Daily life with a Saiyan Teenager
Chapter 3: The Class Rep.
All right, so I'm starting this chapter early in the month. I already have so many ideas to put into this story, but it's going to take a long time to add all of them. Oh, and to answer your question I have not read Dumbing of Age, but I'm willing to check it out. It was a neat little coincidence that happened. I want to note that I'm going to try to stray away from Goten having techniques that he doesn't have in canon. This means no Kaioken, no Spirit Bomb, and no Instant Transmission. Of course, if Goten uses any of these techniques in canon, I'll most likely add them to the story. I'm also outright not following this rule to a T. For example, I wouldn't be against Goten using the finger gun that Goku used in the T.O.P as a Super Saiyan God granted it would be much weaker. Additionally, Goten can develop techniques (Mostly already existing ones in some form of dragon ball media). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story except for my OCs.
Draconis Inferna was what you'd expect from a class rep. She's smart, athletic, beautiful, kindhearted, and was well respected by students and teachers alike. There was one thing about her that no one knows, however. The entire reason she joined the Cultural Exchange Program was to capture a certain someone and bring them back to her clan. She wasn't informed of why, just what to look for. She needed to find a being known as The Legendary Golden Warrior who was blonde, used a sword, and had absurd levels of strength. This was a vague description since blonde hair was common among many species, no one was permitted to carry swords in the school for obvious reasons, and absurd levels of strength were common given the fact that many liminal species possess strength much higher than humans and even some Dragons. She had been in Japan for quite a bit now and she managed to somewhat fit into society. There was one problem, however. She was a Dragon meaning she was looked at highly, and even seen as a demi-god by some. Because of this fact, she was easily nominated as class rep, something she wasn't aware of until she noticed a pattern in the behavior of her peers.
"Oh my God it's Draconis Inferna!" Said a girl with red hair. She approached the blue-haired Dragoness. "It would be such an honor to hang out with you." She bowed.
"Sorry, I have a business to attend to. I shall speak to you again when I have the time."
"Okay, she said sadly."
Draconis was a busy young girl, but she wasn't alone. She had 'friends', but they didn't even look at her as an equal. They saw themselves as below her and she hated that. It was one thing when she was in combat and a foe was acknowledging that they'd been bested by her, but she didn't want to be treated like a goddess in casual conversation. Suddenly she sees Goten and Asashi walk into their homeroom. Asashi was someone she had experience with. She found him to be obnoxious as he was always going on about training, he was loud, and he was always trying to prove he was stronger than some of her liminal friends. If he wasn't so annoying, she'd find his perseverance admirable. She didn't hate him, but she found him to be a bit much. As for Goten, he was still an unknown. He's seemingly human, but his speed and reflexes were insane. In yesterday's dodgeball game, he was able to catch almost every single one of the balls that Kyra threw at him. Kyra belonged to the Kraken species which is another species that has superior strength to humans. They're rumored to pull ships to the bottom of the sea, but that's yet to be proven. Despite her strength, Goten managed to catch almost all of her balls and the one that did hit him bounced off his ankle he was fast enough to not only react to it but somehow managed to catch and throw the ball back at Kyra getting her out. Being from an entirely different culture, Draconis was not an expert on humans. She knew that they weren't physically strong but made up for it with their technology. When she started living in Japan, she saw how true that was. Humans were hurt and even killed by things that wouldn't even make a Dragon child flinch. Goten however, completely contradicted that line of thinking. In that dodgeball game, Goten didn't show many feats of strength. The balls she threw were fast, but they weren't going to kill anyone. At most, they'd be knocked to the ground or sent a few feet back and there would be no fatal damage no matter how hard she threw it. Still, his speed and reflexes were unnatural for a human and she wasn't the only person to make that observation. 'Maybe humans had more potential than I gave them credit for.' Draconis thought. She didn't find what he did wasn't too impressive by liminal standards and she could have performed similarly if she didn't get out from the ball bouncing off the Minotaurs' abs. That was until she found out about the what happened between Goten and Tsume Chīsai. He went by the name Spike because he hated his birth name because it pretty much meant small nails, something he was insecure about. Anyway, Tsume had recently attacked a freshman for talking to the girl he liked. An Al-Mi'raj named Jira. At some point, he saw them talking and got Jealous so he waited for him to pass by him in the hallway, pulled him to an area where no one was looking, and proceeded to beat him until Goten showed up. She was glad Goten stopped him, but if Goten had hurt the Werewolf in anyway, she could not let that slide as the class rep.
"Excuse me Goten, a word?"
"Sure, what do you need?" The young Saiyan replied.
"Is it true that you got into a fight with a werewolf named Tsume Chīsai?"
"Oh, you must be talking about that wolf guy from yesterday. Nah, I didn't fight him. All I did was block his punch when he tried to hurt Mizuki."
"If you were anyone else, I wouldn't believe you but seeing how you performed in that game of dodgeball made me realize that there's much more to you than you're letting on." Draconis then started sniffing Goten.
"Um, what are you doing?"
"You definitely smell human. Tell me, at any point did you hit Tsume Chīsai?"
"Nah, I didn't. If he continued, I would have but he did enough damage to himself."
"Perhaps there is some truth to your words. However, I must remind you that any physical altercations between humans and liminals are forbidden. Tsume will swiftly be expelled and deported as a result of this rule. Tell me this, how did he break his claws? I highly doubt he broke his claws himself."
"Actually… He kinda did. He was beating up my friends' little brother and I blocked his punch to stop him. He left but when I wasn't looking, he tried to scratch my neck with his claws, and they broke."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" I trust my sense of smell so you're definitely human. I'll admit that you're speed is impressive but for a human to not only take no damage from being slashed in the neck by a werewolf but break their claws as well? I don't believe I have to explain why that's impossible. Those claws are capable of slicing through human flesh as if it were a stick of butter. You're pretty fast for a human, but the idea of a werewolf breaking its claws on your neck is simply not possible!"
"If you don't believe me, that's fine, but I told you the truth. Anyway, I'll be going to my seat. Bye!" Goten walked away."
His reaction was a surprise to Draconis. Normally students will either freeze up or take pleasure in being confronted by Draconis. Goten didn't worship her, nor did he show any ounce of fear toward her. It was as if he simply didn't care who or what she was. One side of her was happy that she didn't get special treatment, and she respected his courage to speak to her like that. However, the Blue-haired Dragoness still had her pride, and this as disrespectful. "Fine, but mark my words, I will uncover the truth about you, Son Goten!" Contrary to what Draconis thought was disrespect, Goten had really just been trying to finish up the homework that he forgot to do, and he needed to get it done before he would have to turn it in.
Throughout the rest of the day, Goten was approached by many people asking about how the 'fight' with the werewolf went. Every single time, Goten would mention that there was no real fight and that Tsume hurt himself. Goten figured he could do some community service to get the idea that he's some thug out of people's minds. He helped people carry items, brought boxes to the student council, and helped other students with their homework.
"We meet again Son Goten!" Said Draconis smiling.
"Oh, hey Draconis, I was just heading to the bathroom." Said Goten already forgetting about her approaching him in the classroom at the start of the day. He's been doing so much other stuff that he forgot about their previous conversation.
"You know why I'm here. There's a certain matter we must discuss."
"Oh? What may that be?"
"Is it true that you've been helping the student council recently?"
"Oh yeah, I have. I like helping people, so I've been helping around the school all day. Well, I'll admit that a part of it was to clear up some misunderstandings about myself. Ever since yesterday's incident, some people got the impression that I'm some thug who beats up people for fun with no regard for the rules. Don't get me wrong, I think the laws are stupid, but I'd rather not get into legal trouble right now especially when it can easily be avoided. If he came back to hurt Mizuki or anyone else, then yes, I would attack him." Goten admits.
"So, despite my warning, you'd still attack a liminal despite being fully aware of the consequences?"
"Only if that liminal is trying to hurt people. I'd do the same thing if it was a human trying to hurt liminals too. Look, I'm not here to start fights or cause trouble for anyone. Even if someone attacked me and only me, I'd try to solve that issue as peacefully as possible, but there are times when a person can't just sit there and do nothing. I understand you're the class representative, but like you, I also have things I just can't let slide."
"Be that as it may, what you're describing could damage relationships between liminals and humans." Her voice suddenly went from stern to soft. "Your heart is in the right place, but you must think clearly. Even if human culture and other liminal cultures see your actions as noble, one culture may take huge offense to this thus shattering relations."
"I see your point but tell me this. Is maintaining relationships between species worth sacrificing people? The cultural exchange bill makes it really easy for people of all species to use loopholes to hurt others without anyone being able to do anything about them. I haven't been here long, but I know about liminal traffickers and what they do to their captives. Why should a liminal or anyone for that matter get in legal trouble for attacking people like that? Why should they just sit there and let them do whatever they want to them?"
"Goten, if I'm being honest it's abhorrible that things such as that occur, but for a liminal to hurt a human can cause more mayhem in the future for more people. This could cause an increase in discrimination against all non-humans."
"I don't think these laws would help anything though. It's not my place to decide what the laws are but let's think about it for a moment. Let's say traffickers kidnap a bunch of criminals and one of them uses their strength against their captors in self-defense. Sure, they'd only be deported but it wouldn't help relationships get any better."
"Then what do you suggest? Surely you must have a solution then."
"I don't. I've never been into politics, and I probably never will but even I can see the problems that this bill can cause. Don't get me wrong, I can see some benefits of the bill, but I just can't get behind the fact that if someone from a different species attacks someone, their victims can be arrested for acting in self-defense."
"I see. Well, perhaps you have a point but know that from now on, I will keep a close eye on you. Should you get in any fights whether they be human or liminal, there will be repercussions."
"Okay, bye Draconis!" Goten cheerfully as he turned around to go to the bathroom.
"Oh, and Goten?"
Goten looked back. "Yes?"
The Dragoness smiled. "That was quite the pleasant discussion we had. I hope we have plenty of those in the future."
"Hehe, we'll see," Goten said. He then continued to walk to the bathroom. He hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for being out too long. As luck would have it, the teacher didn't care in the slightest.
Later at lunch.
Despite helping many people around the school out, Goten still heard rumors about how he was a thug who beat up a gangster who happened to be liminal. At this point, he was done hearing about that, so he decided to sit alone on a bench in the courtyard. Little did he know he was being watched by a group of thugs that were once led by Tsume Chīsai the werewolf also known as Spike. The group consisted of a male Werefox, an Echidna(Lamia), a female Werecat, a male Ogre, and a male Wyvern.
"Hey, you with the spikey hair!" Said the Werefox
"Me?" Said Goten looking at the guy who called out to him.
"No, we mean the guy over there." Said the Wyvern. "Of course, we meant you dumbass!"
"Did you need something from me? Is it urgent?" Said Goten.
"Yeah, it's urgent all right! Urgent that you receive an ass whooping for what you did to our boss!" The other members nodded in anticipation."
Goten sighed "I'm tired of explaining myself. Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Why, are you scared? Hahahaha. What a pussy!" Said the Ogre who wore an ugly smirk.
"No, I'm eating. Please leave. You're noisy." Goten continued to eat his food as he ignored the gang of liminals threatening him."
"HEY DON'T IGNORE US!" Said the Echidna."
Goten simply continued to eat without acknowledging their existence.
"That does it!" Said the angry male Werefox who attempted to punch Goten, but he simply blocked it with his finger while still eating food, not once looking at his attacker. "WHY YOU!" The thug exclaimed. He tried to attack Goten with a flurry of punches, but Goten blocked every single one of them with a finger.
"Wow, you're getting owned and he's only using a finger! What a joke! HAHAHA" said the female Werecat.
"HEY, LAZY BUM! GET OFF YOUR ASS AND HELP ME!"
"Nah, after what happened with Spike, I'm not messing with him. You know the saying, Curiosity killed the cat, and that cat's not going to be me." She said.
"THEN WHY DID YOU EVEN COME HERE YOU LAZY BUM?!"
"Because I wanted a good view of what we're up against."
"Ha, you can say what you want! I know you're just scared! I'll show you how it's done! Said the Echidna.
She wrapped her snake tail around Goten.
"Hey, let me go!"
"If you beg for mercy, then I'll let you go free. Fools like you need to know your place!" She squeezed him hard, but not hard enough to kill a person of his size. She could bite him to try and inject venom into him, but murdering him would be difficult to cover up. To her surprise, he didn't budge, but it only managed to make him angry."
"Look at what you did!" Goten moved the constricting tail out of the way with his arms and pushed her coils of him causing the Echidna to fall over on her snake bottom. "Couldn't you have at least waited until I was done?!"
"WHY YOU!" Then she had an idea. "You're right, I should have waited but I know a way I could make it up to you~"
"Wait really? Nah you don't have to go that far. I was almost done with it anyway, so I'll live."
She slithered close to him and whispered into his ear. "Oh, but I insist. Why don't you come over to my place after school? I have plenty to eat over there~"
"Nah, I'll pass. Thanks for the offer though. It's really not that big of a deal." he threw the rice ball into a nearby garbage and continued to eat the rest of his meal.
The Ogre saw that Goten wasn't paying attention and took full advantage of that. "TITUS SMASH!" He connected both of his hands together and slammed them on Goten's head. The force alone was enough to destroy the bench that split open the bench that Goten was sitting on.
"You idiot!" Yelled the Echidna. "We weren't supposed to kill him, we were just supposed to teach him a lesson! On top of that, you ruined my chance to bring a perfect man back to my tribe!"
"B-But Titus Smash... The Ogre was silent for a bit and then he started yelling. "OWWWWWWWW, HIS HEAD CRACK TITUS BONE!"
"I asked you to leave me alone, but you didn't listen. Now look at you." Said Goten starring at the Ogre pitifully. He stood there still carrying his tray of food.
"How dare you make a fool out of us! Yelled the Werefox. "THAT DOES IT!" He morphed into his fox state and tried to claw Goten. He wasn't going for the kill, but he was trying to injure Goten enough that he'd get the message across that no one messes with their gang. However, his plan backfired when Goten stopped his claw on the sharp end with a single finger."
Goten stops eating to look at the thug. "Can you not? I rather not have you break your claws on my skin. People already think I'm a thug who beats up people weaker than me for fun and doing this wouldn't help either of our cases." Said Goten.
"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Yelled the Werefox.
"I'm trying to enjoy my lunch, that's what I am. Now shoo." Goten motioned his hands as if he were trying to swat away a fly.
"Grrrr, this isn't worth it…" Said the werefox The squad of liminal delinquents left, and as they did, the werecat winked at Goten.
'I hope they aren't a problem in the future.' Goten thought.
Earlier
Draconis had also gone to the courtyard to unwind. She didn't feel like eating with the student council so she thought she'd sit somewhere different this time around. When she got to her destination, she saw Goten and immediately retreated behind a wall blushing. As a class rep, she puts on a serious demeanor but in truth, Draconis was a shy girl who didn't know a lot about social interaction. She was raised to be a strong warrior who was feared by enemies and allies alike. Though she played the role well, she had secrets. Draconis secretly liked wearing dresses, playing with dolls, and singing. She kept this a secret as she didn't want to be a laughingstock in her culture. Because of this fact, it was hard for Draconis to build real relationships with other members of Dragonkind. Humans and other liminal weren't any easier. She was usually feared, worshipped, or lusted over, believed to be too good to be friends with people, and expected to be perfect. When she confronted Goten about his altercation with the leader of Wild Fang, she expected him to do one of three things. One, cower before her, two, make a pass at her, or three, attempt to avoid conversation as they aren't worth the time of a divine being such as herself. Goten, however, didn't do that. Instead, he had the gall to leave her as if she wasn't worth HIS time. It was a blow to her pride and she saw him as disrespectful but at the same time, he didn't put her on a pedestal. Later on, she'd catch wind that Goten was helping all around the school and even helped carry boxes to the student council room... Multiple boxes filled with heavy stuff all at once. She would then Goten again in the hallway but instead of trying to punish him for getting in a fight, she had a discussion with him about the Exchange Bill. She actually had a lot of grievances with the Bill herself, but she wanted to keep up with appearances. She also wasn't close enough with Goten to admit that. Still, it was a nice discussion and for once someone talked to her like a normal person. Since then, she'd been seeking to get closer to the boy, but she was too shy to talk to him, especially after the trouble she caused him. She then saw him get approached by the members of Wild Fang.
'Why are they still here? Even after their leader was expelled, those lowly thugs still don't know their place.' Draconis thought. She watched as the Werefox tried to punch Goten in his human form. Any of the were-beings are as strong as humans in their normal states, however, the werefox kid had a larger stature than Goten, was older than him, and appeared much bigger than him. Despite this, Goten blocked his punch with a finger. Draconis was shocked by his strength. She would then go on to watch as Goten pushed the Echidna's coils off of him after she tried to constrict him. She should have stopped this, but she was too shocked by the feats Goten was displaying. When Titus slammed his fists on Goten's head, she thought for sure he accidentally killed the boy as Ogre's are not only some of the strongest liminals, but that slam was enough to destroy the bench that Goten was sitting on. To her surprise, the Ogre retracted his fists in pain and even exclaimed that he cracked a bone. At this point, Draconis knew Goten wasn't lying about what happened with Tsume Chīsai. Goten blocking the Werefox's claw when he was in his fox form was the final nail in the coffin. The members of Wild Fang left the scene and she was able to muster up the courage to approach him but then Mizuki showed up.
"Hey there Goten…"
"Oh hi, Mizuki. Didn't think I'd see you here. I came out here so people wouldn't bother me about a fight that didn't happen."
"Yeah, about that… It's my fault. I'm the one who spread it around. I was just so excited that someone other than my brother was not only able to fight back against the bullies but had the strength to beat them too. It was like watching a manga protagonist come to life! You were my hero! …Still, I regret causing you trouble. If you hate me, I understand." Mizuki dropped his head and looked to the ground in shame.
"Dude, I'm not mad. Sure, it's kind of annoying having to explain myself every time and I'm not looking forward to when a teacher finds out, but it will all work out in the end. I'd really appreciate it if you clarified what really happened though."
"Will do!"
"Why did he attack you anyway?" Goten asked.
"H-He was angry at me for talking to Jira. She's an Al-Mi'raj who is really beautiful. I admit that I have the smallest crush on her and she's really kind to me, but I don't stand a chance with her. She'd only date someone who could best her in a fight. Even if I had the strength to win a spar with her, it wouldn't be worth it since she'd get deported, and I'd be arrested…," said Mizuki.
"So that's why! Hey Mizuki, if you ever have any trouble, let me know. I'll help you out. Oh, and maybe I can help you with your love problems too."
"You're the best big bro!"
"Big bro? I didn't expect you to call me that. Wouldn't that be Asashi?"
"Well sure, but you're like a second bro to me. Not even my friends are as nice as you have been to me."
"Aw shucks, well good luck. I'll be rooting for you!"
Draconis was in awe at the scene. "He's strong yet he knows how to restrain himself and on top of that, he's kind! He really is a good person… And I thought there was a chance that he was a thug. I should apologize… Maybe we could be good friends. Yeah, we'd be great friends! We could help each other with homework and tell each other about our respective cultures. Hahahaha, that plan almost sounds too perfect! Good thing he isn't blonde, otherwise he could have been my potential target."
As the day went on, Draconis observed more of Gotens behavior. Now it wasn't to catch him in the act, but it was because he was genuinely a nice guy. Draconis was afraid to approach him not because she was afraid of how he'd act toward her, but because of the chance that he might worship her or treat her differently. She continued to observe him even more and at one point, she even saw him lift a car because some girls playing tennis couldn't find their ball that was stuck under it. He picked up the ball as the two human girls looked at him weird because he looked to human to have that kind of strength.
"Hey girls, I got your ball here!" Said Goten.
"T-Thanks! We're heading out now!" Said one of the girls.
Goten waved as they left.
"I'd love to train with him someday! Knowing him, he could probably take the intense training that us Dragons do. You know what? I'm going to approach him." Draconis left her hiding spot and approached Goten."
"Oh, hey Draconis."
"…Hey Goten. I wish to grant you a formal apology for assuming the worst of you. I was hoping we could move past this and maybe... be friends?" She gave him an unconfident smile
"Apology accepted and of course, we can be friends!"
"Really? I'm so happy! Wait, before anything else, do you… worship Dragons?"
"No, I don't. Don't get me wrong, Dragons are cool, but I don't worship them."
"Would you treat me any differently if I wasn't the cool and collected rep that everyone saw me as?"
"No, I wouldn't. No offense, but I really don't care about that sort of thing. From my point of view, people are people regardless of species or status."
Draconis smiled brightly. "Yes! I finally have a friend who won't put me on a pedestal for once! I can't wait to hang out with each other!" Draconis was silent as she came to a realization. "Wait… No, I mustn't! If I stay around you, people will hate you and maybe even harm you! We should keep our closeness a secret!
'Closeness? But we only just became friends.' Goten thought. "Nah, I don't care if people hate me for something as trivial as talking to a girl. If they're shallow enough to hate me for something like that, then why should I even care?"
"Truly?"
Goten nodded.
"Thank you so much! My first real friend!" Draconis hugged Goten tightly and her hugs were powerful enough to rival Tionishia's back-crushing hugs.
Around the end of the school day, Goten would be called to the office to discuss what happened with Tsume Chīsai.
"Son, Goten is it true that you hurt a liminal yesterday?" Said the Principal.
"No, I didn't lay a finger on him. The most I did was block a punch meant for Mizuki here."
"That's right! Goten is a hero! Spike-I mean Tsume was... He was beating me and Goten stepped up to protect me! He just blocked his punch! Nothing more!"
"Then would you mind explaining why his claws were broken? And don't give me the same fib about him breaking his claws on his neck. I know he's your friend, but even so, hurting a liminal is a crime."
"Sir, I may not have been there but I can vouch for Goten. He's not the type of guy who gets into fights!"
"And how would you know? This is his second day at school and I'm already hearing about him getting into fights with not one, not two, but multiple students around the school! And if think I'm so gullible that I'd buy that story you told about how that Werewolf broke his claws on his neck, then newsflash, I'm not. You better tell me the real story, or authorities will be called."
"Then perhaps you'd believe me."
"Oh, Lady Draconis, it's always a pleasure." The Principal bowed.
"If you don't believe them, then perhaps you'll believe me! I too was skeptical of Goten's claims but after witnessing what he could do firsthand, I believe him. I'm sure my claims aren't enough, but what if I were to prove it to you? I'm sure you're aware that my claws can slice through steel, yes? I may not be in my full Dragon form right now, but I can still at least dent metal as I am now.
"I'm well aware of that fact, yes."
"Then what if I proved that Goten was durable enough to take the claws of a Dragon?"
"No, you wouldn't! As Principal, it's my duty to protect my students! Even if you are a Dragon, I can't allow this to happen!"
"Yeah, Draconis this isn't a good idea! I'll be okay! I promise!" Goten exclaimed
"No, you won't! I heard what humans do to each other in their cells! I'm not letting that happen to you! Look, I won't scratch you hard. If I can cut you, it will only be a small cut that will heal fast. I know I'll be deported but it's a risk I'm willing to take if that means you won't be arrested! If I had to give up all my claws just for you to not be arrested, I would do it. You're one of the only people in my life who don't treat me any differently than everyone else!" Said Draconis.
"No, I will not let this happen! Goten, I'll let you off with a warning as Draconis usually has great judgment and I trust her word. That said..." He turned to Draconis. "You will never pull a stunt like that again, am I clear?"
"Yes sir..." Said Draconis. Her pride was telling her to lash out at him, but she knew better than that.
"Good. I think that concludes our meeting.
Asashi and Mizuki didn't have words for the dedication Draconis had just showcased just now.
"Draconis, why would you risk being deported for me?"
"Weren't you listening? You're my first real friend since I came to Japan..."
"But you have so much to lose! You're the class rep, and you're one of if not the most respected people in the school! If you actually went through with that, you could have been deported!"
"Goten, some things are worth giving up for friends. Besides, my title as class rep, and the girl I pretend to be are all just means to an end. They aren't that special to me. Besides, I wasn't actually going to scratch you. I would have swiped quickly past your face and made it appear as if I had broken my claws. Acting is kind of my thing after all." She playfully stuck out her tongue.
"Wow, that was an impressive act. How would you even fake breaking your claws? I've heard of the trick where people seemingly remove a finger, but what you're describing would be like us faking removing our entire nails."
Draconis smirked at Goten. "A magician never reveals her tricks!"
"That was really cool of you Draconis! You're not as stuck up as I thought you were!" Said Asashi.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Well, when you were acting as the class rep you used to act all haughty and prideful. You toned it down a bit since you first started attending this school but that was my first impression of you."
"Well, I apologize for that. Us Dragons are expected to be prideful, honorable, and noble. Of course, things weren't always like this as we used to kidnap princesses battle knights, and hoard gold. Our relationship with humanity hasn't always been the greatest. Even now, a lot of us prefer to live in caves and abandoned dungeons."
"That was a long time ago though, and we humans weren't exactly innocent either. Some of us used to down innocent Dragons for no other reason than glory. Sure sometimes it was out of vengeance or a desire to protect, but our intentions weren't always pure. I think that one day humans and Dragons... not all species will live together in harmony. It doesn't matter how we started, we all share the same world at the end of the day. Co-existence is key." Said Mizuki.
"Mizuki is right Draconis. I'll tell you a short story from back home. There was once a species that was responsible for many atrocities. They used to go to planets where they would slaughter all the inhabitants, and sell their planet to the highest bidder. One of their practices was sending infants babies to planets so they'd grow up and end all life on those planets. At some point in time, their planet was destroyed and they were driven to near extinction. You'd think that there would be no future for that race, but that's where you'd be wrong. See, one child was sent to Earth, and as expected he was very aggressive at first, but then he fell down a ravine and hit his head. Ever since then, that alien child had become nothing but joyful and nice. Eventually, he'd grow up and have children with a human woman, and that species would go on to live on through humanity."
"That's an interesting tale Goten. Tell me, how familiar with this story are you? Let's just say it caught my interest." Said Draconis.
"Oh, I doubt it's written anywhere as it's a story my family told me when I was younger. As for how familiar I am with the story... Let's just say I'm more familiar with it than you'd think."
"Was your family really into science fiction?" Asked Mizuki."
"Not my dad and definitely not my Mom. Maybe my brother was, but I think he just likes reading in general."
"You said was as in past tense," replied Mizuki.
"Yeah, we got... Separated. I'm sure he's fine but I can't help but be a little worried. I don't have a way back home and he wasn't the only family I left behind."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive." Said Mizuki.
"It's fine, my brother is one of the strongest people I know! My dad might be away right now, but my brother would be more than enough to take care of the guy who sent me here in the first place!"
"Goten, I'm sorry that happened to it. But for what it's worth, I'm glad we met Said Draconis."
"Yeah, she's right Goten! You're the best non-blooded related bro I could ask for! Not only that, I know you'll be an amazing partner and rival! No matter what, I will always support you!" Said Asashi.
"Haha, you really are just like your brother, you know that?" Said Goten.
"I get that a lot!" the orange boy laughed and everyone joined him.
After school ended Goten would go to the store to buy a new outfit since he left his Saiyaman watch back in his world. He ended up purchasing a bandana similar to what Gohan wore in the martial arts tournament when trying to conceal his true identity. He also bought gloves, a gray jacket, toy visors, gloves, a red cape, and dark grey tights. If there was anything else to add to his fit latter, he'd start shopping again. Now, he just had to relax and wait until 5:00 to get to the forest and wait for Asashi so they could train together. His first stop was the Kurusu residence.
"Hey everyone, I'm home!" The first thing Goten noticed was that Kimihito, Miia, and Centorea were huddled with serious looks on their faces.
"Oh, hello Goten." Kimihito greeted.
"What's going on? Why does everyone look so serious?"
"We were just discussing what we need to do with Suu." Said Miia.
"Suu?" Goten questioned.
"That's the name of the slime girl that showed up last night."
"Oh yeah, the shower slime!" Goten looked at Papi and Suu playing together and having fun. "They sure are lively huh?" Goten smiled.
"We need to figure something out, or Master could get into serious trouble. We should get Ms. Smith involved." Said Centorea
"But where would we send her? No one knows where she came from." Said Kimihito.
"They'd likely place her on some sort of probation, or she'd be imprisoned." Said Centorea.
This got Papi's attention.
"That's awful! She's not a criminal! She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment."
"It's unfortunate, but if we do nothing, you may be punished as well. I sincerely believe that our best course of action would be to turn her into the authorities. There's enough friction among the species as it is, and I highly doubt this poor slime could do anything to overcome that friction. In fact, she may actually make things worse and then everything we've done to prevent interspecies unity would be lost." Cerea added.
"No, I won't let that happen! It's not right!" Exclaimed Goten."
"Goten, I understand how you feel, but you have to realize what's at stake here." Said Miia softly.
Suddenly Papi started flying away with Suu. Goten immediately went after them, and the others soon followed.
"Wait Papi what are you doing, where are you going with Suu?" Exclaimed Kimihito. The next thing he noticed is that Papi wasn't the only one flying. Right next to her was Son Goten.
"Young Squire?!" Said Centorea.
"I'll make sure they don't go too far!" Said Goten before leaving with Papi.
"I don't even…" Miia couldn't find the words to respond to what she just saw. Just as Goten, Papi, and Suu vanished from sight, Ms. Smith had appeared barely missing the scene."
"What's the matter with you two? You both appear as if you've seen a ghost."
"Papi flew away with Suu and now Darling is following them."
"That's not good that she flew off on her own, but at least Darling will be with her. I however fail to understand why this is surprising. Harpies are known to be free spirits."
"Goten flew with her…" Said Centorea. She had temporarily dropped her nickname for him.
"That… is concerning. Are you sure you aren't mistaken? Harpies are strong for their size, so carrying a teenage boy and a slime wouldn't be too difficult for their species."
"I understand your skepticism Ms. Smith, but I can attest that Goten has indeed flown away to follow Papi."
"That's even more paperwork for me." Ms. Smith groaned.
Back with Goten and Papi
"Hey, how are you flying with us?" Papi asked.
"That's not important right now. Why did you leave the house? You know you can't leave without our host family. You know what they'll do If you're caught!"
"I had to do it! You guys would have had her incested even though she didn't do anything to hurt you!"
"W-What?! Incested?! How would that even work? Does she even have siblings? On second thought, I don't wanna know! Anyway, we aren't going to do anything to her. I will personally make sure of that. If they try to imprison her, I'll take her somewhere safe. Let's just go back, okay?"
"Do you promise?"
"Yes Papi, I promise."
Suu looked down and saw water and she wiggled her arms in fear causing Papi to drop her. Suu landed right on top of an odd surface.
"Are you okay Suu?!" Said Papi.
Goten flew down to check on Kimihito as Suu turned out to be just fine. "Are you all right? How did her fall cause that much of an impact anyway? She's made of liquid and raincoats don't weigh that much either."
"She's a lot... heavier than you think." Said Kimihito.
"Wow, you didn't get hurt at all Suu!" Why did you start wiggling like that Suu?" Said Papi.
"If I had to guess, maybe she's afraid of the river. She did melt in the bathtub. She might've thought she'd die if she fell into a big body of water."
"Oh no! I'm sorry Suu!"
"You can apologize to her later. What did you two run away for? You can't leave the house unless I'm there with you, remember? You took Suu with you too." Said Kimihito
Because you're going to have her incested even though she didn't do anything to hurt you!"
"It's arrested, we've talked about this." Said Kimihito.
'Ah, so that's what she meant to say. I know incested isn't a word, but I just assumed Papi meant incest. Looking back, I don't know why I thought she meant that.' Goten thought. He didn't know much about Papi due to their limited interaction and Papi not saying much to spark meaningful conversations with him.
"And she did almost kill me."
"So did everybody else!"
Kimihito's mind flashbacked to each and every one of his near-death experiences with the girls. "Look, the interspecies exchange bill is very clear.
"Forget the bill! I'm still going to protect Suu!"
"Protect her?" Kimihito questioned.
"You wouldn't really let anything happen to her, would you? That's my main concern. She doesn't have to live with us if you don't want, but there has to be another way." Said Goten
"Yo bird lady!" Said a random voice. It was a small child.
Papi turned around after she was called.
"Hey, we're gonna have a water gun fight."
"Yeah, and we were wondering if you wanted to come play with us too." Said another boy in the group o kids.
"You uh, know these kids?" Said Kimihito.
"Yeah, she sure does! The bird lady plays games with us a lot!" Said a girl.
"Hey it's you again! Wait, she does?"
"Uh-huh. She played with us yesterday!" The girl replied.
"Papi, have you really been sneaking out of the house by yourself?"
Papi let out a nervous laugh.
"Wow, I didn't know you were so popular." Said Kimihito
He was then hit in the face with a water balloon along with Goten and Papi. This led to Papi chasing the kids and hugging them causing them to have nose bleeds due to the proximity of their faces and her bossum.
After seeing Papi play with the kids, Kimihito smiled. He observed that she was caring and possibly had maternal instincts. He then noticed one kid was spraying with his water gun and soaking their clothes. Even after they asked him to stop, he continued. He was going to reprimand the kid but Goten beat him to it.
"Stop, that's enough! They asked you to stop!" Said Goten.
The kid didn't respond. Instead, he looked over to the side.
This made Goten curious, so he decided to briefly look at where the kid was looking. What he saw was Suu with humongous breasts. Being unfamiliar with slime anatomy, he had no idea how she did something like that. All the kids went up to Suu and she hugged the one who was spraying the girls, ensnaring him in her expanded breasts. The other boys lined up to be hugged by Suu, but instead, they were all blasted by a gigantic wave of water. Papi handed the girls the water guns and they got payback on the kid who sprayed them earlier and sprayed the other boys too for good measure. This lead to them running away with the girls chasing them.
"Wait a second." Said Kimihito as he followed them. Goten followed as he wasn't just going to stay in one place."
Suddenly a reckless driver came zooming through the street with his girlfriend. "HAHAHAHA. DAMN, THIS SURE IS A SWEET RIDE. LIKE I ALWAYS SAY, YOU GOTTA DRIVE AMERICAN! HAHAHA" Said the guy
"Yeah, it rides like a dream said the woman."
A girl was chasing her hat as it rolled into the road.
The driver noticed this and panicked. "ARGH, OUTTA THE ROAD!" He failed to turn in time and the girl was right in front of his speeding car."
"Look out!" Kimihito screamed."
Goten punched the air at the car, sending it flying into a wall while Suu tackled the girl to get her away from the car. This led to her being stuck to a wall.
"Thank you for saving me, slime girl! Thanks a lot!"
"Are you okay Suu? You aren't hurt, are you?" Papi noticed Suu wasn't detaching from the wall. "Oh no, I think Suu is stuck!" She exclaimed.
The impact from the car crashing into the wall caused the wall that Suu was stuck on to break causing Suu to fall into the river.
"SUU!" Papi exclaimed. Before grabbing her hand with her wing. Unfortunately, slimes were slippery meaning she couldn't keep her grip for long. "You're slipping! Suu slipped a little out of her grip. "I can't get a good enough grip to pull her back up! Papi got breathed hard as she struggled to hold onto Suu's gelatinous hand. "If she falls into the river, she could die!"
"Papi… Thank you Papi." Suu fell out of her grip and was now plummeting to her possible death.
Goten ran and jumped off the bridge to save her.
"NO, NOT YOU TOO GOTEN!" Papi screamed. Though the ground was by no means that far from the bridge they were standing on, Goten dived head-first off, the bridge and the water weren't far from the surface either. A normal person could survive this fall if they landed on their feet albeit with bad injuries, but landing on their head from this distance would 100 percent kill them.
"Suu…" Papi started to cry. Then out of nowhere, Goten emerged from where Suu fell holding the slime girl in his arms as he flew up.
"I'm not letting you die! Not on my watch!" Said Goten." He then touched the ground as everyone cheered at the sight. Papi hugged both Goten and Suu. Kimihito was at the bottom of the bridge with the Car he stole from the reckless drivers. He didn't see what happened but was glad everything turned out alright. The kids cheered.
"Did you see that? That dude just flew and saved the slime girl!"
"I know right?! He was like a super cool superhero!"
"Do something cool!"
"YEAH!"
"Okay kids, but just this once." Said Goten. Goten forms a ball of ki and split it into two orbs and twirls them around his body exactly how Goku did in the second opening of the DBS anime."
The kids including Papi and Suu cheer him on.
Kimihito was surprised but at this point he already knew that Goten wasn't exactly normal. He simply smiled at the sight. The walk back home wasn't long, but he did talk to Goten about what he did.
"You're pretty good with kids, aren't you?"
"Hehe, I try. I have a little niece back home, so I have some experience."
"Out of curiosity, what was that trick you did in front of the kids?"
"Oh, that? It was just a technique with my ki." Goten got closer to Kimihito and whispered into his ear. "Every living thing has this power but not many people know about it. My older brother taught me when I was 7 years old. Because of a certain someone, these moves are seen as nothing but tricks back home."
"That's interesting. So, you're saying that people back in your world are capable of doing what you did in front of those kids?"
"Yeah, and they can fly too. It's still a surprise to people when I show what I can do in public. In fact, I was banned from showing off my power at school for good reason mind you. I still slipped up sometimes though and accidentally showed my strength but luckily, I was able to convince people that what I did was normal." Goten sweat dropped. "Anyway, the reason I'm whispering this to you is I don't want too many people asking me to teach them how to use it. I'm already teaching one person, and he's less of a student and more of a training partner. I never taught some so this will be a new experience for me.
"That's nice of you Goten, Though are you sure this is something you should do? Surely if not a lot of people know about it, there's a reason for it."
"I'm sure it will be fine. I mean, my brother taught his wife how to use it and nothing happened. I'm sure teaching one person will be perfectly fine. Besides, when I come back home, I'm going to be stronger than ever! So strong that I can fight against major threats without any help at all!"
"Listen Goten, it's good that you want to help but you should be a bit more cautious. I trust your judgement so I'm sure the person you're going to teach is trustworthy. That said, I wouldn't recommend teaching it to just anyone. I've seen only a little of what you can do, but there are bad people in this world who would take advantage of your kindness to learn about this ki for their own twisted purposes. Just be careful okay?"
"I got it! I wouldn't teach just anyone anyway. I'm still way too young to be a full-time teacher. I want to do fun stuff like seeing movies with friends or eating out a ton!" Suddenly Goten's phone rang. His new phone wasn't too different from his old phone. He even managed to transfer some of his photos and even changed his background into an old family photo. The cause of the beep on his phone was a text from Asashi telling him that he'd be in the forest soon. "Sorry, Kimihito but I gotta go. I promised to meet up with a friend. I'll be back soon, I promise!"
"Okay, that's fine. The law says you can be out on your own, but curfew still applies to you. Don't be out too long, okay?"
"Alright! Cya Kimihito." Goten flies off.
Not long after, Goten was at the forest like he said he'd be. He did a few exercises to pass the time until Asashi showed up. Eventually he did come, and he greeted Goten.
"What's up Goten? Are you ready to get to training bro?"
"Not yet. Before we do anything, I want you to promise one thing."
"Sure, what is it this time?"
"I want you to not tell anyone I told you about this. Don't get me wrong, I don't care about looking normal or anything like that, but my host family warned me to be careful who I teach this to and I don't want too many people asking me how to di it."
"Okay, I promise. I swear on my life that I will not tell a soul and wait what?! Did you say, host family?"
"Yeah, I did. Why?"
"Then you're liminal?!"
"In a way, yes. I'm still human if that's what you're wondering, but I'm not from this world. When we first met, that story wasn't a joke. I actually was attacked by an alien parasite and fell into a machine that sent me here."
"Wow, that's..." Asashi got down on his knees and bowed before Goten. "I'm so sorry! I should have taken what you said seriously!"
"Relax I'm not mad about it. I told you that you wouldn't believe it and I was right. I expected that."
"Still... I guess this is what you meant when you said you were separated from your family."
"Yeah, it sucks but one of our family friends is the smartest woman on Earth! I'm sure she'll find a way to bring me back!"
"That's great Goten! ...But wait, does that mean you're going to disappear from this world forever one day?"
Goten sighed. This wasn't something he was looking forward to. Permanently saying goodbye to new friends. "I like this world, I really do. But I had a home and a life back home. I went to another school, my family was there, and so were my friends. I was lucky to come here. You know, when I fell into that machine, I could have ended up anywhere in this universe. I could have ended up in space, a planet that doesn't support life, the moon, the sun, or maybe even a black hole. I could have died, ended up isolated somewhere with no food, and then there'd really be no going back." Goten smiled. "Still, I'm glad I met you and the others. You have all made staying here fun. I may be separated from my family and friends, but at least I have a home here and words can't describe how grateful I am for that."
"I'll miss you." Said Asashi."
"I know you will, and I'll miss you and everyone else too. At least after I teach you about ki, you'll have something to remember me by."
"Then what about Draconis and Mizuki?! Draconis definitely has a soft spot for you and you're Mizuki's Idol! He keeps telling me how he wants to be just like you!"
"He really admires me that much? Well, if you want to teach them what I'm teaching you, I won't stop you. As for what I'll do for Mizuki and Draconis, I'm not sure yet but I'll figure out something."
"Wait, I want to do something for you too!"
"Aw, I can't wait! Maybe we should all get gifts for each other! That way, we'd always have something to remember each other by no matter where we go. Friends in high school tend to say goodbye anyway, it's just my goodbye will be a bit more literal..."
"Don't say it like that, it makes it sound like you're going to die!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, should we start our lesson?"
"Alright! I'm ready when you are!"
Goten smiled. "Good, let's begin. So let me give you a demonstration of what I'm talking about. Sit down."
Asashi complied as Goten sat down too. He opened his palm and summoned a blue ball of energy that hovered over his hands.
"Woah, what's that!" Asashi said surprised.
"This was done with the use of Ki, which is basically your life force."
"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF? AND FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"
"Calm down, doing this is completely inconsequential."
"BUT YOU JUST SAI-"
"Okay let me explain it better. Ki is the power that every living being had inside of themselves. It doesn't seem to be known around here but believe me when I say everyone on this planet has it. The reason why it's not known is because it's not an easy feat to unlock it especially if you don't know it exists. Anyway, using up ki doesn't affect my lifespan at all. It's like if you run around for a long time, you'll be low on stamina but over time, you'll get that stamina back."
"Then how did you get to know about it?"
"My brother taught me."
"And how would HE know?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"
"Okay… I calmed down. Just so you know, when I said show me your true power… I WAS BEING METAPHORICAL! I DIDN'T ACTUALLY THINK YOU HAD SUPERPOWERS!"
"Can they really be called superpowers if everyone can do it?
"UM? YES! Even if you're serious and what you're doing IS something that everyone can do, it's still not normal! …Sorry, I'm actually calm now. How do you actually do this?"
"I'm glad you asked! Alright, first things first, calm yourself down. Then listen to the center of your body until you start to feel a pull. When you feel it, that's when you bring it out. Come on, give it a try!"
"Asashi tried to replicate what Goten told him. Staying calm was something Asashi heard a lot at the fighting Dojo. However, he didn't understand what he meant by listening to the center of his body. He tried to replicate what Goten did but aggressively tried to bring out his power."
"No, no, you're doing it wrong! Here, let me give you another demonstration." Goten put out both of his hands. "Okay, so the trick is to remain calm. Follow what I'm doing okay?"
"Alright, I'm on it," Asashi said calmly.
"Remember, listen to the core of your body. You should feel something there."
Asashi continued to attempt to channel his energy but to no avail. He grunted as he struggled to bring out energy.
"We can stop anytime you want. It's okay, we can try another time! Even I had trouble when I first learned about it."
"No! I won't back down from this! I'm getting this today no matter what!"
"Oh? That's quite the determination you got there Asashi."
"say what you will about me! Maybe I'm loud, obnoxious, and a pain in the ass, but I am no quitter! I'm not leaving until I make progress!" Said Asashi. It took multiple tries, but not once did he consider even taking a break. As he made his series of attempts, Goten was doing pushups, situps, and at one point decided to go out to buy some juice for the both of them. Asashi, however, was an extreme person so he decided he wouldn't drink or eat until he figured it out. Goten felt bad because he didn't realize he'd take it this far."
"Dude, it's okay to take a break. No one gets it on their first try anyway."
"No matter what you say, I'm going to get this done!" Asashi grit his teeth."
"Okay, if you say so, but we can only be here for so long. If you don't get it, it's okay. I'll be around whenever you need me, and the good thing about this is the more you practice, the better you'll get! You can even practice at home. Just don't try firing an energy blast in the house."
Asashi ignored him and focused more on learning how to use the ki. Eventually, a blue orb formed around his open hands.
"Alright! You got it! I knew you'd get it eventually!"
"Hahaha, I told you I'd get it today!" As soon as he said that the energy disappeared. "Dang it! I just had it!"
"Hey, you managed to channel a ball of energy, that's something to be proud of! Like I said before, the more you practice, the better you'll get! I think we should call it a day here, but next time we'll move on to the next lesson."
"Oh, and what's that?!" Asashi said excitedly. He was eager to get stronger. At this point, it wasn't about achieving his goal of proving that a human could be stronger than a liminal, as Goten had already proven it. Now it was about surpassing Goten, bonding with him before he's gone for good, and going beyond his limits.
"We'll start with teaching you how to control your energy then we can get to the fun stuff like learning new moves and flying."
"Hahaha, you crack me up Goten. Look, I can believe that we can summon orbs of energy, but you can't expect me to believe we can fly."
Gotens response was to jump in the air, and instead of falling, he stayed airborne.
"Okay, okay, that one's on me. This ki is awesome! We should tell more people about it!"
"As I said before, you can do what you want with it. I know you wouldn't use your power for evil but please don't tell anyone I taught you. I like to train, but I'm not ready to take on a student. I'm only teaching you the basics, and it's on you to figure out everything else.
"Why did you tell me of all people about this? Wouldn't it have been better to teach someone else?"
"I told you for two reasons. One, you seemed like you needed help. You wanted to protect your brother, but you couldn't compete with the strength of a liminal and I figured I'd train you so you could defend yourself and your brother. The second reason was admittedly a little more selfish of me… I didn't want to be the only one who knew about this. I'm not trying to brag when I say this, at my current level, I can casually lift any weights at gyms, and even exercises that don't require weights don't make me significantly stronger. But now that you're here, I have a partner to train with and we can both get stronger from it! …Though it will be a while until you're strong enough for that. I can wait though!"
"Heh, I may not be strong enough now, but just you wait Son Goten! I will surpass you and become the strongest man in the world!"
"I don't know if that's possible, but you can try if you want to," said Goten. He wasn't being arrogant. For a human, reaching his base form would be an accomplishment granted it would take many years of training that's far more extreme than whatever was on this version of earth. The main problem with trying to surpass Goten was his Saiyan power and his Super Saiyan form. Despite the fact that Goten could no longer get much stronger from recovering from nearly dying, he still got stronger from prolonged fights with powerful foes.
"Keep thinking like that, it won't matter in the end! I'm going to leave you in the dust one day! Well, I'll see you another time, but when we meet again, I will be stronger!"
"Okay, see you tomorrow at school!" Goten waved back at his friend. Before he could leave, Gotens ankles were grabbed by branches.
"Aw, what is it now?" Goten asked.
Asashi looked back and saw his friends' ankles being snatched up by branches. Eventually his were too.
"Hey, what's going on here?!" Said Asashi.
"I don't know!"
Asashi's waist was then also grabbed by branches.
"Humans. Enemies. Those who harm our kind. I am a Dryad, guardian of plants, protector of the forest. I will have revenge against mankind."
"Calm down, we were just training! We don't mean any harm, I swear!" Said Asashi. He may have just learned about ki, but he never got the chance to train with it.
Goten had a completely different reaction. "Um hey, so we were about to leave. Can you please let us go? I'm not supposed to be out for too long and I don't want to get chewed out."
"That's what you're worried about?!" Exclaimed Asashi.
"I don't trust you. All you humans ever do is destroy!"
"What are you talking about?
"You humans poison me with your toxic waste! I won't let you harm my forest anymore!" The dryad then wrapped her branches from her body around Goten's waist and began to squeeze hard. Though Asashi was hurt by the constricting branches, Goten wasn't hurt at all. Asashi however, winced in pain as the branches threatened to squeeze him to death.
"ENOUGH!" Yelled Goten as he powered up slightly causing the Dryad to immediately retract her branches back into her body. She fell down helplessly as Goten approached her with a yellow ball of ki.
"Wait, Goten don't do it! She doesn't deserve to die! She was just angry about us humans polluting her forest! We were wrong! Let's just leave!" Exclaimed Asashi, but it was too late. Goten had already fired the ball of energy at the small plant girl.
To both Asashi and the scared Dryads' surprise, Goten's 'attack' did no harm to the Dryad, in fact, she had more energy than before.
Goten turned to his friend. "Asashi, what kind of monster do you take me for? Did you really think I was going to kill her?"
"W-What did you do?!"
"I noticed she looked sick and weak, so I gave her some of my energy." Goten turned his attention to the Dryad and squatted down so he could be at eye level with the Dryad. "I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, but this should at least make you feel a little bit better. Here, let me help you out. I can't remove the harmful chemicals from your forest, but I can stick around to get rid of some of the garbage and if you want, I can ask Ms. Smith to help you out even more."
"Count me in!" Said Asashi.
"You sure? I can fly back home, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."
"I'll risk it! I never turn a blind eye to someone who needs help!"
"Well if you're sure, let's get to cleaning!
The Dryad wasn't completely healed, but she did feel a little bit better.
"Humans, what are your names?"
"Goten smiled at the Dryad. "My name is Son Goten, nice to meet you!
"And I'm Asashi!"
"My name is Kii. I suppose I don't mind you two coming here, but no other humans need to be here! ...Thank you for giving me energy Goten. And thank you for being concerned for me Asashi."
"Of course, anytime!" Said Asashi."
Shortly after
Goten and Asashi picked up most of the trash. Well, it was mostly Goten as Asashi was as efficient as a normal human would be but he did put a lot of effort into it. As for Goten, he made the entire process last only a few minutes. Goten was strong enough to carry the heavier pieces of trash, he was fast enough to get everything done fast, and he wasn't a stranger to cleaning either. His entire superhero gimmick was that he was a cleanup hero and crime wasn't the only thing he cleaned up. Goten knew that the damage had already been done and he couldn't remove the chemicals from Ki's forest, but he could at least get rid of the trash that was currently affecting her. He considered this his first job as Saiyaman X2 granted he wasn't wearing his new outfit. Not having a watch to instantly transform may make things difficult in the future. Instead of finding a place to throw away the garbage, Goten simply used his energy to completely vaporize it. He was experienced enough in ki control to not destroy more than what he intended, so completely obliterating garbage without causing unnecessary damage wasn't a difficult task for him. After they were done with the garbage, it was getting late so both Goten and Asashi decided to leave.
"Cya Kii! Stay safe!" Said Asashi.
"Bye Kii! I hope to see you again someday!" Goten waved as he left and Asashi also left for his home. Goten flew straight to Kurusu's residence, making up for the time he would have spent walking there if he was an average person. Asashi ran home but was still late. He didn't seem to notice that he was a bit faster than usual.
The Dryad stayed still in the forest realizing that maybe not all humans are bad.
Later at Asashi's home
"Are you okay Asashi? You've been locked in your room for a while now. Usually, you're off somewhere training by now." Said Mizuki.
"Shh, I'm trying to concentrate here." Said Asashi.
"Mom made dinner for us. You normally wouldn't miss it for the world. What are you doing in there?"
"Nothing important! I'll be right there Mizuki!"
"Okay…" Mizuki then went downstairs to start eating his dinner.
"Alright, let's see… I need to concentrate and unleashed the energy from the center of my body…" Asashi has been attempting to do this again for a while now. This time, he managed to do it again. "ALRIGHT! I DID IT!" He threw his hands in the air but ended up accidentally throwing a ki blast at the sealing causing a loud noise in the house."
"Hoshizawa Asashi, what the fuck are you doing up there?! First you come home late and now this?!" His mother yelled.
"Uh… oh…"
Kurusu's residence
"Guys I'm back... Guys? Where is everyone?" Goten ventured around the house until he found an unfamiliar door. Through it, he heard everyone's voices so he opened the door.
"Oh, hello there. Who might you be?" Said a pink-haired mermaid in a wheelchair.
"I'm Son Goten, nice to meet you uhhhhh…"
"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Meroune Lorelei." She gave a small bow. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Goten smiled. "Likewise."
"I heard so much about you!"
"Really? What did they say?"
"They told me about how you were taken from another world and sent here. Oh, it must be so saddening that you'll never see your loved ones ever again but don't worry. I'll be there to comfort you."
"Nah, I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine. I'm stuck here for now, but I'm confident that my family and friends will find a way to bring me back. I know the smartest woman in my world, and I'm sure she can figure something out." Goten smiled optimistically at her.
"Oh, you're quite the optimist, aren't you?"
"I get it from my dad."
I hear you're attending Danketsu High. I have a relative who's the cutest little Siren ever! Her name is Melody. Perhaps you've seen her before?
"Her name does sound a bit familiar but I can't think of where I heard it. What is a Siren anyway? Maybe if I knew what her species was, I could say if I saw her or not."
Mero smiled as she loved sea trivia. "A Siren is a subspecies of Mermaids known for having voiced so enchanting that they lure sailors to their demise. They also have two tails instead of one."
Then Goten remembered. "Ah, I think I saw a Siren on my first day of school. She had purple hair and a silver tail."
"That's her alright! Tell me, is she doing well? We haven't spoken in a long time."
"I can't really say... I never really talked to her but I have seen her around."
"In any case, it was so nice to meet you!"
"You too Meroune!"
"Oh please, call me Mero."
"Okay, Mero. Well if you excuse me, I have to talk to Ms. Smith about something.
"Okay, Goten, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."
Ms. Smith had arrived not too long ago with a ton of Construction workers and they somehow managed to finish Mero's room by the time Goten was back. She saw Goten talking to Mero and after she was done, Goten approached her.
"Hey, Ms. Smith. While I was out, I found a Dryad suffering from pollution. I was going out to train and found her looking down in the dump. She looked really sick and weak. I did what I could to help, but I can't just leave her to suffer! She looked young, possibly under the age of 10! I can't just leave her!"
Ms. Smith wanted to ask him about the whole flying thing but she figured that could wait. She remembered that not too long ago, she and her squad had arrested traffickers who had kidnapped some extra-species children. Somehow one of them miraculously disappeared and hasn't been found since. What Goten said made the coordinator nervous.
"By any chance did you find her around a forest?"
"I did. Why is that important though?"
"I think I might have something to do with that." Ms. Smith sweatdropped. "We had been pursuing liminal traffickers again, and supposedly they had kidnapped three extra species children. Unfortunately one of them went missing right after we caught them."
"So she's there because you lost her?" Goten asked curiously. He wasn't trying to rub salt in the wound.
Ms. Smith sighed. "Yes, we conducted a search party but she was never found."
Papi was listening to the conversation which caused her to remember something. "OH NO, I FORGOT! I TOLD KII I'D COME BACK BUT I FORGOT ABOUT HER!"
"Wait, you know her?" Asked Goten.
"Yeah, I named her! I picked the name Kii because it rhymes with tree! I was flying around and saw Smith ince-I mean arresting someone and that's when I found her. I planted her in the woods! I told her I would come back too!"
"Small world isn't it?" Said Goten.
"It is indeed." Said Smith.
Authors note: I finally finished it. This ended up being longer than I expected because I couldn't find a good place to end the story and ended up adding a lot of new stuff too. I'm surprised so many people actually enjoyed this story so far. I guess taking my time really paid off. Anyway, if I had to make a guess, I'd say likely be done with the first arc of this story in October, but that's only if I upload one chapter per month which is what I've been doing so far with this story. Considering I restarted my other story and changed my uploading schedule, I might be able to upload two chapters a month, but nothing is set in stone yet. Anyway, until next time!