"The Hideout Schedule"
Eight Weeks Later…
{Kale entered 'June's Therapy Center'; a curvy sectorian woman in a yellow sundress welcomed Kale.}
"Hello and good morning, Kale."
"Hi, Mrs. June."
"Well, this is the last day of our eight-week program. It appears you're emotionally positive. Come sit down and let's review your progress."
"Of course."
{Kale sat down on a beanbag chair.}
"Eight weeks ago, you came to my service. Why, Kale?"
"To recap my predicament, June, it began after the tournament ended. S-Scratch that, it occurred a week after…"
*Three Months Ago…
Old Hideout
Kale's POV
Cabba thought sharing his credits from headquarters would benefit our needs. After all, he promised to repay Caulifla if she agreed to take part in the tournament. He gave 500,000 credits to us, which felt generous. From our introduction, I showed no appreciation towards Cabba, but he cared for me and Caulifla. My sister-in-arm's first deed was buying a new building as our hideout. Sure, our old hideout was old, but the place Caulifla rented was amazing.
We packed our belongings, cargo boxes, and furniture to the hideout. Olive became co-leader because of her natural leadership skills. The gang loved her enthusiasm, a trait I lacked. Courage and Independence were other traits I failed in, but with Caulifla's friendship, I grew into a different person. However, it wouldn't last as Caulifla bought another item. She purchased a training tent for 60,000 credits. The hideout cost 40,000 credits, meaning 400,000 credits were left. Afterward, Caulifla's mood change and so was mine.
*One And A Half Months Later…
Every morning, afternoon, and evening, Caulifla attended the training tent, while Olive commanded the gang. I cleaned the building as a maid. Since I experienced cooking and sanitary work, Caulifla appointed me to keep the headquarters tidy. For the first few days, I didn't mind the role. That is until Caulifla's sore body needed a massage. It happened at night, specifically between 5am and 6am. "Kale! Can you rub my back!?" I stormed out of my bedroom, entered Caulifla's cluttered room, and rubbed her oily back.
She's a tomboy, so showering only became a priority during the weekends. Despite rubbing her back for twenty minutes, Caulifla's demands kept growing longer. A cup of water to midnight snacks and she doesn't think of getting those herself. Still, I kept my frustrations inside and did what Caulifla told me. Unfortunately, it led to my emotions expanding. I can't explode in front of Caulifla, as she's a best friend, but my inner voice pushed me multiple times. Whenever I hear, 'Kale! I need you!', my skin shivered.
Over a month, I tried not showing my true intentions. The irritation seeped deeper, making casual tasks difficult. For instance, I broke the broomstick by accident after Caulifla left to the training tent again. There was the time I slammed the door too hard, and it fell out of its frame. My strength goes up and down, never stopping. When I bought a dress for Caulifla, her expression showed disgrace. I know she wasn't a fan of dresses or skirts, but I bought it as a gift. Without thinking, I smiled, but it strained itself. My stomach churned, my spine vibrated, and my feet glued to the floorboard. Olive noticed something and it motivated her into suggesting Caulifla to wear the dress.
Five days later and I snapped. Caulifla rejected a bed-n-breakfast event, and you know why? Because she scheduled a workout session in that goddamn tent! I snapped, which felt like a million strings ripping. The pain grew bigger within my chest as I watched Caulifla exit the back door. When Olive and two female members saw me, I turned to them and showed a horrific grin.
"A-Are you alright, Kale? Sis told ya to-" I stomped the floorboard, spreading cracks beneath my feet. "I'm. FINE! If Caulifla wants me to clean the hallways, hehehe, I'LL DO IT!" I sprinted for the closet, opened it, and pulled the vacuum. Later, I climbed upstairs with the vacuum, not turning it on, and pretended to clean.
The girls witnessed, as I banged the vacuum against the walls before flipping it over the railings. I wished for this to end! I punched the walls, leaving holes and dried plaster on the floor. Laughter escaped my lips, echoing across the area. An hour passed, and I laid on my bed, fainted from all the madness I committed. Olive reported the incident to Caulifla. Her reaction? "I guess she felt tired, and you interrupted her space. Maybe occupy your role and let Kale occupy hers."
Because of that tent, Caulifla lost all attention on me! My voice told me to burn the f***ing tent and finish this nightmare, but I refused. If the tournament taught me anything, it was my emotional control being unstable. I sobbed, knowing well that my issues were returning; then a bright light shimmered tomorrow morning. Olive and I entered the garage after breakfast. I saw the cabinets destroyed and burned paper on the concrete floor, caused by my earlier incident.
"Look, Kale. Sis and that tent is the big situation we can't stand. It's effecting your mental health and my patience. All day, I organized the gang's activity while she stayed in that dome-shaped s*** for hours. Five, to be exact."
"First, sorry. I bottled my emotions too long."
"It's not your fault, Kale. It's that damn tent's fault for f***ing up our sisterhood. As co-leader, I have a plan. First, I found a therapy center in North City. I believe it'll work wonders for you, girl."
{Olive gave Kale a slip.}
'Welcome to June's Therapy Center. You come in stressed but leave happy. 100% guarantee.'
"Yep, this June woman sounded like a nice person and great for your dilemma. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work, we'll try another center."
"Uh…"
"You go think about it. The second half of my plan will take some time."
"..."
Like I said, Olive supported my struggles, unlike Caulifla, who became too attracted with the training tent. With no choice, I visited your therapy center and nervous covered me. You weren't a saiyan, but our first conversation felt natural. You listened to what I'd been dealing with and suggested techniques. Once our meeting was done, you announced the eight-week program. Throughout the program, you taught me mindfulness, journaling, deep breathing, meditation, and exploring my expectations. "Remember, Kale. Bottling your emotions is a bad habit. Try expressing them with your hands."
I expressed my emotions alright and tended the rocky deserts during workouts. Two weeks into the program and I wasn't feeling better. I thought I was training wrong, but then I had an idea. With the help of June's visualization method, I imagined each boulder as Caulifla. She caused this mess and my emotions targeted her. Yes, it sounded harsh, but in the end, it worked. My body felt lighter, there were no headaches, and the techniques released a new version of me. During shopping, I met a cute saiyan boy named Limo. His chubby appearance made him intimidating, but his voice softened it. We shared the same social awkwardness whenever we met again.
The balance of emotional control and physical training invented a form I'd never dreamed of achieving. I'd mentioned my Super Saiyan forms, but there was a berserker form. That transformation began my development, but it scarred me. One day, three weeks before the program's deadline, I unlocked 'Developed Berserker Form.' In this form, I have an awareness of my berserker form. By theory, I've been hitting boulders instead of people and the lust for bloodshed must have disappeared. From then on, I practiced 'Developed Berserker Form' and learned to accept its muscular body.
"Impressive. Tell me this, Kale. Are you satisfied with your success?"
Present Day…
"Well… I'm not sure."
"That's alright, sweetie. There's the five-week program, if this program feels unfinished."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll sign up immediately."
"Good, good. Here's the contract."
{Kale signed the contract.}
"The program begins next week, so you'll have time to relax."
"Thank you, Mrs. June. I could've ended up at the Space Asylum, if Olive hasn't showed me that slip."
"Hehehe, you're welcome, but you should thank Olive."
"Right."
"Oh, I almost forgot. How's Caulifla and the training tent?"
"Olive's plan worked, as she spent the 400,000 credits and donated the purchased items to East City's charity palace. Because there are no credits to support the tent's rental bill, Caulifla caved in. She returned the tent to Janet and apologized, through Olive's persuasion."
"See? Be patient and solutions will arrive."
"I must go. We're heading to a spa in Southwestern City."
"Spas are the gateway to-"
[Both] "Peace and Harmony!"