The Very Next Morning After A Days Worth Of Training...
The curtains flowed with the breeze coming from outside. It was cold, so cold that it was enough to cause Kuzuku to stir in his sleep until he was completely awake. His eyes open, the sight of his wife's sleeping form causing him to warm quickly to his environment. He smiled and rose from his bed gently so he wouldn't wake her and headed to the kitchen so he could get some grub: his tail flowing behind him from his gray shorts that went well with his tank-top. When he made it to the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of the female Saiyans from universe 6 sleeping on his couch in the same clothes as yesterday. He snickered silently from recalling everything that happened yesterday. They didn't necessarily have the easiest training but not the hardest. He kinda put them through rigorous two on one sparring against him, although, he wasn't holding anything back. It was all in an attempt to try and push them towards increasing how much they can exert since in order to transform, they would have to extend their period of how long they can keep powering up at their maximum in Super Saiyan 2.
But since it was only the beginning, Caulifla was his main focus before Kale since she hadn't achieved her own version of Super Saiyan 2 yet and seeing how yesterday went, he knew they would probably need some rest before starting up again, "At least they aren't training with Vegeta. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing."
Kuzuku walked over to the fridge to grab some leftovers from last night and began heating it in the microwave. Once it reached to its final second, he accurately stopped the machine and took his share of food out only to chow down on it quickly like any Saiyan would do and went over to the sink to wash it. After taking care of that, he went over towards the glass slide in door and headed out towards his backyard where the stream resided. It was his preferred spot for meditation and focus which was what he needed at the moment. In the middle of the stream was a flat rock that was towering over the calm waters.
With a single leap, he landed on top of it with impressive balance, the breeze blowing his hair as he had a smile on his face, "I can keep training all I want but there comes a time that I need to get some training in as well.". Kuzuku tensed his muscles slightly before transforming right into his regular Super Saiyan 3 state, his body relaxed as he sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed.
"I need to meditate. I only achieved Excelled Super Saiyan 3 recently and the form is imperfect. I was lucky that I managed to become more resilient to the drain since it seems using primal power on top of a Full-Power Super Saiyan 3 only brought the drain back...," Kuzuku recalled, his meditation causing the waters around him to ripple. He focused harder, trying to dig deeper without transforming by mistake, "I know there is something deeper, a state of Excelled Super Saiyan 3 that hasn't been unlocked due to my hastiness in rushing it's completion. I'll just have focus on figuring out the perfect mix between my two Ki's."
He sat there for hours, long enough for 21 to already wake up from her sleep before entering the kitchen as well. She yawned cutely and noticed that Kuzuku's been meditating already which was nice to see since that meant he was feeling better than before. The majin scientist decided it was best to get breakfast started and began cooking while her husband meditated outside. However, in the midst of her getting things ready, the aroma of sizzling food was strong enough to cause Caulifla to jerk from her sleep. The feisty Saiyan eventually couldn't bear the scent and awoke from her comfy spot, her body rising as she looked around for the scent. She wasn't alone since Kale woke up with her hair down and messy.
21 caught a glimpse of their sleepy faces and giggled, "I see that you two finally woke up. Don't worry, breakfast is almost ready so go on and freshen up.". Caulifla yawned and rubbed her eyes before getting up to stretch.
"Ah, thanks. Hey, where is Kuzuku? I guess I could assume the bastard is asleep still considering what happened yesterday," Caulifla assumed.
21 placed some omelettes on the table and went over to the sink to wash her hands, "No, he's actually awake. He is just outside doing some morning meditation which is a good sign to see.".
"Really, I would have thought that he'd be tired?" Caulifla said, her eyes darting out the back door to see him meditating. There were birds flocking and landing on his shoulder as he was focusing his Super Saiyan 3 state in an orange aura that shrouded his body.
21 dried her hands as if this were nothing new to her, "He's always been that way. Along with Goku and Vegeta, I think that they have developed an abnormal habit to continue training after hard battles or training sessions. He's just used to it.".
"Used to it?" Caulifla muttered, questioning.
"Well, have you and the other Saiyans back on your planet train like how you did yesterday?" 21 asked.
The feisty female recoiled a bit before thinking back on how she used to train with her brother Renso, "Now that I think about it, I've always managed to defeat my brother every time we sparred. We've never really went all out to full exhaustion, in fact, the army doesn't really exert themselves like we did yesterday.".
"I see, well Kuzuku's been doing that for a while now. He's truly extraordinary at how he's far he's come," 21 commented. With that said, the very same Saiyan they were talking about walked through the door with a small smile on his face. They all stared at him, wondering what he was so happy about.
"Uhh, what's up? Why are y'all staring at me like that," Kuzuku said, confused by the looks he was getting.
Kale decided to leave the room while Caulifla answered his question blatantly, "I don't know, you walked in here looking like you've killed your nemesis".
"Uh, first thing of all: I already did that. And secondly, I actually think I've figured out the last bit of adjustments though I'll show you gals later since I'm starving." Kuzuku replied.
Caulifla raised an eyebrow, though she didn't want to dive deeper into what he meant by that. She'll just have to be surprised later when he shows her. For now, she'll diverge her focus on the other important thing before her: food. Kale eventually got out of the bathroom which she tidied up her hair and brushed her teeth.
The first thing she saw was everyone sitting around the table to which she joined them and sat down next to Caulifla. Kuzuku eyed the feisty Saiyan while he was pouring syrup on his stacks of pancakes, "You aren't going to freshen up before you eat? I would figure that you would at least tidy up the loose end of your hair or something like that.".
"Tch, sorry but I am not the one to really care. Kale just happens to have straighter hair than I do so it's somewhat necessary for her. Besides, we're Saiyans. We don't really require a haircut in the first place, especially ones with spiky hair like mine," Caulifla explained with venom.
Kuzuku shrugged and shoved a pancake into his mouth before swallowing his food whole. He then wondered about something else, "Hmm, I wonder what Cabba and that Lottus guy are doing right now.".
"Who cares, I bet they are just fine," Caulifla immediately replied, taking a bite out of her omelette. Her eyes widened at the flavor she tasted and turned her flushed face towards 21, "Holy crap this is some good stuff! This has got to be the best omelette I've tasted!".
"Really, thank you! I've worked on improving the recipe with some of Goku's wife ingredients," 21 noted gleefully.
Kuzuku nervously smirked and brought her back onto the topic, "Heh, 21's sure is an amazing cook but back to the topic at hand. I doubt that they are completely fine, especially since it's Vegeta training them.".
"Yeah, the look in his eye said it all...," 21 agreed, showing concern for the two male Saiyans that departed ways with them yesterday. She remembered the grin on Vegeta's face when she dropped them off in some barren wasteland, "I wouldn't be surprised if Vegeta shows up here asking us to help him find the dragon balls.".
Both Caulifla and Kale looked at each other, confused as to what they were talking about. But little did they know that training under Vegeta is probably a punishment that would give you results but at a cost that not even Saiyan elites can endure.
Meanwhile, At The CC President Home...
Everything was pretty much as normal as it could be around the very house the capsule corp president lived in. Bulma was currently working on another project pertaining towards improving the speed and quality of vehicles. This left her son, Trunks who seemed taller than before to take care of his little sister. He just got done changing her diaper which was grueling as to say and now it was about time for their typical play time.
He picked her up off the table and made their way towards the living room, only to find it was dark and somewhat musky, "Ugh, just what is that stench?!". He switched the lights on to see if something was in the room and found not one but two bodies on the floor.
"Oh...," Trunks muttered, instantly recognizing them as both Cabba and Lottus. They were battered and bruised all over to the point where he actually believed they were dead. Hell, Lottus literally had a twig stuck in his hair while Cabba's eyes were wide open but just completely white. Trunks chuckled nervously and began thinking of ways to get rid of the bodies until he heard the sound of the sink.
He turned to the source and found his father filling a cup of water. The prince of universe 7 glanced at his son, "I see your mother has you on baby duty as usual. If you're going to play just make sure she doesn't get her hands on the remote. We don't want a hole in our T.V screen again.". Trunks nodded as he watched his father walk over to the two lifeless bodies with the cup in hand.
"Uh, yeah but what happened to these two dad? They look like they had a misfortune run in with your Final Flash," Trunks asked.
Vegeta smirked, "Close, but it was my Galick Gun this time. Honestly, these two need some serious help. Despite their power, their battle senses are lacking and prone to become distracted. It's almost too soft, even more than that clown. I'll have to fix that quickly so...WAKE UP!". With a loud shout even greater than the drill sergeants on Sadala, Vegeta splashed them with cold water that was enough to make them jolt from their spots. They were wide awake and confused until they met the threatening glare of Vegeta.
"Did you two have a nice sleep...?" Vegeta said, his tone low and threatening.
Cabba chuckled and tensely scratched the back of his head, "Uhh...morning, master. I slept pretty well though I'd wish we had some more time.".
"Yeah, I mean we came back here around sunrise so...," Lottus added, though he proceeded to stop the moment he saw Vegeta smile smugly at them.
The prince of universe 7 folded his arms and started walking towards the balcony, "Good, I was kind enough to give you at least 3 hours. Get ready, we'll start training again in 2 hours: this time being more ruthless and intense than the last time.".
"Two hours?! Don't you think we need more time than that?" Lottus complained.
Vegeta scoffed and turned to stare at the prince from universe 6, "No, of course not! Back on planet Vegeta, we Saiyans went days without sleep and only lived for battle. This is me being generous otherwise you two wouldn't even be in my house for about two weeks.". Lottus wanted to retort but something that he said caught his attention.
"Wait...Planet Vegeta? Is that some universe 7 version of Sadala?" Lottus asked.
Vegeta knew he was ignorant about what had happened so he decided to briefly fill him in, "No, Sadala in universe 7 was destroyed a long time ago. Planet Vegeta is a home that we Saiyans hijacked and lived on up until its destruction by that bastard Frieza. He enslaved our race for years and made us do his bidding until he just threw my race away like garbage. Now there are only me and the three other pure bloods that live on this planet alive. We're what remains of our fallen kind.". Lottus stared at him as if the story was completely unbelievable. But the anger in his voice said otherwise and now he kinda felt bad for asking.
"Umm...sorry...," Lottus mumbled, his face crestfallen. Vegeta didn't bother batting him the eye and simply walked out onto the balcony. He smirked, recalling that now he has a new life to protect.
"Don't be, what happened to my home is none of your concern. I'll be waiting at the wasteland we were at before so don't be late, otherwise, I'll just force you to fight me 1 on 1 with added weights," Vegeta warned before taking off into the sky.
The two universe 6 Saiyans sighed as they picked themselves up off the ground and made their way to the locker that was used for guests who weren't allowed their own room. There, they stripped down and began taking a shower, the wet pellets of water splashing against their wounds which somewhat eased the pain. Cabba thought in silence as Lottus hummed a cheerful tune that wasn't necessarily in pitch. The universe 6 soldier then remembered what happened back on Sadala before they left, "Hey Lottus...".
"Hmmm?" the prince replied.
Cabba looked at him continuing to scrub against his body, "I remember Caulifla saying that you wanted to marry her. Is that true?". Lottus dropped the sponge he was using and stared at Cabba for a moment. His friend's eyes were serious yet also curious. He sighed and smiled at how intrigue he is about his own personal feelings.
"Yeah...it is true. In fact, I've been proposing since we were kids...," Lottus admitted. Cabba's didn't utter a word nor did he need to.
His face was screaming that he wanted to know why, which was the reason for Lottus to laugh lowly before answering that said question, "Well, back when we were kids, I didn't truthfully think much about her. In fact, I thought that she was a bit too tomboyish to my liking and I didn't really want to be around her. But one day, she saved me from being trapped in a cavern when I went out hiking in the forest. That hand was warm that day and I think that was when she grew on me. As we got older and stronger, I asked her out a few times but she would just reject me in the end. It was funny to be honest and I always laugh it off as nothing because of her own philosophy.".
"Philosophy? What do you mean by that?" Cabba asked.
Lottus smiled solemnly, "You see, before she created that little gang of hers, Caulifla did have a crush on someone else. This was before I even had the guts to try my shot with her.". He paused to see Cabba's face filled with disbelief which made him chuckle. It was an expected reaction that he's been waiting to see for a while.
"Heheh, I know. Caulifla, the feistiest female Saiyan on the planet having a crush on someone in her teen years? What a shocker?" the universe 6 prince laughed before returning back to the topic at hand. He clenched his fist as he recalled the events one by one, "Though, Caulifla quickly found that the very same person she had a crush on was involved in a scandal that caused the death of her parents. As for the detail...I am not the one who should specify...".
"What...?" Cabba muttered, the reveal shocking to him since he didn't know it would be that deep.
"Yeah, and since that day, she's changed. She started forming a gang to surround her with and during that, her viewpoint on relationships was shifted to a more darker path. She believed that she never needed to love someone. It just wasn't required and the only thing she needed was just companions that she could truly call loyal and would never betray her," Lottus explained.
He seemed sad until he recalled everything that's happened towards today, "However, seeing that Kale girl so close to her along with you Cabba is refreshing to see. Hell, even that Saiyan from yesterday seems to slowly change her viewpoint which I am grateful for. I just wish she wouldn't be so distant with me. Each time I propose, each time I ask her out, I always get rejected even now. I may seem content with it...no, I truly am, but I also feel even more irritated. I just want her to at least acknowledge that...I love her, even if she doesn't feel the same.".
Cabba completely understood how he felt. To see someone you love betrayed by another that seemed worthy for her affection must have been hard. And even after that, he's probably tried for years to get her to at least acknowledge his affection but yet she did nothing but reject him time and time again to the point where she believes that he's a nuisance. He didn't know to either feel sorry for her or be out right angry for pulling him along. If she didn't like him then at least give him a proper closure and make-up rather than pushing him away like you didn't know each other before.
He fumbled through his thoughts until Lottus looked at the clock, "Holy crap, dude we better hurry! I didn't think we've been in here for that long but if we don't move now, we'll never make it in time!".
"Really?! Uh, let's move! There is no time to waste then!" Cabba shouted, running out the door while grabbing his torn clothes along with Lottus following them. They had to hurry to put their clothes on and even did it on the balcony to save time but that only left bystanders confused and outright dumbfounded as they flew into the air.
Back With Kuzuku And His Pair Of Saiyans...
Kuzuku was out racing through the forest near his home while 21 was out attending another conference she had to go to for one of her inventions to be past. Straggling behind him were both Kale and Caulifla who seemed to be struggling to adjust to the newly improved gravity weights he gave them. It wasn't much since Caulifla was in her Super Saiyan 2 form while Kale went into her mastered Berserk form, however, the weight was enough to make keeping up with Kuzuku speed difficult even while in base form. The feisty Saiyan growled, as her knees were threatening to snap any moment, "My god this is hard! How is that guy so fast?!".
"Sis, I don't think I can hold much longer!" Kale complained.
Caulifla gave her an assured smile as the scenery moved quickly around them, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll stop eventually. I mean, how far is he going to make us run anyways?". Kuzuku overheard their conversation and couldn't hold in his snicker. They were barely done and were actually a fourth away from their destination.
Eventually, they exited the forest and found themselves in the raging rivers near Mount Paozu. He leapt from rock to rock effortlessly, displaying both his tremendous balance while the girls stopped dead in their tracks to watch him land on the opposite side. He turned, seeing their petrified faces.
"Come on, what are you two waiting for?" Kuzuku asked with a gibe.
Caulifla scowled at him, knowing that he knew full well what's in front of them, "Are you kidding?! I know you're not blind so you must clearly see what's wrong here!". The tailed Saiyan placed his hands on his hips and looked at her funny.
"Well, if you stop now, then you'll never achieve Super Saiyan 3. Oh yeah, let me remind you to not lose focus and drop out of your forms," Kuzuku said. Caulifla sucked her teeth and simply went for it. She tried leaping from the rocks while Kale reluctantly followed. They nearly fell into the river a few times, each time supporting each other to prevent them from getting wet.
With trial and error, the two females made it across the stream drenched in sweat. Caulifla wiped her forehead and smugly smirked, "Hah, how's that for a cha-?!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Kuzuku took off running again and to her annoyance she yelled aloud to display it. In no time, they were back to square one and the two were getting tired as a whole two hour passed. Eventually, Kuzuku exited the forest completely and found himself at his destination. He smiled widely, waiting for his stragglers to arrive shortly since they couldn't have been that far behind. First came Caulifla who was visibly tired and drenched with a branch sticking out of her hair while Kale followed suit in a weak jog.
"This...hah...better be the place, bastard!" Caulifla snarled.
Kuzuku smirked and nodded, "Yeah, this is the place where we will be training for the day. Just look ahead and you'll see why,". Caulifla and Kale turned their attention to what he was essentially pointing at.
It was a large lake that was near the raging torrents of a waterfall. It seemed deep and the waves created looked dangerous for any normal person to get caught in, especially all of the dangerous rocks floating around. Caulifla scoffed at the sight.
"What, are we going to spar above ground just so you can knock us into those waters with these weights on?" Caulifla jested.
Kuzuku shook his head, "No, but I do have a better idea in mind. But first, let me at least keep my promise...". He clenched his fist and quickly started to power up. His hair grew longer while his eyes began to turn into a teal color before his hair turned orange gold. With a burst of energy, his Ki erupted to life as it revealed a darker gold color along with orange bio-electricity laced around it as well as noticeable yellow sparkles. It didn't look that much different from his typical Super Saiyan 3 but the power was tremendous, almost frightening.
If Caulifla were to compare it's pressure, it was about more than half of Goku's Super Saiyan God state. Her eyes grew wide with glee which made Kuzuku laugh a bit, "This is probably the maximum potential I can draw out of this form. Honestly, the results are beyond what I expected but the power does feel amazing. It was rather easy for me probably because I achieved Super Saiyan 5 since it allowed me to combine more of my primal power into the Excelled Super Saiyan 3 state to the point of perfect synergy."
"Amazin'! I can't wait to achieve Super Saiyan 3 as well! I'm gonna be unstoppable!" Caulifla shouted, hardly able to contain her own excitement.
"Well, if you're so eager to transform then let's get started. You see those rocks over there?" Kuzuku pointed at the oddly colored rocks in the middle of the raging torrent. They were teal in color, matching perfectly with Caulifla's eyes and seemed to have a flat surface on the top.
Without warning, Kuzuku leapt onto one of them and the moment his feet touched the ground, the raging waves around him stopped dead in their tracks to the point where the waterfall was unable to escalate things. They stared at him with a baffled look on their faces while Kuzuku continued to explain, "These rocks are called Yasachi. They are probably the smoothest and slippiest material on Earth. They are rare to find and not many people actually go for them due to the fact that they have no value despite their rarity. Come on, I'll give you two a handicap and allow you to jump on while you still can.".
Seeing how unbelievable his claim was, Caulifla jumped onto one of the rocks next to him along with Kale but the moment their feet touched the ground, they slipped into the waters below which made Kuzuku laugh so hard that he bawled his eyes. The two resurfaced with heavy gasps for air, both showing signs of annoyance. Caulifla snarled as Kuzuku's laughter dialled down, "Very funny, what if we weren't transformed? We could have died you know?!".
"Yeah, but I did warn you it was slippery. You shouldn't have been so hasty with your landing," Kuzuku argued, wiping a tear from his eyes. Caulifla didn't show much of an argument and simply pulled herself onto the rock while Kale did the same. The two struggled to retain their balance until they stiffened themselves to keep themselves from falling. Once they were comfortable in their position, Kuzuku decided to explain things.
"Alright, so the idea of this training is to keep your Ki exerted for a long period of time. You need to exert it enough that you'll be able to stop the raging waves around you without getting knocked off. After that, we'll add in some movements such as correct punches and kicks that would maximize with your strikes," Kuzuku said.
Caulifla's eyes glared at him, "Are you implying that I don't know how to throw a punch now?!".
"Yes...and no. I can tell you had some form of training back in the day, however, Saiyan military training is different from martial arts. It was the reason as to why Goku was able to hold his own for so long despite being considerably weaker due to fatigue. You may achieve great power but if you can't maximize it then you are doomed to fail against foes that are stronger than you. This training is geared more towards achieving Super Saiyan 3 but also to help with your balance. A brawling style of fighting is good but could become ineffective when dealing with a seasoned opponent," Kuzuku debunked.
Caulifla nodded and tried to focus the best she could. Seeing how ready the two were, Kuzuku floated into the air and reverted back into base form to allow the raging torrents to return. Caulifla and Kale began to power up to their maximum to abruptly stop the waves, however, they could feel their feet slide against the surface of the rock: disrupting their concentration enough for a splash of water to hit against the rocky surface.
It didn't help that it was also wet as well which didn't go unnoticed. Seeing how the two were struggling to hold, Kuzuku sighed as he checked his timer, muttering while blasting tiny energy blasts to make the waves more intense, "An hour to go before we get into movements. Hopefully they won't fall until then..."
With Vegeta's Training Session At The Gizard Wasteland...
"Araaaaaagh!" Lottus screamed as he crashed into the ground for about the tenth time today. Cabba tried to go help him up but Vegeta quickly blasted him into one of the many rocks that spread across the field.
The prince of universe 7 scoffed at the sorry sight as they both struggled back to their feet, "Is that all you two can muster! I expected more from you both, especially you Cabba! Even in Super Saiyan 2, my base form is more than capable of throttling you along with your friend!". Lottus glared at the Saiyan as he disregarded him from the conversation.
"Excuse you, but dude you really gotta chill out! Are you like trying to kill us?!" Lottus complained. He was really getting tired of the same process over and over again. It wasn't even a spar anymore. Just a straight up beat down that looked like two playground kids trying to fight a buff man who had too much to drink.
Vegeta darted his eyes down at the fellow prince,his eyes imitating danger from them, "Hmph, don't give me that. Even the low-class children back on my home world were far more eager for this kind of training. I guess it can't be helped that the females are probably far more powerful than you could ever be. But, they wouldn't even fair any better so how would I know? Especially the feisty one...".
Lottus recoiled at the mention of Caulifla. His irked expression didn't go unnoticed by the prince of universe 7 and he smirked as an idea came to mind.
"I bet she's having a rough time adjusting to simple push-ups and sit-ups. I mean, her small frame and arms can't hold her own body weight after all and don't get me started on how her own protegee is stronger than she is yet she's the one giving orders. Pathetic, if she was here now, I bet she'd be groveling on the ground just like you are now," Vegeta mocked.
Both Cabba and Lottus looked at him with disgust at how he was acting, though, the smaller of the two caught on to what he was doing since it felt like Déjà vu.
Cabba remained silent while Lottus picked himself up, clearly angry. His teeth were clenched hard as he glared at the fellow prince, "You take that back you arrogant snob! She's been through more than you know and that is what makes her stronger! In fact, I bet she's stronger than you!". Vegeta cackled loudly at his statement since it was beyond hilarious at how wrong he is.
"HAHAHAHAH, do you really think that?! Please, Kakarot wasn't even going all out at the beginning and didn't even find her to be a real threat while he was tired! If she were to fight me then I would have probably made her shine my boots first before knocking her off the ring. And it's not me being arrogant, it's just a fact!" Vegeta spat.
Lottus roared loudly and rushed towards the prince of universe 7 in a fit of rage. His fist reeled backwards before hurling itself towards him. With little to no effort, Vegeta caught his punch and pulled him in for a hard knee to his gut. He gagged, coughing out blood until he was socked hard across the face. The blow was enough to send him rocketing back to the ground until Vegeta chased after him. His back bounced against the hard surface for a moment until he felt his boot slam itself into his chest: shattering the ground beneath them. Lottus gasped for air as Vegeta leapt backwards to stare at the sorry sight.
He folded his arms and watched him struggle to his feet though his eyes were dreary. He huffed at him and started to try a new approach, "Tch, pathetic. And you call yourself a prince of the Saiyan race. I might as well head over to where Kolard is and do the very same thing to that girl and her wuss of a friend. Hopefully they don't wail too loudly when I am bashing their face in.".
"Don't you dare lay a single hand on her...!" Lottus growled, raising his head to reveal angry eyes.
Vegeta cracked his knuckles before smugly smirking at him, "I wouldn't have to. I mean, she's probably already dead since I doubt she can handle Kolard's soft training.".
That was when the prince of universe 6 had enough. The ground around him started to tremble from his dangerously leaking Ki. His eyes beamed into Vegeta's as his body began to become shrouded in a gold aura as his fist tightened while he picked himself up, "You not only insulted universe 6 but also Caulifla, a dear friend of mine...I won't allow such a thing fly. I am the prince of Sadala's Saiyans, Lottus. For you to say that in front of me is an insult to my people and I will make you pay dearly for that!".
The sky began to darken as his white aura shrouded his body. The winds grew wilder as his temper started to escalate slowly. Vegeta merely stood there and smirked as everything was going to plan while Cabba couldn't seem to believe his eyes. When a thunderbolt struck the ground, Lottus let out a blood curling roar that caused his energy to flare immensely. The gales generated nearly blew Cabba away as the erupted Ki turned into a golden flame.
Lottus's head was geared towards the sky until he glared at the Saiyan prince with his teal eyes. His spiky hair straightened itself and extended slightly upwards while his bangs hanged over his head. There was no mistaking it, he's transformed into a Super Saiyan atlas, though, he was still furious, "Prepare yourself, Prince Vegeta!".
He dashed towards him with ground-shattering speeds that the ground scorched. The Saiyan prince of universe 7 stared at him with his straightforward approach and decided to keep his guard up. Lottus's kick ripped through the air like butter but Vegeta managed to block it with his forearm, though he did notice the immense power behind it as he felt his arm shudder a little. The angered prince growled and retracted his leg so that he could unleash a flurry of jabs that practically all missed Vegeta's face. Each one was laced with hate as Lottus wanted nothing more but to deck him once in his arrogant face. Vegeta soon found an opening and uppercutted him in the chin, causing Lottus to perform several flips backwards in the air until he stopped himself to fire an energy wave at him.
"Really? Come on, try a little harder!" Vegeta mocked, slapping the energy wave into the ground. The gravel below exploded into a large cloud of smoke that surrounded the universe 7 prince though he was still on high alert. After waiting for a good minute, he turned around to meet a sneak attack from the universe 6 Saiyan with one of his own. In an instant, the two clashed locked forearms with enough force to disperse the cloud of smoke covering them.
Without warning, Vegeta kicked his enraged opponent in his left ribs and decked him hard in the face. Lottus stumbled, but he steeled himself as his rage pushed him further. Somehow, he managed to get into Vegeta's blind spot and kick him in the chin with the tip of his foot which surprised Cabba since both of them together didn't even land much of a hit. Believing that he now had the upper hand, Lottus charged in with his fist ready to slam him into the ground until he was surprised by the fact Vegeta was unaffected by the blow. It was probably because the universe 7 prince caught his wrist before it could make contact with his face, leaving his enraged opponent more baffled than angry.
"I see you are getting a hang of that strength but, you're getting a little carried away!" Vegeta shouted as his body became shrouded in a golden aura. He didn't transform nor did he think he needed to but the Ki he was emitting was threatening enough to send chills down Lottus's spine.
Before he knew it, Vegeta had rammed his fist into his stomach before grabbing him by the face. With absurd force, the universe 7 prince gave him the Beerus treatment and slammed his body into the ground as a gold eruption of Ki exploded like a raging torrent of energy. The explosion was so great that Cabba had to hang on to one of the rocks to keep himself from being blown away and once it settled down, he was left bewildered by the sight. As the smoke cleared. Vegeta was revealed to be pressing Lottus's face into the ground as he reverted back into base.
He was tired, beaten, and just outright defeated which was something Vegeta wanted, "It's staggering that you universe 6 Saiyans can draw out that much power of the Super Saiyan transformation without much training. However, you still lack the experience and necessary strength to compete with someone like me.".
Vegeta let his grip go as Lottus coughed out some dust that was caught in his throat and started to walk away while Cabba ran to his friend's aid. He helped his comrade in arms off the ground and looked over to Vegeta, "Master...where are you going?". Vegeta stopped and turned to face him.
"That's all for today. We'll continue onward tomorrow but be prepared, training will be twice as hard and we will be in the gravity room outside," Vegeta informed.
Lottus groaned and scowled at the prince, "Wa-Wait! I thought I told you tha-that I will not let what you said slide!". Vegeta scoffed and didn't say a word as he flew back to his home: leaving the two to simply watch him fly away. Lottus was about to chase him but he was too injured to even move.
"Don't try to move just yet. Here, I'll help you up," Cabba suggested, extending his hand out to his friend while he stood above him. Lottus gladly accepted and was pulled up and over Cabba's shoulder as they walked out of the crater side by side. The smaller of the two smiled at the fact his friend achieved Super Saiyan for the first time, "Congrats, by the way. You've achieved Super Saiyan and grown even stronger than before. You should be proud.".
"Tch, yeah and I lost to that jerk. I can't believe that he actually used to be a prince," Lottus moaned.
Cabba smirked at him before turning towards the now orange colored sky above, "You know, he only said those things in order to get you to transform.". Lottus blinked a few times out of surprise and stared at him.
"What?" he muttered.
"Yeah, his methods are harsh but he did manage to draw that power out of you. He did the same for me and trust me, I didn't fare much better than you did. Even though master seems mean on the outside, deep down, I know he's a good man. I mean, he figured out you actually liked Caulifla without you having to mention it," Cabba smiled, his voice cheerful at Lottus's expression.
He had a tint of red on his cheeks and didn't even think about it that way. I mean, how could he? He was mad, angered at not only the fact that he disrespected his people but also the one that he's fallen in love with. And after all that, he finds out it was nothing but a ploy to get him to transform. It was twisted, yes, but also produced results that would have probably taken him a month.
That's when he remembered what he said, "It's staggering that you universe 6 Saiyans can draw out that much power of the Super Saiyan transformation without much training."
It was a compliment to his race, and it was evidence that proved that he wasn't really serious about everything he said. That thought alone lifted some weight off his shoulder as he let out a calm gasp while Cabba simply chuckled at his quick understanding, "Now, let's head home. I feel like this is a luxury since he's giving us more time to rest.". In no time, they took off into the air with Cabba flying the universe 6 prince home.
Now Back With The Status On Kuzuku And His Trainees...
The sun was setting closer towards the night as the sky was a mix of black and orange, singling that dusk was ending. Above the greenery below was Kuzuku flying home since he believed that the girls had enough training for today. Speaking of which, Caulifla seemed to be lagging behind since she had to carry Kale on her back after she passed out at the end of training. It was difficult keeping their energy exerted for such long periods of time.
Literally after the first hour, they started to feel their muscles begin to tense uncomfortably and to make matters worse, Kuzuku made them work on their punches and kicks while standing on the Yasachi rock which only made things harder. During the middle of his movements, he'd even purposely fire an energy blast at them to force the two females to leap onto another rock so they can work on balance a bit more. She couldn't count how many times she fell into the waters let alone Kale's and she could have sworn that if Kuzuku wasn't there to pull them out of the water then they really could have drowned due to the weight.
Now, they were drenched from top to bottom and stiff all over. Kuzuku took a glance to see how tired the girl was and smiled at the fact she was still flying even in her drenched, weighted clothes, "Tomorrow, I think I'll have Goku join us for some training as well. We'll hold off on working on exertion for now seeing how you both are tired.".
"Wha..What?! Who said I was exhausted? I can keep doing that type of training for wee-araghh!" Caulifla groaned weakly.
Kuzuku looked ahead as he caught a glimpse of his house from afar, "Nah, trust me. I kinda threw you two into the lion's den without a weapon to test the limits on how long you would last. I'm impressed but I know you two can definitely improve and work on perfecting that exercise but you gotta give it time.".
"Fine, I'll take your word for it. I just want some food, I'm starving!" Caulifla pouted, her stomach growling at her for something sufficient to eat. Kuzuku chuckled before leading them towards the landing spot. Gently, they touched the ground as Caulifla helped Kale walk as her legs were pretty much limp. Kuzuku led them towards the door but he couldn't help but feel like something was off. He shrugged, only opening the door as if to pass it off as some false paranoia.
"21, I'm home! Did you have a nice day?!" Kuzuku called as he could sense his wife's Ki in the house. Caulifla walked past him as all she wanted to do was fall to the floor along with putting Kale in bed. However, she paused when she saw the majin scientist sitting at the couch in her majin form with a visible look of irritation on her face while she watched television. It didn't take long for Kuzuku to walk in and notice.
"Uh oh...," Kuzuku muttered.
Caulifla looked at him with confusion while Kale sat on the floor behind them, "What's up? Is something wrong with her? I mean, she's pink all of a sudden.". Kuzuku ignored the last part and allowed her to figure it out herself since he was busy examining his wife's body language.
"Let's see, an angry scowl, check. Sitting at the T.V watching a horror movie that might as well be considered gore, check. In her majin form while her eyes are red with a black sclera, check. And overeating on rice crispy treats, check. If I had to guess, it was a rough conference today wasn't it hun?" Kuzuku asked.
21 didn't bother to turn and nodded, "Far greater than you'd probably imagine. I'm surprised I didn't blow the entire building up out of frustration. And why was Barry Kahn there? He's a movie star for Christ sake so why is he at a human biology conference in the first place?! If he tries hitting on me one more time, I swear I'm gonna...!". Kuzuku stopped her right there with a hug from behind. He smiled, burying his chin into her hair as he stroked in calmly.
"Alright, looks like you need a good night's rest. You had a long day so don't worry about anything else," Kuzuku soothed. His wife calmed down as her eyes reverted back to normal, a blush coming to her face as Kuzuku broke the embrace.
She sighed, checking the pulse of her heart as she calmed herself down, "Thanks, Kuzuku. But I'm still going to send Barry flying into a dumpster if he flirts with me again.".
"I have no objections to that," Kuzuku smugly smirked since his history with the guy is also pretty bad.
Caulifla on the other hand pouted, "Man, and here I was thinking I could get some good quality food tonight. Today is just not my day...". Kuzuku chuckled and patted the feisty Saiyan on her back.
"No worries, we'll just have to cook our own food. Though, we gotta go catch some fish first since it's too late to attempt cooking anything spectacular and all of the stores are closed this hour," Kuzuku said.
"Fine, anything for at least a slither of food. Come on, Kale! Looks like we're going fishing!" Caulifla demanded.
Kale groaned but picked herself up anyways and dragged her feet outside to the backyard. Kuzuku watched them exit through the back door while 21 leaned her head on his arm, "So, how did their training go?".
"Well, they managed to complete the Yasachi rock exercise without falling into the raging waters for the 50th time. Caulifla's making steady progress and I can feel her digging deeper by each second. Kale is a special case. I don't know if it's because her transformation is special or anything but she seems close to unlocking that Super Saiyan 2 version that their fusion used against Goku. Problem is that she seems she lacks confidence to push through that barrier," Kuzuku answered, sighing as he would of thought he would at least get Kale to Super Saiyan 2 by today. But, he should of guessed that not many are like Caulifla and despite being a protegee herself, every protegees are different in a way.
21 smirked before wrapping her hands around his neck and stared into his eyes with a blush on her face, "I think they will be just fine. It's funny how you're so eager to train them and make them stronger. Is it because they are Saiyan like you?". Her husband was caught off guard by the question and nervously looked to the side.
"Well...I guess that's part of it. They came here from their own universe to train and were so hasty to start. Caulifla in her own right is most similar to Goku though she does have an ulterior drive to protect her planet from danger and most importantly those she cares about. She practically said it blatantly to us during the tournament though she'll never admit to it openly to everyone. Kale wants to follow in her footsteps and make her proud enough to stand by her side. I can't possibly deny them of training since I was pretty much in the same boat," Kuzuku admitted.
"I see, I understand that part. I guess you can't help but sympathize with their desires. You are Saiyan after all," 21 noted.
Kuzuku glanced at her and smiled while he leaned his forehead against hers, "Well, I am and so you are technically.".
"Part Saiyan if I had to say," 21 corrected playfully.
"Same-difference with better attributes to it," Kuzuku jested.
They both shared a laugh together until Caulifla came barging through the door with Kale trailing behind, "We're back and look at how many we caught!".
Kuzuku and 21 turned to see two buckets of fish held by the girls. The couple looked at each other both nodding as they went their separate ways, though, 21 stopped to take one final glance before leaving to get her good nights. Kuzuku stopped in front of Caulifla and Kale to see the type of fish they caught, smirking at how many they managed to fish out in such a short span.
"So, what were you two doing while we were gone? Did we interrupt something intimate?" Caulifla asked blatantly.
The universe 7 Saiyan stared at her baffled, "What?! We were just talking!". She was confused since she didn't really think it was much of a big deal.
"Eh, doesn't really matter to me. Besides, she did have the look of a Saiyan in need and so did you. But, I guess that is to be expected since you are married...," Caulifla teased her mouth forming a taunting grin on her face.
Kuzuku growled at her and her sly smirk, his eye twitching "Just...give me the bucket of fish so I can grill it. Besides, it's called showing affection and compassion like god...,". Caulifla nodded gleefully at his demand and handed him the bucket along with Kale's. Grumpily, Kuzuku marched his way outside and began to grill fish one by one under the starry night.
