The Saiyan Gamer
Chapter 28: Family
The rest of the first day was as it started. By the time all of the fights were over, the suns were falling from the sky. Kakarot flew over to us from the fighting area, an unconscious person lying behind him.
"And for the second to last fight of the day, Kakarot, son of Bardock wins by a knockout!"
While everyone congratulated Kakarot, I ate a leg of meat in anticipation. The last fight of the day was Bll against some random, and I'd been anticipating the fight all day, even more than Kakarot's. In all likelihood, he would be my final opponent.
While I was securing myself one of the Hissuan plants, I missed the fight between the guy who confronted us in the village and blew up the people who attacked me. According to Turles', he won in the same explosive fashion as before.
Leeku had won her fight too, and she was ferocious. The guy she was fighting was much older than us, but he lost in less than a minute. After she won, she joined us in sitting and watching the remaining fights.
Finally, Bll walked into the arena with a blank expression on his face, although his rage couldn't be hidden from me. In his hand, he held a pole, similar to the one I'd beaten his brother to death with.
The ball of Ki marked the beginning of the fight, and the random didn't stand a chance. Bll was on him before he could even draw his sword. He moved so fast that the sand underneath him was blasted back and turned into glass. The sound of rolling thunder cracked over the barren wasteland.
"Bll isn't usually this violent," My little brother mused as we all watched the one-sided beatdown. "You really got him pissed, Sprout."
My heart pounded in my chest, excitement filling me. He was moving so fast that his body was leaving afterimages behind him. The sound of thunder echoed after every movement he made.
"That's my star pupil for you," Omato spoke, pride in his voice.
"This is so exciting," Rue said in awe from beside me. "But I can hardly see anything! They're moving so fast!"
"I want to fight that guy!" Kakarot said, his eyes glued to the fight too.
'He's so angry…' Zaria spoke to me through our link. 'He will try to kill you if he's given the chance. I can guarantee it.'
'Let him try,' I replied. 'He's on the complete other side of the line up though, so we'll likely meet up in the final match.'
'It looks like we've both made enemies, then,' She said, her voice suddenly serious, which was unlike her. 'Clearly, I've made much more than you today.'
'Oh?'
'You haven't noticed?' She asked, as one of her arms linked with mine. It felt slightly odd, considering she'd only ever shown me acts of affection when no one else was around. It wasn't unwelcome though. 'Look around.'
Reluctantly I looked away from the fight, which was pretty much already done, and that was when I noticed the abundance of eyes on us. Girls with darting eyes all looking at Zaria.
'Bardock was right…' I sighed, moving her closer to me. They saw me fight and they loved it. I would be lying if the idea of all of those girls wanting me wasn't a great feeling, but I didn't want anything to happen to Zaria. 'You are getting strong quickly, though.'
'Not strong enough to fight a second or first.'
'I think you could,' I said seriously. 'Your magic is pretty awesome, and not many people know what it is. You took me out when I was almost ten times stronger than you.'
'You had also just gotten done fighting an entire gang,' She reminded me.
'You underestimate yourself,' I replied. 'Besides, I won't let anything happen to you if you do get into a fight.'
She didn't reply, so I went back to observing the fight, which I then noticed was already over. His opponent was on the floor, but Bll's eyes were locked onto me. I met his piercing glare and a smirk spread across my face. Slowly, he walked out of the arena and disappeared into the crowd.
"My bets on Bll winning the trial again," Brussel yawned obnoxiously, unfortunately reminding me that she existed once again.
"You don't have any faith in your brother?" Bardock replied on my behalf.
"Bll's just on an entirely different level. A prodigy, really," She shrugged her shoulders, her voice holding that mocking tone that she loved so much. "Little Sprout just won't be able to keep up."
My hand found the hilt of my blade quickly, but I was stopped by Omato's heavy hand landing on my shoulder. "Alright, everyone! We'll be going now!"
"Oh?" I questioned, turning to look up at him.
"Didn't Brussel tell you about the welcoming ceremony tonight?" He asked, to my confusion.
"Ah, must have slipped my mind," She sighed dramatically. "What a shame."
Continuing to ignore her, I asked, "What is this ceremony?"
"Ah, I'm sure one of them will explain later," Omato shook his head at his oldest daughter, before turning and pointing into the sky. "But let's just say, those people up there are here for you."
When I looked up, I saw a large crowd flying towards the village in the distance. The most distinct thing of note was that they had all red hair.
"Let's get ready."
"This is stupid," I grumbled under my breath.
The house was full of people that I didn't know yet, and I was being forced to wear ridiculous clothes to impress them. I ran a hand through my slicked-back hair, courtesy of some strange gel that my father gave me. I'll admit, that was probably my favorite thing about the outfit.
My new clothes were made of crimson red Wyvern skin. Certain areas, like the chest, stomach, and shoulders had collages of scales that made it look cooler, but overall, it was just uncomfortable. Especially in a social setting.
"It's tradition," Root said from beside me as he too finished styling his hair. "Grandpa will throw a fit if we don't do it."
"What's going to happen anyway?" I sighed, knowing that there was no way to get out of this.
"Before Saiyans were sent away as babies, it used to be a coming of age ceremony where a family comes together and the family heads decide if the child is worthy of carrying the family name," He explained, although I could tell he was bored. "It used to be when a Saiyan becomes an adult, but since the purges started, it usually happens right after they return."
I rolled my eyes. "There seems to be a lot of hoops to jump through just to be a part of a family."
"It's more of a formality, and most families don't even do it anymore," He explained. "If you're worried, don't be. No one with a power level above 1000 has ever been kicked out."
So if I'd undergone the ceremony when I first arrived, I would have been kicked out of the entire family with no chance of returning at all. I realized. Did Omato know this? By kicking me out and forcing me to get stronger, was he trying to save me from complete ostracism from the family?
"What are the benefits of being accepted anyway?" I asked. It all sounded like bullshit to me.
"Dunno," Root shrugged his shoulders. Before I could respond to that, the door opened and Brussel poked her head in.
"You've got to be an idiot if you don't know how useful family is. Especially this one," She said. Her dress sparkled with a scarlet light, the dozens of mini crystals embedded in the dress reflecting it.
"Were you just waiting out there for me to say something you could insult me with?"
"Besides the point," She said. "Family i-"
"Fuck off," I slammed the door on her. Unfortunately, she pulled her head back before the door could break on her face.
Root let out a childish laugh, but I just rolled my eyes and straightened out my clothes.
"So, why did you buy the Hiringu leaf if you can heal on your own?" Root asked, his eyes falling from me to the small leaf on the desk. It glowed with golden light, giving the room a strange hue.
Leaf From The Hiringu Tree
This item is a special healing item, born from a magical tree. It is capable of restoring you to full health no matter how much HP you have. If used on a Saiyan, it will give you a full Zenkai boost.
Omato wasn't lying when he said that the leaf was extremely expensive. Even though I was his son, he didn't offer me a discount, and I was forced to give away about a quarter of my money just for one leaf. Thankfully, because of the bet I put on myself, I was able to get back some of it, but it still hurt.
"I want to experiment with it," I told him. "Plus, I might need to heal someone else one day."
"Hm, alright. But I have a question," He said, looking back at me. "Is that healing thing automatic? Like, can you eat food or sleep without healing from it?"
"I... I haven't thought about that," I said slowly, before trying. Turn off healing?
Auto-Healing has been turned off!
Zenkai has been reactivated!
So me not having a Zenkai isn't because I'm not a full Saiyan! I felt the change immediately, and my eyes widened. "I think I just turned it off... Let's test it out."
A meta-wolf tooth appeared in my hand and I proceeded to stab myself with it, before grabbing a piece of meat and devouring it. There was no change, which admittingly felt extremely weird. Suddenly I felt extremely vulnerable, and I didn't like it at all. I reactivated my auto-healing again after a moment of silence.
"Yeah, I'm going to keep that on," I flicked the blood off of my hand and straightened out my hair. "Let's go downstairs."
When we arrived, we were greeted by a crowd of red-heads. Once they noticed my arrival, all eyes fell on me and the voices in the room began to lower until a couple began to approach me.
"So, this is the young Saiyan I've heard so much about," Two older Saiyan stood over me. I used Observe on the guy first.
Level 25
Aka Family Head
Akaza Aka
Species - Saiyan
Gender - Male
Age - 92
HP - 125,000
Ki - 46,875
Reputation - Neutral
Power Level - 3750
Description: Akaza is the head of the Aka family and the father of Omato. While he isn't weak, what makes him truly impressive is his influence across the planet. Due to his age, he has connections throughout the entire Saiyan race. He is a very traditional Saiyan, believing that strength decides the value of a person.
He isn't sure what to make of you yet.
He is currently in a state of eager anticipation.
Akaza was massive, easily six and a half feet tall. Despite his age pushing the hundreds, his red hair was still stark and bright with the contrast of a few white streaks. His eyes were a flaming red, and he looked down at me, squinting as if he was examined me thoroughly.
Besides him stood a woman of similar age, however, she looked far laxer. In her right hand, she held a half-empty glass of green alcohol.
Level 30
Family Head
Mandaree Aka
Species - Saiyan
Gender - Female
Age - 70
HP - 126,000
Ki - 148,500
Reputation - Neutral
Power Level - 5400
Description: Zula is one of the wives of Akaza, only brought along today because she is Omato's biological mother. She lives almost entirely separate from Akaza, peacefully retired in the far north, but agreed to come out of obligation to the ceremony tradition.
She is intrigued by you.
She is currently bored.
"A bit late on your arrival, but you've caused quite a stir," Zula chuckled as she casually swirled the content of her glass. "Sprout, is it?"
"Yeah," I said, awkwardly offering my hand to the man. "And you are my grandparents."
Akaza grabbed a hold of my hand, squeezing it likely as hard as he could. It felt like a pinch; nothing I couldn't handle. With a large grin on his face, he asked, "And what gave that away?"
"Well, besides you two being the oldest in the room?" I asked. His face stilled for a second before he burst out into laughter.
"Funny! Mandaree, I like this one," His hand dropped on my shoulder, dislocating it. Madaree rolled her eyes at him and reached out to grab my arm.
"Let's introduce him to everyone," She hummed, before relocating it with a 'pop'. "Pleasure to finally meet you. We thought you were killed on your purge."
"As if those weaklings could have killed me," I scoffed.
"Hmm, I really like this one." Akaza chuckled loudly. "Come, come. Time to meet the rest."
After sharing a brief glance at Root, I nodded my head and followed them around the room. I was introduced to a great many people, all of which was from Omato's side of the family. Cousins, uncles, aunts, and those who were married to them. They were all dressed up in traditional wear, and if their descriptions said anything, they found the occasion just as annoying too.
A very small amount of them lived in Omato village, so the majority had to travel to get there. Some even came from the other side of the planet. I honestly didn't think that I was worth all of that trouble, but every single last one of them assured me that there were at least three arrivals a year, and missing even one of them would incur great wrath with Akaza.
It was about an hour later when Omato arrived and the attention of the room turned to him.
"Hello, all. I'm sure you're all tired from the journey. The ceremony will begin in a moment," He said, followed by a roar from the crowd. They wanted it over and done with as much as I. "I know new inductions are exciting, but if any of you destroy my house, I'll kill you."
The message went across well, as the rowdier of the family members calmed down and went back to eating. The threat was a valid one too, considering that Omato was by far the strongest person in the room with a power level of 10,250, the second strongest I'd seen from a Saiyan.
Immediately after giving the speech, he strode towards me, the crowd parting to let him through. I stood in anticipation, although all of the eyes shifting to me did make a bead of sweat drop from my forehead.
"I hope you're ready," Root whispered from behind me.
"Ready for what?" I asked cautiously. When I turned, I saw him smirking mischievously as he ate a leg of meat.
"There's always a fight on induction night," He told me for the first time that night. Finally some good news.
The conversation was cut short by Omato's hand dropping on my shoulder and my attention returning to him. His expression was serious, and behind him I noticed several people standing around. The Heads.
"Everyone gather around," Omato declared, and in what felt like a second, we were surrounded in a circle. Akaza stepped into the circle, his face now serious too.
"All of the Heads, step forward," Akaza ordered, and the ones who I assumed were the family heads stepped forward into the circle. There were quite a few of them, eight in total.
"May the blessing of Cumber be upon this meeting," He chanted, followed by various people echoing the statement. I raised an eyebrow, the name very familiar.
Cumber was one of the ancient Saiyans that Turles' grandfather mentioned. What does he have to do with anything? I tilted my head but figured that right now would not be the time to ask.
"Father, we're missing one," One of my uncles interrupted. He looked pretty much the same as Omato, but obviously younger.
"Ah yes," Akaza sighed, obvious annoyance on his face. "That'll be your sister. She disrespects our tradition by sending her acceptance forward. She'll be late, and with a new addition of her own."
Immediately there was chatter about how rare it was for there to be two inductions in one day, but it was quickly shut down by Grandfather slamming his staff on the ground.
"Let the ceremony begin," He declared before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Sprout, you have a lot of power in you. I can feel it. Omato, what is his current power level?"
Father pulled out his scouter and fixed it onto his face. "2,112."
With 18 attribute points to spare. I could have been stronger by now, but I stopped training my stats when I got to 5 additional attribute points again. I was curious what would happen if I leveled up, and then earned one more point through training.
"Hmmm," Grandfather hummed, studying me. "After his final growth spurt, it's likely that he'll be first-class by the time of his last growth spurt."
"I believe that he has the potential to be an elite. Potentially even a super-elite," Omato interrupted, to my surprise. "He's shown immense growth. Just in the last two weeks, his power level has grown by hundreds of points."
"That's not possible," One of the heads, a female with a large hat of feathers, spoke up, "For someone with a power level like his, that's too small for a growth spurt. Your scouter must have been wrong, again."
"It was not," He said simply. "While I was watching him fighting with my own eyes as he fought in the first task, after defeating several opponents, his power level jumped."
"A zenkai, then?" One other questioned, a Saiyan wearing a large furry coat above his traditional clothing.
"Potentially, but if so, it's not like one I've seen before. This may be due to his ability to heal much faster than the average Saiyan," Omato explained, much to the confusion of the majority of those in the crowd.
"How fast can you heal, boy?" The furry coat Saiyan questioned me.
"I heal completely overnight and when I eat certain foods," I answered quickly, the answer obviously causing a stir in the crowd.
"Completely?" He pressed, eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Show me."
I hesitated for a second, before lifting my hand and breaking a thumb. They stared, curious, as I walked over to the buffet table, took a piece of meat, and began to chew on it. It didn't give me a lot of health back, but it was enough to heal the thumb.
"That's… Impressive," He gasped. "I haven't seen anything like that before from a pure Saiyan."
"Are we sure he's a pure Saiyan?" Another asked.
Omato scowled so deeply that I wondered if he'd kill the one who interrupted. With a low growl in his voice, he asked, "What are you implicating?"
"We're all thinking it," The Saiyan didn't back down, despite the bead of sweat formulating on his forehead. "Look at his hair. White as snow. Not even a hint of red."
"I shouldn't be surprised that an idiot like you doesn't know how things like this work," Omato growled. "He gets his hair from his mother's side of the family."
"Hmm," The opposer hummed. "Well, I'll have to take your word for it."
"Back to the original point," The furry coat Saiyan interrupted. "If this rapid healing also means rapid zenkai boosts, he potentially has infinite potential."
It isn't zenkai, but should I tell them otherwise? I watched as everyone began to speak. It doesn't matter. Either way, I am increasing in strength, zenkai or not.
"He has my vote," The furry coat Saiyan said, taking a step forward and placing his hand on my shoulder.
"And mine," Another said, stepping forward and placing their hand on me too. Omato and another stepped forward and placed their hands on me too, leaving four left, excluding Akaza.
"What about your age?" One of the reluctant ones asked. "What took you so long to get to the planet?"
I quelled the annoyance and buried the anger inside of me, not wanting to think on the subject for too long. "My ship was buried under an ocean before I could discover my mission. After discovering it, it took me four years to eliminate them all."
"How many?"
"About a billion, on a planet with barely any light and a civilization that could move their cities at an alarming speed," One who'd already given me a vote answered for me, to my surprise. He was wearing circular glasses and had a small smirk on his face. "Oh, and without a moon, might I add."
"Hmm…" The one questioning me thought for a second longer, before sighing and stepping forward and putting their hand on my shoulder. "Good job, kiddo."
I couldn't help myself from smirking before one of the last three spoke up. "Which weapon do you specialize in? This family prides itself on our weapon skills."
I took a breath, before reaching to my waist and pulling out the Fang of Heat from its sheath. I'd latched it onto my clothing at the request of Root, who told me that it would be a show of power. The moment it left my sheath, I knew he'd been right. The crowd erupted into shocked chatter.
"Is that… The Fang of Flame?" Akaza asked, an amused glimmer in his eyes.
"It is. I took it off of Vishar's dead corpse after destroying the Juggernaught and killing him," I revealed, before slowly sheathing the blade.
"Well, well, color me impressed," The one who asked me the question smirked widely, before walking over to me and placing their hand on me. It was followed quickly by one of the others approaching, leaving only one left.
It became clear when all eyes fell on him, that he was not in favor. Even from a few feet away, I could see his body trembling and his fists clenched tightly at his side. I narrowed my eyes in his direction, using Observe.
Level 19
Vape
Species - Saiyan
Gender - Male
Age - 12
HP - 26,448
Ki - 44,080
Reputation - Loathed
Power Level - 2204
Description: Vape is the child of Vishar, the pirate Saiyan who ran the Juggeraunt. Despite being abandoned by his father at a young age and having never met him, Vape had a love for his father. Ever since finding out that Vishar had been killed, Vape has been looking for the killer.
He hates you for killing his father.
He is currently furious.
Vishar had a son? I met Vape's hateful glare with a blank stare. That only seemed to anger him further, and he took a step toward me in response. My hand reached for my weapon hilt as he reached for his.
He scowled at me, his eyes burning in fury as he said, "I will never accept you into this family! I challenge you to a duel!"
An array of claps and cheering broke out. I personally welcomed it, defeating him would give me almost enough to level up.
"I accept," I smirked in response, walking until I was forehead to forehead with him.
"Bold of you to assume you had a choice," Akaza laughed. "The head of a house has the right to challenge whomever they want, and if they win, they have the power to disown you from the family."
"Doesn't matter to me. I'll win regardless," I turned and began walking towards the exit. "Let's get this over with."
"Oh, I really like this one," Akaza let out a laugh that shook the house. "Let's get going."
The stars were bright above us as my opponent and I stood opposite each other on the Great Divide. The family stood a good distance away, watching intently at the battle that was about to begin.
"Didn't Vishar abandon you?" I asked as I slowly unsheathed my sword and spun it in my hand. "Why do you care about him?"
Vape narrowed his eyes at me, before saying, "He was banished, but that didn't mean that he needed to die."
"He had it coming," I said as I shrugged my shoulders and settled into a stance. "He pissed me off."
He scowled at me as he withdrew his weapon. It was a unique one; the body of a large chain with a blade at the tip. Running down the sides of the chain were even more blades. He had another one at his hip but he didn't move to grab it just yet.
"When I win, I'm taking back that sword. It belongs to me," He said, his eyes locked onto the Fang of Flames. I chuckled at that, pouring Ki into it until it burned scarlet.
"I guess I'll be holding onto it then," I said, and with that, an explosion marked the beginning of the fight.
Wasting no time, he whipped his hand towards me with expert ease, sending the blade-tipped chain at me at startling speeds. I dodged to the left and burst towards him, my sword dragging against the floor as I approached him, turning sand into glass. I swung up in an effort to cut into his attacking arm, but he read it like a book.
As he jumped back to create distance between us, he dragged his arm back and I could hear the clanking of chains behind me. Spinning around quickly, I tried to deflect the metal, only for it to wrap around my sword.
"That is MINE!" He yelled as he suddenly yanked at it. I stood my ground, anchoring myself into the ground against the sudden whiplash. When I realized that he wasn't letting up, I poured even more of my Ki into the sword, turning the already crimson sword a bright white. When the metal chains began to turn red, he loosened the grip slightly.
"It's not going to be that easy," I said, smirking until he looked up at me with determination in his pale, grey eyes.
"I didn't think it would be," He replied, before doing something that I didn't, but should have expected. Ki shot up his chain from around his body, and in the same instant, I felt his grip on the Fang of Fire increase immensely, and with one final tug, the sword went flying out of my hand and into the air.
Shit. I tried to follow it by flying up, but instantly pain shot through my body. When I looked down, I saw a much thinner chain piercing my torso. I growled and attempted to grip the chain when it suddenly tore itself out of my body and returned to Vape. When I looked up, I realized that this wouldn't be as easy as I'd thought.
Around and behind my younger cousin's body, multiple small chains floated around him, flowing like water. His big chain can be split into smaller chains. He stared at me with determination and began his assault.
"That's some impressive Ki manipulation," I noted. "All those chains at once? It must be exhausting."
He didn't give me the privilege of a response. The Wyvern clothing stuck to my body like glue as I was forced to move in drastic ways to avoid being turned into a pile of minced meat. Each chain moved like it had a mind of its own, some slithered into the ground and lashing out at random intervals, while others simply chased me waiting for me to slip up.
The fight continued like this for quite some time, with me being forced on the defensive. Cuts littered my body, but I didn't have the time to think about checking them. He was relentless. It felt like his chains were coming at me from every direction, striking where I least expected it. I ducked underneath three, and as I did, two more burst out from the ground beneath me. I barely dodged in time, both of them leaving a long red line across my side.
Behind me, the three that I'd dodged just a moment ago, span around, heading for my back. This time I turned to face it, meeting it head-on with a ball of Ki. My attack exploded against the chains, and I was thrown back by the force.
The sand below was lifted up by the explosion, creating a blanket of glistening particles. It was enough to completely block our view of each other, but that wasn't enough to stop my mini-map. Throwing together a quick plan, I created a ball of Ki in each of my palms.
While I wasn't nearly as good at Ki control as Bardock, I was learning quickly. The Ki balls in both of my hands floated calmly out of my palm and remained stationary. They needed focus to remain stable, but only two meant that it was manageable.
I left them behind while I sped through the sand cloud heading straight for my opponent.
His chains reacted the moment his eyes caught sight of me again, but by then I was only a few feet away. They shot at me from their place behind his back, swirling in the air as they descended on me. I waited until the last moment, dodging them slightly and allowing them to leave a deep scratch above my right eye.
I was on his guard now, and from the panic in his eyes, I knew that my plan would work.
It was simple, really, even if it was extremely troublesome. There was a reason he was keeping me at a distance. The further away that I was from him, the more reckless he could be with his attacks. If I dodged an attack while close to him, there was a chance he'd catch himself in it. Being as close to him as possible was the safest place for me, and my explosion earlier gave me cover to do it.
Rearing back my arm, I took a step closer to him and swung my fist in a blur of motion. My fist buried itself deep in his stomach, stealing the air from his lungs and lifting him off of the ground. His chains went limp to the ground, as his body was sent skidding across the sand away from me.
I wasn't done yet, though. One of my Ki balls shot out from its place behind me, colliding with him and sending him even further away. I kept the second one in reserve as I burst forward and caught one of his flailing chains. The blades dug deep into my palm, but I ignored the pain.
With a great heave, I yanked it towards me, in turn snapping his body from its momentum and back at me. I sped forward at him, fist at the ready. Before I could deliver the blow, though, his eyes snapped to life and at the last second, his chains churned back to life.
With his free hand, he gripped the second chain that he'd had on his waist, and in an instant, they separated into six separate chains and dug themselves into the earth, pulling him out of the way of my attack. Simultaneously, the original chains lashed out at me wildly, three of them hitting their target.
They dug themselves in my right arm, my shoulder, and my elbow. I hissed as pain washed over me, but I wasn't going to give up that easily. Not wasting any time, my left arm lashed out and caught all three miniature chains before they could be pulled out.
"I swear..." I growled loudly as my hand tightened around them. "These chains are getting annoying!"
My second ball of Ki shot down from above like a spear, slamming into the extended chains with a powerful force. As the explosion was born, I felt them break and I immediately retreated backward.
In the time it took the explosion to settle, I tore the remainder of the chains out of my now useless right arm and swung them around. Ahead of me, Vape glared with a look of complete determination. Fire burned behind his eyes.
"You're a fun fight, I'll give you that," I smirked broadly, the excitement of the fight getting to me. "We'll have to fight some more after I win."
"Don't be so confident, bastard!" He growled back, before throwing both of his arms up. As he did, his remaining chains burst from the sands around me. My eyes widened as I flew straight up to avoid them. When did the-
There were only seven chains left, but it was harder than ever. This couldn't last. I could already feel my breath catching, and I'd barely delivered any real damage to him. As I maneuvered my body in extremely painful contortions, I thought of a solution.
Getting close to him was a good plan, but I'd have to make it count this time. I flew high into the air until the chains buckled and couldn't go any further. Looking down at my opponent's concentrated face, it clicked.
Concentration! That's it! I smirked. Using Ki to control those chains like that must need some extreme concentration. It's the reason when I hit him, they flopped to the ground!
"Why are you smirking up there? Your arm is useless and you've barely put a scratch on me. There's no way you're winning this fight," He called up to me. "You'll regret killing my father!"
"Oh yeah?" I stared down. "Then make me!"
The fight began anew, but this time I was far more confident. Two ki balls shot out of my hands as I fell back down to the ground, both following at either side of me. Suddenly, as I approached the chains, my Ki split off in separate directions. I could see his eyes widen as they went in a wide arc, before converging on him.
The first came from behind him, and he dodged it by jumping. Immediately his chains faltered in their movements, attacks that were sure to hit me missing by an inch, leaving me unscathed. His eyes snapped to me in panic, and his chains went rigid, but the moment they did, my second attack closed in and he was forced to dodge again, breaking his concentration.
"Accelerate!"
In the blink of an eye, I was in front of him again, and my fist collided solidly with his right arm. His panicked face twisted into one of pain, but I wasn't done there. A string of punches followed as I pummeled him over and over again. Bardock was right. Apart from their weapons, the people in Omato town couldn't really fight.
Finally, as my speed boost came to a close, I punched him in the gut, launching him away from me. One of my Ki balls hit him from behind, launching him back towards me. I met him, close-lining him with my outstretched arm and sending him crashing into the ground. As he gasped for air, I didn't hesitate.
"Meteor Fist!" My foot slammed down on one of his arms, right at the elbow joint. The sound of the bones snapping as twigs followed.
"You've lost," I said as I stood over his body. To my surprise, he didn't scream despite the broken arm and simply stared up at me in defiance.
"You bastard!" He tried to throw his free hand up at me, but my second Ki ball slammed down with ferocity, exploding directly on it and halting the attack. Despite its massive explosive force, I stood my ground.
When the explosion settled, the clothes on his right arm were gone completely, and the skin on that side of his face had turned charcoal black. The chains were long gone, and his face was a picture of stunned silence.
"That was a good fight. You did better than your father, that's for sure," I said as I raised my palm at his face and my energy began to build. "Now, forfeit or this attack will knock you out. I'm sure you know which option will hurt more."
His dark eyes met mine for a second or two before he frowned and turned his gaze away from mine. "I'll never forfeit to you. Do it."
Enemy Defeated!
16,000 Experience!
I smirked at his boldness, before releasing my point-blank attack. It wasn't incredibly powerful, but enough to drop his HP low enough that he was knocked out by it. When I was sure he was unconscious, I stood off of his body and enjoyed the praise from the approaching crowd.
After that, my reputation increased massively with everyone at the event. Even those that seemed to not regard me before seemed to show some interest. The rest of the ceremony went smoothly, and I was given a bright red ring in the shape of a skull as proof that I was part of the family.
I was on my fifth plate of food when I heard the front door of the house open and two people walked in.
The larger of the two was a red-headed woman with short hair. The first thing that I noticed about her was that her face was contorted into a deep scowl. Behind her, she dragged a younger boy closer to my age, who looked worse for wear. His clothes were in taters and looked very off in comparison to the nice traditional wear of everyone else in the room.
From across the room, I could see Akaza approaching her, a frown on his face. "Ah, you've missed a lot of the show dau-"
"Whatever, let's just get this over with!" The woman yelled, before throwing the boy in her arm to the ground.
"This must be the second induction," I said aloud through my chewing. I turned to Root, only to find him fast asleep with a bone in his hand. Not surprising. Carelessly, I pushed him off his chair, waking him up with the hard floor below.
"Huh?" He grumbled as he stood up.
"Second induction," I said simply, before standing and attempting to peek over the shoulders of the gathering crowd. I found out quickly that they were far too tall for me, so I floated just enough that I could see what was going on.
"Ah, boring. Nothing's going to top yours," He grumbled, before yawning and sitting back down. "Wake me up if something interesting happens."
I rolled my eyes, deciding to ignore him in favor of what was happening in front of me. However, when I floated up to a place where I could see it, the reality of the situation hit me.
Instead of their hands laying on him, as they did with me, they all stood with their arms crossed. Immediately, I felt my stomach churning and harsh nausea hit me. It didn't take an expert to that that it wasn't going in his favor.
"Power level of 486," The Saiyan with the glasses said, a frown on his face. "On a planet with a moon that appeared every two months. How could you not have destroyed them with over 50 transformations?"
The subject of their attention didn't even have time to respond before another spoke up, saying, "What's the point? He's a weakling. I'm definitely not voting for him."
Several of them agreed simultaneously, and the look of shock and betrayal on his face made my heart beat painfully in my chest. Frantically, he glanced around the room, looking for support, but received none.
"B-But…" He stuttered, dropping his gaze to the ground for a second, before looking up at his mother. "They were strong! And there were trillions of them! This isn't fai-"
Blood splashed across the floor as he was slapped to the ground by his mother, who looked down at him with a scowl. "Don't you dare grovel! You bring shame to this family!"
"Is that the final vote, then?" Azuka asked, receiving a united answer. "Alright then. You're banished."
"What?" The younger Saiyan asked groggily as he tried to stand back up. "Just like that? I-I don't understand."
"Looks like he's an idiot too," One of my aunts laughed dryly. "You're not a part of this family anymore, kid, and you never will be."
"Banished?" The look of betrayal on his face was palpable. "Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Omato spoke up finally, my attention snapping to him. "You're just too weak."
Those words, from his mouth, seemed to flip a switch in my brain. It was hard to hear anything else over my beating heart, and when I looked down at my fists, my nails were drawing blood from my palms. My body quaked as I tried to relax my body, but it didn't help in the slightest. This… This is so…
Wrong.
"Anyone wants to have fun with him before he's out of here?" Another uncle asked, turning to the crowd, who began to cheer.
"Off with his tail! Off with his tail!"
Pure panic spread over his face, but before he could do anything, they started to surround him. It only took a second before he was shoved to the ground and multiple hands were reaching for his tail. The sound of his anguished screaming was almost enough to drown out the laughter of the crowd.
What gives them the right? Just because he wasn't as strong as they wanted him to be, they thought they could treat him like a piece of trash. Memories of my arrival on this planet, and the emotions that came with it flooded back to me. I had shoved them down since arriving in the village, but that seemed impossible now. Fury flooded me even further, my blood boiling in my veins.
He's me. I realized it after a second of thought. If I hadn't gotten 'The Game', I would still have the same low power level, and what then? The answer was clear as I watched the scene unfolding in front of my eyes. His screams quickly became overwhelming.
"STOP!"
My voice shocked everyone in the room, including me. Slowly, heads turned in my direction as I floated back to the ground.
"What is it?" Omato asked as he turned to face me, our eyes locking. Anger fueled me, but when I opened my eyes to respond, no sound came out.
My hand silently moved to my new ring, the pain in my chest only intensifying. Silently, I looked around at the people who had just welcomed me into their family. The same people that cheered me on in my fight, complimenting my strength. The people that I'd killed an entire planet to return to.
"Sprout?" Omato repeated himself. As he did, my cousin on the floor groaned, his eyes flicking up to meet mine as he struggled.
"I…" I began, trying to clear the mental fog in my brain. Finally, I stuttered upon a sentence, the only thing that came to mind. "I want him as a servant."
Omato raised his eyebrow at me but didn't question it further. Instead, he turned to face the boy's mother, who looked at me with the same scowl as before. She was the only aunt that I hadn't met properly, and yet she was the one I had the least desire to get to know.
"You'll have to pay me for him," She said after a pause.
"You just banished him, he doesn't belong to you anymore," I said as I slowly began to make strides towards them. When I got close enough, I glared at those who were assaulting him, and they immediately took a step back.
My aunt scowled, her eyes narrowing to slits as she took a step to block my approach to him. "Think you're smart, huh?"
I stared past her, not even bothering to look up at her. "Step aside, or I'll kill you."
"You littl-"
"Alright, let's just calm down," Akaza raised his voice, before stepping forward and placing his hand on both of our shoulders. Shivers ran down my body. What once felt comforting now felt revolting. "Spout is right. As a banished member of the family, you no longer have authority over him."
She growled, but after a second of staring me down, she stepped aside and allowed me to walk over to the boy. When I was over him, I kneeled down and offered him my hand.
Level 9
Chile
Power level - 486
"W-Why?" Chile asked, his voice raspy from the beating.
The question stunned me for a second, but the answer came after some thought. As I lifted him to his feet, I said confidently, "Because you're not just a power level. You're still a Saiyan, and you deserve better than this."
We weren't stopped as we left.
"When they tried to take his tail…" I stared forward speaking, a cup of something strong in my hand. "I just couldn't do it."
We moved from one party to another. The view from the edge of Bardock's property was amazing, but right now I couldn't appreciate it. All I could do is stare at a small dot far below, at a house hosting people I no longer could stand to be around.
"I can't say that I'm surprised," Bardock sighed, sitting in front of me. A fire burned between us, lighting the clearing around us. Not far from where we sat, Turles, Rue, Kakarot, and Raditz laughed as they spoke with Chile. At first, he was startled, but after an hour or so, he seemed to be getting more comfortable.
As soon as we'd left Omato's compound, I explained to him that I didn't plan on actually making him my servant, but it was the only thing that I could think of saying at the time. That increased my reputation with him quite a bit, but we didn't speak much after that. Admittingly, we were both pretty stunned.
No longer wanting to stay on Omato's estate, my body went on autopilot to the place I felt most comfortable.
"And I had almost forgotten too," I spoke up, staring into the fire. "I was so angry before, but when they took me back in, it just melted away. Just feeling wanted felt… Incredible."
I threw the empty cup into the fire and watched it burst. "Brussel may have hurt me physically, but Omato was the one who made the decision in the end. I… I hate them both."
Speaking the truth was like cold water washing over me. Yet, I wasn't sure what to do with that revelation. I looked up at Bardock, unsure.
"I was getting stronger all this time with the goal of being accepted, but now I don't want it," I twisted the ring off of my finger and stared at it. "What do I do now?"
With one swift movement, I threw the ring to the fire, but before it could hit the flames, a blur caught it. When I looked up, Bardock was standing over me with the ring in his hand.
"Your anger is justified. They are complete assholes, and they don't deserve your forgiveness," He started, a serious expression on his face. "However, The Aka family has influence everywhere on the planet. They trace back centuries, and being one of them gives you access to things that most would never dream of."
"Your connection to them is useful; you never know when you'll need them. You can hate them, move away, or do whatever makes you feel good, but it isn't smart to cut off ties completely," He advised me. "Besides, I'm sure not all of them deserve your full hatred. To cut them off completely would rid yourself of potential allies."
With my arms now crossed, I raised an eyebrow. "You cut yourself off from everyone when you moved up into this mountain."
For the first time in the conversation, he smirked, before standing up to his full height. "The difference between me and you is that I'm strong enough that I don't need any allies."
I see. I do have a reason to get stronger; I decided on it back in Mossgrove. I will stand atop of the Saiyan race as the strongest. No one looks down on a King.
Long Term Mission Created!
Become The King Of The Saiyans!
Main Objective: Rise from the gutters to the very pinnacle of Saiyan society. Unite the Saiyan race under one leader; you!
Rewards:
250,000 Experience Points
?
?
Long Term Mission Created!
The Strongest!
Main Objective: Become the strongest Saiyan on Planet Plant!
Rewards:
500,000 Experience Points
?
?
Holy shit! those rewards are insane! I stared at them in disbelief, rereading them several times over in shock.
"I can see that you're deep in thought, so I'm going to grab something to eat," Bardock said, bringing my attention back to him. He stood up and dusted himself off, but before he walked away, he turned to me and said, "Just so you know, family isn't just blood relatives. Your family is whoever you want it to be."
As he walked away, I turned my attention to my friends a few feet away. Gine and Zaria walked over to them with plates of food and drinks, just in time for Bardock to arrive. Turles had his arms around Rue and Chile, his friendly personality bridging them all together with ease.
I hadn't realized it before, but I had found my family the day that I arrived back on Planet Plant. It just wasn't the one that I expected.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! This is actually two chapters combined into one, due to the fact that I haven't posted in about a week and a half. Also because it felt better this way.
Finally, Sprout's disillusionment concerning his family has been lifted. For all those who complained about him seemingly accepting his family, you have to consider the fact that Sprout grew up with no love or affection. When he found out about his purpose and that he had a family out there, it was his singular goal for years to return to them. So despite the fact that they had a horrendous meeting, that desire for family and belonging doesn't just disappear. So, the moment that he got praise and attention from them, it drew him in like a magnet. However, the anger toward them didn't disappear either. It took an event to snap him out of it.
Anyway, review and let me know what you thought! I'll be answering your questions via DM!
