Inner Workings of My Mind
Chapter 7
Gohan stared at the bracelet with suspicion. The young hybrid reluctantly grabbed it from Supreme Kai's hand and inspected it carefully.
"And how is this supposed to stabilize my ki?" he asked as he rotated the thin black bracelet to observe it from all angles. The strands of black metal were intricately woven together and met together in a simple clasp. Opposite of the clasp was a small, gleaming teal jewel.
"The materials are very unique in their ability to absorb both energy and magic. That bracelet has been imbued with magic and energy capable of monitoring and limiting ki. It is able to influence the ki of the wearer in a way that keeps it in control." Supreme Kai explained, lifting a hand to gesture toward the braclet.
"The black metal is Katchin, the strongest and densest metal in the universe. It is almost unbreakable and incredibly durable. It also acts as an anchor to the gem, which is Xealic," Supreme Kai explained.
Gohan raised an eyebrow in confusion and said, "I thought Xealic was a metal, not a gem."
Vegeta snatched the bracelet from Gohan's grasp and began to inspect it. His brow furrowed in thought as the Prince of Saiyans examined it.
Supreme Kai smiled at Gohan's observation. "Usually, it is indeed a metal. However, Xealic is incredibly unique in its ability to form the needed crystalline structures needed for a gem. Even when it is a gem Xealic does not lose its properties of conductivity for both energy and magic." Supreme Kai returned his gaze to the bracelet in Vegeta's hands and continued. "You merely put the bracelet on and you will feel an immediate increase in control over your ki. I suspect that as soon as you put it on, you will revert to your normal form."
Gohan mulled over the benefits of the bracelet. It would certainly be helpful in gaining control; his new transformation continued to weigh down upon him and strain his body.
Vegeta looked up at Supreme Kai suspiciously. "What is the price of wearing this?"
Supreme Kai looked startled. "What?"
Vegeta scowled. "The price! All magic comes at some sort of price! What is the downside to wearing this damn bracelet?" he demanded. "In order to gain control and stabilize his ki, he must end up losing control of something else."
Realization dawned on the Supreme Kai's face and Gohan looked at the bracelet with renewed suspicion.
"The price for the magic of this bracelet is not as terrible as you would think. I am sure that Gohan could handle it just fine," Supreme Kai responded. "For the gain in control over his ki, he loses control in his emotions. It will, however, only be noticeable in extreme situations, and, if necessary, the bracelet can be easily removed. It will probably also prevent you from transforming during full moons."
Gohan's eyes widened. Ever since he had been sparring regularly with Piccolo -and now Vegeta- his control over his emotions had been much better. The hybrid was, however, still prone to those feelings of anger and aggression. The young boy stared at the bracelet in indecision.
Gohan supposed that if he were to lose control he could just remove the bracelet. But, he also did not want to be dependent on the bracelet for control over his ki. Resolve flashed through Gohan's golden eyes. He would just have to train extra in order to gain control as quickly as possible.
Gohan held his hand out to Vegeta. "I'll just wear it until I gain more control over my ki," he decided.
Vegeta nodded and handed over the bracelet. Gohan undid the clasp and slipped it over his wrist. With a slight glow and a ripple in his ki, Gohan returned to his base form and his ki lowered.
Gohan let out a sigh as he felt his muscles relax. The young warrior wanted to stretch out to prevent his body from becoming sore, but that would have to wait. The sun was rising; they had been up all night.
Their Capsule Corporation spaceship rapidly traveled through a solar system composed of oddly purple tinted planets. Gohan sat at the table, intently focusing on his 'studies.' He flipped through a book written in Saiyan that he was supposed to be translating.
Vegeta was intently searching through the fridge, dressed in only a pair of shorts, having just showered. The hungry Saiyan quickly found a bowl that we removed the lid from and he briefly sniffed the contents before deeming them acceptable and digging in.
Gohan's forehead furrowed in thought and his tail scratched his head. The puzzled boy grabbed an electronic dictionary chip and slotted it into his computer. His wavering tail settled down and wrapped tightly around his thigh as he began scribbling a note into his book.
"Vegeta?"
Said man gave a grunt through his food meaning that he was listening. Vegeta had moved onto yet another bowl of food., however, its contents appeared questionable in nature.
"What is kijyn? There are several mentions of it on this page, but there is no definition for it when I search it," Gohan queried.
Vegeta paused briefly in shoveling down his food to clear his throat. "It can have several meanings, but it generally means 'outsider.' What context is it in? Read out one of the sentences, brat."
Gohan flipped back a page and recited, "Ahk dombiv Vegeta ken harit kijyn apur daht. Faki belena ahk kanit teka fomatik ay putilli kijyn."
His pronunciation was nearly perfect, with just a slight Standard accent. The hybrid's progression with the Saiyan language in just a few short weeks was nothing short of amazing. Not that Vegeta would ever acknowledge it verbally.
"In that situation it is an exile. A criminal who escaped from Planet Vegeta before he was executed or imprisoned, who committed crimes against the Saiyan race," Vegeta explained.
Gohan nodded and flipped back to his original spot in the book. "Okay so he was a criminal. I don't get what for, though. It says that he had a kanit. What is that?"
Vegeta mumbled something that sounded like a curse under his breath. "Kanit is half-breed, brat."
Gohan leaned back in his chair, a dark eyebrow raised. "So you're telling me that on Planet Vegeta it was illegal to have a hybrid child? Why?"
Vegeta rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. The prince did not like the topic of conversation.
"Saiyans were not allowed to mate outside of their species. Not only did it prevent the introduction of weak genes, but it also was a matter of pride."
Gohan leaned forward, his chair legs landing with a thunk. "I thought you said that half-breeds could be very strong. You mentioned that on Namek, and look at me, Vegeta," Gohan said. "Weren't the Saiyans all about strength?"
Vegeta raised his eyes towards the Saiyan half-breed and leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Not when it threatened the throne or elites, Saiyan politics were very straight forward. If you were strong, you had power. If you were weak, you didn't. However, those that did have power, would do anything to keep it.
"Saiyans have much longer lifespans than humans and are capable of being powerful fighters for much longer. A powerful child could potentially be in a position of power in twenty years and many elites wanted to prevent that, especially if it would threaten their position. So powerful children, or those with great potential, especially half-breeds, were almost always killed."
"Harsh. So I would have been killed if I had grown up on Vegeta?" Gohan asked.
"Most likely," Vegeta grunted in response.
Gohan returned to his book, intrigued about Saiyan customs. Who knew what other information was out there?
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Foreign distress signal detected. Analyse and locate signal?"
Gohan poked his head out of his room within the ship as he heard the beeping from the control center. Vegeta padded over from his position by the window and pressed a light blue button.
"Analysing and pinpointing distress signal. Located North West. Approximate time distance: 20 minutes. Distress signal being received from small cargo ship, identification #C6582-46992 from Sector 14 of the Southern Quadrant. Three lifeforms detected on the ship."
Gohan approached the main screen and stood slightly behind Vegeta. "What do you want to do?" Gohan asked.
"We will be investigating, brat. I recognize the identification number of the ship as one that belonged to the Cold Empire. Considering that the Cold Empire no longer exists, it should not be out here."
Gohan nodded as Vegeta began typing information into the ship. If the soldier's of the Cold Empire were still running around then it was certainly worth investigating.