Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest

Master Ran: "Learning powerful swordsman techniques and having a strong body are crucial in the battlefield, young man."

Student: "Yes, master."

Master Ran: "But having peace of mind is just as important. Negative emotions cannot be allowed to interfere in a duel."

Student: "Yes, master."

Master Ran: "Now, let us meditate and clear our mind of all nuisances."

Student: "Yes, master…"

Chapter 9: Taming the Self

Sakura and Ninomiya had been captured by Sizere in their mission to infiltrate King Avarez' base. When all hope seemed lost, Sakura was able to look at the full moon and transform into a Great Ape! She managed to destroy almost the entire base, but had lost control of herself! Suddenly, the moon was split in half, causing Sakura to revert to her normal self. Ninomiya found a way to show Sakura what happened to her during the full moon night, and she was shocked by the discovery. It seemed as the only way to prevent it from happening again was to cut her beloved tail off. But Princess Andromeda remembered reading that it is possible to control the Great Ape form, with sufficient training.

Sakura: "I'm so happy I get to keep my tail! But, do you know how I can train my mind to control myself?"

Princess Andromeda: "We're going to need something or someone that can help you train your mind to the highest extent."

Ninomiya: "Hey, I know! Isn't Master Ran a master of meditation, too?"

Princess Andromeda: "That's right! I bet he can teach you how to fully control your mind! Come on, guys, let's… Sakura? Where did she go?"

Castle servant: "She already left to Master Ran's."

Princess Andromeda: "Wow… guess that's all she can think about right now. OK, let's go, Ninomiya!"

Meanwhile, in Master Ran's dojo.

Master Ran: *meditating* "Ohm… ohm… clear mind… happy thoughts… no interruptions… feel the breeze… of… a very… fast… running… girl…?"

Sakura: "MASTER RAN! MASTER RAAAAAN!" *busts door open* "MASTER RAN, TRAIN MY BRAIN!"

Master Ran: *breaks out of meditation* "AH! What?! I don't… what? Brain… you mean… mind?"

Sakura: "Yeah, that!"

Master Ran: "Calm down, Sakura. Just sit down and tell me why you have come to me."

Sakura: "OK…" *inhales* *exhales* "… now. Master Ran, I know how good of a meditator you are, and I need you to train me. I need to learn how to control myself even when my body appears to be ridden only by anger."

Master Ran: "Ah, I see. Well, young warrior, like I've always said, peace of mind is just as crucial as a strong body. Most people seem to underestimate the power of a clear mind, and I'm happy you're not one of them."

Sakura: "Thank you, master! Where do I start?"

Master Ran: "First, you must start by not thinking about the training itself."

Sakura: "But isn't the whole purpose of training to be paying attention to it?"

Master Ran: "Yes, but you must let that knowledge be part of your unconscious mind. Your conscious mind has to be focusing on… nothing."

Sakura: "Nothing? But wouldn't thinking of nothing be thinking of something?"

Master Ran: "Well, yes, but, like… don't think. Pretend you're asleep."

Sakura: "But don't dreams count as brain func—"

Master Ran: "JUST THINK OF A BLANK SPACE, OK?!"

Sakura: "WAAH! OK, don't get mad, please…"

Sakura tried to think of nothing. It seemed strange at first, but she managed to have a clear mind.

Master Ran (echo): "Now, disconnect your body from your mind."

Sakura's eyes were closed. She put her hands together, feet loose and partially wrapped her tail around her waist.

Master Ran (echo): "Bodily functions always take control of the self and forget mind control. You must set your body in a passive state and let your mind come above all else."

Ninomiya and the princess walked into the dojo at that moment.

Ninomiya: "Sakura! Wow, you're fas—whoa… she's meditating… we'll be quiet…"

Master Ran: "Don't bother. If she's truly in a state of meditation, she should only be able to pay attention to the important things."

Sakura: "Hi, Ninomiya! Hi, princess!"

Master Ran: "Oh, don't tell me you broke out of meditation state!"

Sakura: "No, master. But Ninomiya and Princess Andromeda are important to me. I can also sense that behind to my right, 11 meters away is the rock I split in half with my tail that day. There's a quetzal on your window, by the way."

Master Ran: "What?" *looks at quetzal on window* "Oh, there is… (How did she learn so fast?! She could even know what kind of bird it was with her eyes closed! This girl never ceases to amaze me!)"

Princess Andromeda: "Looks like she's already getting the hang of this. That's some determination!"

Sakura remained training her mind until it became early night time.

Princess Andromeda: "Sakura, you think you did enough training for today?"

Sakura: "I… hope so…"

Princess Andromeda: "OK, then it's time…"

Sakura, Ninomiya and Princess Andromeda went to the desert where King Avarez was hiding.

Princess Andromeda: "Well, we're here. The sky is clear. This place is fairly far away from the kingdom, but it's still part of its outskirts. Which means it is also affected by a permanent full moon. Sakura, you have to enter a state of meditation. Once you do, look at the full moon. It's the only way to see your progress. Ninomiya and I will stand around here in case anything happens… I hope nothing happens…"

Sakura: "Thank you, both of you. I'm scared, but… it's the only way I can keep my tail… OK, here it goes…"

Sakura sat down and entered a state of meditation. She was wearing only a white, cheap dress so no particular money was spent on her training. Once she was ready, she looked up at the full moon.

Sakura: "Here I go…" *looks at full moon* "… keep your mind… clear… of any…!"

Eyes turn red, motionless body except for tail… you've read this before! Finally, she transformed.

Ninomiya: "She's… just… standing there…"

Sakura (Great Ape): "…"

Princess Andromeda: "…Sakura?"

Sakura (Great Ape): "RRAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

Ninomiya: "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Princess Andromeda: "OK, we have a problem. Haaa!"

The princess used the same technique she used the previous night to split the moon in half and then put it together again. When Sakura turned back to normal, she fainted.

Princess Andromeda: "It must be very tiresome for her… but she needs more training."

The next day, Sakura returned to Master Ran's dojo and, again, trained her mind from morning to night. Then they tried again.

Sakura: "OK, mind is clear…" *looks at full moon* "…I have to do this, I have to do this, I have to…!"

Transforms.

Ninomiya: "She's standing there, again…"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Rrrrgh…" *looks at Ninomiya* "Rargh…"

Sakura began walking to Ninomiya. She seemed to be getting angrier as she approached him.

Ninomiya: "Oh… crap… please… Sakura…"

Sakura raised her feet as if she was about to stomp Ninomiya.

Ninomiya: "SAKURA, IT'S ME, NINOMIYA!"

Sakura gasped. She recognized it was her friend calling her. Then, she retreated her feet and walked around, looking very upset as if she was fighting with herself. Eventually, she got tired and fell asleep.

Then morning came, and Sakura woke up. Ninomiya was standing sitting beside her. Sakura was wearing some clothes Princess Andromeda dressed her on while asleep. Ninomiya told her about how she acted last night, and Sakura realized she was getting close to full control.

Again, she returned to Master Ran's dojo and trained all day. Then the night came, and Sakura, Ninomiya, and the princess returned to the desert.

Sakura: "Mind is clear…" *looks at full moon for 6 seconds* "Just relax…" *closes eyes*

Sakura opened her eyes again, slowly. They were red, but she seemed to still have control of herself. Finally, she transformed.

Ninomiya: "Look, she's still sitting down. She transformed, but she didn't change her pose at all!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Hm…"

Ninomiya: "AIIEEE! Please, don't eat me!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Hm… Ninomiya…" *turns head to look at him* "…why would I ever want to eat my friend?"

Sakura was speaking! She had a monstrous voice, but she was talking the same way she would any day. Then she stood up and walked around normally. She was even able to throw some punches and kicks just like she did in her regular form. Sakura had done it; she learned to control her Great Ape form! However, she could only be able to control herself if she entered Great Ape form during meditation.

The next day came. Since both Sakura and Ninomiya had done everything they wanted to do in Starflow Kingdom, they had no reason to stay any longer. They went and said bye to everyone and prepared to continue their journey. But then…

Sakura and Ninomiya: "Bye, everyone!"

Princess Andromeda: "Wait, you two! I'm coming with you!"

Everyone else: "PRINCESS?!"

Starflow Queen: "Andromeda, what in Hydra's name are you saying?! You're the princess of Starflow Kingdom, you can't leave!"

Princess Andromeda: "You're wrong! The kingdom doesn't need me until the universe's balance becomes distorted. YOU just don't want me to leave!"

Starflow King: "Andromeda!"

Princess Andromeda: "Come on, dad! You know it's true! I've been stuck in this kingdom for 16 years! These two warriors have given me more excitement and happiness in about a week than this entire place has given me in 16 years! Like it or not, I'm not going to stay here any longer until there is a chaos of galactic proportions. Literally. Well, that is… if Sakura and Ninomiya don't mind…"

Ninomiya: "Well, I don't know if we're the right people to decid—"

Sakura: "YES! Of course you can come with us, princess! A new partner is always welcomed in our book! Right, Ninomiya?!"

Ninomiya: "I guess so, yes."

Princess Andromeda: "Then it's settled. I already packed my things, so we can just leave right now. Mom, dad, I promise I will be back when Starflow Kingdom needs me. Until then, wish me luck. Sakura, Ninomiya, don't bother with the 'Princess,' just call me Andromeda."

Sakura and Ninomiya: "Of course, Prince… of course, Andromeda!"

Andromeda: "That's better; we're friends, not a team of monarchs. OK, and without further ado, let's go to! … Where?"

Sakura: "West City."

Andromeda: "West City!"

Unexpectedly, the princess of Starflow Kingdom, Andromeda, joined our heroes in their original journey to West City. What new adventures and enemies await the three in the way? Will King Avarez return for revenge? Find out next time on Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest!

To be continued…

Bonus skit

While training Sakura with his guidance on mind training, Master Ran wondered if there was a particular reason for her to all of a sudden want to train meditation.

Master Ran: "I'm glad that you decided to train your mind, Sakura. Is there anything in particular you want this training for?"

Sakura: "I'm training so when I look at the full moon and become a 35 meter tall ape, I don't have the extreme desire to crush buildings and kill people!"

Master Ran: "…w…wh…I…wait…I'm…confused…what?"

Andromeda: "Here, Master Ran, read this book. Skip to page 41." *hands book over*

Master Ran: "'Saiyans 101: Saiyan History and Biology for Dummies.' Page 41: Saiyan Great Apes… it says: 'Their true potential is unlocked by the full moon. When a Saiyan looks at the moon, they will (assuming their tail is still present) transform into gigantic apes, increasing their power by ten times and destroying everything in their way…'" *immediately looks at Sakura*

Sakura: *slightly moves tail around her leg* "Clear… mind… hm? What's wrong, master?"

Master Ran: *staring endlessly at Sakura* "…Sakura…remind me to never…EVER… leave a SINGLE window open in here when it's night time and you're visiting…"