A/N: This is a three-part special, one between five chapters. Take this as a break from the main story. Hope you enjoy!
"Legendary"
North City (Age 779)
"*Yawn* Is breakfast ready, Mom?" Hi, I'm Kale Brocc. I'm fourteen years old and attend North City Junior High. Leaf and Collard are my parents, who work at the Sadala Defense Force Headquarters. Dad is a soldier, the strongest on his team. Mom, although she doesn't fight, heals soldiers with medicine and first-aid kits. As I entered the kitchen, my nose picked up on savory bacon, sizzling sausage, and fluffy scrambled eggs. Mmm, meat.
"Hi, sweetie. Coffee's on the table, if you want a cup."
Dad sat near the table, reading the latest newspaper. He positioned his glasses by pushing them closer to the nose bridge. I sat next to him, smiling ever so happily. Today is my first day of school as an eighth grader. "Kale, got everything you need for school?" I nodded. I rummaged inside my bookbag, checking if I'd missed any necessary supplies. Once I had everything, I huffed relieving air. "Got everything, Dad." Mom presented plates of meat and buttered biscuits to us and we ate.
Afterward, we headed to our business. Mom and Dad flew straight while I flew left. North City Junior High is a special educational system for the well-gifted. My parents worried I'll have no friends, but they were wrong. I'd made a couple of friends during my junior high years. For example, Caulifla, a delinquent at our school, grew a friendship between us. Sure, she has a temper, and every girl feared her, but I appreciated her company. Then, there's Cabba, the smartest boy in our homeroom class. He's polite, strong, and helpful. Almost most our class asked Cabba for help in their homework.
These two accepted me, my timid, quiet self. I'm not a social person, nor an out-going type, but I worked hard at school. My grades were high, nearing straight-A category, and the teachers loved my determination. However, there are students who don't like introverted girls. One was exchange students, particularly…
SPLASH!
"AH!"
"Oh, sorry. My hand must have slipped."
Agh, this is Sissy, a cyraxian student with a big ego. She became the most popular female student in under four weeks. Her slender figure and beautiful looks were attractive. Despite having a gorgeous face, Sissy was a tyrant towards nerdy students, especially me. Every day, Sissy would throw half a cup of latte, excusing it as a mistake. At lunch, she'll trip me and make it up as an accident. What's worse was her constant taunts about my personality and appearance. 'What a plain girl' and 'compared to me, I'm the better, smarter, and prettier student' were a few quotes from her.
My first day was typical. Sissy mocked me, got another perfect score in English, and more. Until, I stumbled upon a rather large saiyan male down the hallway. Three sectorian boys surrounded him, smirks plastered on their faces. One sectorian male, taller and buffer than the others, pulled out a permanent marker and pointed it at his victim. "Piggy's gonna get the message. This is what you get for bumping into me!" He wrote harsh words on the boy's flabby stomach. His buddies went along with the abuse, but I wasn't. "Hey, stop it!" I ran up to them, but the bigger bully pushed me back.
I fell on my butt, as the bully finished writing his negative comments. "Oh, look right here, boys! The quiet girl in our homeroom has a crush. I guess being fat and pathetic has good qualities." Their laughter echoed across the hallway, which made the scene unbearable to watch. Once they left, I walked to the student, who whimpered. "A-Are you okay?" He wiped the tears off and cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm fine, ma'am. Y-You shouldn't have done that. Terrance and his friends always tease me." His name is Limo, and it clicked a familiar memory.
He's the biggest student in our homeroom class and he sat at the back row. The boys ignored Limo, because of his weight and stature. Even the girls followed the boy's example and never talked to Limo after class. "Are you alright? Those boys didn't hurt you, right?" Limo shook his head, which wobbled his fatty cheeks. I found his frame cute, yet Limo doesn't like how he looks. "Just some marks and whatever Terrance wrote on my stomach. I'm sure a few showers will wipe away the ink." His smile increase the cheek's volume as they reddened. Without me noticing, my cheeks grew rosy and eyes widened. "Uh, sure. B-Bye!" I jogged away from Limo, not understanding what just happened. Mom reminded me not to trust anyone. Dad, meanwhile, believed trust is important to form friendships. Caulifla and Cabba trust me, yet my encounter with Limo felt different. My chest pounded faster, my cheeks were still red, and I felt hot.
Was this love?
Brocc Residence (9pm)
{Kale stepped through the front door; Collard finished his daily reading period.}
"Sweetie, how's school going for you?"
"The same, Dad."
"I understand. Well, after dinner, we'll practice in the desert. Your mom made her famous roast beef with veggies."
"Mmm, so tender and smooth."
"Come on, Kale."
Through all the teasing and confusing sensations about love, I had one vital secret. Dad told me not to reveal this to anyone, unless my friends will hear. Cabba and Caulifla knew, but they haven't spread it, which was good. My secret was generational. Dad explained how our family began a thousand years ago. On Sadala, a legendary peasant gained a tremendous power from powerful gods. A prophecy stated how their god, the Super Saiyan God, will descend from above and give his abilities to a special chosen one. Our ancestor was that chosen one.
Once he required the abilities, he went mad with power. Brussel thought punishing the royals who made his life a living hell will fix everything. However, it brought horror and suffering across Sadala. Only a simple plan through poisoning stopped the terror from extending. Unfortunately for them, Brussel impregnated a woman, and she carried his child. His son carried the legendary power with him and he passed it onto his children. As the years flew, the Brocc family suffered because of this accidental curse. You might see it as a terrible occurrence, but Dad and my grandpa figured a positive link. The legendary transformation came out through anger or potent emotions. After years of physical and mental training, they maintained the transformation and controlled it. Since I'm the current descendent with this 'curse', Dad dedicated his life to teach me.
I activated the form during elementary school, when boys began teasing Caulifla, who defended me. My parents were worried, not because of me, but the transformation activating. If I got angry or upset, it showed up and I wouldn't have any common sense. My mind blanked, making it hard for me to remember any occurrences. When I turned twelve, Dad confirmed his hard determination into teaching me how to control my legendary powers. So far, I'm able to go through weeks without lashing out.
After dinner, we flew to the northern desert, where our evening session began. Dad and I transformed into our Berserker forms, as he liked to call them. Tall, muscular, and scary. We had spiky green hair which glowed along the midnight sky background. Our eyes were white as snow, yet we see each other perfectly. Even our clothes never ripped from our muscle growth. I found it extraordinary our clothes were durable. "Alright, Kale, we'll start with a warm-up match. Then, we'll begin meditation." In a match, Dad was superior. I'm still young, so fighting became a necessary option. During our warm-up match, the scene between me and Limo flashed by.
Should I ask? I don't know if Dad dealt with love.
I blocked Dad's right hook and pushed him back. I later cleared my throat and asked one important question. "Were you in love with Mom, Dad?" The question paused Dad's charging moment as he glanced with bewilderment. I understand asking was awkward, but my mind motivated me. "To answer that question, sweetie, your mom was an odd duck. Our time during junior high was amazing, but we'd never grew close. Until I graduated from North City High and signed up for the force. Your mom was a junior nurse while I became a junior soldier. We met, and the rest was history."
We continued our match until we couldn't prolong. We laid on the reddish brown ground, watching the stars shoot above Sadala. "Have you met a boy, Kale? What's he like?" My cheeks turned scarlet red from Dad's question. Dryness filled my throat, and I struggled to reply. "H-His name is Limo and… uh, I know little about him." I turned away, embarrassed to speak about love or what happened at school. Despite the moment, Dad patted my oversized shoulder and grinned. "Maybe this week, I'll get to know Limo. He sounds like a nice boy to me." Afterward, we deactivated our form and began our meditation period.
The Next Day (7pm)
"You want me to what, Caulifla?"
"Sissy forced us into a matchmaking date. Me, you, and Olive are coming with her."
"Why would she-"
"If you've seen her behavior, she likes to be the center of attention."
"Oh, I get it now."
"It starts at 8pm."
"B-But, Mom's shopping tonight. I have to help her."
"Sissy knew you would bail, so she asked me to give you this warning. 'I'll melt your face in scorching hot coffee, if you don't come, Plain Brocc.' Get all that?"
"That's the nickname she picked? Ah, I got no choice. I'll talk with Mom and see if she's alright with me leaving. Thank, Caulifla."
With no choice, I'd explained my turnaround to Mom, and she agreed. An hour passed, and I made it to the Fancy-O Restaurant. The door opened, revealing Sissy's glitter dress and glorious make-up. "Hmph, you'd dressed up plain, too. It'll have to do. The less attention on you and your friends, the more boyfriends I'll get." Her smirk disgusted me, even pushing my transformation to show, but I'd ignored it. I followed her inside, noticing Caulifla and Olive in their casual clothes. Over the opposite side of a rectangular table, four boys sat still. From Caulifla's description before I arrived, Cabba went on a date with Romaine, his girlfriend.
Lucky for Cabba, but we weren't so lucky. Terrance, the bully who terrorized Limo, sat in the middle. On his left was a slim sectorian male with dreads and striking purple tank top. He sculpted his muscles to perfection. I think Caulifla's drooling over his bulging chest. To Terrance's right were his buddies. Fritz and Luke were their names and their grins matched Terrance's. As I sat next to Caulifla, Olive blew an exhausted air through her glossy lips. "I'm not a fan of matchmaking dates. All boys complained about how greasy my hair is, calling me 'Olive Hair Olive.' What a dumbass name."
Sissy shoved me and Olive away, sat straight in between us, and introduced herself. "Welcome to the matchmaking date. As you must know, I'm Sissy Cardinal. Though I'm an exchange student, everyone views me as a popular girl. With hair, clothes, and curvy figure, no girl can beat me." I wanted to roll my eyes, but Sissy could see it. My strength overwhelmed Sissy, but I don't like enormous crowds. A big fight would cause disastrous outcomes. We began the date and Sissy took the spotlight. My friends and I never had time to introduce ourselves.
She kept rambling on about how famous her father's career as a well-renowned soldier was. After he quit the army, Sissy's father began his company, and it became successful. That explained why she's self-entitled and spoiled. Within two hours, the night was clear and dinner arrived. I had steak, but there were no steamed vegetables. "Hah! The menu suggested vegetables, but with your figure, meat might be your new diet. Look at her bones, men! Scrawny and wimpy!" Her snickering echoed, followed by Terrance and his partners. The boy sitting next to Terrance didn't join in, just remaining silent and occupying Caulifla.
My body heated from the verbal abuse, as well as not getting proper vegetables for dinner. As I stood up, I bumped into a busboy, who poured a bucket of dirty water over Sissy's back. Her precious glitter dress drenched in soap, water, and liquified grime. The boys—excluding the kind gentleman—burst in laughter and pointed at Sissy's unnecessary accident. "The fat boy got ya wet, girl! Should I take him to the curb?" I cranked my torso to face Limo, whose face turned blue. He stepped back as Sissy shot upward, hands slammed against the wooden table, and her rage-inducing eyes glaring at Limo.
"How DARE you ruin my dress, punk!?"
"I-I'm sorry, ma'am!"
"You'll pay for getting this priceless gown. I'll cost you 40,000 credits, mother-f-"
"Hey, it's not his fault! I bumped into him."
"So, you're in on this, too, Plain Brocc!?"
{Sissy yanked Kale's shirt collar, lifting her inches off the floor.}
"Then, you join your fat boyfriend to the curb! If you don't have the money towards the mistake, I'll make you suffer! Both of you!"
"Hahaha, aw, looks like Lard-Ass got himself in trouble."
"Yeah, they belong with each other."
"Damn straight! C'mon, Terrance. Let's leave this place. My mom made her famous roasted chicken."
"Hell yeah!"
{Sissy, Terrance, Fritz, and Luke left Fancy-O Restaurant.}
My body tensed, eyes growing red, and the floor rocking below my feet. I'd wished I could wring her neck for mocking me and my friends, but… I promised Dad I wouldn't lose control over my emotions. I calmed down, focused my attention on Limo, and noticed him sobbing. He sat on a comfy chair, settled the cleaning tools near him, and covered his watery eyes. "Limo, I-" He held up a hand, which dripped tears against his palms. "I-It's okay, ma'am. T-Thanks for defending me again." I wanted to say more, but Caulifla grasped my shoulder and shook her head. Her frowned explained everything I knew. We left the restaurant and went our separate ways. Ugh, being a teenager sucks.
North City Junior High (Two Days Later)
Thanks to Dad's help, I paid for the dress Limo ruined accidentally. Sissy was grateful, but poured her latte over my head as usual. After a quick fresh-up, I saw Limo down the hallway. His back outfit had marker writing, which meant Terrance tortured me again. My chest told me to speak to Limo, and that's what I did. "Limo, about what happened two days ago… I still feel sorry for not standing up sooner." He lowered his head, faced me, and shut his locker. "Same here, ma'am. Janet, my boss at SDF Headquarters, motivated me to try other part-time jobs. The reason behind the decision was my mom, Maiz. She's the only parent I have and I'll do anything for her."
Limo described his family life while we walked to our next class. Apparently, his father was a soldier from SDF and partook in a dangerous mission. His last one got him killed. When the news reached to Limo and his mom, it devastated them. Maiz grew overprotective of Limo, driving him to safe occupations. He has two jobs, an assistant to Sadala's brightest scientist and a janitor at Fancy-O. "Terrance, Janet's cousin, spread his abuse at headquarters, here, and the restaurant. He and his pals wouldn't leave me alone, always naming me. Their latest tricks was writing fat jokes on my back."
We stood in front of our math class, most of our classmates preparing for the next lesson. What Dad said about understanding Limo finally came as I poked Limo's soft stomach. "Do you have friends, Limo? If not, then will you join my friendship group?" His eyes widened towards the question. I felt a shiver spread under his skin. "A-Are you sure?" I nodded, while opening the door. "I insist, Limo. Let's take it as an apology for what happened two days ago." From our conversation, we became close friends. Or so I thought…
TBC…
