Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
"mmh…"
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
"ngh…"
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
"... uh, who cares…"
It was only after the alarm threatened to rupture her eardrums that she decided to roll over and shut it off.
She checked the clock. Still 2 hours before school.
"Who even cares…" Dina sighed, rubbing her eyes and readying herself.
[WEEKS PRIOR]
Ayeva looked over a holographic data set, supporting her indecisive visage with a bent wrist.
"… For someone like her, it's optimal… but why does it look like… so much?"
She sighed.
"This'd be simpler if you'd stop babying people… she won't get any stronger if you keep this up… but what if she over-does things…"
"Wus' this about?" asked Dina out of nowhere.
Ayeva had a soft reboot.
"uh, Ms. Ayeva?"
She bolted back upwards.
"I'M… running through a new regimen for you."
Dina's eyes glittered. "Oh, Ms. Ayeva, you spoil me!" she cried before getting a closer look.
"… oh… that's quite a workload…"
"I wanted to give it more thought before revealing it, but… here you are, so… (when did you even learn the door's code!?)"
Dina further inspected. While the amount of individual sets had dropped (300 pushups instead of 500, yipee), the sheer volume of exercises within a set had shot up from before.
For example, pushups were no longer confined to standard up-and-down with squared arms; Diamond, Explosive, even a few of which she'd never heard of. Ayeva'd also added pullups, planking, a plethora of equipment-centric training including stuff like weights and elastic bands, stretches, explosive movements, detailed footwork routines, and she'd already began sweating by the time she reached the bottom.
"And this'll all be under levels of pressure that make the midnight zone feel like a leisurely stroll across the moon, right… oh, joy."
"Don't worry. I was positive it'd be too much for someone like you, so I began work on a-"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dina retorted, light offense in her inflection. Ayeva predicted as such.
"From what I've seen, you're driven to go all-out for shorter periods than most, before you bring things to a close yourself. It's nothing to scoff at, in fact I believe more people should follow suit."
The half-breed's eyes sharpened.
"But I could go higher, yeah?"
That, she didn't quite see coming.
"There's no guarantee, but…"
"That makes things easier!" she smirked. "Then I'll do it!"
Ayva hesitated for a moment. Then tightened her expression and nodded.
"Nothing higher until you're ready. Rest when needed. And no turning back."
Dina gave a thumb up. "Count on it!"
She almost dropped dead the first day.
"From what I've collected, this 'kipping' method you're using decreases potential adenosine triphosphate produced by approximately-"
"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
"Your posture's dwindling. If you begin to lean toward your dominant hand-"
"I GET IT, ALRIGHT?"
"Your knees are extending over your feet. Your form's melting-"
"WHY DOES IT EVEN MATTER!?"
"Your arms should fall to rest in a controlled manner. Stopping and lifting at incomplete angles will-"
"BLOODY FUCKIN' 'ELL, WHO CARES!?"
"You're wasting too much movement. Focus."
"… THA… TH… THE FUCK DOES 'AT EVEN MEAN, MATE?"
[PRESENT DAY, PRESENT TIME]
Lights flickered on, illuminating the chamber in a dim hue.
"Odd. She's usually around at this hour…"
Dina shrugged, amped up the gravity by x40, briefly staggered a bit before quickly recovering her upright posture, and got to it.
But something was off.
"Why do I… feel so heavy?" she asked herself, strength beginning to wane after she raised herself from the 90th pushup.
"Did I screw up the G-output or something?" she once-more internally questioned, struggling with a 500kg dumbbell.
Before her spar, she went to check the terminal.
"Nope, still x40… oh of course, moron, I'm still fatigued after yesterday. No wonder I feel so drained."
So, she dialed back the gravity to x20, switched on D.I.A.N.A, readied herself, and got destroyed.
Every move she made felt annoyingly sluggish, even under gravity she'd far surpassed. On the other hand, her mechanical double moved with explosive aggression and hit like a truck on crystal nitromethane, with just as much speed behind her blows. Even when Dina DID land the occasional strike, it left little impact, as if she were pulling her punches.
"Am I doing this on purpose!?" she raged at herself as she dodged a right-jab from D.I.A.N.A before exchanging a straight punch.
One was knocked to the ground. The other briefly shook.
The former yelled "PIE!" and the latter halted in its tracks.
"Oh, to hell with it! I'm finished!" she stormed out the room, kicking and denting the wall on the way out.
She grimaced down toward a clenched fist, clamming her eyes shut.
"… what's WRONG with me today?"
[OP: My First Story – King and Ashley]
Comrades in Suffering! Dina's Facade Begins to Wither!?
Another beautiful day in Conton City.
Sun was shining, birds were singing… wherever they were… and people were doing people things. As people do.
"It just feels… so impossible, y'know? I keep going up to her, and I'm RIGHT there, but all of a sudden my mouth just will not open, y'know?"
"…"
"I KNOW, I KNOW, but… what if myself isn't good enough? What if she isn't feeling what I'm feeling, y'know?"
"…"
"Oh, you're just saying that because you're nice…"
"… …. …. . … … … … … … … … … … . … …. …. …. … … ….. … ! …"
"… Y'know… you're right. YOU'RE RIGHT."
The lynx-like boy slapped his face.
"I have to at least try! Even if only ONE of her 60 consciences are into me, I have to take my shot and see it through!"
"…"
"T-THANKS! I FEEL LIKE I NEEDED THAT, Y-Y'KNOW!?" he wept, giving his comrade's geometric construct a high-five.
On a nearby bench, Dina stared blankly at the gesture. A month-or-two had gone by, and she still wasn't used to such commonplace sights.
Though there was the slim chance she was hallucinating it, what with what she'd just endured. 40x gravity had sufficiently made her its bitch, with much love from D.I.A.N.A. That wasn't the worst of it, however… lately, Ayeva had added quite the demanding procedures to her after-school to-do list.
She had almost stopped giving a damn about Kora in that timeframe. What she'd affectionately deemed the "Sunfall Routine" wasn't EVERYDAY, no that'd be suicide and 3 days of the week were more than enough, but everything on her body felt an inch away from ripping apart after said routine, and by the time she'd recover, it was time for another round of the exercise in will.
[BGM: Lewis Parker – Eyes of Dreams (Instrumental)]
"What would even happen if I just stopped and accept that the prick was right? A BIT more humiliation to add on top of the mountain I already carry? Would this tripe even amount to anything? Even if it did, what then? Find some other random bloke who knocks me flat on my ass, and have this hellish cycle repeat itself?"
"Why am I even here? Why can't I just go…"
"Home…"
"…"
"Kora's a big stupid meat crevice with legs who had the audacity to humiliate me, and if I'm not able to give her what for by the time of this tournament or whatever, I very may-well explode."
With that reestablished, Dina weakly chuckled to herself. "God, if I keep those up, I'm gonna look like one'a those musclebound freaks posing on TV…" she joked, granting herself a tad of levity.
Someone abruptly plopped themselves on the other side of the bench, like how one with sore arms would drop a sack of potatoes. She glanced over.
"… What are you so glum about?"
The boy next meter across's eyes lit up as if he'd heard the horns of the apocalypse, before they slumped back down in fatigue.
"Aw for- not right now, asshole. I'm not in the mood," Neoru hissed through strained breath.
Dina scoffed. "You talk as if you've just been through a great deal."
"Yeah, so what if I have? Got somethin' to say about it?"
"Hah. Bet you'd keel over and sob if you had to endure what I've put myself through. Get over yourself, sissy."
"Oh, get fucked, you don't know what it's like to 'EnDuRe' until ya do what I do," he retorted, mocking her accent.
" 'sat a fact? You were still able to walk, that alone speaks volumes, ya Nancy."
"Hey, I EARNED the power to walk after that shit, you're breathin' WAY too easy to start gettin' big-headed, pal."
"Well, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW that I've fashioned myself a pair of iron bloody lungs through blood, sweat, and oh so many tears, summer boy." She stuck out her tongue. "Pansy."
"Hey, bitch, you keep talkin'a me like that and I'll… uh…"
Neoru began spacing out.
"… You'll what?"
"… I dunno-I'll... find somethin' to throw at you or somethin'..."
Dina briefly paused, realizing how absolutely ridiculous this entire argument was, and faintly laughed.
"Two sad sods competing in a Hardknock-athon for a prize no one wants in the middle of nowhere, what a joke…" she lulled.
"Apologies for that needless bit of 'boasting'," Dina continued, "Just slowly losing my own plot, is all."
Neoru raised a brow.
"Oh, so apologizing IS a thing you do?"
"You say that as if you know for a fact I'm some sort of snide, uppity little brat!"
"Yeah well, you sure as hell don't seem like the type to own up. Like, you could drive over a cripple on his porch and still find a way to blame him."
Dina fake gasped, hand-on-chest and all. "How dare! For your information, he'd at least have to be on the sidewalk for me to think of doing something so heinous!"
Neoru rolled his eyes with a faint smile.
"… So, what do you do, anyway?"
She put a finger to her chin. "Few hundred pushups, light ton-based weight lifting, a spar with a mirror image of myself – like shadow boxing, but you and your shadow are having a domestic dispute – involves some footwork and cardio work, all that rubbish... all under 40x gravity. And that's just the morning routine."
"That sounds like nothing, what's gravity?"
Dina gave Neoru a look.
"Have a feeling they'll eventually get to that in school, but in Layman's terms, I'm doing all that but I'm wearing a pair of invisible cars as decorative hats."
"Bullshit."
"Oh, screw you, I'm far too tired to make up something like that on the spot!" Dina huffed, puffing away a bang. "Now what's on YOUR schedule then, hot shot?"
"I'm on, like… 5… thouuu… dammit, I can't remember that one. A-am I even thinkin' of a word right now?"
"Thousand? You wanna say thousand, yeah?"
"OH, SICK, SO I DO REMEMBER THEN! Yeah, I'm doing 5000 pushups – sometimes it's on my hands, sometimes it's knuckles, sometimes it's fingers, handstands, whatever he feels like givin' me that day, I guess – then 5000 upside-down crunches, conditioning with these weird fuckin' trees that are made outta stuff that makes steel look like pillows you wouldn't believe-"
"Conditioning? Whaddo you mean by that?"
"At best, you punch and kick something for, like, hours on end, it sucks."
"Oh, sounds like proper torture, that does."
"Yeah now lemme finish, ya… anyway, Kaset's adding stupid shit like standin' on the tips of spikes over vats of 'ki' that'll apparently rip me apart if I stop focusin' and fall in (doubt it, but no way in Hell I'm gonna call that crazy asshole's bluff), but other than that, I climb with heavy shit, I drag around heavy shit - we're talkin', cars-worth of weight, it sucks – and I lift, like, these things called 'tons' dunno what those are but they're heavy as all hell-"
"Tons are units of weight, love."
"Quit fuckin' cuttin' me off, sheesh… but after that, I run."
Dina held her temple. "Oh yeah, I guess all that sparring I do substitutes as cardio, somewhat, haven't really given old-fashioned jogs the time of day. How much?"
"50 laps, 25 to-and-fro, toward this tree that's about the size'a this entire city, and tall as two stacked mountains, it's insane. Always looks like I can hold in my hand from where I start, though. Oh, and Kaset throws somethin' at me if I ever stop before I'm done or pass out."
"… THE BLOODY HELL, THAT'S NOT TRAINING! THE CRAZY BASTARD JUST WANTS YOU DEAD!"
Neoru chuckled before clutching his abdomen in pain. "I know, right?"
He sighed, smiling.
[BGM: Tsutchie – Thank You]
"But it's workin.' I don't know how, but… I'm getting over it. Until we got started, I had no idea I could do half the crap I know I can now. Honestly, I didn't know I could survive any of it… but here I am."
"… if I may… why subject yourself to such a thing?"
"Because I wanna be able to stand on my own, without forcing anyone to step in. Once I'm there, when I'm strong, I'm gonna find something to give me reason. And it'll be something kickass, too, like, there's no way in hell I'm gonna settle on knitting shit until I croak."
Dina giggled, and so did Neoru…
"what's-wrong-with-knit-ting, ya bastard?"
"like just find more clothes, ya boring dumbass!"
…before he reflected the question.
"What about you? Why are you doing what you do?"
She stopped, her smile fading.
"I… Uh… know that one girl who's always pickin' fights with me?"
"Dunno. There's this one… whaddaya call 'em… eh who gives a shit, that one girl you're always going at, you mean her?"
"(Knew what I meant, you little smart aleck…) Kora, yeah. Well, one day, a month or so back, she thrashed me in front of half the city, the prick. I didn't quite like that, so in short, I wanna be stronger so that I can pay her back in kind by shoving my boot RIGHT UP HER POMPOUS-"
Dina lurched over. "Ah, shit, that smarts…"
"Looks like she's still kinda kickin' yer ass," Neoru smirked.
"Ugh, bigger off with the metaphorical drivel."
"I mean, if the only reason you're putting yourself through this shit is one person… is it really a metaphor?"
"…"
Dina rolled her eyes.
"You don't know what gravity or a ton is, yet the literary device is what you're familiar with? Your education pisses me off."
"Hey, if you need to change the subject, I won't press."
"I DON'T NEED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT, YOU TWIT."
"Touchy…" Neoru critiqued through his teeth, hands up like she was holding him at knifepoint.
" 'Course I'm 'touchy' " she retorted, mocking Neoru's slightly-deeper voice, "My entire body aches like a mother at the moment. Besides, that sort of conversation is boring. We could use a shift in subject, if anything!"
"I mean, you're technically the one who brought it up, but-"
"ENOUGH OF THAT! I've got one!"
"(I'm gonna tear one'a these bricks outta the ground and chuck it at ya, I swear…)"
"So then, found anyone who's taken to your fancy, yet?"
"Eh?"
"You know, interested in anyone? Like, a girl, perhaps? Or maybe you swing from a different vine, what with those fiery effeminate eyes of yours and such."
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Compliment, mate. Compliment."
"Oh. Ok, well, I guess there's this one weird girl. Red hair almost as long as she is tall, two ponytails off her back, real wavy-like clothes-"
"MY WORD, YOU'VE GOT A THING FOR THE GIRL WHO WRECKED YOUR SHIT IN FIRST PERIOD THAT ONE TIME!?"
"What? The he'll're you talkin' about? Wait a- You piece'a shit, you know that ain't what I meant! I just wanna know how she does what she does, that's it!"
" 'Does what she does' yeah? Oh, Neo-Boy, you're making this too easy for me!" Dina teased, Neoru turning away from her in a huff.
"D'aww~ you must be shy! You precious little thing, you! Though I never took you for the BDSM type… or was it those luscious locks that did it for you? Exotic factor, perhaps? Or maybe you're just a sucker for cuties? Oh, the possibilities are-"
"WHATEVER, JUST DROP IT ALREADY YA FREAK!"
"HAH! NOW who's quick to change the subject?" Dina triumphantly asked.
"OH-OH FUCK YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S TWISTIN' MY WORDS!"
"And YOU'RE the one giving me words to twist! And with little effort on my part, might I add! Admit it, something's there that makes your heart skip a beat!"
"SHE TRIED TO KILL ME, DUMBASS!"
"AND I BET THAT TURNED YOU ON LIKE A LAMPLIGHT!" Dina coyly shouted before letting the words properly sink in.
"wait she did what?"
Neoru was bright-red for some reason.
"Y-yeah, long story, it's resolved, who the hell cares," he swallowed. "Move on."
"Sure, murder's not exactly my comedic forte. Ok, I've got one."
"Screw that, I'm shiftin' it this time, weirdass."
Dina huffed. "Whatever, prude."
"Ok, Got one. That guy…"
[BGM: Tsutchie – Pretending To…]
He pointed toward a large, bear-faced fellow with a furred, hoodless button-up jacket, donning a freakish plasma hybrid between a claymore and a battle hammer, currently chugging down what resembled marmite over by a vendor.
"Or…"
His finger drifted toward a smaller, four-armed fellow in a robe-esque gi with plated skin and two sheaths around his waist, a blade in each, currently making a portrait for someone.
"Thhhat guy, who wins?"
"Isn't it obvious? Bear bloke takes it without much of a fight."
"Wait, whaddaya mean 'without much of a fight?' "
"I mean look at the bugger, he's massive. What's 4-arms over there gonna do?"
"Bear guy makes a swing, 4-arms dodges and hacks him apart during the window. That's a thing."
"Yeah, sure, but what makes you think Bear over there is slow enough for that? He could swing that… what even is that, regardless, he could swing that weapon over there like a sodding flyswatter for all you know, and he has the muscle to make it happen, right?"
"I guess, but he's gonna gas himself before long. Look at the other guy, all he needs to do is bide his time and hang low, out of his range, and he negs it."
"Alright, but you're forgetting something. Ki."
"What about Ki?"
"I mean, now that everyone and their mother's well-equipped with the stuff, we can't exactly judge books by their covers anymore, yeah? What you're getting at is that Grizzles won't be able to keep up, but ki lets him close the gap easily. Just move faster and you've got the edge."
"It's still not that simple. Look at 4-arms again. Look at how he's using that brush. He's got technique, he's got precision, and by how he's holding that paint mid-air, he's got ki down to a science, too. Even if Bears is stronger, Art Guy could just see through him and counter his moves. Then what?"
" 'Course, I guess, but look at Fur's scars for a second. That's battle damage, so he's been at this for a while, I'd reckon. He's DEFINITELY fought more than the scrub in a dress over there, yeah?"
"Could be that he just sucks at fighting, and Art Guy doesn't."
"Now you're just making baseless claims, mate. We'll be here for days if you keep that up."
"… What does bas-"
"Bloody- If you can't prove it, why make the statement? I'M making educated guesses, you're countering them with bogus that you're pullin' out of your arse."
"You're the one who started that crap with the 'Ki' shit, though!"
"… You know what, fine, I'll play your game. Art Guy has low blood sugar and several diseases from the get-go, Smokey stomps. You can't prove me wrong."
"OK, jackass, Bear guy has gangrene and his legs are broken, that's why he's sittin' down. Art Guy slaps him no diff."
"Fourzies has a kidney stone before the fight begins because he's dehydrated, can't prove me wrong, Coat Bloke executes 'im."
"HE GETS HIT BY A FUCKING METEOR IN THE LOCKER ROOM, ART GUY WINS BY DEFAULT."
ART GUY IS CONVICTED OF PLAGERY AND IS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON, BEAR WINS BY DEFAULT."
"BEAR GUY FRAMED HIM LIKE HE FRAMED ALL THE ART HE STOLE, ART GUY GETS OUT AND BURNS HIS DAMN HOUSE DOWN, NO DIFF!"
"BEAR GUY JUMPS OUT THE WINDOW AND CATCHES HIM THE ACT AND GOBS THE BASTARD IN THE FACE, KILLING 'IM INSTA-"
"-NO, NO, HE BREAKS HIS HEAD OPEN BECAUSE HE BROKE HIS GANGRENE LEGS JUMPING OUT THE WINDOW AND DI-"
"-NO HE EXPLODES BECAUSE OF HIS DISEASE BEFORE THAT HAPPENS YOU-"
The two idiots both erupted into stupid fits of laughter.
"-ACTUAL FUC-KING BRAINLET-"
"-K-ILL-YOURSE-"
After a drawn-out stretch of giggles, they collectively sighed.
"No, you've got a point. We can't really tell anything from here," Dina conceded.
"Yeah, only way to see is if I fight 'em each and see for myself."
Dina slowly cranked her head over to Neoru.
"wot."
"Oh, yeah. I've been doin' this thing where I fight guys around here as training."
"That sounds incredibly stupid. I mean, you've no idea what most of these blokes are capable of, and you're just jumping straight into the unknown? Lovely way to get clobbered over and over again."
"Yep, that's the point."
"The point…?" Dina took pause to think that way of thought over.
"So it's not to win, exactly, the goals more focused toward ex-"
"Experience!"
Neoru bolted upward.
"HAH, SHITLIPS! HOW'S IT FEEL TO GET CUT OFF!?" he shouted triumphantly.
Dina half-heartedly clapped. "A thousand curses. I've been felled by my own acts. How cruel, the hand of irony. Surely I shall never recover from this instrumental blow to my ego."
"Y… yeah, that's what you get…"
"Yeah so back to the sodding point," Dina continued. "I can see the value in it, but losing over and over again… stuff like that can kill a man's spirit."
Neoru chuckled.
"I've lost so many times now, I've felt that feeling so many times, that I might as well be 'immune' to it. Only place I can go from here is up."
"Never thought I'd hear what translates as 'I'm a colossal loser' spoken with such pride…" Dina sneered. Neo gave her a mean eye.
"I can't exactly count how many times I've WON on my hands, either, y'know."
"Yeah, sure. In any case, that mindset must be why so acted you pugnacious toward that Hera girl the other day."
"Her name's Mashii, by the way."
"No kidding. Speaking of, how'd that fight go?"
"That fight, huh…"
Neoru mentally recalled the battle.
[BGM: Project Baki – Dearest]
"Well, for starters, her style oriented around kicking. No, more than that, it was fast and sudden movements, kicks just gave her more range. Once I got around her style, all that was left to do was adapt; she couldn't cope with how well I could take hits, and her patterns got pretty predictable near the end. I was holding it down pretty well until I saw an opening and rushed in like a dumbass. Wound up givin' her a window to 'transform.' After that, she got big and green, and kicked my ass in 3 hits."
"Quite the recollection, mate! Seems like that 'experience' wasn't just a cover-up after all!"
"Still, I didn't lose without givin' it my all; this one's hazy, but I remember catching her in my 'trap' and taking out her arm with a lock after she rushed me."
"Quite metal, that."
"Nah, it was more a 'water' form, if anything. Anyway, she still won, and I passed out."
"ARM GO BWEAKY-WAKEY!"
"WAIT THAT'S MY ROCK-SKIPPING ARM!"
"I KNOW!"
"… After the bitch broke my arm."
Dina giggled. "You have, just, unfathomably horrid luck with women."
"Dunno, I've been hitting things off pretty well with you."
Dina took another take, what with Neo's unnaturally matter-of-fact tone and all.
"Wh… what does THAT mean?"
"I thought you were some weird, whiny, noisy asshole at first, and you still are, but…
Neoru smiled.
"You're alright."
"… Huh. If that's the case then, you're not exactly the jerk I initially thought you were, either. I mean, you are, very much so in fact, but…"
Dina smiled.
"Y'know, you're alright, too."
She took a wobbly step upward.
"Whaddoya know, I've eased up quite a bit!"
"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Neoru reaffirmed, upright as well.
"Guess what they say is true, laughter IS the best medicine!" Dina joked.
"No one says that."
"Yeah, sure, no one under 40 says that, but still. Commonplace around the elderly where I'm from."
"Oh, yeah, about that, where ARE you from?"
"… I, uh…"
Dina suddenly gasped. "My word, how long have we been sitting there!? We're probably late!"
"it's just barely morning, are you hi-"
Dina was already a high way ahead of Neoru. With a far beyond-average sense of balance despite her condition, no less.
"igh…?"
"WHY ARE YOU STILL THERE? IT'S YOUR LOSS IF YOU MISS A POTENTIAL PHYSICS LESSON, YOU DOLT!" she yelled.
Neoru shrugged, conceding, before making his way toward the school.
"Sanest bastard in the psyche ward, but I'll take what I can get at this point…"
[BGM: Shunsuke Kikuchi – M1525]
"YOU SAY THAT FUCKING NUMBER ONE MORE TIME, SHITLIPS, AND I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR NECK!"
"YOUR INCESSANT SCREECHING HAS GOTTEN YOU NOWHERE! YOU'VE YET-AGAIN FAILED TO DEBUNK MY CALCULATIONS!"
"I HAVE! I'VE PROVEN YOU WRONG, TIME AND TIME AGAIN! IT'S JUST THAT I KEEP FINDING MYSELF EXPLAINING THINGS TO A WALL OF PURE FUCKING IDIOTINE! YOU CLOSE-MINDED CELESTIAL SHITSTAIN!
As the two top researchers fought over actual decimals, Ayeva slowly slumped into her chair.
It was another day in the Calculations Division.
"IF ITS MULTIPLIER WERE SO MIND-BOGGLINGLY MINISCULE AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING, SON GOHAN WOULD'VE BEEN OBLITERATED BY CELL UPON HIS RETURN!"
"WHY IS THAT!? BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE CELL WAS STRONGER?"
"I'd like to int-"
"YOU IMPLY THAT 2 GOHANS OF SIMILAR STRENGTH WOULD SUFFICE TO DEFEAT THE VILLAIN, YOU UTTER IGNORAMOUS!"
The field, composed of the brightest minds in Conton, exists because exact numbers made things easier in terms of assessing threat levels of past enemies, as well as what patrollers would need to take them down.
"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS! IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE HOW MANY THERE ARE, IT'S THE INDIVIDUAL'S STRENGTH THAT REALLY MATTERS! A GOHAN WITH THE STRENGTH OF 2 GOHANS WOULD LOGICALLY STAND MORE OF A CHANCE THAN 2 SEPARATE GOHANS IN A ONE-ON-ONE FIGHT WITH A STRONGER OPPONENT!"
"I'd like to int-"
"BY ALL ACCOUNTS, 2 POWER LEVELS WORKING IN HARMONY WILL OBVIOUSLY EQUATE TO ONE BEING, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING MORE LIMBS! ALL THAT YOUR FAILED RED HERRING HAS PROVEN IS HOW PAINFULLY OBLIVIOUS YOU TRULY ARE CONCERNING A MYRIAD OF POINTS!"
Nevertheless, even if it isn't in their fists or techniques, people will always find reasons to be stubbornly prideful to the point of stupidity.
"OH NICE SUBVERSION TACTIC, YOU PRETENTIOUS PIECE OF SPACE SHIT! YOU WANNA GO BACK TO THE POINT!? OK, LET'S GET BACK TO THE POINT! YOU HAVE NOTHING, NOTHING TO PROVE THAT CELL HAD BECOME MORE THAN 2X GOHAN'S STRENGTH JUST BECAUSE HE WAS 'STRONGER'!"
"I HAVE NO NEED TO PROVE SUCH A THING, SEE, BECAUSE THE SIMPLE FACT THAT GOHAN HAD TAKEN SUCH A DEGREE OF DAMAGE, THAT HE WAS NOWHERE NEAR HIS FULL POWER UPON HIS CLASHING WITH CELL'S KI! THAT ALONE PROVES MY POINT IN SPADES! IF IT WERE 2X, NAY, ANYTHING LESS THAN 4X I'D WAGER, THE BOY WOULD'VE BEEN OBLITERATED WITHOUT A STRUGGLE!"
The "Stopping Turbulent/Frequent Unrest Button" suddenly sounded off.
Ayva sighed, right eye beginning to trickle a few bright-orange sparks.
"I. Would like. To interject."
She presented a holographic chart.
"See, there's possibility that you're both correct. My hypothesis is that the fifth grade of Super Saiyan IS, in fact, double the strength of its father state. HOWEVER, due to certain outside variables like rage, ESPECIALLY within the more emotion-prone variants sharing human DNA, the amount of power produced raises at varying, inconsistent rates. It's the same phenomenon we've seen with many hybrids within the Patrol, time and time again."
The two collectively did a think, as did the rest of the room.
"… huh…"
"It has potential flaws, sure, but… applying those factors, x2 as a baseline is feasible enough to…"
"Wait, where did you find such precise data in the first place?"
"There's a student under my watch at the moment who shares saiyan-human makeup. She also happens to be… exceptionally emotional, as well…"
"Noted. Now that that's out of the way…"
Ayeva took a sigh of relief.
A hand suddenly shot up.
"OK, can we discuss the Zenkai Problem now-"
Ayeva gasped.
The following discussion-turned-blood feud lasted for many, many hours. A recess was inevitably called, due to the head of operations and tech programming, Setsu, suffering minor concussions.
Ayeva was not unscathed.
"YOUR CALCS ARE JUST SAIYAN-BIASED WANK!"
"Any concise evidence to support such an emotionally-charged statement?"
"THEY'RE WAAAANK!"
"Concession accepted."
"EAT STAPLER, FUCKLO!"
"ow."
Unlike most on the Calculations Division, however, she had friends to improve her drastically-deteriorated day.
"20,000 Zs says the Riploks take it."
"I raise you 40,000, in favor of the South Quadrant Bullbats."
"They haven't won not one game since Age 600. That's how I know you don't keep up with Feera."
"True, but I've been studying their performance in prior seasons. I've noticed how they've slowly-but-surely learned how to cooperate and even synchronize. This oncoming game should be the fruit of that progress."
Kaset's confident aura began to dim.
"… Whatever you say, Riploks ain't done shit but slaughter thus far."
Stroga's smug grin began to shine.
"They begin to wane in their more-prolonged games, I'm sure you've noticed?"
"… Yeah, but… uh… 10,000 on the Riploks."
"80,000 on the Bullbats."
"100,000 ON THE RIPLOKS, THEN!"
"If you two spout another number, I may just overflow."
Despite the disheartened complaint, the two elites gleefully refocused their attention to the crop-jacketed comrade joining them atop the giant mushroom.
"Ay, that was pretty cooly, fooly!" Kaset remarked.
"What?"
"What."
Ayeva ever-so slightly squinted her eyes. "… ok…"
"Speaking of 'OK'," Stroga noted, "You aren't looking very lively today, Ayva."
Kaset nodded. "Yeah, C.D. can do that to people. Type of work can sap the life out a mummy, I swear."
She clamped her ears. "WORK. OVER. NO NUMBERS. ANYTHING ELSE."
"I mean, me and Stroga were just going over who's winning the 750s Feera game-"
"Sounds like woooork."
"I mean shit, you're kinda pigeon-holing us right now-"
"Uhhh, fallacious terms, noooo…"
Kaset threw up his hands, chuckling. "Come on, Ayve. I get the headache, but spreadin' it around is just makin' things worse for everyone."
Ayeva let out a defeated sigh. "You're right. I just feel like frying on the inside right now, sorry for the hassle."
Stroga suddenly raised a finger. "Ah! You've both taken up a 'teacher' mantle as of late, haven't you?"
Ayeva averted her gaze to the side, as Kaset grinned. " 'Yup! Just stole your entire motif like that!"
"(That's not all I do, you know…) So how goes your respective disciple's progress?"
Kaset pulled off the best shit-eating grin he could.
"He's making more progress in a MONTH than I could in a year!"
Stroga gasped. "All that in such a short amount of time!? What sort of training method… no, you don't mean you're putting them through what YOU did as a child!"
"That's what's insane about him!" he chuckled in excitement. "He just keeps taking what I throw at him!"
For his next delve into even more exposition, Kaset calmed down. His expression got a tad sterner. "In any case, I'm not really aiming to make him stronger… physically."
[BGM: Hiroyuki Sawano – A Retainer's Dream Projected in Water]
"Oh yes, you're just physically torturing him for kicks, is that right?" Stroga skeptically inquired, met with a childish "NO!" from Kaset.
"Sure, he's gettin' stronger through this, and that was always a 'part' of it, but… what I REALLY want trained is his spirit."
"Spirit?" Ayeva interjected. "Are you referring to willpower, or focus?"
"Both, and something beyond that."
Kaset drew his gaze toward the land below, thinking back the insane training methods he subjected his student to.
"I've never seen or felt anything like it. It's like his soul is this bottomless pit of fighting spirit, enough to get anyone psyched up, but manifested as a higher state of being. It's like a giant, beating heart, and its blood is ki. Problem is…"
He paralleled his thumb and index finger toward the downward landscape, in a "this small" manner.
"He's held back. Physically, he can only handle so much of it; the 'first time', he basically died. But there's something there mentally, too, that's stopping him from tapping into it."
Kaset laid back. "I can only work on how his body uses that energy, for now. THAT, though? He'll have to figure that out on his own."
Ayeva thought on it. "That's… surprisingly responsible for you-"
"I'm also letting him run around and fight random other kids as part of his training."
"-and there it is."
"You're just mad that it worked for me."
"Having a hospital bed passive-aggressively named after you by staff hurts that statement's credibility."
"Nuh-uh."
Stroga stifled a chuckle.
"What about you, then?" Kaset continued. "How's yours comin' along?"
Ayeva hesitated in her answer.
"I gave her a new regimen. One that focused on where I believed she was going. But…"
As if attempting to decipher something, Ayeva's eyes squinted.
"Compared to the increase I'd seen before it… her growth's dwindled. Stagnated, even."
Stroga shrugged. "Burn-out?"
She turned to him. "Couldn't be. I make sure she isn't overworked to such an extent. But even then…"
The raven-haired woman reanalyzed memories of her "spottee" gasping for air after a rough training session, even limping away with blotches of blood after a crappy spar with her android doppelganger.
"…No, I shouldn't rule that out. If anything, it's probable."
"I doubt it's being overworked."
Both Ayeva and Stroga drew attention back to Kaset.
"I mean, she isn't just gettin' stronger because it's somethin' to do, is she? Why did she decide to start in the first place?"
"Apparently, a dispute with a fellow classmate. Her pride was wounded, from what I managed to hear."
Kaset pointed his finger in gun-position. "Bang. There's the issue."
He continued. "Maybe for a saiyan, that'd do. But we humans have that unfortunate ability to let needless baggage go, whether we want to or not. If it ends at a petty 'I'll get you back' reason like that, she's bound to drop it eventually. Without that drive, she'll lose steam. Happens."
"Besides, it doesn't sound like she's dying or anything," mentioned Stroga. "Why does this rattle you so much, 'Ice Queen'?"
"… I'm… just not used to seeing her like that."
"In any case…" Kaset stretched and stood. "Kid's just as much a saiyan as she is human, right? She'll find another reason to improve herself. 'S what BOTH of 'em are good at."
Ayeva smiled.
"So you can stop bein' a big ol' sowfty naow, your baby's gonna be otays!"
.
.
Ayva kicked Kaset's shins from ground position.
"See me about your 'visor' request this evening. Disregarding that, don't bug me," she coldly stated before hopping off the mushroo-
…
Descending… down… the mushroom. Yeah, that sounds better.
-while the pristinely-muscled human rolled around in agony.
"… Think you broke a circuit with that one…" Stroga adorably quipped while his friend was in clear, unrelenting pain, that witty rascal.
"Motivation…"
The sun had reached its peak in the sky as Ayeva contemplated Kaset's words during her stroll.
"I mean, she'll have to open up eventually, right? Why not ask about her background? I'm bound to find a decent source if I do that," her info-hungry side previously suggested.
"All it takes is a passing question to make her jumpy, I could never do something like that," her moral half vetoed the idea.
"Nothing will change if I continue to treat her like a child."
"Forcing someone to relive trauma is cruel. She'll figure things out on her own."
"It's been long enough."
"That's not how humans work. I know this."
"Why do I care?"
"Because I'm not just a-"
She suddenly bumped into what seemed like a child. Quickly snapping back into reality, she was quick with an apology.
"Forgive me, I was careless."
[BGM: Hiroyuki Sawano – Fist ~ From The Worthy Tiger With Love]
"TRULY, THE HEAVENS HAVE SMILED UPON ME THIS DAY!"
"Why me."
"STEEL RAVEN!"
"We aren't kids anymore stop calling me tha-"
"I, TARUBEI, HEREFORTH CHALLENGE YOU IN HONORABLE COMBAT!"
Ayeva took a second to stop herself from mentally frying something, sighed, and answered.
"For the 1,989th time, no."
"LET IT BE KNOWN THAT, IN FACT, THIS IS MY 1,992nd FORMAL CHALLENGE, AYEVA!"
"Interesting. No."
"IN ALL MY DAYS, I'VE YET TO MEET ONE SO FIERCELY OPPOSED TO BATTLE, STEEL RAVEN!"
"Said stoooo-"
"NEVERTHELESS, THAT UNWAVERING WILL ONLY SERVES TO FEED THE FLAME BURNING WITHIN ME! SOON, MY SWORN RIVAL, WE SHALL HAVE OUR FATED REMATCH!"
"Improbable at best. I'm walking away now, there are things that need doing."
"Well put! Do your best, oh rival of mine!" Tarubei cheerfully waved. No, she hadn't been discouraged in the slightest; she'd just ask the next time she saw Ayeva.
Precisely why the latter avoided contact with the former at all costs.
"HALT, STEEL RAVEN!"
Well that was new. Ayeva stopped, preparing a plan of escape in case Tarubei decided today was the day she'd lose her marbles.
"I'VE YET TO INTRODUCE YOU TO ONE OF MY PUPILS!" she proudly declared, pointing toward a brawl.
"(Blame your one-track mind…) they're choosing the middle of the plaza to fight? Why aren't you stopping it?"
"TO INTRUDE UPON A CONTEST OF STRENGTH BETWEEN TWO WARRIORS IS A SIN UPON THE BATTLEFIELD! (Also, battle within the city is permitted, as long as no harm is done to the scenery!)"
On one end of the brawl stood a snarling, bear-faced man covered in scars.
On the other stood Kora.
[BGM: Mabanua – The Theme of Yuri (Fighting)]
"Is that all you have? Someone like you should know not to start fights you can't win, idiot," she scathingly stated.
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" The bear growled, hastily reattaching a 500-zeni facial scar sticker before balling a fist. "JUST YOU WAIT! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'M REALLY PACKING!"
"I'm waiting."
The man took a subconscious step back, before pulling himself together and charging, his power rapidly raising as he gained more speed. The second before he made contact, he vanished.
"HEHEH… CAUGHT YOU!" He snarled, appearing from above and bringing down his fist.
He came within a few centimeters before a force struck him upside the head, flinging him back. Kora hadn't moved; not even the tremendous gale generated from the failed punch had pushed her back by any margin.
"That speed… impressive for a rookie…" Ayeva thought aloud.
"MOST CERTAINLY! SHE'S UNDERGONE NOTHING BUT THE MOST GRUELING FORMS OF TRAINING, AND SUPERSEDES MY EXPECTATIONS WITH EVERY STEP!"
Kora sighed. "You're starting to get annoying. Give me your all, already."
"SHUT IT!"
The furry challenger was beginning to get desperate.
"(Dammit! She stopped it like it was nothing…!)"
"DAMN YOU! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR CALLING ME A STUPID TEDDY BEAR!"
"Wuh-wait, THAT'S what this is about? Buddy, I was talking about a friend-"
"ENOUGH! IT'S TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE NOW, YOU BASTARD!" He snarled, waves of ki radiating off the large foe as his eyes went manic.
Ayeva tensed. "That's too far!" she muttered, preparing to end things before an arm stretched before her.
"There will be no need to intervene," Tarubei confidently – and in a hauntingly-quiet manner – stated.
"Kora's been given a reason to show her true ability."
And she was right.
"[ NORTHERN ECLI- "
"… huh?"
It took 10 seconds for the man to realize he'd been hit. By that time, he'd sailed halfway across the business district.
"Dumbass…" Kora spat, smacking her hands clean of her adversary.
"A SUPERB SHOW OF STRENGTH, KORA!"
The young woman heard the familiar girly-yet-booming voice, and blushed. "Y-yeah, it was nothing, just a dumb misunderstanding…"
Ayeva was suddenly compelled to ask something. Reluctantly, but still.
"If it isn't a problem, can I ask what 'motivates' your student?"
Tarubei let loose a hearty laugh. "IT'D SEEM THAT SHE'S FOUND HER OWN RIVAL! AND A SUPER-SAIYAN, NO LESS! WITH SUCH A LEGENDARY OPPONENT STANDING BEFORE HER, SHE'S DEDICATED HERSELF TO SURPASSING THE STATE AS SHE IS NOW! DOES THAT NOT CAUSE YOUR WARRIOR BLOOD TO SIMMER, RAVEN OF STEEL!?"
Ayva looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"Oh… I… That's wonderful… Excuse me, I need to attend to… the thing…"
"Be well, MY RIVAL!" Tarubei roared, as Ayeva uneasily strolled away.
"At this rate with how miniscule her progress has become," the cyber-patroller worried, "She won't be able to close the gap…"
She grit her teeth.
"Even worse, catching up to Tarubei's student is the only reason she underwent all this in the first place. If she ever found out how outclassed she was after all this, Dina'd be…"
"…"
Dina stood right there.
Hollow eyes still fixated on Kora.
She smirked. A defeated, lifeless smirk.
"… Who cares?"
[ED: Pay Money To My Pain – Weight of My Pride]
Yo! OP Here!
Yeah. This chapter was a LOT of talking, I know. But I felt like I NEEDED this chapter to exist, for some reason. To the extent that I started working on it a day after I finished the last chapter. Speaking of, this wait was borderline criminal; as much as I'd like to blame AP art stuff, most of the blame is on me. Truth be told, I ran into a shit ton of creative dead ends while working on this, causing me to begin procrastinating and distracting myself more and more instead of working on the damned thing. Just something I gotta work on.
There was something else I wanted to make note of, but I forgot. Damn it.
In any case, don't have that much to discuss this week. I finished Kenichi: HSD, and got pretty deep into Narcos. Narcos is better. Easy. But Kenichi is pretty cool when it isn't throwing anime tiddies in your face every 5 tacoseconds like damn, she's like 16. Cut that shit out.
Ahem. Back to it. This chapter sets up the mini-arc I want Dina to go through; Underpushing, Overpushing, and Just Right. Petty game of Catch-up, Vengeance, Self-Improvement. Running from the past, Aggressively focusing on a specific aspect of it, and Confronting it in its entirety. Next chapter will hopefully get Dina into that second phase with a little help from a certain angry Chihuahua.
(That Calculations Division segment was a homage to the debating portion of the DB fan base. I was pretty heavy into it myself back when G+ was up. Most likely messed some stuff up, but hey, gotta pay respects to the good times I had in Battle Kingdom, screaming at people over stuff that doesn't matter. Also, if you know who Setsu references, cookie4u.)
Neoru and Dina's bond will also be pivotal for stuff later on. I've got plans for them start training together soon, like, after Dina completes her mini-arc. I've got, like, 0 enthusiasm right now, that's no good. Lemme think... Oh yeah, it'll involve Roshi. Shit's gonna be cash, that's my word.
Still can't remember for the LIFE of me what I was planning to say, oooh. Know what, screw it. Even in this quarantine junk, make sure life doesn't have you down, and have fun! You got this shit!
Yeah. That's about it. See ya!