Chapter 6

Marron

Marron woke up before the sun and immediately started stretching. She had plans for today after all, this might be the last day that Vegeta would let her train in the Gravity Room, and she was going to make the most of it. Yesterday's training in it had been the best workout Marron had ever had, especially with the gravity set to Ten Times Earth Gravity while wearing her 800-pound weighted clothes. Shadow boxing the air in those conditions for two hours and finished with a ten-minute sparring session with Vegeta was awesome training. For all his surliness, Vegeta really was one of the Universe's Greatest Fighters. He made sure she knew this by fighting with only one hand, her challenge was to try to make him use his other hand. She hadn't managed it, but she had learned where her flaws in her offense were, she was sure she could meet his challenge this time.

Marron got her gi and weighted clothes on and packed her normal clothes, a cute skort and tennis shoes with a short sleeved purple shirt, the Headphones Trunks and Bra gave her for her birthday, and a denim jacket, her Weather App said it would be a little chilly today. Marron ran out of her room into the kitchen, and saw her parents already up, her Dad looked like he hadn't shaved yet while Eighteen handed him what looked like his third cup of coffee. "Morning!" Marron said. "Good morning, Sweetie," her Dad said, he was definitely tired. "So, what's wrong?" she asked him. "We've been trying to figure out who should teach the boys in blue how to use ki," her Mom explained. "It can't be me," Krillin said, "The Chief needs what officers that can use ki out on the streets, just in case. Goku's a no too, I'm pretty sure Chi-chi would bite both our heads off if I suggested he spend more time away from home after being gone for four years. I called Tien and Chiaotzu and they're still dealing with that flu going around at his dojo." "I'm no good at teaching the finer aspects of ki," Eighteen admitted, "Plus, I don't think they can afford me." "I was thinking about Gohan, but he's got his job and training Videl, plus one of them needs to be home to take care of Pan. I thought about Piccolo, but I don't know if any recruits would survive with him as a teacher, same with Vegeta. We were thinking about asking Master Roshi…but he's…" Krillin didn't finish.

"A walking sexual harassment lawsuit," Marron bluntly stated. "Yeah," Krillin hung his head. That was when Marron thought of something, "What about Yamcha-jii-san?" "Huh…" Krillin seemed to seriously consider it. "Are you serious? Didn't he retire?" Eighteen pointed out. "Yeah, but, at Marron's party he said that he's been training again, and I think he's actually gotten a little bit stronger than before. Huh…yeah, Yamcha could work," Krillin said. "Yeah, but he's so weak," Eighteen pointed out. "Yeah, but, look, babe, you didn't know Yamcha when we were younger. He was the first of us to create his own original technique, the Spirit Ball, and when he and Tien fought, man, it was nothing short of incredible," Krillin said. Eighteen huffed at this, "Go ahead then, call him. I just hope he's actually good at teaching." "Trust me," Krillin said and called Yamcha. Marron ate a fast breakfast of toast and an orange before brushing her teeth.

As she finished brushing her teeth and putting her hair into a ponytail she heard her Dad say, "Thanks a lot Yamcha, I knew I could count on you. You were my first choice, really. See you at the Station." Eighteen and Marron laughed a little at Krillin's little white lie and Marron started heading out. "Hold on, Marron," Krillin said. "Hm?" Marron wondered. "Look, I know you volunteered to help deal with any other criminals that might use ki. You're strong, really, I wasn't even close to as strong as you are when I was your age. Just remember, never underestimate your opponent. Also, if you think you might lose, get out of there, okay? People willing to kill their own won't hesitate to do worse to their enemies," Krillin sternly said. Marron understood the gravity of her Dad's words and nodded, "I understand. I'll be careful." Marron gave her Dad a kiss on his forehead and her Mom a kiss on her cheek, then waved goodbye to run out of the room and fly high in the sky, straight for Capsule Corp.

She reached Capsule Corp in ten minutes and flew down. Dr. Briefs opened the door, and the old man said, "Oh, Marron, it's nice to see you again. Bra was talking all about your sparring with Vegeta yesterday." "Hi, Dr. Briefs. So, Bra thinks I'm pretty cool, huh?" Marron said as he led her to the Gravity Room. "Yep, she even asked Bulma to make some armor like Vegeta's for her, so she could train with him. Goten told us about everyone helping the police, and the excitement's really gotten to her," Dr. Briefs said as they reached the Gravity Room. Dr. Briefs went to a speaker next to the door and said, "Yo, Vegeta, Bra, Marron's here." The sound of fighting emerged from the speaker as Bra said, "Just thirty more minutes, Grandpa!" "Alright. Go get him sweet-pea," Dr. Briefs said before turning to Marron. "So, would you like to see them train? Or maybe go do something else while you wait?"

"Sure, I wanna see what Bra can do," Marron said. Dr. Briefs pressed a few buttons on the wall and a window opened up to show Bra sparring with Vegeta. Bra was blasting ki balls at him while Vegeta easily deflected them all as he walked closer. "Now for some audio," Dr. Briefs said and turned on the speaker, "It's all one way right now so we don't interrupt them. Vegeta can get a little testy when he's interrupted." "Oh yeah," Marron said. Bra looked adorable with her shoulder length blue hair down and wearing an exact replica of Vegeta's own armor. She looked battered and tired but had that fierce 'Vegeta Scowl' on her face to show she wasn't ready to give up yet. Bra's ki aura swirled all around her as she flew at Vegeta for a kick. Vegeta blocked the kick and her follow-up punch, then Bra surprised him by trying to sweep his legs. Vegeta jumped over it and palm-heeled her stomach to send her back before landing a punch to Bra's cheek. Bra fell to her knees and breathed hard.

Marron checked and saw that they were training in Fifty Times Earth Gravity. "Are you done? Is that all you have?" Vegeta asked Bra. "No, I'm not done!" Bra said as she got to her feet. "That's it, show me your pride, show me your power!" Vegeta encouraged his daughter as her aura grew around her again. Bra's ki aura seemed to turn gold for a half-second as her shoulder-length hair rose up a little. "You are part of a warrior race! And you are my daughter! I am one of the greatest warriors this universe has ever known! You have the power to surpass even me if you want it badly enough!" Vegeta encouraged as Bra's hair lifted higher, and her hair flashed gold for a half-second as her blue eyes turned turquoise. "THAT'S IT! GO BEYOND YOUR LIMITS! FOR A SAIYAN, THERE ARE NO LIMITS!" Vegeta yelled as eight-year old Bra screamed out her lungs, making the room shake as gold light filled the room. Marron and Dr. Briefs looked away and when the light was gone, Bra stood before her Father, another Super Saiyan ready to fight.

"NOW COME ON!" Vegeta yelled as Super Saiyan Bra flew at him faster than ever before. Vegeta stayed in his normal form, but it was clear that he was having a much harder time keeping up with his daughter. Bra threw punches and kicks at speeds no ordinary human could hope to follow, as it was, Marron could barely keep up with them. Vegeta smiled with pride the whole time as he blocked and dodged Bra's blows, before she managed to land a ki ball to his face and followed up with a kick to Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta jumped back and Bra followed, but Vegeta used his height advantage to kick her in her head, sending her flying to the side. Bra however wasn't done and quickly got up, wiping her face. Marron and Dr. Briefs watched them until thirty minutes finally passed and Dr. Briefs went back to the door and opened it. As soon as the artificial gravity switched off, Bra stopped and deactivated her Super Saiyan form, dropping to her hands and knees in sweaty exhaustion. "I did it Daddy. You were right, a Saiyan has no limits," Bra said with a tired smile.

Vegeta proudly smiled back at her and said, "You will become someone great, as long as you keep it up." Bra got up and saw Marron and Dr. Briefs, "Grandpa! Marron-nee-chan, look what I can do now!" Marron yelled out and turned Super Saiyan, but she was so exhausted that she could only keep it up for five minutes. "That's amazing, sweet-pea. But it looks like you need to take a break now. I'll see if Grandma can whip up some lemonade for you, and some cake, you've earned it," Dr. Briefs said as he helped Marron up. "YAY!" Bra happily said and waved bye to Marron, "Good luck!" "Thanks," Marron said, and waved bye to her. "Now then," Vegeta said to Marron when they were gone, "think you can handle a higher gravity level?" "Sure, pump it up to fifteen," Marron said, cracking her knuckles confidently. Vegeta activated the Gravity Room and set it to Fifteen Times Earth Gravity. The weight on Marron was heavy, harder than she imagined before she remembered that with her weighted clothes she was 925 pounds, multiplied by fifteen and she weighed a grand total of 13875 pounds, nearly seven tons!

"Well then," Vegeta said, putting his right hand behind his back, "Come on then, I don't have all day." Marron focused all her ki, letting her aura shine around her as she charged at Vegeta. Vegeta easily ducked under Marron's kick and went for his own, but Marron barely blocked it and blasted some ki balls at him. Vegeta deflected them and went at Marron, throwing punches and kicks at her, but Marron had learned yesterday of what to expect, managing to block his blows. The whole time, Vegeta kept his right hand behind his back. Vegeta finally managed to kick Marron back, but she stayed on her feet. Vegeta went at her and Marron quickly put her hands to her forehead, "SOLAR FLARE!" The bright light blinded Vegeta and he quickly jumped back before she could land a kick. Marron followed him and tried to throw a punch, but Vegeta grabbed her hand. Vegeta's eyes were closed, but he said, "Good idea. A few decades ago that might have worked." Vegeta kneed Marron's stomach hard enough to drive the wind out of her then tossed her aside.

Marron barely dodged a ki blast from Vegeta and focused ki in her hands. She cupped her hands together and ran at Vegeta. Vegeta opened his eyes and blasted ki balls at her, but Marron struggled through and dodged all of them, if only by millimeters, before getting a foot away from him and yelling, "KAMEHAMEHA!" The Kamehameha Wave made it through, blasting Vegeta back. Vegeta stopped himself from hitting the wall, and Marron seized her chance to hit Vegeta in the face with a punch before grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. Marron tried to stomp on him, but Vegeta rolled up and kicked her in the face, sending her flying into the wall hard enough for her to fear her ribs were broken. "Alright then," Vegeta told her, and brought his right hand out from behind his back, "You're more competent than I realized. Now, come on!" Marron got up and tasted blood, but spat it out and wiped her mouth off, ready to keep going.

Videl

Videl was woken up extremely early again by Gohan and got dressed in her gi. Like yesterday she had a quick breakfast of a breakfast bar and an orange, with a quick cup of coffee he had made for her. Piccolo came to watch Pan and Videl climbed on Gohan's back, so he could fly her to the island. As they flew, Gohan told her, "Alright, yesterday we focused on your physical body. Today, we're focusing on the other two parts of controlling your ki, your mind and your spirit. And tomorrow, we'll try to combine the two by sparring the whole training session. Sound good?" "What about after the sparring day?" Videl asked. "Master Roshi taught my Dad to eat well, study well, train well, and rest well, and that's how he trained me. We'd train hard, sure, but we always made sure to rest our bodies. Before we faced Cell, we rested for three days, just living a normal life. It was really nice," Gohan told her. "Good idea, that'll work," Videl said.

They touched down on the island and Gohan said, "Alright, first, you need to learn to sense ki. Close your eyes and focus." Videl did as he said. "Focus your mind, Videl, look for your ki," Gohan quietly told her. Videl focused, starting to feel her own power. "Yes, just breathe, stay calm, focus. Open your mind. I don't know how others feel, but for me, ki has always felt like fire, the stronger the ki the hotter the flame. I never asked how it felt to anyone else," Gohan told her. "What are humans like for you?" Videl asked as she felt her ki. It really did feel like fire, like in a fireplace. "Normal people feel like…candles honestly, stronger warriors like Tien or Krillin feel like a large burning furnace, like the kind they use for baking clay," Gohan told her, "Do you feel it?" "Yes, I do," Videl said. "Now, open your mind, and sense for the ki of the living creatures around us. There are fish in the sea, birds in the air, and I'm here too," Gohan told her, "Reach out, and sense it all."

Videl took a deep breath and stretched out with her mind. The first thing she sensed was Gohan, only two feet away from her. It felt like he was shining like a star, like the sun, drowning out all other light. Videl focused harder, and started to sense other ki signatures, those of animals, flickering like weak candles. She sensed the hundreds of fish and birds all around them under the sea and in the air. She sensed as slightly larger ki signatures devoured smaller ones, while even smaller ones were created, brought into the world. "I can sense it, I can sense…life happening, creatures dying, and new ones being born to take their place," Videl told Gohan, her voice filled with awe as she opened her eyes and saw the birds above. She kept her mind focused as she looked and saw where a school of fish were too. For the first time in her life, she understood. She finally understood why Gohan was so gentle, why the thought of taking a life was so horrid to him, every life was beautiful and precious in its own way. "That's amazing Videl! You're really getting the hang of this. I didn't think we'd get so far, but, you should know that ki is also useful for sensing emotions and intent. Let's try that out a little," Gohan told her. He took a fighting stance and Videl did the same.

"Focus on me, sense my ki, and try to feel my intent. Don't think, feel. I can't quite explain it, exactly, it's like another sense. You can't truly define smell, or taste, or sight, but you know what they are. Sensing intent is kind of like that, when you realize you can use it," Gohan explained to Videl. "I see," Videl said, and focused her mind on Gohan, sensing his amazing power. Videl felt it before she saw Gohan throw a kick, and she blocked it. "Whoa," Videl said. "That was fast!" Gohan told her, "I honestly thought I'd get you." "Well, let's keep going, see how well I can actually sense your intent. Don't forget, I was an amazing martial artist for a normal human too," Videl told him. "Alright," Gohan said. Videl blocked a punch, a kick, three more punches, and seven kicks before Gohan stopped. "Yes, this definitely isn't a fluke," Gohan said, and looked up to see the sun start to rise.

"Alright, we covered defense, I think that was good for today," Gohan said. "Huh? But we didn't even cover blasting ki like you can," Videl said. "I know, but Videl, we need to be careful with this. We need to focus on the finer points of ki before we reach that. I just don't want you to blow your arm off by putting too much power into an attack. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Gohan assured her. "Alright, but next time, I want to at least fire off a fireball or something," Videl told him. "With the way you're progressing, you will," Gohan said, and lifted her up to fly back home.

Krillin

Yamcha met Krillin outside the Police Station, already wearing his Turtle School gi. "Thanks for this, Yamcha," Krillin said. "Anytime, buddy. Besides, it'll be nice to get some respect for all my skills," Yamcha said. "You know, this is going to take a while before they have any respectable skill, right?" Krillin told him. "I know. It took us a while to get where we are now. Don't worry man, I'm ready to be in this for the long haul," Yamcha said as they went inside. Krillin showed Yamcha to the Chief's Office. The Chief was reading a report from Detectives Garbanzo and Cashew. The Chief looked up and saw Yamcha and Krillin and let them into his office. "I just read Garbanzo and Cashew's report. Whoever killed the kid, it wasn't Master Flying Stork or his assistant, we have video evidence that they were on the other side of the city doing a demonstration at the time," the Chief told Krillin. "Damn, I thought for sure it was them… Maybe one of their students?" "Garbanzo and Cashew are investigating that end. But I can't say anymore," the Chief said, and looked Yamcha up and down, "I recognize you, you were that pro baseball player, the one with a solid .989 batting average. I guess your power explains that, doesn't it?"

"Yep. After all that intense training, hitting a ball with a bat is child's play," Yamcha said with a smile. "Well, you certainly look like a martial artist. Is there anything you need to demonstrate your power? I've scheduled a meeting with all available officers out back in an hour," the Chief asked. "You got any really heavy weights? And some cement blocks would help too…plus some targets. "I'll arrange things. You should go do whatever you need to get ready," the Chief assured him. "Alright, Krillin, since we got an hour, how about we spar a little bit?" Yamcha said when they left the Chief's Office. "Alright," Krillin said, and saw Videl arrive at the station. "Hey, Videl," Krillin greeted. "Hey, Krillin, Yamcha. I guess you got chosen to teach everyone, huh?" Videl said.

"Yep, me and Krillin were about to spar some to help me warm up. Wanna watch?" he said. "Sure thing," Videl said, and the three of them headed to the Exercise Room. Krillin changed into a t-shirt and exercise pants in the locker room and took a few minutes to stretch before he and Yamcha squared off. Krillin thought about all the times he and Yamcha had trained, it had been so long, and thinking about it was starting to make him feel his age. They stood still for a minute, two veteran warriors with decades of experience between them…

Yamcha made the first move with an axe kick that Krillin side-stepped. Krillin responded by throwing a kick that Yamcha deflected and countered with his own punch. Krillin avoided the punch and jumped back before charging at him. Yamcha and Krillin traded blows with each other for five minutes, going faster and faster, harder and harder, moving at speeds that no one who hadn't experienced lives like they had could possibly follow. Their fists clashed together, causing a loud explosion in the closed room before they jumped back from each other. Krillin and Yamcha were both breathing heavily but smiling. "Looks like we still got it," Krillin said. "Yeah," Yamcha agreed, "You almost had me there. I guess sparring with Marron and Eighteen really helped you." "Yep," Krillin proudly said. "Holy cow! I could barely keep up with you guys! I mean, I lost track after three thousand strikes!" Videl said. "Huh," Yamcha said, and he and Krillin thought about their quick spar and Krillin finally said, "Yeah, sounds about right. Wait, how much has Gohan been training you?" "This is only day two," she told him, "But, he taught me how to pay attention to ki and sense people's intentions, to really look with ki."

"Nice, you're really doing great already then, picking up all that," Yamcha said. "Thanks," Videl said, then checked the time. "Wow, you guys went at it for thirty minutes." "Huh, guess we're doing pretty good then," Yamcha said as he cracked his neck. "Help me set up in the back." Yamcha, Krillin, and Videl got the things he requested from the Chief and set things up like Yamcha asked so he could show off his expertise, and theirs. The time arrived, and all the other officers came out to see Yamcha, he had Krillin and Videl stand with him.

"Alright," the Chief said, "You're probably wondering why I called you all here. The fact is that yesterday, there was a robbery. This robbery involved the perpetrator using a new, for lack of a better word, power. A power known as ki. Officers Krillin and Satan confronted the robber and subdued him, but, before he could tell who taught him to use this power, he was killed, possibly by his teacher, or someone associated, we don't know yet. However, it seems clear to me, that we must make sure that some of you are prepared in case you confront more criminals with this ki power. Officers Krillin and Satan already know how to wield this power and have found a master who can teach others in it's use. I yield the floor, to Yamcha-sensei."

Yamcha stepped up with a smile, "Hello, everyone. I know how crazy it sounds, the idea that people can have powers, but I can promise you," Yamcha lifted his right hand, and formed a Spirit Ball in it, to the shock of the officers watching, "It's very real." Yamcha directed his Spirit Ball to fly over the heads of the officers, around a few of them, until finally making it hit one of the targets they had set up. Yamcha then jumped over the officer's heads and landed near the weights and lifted them with one hand before then floating over them, to all their surprise. Yamcha flew back to where he started and told the officers, "Go check out those cement bricks." The officers all went over, and one by one touched or lifted the bricks he pointed out, confirming they were real, all fifteen of them. "Now then, Videl, Krillin, and I will show how ki can strengthen you, by busting all of them," Yamcha said.

"WHAT!?" the officers all collectively yelled. "This can't be real! It's a trick!" Krillin then quieted them by letting his ki aura show. Everyone saw this, and Krillin lifted a cement brick in his hands, and crushed it between them like a dry biscuit. Yamcha tossed another brick in the air and punched it into rubble before tossing a second in the air and kicking it to rubble as well. The two of them punched, kicked, crushed, and Krillin even head-butted one. That left Videl. "Alright, Videl, it's your turn," Krillin encouraged her. "R-Right," Videl said as she walked over to the last five cement bricks. "Just focus, this is easy, I can tell, you're definitely strong enough," Krillin encouraged her. Videl closed her eyes and let out a loud kiai, and her own aura shined around her. Krillin watched as Videl focused her ki into her hands and grabbed two bricks and tossed them into the air. Videl then chopped both of them clean in half.

"Toss two to me, please," Videl asked Krillin and Yamcha. They both lifted one brick each and tossed them at Videl. Videl focused her ki in her left leg and crashed through both legs in one hook kick. Videl lifted her last brick and tossed it into the air, then palm-heeled it to rubble. Videl exhaled and smiled, Krillin gave her a thumbs-up. "See, you can do a lot of amazing things with ki. But, I'm warning you, this isn't for the faint of heart, or anyone who isn't already in good shape. It took all of us years of intense training to learn how to harness ki and use it well. You need three things to make it grow, and harness it: a healthy body, a courageous heart, and a focused mind. If you don't possess all three of them, don't try it, yet. We don't have time to get everyone into the basic shape needed to use ki, only to enhance what's already there. Who's up for it?" Yamcha asked. Huh, Yamcha's taking this pretty seriously, though he has a point, Krillin thought, We don't have time to train everyone, only those already possessing the qualities we need.

Krillin watched as twenty officers stepped forward, as did Detective Pinto. Pinto took off her silver sunglasses, and Yamcha was dumbstruck, so was Krillin. Behind those stern sunglasses were the most beautiful pair of green eyes they had ever seen, it completely changed her, from a tough as nails detective, to a runway model. "So, you can really teach us?" Pinto asked. "Da…ab… YES! Definitely! Though it'll depend on how seriously you train and commit to it!" Yamcha hastily said. "Alright then," Pinto said. "Go back to your stations for now," Yamcha told the officers who volunteered for training, "We'll start training tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep, and have a hearty breakfast tomorrow, you're gonna need them." With that settle, Krillin and Videl headed out on Patrol, but the rest of the day was quiet.

After patrol, Krillin and Videl signed off. As they left the station Videl commented, "Sheesh, did you see Yamcha's face when Pinto took her sunglasses off." "Well, Yamcha's always had a weakness for pretty women. You should have seen him back when him and Bulma were dating, wrapped around her little finger," Krillin told her. Videl chuckled at the thought, but then her face looked serious, "We're going to need to train hard too. Our best suspects have been apparently cleared, meaning, there could be someone else behind that robbery turned homicide." "Right," Krillin agreed, "But that's not our case. We're only patrol officers, the investigating is for detectives. Garbanzo and Cashew are good men, and good detectives, if there are any clues, they'll find them." Videl nodded, and they both took their regular cars home.

When Krillin got home, he opened the door to see Marron relaxing with Kuki and Mya and watching TV. "Hey, sweetie," Krillin said. "Hey Dad," Marron said, and that's when he saw her face. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Krillin yelled as he went to her. Marron's left eye was black and swollen, the top of her head was wrapped in a bandage, and the right side of her jaw was swollen like an orange, she was holding an ice pack to it. "Vegeta-san," Marron told Krillin by way of explanation. "VEGETA!? What the Hell is with that guy!?" Krillin yelled, taking out his phone. Marron grabbed his hand, "Dad, calm down. I was sparring him, I told him not to hold back with me, and I showed him I could handle it." "But this is going way to far!" Krillin yelled. "See?" Mya said, "Even your Dad agrees with us!" "Mom's already over at Capsule Corp. giving Vegeta-san a piece of her mind. Dad, you and Mom hold back, if I get in a real fight, the bad guys won't hold back, I need to be ready to take a few hits," Marron explained.

Krillin sighed, then thought, "I'll go get a senzu bean. Last thing we need is for you to go to school looking like a truck ran you over." "Mom couldn't find any," Marron said. "She check the cabinet over the fridge?" Krillin asked. "No…" Marron said. "She always forgets to check there," Krillin said, getting a bag of senzu beans from over the fridge. He checked, they had five senzu beans left, four after he took one out and tossed it to Marron. Marron ate the bean and instantly her face was back to normal. "Thanks Dad," Marron said with a smile as she tore the bandages off. "Just remember to be more careful from now on," Krillin told her as he headed for the showers. I hope Capsule Corp is still standing after Eighteen's done over there…

Author's Note: I don't imagine Krillin and his family being especially close with Vegeta personally. Trunks, Bra, Bulma, her Parents, are all good friends, but Vegeta never gets closer than 'trusted comrade' I think. Next chapter there's some more plot-relevant action, I promise.