Steven was fuming. He couldn't believe his guardians had so little faith in him! After he found out he had failed the test at sea spire, he had begged them for a new one. They had agreed, but what they didn't tell him was that it was rigged so he couldn't fail! All of the "obstacles" were either holograms or illusions. Even the fire blasts from the room Goku designed were just light projections and colored smoke! Steven had climbed through one of the portholes in the ceiling and found himself on top of the test rooms. Just as he predicted, there were hologram projectors setup on top.
As he walked to the end of the test chambers, he saw his three guardians waiting for him just after the exit to the room Vegeta had designed. Said prince was pacing in anticipation. There was a sign behind them that read "Congratulations". They already knew he would succeed, seeing as there was no way for him not to. Steven frowned. Part of him wanted to jump down there and tell them off for having so little faith in him. He was about to when Vegeta spoke up.
"What's taking him so long?" the prince complained, "He should have finished it long before now!"
"Maybe he got stuck," Goku suggested from his position of sitting on the floor.
Vegeta rolled his eyes at him. "And how would he have been able to do that? You simplified this stupid test so much that even his father could do it!" he snapped, "Seriously, I can't believe you two think this would be good enough to constitute as a test for him. He's taken on challenges way more difficult than this and completed them in stride!"
Steven felt touched at the prince's words. "You know the point of this test was never to challenge him," the Namekian said, "Steven needs a confidence boost."
"No he doesn't," the prince says, "He needs to learn from his failures and get over them. He'll never get stronger if he gives up every time he fails."
"While I don't disagree with you, he's not a Saiyan like you and Goku, Vegeta. He doesn't have the single minded drive to rise to any challenge even if there are impossible odds," Piccolo argued as he folded his arms, "And considering what happened last time he had a huge drop in self esteem, yeah, I think the kid needs a goddamn confidence booster every once in awhile!"
"It's not my fault his dad's selfish actions screwed up his healing powers!" Vegeta snapped, "And shut up about knowing about what he does and does not need! Last time I checked the kid isn't Namekian either! You're not any wiser about how to take care of him than Kakarot or I!"
"Yes, but it was part your fault when he nearly aged himself to death!" Piccolo shouted, "For whatever reason, Steven's powers are linked to his emotional state. I'm not making a guess about this, it's been an observable trend! I may be just as in the dark about what to do with him as you, but at least I'm trying to figure it out. Meanwhile, you just keep brushing things off in hopes they'll resolve themselves!" Piccolo was huffing after that.
Vegeta opened his mouth to retort when Goku spoke up. "We're really bad at this…" he said, his usual happy demeanor replaced with a more resigned tone. The room went silent for a second.
"What the hell are you talking about, Kakarot?" Vegeta snapped.
"Looking after Steven," he said, "We really have no idea what we're doing. I barely have a clue of what to do as is with Gohan, and he's at least half the same species as me!"
"I hate to say it but I completely agree," Piccolo started, "Look at us: We're a trio made up of the son of a genocidal tyrant, a prince who grew up under the rule of a sociopath, and a guy who could barely tell the difference between a male and a female for a good portion of his life. We don't know a damn thing about either species he comes from, and we probably can't count on our hands anymore all the times we've accidentally put his life on the line. If it weren't for Greg and Chichi, the kid would have been dead before he made it out of diapers."
Vegeta's mouth hung open slightly as he tried to think of something to say but closed it. He crossed his arms and turned away from the Namekian. He did nothing but scowl at the ground, completely silent for once.
At that, Steven had heard enough. He walked back and found another porthole. When he came out on the other side, he acted like nothing had gone wrong. He let them congratulate him and treat it like it was a grand accomplishment. He pretended to gush about all the crazy obstacles and tell them how cool their test rooms were, so much so that he had to run through them several times. All three of them looked very pleased with both him, and themselves afterwards. Steven was happy for that. To be honest, they probably needed the confidence boost more than him.
Another serious chapter. Sorry. I just really wanted to write this one. Still, I hope you enjoyed this one! let me know what you think!