgusting. Undoubted Sailor Z's regular appearances would often be gratuitous half-nude shots of her in bed. Ugh.
"This is so cool!" Usagi exclaimed excitedly, having flipped through only a few pages, just arriving at the two featured super heroes showing some attraction. "I'm gonna buy one!"
Minako actually growled, and scarily enough all the girls looked at her. "If you /dare/ buy this piece of shit, /Bunny/, our friendship is over!!" Minako told her angrily. Usagi swallowed heavily and very slowly put the comic back in the rack, Minako dangerously tracked her every movement. Minako's head suddenly whipped around, looking at Makoto, and she snarled slowly, "Mako-chan." Makoto gently put the comic back under Minako's glower, and then watched Minako do the same with her comic, her knuckles white with tightness.
"Is something wrong with the comic?" a salesman asked somewhat puzzled at Minako's outburst.
"EVERYTHING!" Minako screamed out in frustration, making him flinch, then she stalked out of the store, with the other girls slowly following her.
The salesman looked perturbed, then suddenly Usagi who had waited to the last turned back. She grabbed a comic from the rack, gave it to the salesman, and said softly, "Put it aside for me, I'll come back for it later." Then she quickly ran out after her friends.
*****
The next day after school Minako and Rei stood waiting at the exit of Juuban Junior High, since they were all scheduled for more training. A few moments later the first batch of the rest of the group arrived; which was to say Usagi and Makoto. A minute later Umino and Naru walked over. Umino was reading a comic it seemed, and enjoying it. Naru smiled at him, and talking. Umino gave an occasional nod, and answered a question, proving he was paying attention to her as well as the comic. It was then that Minako recognized the cover. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed, growing furious. She took a step forward, and yanked the comic out of Umino's eyes, and said, "How dare you!?"
"Hey!" Umino exclaimed indignantly. "Dare me!? Give that back!"
"No, way, you won't read this piece of trash!" Minako threatened.
Without noticing it himself, Umino slipped into a battle stance that Gohan had been hammering into him the passed few days. "I bought it, that's mine," Umino stated, getting pissed off, which was a rarity for the reserved geek - one should know, never mess with a guy's comics.
"Look, this is a big piece of trash," Minako said, holding the comic as if preparing to tear it to pieces. "Nothing but half-naked pictures to get people to buy it."
Umino was about ready to become physical, when Naru's hand brushed over his upper left arm and he calmed down, looking surprised at his girlfriend, and even more so when he saw the cold look in the gentle girl's eyes. "Give that back to him right now," Naru growled out, an enraged look in her eyes.
"Listen . . ." Minako tried to appeal to her fellow girl, but it fell on deaf ears.
"No, /you/ listen," Naru hissed out angrily. "Umino likes the comic book, and I will not have some two bit bimbo decide what /my/ is or is /not/ allowed to read, and some bitch from another school, most /certainly/ will not damage /his/ property. Got that!?" Everyone looked with surprise at the quiet girl, who was had now locked her cold fury onto Minako's eyes, the two in a tug of wills. Apparently messing with the sweet girl's boyfriend was one way to get her to unleash a hitherto hidden wrath. "/Give/. /It./ /Back./"
"Always the quiet ones," Rei muttered under her breath, to soft for anyone to hear.
Minako was certain Naru really wasn't a threat to her, but she really didn't want to find out, her resolve wavering with every moment that the protective anger was trained on her. Slowly, gently Minako handed the comic back to Umino, which caused Naru's anger to rapidly deflate. Umino wearily took the comic, and said, "It's actually got a very good story, Minako-chan. And I don't know what the big deal is, Usagi's was ready her copy at lunch, I don't see you being angry with her."
"No!" Usagi exclaimed, and then swallowed hard, taking an involuntary step back, and growing pale.
Minako suddenly stood utterly still. Her gaze darkened by the moment. Finally it slowly turned to Usagi, and she growled out slowly, "/Usagi/." Usagi waved her hands in front of her as if it would be enough to keep the angry girl off of her, or make her seem innocent. "/What/ did I tell you!?"
"Hey, guys," Gohan interrupted Minako's mounting anger tactfully. Ami was next to him, and she looked rather perturbed at the scene. Gohan in the meantime gave Umino an approving smile. "So what's up?"
With a huff and a growl Minako took the comic away from Umino again, and handed it over to Gohan. "Look at that, and tell me you don't want it stopped!" Minako said, thinking she had an ally in the equally defiled Gohan.
The half-Saiyan took the book and casually leafed through it. "So what's so bad about it?" Gohan asked still leafing onward.
"The cheap nudity . . ."
"Partial," Gohan corrected.
Minako went on undeterred, " . . . cheap gimmick, two super heroes falling love, and then produced book all for the excuse to show them naked . . ."
"Partially," Umino now interrupted.
Once again Minako went on as if uninterrupted, " . . . exploiting real actual people, just to sell lots of comics." Minako pointedly did not name the whole 'and you and I are the ones being exploited' bit with Naru present.
Gohan shrugged, no understanding, "Isn't this what's happening constantly, what's so bad about this if you have no problem with all the others."
"Those are stories, this is porn," Minako bit back.
Gohan reached the last page, took in the naked backside of 'Sailor Z', compared it with the clad version he'd seen peaking from under her super short skirt and realized the two were nothing alike. For one thing, Minako was in her mid teens and developing into a beautiful woman, while the version of her on the page was already in her mid twenties. Gohan shrugged, handed the comic back to Umino, and said, "That isn't porn, it's actually pretty tastefully drawn, it's practically artwork. I've got no problem with it."
"You hear that, you're the only one making a fuss," Naru said, putting her arm around Umino's waste. She was still somewhat niffed, but pleased when she realized that she had talked Minako down, and helped protect her boyfriend's possession. She looked at the comic, and Umino opened it. She looked it over, and then whispered something into Umino's ear, showing she was by no means offended.
Minako realized that she didn't have a leg to stand on, if the other one in the comic saw no problem with the thing. Annoyed she stomped off into the directory of the shrine, and all but Naru followed her, Umino taking a bit longer saying goodbye to the girl.
*****
Elsewhere Ridish managed to dock his shuttle back to the mother ship. He slowly got out of craft, staggering. He wasn't really hurt, the medical technology had taken care of that, but healing up so fast had drained him of his energy. He needed food and drink, but that could wait, he would report to his master first.
Several minutes later he arrived on the bridge, the middle chair - practically a throne - swivelled around and the bull alien regarded him coldly. Ridish dropped to his knees, and said, "Forgive me, I failed, the boy beat me."
"Boy?" the bull growled gently.
"Dimwu and Jarbal didn't say, but their warrior was a boy, he killed Dimwu," Ridish answered his master. "His power was incredible, he beat me with ease, sir."
"A boy!?" the bull once again grumbled.
Ridish nodded, then looked up, fear in his eyes, the Bull regarded him closely, obvious he saw the change in his old friend. "He said he was a Saiyan. But that can't be, that's insane. They are legend, myth, and if they aren't, they've been extinct for eons."
The bull gave a chuckle, and told him, "Trust me the Saiyans are no mere myth." Everyone on the bridge looked somewhat shocked at their commander's revelation, but Ridish obviously wasn't finished, but he was also hesitant. "Talk," the bull ordered.
"It makes no sense, sir, he must have been . . . I don't know," Ridish answered and looked up in his master's eyes. They were cold, and demanded an answer. "His hair turned golden, and he said he was a Legendary Super Saiyan. It's a load of bullshit, the Saiyans themselves are legend, that's . . ." Ridish stopped looking as he watched the facial expression change, into one he'd never seen before. The bull's eyes sparkled with mirth, desire, life . . . Ridish had never seen it on his bull-like friend.
The bull slowly got up out of his chair, and he looked up, seemingly at something only he could see. He bared his teeth in a grin, and he said, as if filled with awe, "Ten thousand years ago, when I was but a boy, the Saiyans were already legend, but nobody questioned the reality of that legend; they were real. Even then an extinct race of warriors that massacred their way across the galaxy. Power inconceivable to me then, and to others, part of it still for me now: capable of destroying whole planets, but they weren't few and far between like with us, in this day of age - no . . . a whole species with that kind of power. But there was a legend, one that existed among the Saiyans, and thus among us; a legend so frightening people dismissed it, or just thought it was an exaggeration. The Legendary Super Saiyan. A saiyan with so unimaginable amount of power he could obliterated planets with the energy in its pinky, a Saiyan that grew massively in strength by fighting, and even just breathing. A Super Saiyan as the legend went, could wipe out an entire army of Saiyans with a single blast: simply unstoppable . . . a ruthless killing machine - if one is here." The bull gave a chuckle, and then smiled with anticipation.
"But it can't be, they're extinct," Ridish said in shock, slowly everyone present starting to get afraid of the concept.
"Indeed, /here/ they are extinct, but how about in another dimension, another reality, yes." The bull suddenly whipped around, and ordered, "Set course for that planet, maximum velocity, now!"
"But, sir, what about the diplomatic meeting down below? We were supposed to escort the 'ambassador' back to his home," one of the bull's crewmen asked.
"Ah, yes, thank you, I almost forgot," the bull said with a grin, and walked over to a window in the side of the bridge. He squeaked the handles, they hadn't been used in ages, and he casually threw it open. The air immediately rushed out, the crewmen grabbing a hold of whatever they could. The bull stuck his arm through, aimed his open palm at the planet and with a grin fired a beam of energy that rapidly grew in size. A few moments later in struck the planet, and drilled through it an instant. The bull laughed as cracks started forming across the entire planet, glowing orange with the lava coming to the surface. The crewman watched in shock as storms raged across the entire planet, and massive super electric bolts flew out from the core of the planet tearing it apart from the inside out. More cracks formed, and a huge part broke free and was launched into air, rapidly reaching toward space. A rapidly growing number of parts of the planet started to shake loose. The bull pulled his hand back inside, closed the window, and said, "I believe they just came to the mutual agreement to die." He laughed hard at his own joke then.
"Move, maximum velocity, unless you want to get hit by a stray piece of planet," the bull commanded irritably as he walked over to his throne and sat back down.
"Yes, sir," the helmsmen said and the ship flew away, going to FTL speeds soon after. The planet exploded at around the same time, sending debris flying everywhere, no ship managed to escape the planet's destruction.
"You are aware General Megamac will come for us, do you, sir?" one crewman nervously, but politely asked.
The bull laughed out loud, and answered, "Neither he, nor you have ever seen my full power. If the fool thinks he can stop me, he's going to be mightily surprised when I blow away his pathetic, little army." The crewmen all went to their business.
*****
Back on Earth
Gohan ducked underneath a greatly improved punch from Mamoru and smashed both his open palms into his stomach, sending him staggering backward. Gohan smoothly parried a blow from Sailor Moon, and then pulled her along, sending her sailing through the air and crashing against the wall off the shrine. She groaned in frustration and a little pain at the impact. She preferred to stay down, but seeing her boyfriend preparing to attack Gohan again, and not wanting to look like a wimp to him, she started to get back up as well.
Venus' Crescent Beam Gohan casually swatted aside, and beat the girl back with an elbow. Then he jumped up, and turned three quarters of a circle clockwise, and stretched out his right foot, catching Jupiter in a perfectly aimed spin kick. She was launched off her feet, circled through the air before crashing to the floor. Gohan grabbed Umino's punch, twisted his arm - just far and hard enough to hurt, but not to injure - and sent him back with a kick. He let a ki shield handle a fireball from Mars, and then blocked Mamoru's kick with his right arm. Sailor Moon charged, but before she could reach Gohan, the boy yelled out, his ki flared and shot outward from him. All of the fighters were forced off their feet, and pushed back until they were held up against the wall and Gohan's life energy.
Gohan took a calming breath, as the others groaned in frustration. Then he let his power drop and with it all his friends dropped unceremoniously to the floor, eliciting several 'ows'. "Not bad," Gohan commented with a satisfied smile. "Not bad at all, not where I want you to be by the time I leave, but certainly on your way there. Good." Then he pointed downward, at his feet that were twenty centimeters off the floor. "/That/ seriously needs to improve thought. You're all still thinking like grounded people, it's time you start to use your flying abilities in your fights."
The team of heroes - recently expanded with three new members, two of them male and not in sailor costumes - looked at the gap between Gohan and the floor. Sailor Pluto groaned in annoyance, realizing she had stayed on the ground the whole time, like the others. "Dang, flying while fighting, it's just unnatural," Ami complained, and the others nodded.
"Not to me, it isn't, and neither will it be to your enemies. It's time you start considering it natural as well," Gohan said, and made a frown. "All right, as training, you are all are going to fly whenever you walk next week. You'll float just above ground and make simple walking motions, making it look like you're walking, that should get you acquainted with flight." His friends looked at him, and then nodded uncertain.
