Chapter 4: Practice Makes Perfect
(5 months after the earthquake, 7 months before the rift opens)
SSJ4 training was getting old. Only Vegeta could match me, but I knew better than to get a big head. I needed to expose myself to a variety of fighting techniques, so I went and sparred with Gohan and Goten.
Gohan went to his highest Mystic form and Goten went to SSJ. I only powered up to SSJ as we began.
"You seriously think you can take us on without powering to you limits?" Goten asked.
"I have to try. I need more experience. My powers don't seem to want to go much higher without nearly killing myself."
"Yeah, I'd imagine spending days in the rehab tanks get dull after a while." Gohan said, taking a stance. Goten copied.
"It'd be better if I had a book to read."
All at once they charged me, and Goten disappeared. Gohan started up a Kamehameha and I couldn't find Goten. I figured they were both going to hit me, so I teleported behind Gohan.
I went to hit Gohan with an axe-hit, but then I was hit from the side with a different Kamehameha Wave. Once I deflected the attack, I saw Goten, arms still out from his attack.
"You knew what I was going to do. How?" I asked.
"You always twitch your tail before you teleport." Gohan said.
"Thanks for the info!" then we got going again.
We were high up, in the sky. When you're fighting this high up, you don't have the simple, nearly 2-D perspective of fighting, you can go above or below your opponent as well.
Goten and Gohan did well at first, but then I caught on to their tactics. They worked together without speaking, they knew what to do, so I fixed that.
Gohan and Goten got in front of me, coming right at me. I put my plan into action.
"Solar Flare!" I cried, blinding them both.
"Hey, that was a dirty trick!" Goten cried, holding his eyes.
"You think your counterparts won't try something just as bad?"
I flew right behind Gohan and grabbed his shirt, just enough to teleport. He never even knew I had moved him.
Gohan and Goten started to open their eyes, but I knew they still couldn't see very well.
"Hey guys! I'm about to attack!" I cried. They both started to power up Kamehameha Waves aimed right at me.
They fired, but I couldn't move yet.
Wait… wait for it…I had moved Gohan so that he was facing Goten, and I was right between them. The attacks were coming at me, but at one another as well.
My time came, and I dodged. They started to push against each other, not yet realizing that it wasn't me they were attacking.
Both attacks seemed to fade. I looked up at them as the light faded. They both were surprised to see who was on the other end of their blasts.
They both looked down at me.
"Katie!" they cried. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Boy did I get you two good or what?"
"We'll have to fix that." Gohan said. He went to power up, surpassing his form.
"What is that!" I cried, backing up.
"Gohan's been training a lot for the past five months. This is what came from that hard work." Goten yelled to me.
Gohan's hair became golden-white, and his eyes became more green than blue as he transformed. His aura was flashing like lightning, and when he was finished I was speechless.
"Katie, meet the first appearance of the Mystic Super Sayjin form. If I had this before, Omega Shenron would have wet himself."
I laughed. He had power, but he was also acting arrogant.
"Gohan, you sound like Vegeta. Very well then, if you want to play rough, we'll play rough!"
I made the jump to SSJ4 easily and began to fight with Gohan one-on-one. I was excited, he was actually stronger than me. We'd both get stronger fighting at these levels, and that was always a good thing.
After a few weeks Gohan and I became equal. Once again I faced my problem with sparring. I had surpassed Vegeta and I was equal with Gohan, and I had fought with these two so much that our fights began to make me think of reruns. I already knew what was going to happen, and it was the same with both of them. In a way that was good because I knew what the counterparts would try.
I was running out of ideas about training, so I went to the basics. I started training with Shikara, my sword. If I had a sword, I guessed my counterpart would have a sword as well.
Then after that I even pushed further back. I went back as far as a Sayjin could go. I went to an empty, deserted area, with supervision from Vegeta, and used the imitation moon to transform into an Oozaru.
You probably don't get why I'd do that. Its simple really, before you can know your enemy, you have to know yourself. And in this case, my enemy was myself. I had to get grips on my Oozaru form and tame it, as Vegeta had done in the past, and as I had done in the past. The better control I had over my most savage, wild part, the better warrior I could become.
On this particular summer day it was hot. I didn't mind it too much though, because as I had learned, Planet Vegeta got warmer than this in autumn. That's how planets are that have a Red Giant sun in their system.
"Katrin, I still don't see why you're so obsessed with taming your Oozaru form. Even once you come out of the form you won't remember what you did." Vegeta said.
"But that's just it, Vegeta. Bardock claimed he could remember, and I'm related to him. I remember too. I might be able to figure this out, I just need practice. I'm full of surprises."
"Don't I know that?" Vegeta said.
"Over there." I said, landing.
We landed on the soft sand, and thank goodness for Sayjin armor. I could keep on clothes as I transformed instead of having to bring extra clothing.
"Are you ready to try again?" Vegeta asked. This was the third time this week we had gone out.
"What do you think?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"You remind me of myself in my younger days." Vegeta said, smirking.
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" I asked. He threw the simulation into the sky. He had his tail now, too, but he took cover. He was out here to make sure nobody got hurt if I went crazy.
Alright, here we go…Before I looked at the light, I thought of something to keep myself focused. An idea of mine, to be focused as a Sayjin and keep that train of thought as I changed. It hadn't worked so far, but maybe it would this time.
I looked at the light, and my mind started to go fuzzy. I kept a mental image of myself, thinking humanely, to keep focus. Right now it was working.
I am Katie… Katrin… a Sayjin… an Oozaru…I slipped.
Rage. Undeniable, unlocked fury coursed through my veins. My soul burned with anger, my heart rate increased as thoughts of violence ran through my mind. I wanted to unleash the fury, and my body obliged.
My body began to change more now, faster and faster. I sensed it all. I could see it all.
I shot up into the air, ten feet, twenty feet, sixty feet. My arms shot out, seemingly miles away from my body. Coarse, thick hair grew, itching. My face elongated and my eyes grew, changing shape. The transformation hurt, but not a lot. I could feel things grown, and some things disappear.
My arms were as big as buses, my tail could wrap around a whale. I let out a roar, and the nearest cliff was shattered.
"Hey, stop that!" I said. Then I noticed that I said that to myself. I was watching myself go nuts from inside my own mind.
"Katrin, stop it! Keep this up and there won't be an earth to defend!"
I couldn't see Vegeta, but I heard him. The Oozaru didn't, though. I could only see what my eyes could see, but I could still hear without restraint.
"Vegeta, stop me!"
"Katrin?" he heard me.
"Vegeta, I can't control it!"
"Concentrate, Katrin! I know you can do it!"
"It's like I'm watching a movie!"
My body was blowing things up, smashing rock walls and throwing dust everywhere. I could only watch.
I have to concentrate. My idea was a good one, but it separated my mind and body. I have to tame my animalistic side.
"Hey! Stop that!" my body seemed to stop, but I didn't know if it was me or Vegeta's scent.
"Now Katrin! While you stopped!"
What do I do?
I reached out, and my hand moved. I lifted my other arm, and my body responded. I turned to look, and my head moved.
"Vegeta, I got it! I got total control!" I said, looking at him.
"Total control huh? Well, if Bardock could do it, so could you."
I decided to give myself a test, so I moved around more and jumped into the air. I looked down at Vegeta, who fell over due to the tremors of my jump. He was smirking. He was proud of me and for me. That in turn made me proud.
Vegeta destroyed the false moon and I reverted to normal. I hit my knees and took in some much needed air. Vegeta walked over and helped me up to my feet.
"Imagine the power if I had powered up first." I said, smirking at Vegeta. His response was an expected one.
"That's enough from you today," he smirked, "I call 'dibs' on the gravity room."