Shu took hold of the staff, staring at it for a moment before putting it on followed by a little adjustment. He was pretty happy with his staff and hoped that he didn’t break it by using it too much or whacking stuff with it too hard, but then again he didn’t know how durable it was overall. Smiling happily, Shu gave a quick nod. “Yeah! Maybe use, maybe no use…but still good just in case I need to use!” he spoke quickly, sounding like he was going over it in his head, “Hit it around real good!” He didn’t really know how to use the staff but he would try hard at least to keep Takeshi happy. He needed something that didn’t always involve his fists or Ki and this was probably going to do him pretty good. Feeling pretty pleased and confident with himself he hurried along beside Takeshi, looking to T’charrl as they both approached him to see how he was doing.

T’charrl didn’t really know how he was supposed to loosen up, he didn’t even know how long he would have to loosen up before they found their fight. He couldn’t really feel the creature’s type of energy which probably meant they were soulless fleshy machines, something that really put him at a disadvantage. Sighing lightly, he gasped when Takeshi nudged his arm, quickly looking to him before smiling nervously. “Uhh! Y-Yeah! I mean…of course I am. I hope we fight well and be rewarded with peace after”, he spoke before looking away, “All I hope is that we are in the right area and not…umm, you know…on the wrong side of the planet…”

Viral didn’t have a care about how long it might take, but at the pace everybody was walking at he felt he would had been better just going off on his own for a run. The others didn’t seem too keen on running, then again they probably couldn’t run as fast as he could; just because they could fly didn’t mean they were fast on the ground, that was his specialty. Growling lowly as the pace and the calm greenery around him gave him no results he made a quick glance to Yumi when she finally spoke to him again after having a mutter to herself, his eyes locked on her before he simply looked away. “Maybe they already cleared the land of the natives, or maybe there’s a secret plan to set up base somewhere just to multiply…I don’t know”, he spoke lowly, “It is not as if they haven’t been craft before. They could be watching us just now but just waiting until we fall into a bog to ambush us, or something…”

While T’charrl was feeling ready he wasn’t feeling entirely confident that he was being truthful to himself, that he was simply trying to feel ready for his friends as to not let them down. It was terribly hard understanding just how he was feeling, whether he was simply kidding himself or if he was truly ready to battle. Hearing Haku’s complaints he couldn’t help but feel the same, finding it rather irritating considering he didn’t have clothing to protect him from it. Sighing lightly he looked around, not seeing anything of particular interest quite yet. “I…guess it’s nice. Doesn’t seem like there’s much food around here, though”, he spoke, fluttering into the air momentarily before landing back down, “At least it’s wide open…I guess. There must be creatures here somewhere, but maybe they’re really big and elsewhere…”

"That's the spirit buddy! We might not be able to kill the things, but we sure as hell can hurt 'em. They're all mean monsters so don't hold back against them," Takeshi winked, a little excited at the prospect of Shu going to town with the staff. Sure the little guy hadn't had much in the way of formal training but it was just a staff, you swung it and hit things, not the most technical of weapons. Same with his sword even if Viral insisted there was much more to it than that. Before they got moving he wanted to try and check on T'charrl, see how he was holding up. Even from where they were it was pretty obvious the guy was nervous and Haku was too by the looks of it. "Don't jinx it T'charrl, I'm sure we're close!" Takeshi said with a smirk, "We'll get plenty of peace after we blow away these things, and then some. We'll definitely have to celebrate when we get back to Uuonoe."

Yumi hoped Viral might have some answers for them, why they hadn't managed to find anything yet. She was used to getting right into the fray after setting down so having it be so calm and quiet was a bit unusual, almost unsettling in a way. When all she got in return for her question were a bunch of "what-ifs" she let out a sigh, nodding once and glancing back at the trees at their back. "I thought they might be waiting but I don't smell any of them. The last time we fought, that big one and the one at the lake, they have a certain smell. I don't know what to call it but they definitely smell unique," she explained, furrowing her brow as she looked at the sea of grass before them, "Even on this planet I think I would recognize it. I don't think we're near them yet." Of course they could be and they were just masking their scent too. Animals did it on Earth, one of the few things she'd ever actually learned from Takeshi.

"There are none here, she's right, I can't smell anything," Eris added in, frowning as she scanned the grass with her sharp gaze. A few blades of grass here and there shifted, probably a small animal running from them, but otherwise the area was calm as could be. The most movement came from the occasional breeze that created ripples and otherwise it almost seemed like they were the only ones here at the moment. Well that was fine, if there was nothing happening then she could take this time to impress herself upon Viral some more. Smiling slyly she tried approaching him from behind, growling as Orion grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back, sneering up at him as she was placed at his side. "Hands off beta, I'll do what I want!"

Orion rolled his eyes and brushed off Eris' immature complaining, hardly caring at this point, he was used to it. "We're here to eliminate an enemy, not try and find a mate. There's a time and place Eris, this isn't either of those." With his stature making him the largest here he could see a good ways over the area and his senses were just as powerful, with his hearing easily being his strongest sense. He could hear the skittering of a small animal just a few meters to their left, the beating wings of a bird a few dozen meters above, yet aside from those there was nothingness. "Viral? When we do find these beasts I suggest we work in pairs of two, we're accustomed to one another already. As our commanding officer I understand if you have another plan, I just wanted to put that idea out there."

"Oh have a pair will you Orion? It's not like we're going to be killed if we disobey here," Eris jabbed, growling as a taller blade of grass smacked her in the face, causing her to tear it and throw it aside, "Pairs of two works best anyways. I don't trust the other female to be coordinated enough to work in a team of four."

"Oh? Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," Yumi retorted haughtily, "Besides, I don't see how Viral will be able to focus when you're trying to get in his pants every five steps."

"Aw, do you feel threatened? Maybe if you weren't so inadequate you wouldn't need to be!"

Orion had to yet again grab Eris from attacking this time, and also Yumi who had lunged at her. Holding a woman at arm's length on either side of himself he let out a long sigh, looking at Viral with an exasperated expression on his face. "I definitely think two teams will work best."

"Yeah, it just sort of seems... Barren..." Haku commented as he watched T'charrl take flight, a little relieved his friend hadn't spotted anything. "Maybe, I just hope we find them before they find us. Especially in this grass..." It was kind of creepy not being able to see what was around you like this, he'd much prefer to fly over it if it could be helped yet none of the Beastmen could fly. Sighing to himself he pet the spirit as it licked his cheek, wondering if his little companion might be able to help them. "I was thinking earlier... About your powers. Do uh... Do planets all feel the same? Like does this world feel the same as Uuonoe?" he asked thoughtfully, smiling as the spirit nuzzled into his cheek, "Just... People have different powers, right? You can tell who is who. If worlds are the same... Maybe you need to, I don't know... Get that power before you can help?" He'd taken a bit of that from Vegeta honestly after sharing what they had done, or most of it, but he wanted to bounce it off of T'charrl himself.

Ignoring the cat fight happening in the back of the group Vegeta tried to get some bearings on which direction they were heading. Using the sun as a guide wasn't any use, sunrise and sunset differed on worlds and so that wasn't a reliable source. Nor was using a compass, meaning the best they could hope for was to find some landmass or a marker of sorts to navigate by. Taking flight temporarily he rose up over the fields and peered in each direction, trying to find a break in the grass. Off to their left, roughly 45 degrees seemed to be a high rise plateau, and with luck the edge of this place. At the very least that would provide a bit of a vantage point for them to figure out where they might go next. "Everyone start heading to the left, there's a plateau we can use," he called back, gesturing in the direction as he set down. Thankfully the sun wasn't too bothersome in spite of being out in the open, the planet felt remarkably cool in fact.

Shu giggled as he bounced around on his feet, feeling pretty hyped about fighting these monsters. “Yeah! So fun to fight! Even if get hurt, will still be doing good!” he spoke quickly, not particularly phased by the idea of pain when it meant he was going to be fighting. He was brave when it came to battles and receiving injury, so long as it progressed his development and didn’t hinder it. He was well aware that he was a Saiyan and grew stronger each time he sustained serious injury, but to actively seek injury wasn’t something he would ever do. He was going to try his best, getting hurt would be a learning process he could deal with so that he could become a better warrior and protector of his friends.

Viral was trying to focus on the task at hand but the moment Eris decided to try and sneak up on him he was forced to go on alert mode, readying himself if he had to jump away to avoid their antics. He was starting to wonder if he was going to be seen as anything other than a trophy to be claimed, whether he was more than just a male. Yumi was just as bad for treating him as simply a male, what with her constant fussing when he didn’t want something and her only way to make him sound like an idiot for refusing was to call him a ‘typical male’. It really bugged him when he was nothing more than another of the opposite gender who happened to be a Beastman.

Hearing the nonsense going on behind him he growled lowly to himself, growing more embarrassed by the moment before turning around when the bickering started. What an embarrassment this was and all for the sake of ‘winning’ him over. Looking rather disappointed and embarrassed by Yumi and Eris he grunted at Orion’s suggestion, turning away again. “Sure. I’ll work with you and those two can work together…” he sighed, feeling quite frankly embarrassed over how they were acting. He wasn’t some trophy to be won and even if Yumi convinced herself that she didn’t believe in that she sure made it hard to believe she actually thought differently.

T’charrl did hope Takeshi was correct, there was no reason for them to worry otherwise if it was all going to be fairly routine. They had fought many things before so these monsters shouldn’t be that much different. While he could worry about the outcome of the battle ahead he decided to have a check for anything that might point to something being in this area, but there wasn’t anything out there. Looking to Haku he sighed a little, looking elsewhere after a moment. These creatures could be anywhere, but maybe their arrival would alert them eventually.

Looking back to Haku when he gave him a question regarding his abilities he tilted his head a little before looking to the ground. “All plants feel different from the other. All the planets I’ve been on have felt different from the other”, he spoke quietly, scratching at the back of his claws, “I’m not very good at finding people using my power, though. I don’t know where to even start with that when there’s so many different types of energy out there. I would be a great scout back home if I could do that…” Gasping when Vegeta called out to them all that there was a place they could go, looking on over in the direction he pointed out before watching as Viral was quick to run off in that direction; either he was very eager or he just wanted to get away from the others. Not wanting to fall behind he started to fly too, not wanting to use energy as he used his own wings. “If we find somewhere to settle, I can probably try and use my powers to find where the planet is being invaded…but it’ll take a while…”

"That's the spirit! I won't let you get hurt though, I've got your back buddy," Takeshi reminded with a smirk, "Like I said, stick with me and everything will work out just fine, those things won't know what hit them." All of their duo attacks they'd learned from Kai and Choi, all the training, they needed to be together for that. Besides given how meek Shu generally was anyways he wasn't so sure his little brother was up for fighting on his own, all the more reason for them to stick together. "I bet you're excited to use that staff of yours though, you haven't gotten to yet, you know? It's just been sitting in our room since Uuonoe," Takeshi pointed out, "So first time, and these things are good a practice as anything, right? Smack 'em around all day and you don't have to feel bad."

That... Wasn't quite what Orion had in mind when he'd suggested working together: himself and Eris, Viral and Yumi. It seemed obvious given they were already partners respectively yet if that's what his commanding officer thought was best. Nodding in agreement he set both women down and kept himself between them, one of his ears twitching in annoyance as he could just feel their glares burrowing through him at one another. "You two have to stop this, it's not the time or the place for such squabbles..." he muttered to no avail, glancing either which way to see the women still at it. With luck they would hold off on attacking one another until the mission was over, he'd hate to have to be separating the two of them all night.

"But maybe it's the same...? If every planet's different then... I mean... It's not your fault if you don't get it right away, right? Just like... Like how we can't recognize someone right away if we've never met them." It took a while to get used to how everyone's energy felt since joining this group, now he could feel the slightest spark and name it easily enough. Haku didn't really get how planets or plants had energies all their own but he assumed they worked the same way. Hearing Vegeta make a call to them for a direction to head he took to the air when T'charrl did, the spirit surprisingly having no issue clinging onto him. "Well we have all day, I think time's not a problem!" Haku joked, smiling slightly as he glanced down at the grass racing below them. He wasn't sure if he wanted to have time to relax or just find the things and get it over with, he wasn't particularly keen on fighting.

The plateau provided just the vantage point Vegeta had been hoping to find. Nearly two stories up and with ample space for them to stretch out they could see well past the expanse of grass below, off to what looked almost like a more Saharan landscape in the distance. Hard to say whether the monsters were in that direction or not or if they were moving away from the creatures, but he had a theory; there seemed to be no natives on this world save for the animals, the arrival of people would surely alert the beasts. With luck they could find some and track the rift that way, granted that hinged on whether or not they found anything. "I think it's only fair we put it up to a vote, where we head next. We appear to be in the middle of a massive field, and there are plains further on ahead. The question is then whether we go the way we have been, double back, or try a different route."

"Let's just keep going straight, why bother changing it now?" Takeshi asked as he sat down on the thin grass with an 'oomph', "I don't know about heading through a desert or whatever though, it would really suck."

"Well if we start going every which way we're bound to get lost, or walk in circles. I think either keep going the way we are or head back," Yumi offered up, looking over the edge and in the direction of the ship. Besides they didn't know what else might be on this world yet, wandering around probably wasn't the safest thing to be doing.

Haku didn't have the slightest idea, he'd hate to make a suggestion and have it backfire. He honestly figured going into the woods might be the best way to find the creatures, if they had to eat that was. More animals in there than the fields probably. "Uh... I don't care, I guess. Any way is fine by me," he muttered with a shrug before looking to T'charrl, "Maybe... We should head towards trees though? We'll need food eventually..."

Shu stared at Takeshi in confusion, tilting his head before bouncing around. “No mind feeling hurt! It okay, really!” He wasn’t a coward when it came to pain through battle, it was the pain through prodding and testing that he didn’t like. It was the same when he crash landed the first time he tried to fly, he wasn’t even upset that happened; however, it was the way Takeshi reacted to it that made him worry about it happening again, certainly not the pain. “Ah! Could had practiced! But didn’t practice…but that because you keep taking me fun places then too tired to do more! Get very tired a lot, also it get dark at funny times on Uunoue…” He had a variety of excuses but the main one was definitely Takeshi dragging him around everywhere. Takeshi was the same with his sword so he couldn’t keep using him as an excuse. When Vegeta called out to them with instructions on where to go next Shu quickly followed after Takeshi, feeling pretty anxious about their next moves.

Viral wasn’t going to give Yumi an easy time after that nonsense, she was going to have to work with the one she hated if she was going to try and get him for herself, even if Eris was annoying him too. Just the reason why he wanted to be paired with Orion if he had to choose. He wasn’t going to turn into some prize to be won. They would both have to learn to work together, plus Yumi could give extra protection when she was familiar with the creatures, even without Ki. Once Vegeta told them where they were going next he immediately bolted, not wanting to have to deal with them any longer. Running right to the edge of the plateau he made a skidding halt, stopping just before the edge as he peered over into the beyond. There was supposed to be creatures out there, surely they weren’t in the desert. He could fight in a desert, but most of the group couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to perform very well. This was annoying, they would probably have to wander around more in search of these things which would waste even more time.

T’charrl didn’t know what to think of regarding his ability to sense different powers, especially when he was supposed to show how useful he could be while here. He should be able to sense the creatures if he tried hard enough, but he was potentially letting everyone down by being unable to. “Uhh…I-I’ve seen the creatures before, though…so I don’t have that excuse….” Feeling quite unhappy with himself over that he decided to concentrate on heading off to the plateau as well, flying along until he finally came to the edge. Looking out at the land below he very quickly noticed the desert in the distance, frowning deeply as he landed. This was bad, especially if they were probably going to keep moving forward until they found something. Looking downwards for a moment he soon looked to Haku, looking back to the trees at the mention of food. “Uhhh…food? You think we have to camp eventually?” he questioned him before looking away, “It would be a bad idea getting caught with them in the trees. It’s fine for me, but none of you can blend in and hide very well. I could try and use my energy to find the monsters, but we don’t know if they’re already doing what they came here to do somewhere else”.

"Hey I get it if you're brave or whatever Shu but you don't want to get hurt, right? I mean no one wants to get hurt. So just stick with me and let me handle it, okay?" No use in having the little guy get himself injured, especially where he tended to be a little panicked while they fought. Whether Takeshi could use his sword or not he at least knew he'd fight well enough regardless and be able to keep himself and his brother safe. If they had some time to practice or even look at their weapons they might be a little better prepared yet they had been far too busy doing other things to get ready. "You complaining about all the playing?" the older boy asked, smirking as he arched an eyebrow, "I mean I figured you wanted to play, you know? But we can always train too if you wanna, that's fine. And yeah but you get used to it, you've gotta. All the planets are different from Earth." Sure made sleeping a little rough, you had to change when you went to bed on nearly every world you went on, or get used to sleeping in the middle of the day sometimes.

Haku kicked himself mentally as his ideas only seemed to disappoint T'charrl. Why couldn't he actually come up with something useful? He figured he knew a little about his friend's abilities by now so what was he doing wrong? Lowering his head in dejection he sighed to himself, perking up only slightly when the spirit lapped at his cheek. Maybe there was something he was missing, he should try paying more attention to T'charrl's power, try to figure it out. Following the others to the plateau he walked over to the edge with the rest of them, surprised to see what looked like a barren desert in the horizon. Was that where they were heading next? Right now it felt nice and cool walking around but a desert would be awful. At least they were asked which way they should travel, it was nice actually getting to weigh in for a change. Unfortunately it seemed like most would prefer to cut through the desert than go into the forests, even if they might need food.

"It's possible they may attack in the forest, and it's also possible they'll attack up ahead," Vegeta mused aloud, "But if they attack us then we can likely trace them back to the rift, so being attacked isn't the worst thing. And yes, camp is a possibility. We're here until we find this rift and seal it, we can't leave before then or we risk other worlds being attacked. So expect to be here for the long haul people." Vegeta doubted it would be too long however, given the fact they appeared to be the only people here. Surely their arrival had already been noticed and, if not, it soon would be. The creatures had a tendency to attack anyone who came too close given their experiences so they were in effect their own bait. "Until we do encounter the enemy I think it's best we stay together, we never know when they'll strike. And it's possible that we may just stumble along the rift itself too, so keep your heads up."

This idea of wandering in circles and randomly searching was so annoying! Eris wished she knew how the Saiyans always managed to find the beasts so quickly but they were never shown, often holed up in a small part of the ship until landing. Being let out and not finding the enemy right away was unusual and she didn't know what to suggest now, this was new to her. After hearing the others out however she did have one idea that they may or may not like. "Why not let Viral lead us from here? It only makes sense," she interjected rather than offering an idea on direction, "We're meant to fight these creatures and we can likely track them better than any of you. And if we do happen to accidentally find the rift it makes sense too for us to be in front, we can charge in ahead of you." There may be a slight pride factor at play too: for once Eris wanted to be among those leading, not taking orders. She'd taken plenty of orders from Saiyans while in captivity and now that she was free she didn't want more of the same. "If Viral is up to it I say we try that."

Shu frowned, not knowing what to think about that reluctance towards him feeling a little pain. He wasn’t going to die after a little bit of pain, that would be silly and weird when he was a Saiyan. He could handle the pain, it wouldn’t be the first time and certainly wouldn’t be the last. “Oooh…you handle it?” He wanted to help, he didn’t want to have to have someone constantly standing in for him whenever. Feeling a little confused over how he was supposed to take something like that he soon looked to Takeshi again, squeaking a little. “Ooh! Do like play! But there people to save and got to get strong too. It would be good to get strong! Play is fun, but want to be able to be strong too”. He didn’t know how to show he was strong, though. He didn’t want to be seen as the one sitting back and letting everybody else do what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to be concentrating on getting stronger, not let everyone get hurt instead of him.

T’charrl was hoping he might be able to get an understanding of the creature’s energy just for moments like these, but he didn’t know how to do that when he found it hard to recognise their energy. He didn’t have time to think about what it was like when they were fighting last time, everything was so frantic and dangerous that trying to pick up the energy could had ended in serious injury. Looking to Vegeta as he tried to think through the situation, looking out towards the desert before frowning as he gave a little nod. He would have to accept that they might need to go to the desert if the creatures ended up being out there, probably would be a reasonable location for them too for a portal and having a wide viewpoint with nothing in the way. “I guess carrying on straight would be best, then…” he sighed, scratching his arms, “We just got here so camping just now would be a little silly, I suppose…”

Viral wasn’t at all impressed. The least they could had done was bottle up the creature or something and force it to guide them to the location but instead they were stranded in an unknown location with a variety of ecosystems to explore. Staring out for a moment he only looked back when Eris made a suggestion for him to take the lead. That sure was overestimating his abilities right there; he was meant to fight them, he didn’t know how to track them down other than through hunting techniques. Groaning in annoyance he looked away. “Being in the front is a good idea…but I don’t know how to find these creatures without using traditional methods. It was only by chance I found the first one and it was due to it causing engine problems”, he spoke, not wanting to make himself sound better than he actually was just because he was around other Beastmen. “We should keep carrying on, either way. If there’s nothing here then it’s obvious nothing else will happen if there isn’t already an anomaly or something strange happening. Besides, if they were here we would had seen something by now”.

"Yeah, I mean that's what your big brother is here for. We can fight together but if it gets messy then I'll handle it. I'm more used to this stuff than you," Takeshi said as he ruffled Shu's hair, "Trust me, we'll get this if you do what I say." He tended to keep his head better in battles and he wasn't afraid to get into the thick of it, Shu had a tendency to get spooked and run away. If things got rough then it just made sense for him to handle things and Shu could act as back up. "And you are getting stronger buddy, we've been training too you know? But just let me deal with the bad bits and you just watch my back, okay? Unless we do one of our awesome new attacks, then I definitely want you with me!"

Forging through a desert hardly seemed like an ideal path but they had little alternative. Their supplies limited, enough for a single day, and with no knowledge of where the enemy might be, it was setting up to be a rough day. Nodding at T'charrl's comment he let out a sigh, casting his sight out towards the barren landscape ahead once more. Doubtless whatever was out there couldn't be good, this world was poised to have all sorts of surprises for them. Hearing Eris mention the Beastmen take lead he glanced over his shoulder to hear out Viral, having to agree with her idea. "It makes sense, having you lead. Especially if we stumble into the rift first, we'll need you to fight the creatures," Vegeta pointed out before stepping towards the edge of the plateau, dropping down some 10 meters and landing easily in the grass below, using Ki to cushion his fall. "If you wouldn't mind then, Viral, lead the way. We'll follow you."

"Hm, it's about time he gave you a chance. We'll find them before long," Eris said with confidence as she strode towards the edge, moving Haku out of her way as she did so. Rather than drop straight down to the ground she found an incline and slid down it on her heels, digging into the dirt to slow herself as she made it to the bottom. Orion followed suit and kicked up a massive cloud in his wake, making her move away to avoid being covered in dust. Waiting for the others to come down she looked to Viral, who she assumed now to be their de facto leader, waiting for him to head off before falling in line. Much as she would like to push Yumi's buttons further they were moving on now and, potentially, heading into a fight. Now was not the time to be playing with her emotions, however tempting that may be.

Shu raised his hands when Takeshi ruffled his hair, shaking his head quickly after. He could handle if things got messy, he didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t and shouldn’t try to act stronger than he was thought to be by fighting challenging battles. At least now he was going to be able to show how good at fighting he was to everyone with this next battle, especially when he wasn’t very good at Ki control in the first place. He wasn’t going to have to use Ki for this battle, so it would be the perfect opportunity to show Takeshi he was strong. Squeaking, he shook his fists in anticipation and frustration. “Ooh! Yoooouuuu just wait and I show how good I am! Very good now! Very good!” He was going to be brave and strong and Takeshi was going to be proud, he just knew it.

Viral knew what to do if the desert was their only option, he just didn’t know how the others would handle it. He never had any problem with the desert before or desert planets, probably why he was often sent to them to deal with civilians and rebellions. He didn’t know how good the others would be, but judging by the Beastmen’s animal genetics they could handle it pretty well, the rest could fly over the desert if they had to. Looking to Vegeta first he soon glanced back down to the land below, looking to see if there was any dangers ahead first. “Well, we’ll see how long it takes him to take over again…” he spoke to Eris before sliding down the incline as well, jumping at the last step to get ahead of everyone else. Looking back to make sure the others had made it down he soon marched on ahead, simply going straight ahead. “I need some people flying above the trees to scout for danger”.

T’charrl continued to fly even when he arrived down at the bottom of the cliff, his eyes staring down at the grass for a moment before he gasped at the mention of scouting. That was what he was good at so it would be great for him. Fluttering over to Haku quickly he quickly poked his shoulder before looking to Viral. “Haku and I will! We’ll be right up above”, he spoke quickly before fluttering up, looking to Haku quickly before looking around at the trees. He had great eyesight and could use his antennae to sense shifts in the weather and environment, several traits that made his race great scouts and hunters. He was going to keep everyone safe, him and Haku if Haku wanted to help him too.

Crossing a desert... This whole mission was just going to be unpleasant wasn't it? The heat and the dirt and the potential to be ambushed at any moment, suddenly Haku was rather missing the barren wasteland he and T'charrl had been at before. When Viral brought up the idea of having scouts he tried to shirk away from such a responsibility, gasping when he was volunteered to do the job. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water he stared at his friend before watching T'charrl take to the air. No one else had offered to do it yet and T'charrl seemed to want him there, so like it or not he was in. Sighing to himself Haku floated up to join T'charrl, the spirit moving around to settle on his back as he leveled out and flew alongside T'charrl. "I don't know what good I'll be here, it's not like I can see all that far or anything," he pointed out, frowning as he glanced around the area, "I can kind of sense some creatures though, little ones, they have some Ki. Other than that... Nothing."

"I know you're good buddy, I've been training with ya. But you're still a little behind and you shouldn't rush in, ya know? Take it slow and you'll get better, just listen to me, I know what I'm talking about." Weird, the little guy was usually so compliant with what he had to say, what was he getting all in a fit for now? It wasn't like he was asking Shu to not fight or to stack back, he was just saying don't be reckless and be back up; until Shu was more comfortable fighting on his own, which he hadn't really seen, he shouldn't be out front. Seemed reasonable right? Not having caught what Viral had said at all Takeshi watched T'charrl take to the air, mentioning something about keeping them all safe as Haku followed suit. Maybe not the perfect scouting party with Haku involved but hey, if they wanted to do it then let them knock themselves out. "By the way... How's this grass not driving your feet crazy? It's tickling the hell out of me," he mumbled as he swatted away a few blades, growling as they recoiled back and smacked him in the face, "Stupid stuff..."

T’charrl did hope they wouldn’t end up going through the desert, that would be the worst thing for him overall but he didn’t know if the others were very aware about his reason why. It would be unfortunate if those creatures were out there for all of them, but especially for himself. Hoping Haku would go up in the air with him he flew up over the trees, looking down to see if he was following only to smile lightly when he did. It would help him a great deal to have Haku up here with him even if he could had handled it himself, it meant he would have familiar company up in the air. He wouldn’t be alone at least, even if it sounded as if Haku didn’t much care to be up in the air with him. Frowning, he looked off elsewhere and around the area, sighing lightly. “Does it matter? Why can’t I have company up here too? Nobody else would want to be up here with me”, he spoke, shaking his head, “Only the Beastmen would be able to match my eyes, I think…so what difference does it make? They can’t fly and I Yumi doesn’t really talk to me…”

Shu frowned, not feeling like he was that far behind. It would probably take Takeshi one slip up and that was it for him, he would be back on Shu’s level. “Ooh! I no rush in! Go in slow and steady, win good! It no be hard”, he spoke quickly, bouncing around in the grass, “I am very good at fighting now! You watch me and see me!” He had spent a long time training and playing around so there was no way Takeshi couldn’t say he was his equal by now. Sure he had a little problem with his transformation, but it wasn’t like anybody actually knew how to help him or knew what it was. It still made him a little sad and confused when nobody knew what was wrong with him or even what he was, but he still pushed that into the back of his mind and continued to go on about his own ways. Bouncing around as they continued on their walk he squeaked when Takeshi asked him a strange question, looking to his feet before be bounced around again. “I’m used to walking in places like this! It’s hard walking on hot and cold, though”, he spoke, looking to his feet before he began to bounce forward again, “Only you made me wear shoes when I needed it! Long time to no wear shoes. Friend T’charrl no wear shoes either so it no weird, right?”

"It's n-not that I don't want to be up here with you, because I want to. It's just..." Haku stammered, frowning as he cast his gaze downward, "I don't have any special skills, I don't know how good of a scout I am." Did T'charrl really think he didn't want to be around to help? Apparently so which meant he wasn't doing his job as a friend in that case. It kind of hurt, he figured he was getting somewhere with all he was doing already. He'd figured wrong. Frowning to himself he glanced down towards Yumi running with the others and, for a moment, he felt angry with her. Why? Because from the sounds of it she didn't talk to T'charrl enough yet he was upset, meaning he wished she would, meaning they were friends. He'd spent a lot of time with T'charrl as of late and yet he was doubted. Gritting his teeth he shook his head, tears stinging his eyes as he forced a smile and looked on ahead. "Know what? I'll do whatever I can to help, I promise. I can't do much but you can count on me." He wasn't going to let Yumi or anyone keep him from making a friend. He'd gone too long without one, nothing was going to screw this up.

"Well hey, if you think you can prove me wrong then go ahead, just don't be stupid about it, you know?" Takeshi said with a smirk towards Shu, "Gotta say I don't know where this is coming from either, you're usually afraid of this sorta thing. Still, take it slow, I don't want you getting in trouble and having to bail you out." The fight was probably going to be tricky enough against the creatures, especially if there were a lot, so the last thing he needed was having to save Shu from getting in over his head. Speaking of not changing things how in the world was Shu walking around barefoot? Some days Takeshi honestly wondered if his brother would streak if given the chance, not have to wear clothes and all that. "I mean you have a point, but it's just... I don't know, different, you know? I'm used to it is all so it's weird for me. But hey you do you, it's fine." Considering to try and be a bit more like his brother he near took off his own boots but refrained as one foot found a mud puddle, the sound of squishing soil beneath the soles making him squirm. Gross.

So far nothing had come up, not a single glimpse of a creature or even much of anything for that matter. Since they had begun moving Yumi had seen perhaps a few bird-like creatures take off and the grass shifting while other, smaller creatures scurried around. The creatures had to be here somewhere, they only had to find where. She doubted they had been told lies considering the creature's life was at risk if he lied to them and it wasn't as though they hadn't fought these beasts before, they knew they existed. This would be their first time encountering a rift so who knew what to expect. "Viral? I know you must have thought about it too by now, but what happens if we can't get back?" she asked, frowning as she knit her brow in concern, "We were told we had time after killing whatever is creating it but how much time? I'm worried, honestly. The last thing I want is to end up trapped on the other side."

T’charrl didn’t get it, he didn’t know if he was the one who was the problem and if Haku really didn’t want to be up here with him, feeling like he might had just forced him up. He didn’t want Haku to think like that, he just wanted some company that could maybe talk to him about stuff instead of leaving him on his lonesome. Maybe Haku didn’t mean it like that, but it sure did feel like he didn’t want to be up there and was just going because he had accidentally dragged him into something he didn’t want to take part in. Frowning as he looked away he surveyed the trees, trying to at least do his job and not disappoint everyone else by being unable to do a simple job. Wondering if Haku even liked him he rubbed his claws together, feeling rather insecure before he slowly looked to Haku, smiling a little at his response. “Really? Oh…that’s good. I don’t even know if I’ll be any good at this because I barely know the creatures, so it would be nice to have some help…” he spoke, staring down at the trail of trees below, “I won’t be very good in a desert, anyway, so I might as well make myself useful here…right? I really don’t know how I’ll do in the desert…”

Shu huffed, bouncing in frustration at what Takeshi was saying. He really was just making him sound like he was a weakling who constantly needed help, but that was the complete opposite of what he was. He was scared sometimes, sure, but he was still capable of fighting and being strong when everything came down to it. “Ooh! Not afraid of the thing! Other reasons to be! No need this time I is having hope!” he spoke quickly before letting out a huff, “I natural fighter! You watch me fight and win and be good at it”. It frustrated Shu that he was seen as helpless when he knew he wasn’t, he just had his fears like anyone in his position. It wasn’t fair for Takeshi to see him like this, like he was incapable of defending himself. Sliding his feet through the grass in frustration he soon bounced forward, giving Takeshi a look when he decided to take off his shoes. “You no do it as much as me so it would be strange to you!” he squeaked, tilting his head a little when he decided to go straight for a mud puddle to test it, “…Shoes feel weird for Shu…”

Viral didn’t know where these beasts were but if he was going to be played in charge he was going to try his best to find where they were and hopefully accomplish his mission. He didn’t have the greatest of confidence in his seeking skills when it came to these creatures, especially when they could ‘melt’ and move around that way. It was going to be difficult trying to find them, but there is also going to be the problem now regarding how they would handle them if they became too exhausted. Thinking through all the risks and problems they might run into he barely noticed Yumi talking to him, giving her a side glance before looking back to his path. That was certainly a concern of his and he couldn’t blame Yumi for asking him that, especially when it was another risk that had to be considered. “I will try everything to prevent that from happening, but if it does happen I will try everything within my power to get us back”, he spoke, shaking his head, “There’s so much that could go wrong, but if it’s something I can prevent or fix I will try everything to fix it. I’m supposed to be in charge of the group, so I’m going to keep everyone safe”.

"I mean I don't know them that well e-either, so... I don't know why you took me," Haku admitted with a shrug, smiling slightly as he cast his glance along the grounds ahead, "I kind of know what they look like, I've seen pictures. I've just... Not really seen anything other than that big, freaky one back on Namek." Which if he understood right that was the sort of beast Viral and the others would be facing off against, or perhaps something even worse still. Couldn't say he was envious of their job, keeping monsters from spreading on their end was easy by comparison. "Well maybe we can go around the desert? Or... I don't know, go at night?" Haku suggested hopefully, "Things get colder at night, right? So maybe... It won't be as bad?" That did somewhat complicate things though, namely the fact they wouldn't be able to see their own hands in front of their faces most likely. There had to be a way around it, one which wouldn't be too hard for T'charrl, or anyone else.

"Alright buddy, alright, I'll believe you. You'll have to show me when we fight these things, whenever that happens." Takeshi couldn't say he had totally bought it, he'd never seen Shu fight and not be in a panic doing it. Perhaps save for the times the little guy was on his back just blasting at things yet that was almost a game in comparison, not a real battle. The last fight they had were against soldiers that might be able to kill them, sure, if they were asleep. Deciding to try and level with his brother a bit the older boy took off his boots to show he was willing to, promptly stepping in a mud puddle and wrinkling his face in disgust as he did so. Gods it felt so gross having the mud slide between his toes, he dragged his foot along the ground and wiped it against grass to try and clean it. "Fair enough, different people like different things, you know? But see, I'm going with no shoes now!" Takeshi pointed out, holding his boots out for show before frowning as he stepped on something else. "How do you deal with stepping on all this stuff? I don't even wanna look at what I just squished..."

The last thing Yumi wanted was getting everyone nervous and uneasy about this yet she couldn't help it. They didn't know much about the rifts and not knowing gave her room to wonder, room to worry. The optimist in her said it was going to work out just fine, they would kill the monsters and seal the rift without any issue. The realist was being a little more pessimistic however, acknowledging just about every potential mishap; being stuck on the other side of the rift happened to be the most worrisome of mishaps. "I know you will, I have faith in you Viral. I just wish I didn't have to worry about stupid things like this," Yumi said with a sigh, her ears folding before she shook her head and gave her own cheeks a smack. "Even if the worst happens, if we do get stuck, there has to be a way back. They can open a door here so... So there's a way to get back, there has to be. And I know we'll find it." That was if that happened, the absolute worst case scenario. She just hoped things on the other side weren't too bad.

T’charrl sighed heavily, shaking his head. He didn’t know why Haku was making lame excuses. If he didn’t want to keep him company then he just had to say and he could go back down with the others. He didn’t want people to constantly have to make excuses up to not be with him, he was fine with not having company if they didn’t want to keep him company. Keeping his arms and legs dangling he stared down at the ground, watching over it as he tried to find any if there was some out there somewhere. He was sure he wasn’t going to find anything in the forest even if he tried to find something, just spotting all the animals that were down there instead. He was particularly nervous about continuing on and didn’t know if the others remembered, hoping instead it really was not that big and a quick pass. “Colder? That won’t be good either. I can’t cross then…” he sighed, looking off to the side and along the trees, “I can only go in the ship but it would be risky to bring the ship in case we get ambushed, so I guess I’ll just have to try…”

Shu was just going to have to prove to Takeshi that he was good at fighting, that he was fully capable of defending himself. He was strong and Takeshi just needed to understand that, even if he wasn’t the only one who probably thought that way. He was sure the others thought of him as pretty weak too, but that wasn’t his fault. He tried to show he was strong but he scared himself with his ability to change and go completely nuts. Getting a little frustrated with his inability to prove himself to Takeshi he stomped around a little as Takeshi tested having no shoes, tilting his head when he tried to understand how he didn’t stand on anything gross himself. “Look where I go! Can see where I go, no get anything on me. It not hard!” he spoke quickly, bouncing forward a few steps. “Do you no watch where you step? That silly! Why be silly when can be smart? Shu smarter than you think! Always watch where go or step on poison and sharpness!”

Viral didn’t want anything to happen while they were on the other side, especially getting stuck in another reality. He had been through a lot but getting stuck in a world not familiar to him would be the worst possible outcome. He would try his best to find a way out and back to reality, especially when there was people who were counting on him to lead them. Looking to Yumi again he soon narrowed his eyes and looked away, shaking his head. “There will be if they can open one in the first place…” he grumbled, seeing that as a pretty logical method to find their way back. Looking away he started muttering, scratching his cheek. “Just how do they do it though and where what kind of reality exists…where would there be more. Hmph…there would have to be creatures that make those portals. If it’s another planet through there…it would be problematic if they left that planet…but then what are they doing through there? Why are they appearing here through a simple portal? Or is it a singular portal or a rift…but then what’s on the other side…”

"But all this stupid grass, it's hard to see anything. Plus I don't exactly stare at the ground while I walk, you know?" When you had shoes on you didn't have to worry about what you stepped in so much, you had your feet covered and protected. Hell that's why Takeshi even bothered with them in the first place, well that and he hated his feet getting dirty. You tracked dirt into bed that way and then you were sleeping in it, and bugs, there could be bugs. Frowning at that notion the older boy smirked when Shu toted himself as being quite smart, not doubting him really as he figured the little guy knew a lot about this. "Oh yeah? Well I don't think the grass is poison so we're okay there, and I don't see anything sharp either," Takeshi said as he glanced down at the grass as if making doubly sure. He wanted to stick his boots back on but his feet were gross now, it would feel nasty having his boots on. Lamenting that he slung them over his shoulder and kept moving on, reaching out with is free hand and giving Shu a nudge in the shoulder. "Hey, if we end up stuck here maybe we can play in the trees? I need some more practice with that stuff."

Yumi hadn't a single answer to any of the questions posed by Viral. Hell she didn't have much of an answer for any of what they were doing. When you got right down to it her skill largely revolved around simply fighting, and while not dim by any stretch the whole "alternate universes" thing was well beyond her grasp. The notion they could step through some hole in the world and end up in another realm of existence was unnerving, more so than any beast these things might throw at them. Fear of the unknown, she supposed. "I guess we're going to find out aren't we? That's the one thing we weren't told," Yumi muttered as she smiled slightly, "Whatever is on the other side I'm sure we'll be able to beat it, I'm not worried about that. It's the whole... Traveling through portals business, I don't get any of it. But I guess stressing about it doesn't help anything does it?" Their priority was to kill whatever was causing the rift to appear so that's what she would have to focus on now, not whatever happened after.

"Then... Then we should go around it, if you can't go in. It's not fair to force you to do this," Haku said, looking to either side of the desert ahead in hopes of finding something else. It couldn't stretch on forever right? They could circle around or something, they didn't have to pass right through. But what if this portal thing was inside? Then they would have no choice but to go in and that meant putting T'charrl in a very uncomfortable position and expecting him to fight. With their approach on the desert quickly coming to a close it was now or never since they figured where they might be going. "Maybe... Um... What if we wait until it's a little later anyway? Not until it's cold, but... When it's a little cooler? We don't know how big it is, maybe we can pass through before it gets too hot or cold?"

Shu didn’t much care for the grass or what was below his feet when he could see it clearly, plus he had walked through much more that Takeshi would consider disgusting. He made sure not to step on what he recognised to be bad, but that didn’t stop him from walking through swamps, thick mud and mossy terrain. Takeshi would hate to live the lifestyle he had for many years, but even if Takeshi tried to live like he did he probably wouldn’t survive very long. He ate a lot of insects to survive while the other half of his diet was fruit, sometimes the odd animal if one attacked and they ended up killing it. Takeshi would barely be able to survive at all if he had to live his old lifestyle so Takeshi should be thankful for that. “Ooh! If grass was poison, we would all be dead!” Getting nudged by Takeshi he squeaked and looked up at him, giving him a good long staring at before he pushed at him right back. “Could be danger! Must be careful if we do! Need to know that all the things be safe before having happy swing time!” he spoke quickly, bouncing forward, “If others nearby, then maybe! Hopefully no go too far or maybe find trouble. Planet may have many bad things we no see yet!”

Viral couldn’t figure any of it out even if he tried, there was just too many variables and too many ways this all could go wrong if they made one wrong move. They had to make it back, he would never forgive himself if they didn’t. Growling lowly in frustration he quickly looked back to Yumi when she could simply ‘hope for the best’ regarding the situation. There was a lot to consider and most of it had no answers much to his annoyance, but it certainly couldn’t be helped all that much either when there simply wasn’t enough to research. “This universe isn’t the only universe out there, you know. This isn’t the only world or the only existing realm. You should know that when the Otherworld exists”. The main concern right now was definitely succeeding and whether everything would go according to plan, he couldn’t afford to have any holes or mistakes made. “We’ll be getting through this forest soon and still no sign of anything. If we don’t find something soon everybody’s going to go hungry by the time we end up finally finding them…”

T’charrl frowned, disliking the idea that he might ultimately end up diverting their entire quest and causing it to end in a disaster if the threat really was in the desert. It was too risky to not have this go on ahead without a hiccup like this, especially when he was asked to come along. It was probably because he could use his weapons to tear the beasts apart which would be handy for them too, so him bailing would only lead to disappointment. He might be okay, he might just end up overheating a bit and damaging his skin, but brief rests could possibly help out with that. “If we fly really fast, then maybe when it’s cooler…I-I’ll just have to watch out for the wind and sand”, he spoke quickly, staring out at the wasteland of a desert. “I just worry if we wait too long those creatures will get what they want done before we get there and even then nobody knows what will happen. Will the planet explode, or something? This is rather terrifying…”

Shu had a fair point, if anything here were poison they would probably be awfully ill already. So at least nothing where they landed wanted to kill them, that was reassuring. Takeshi did have to wonder what sort of world they were on though where they hadn't seen any creatures yet save for a few birds flying above. Giving Shu a playful nudge the older boy stumbled when pushed back, smirking and waving a hand dismissively at the concerns. "Relax, there's some of those things we're after and then a bunch of animals, nothing to be worried about. We were told there aren't people here so it's fine. We can swing around all we want." And sure, if Shu felt a little safer for having the others around them then they could do that; depending on how long this mission took they could well set up camp for the night, and doing so meant they would have ample time to play around.

"Well I know that, it's why we're here. I get they exist and all of that, I just don't understand it, how it's possible. This isn't the sort of thing they taught you in school," Yumi said with a small laugh, itching at her ear as she shrugged her shoulders, "Things have been simple until now is all. The enemy's changed a bit but it's always just been 'Go here, fight this, come home.' I just don't know about this whole traveling between dimensions thing..." There were problems too before they even found the rift like the issue of finding shelter, finding food, finding their way back to the ship even once everything was said and done. Yumi had been so focused on that one part she'd almost forgotten the small fact they could be on this planet for a little while yet. "Then we should probably find a place to settle down soon, find some food," she muttered as she thought about it. With nothing other than tall grasses and woods around so far it wouldn't be easy but they would have to make due, they were here until they finished the job.

If T'charrl couldn't handle the desert then they were in a real sticky situation here. There were other ways they could travel to be fair and they could always go around but what if the rift was there? They shouldn't skip over it and yet they shouldn't go in if it would be hard for T'charrl either. Haku hadn't the courage to speak up and argue on his friend's behalf either, ashamed that he was just letting the others decide on everything. Too used to being ordered around maybe. "If you go higher up the air might be cooler, right? And... And maybe you can go high enough to avoid the sand..." he offered hopefully, trying to help T'charrl find a solution. Shaking his head uneasily at the questions posed Haku shivered and rubbed at an arm, unable to halt the picture of the planet exploding under their feet. "I r-really hope not. It'll be fine though, we're going to do this and be okay... I hope..."

-----

Anyone who had hoped for a quick job here on the planet was in for a disappointing turn of events. With the sun dipping below the horizon it became increasingly apparent this would be at least a two day endeavor, and like it or not camp would be needed to spend the night. On the cusp of the desert they kept just to the trees for coverage, flat land before them reaching out a few hundred meters before grass gave way to husks and sand. Finding a reasonably concealed spot among the trees it was cleared to make room for everyone involved to rest comfortably. Shelter wouldn't be an issue for them in these forests; the canopies of the trees were wide and interlaced, creating almost a roof in of their own right. While an area to rest was easily secured there was one glaring issue that still had yet to be resolved: food. In hopes of remedying this it was suggested a handful of people go out to hunt whatever they could find and bring it back to camp, with luck enough to feed everyone. It had initially been Takeshi volunteering himself and Shu for the task yet Vegeta, perhaps not trusting them to be competent enough, sent Viral with them.

"We haven't even seen a fricken animal since we landed! How do we know if there's anything out here or not?" They hadn't even been attacked yet which for them was quite a feat, they usually were set upon in moments most times. Takeshi didn't know what annoyed him more: the boredom or the hunger. At this point he just wanted to do something, anything other than walking around aimlessly as they had been. Even now hunting wasn't proving to be any change of pace for them. Glancing around at the trees he reached out and gave one a good smack, the resounding noise of the trunk echoing through the forest around them. "Maybe if we make a bunch of noise something will come after us? I don't see how else we're going to find anything at this rate."

Viral was not too happy with having to go hunting with Takeshi, he was very rarely happy with doing anything with this idiot. If it wasn’t for Vegeta telling him he should go he probably would had never offered to go hunting and would had just rested in a tree until the others arrived with food, but he wasn’t allowed to relax for once, it seemed. It wasn’t something he was particularly caring about when the others could just blast the creature and kill it that way, especially with Takeshi. All he was doing was tracking it at this point to give Takeshi a target to shoot at, it wasn’t as if Takeshi would let someone else take over hunting while he’s around. If he had to he was going to give Takeshi a hard time, something he was immediately needing to do when Takeshi proceeded to make a lot of noise and think that would attract the animals they were supposed to be sneaking up on.

“Stop being an idiot! Probably the reason we haven’t found anything is because you are loud and scaring everything off!” he growled lowly, practically speaking through his teeth before he let out an angry sigh, looking away in annoyance, “Why did I have to go with you…I should had left you to figure out that you’re absolutely crap at hunting. Birds and small animals hardly count when even a house cat can hunt those…” This was truly aggravating, the least Vegeta could had done was tell him how to hunt instead of having him play teacher all the time. He wasn’t a good teacher, he was too impatient for things like this as utter disregard for what might actually be effective. The only one here that was behaving was Shu who was following along quietly with his eyes watching their backs. “If you think banging trees and throwing tantrums is going to draw out animals to make you shut up, you’ve got a harsh lesson on survival ahead of you…”

"It's probably scaring off the little things but not the big things, and we want the big ones! Gotta feed a lot of people with what we catch," Takeshi retorted, rolling his eyes when Viral looked away from him. "And I'm not crap at hunting, I know how to do this. Kind of hard to hunt though, being on an alien world and all, ya know? The usual stuff probably won't cut it." Normally he'd use a trap or something or even chase a creature down yet they hadn't seen much of anything yet. And how would he even know what to use for bait? For all he knew he'd grab something poisonous and they'd be in the same predicament they were in now. It wasn't like Viral was doing much himself to find anything, just following them anyways. Gritting his teeth when the Beastman criticized him further Takeshi turned on his heel and pointed in the face of his friend testily. "So why don't you try taking the lead then huh? I mean we don't know this world at all but clearly you know what to do better than me, so have at it big guy!"

Just slightly annoyed Takeshi dropped back and let Viral take the lead, falling in line with Shu instead as he crossed his arms angrily. The nerve of that guy sometimes drove him nuts; he'd hunted before when he lived alone and he'd hunted with Shu, he knew he was good at it and having Viral say otherwise really pissed him off. The fact they weren't finding anything wasn't his fault either, he'd tried doing everything he could and only had begun to smack trees out of frustration. "Can you believe him...? Like I don't know how to hunt..." the older boy grumbled angrily, frowning as he glanced around the area, "We've hunted before, you know? You know I know how to do this stuff, not my fault nothing's showing up." Letting out a sigh he shook his head once more before rubbing at it, glancing over at Shu with a small smile. "We got the easy job though huh? They're back there cleaning up and we're wandering around looking for food, so far it's a breeze."