Palace of God, Ten Years Ago
"Before we begin any real training, I want to go over the basics of ki with you," said Piccolo, pacing in front of Videl. They were mostly alone on the Palace, with Denden and Mr. Popo having retired to the inner sanctum. It was the dead of night, and the perfect time to train.
"But I can already use ki," objected Videl. She'd been eager to learn under Piccolo, the one who taught Gohan. But at this point what was the merit in a review section? She had been able to use her ki for some time now.
"No, what you have is rough control and no finesse," snapped Piccolo, ending his pacing and shooting Videl a harsh glare. "I won't deny you have talent, kid, but if you think that talent is enough to carry you through the world of martial arts then you're in for a rude awakening! You had a rudimentary use of ki before that Babidi awoke your powers and flooded you with energy you weren't ready for!"
Videl went quiet. She couldn't deny Piccolo's claims; there was truth to what he said. Before she'd experienced the awakening of Babidi's magic, she'd only been able to fly, and channel her ki into small parts of her body. Now she was capable of so much more.
"Ki is far more than simple power," explained Piccolo. "It is our vital essence; without it, the body as it is ceases to function. Even deities such as the Kaiōshin possess ki, though I'm sure you've noticed we can't feel it. Ki is composed of three individual constituents that in whole make up what you enjoy throwing around so much." He held up a single finger. "Physical energy." He held up a second finger. "Spiritual energy." A third finger. "Mental energy, the very essence of oneself."
"Physical...spiritual...mental..." Videl muttered.
"These three forms of energy mix within the body, coalescing in the centre of your being to form Ki, and it is this source that powers one's body. Due to the fact that Ki is necessary a person to continue to live, it is not possible to use 100% of one's ki." Piccolo continued as Videl now paid rapt attention. "There will always be Ki within the body to keep one alive; survival instincts run off of this 'hidden' Ki."
100% of my ki, Videl thought, a small fire burning in the back of her sapphire eyes. Would it be possible to fight like that? Without holding back anything?
Present Day, Tenkaichi Budōkai
Videl's aura, white, with hints of blue, was rushing forward in a violent torrent. Her ki had become a tempest, whirling around the entire arena in a fierce gust, whipping pieces of the MatterWave arena into the air. These pieces began to crumble, fading away into nothing. Her hair whipped around her face, clothes billowing. Gripped tightly in her hand, snapping with the wind, was her white headband, which had covered the "M" on her forehead
She cast the headband into the gale, and it was torn into shreds.
"The Kūmaken is my own signature technique," said Videl. "The fruits of my training over the last ten years, culminate in this!"
Erasa's sapphire eyes widened, but she couldn't help smiling. "Ten years...and you have this sort of technique to show for it. I don't know what it does yet, but I'm already impressed." She clenched her fists at her sides, and red ki began to rise from her feet. "It would be disrespectful at this point to fight you with anything less than full power." In an instant, Erasa was enveloped in a rich red ki. Her hair rose, and the ki dyed her hair the same vibrant red; her eyes narrowed, and her irises shone jet black.
The ki which bathed her body diverted, and formed eight orbs of the same striking red colour, amassing in a halo-like formation.
"Benijuzu," Erasa said, flexing her fingers. "It took ten years to settle on a name — even if I needed help in the end," she added, laughing.
In the waiting wings, the entire group watched the ensuing battle with intense concentration. To say Gohan and Piccolo wanted to see the battle to its full extent was an understatement. Yet an unexpected party looked at the match with surprising interest; Mifune. The woman's arm rested on the hilt of her bokutō, and her vivid blue eyes surveyed not the footage, but the arena itself, with a predatory interest.
The entire battlefield was saturated in powerful ki. She could feel it.
I can't keep this up long, thought Videl. She could feel power rushing through her body; the ki within her body, which had been churning, was now pushing in only a single direction I only have about a minute... She clenched her fists, and the tiles beneath her cracked as she adjusted her footing. Videl vanished, and it was followed by an explosion where she'd stood. Erasa quickly staggered back from the force of an impact she hadn't expect; Videl had done the unthinkable and rushed in with a powerful straight punch. Her stunning attack was followed quickly by a crushing kick to the stomach, and Erasa was reeling.
The red-haired woman reached to her side, grabbing one of her eight glowing spheres. She brought it forward, and with two fingers, slashed the air in multiple directions. The sphere broke apart, launching forward into multiple smaller orbs that bombarded Videl. Through the relentless onslaught of ki, Erasa melded her form, rushing forward. Videl forced the spheres away in time to see Erasa close in, stepping forward with her left foot. Her fist was rushing towards Videl's head; she saw this coming and intercepted.
Her mistake was made apparent when Erasa's second fist impacted Videl's stomach. Her eyes widened, but she reeled in the pain as much as she could. The Yamazuki...! she recalled the technique clearly, able to employ it herself. To fall for such an obvious feint...!
Focusing her weight entirely onto her left foot, Erasa swung forward with her right. Videl ducked beneath the blow, and, keeping both palms gripping the ground, slid her foot along the ground in an arc. The sweep kick threw Erasa off her balance, allowing for Videl to strike with a pulverizing blow to the chest. It forced Erasa into the MatterWave tiles, deep into the durable arena.
"W-What is this shocking display?!" cried the announcer amidst the chaos. "Videl is glowing white, Erasa is shining red, and no one can keep track of anything anymore!"
"This is Videl's true power?" asked Gohan, taking in the fight with observant eyes. "That form —Kūmaken?— is impressive. I didn't think you'd teach her something so reckless, Piccolo."
The Nameccian grinned. "Don't pin that on me. Videl is a natural talent. The Kūmaken is her own original technique. She created it after I explained the basics of ki to her. It's her own trump card."
Erasa floated back up quickly, using one of her orbs as propulsion, magnifying it to an immense size to ride on with a foot, before shrinking it down to something manageable again. She and Videl did not waste time with words; the moment it was clear that blow — painful as it had been — was not the deciding factor, the two friends lunged at each other yet again.
A powerful thrust kick was parried this time by Erasa's arm, and the woman avoided a right straight by shifting her body to the side. In an attempt to best the other, the two dashed forward again, clashing before splitting apart. The distance took them high into the air, where once again the two parties clashed, their hands meeting, caught in a vicegrip. They broke apart again, before colliding even higher above the arena, knee smashing into knee, elbow parried by forearm. Videl retaliated with a kick, which Erasa fended off using her knee yet again, and the two struck each other with elbow blows that were intercepted and rocked them with pain.
Each and every time the two struck each other, shockwaves resounded throughout the barrier and the arena shook.
Erasa struck fast, though Videl weaved around her punch and attacked from behind with her own. The red-headed martial artist spun in mid-air, backhanding Videl with a clenched fist. The blow struck home, despite that Videl remained undeterred, slugging Erasa in the face as response. Erasa grabbed Videl's arm, deflecting the blow and striking her again. Without faltering, Videl kept up her attack, and Erasa struck at the same time. The two strikes crossed each other, solidly assaulting the jaw of the other target.
Despite their lock, Erasa used a free hand to reach for one of the orbs at her back and thrust it forward. Willfully, she increased the size of the sphere to gargantuan proportions, and it began to spiral violently. Videl was flung away by the force of the violently rotating spiraling sphere, which Erasa proceeded to contract and return to its position at her back. Videl, who had been slung with great force, collided into the barrier. She impacted hard, yet retained her composure. The girl gripped the barrier, bending at the knees, and launched herself forward.
Her opponent's eyes widened, and Erasa immediately selected six orbs from her back, throwing them forward. They connected to form a glowing red glass-like hexagon had formed. It expanded to considerable size, and the barrier firmly defended Erasa. Videl crashed into it, and was immediately thrust backwards again. The orbs disassembled, returning to their halo formation, and Erasa grinned.
Defence, offence...it's all the same with my power. Erasa noted. Can your new power take this?! She pulled forward two of the orbs in her halo formation, and merged them both together. The single orb expanded, and Erasa split them apart into a large multitude once more. Her onyx eyes narrowed, and Erasa swung her hand forward. The orbs launched towards Videl like meteors, and she was forced to run.
The rushing red bullets crashed into the ground, Videl flying full speed in the opposite direction. However, the orbs were following Videl; the ones that didn't collide with the arena turned and curved, weaving in and out as they sought out their target. The explosions coated the arena in dust, and Videl broke through the cloud, leaving a trail behind her. Focusing her ki, she expelled a kiai from both hands on either side, disrupting the flow of the kikōha, destroying them entirely.
Clenching her fists, Videl began to raise her ki still further, her aura blazing white. And Erasa finally understood. She felt the oddity of the flow to Videl's ki, and connected the dots. Ki was meant to flow like an ocean within a person's gut; it behaved like their breath. When one breathes in, ki flows inward, and when one breathes out, it flows outward. Breathe control was one of the first exercises Erasa had learned, and thus was one of the basics of her curriculum.
Ki flows outward from our body when we 'power-up', thought Erasa. It's why we shout; that kiai is the outward flow of our ki, free-flowing from our body. Ki control is best learned through the measurement of one's breath, and by practising breathing exercises, we can learn to release our ki and keep it close to ourselves. Effectively taking the "push" and "pull" into our own accord. It becomes second nature, and no longer requires the same kind of focus. She looked at Videl with something resembling amazement. But this...this is a limited time of 'push'. She's utilising 100% of her kiat once!
The revolving whitish-blue tempest did not cease, and the woman ran forward. She leapt into the air to meet Erasa, and swung. Erasa retaliated, and their fists deflected each other. Erasa followed-up with a powerful punch to Videl's gut. Abnormally she withstood the blow that would have winded a normal person, and thrashed Erasa's jaw with a powerful uppercut.
"Urk!"
"Gwah!"
The sounds of battle, far from elegant, erupted from the two as they danced in the air. To the audience, it was nothing but chaos. Videl and Erasa were everywhere at once, but simultaneously nowhere. To the mundane eye, multiple actions were occurring but simultaneously; Erasa and Videl could be seen blocking and striking without a delay between them, but at other points, the two were simply gone.
Videl struck Erasa solidly to the collarbone.
Erasa retaliated with a kick to the ribs.
The two leapt apart, sending a powerful kikōha towards each other. The blasts crashed in the middle, erupting into explosions that tore away at the MatterWave arena. They descended towards the ground, and ran towards each other once more.
Videl stuck hard with two direct blows, but Erasa dodged them all. She retaliated with a powerful blow to Videl's stomach, and sent Videl flying. She crashed hard onto the tiles a distance away, but Erasa had already leapt into the air to follow. She landed and propelled herself towards Videl. She thrust her fist forward, and the black-haired caught the blow. Erasa kicked forward, but Videl managed to deflect it with her wrist. Erasa put a bit of distance between them for her counterattack, yet Videl moved forward with a crushing punch.
With her feet planted firmly on the ground, Erasa used her palm to deflect the blow, bending Videl's arm downward. Videl forced her off, leaping above Erasa slightly and unleashing several kicks. With the fluid-motion of her palms, Erasa guided each and every blow around her as she wished, and Videl quickly scampered backwards, before leaping into the air.
Thirty seconds...not much time left! Videl clenched her fist. She would have to end this quick...but a dramatic technique might wind up killing her before she could effectively win. She grit her teeth and forced back these cowardly thoughts. Erasa wasn't a fool, and could more than likely feel just what this technique was doing to her. But she still responded with her full strength. So I can't fear death! I'll bring everything!
Her strength is winding down, thought Erasa. I can feel the push becoming a pull again...her ki is aching to contract the way it normally should! These next few blows will end it! Let's do this, Videl!
The black-haired woman slashed her fingertips along the air, which melded with the ki that her body was draped in. Atoms seemed to split as she trailed explosions in an arc, and the woman thrust her hand forward. These explosions were guided by Videl's will, and an arc of compressed ki bombs flung toward Erasa. The blasts were already detonating before they collided with Erasa, who was far too surprised to form a barrier. She was surrounded by eruptions of ki, and forced herself through the newly created smokescreen, singed and damaged, but alive.
Videl utilised this chaos for an opening, however, to close in on Erasa. The ki that enveloped her entire form began to circulate around her arm, forming a brilliant white spiral that covered the whole of her dominant arm. She thrust her fist forward, crushing it into Erasa's torso. "Rasen Maken!" At the moment of collision, Erasa was catapulted into the barrier, her entire body lurched with the blow, and she felt the impact even internally.
To the surprise of many, Bulma's barrier did not crumble; it was incredibly well built.
Erasa fall from the barrier towards the ground, but had not lost consciousness yet. She pulled a sphere from behind her back, flinging it downward and flattening it from a sphere to a flat disc. Her dialing was rough, and she coughed up a great deal of blood. Rasen Maken...she gripped her stomach. Imbuing her already powerful punches — which are already enhanced by her Kūmaken — to further explosive degrees of power by circulating incredibly dense kiaround it. If I wasn't transformed...that might have killed me.
The woman leapt from her perch towards the arena, standing before Videl. No words were exchanged. There wasn't time. Erasa's fingertips were glowing red; another one of her orbs had coated her fingers in energy. She rushed forward, and Videl readied herself to defend from an enhanced melee strike.
This wasn't what she expected.
With a downward swiping motion of her hands, Erasa released a powerful crescent shaped blast of ki from her fingertips. It traveled at intense speed, and at this mid-range, struck Videl almost instantly. She was enveloped in a powerful red ki, and felt pain surge through her body. As the blast dispelled, Videl made a move to counter, but felt her body be forced back by an invisible force.
Erasa followed-up with a powerful kiai.
With four orbs still at her back, Erasa launched herself forward. Videl, though in immense pain for a multitude of reasons, continued the battle. Erasa closed in on the woman, and Videl swung her left leg up in a kick. Erasa retaliated with her right leg, and both blows collided. The floor beneath them cracked and dissipated into MatterWaves, but these two were fare more durable than the tiles.
White and red continued to clash in the arena, but it was clear Videl's ki consumption was getting to her. When before, she had matched Erasa, now, she was beginning to become sluggish. Erasa was feeling the drain as well, but to a far lesser extent; her form maximized ki efficiency, rather than maximizing its usage. The majority of the ki in her body had gone to defending herself.
Her displaced ki, however, was brimming strong. Five orbs. Five chances.
It was the final few seconds. These crucial moves meant everything.
Videl raised an arm, localising part of the ki shroud that enveloped her into a flickering blade of white ki. She swung it down, only to find it parried as Erasa used three of the form orbs to form a triangular barrier in front of her body. The blade bounced off of the glass-like shield, and try as Videl might, she could not crack the barrier itself. Her face worked in frustration, and she thrust forward. Her blade pierced one of the three orbs that formed the connective points, and the plane was disrupted. The two were split apart by the explosion of one of the orbs, and the arena began to crack and crumble from the detonation.
One down...!
Blinding speed moving them both, the two raced towards the other. Erasa's stunt had cost her a sphere, but she had more than enough. She had to retain confidence in that. There was still that last-ditch gamble. Scooping forward one of the orbs, Erasa energised it, and launched it forward. The sphere hurtled ahead of her, whizzing towards Videl. The black-haired woman leapt to the side, aiming to avoid it.
Erasa grinned, and clenched her fist.
The orb expanded, becoming a considerably larger threat than it had been. It spun wildly, grinding into the MatterWave tiles and turning them to dust long before faded away. With her generated blade, Videl held steady, using it to fend off the massively rotating sphere of ki. With effort and substantial strength, she sliced it apart. The sphere, fittingly, exploded akin to a bomb. Videl leapt away as quickly as she could, and her dense shroud of ki shielded her as best she could.
She hadn't a choice. Erasa was bolting towards her at breakneck speeds, and clenched within her palm was another sphere. What Erasa intended to do with it, Videl wasn't particular interested. Keeping it away from her was of bigger interest.
"Masenkō!"
Videl flung both arms downward, expelling a white Masenkō — more of a Super Masenkō, with the strength behind it — towards Erasa. The woman's onyx eyes shot open in surprise, and she propelled the orb clenched in her hand forward on reflex. It collided with the Masenkō, white mixing with red, but was overpowered. The kikōha enveloped Erasa, and she was nearly washed off the arena.
With the loss of a second orb, the situation became dire. Videl was forcing her hand each time, and that Masenkō had been powerful enough to nearly knock her unconscious. She felt a surge of ki, and saw Videl descending downward. Her fist was draped in ki once more, spiraling behind her like a comet's trail. "Rasen Maken!"
The red-haired woman pooled another orb from behind her, and coated her hand in the ki. Unlike Videl's spiral formation, her's appeared to be a blazing conflagration. She raised her fist up to meet Videl's, and the two blows clashed. Ki erupted from the focal point, and both blows appeared to be even in strength. Appeared to be, being the operative phrase.
Videl was already taxing her body beyond conceivable limits, and when Erasa's punch collided with her's, the resulting clash caused immense pain to jolt through the offending limb. It wasn't long before Erasa's force exceeded Videl's, and the girl was thrown backwards from the strength of Erasa's blow. Erasa examined her back. A single orb left. She raised a hand towards Videl's flying form, and the orb manifested. It glowed red, and she released a powerful, full-force kikōha towards Videl, utilising the orb's power for the follow-up attack.
At the moment of impact, Videl utterly and completely denied it with her entire being. A vigorous shout escaped her throat, and she forced her ki to "push" once more. With the strength of her ki, she dissipated Erasa's kikōha, leaving nothing but red embers. "Not...yet..." she breathed, ragged. "I still have more fight...left in me!"
"She's going overboard," muttered Piccolo, keeping his watchful eye on the occurrences within the arena. "The Kūmaken is powerful, but it isn't meant for a prolonged battle. To use 100% of one's ki...I told her before that this technique was best meant to be used for a minute. She's exceeded that already. It's nearing two minutes."
"What do you mean?" asked Trunks, looking from the arena to Piccolo. "That she's going to lose?"
"Erasa's transformation is perhaps her worst opponent," replied Piccolo. "A form maximises ki utility, versus a form that maximises its consumption. This was skewed against her from the moment she couldn't land a deciding blow."
Videl...! Trunks felt an immense surge of concern flood his body. Not just for her well-being, for but for mentality. If all her training was to fail here...!
The white ki surged forth like a storm, but the flow was beginning to falter. Her aura, formerly vibrant, was flickering away. Her ki was demanding to contract, the natural flow had been disturbed for far too long. The stress on her body was piling up, and every cell screamed for release. But she refused. Her eyes, far from showing pain, showed resolution. "You're out of orbs...I have an opening!"
Erasa sighed, but it was accompanied by a smile. "You're really bringing everything, Videl. And I know how badly you wanted this match. I won't say anything as insulting as to back down. Let's finish it!"
Videl pooled all of her aura around her body, and bent at the knees. Fingers clenched, she darted towards Erasa , feet crushing into the remaining tiles.
Erasa stood firm, and raised a hand to her side. "Ka...Me..Ha..Me...
A Kamehameha?! Videl's panic peaked, and she increased her speed instantly. The moment she reached Erasa, however, the girl was glowing bright red, and her palms were cupped in front of her. A single red orb was glowing vibrant between them. "HA!" She thrust both hands out at Videl, and the orb expanded into a gigantic blast. The Crimson Kamehameha engulfed Videl, and she was sent flying across the arena. She collided with the barrier once more, and fell to the ground without resistance.
The count to ten was quick. Videl wasn't moving.
"Videl has been unconscious and out of the ring for a ten count! Erasa is the winner!"
At the call of her victory, Erasa's hair regained its normal blonde hue, and returned to its shaggy, shoulder-length cut. Her expression softened, and her entire body relaxed. She made a move to fly down and collect her friend, but another body rushed past her, leaping across the arena and down next to the arena's base.
Trunks.
The man knelt down, pulling his unconscious girlfriend into his arms, and sighing. "You really went all in, didn't you?" He was smiling, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He floated up, and made his way back towards the waiting wings just as Erasa herself landed at the threshold. She walked over to Gohan, looking thoroughly ragged, and smiled.
"How do you feel?" asked Gohan concernedly, placing a hand on Erasa's face. "You haven't fought at full power in years, and to consume that much ki in two minutes..."
Erasa couldn't help but grin even more broadly. "She made me work for that victory; I couldn't have asked for a better welcome back to the fighting stage. Erasa wrapped her arms around Gohan, pulling him in with a mischievous expression. "I want us both to make it to the finals, and if we do, I don't want you to even think about holding back."
"Yes, ma'am," Gohan replied, grinning.
"That was a surprisingly sneaky move from you," said Piccolo. "You purposefully kept the sphere you used to break your fall hidden at the base of the arena, to fool Videl into thinking you'd run out of options."
Erasa chuckled weakly, scratching the back of her head. "I wasn't banking on needing to rely on that cheap gamble, but it did work in the end."
"I'm not condemning you," said the Nameccian sternly. "It was a form of strategy, and a brilliant one at that."
"...even if it hurt like hell," came a bitter voice. The group looked to see Videl, being cradled by Trunks, casting Erasa a bitter look. She was conscious, and her wounds had been healed, but Trunks insist that she stay put for a moment. She exhaled slowly, and, rather than averting her gaze, met the eyes of her best friend proudly. "But still...it was a great match. You didn't back away from me, even when most people would have told me to stop." A genuine smile crossed her face. "I showed you everything and you answered me! That means everything; I'll redouble my training and we'll have a rematch!"
"O-Of course!" replied Erasa, taken aback. She'd half-expected Videl to be upset about losing, but sh was taking it in stride. "I'll have a rematch with you anytime, just don't think I'll stop training between now and then!"
"Now for the next round!" the announcer's voice crowed, piercing the entire arena. "Round 4! Goten vs. Rayo!"
"Well, I think that's my cue," said Goten, heading out towards a restored MatterWave arena. "Wish me luck!"
Rayo followed him, slamming his fist into his palm, grinning. "I'm glad you at least look strong; this should be worth my time."
Erasa sighed. He's...still hotheaded.
The group prepared to watch the fourth round, when Gohan and Erasa heard a voice in the back of their heads.
Gohan! Erasa! Can you hear me? It's me! Lord Kaiōshin! It's been awhile! I want you two to come visit the Kaiōshin Realm!
A/N: OK so this fight was actually quit a bit of fun to write. I'd wanted to write Erasa and Videl's rematch for quite awhile, and to finish it like this was great. Their last match was far too short, though that makes sense, since neither of them was sufficiently powerful. Now, when they're both quite strong, it should be a sight to behold. And I sincerely hope you all enjoyed both parts of this fight! My explanation of ki comes from Toriyama's own explanation; I merelyAc adjusted his wording while keeping the same meaning. According to Toriyama, ki is composed of three distinct components including "energy" (元気, genki), "courage" (勇気, yūki), and "mind" (正気, shōki). You can see why I adjusted the terms.
So now, to explain names. Benijuzu (紅数珠, Crimson Rosary) is a self-explanatory name. I had intended to use a different name a friend came up with, but in the end, it didn't fit with the form, so I went with something that tied into the transformation. Rasen Maken (螺旋魔拳, Spiraling Demon Fist) is the name of one of Videl's new moves. Also self-explanatory. The Kūmaken (空魔拳), as I explained two chapters prior, is Videl's newest technique, and means "Empty Demon Fist".
As for the two users who messaged me in the personal messages, I shall try to reply soon! I'm sorry for the delay! I've just been caught up in things! As always, Demod20 proofread my story; give him a thanks, folks! I shall see you all in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles!