One Month Later…

"Hey Chichi!" Goku called out, running over to where Chichi and I were busy looking over the medical supplies. She had really gotten into making sure we were well stocked up; at first it had been for Gohan's sake but after a few weeks she'd realized that everyone BUT Gohan was more likely to get injured on this island. And she had taken to heart the idea that the Sensu beans should be saved for only the most drastic of situations. Thankfully the worst we'd had was Tien breaking his ankle after a bad kick so we were only down one bean. I'd gotten a few cuts and scrapes myself but not enough for me to waste a bean on.

'Honestly it's a good thing the two of us are here,' I thought to myself as she went through a roll of bandages. 'Even Tien doesn't know how to wrap a wound properly.' Chichi had studied up on all of this, making sure that she knew just how to take care of any injury that might come up mostly to ensure that her son and husband (in that order) were okay and able to heal up. Me? I hadn't wanted to take gym class in high school and thus me and my friends had done a sports medicine class instead. It had paid off when I'd been summoned to deal with a sprain Roshi had gotten just the other day and stopped Chiaotzu from wrapping his entire head in gauze after he got a nasty bump from a failed dodge.

That was the thing the anime and manga never truly showed you: the damage done to become a skilled fighter. Oh, they played it up for laughs, like Gohan being bruised and bump-riddled after training with Piccolo… but even the Namekian warrior had managed to injure himself in his pursuit of growing stronger. And it was now Chichi and my job to try and help minimize the lasting effects.

We were just finishing the inventory when Goku came over, waving his hand rapidly. I nodded to Chichi, who smiled and left me with her data pad to finish the final counts while she walked over to Goku. But he only took her just out of my eyeline… not enough for me not to be able to hear them speak.

"What is it, Goku?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about something Bulma said and I wanted to get your opinion on it."

"And what is that?"

"Well, Bulma claimed that when you work out, while it makes your muscles bigger your body has to compensate so your boobs get saggy."

"WHAT?!" Chichi roared.

"Whoa, calm down!" Goku exclaimed. "I was just wondering! Bulma is really smart so I figured she must know but I also know you used to train…"

"Yes Goku and I assure you my boobs aren't saggy!"

"Well… I guess." He didn't sound convinced and I could tell that Chichi heard the tone as well. She must have glared at him because Goku hastily added. "Its just… well, maybe if you let me have a look at them then I could tell you? Might be hard for you to check."

"Is that so?" Chichi said.

"Uh huh!"

"Chichi!" I called out. "Knee him in the balls!"

"WHAT!?" Goku screamed in shock and horror. "Why… why would you want to do that?"

"Because you deserve it!"

"I do-AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

I walked around the corner to see Chichi standing over Goku, who was cupping his crotch. "Give it a moment…" There was a poof and where Goku had been there was now Oolong, cupping himself and moaning. "And there it is."

"How did you know he was a fake?" Chichi asked.

"It was pretty obvious… did you NOT?!" Chichi just blinked. "Well, I suppose if Goku had said something that stupid he would have deserved a knee to the dragon balls."

"Why would I knee the Dragon Balls?" the real Goku said, coming into the hallway dressed just in a towel. "Have you ever felt how solid those things are? Man, that would hurt!" He looked down at a moaning Oolong. "Oh hey, what are ya doing down on the ground there?"

I smirked. "He's just reevaluating his life." I knelt down and poked the Pig Man with my index finger. "And what did we learn today?"

"Ooooowwww," Oolong whimpered.

"That's right. Don't be a filthy pervert." I stood back up and shook my head. "Seriously, he's lucky that you aren't prone to anger, Goku or you'd have done a lot worse."

"Why?" Goku said, confused. "What did he do?"

"Just was bothering me Goku in your form. That's why I gave him a solid knee."

"Well, that should have been your first clue!" Goku said with a laugh. "There is no way you'd be able to knee me like that, Chichi! My reflexes are-"

Chichi grabbed him and kneed him in the stomach.

"And what have WE learned?" I asked Goku as he doubled over, groaning. "The lesson, children, is to not insult Chichi. Who is a wonderful wife and mother, a good friend, and an amazing martial artist."

"Thank you Kayos," Chichi said with a bright smile… before making a jerking motion with her knee. I tensed but she didn't actually hit me, instead just merely smirking before patting me on the shoulder. "Don't forget it."

"I won't," I said weakly, still sweating a bit, before handing her the data pad. "All set."

"Wonderful. I'm going to go down to the gym and practice on some of the dummies Bulma set up, You boys have fun!"

"Yeah, it will be just great," Oolong complained, shifting back and forth as he slowly recovered from the hit. "I'll spend the next three hours-"

"Digging your meatballs out?" I asked with a smirk, having quickly recovered from Chichi's little scare.

"And just what is going on here?" Baba declared, suddenly appearing at my side. I let out a yelp and the old witch let out a huff. "You need to work on your awareness!"

"I swear if you begin screaming 'constant vigilance'…" I muttered before gesturing at the two. "The Perv Piggy… Piggy Perv? Whatever. He decided to try and trick Chichi into exposing herself."

"Heheh!" Baba cackled. "Got what ya deserved! Just like that brother of mine… always thinking with that shriveled up worm of his!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Whoa!" Gohan cried out, leaping out of the way as Master Roshi sent a blast of Ki energy rather close to his head.

"Watch it, old man!" Piccolo snapped before, without thinking, reaching down and helping Gohan up.

"Sorry 'bout that," Roshi said, rubbing his nose. "Just got the sense someone was mockin' something real important…

~MC~MC~MC~

"And what about you?" Baba said, floating over to Goku.

"Oh, heheh, I just forgot how quick Chichi has gotten!" Goku sprang back to his feet, doing a few stretches before looking himself over careful. "Man, she sure does know how to hit! And so fast too! Its amazing how quickly she's gotten back into fighting form with just so little time training!" He rubbed his belly. "I think she might even be stronger than when we fought in the tournament! If she had been like she is now back then the me back then could never have beaten the her of now and would have needed to train to become the me I am now to defeat the her back then who was as strong as the her she is now!"

We all stared at him.

"Did that make sense?"

"I'm sure somewhere in that word spaghetti there was an ounce of logic," I commented.

"Oooo!" Gokus said, eyes, lighting up. "I could-"

"No!" Baba and I snapped at the same time.

"Aw, come on-"

"Its 9 in the morning, Goku!" I told him. "You can have spaghetti at lunch. Believe me, I'd be thrilled to have something different so I'll even share with you-" Which meant that I would have to make sure I got to serve myself first before Goku ate everything, "-but you need to focus on training. Maybe go work with Chichi? Prove that you respect her as a fighter?"

"I respect her as a fighter!" Goku complained. "I just know I'm faster than her!" He rubbed his stomach again, wincing. "Normally."

"That's because sometimes you are so fast ya don't think!" Baba snapped, bopping Goku on the head as she floated around him, circling him like the moon around the planet. "You have no idea how to woo a woman!"

"Woo?" Goku asked, tilting his head in confusion.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Damn it all, Baba."

"What was that?" the witch said sternly, glaring at me. "Why are you taking that tone with me?"

"Because now I have to give Goku The Talk because I sure as hell can't let anyone else do it!"

Baba blinked, clearly considering what it would be like if Roshi or Piccolo tried to explain to Goku how one properly wined and dined a woman.

She began to cackle so hard she nearly fell of her crystal ball.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it the fuck up!" I snarled.

Goku, still confused, just stared at us. "Uh… so can I go train now?"

"Yes," I grunted, running my tongue over my teeth. "But first I want you to apologize to Chichi and explain that you didn't mean to insult her and you are sorry. And then, for the love of all that's good and holy… don't go spouting off anything stupid until I have a chance to explain things to you?"

"Good luck with that!" Baba declared.

Goku though merely nodded his head before hurrying off, leaving me, Baba, and Peepy the Wonder Pig.

"Well, unless you want to spend more time around this pathetic bit of bacon," Baba said, "its time to continue your training. We need to still determine more about what magic you are best suited for if you want to complete the more complex spells."

I nodded… but my gaze remained on Oolong.

"Well? Let's go!" Baba declared.

But I shook my head. "I think I have a better idea on how I should be training today."

That got Baba floating up to glare at me. "Now see here!" she snapped. "We talked about this… I set up the training regiment, not you! If I leave it up to you then you'd be only asking to shoot of fireballs or other flashy moves instead of learning actual proper skills!"

But even as she ranted I pulled out the Scroll of Knowledge and whispered my question, smirking as it began to write out the answer.

"Wipe that smile off your face, this isn't a joking matter!" Baba said. "I am your teacher and-"

I held up the scroll.

Baba blinked.

"…well," she finally said, "now that does have potential."

And then she smiled.

~MC~MC~MC~

Ever since Kayos had mentioned power armor Bulma's mind had been racing with ideas. For far too long she'd allowed Goku and Krillin and the rest of their friends to protect her but she didn't want to be protected. She wanted to be able to fight on her own, without needing to worry about the others being around to help her. After all, there were plenty of times where they found themselves separated and it did no good if Bulma wasn't able to defend herself.

The problem was figuring out how to balance everything she wanted.

'Need power,' she thought to herself. Not the first time such thoughts had entered her mind and she knew it also wouldn't be the last that they would enter her mind either. 'Power is the key against someone like Raditz. But… it isn't the only key.' She thought of what she had seen with Goku's fights. 'Power is one thing but you need to be able to move. Speed. And the ability to shift and adapt. Agility.'

It was the great puzzle that had tormented all inventors: how do you build something strong, light, flexible, and durable. Something that could do what you wanted but wasn't so heavy and cumbersome that it made it not worth using. What good was a machine that could remove a rock from a field if it took ten times as long to get it to the spot than it would just hiring a team of men to drag it out with ropes? She had seen it in how Goku battled, dropping his weighted clothing so that he could have greater speed. She needed to protect herself and still be able to counter the quickness of the Saiyan foe that haunted them all.

Which was why she wasn't thrilled that she'd been dragged away from her lab just as she felt she was nearing a breakthrough.

"You know, I hope you didn't drag me out of my lab just to show off your muscles," Bulma complained as Tien, shirtless and flexing, stood before her in the clearing. She had been in the middle of working on some new bio-weaves when Tien had asked her to come and help him with something and that had left her rather annoyed because she'd found herself getting into a good groove.

"Nope!" Chiaotzu declared, showing off his bicep.

Bulma couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Very impressive."

"You shouldn't be dismissive of Chiaotzu," Tien commented. "If he wanted he could punch a hole right through your stomach."

She blinked at that and Chiaotzu smirked at her. A cold, calculating smile.

"…fair enough," she said with a swallow, remembering that even at his small size Chiaotzu was a skilled warrior. 'He did manage to get into the last World Martial Arts Tournament we all attended. And he held his own rather well there too. Its easily to forget that he's a fighter because he looks so cute… but looks can be deceiving.' She felt ashamed for dismissing Chiaotzu… after all, she had become mad herself that everyone thought she was just a dumb bimbo when in reality she was one of the smartest people on the planet.

"Besides," Tien said dryly, "you aren't my type."

"Oh yeah," Bulma said, eyes suddenly lighting up, "I've been meaning to ask you… what did ever happen to Launch?"

"We didn't work out," Tien admitted. "Just too different." Bulma must have stared at him a bit too hard because he added rather quickly, "Its fine."

"Really?"

"…okay, not really," he admitted. "It hurt. But I also knew it was the right thing to do."

"It was like leaving the Crane School," Chiaotzu stated. "It was our home and we dedicate our lives to it… but going on would have hurt even more. It was better to make the break."

Tien let out a sigh at that. "Yeah."

Bulma didn't press him further to ensure he was telling the truth. She knew what it was like to end something because while it was wonderful it was also terrible and the momentary sharp pain of breaking it was better than a death by a thousand tiny cuts.

Instead she said, "Can I ask…" Tien looked up at her and rather than ask just WHAT had gone wrong with the relationship Bulma found herself saying, "…where she is then?"

At that Tien smiled. A genuine smile. "She decided she wanted to see the world. Right after we broke up she went to some big card game tournament and won the entire pot."

"Still wish you'd waited a few weeks to break up…" Chiaotzu bemoaned and Tien glowered at his best friend for the comment.

"She decided she wanted see what life had to offer. She's been traveling all over, seeing the sights."

"We get postcards!" Chiaotzu declared.

"Well, I'm glad she's happy," Bulma said. "So now you can explain that little comment about me not being your type!" She put her hands on her hips, flashing a dangerous smile at the two. "Don't think I'd forgotten that comment!"

Tien winced but then stated, "Is Goku YOUR type?"

"…fine," Bulma said. "As long as the reason you aren't interested in me has to do with feeling like family rather than thinking I am ugly then I suppose I can allow that." She shook her head before looking around the clearing. "So, what did you need from me?"

"Did you make the device we asked you to?" Tien asked.

"Right here!" Bulma said, pulling from her side bag a small tablet. "Took some work and I had to bug Roshi a few times but I was able to get it all set up. I give to you the Energy Scanner!" She flipped it around so that Tien could see the screen. She knew he most likely didn't understand 90% of what he was seeing but that honestly didn't matter. What did was that Bulma had been able to get the device made and not have it be twenty devices at once. "With this hand device I can get all sorts of readouts. Ki levels, estimated strength levels due to impact, air movement, and destruction comparisons. All of this combines together to tell me the Attack Power someone has as well as the defensive power!"

"And it can do all that?" Tien asked.

Bulma scowled. "Of course it can! I wouldn't have said it could do it otherwise! Come on Tien, what do you take me for?"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Tien pleaded.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You insult my work and expect me to calm down? Maybe I should just take this and throw it into the ocean. Maybe the whales can determine Attack and Defense Power-"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

She took several moments to calm herself before finally nodding. "Alright then." Seeing as he wasn't going to argue with her anymore Bulma decided to continue on. "So I already scanned several of you while you were fighting and also asked my dad to send over some data so I could actually create a scale." She didn't mention that she'd convinced Kayos to let her ask the Scroll of Knowledge a few questions… no need to clue anyone in on any "shortcuts" she had taken. "So a standard human baby is our base level." She hit a few buttons before showing on the screen the image of a cute chubby baby that couldn't even sit up. "They are a 1 on the Bulma Scale."

"The… Bulma Scale?" Tien asked.

"Of course!" Bulma said with a chipper voice. "I created this so it gets named after me! Newtons, get out of the way! Here come Bulmas!"

Tien and Chiaotzu just stared at her.

"…so then," she continued on. "So you are have reached 697 on the Bulma Scale. Chiaotzu, you are around 539. Of course Raditz, from what I've looked over from his battle with Piccolo and Goku, is at 2943 on the Bulma Scale."

"He's that high!?" Chiaotzu wailed.

"Well, he could be higher or lower," Bulma admitted. "This works better scanning stuff live, rather than off film. But I think that's where he's roughly at."

"Meaning we are no where close to being at his level," Tien said bitterly.

"But that's why we're doing this, remember?" Chiaotzu said, coming over at patting his friend on the leg.

"Yeah, I know," Tien muttered. "I just thought we would have closed the gap quicker."

"Well considering that you were at 185 at the last World Martial Art's Tournament I'd say you've done pretty good!" Bulma said. "And while I can't get a decent reading thanks to limited footage I can tell that you have improved."

Tien finally nodded, accepting. "Yeah. And if we keep training we'll only get stronger."

Not said was that Raditz would most likely be training as well.

"Well," he said, "no use wasting any more time then. I want you to confirm that I am still at 697, okay?"

"Right o!" Bulma said happily backing up and aiming the Energy Scanner at him. "Right now you are at a basic 319 but I imagine that's because you haven't fully powered up."

"Yeah," Tien confirmed before tensing, channeling his Ki through his body. Bulma watched on the screen as the numbers began to climb higher and higher as the visible aura of energy began to flare around the man. The veins on his neck stuck out, his muscles bulged, and he growled low in his throat as he drew more and more of his power to the surface. Off to the side she heard Chiaotzu also powering up but didn't stop scanning Tien.

He suddenly burst into motion, throwing a series of kicks and punches, lashing out at the air. The device took all of that in, calculating how fast he was moving, how the air was being displaced by his strikes, and how his body was reacting. All to give her a complete picture of his strength both in terms of attack and defense so she could then have an overall score.

"697… 701… 712. Okay, its holding at 712. Either you've gained 15 more on the Bulma Scale or its like I thought and using the footage doesn't give me the full story. I can also tell more if you begin sparing with someone, give you a break down of your defensive prowess vs. your offensive."

"Not right now," Tien said, refusing to stop. "I'd rather you focus on this!" He jerked slightly… and Bulam's eyes went wide.

729… 738… 752… 764… 773!

"How… how are you…"

"Did it go up?" Chiaotzu asked excitedly.

"By over 60 on the Bulma Scale!" she declared and Tien smirked before moving to stand still. "I don't understand… how did you do that? Were you repressing your real strength?"

"No," Tien said. "It wasn't my strength at all. It was mine and Chiaotzu's."

Bulma just stared at him, not quite getting what Tien was trying to tell her.

"A few weeks back I used the Scroll of Knowledge," he said. Bulma wasn't surprised; Tien had been saying for a while that he wanted to use it though she didn't get why he had been so secretive about it.

'Probably like Goku, thinking it's a shortcut,' she thought. Goku had been resisting using the Scroll, claiming that everyone else should get a turn first. Bulma though knew that her brother had gotten it into his head that using the scroll was cheating and he wanted to be able to beat Raditz on his own. EVERYONE thought he was being stupid, including Chichi and Piccolo, and they'd all taken their turn trying to wear Goku down and get him to just use the scroll!

It was actually rather interesting to watch, in Bulma's opinion. Chichi used guilt, pointing out that if he wasn't strong enough then Raditz would kill them all. Piccolo was utterly dismissive, insulting Goku's dedication to training if he wasn't willing to use everything on hand to become better. Roshi went old school, commenting that the Scroll was just another teacher (and Kayos had muttered they should have made it able to talk and dressed it in a little shirt and shorts, then Goku would have listened to it). Tien though had been quiet, clearly not liking he needed to use the Scroll but understanding why.

As for Isco…

~Earlier…~

"Hey, what are you doing, buddy?" Goku asked as Isco buzzed around him. "Come on! That tickles!" he laughed as Isco scanned him.

"Sorry Mr. Son," Isco stated dryly, "I am setting up auctions on the Space Ebay to sell your clothing when Raditz returns and murders you because you are a stubborn fool and the listings always do better if one actually describes the fit of the clothing."

Goku just stared at Isco as the droid hummed to itself, moving to measure Roshi.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So you used the Scroll to get stronger?" Bulma said, pulling herself from her thoughts and focusing on the task at hand.

"Not quite," Tien said. "When we asked the Scroll how we could grow stronger it took us… literally."

"Yeah!" Chiaotzu stated. "It said how WE could get stronger."

"Tactics, skills, and power ups that focus on two people," Tien continued.

"OH!" Bulma said. "It thought you wanted to work together."

"Yes… and it was right. Because what it suggested… we are learning how to do things together we couldn't do on our own." He gestured at himself and Chiaotzu. "What you saw there was Energy Sharing."

"Energy Sharing?" Bulma asked.

Tien nodded. "It's a technique that allows you to pass your energy to someone else, to help strengthen them up if they are running low. But what we've discovered is when you do that sometimes the power actually increases. I might only give Chiaotzu a tiny bit… but it grows in the transfer."

"That… shouldn't happen," Bulma said. "The law of Energy Transfer states that passing energy from one source to another always causes you to lose some."

Chiaotzu shrugged. "We think it might gather energy around us… we're not sure. The point is that by strengthening our bond we can pass energy back and forth and quickly increase it. Each pass making it grow."

"Like using magnets to increase acceleration…" Bulma murmured to herself. "Hmmm… that could work. Definitely would be really handy. One could fight and the other focus on passing energy back and forth."

"That's not all," Tien said before looking at Chiaotzu. "Ready?"

The smaller fighter tensed. "Yeah… okay."

The two began to glow and Bulma stepped back once more, watching as they stood there. At first she didn't see anything happening and thought maybe they were just passing energy between the two of them. But then she began to see it…

On Tien's cheeks red circles slowly appeared, faint at first but growing in color, deepening the red. His skin also become a touch lighter; he wasn't overly tan like Yamcha but he wasn't as pale as Krillin sometimes got so seeing him go pasty white was startling.

Bulma looked toward Chiaotzu… and cried out when a crack formed on his forehead, it splitting open to reveal a third eye.

"Wha… how?!" Bulma declared as she fell on her rear, scrambling back in shock.

"Its called Bond Fusion," Tien stated. "It's a secret skill Uskeneer Warriors have perfected. When two fighters are in perfect sync they can share their skills and traits with one another." Tien focused and Bulma watched as a rock near her began to rise up. It was wobbly and only got up a foot before it dropped back down but it still rose in the air. "I'm still working on it," he admitted.

"That's… that's amazing!" Bulma exclaimed. "You were able to use Chiaotzu's telekinesis!"

"And I am learning how to use Tien's Witches' Style!" Chiaotzu said before grunting… and two little hands popped out of his back. Just hands. It wasn't as impressive at Tien's full arms when he used the move but it was far better than anyone else.

"We also think that Chiaotzu, because he has a purer heart than me, may be able to tap into the power of the Triclops race that I have been unable to even touch." Chiaotzu hurried over and patted Tien on the leg in comfort; Bulma knew that it bugged Tien greatly that he couldn't use all the powers of his race because of his training with Master Shien leaving such a mark on him. "Thanks," he said to his friend and the two powered down, returning to normal. "Working together we can both master new moves and skills and then pass them to the other. We have some other ideas…"

"But that is wonderful!" Bulma exclaimed. "So many different ways you can use that in battle! I am so proud of you!" She blushed after she realized what she had said. "Not that you are trying to prove anything to me! I just mean-"

"We know, Bulma, and thank you," Tien said. "Now… ready to watch us startle Goku and Piccolo with all this?"

Bulma nodded her head rapidly. "Yeah… though lets have Isco record it all!"

"Like I recorded you?" the droid said, suddenly floating down.

"…give me that footage," Bulma said dangerously.

But Isco, of everyone on the island, wasn't frightened by Bulma or Chichi for that matter. So instead he merely rose up out of her grasp. "No, I believe not. I need as much blackmail material as I can get on your squish and squirms."

"ISCO!" Bulma roared, chasing after the droid.

~MC~MC~MC~

It was rare for me to hear Baba being encouraging. Her thing was grumping and complaining and thinking everyone was weaker than they were only to be mildly surprised when they proved not to be. She'd thought that waves would knock over Piccolo and that Goku would blast his arms off trying out new variations of the Kamahamaha. And with me it was that I was a weakling that wouldn't ever matter. Which didn't bug me because she was kind of right on that, at least in turns of fighting.

So it was a very odd thing to hear her compliment me as I finished up with our newly created training regiment.

"You have a natural affinity for that," she commented, clearly impressed.

"I have some acting training," I stated. "Did Shakespeare."

"So did I but that doesn't… oh. Heheheh, the plays!" I merely raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if the Witches Three from Macbeth had taken inspiration from Baba. "But you are picking all that up far faster than I expected, esepecially with only a few hours of practice."

I opened my mouth to tell her thanks only for her to cut me off.

"But don't get cocky! The rest of your magic sucks and we need to get that strengthened! Now, I want you to work on building up your reserves."

"Okay," I said with a shrug.

"Evil Magic."

That made me less inclined to begin.

"And wipe that scowl off your face!" Baba demanded. "Its important we get your Evil Magic up to the level of your Good Magic so we can determine just which you are better suited for."

"Good," I said. "I'm better suited for Good."

"Heh, you say that now!" She wagged her finger at me. "But let's see what you say when you have a taste of true evil."

I let out a groan at that but didn't argue.

Building up Evil Magic and Good Magic was different from building up good Ki and Bad Ki. With those the Ki was affected by the actions of the user, turning Neutral Ki into one or the other. It was like adding drops of food coloring to frosting. You added some blue or some red and it began to become the color. The more you committed the more it changed. To the point that it became very hard to undo that color. King Piccolo, according to Baba, could have dedicated the rest of his existence to saving the galaxy and probably never managed to get his Ki to any level of Good. Our Piccolo thankfully had started out with Neutral Ki, not tainted by his previous self's actions, and thus even with the evil things he'd done had a chance to develop his Ki into Good Ki.

But Magic? Magic was different. With it one's actions actually CREATED the Magic without the body. That was like having already dyed frosting and making a cake with it: apply some red, apply some blue. One might overwhelm the other but you could still have both and USE both. Ki could become one or the other… Magic remained what it was, waiting to be used.

As a human I had a good mix of both but Baba had made clear that my Good Magic far outweighed my Evil Magic. She wanted to build up the Evil a bit more, get it to levels where I could cast some spells with it, and then see what I had a natural affinity for. Only then would we be able to figure out the best training regiment for me.

I knew the basics now… it was time to get advanced.

"Fine," I muttered, pulling out my phone.

"So, what evil are you going to do?" Baba asked. "Call in a bomb threat? That would be a fun one! Very evil!"

"I'm investing in the American Stock Market."

Baba blinked.

"…eh?"

"Only companies that I see as evil," I said. "Polluters, drug manufacturers who refuse to price their pills at a reasonable rate, Ford…"

"That is your idea of evil!?" Baba raged.

I shot her a cold look. "I'm from Michigan. Do you REALIZE what the fucking Ford Family did to the Detroit Lions?"

The Witch glowered. "I hardly thing-"

I held out my left hand and dark Evil Magic appeared.

"Oh."

"Yeah, I told you, they are truly-"

"Not that you simpleton!" Baba snapped, hovering over to my hand, stared at the newly gained magic. "That… that isn't right."

I glanced at her, suddenly growing concerned as I pocketed my phone. "What do you mean?"

"Your Evil Magic… it isn't behaving like its supposed to. At least not any Evil Magic I've ever seen."

I looked down at my hand. Now that she said it the energy I was producing was… odd. I'd expected dark flames or an aura of wicked intent. Or perhaps the reverse, where it was icy cold to the touch. Lightning that crackled from my fingertips like the Emperor's blue bolts.

But instead my magic… was a symobiote.

Not an actual one but very much like one. Black in color the magic didn't flare out but instead it oozed about my palm and ran along my fingers. It never dripped or fell away, clinging instead tightly to my hand. Wiggling my fingers caused it to stretch but it was very quick to snap back to what it had been. It clung to me, held on tight like an upset child hugging their mother's leg.

Baba reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a pair of old fashion scissors. "Let me have a sample."

"I feel I have to ask if you want a sample of my magic or my fingers," I said.

"I don't need your fingers I know where they've been!" she snapped. She reached out and grabbed at the tendril of Evil Magic, pulling it away from my skin. It was an… odd sensation, to say the least. A mix of a latex glove and Nickelodeon gak. It pulled away in a stretchy, rubbery sort of way, elastic springy. Baba brought the scissors up-

At once the magic lashed out, thrashing out at her and sending her flying before grabbing onto my hand. I got even more the clinging sensation of a child clutching to their parent even as I stared at Baba in surprise.

"I swear I didn't do that!" I told her, not wanting the witch to get upset and begin attacking me.

But rather than get angry Baba got up, rubbing her head, and let out a delighted cackle. "Oh, now that packed a wallop."

"…I sense a trap," I said warily.

"Normally I'd applauded you for being cautious, so much better than those meat heads my brother likes to teach, but now I need you to focus and stop worrying!" She got back up on her crystal ball, little feet kicking wildly as she struggled to get upon it. As she did so I let the focus on my Evil Magic disappear, leaving me with just my own hands and nothing else. "Ah… there way go," Baba said before looking at me. "Show me your Good Magic."

She had seen it several times already but I knew she was leading to something so I flexed my hand… and watched as white magical energy burst out, flaring and flowing about my arm violently, roiling like a boiling pot.

"That's… new," I said dumbly. Beforehand my Good Magic had been very similar to the aura that Goku's Ki gave off, only much smaller and more contained. But now it was racing along my arms like tidal waves, thrashing violently and without purpose.

"Haha!" Baba exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Yes! Yes!"

"You know what is going on?"

"Not at all!" Baba declared and my Good Magic disappeared as I stared at her in shock. "Your Good and Evil Magic aren't behaving at all like they should!" She cackled before zooming over to grab my hands, looking them over. "Good Magic tends to remain close to the body, flickering like a flame that warms. Yours is a tsunami, barely contained destruction. Evil magic likes to spread out like a fog, infecting… your's clings to you and is protective. Its like they swapped styles!" She smiled a gappy grin. "Oh, you are going to be so interesting!"

"…thanks," I said, feeling very much like a bug under a microscope.

"This could affect entirely what kind of mage you end up becoming," she said, not caring about my discomfort. "Or… what color you might end up being…"

"Color?" I asked.

"Of course! Magic users are classified by what type of spells they use and how they use them with their magic. The former gives the title, the latter the color." She puffed up a bit. "I, for one, am an Ebony Fortune Witch. Ebonies are about finding out how to use magic that normally can't be used for a spell to work: Evil Magic for One Day Revival Spells, for example. Sapphire is all about control and domination, be it of themselves or of others. Ivory are purists… don't be an Ivory, they are boring and only want to follow the rules. Scarlets focus on the study of their magic to grow it in others; they don't ever cast a spell on themselves, instead wanting to power up everything else around them while they are 'pure'. Orange are all about the impossible and limit breaking… there is a reason why the Dragon Balls are orange, after all. Golds are similar to Scarlets but internal, the improvement of one's self, seeking to increase their own powers through rituals and spells and potions. Emeralds focus on life and nature, treating their own magic like a garden that must be cultivated while Violets tend to be far more destructive. A violet, if they are having problems with their magic, will seek to hack that part of their magical self away and start again, or push themselves to destruction if it means glory and achievement. Pinks are mimics who learn fast and copy from others while Browns are thieves of the worst kind… even those that claim they are doing it for the good of others are little more than magic-stealing mongrels who try and justify their acts."

"What of… Silver?"

At once Baba frowned. "Silver is a myth."

"But what is it?" I asked. "What do the myths say?"

"Who cares?" she snapped, suddenly rather angry despite having been in a good mood only moments earlier. "It's a myth! It isn't real. We don't have time-"

"The Scroll said I could become the Silver Sorcerer."

Baba froze.

"So I'd like to know what that means," I said.

"Silver… Silver can't happen. Its impossible."

I pressed on. "What is a Silver Sorcerer?"

The witch glowered for several moments. "Silver… which don't exist and you must have read the Scroll of Knowledge wrong… are able to merge Good and Evil magic together. With all the others they focus on one type of magic… you can have good Orange Mages and evil Orange Witches. Boring heroic Ivory Spellcasters and evil Ivory Demon Lords. But Silver… silver is able to take their Good and Evil magic and blend them together, make them work as one… and thus reach levels no other magic user has ever reached."

She stared at me.

"But it's a myth. An impossibility. Good and Evil can't work together. It would be…" she waved her hand about. "It doesn't matter. Let's get back to work. No more distracting me from making sure you aren't a complete embarrassment."

Even as I returned to buying stocks to increase my Evil Magic levels my mind went to what Baba had said… and left unsaid.

'Good and Evil can't work together. It would be… Chaos.'