[IC] Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

[Balthazar007]

Kame House -> Training Islands

Tuesday, July 19th, 2500

Training Begins!

Krillin smiled a comforting smile as Bakuto seemed to be showing more respect now, even if it was out of a selfish desire to get stronger. The young man honestly reminded him of Goku. Of course, Goku was a full blooded Saiyan, so he was already much stronger than Bakuto by his age.

Krillin took a step back. "I can't guarantee you'll get as strong as Lazuli here, not in the short time we have left to prepare, but maybe if you work hard enough and pay attention... maybe you can come close. You will definitely surpass the level you're at right now, that's for sure."

He then turned his attention to everyone gathered around, not just Bakuto, "I think story time has ended for now. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. For now, we need to go to the island where you will be training for the next three weeks. It's also where you'll be sleeping. After all, you can't all fit in my house!"

"This will also be your first test, because you will all be swimming to the island." He then turned and looked out to see. "That island!" The island he was pointing to was a small lonely island, with just a few rocks peaking up over the horizon. "The island is about 100 miles or a 160 kilometers from here. An olympic athlete can swim a mile in fifteen minutes, but you should all be much stronger than that. Still, with the waves and the distance. I expect it will take most of you about twelve to fifteen hours... if you even finish at all." There were a few mutters of surprise or discontent throughout the small crowd.

"Don't act so surprised!" Krillin laughed. "You are preparing for a battle with aliens for goodness sake. If you can't even get through a little swimming lesson, how can we feel comfortable with you on our team... Anyways, starting with the ladies, take out a bathing suit, if you're not already wearing water friendly clothes, and you can go around behind my house to change. When all the ladies are done and in the water, the men can follow suit."

Suddenly a hand flew into the air. It was a man with short military style brown hair and tan skin. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only shorts and shoes.

"Yes?" Krillin asked.

"The clothes I'm wearing are waterproof, sir! Can I start swimming now!?"

Krillin was amused by the man's eagerness. "Sure!" He then addressed everyone. "If you don't need to change, feel free to start swimming!"

As people started dispersing, Krillin turned to Bakuto, who was already trying to stand up. "You sir, aren't going anywhere yet. You need to give those senzu beans time to work their magic. Your energy levels might be back to normal, but you still have broken bones. They won't heal if you don't give them at least an hour or two. Then you can catch up with everyone else."

A minutes later, Lazuli came out from behind Kame House, wearing an orange bikini that had the same martial arts logo that her fighting suit had earlier. She gave Bakuto a shy wave and another apologetic smile as she walked to the water. She didn't take off swimming like a bullet or anything. She seemed content to stay in the center of all the other women swimmers.

[BladeSS4]

Bakuto

Location: Kame House Area
Tuesday Morning, July 19th, 2500

---

Listening to Krillin and given their first instructions to swim to another island from the one they are at. When he gave Bakuto orders to wait for the senzu beans to kick in since he may have some broken bones from his encounter with Lazuli. Bakuto just shook his head then said, "That's not going to work. If I sat back and waited for injuries to get better before I start training then I wont get anywhere. I am the one that issued the challenged, if I am hurt then it is my fault. Then I must live up to the what has happened from challenging someone so much stronger than I was. If I must train while injured then so be it. I wouldnt be much of a warrior or fighter if I couldn't even do that. I have my pride as a warrior to live up to my own life style, train to get stronger. If I am hurt then train myself to endure through the pain so I don't ever get hurt again."

With his little speech over, Bakuto moves his arms around under his shirt to move his arms out from the top of his shirt where he was still wearing it, but more like a belt now as he then says, "One hundred miles or longer? Fine let's get started."

Bakuto took off on the starting island in the wrong direction. A bit slower than he had moved at all. He then cracks turns from the far side of the island cracks his neck a few times. Then like a bullet he took off right towards the island that Krillian had pointed at. Running to the end of the island right before the water then he leaps hard. Using as much speed as he could for his initial take off. Those watching on who weren't able to keep up would have just seen a blur then something jumping from the island, those who could see he jumps across the water a bit before diving into the water. Even jumping over a few of the more slower swimmers who took off before him Then taking off once he hit the water and began to swim. He fought through whatever pain he was feeling he was going to start his training head first. He meant every word he said to Krillin. If he was hurt, he had to train to over come his own pain. To grow stronger and to endure more what he hasn't been able to so far.

The mission was get to the island, Krillin gave him and the others a goal to get there in but Bakuto wanting to go even further he wanted to get there faster than expected. Pushing himself to whatever limits he has and looking to shatter through them to reach new strengths within himself

[FalloutJack]

They both looked at the perimeter, giving their thoughts on how to punch through, and Han had a point that they could break open the fence with relative ease. The fence was electrified, so it would be best if he used his Tornado Fist for that, but it was possible, especially if he attacked it at one of the fence posts. The wall after that may break up as well - he hadn't stress-tested this, and couldn't until they began the operation - but it would likely require him to use the technique twice. It was a good idea to cause a diversion, though. If they created a big enough mess, it would be a code red 'What the hell just happened?' situation, and that would bring every guard in this section here. They couldn't venture TOO far away from the spot, though, because this area was HUGE. Damage dealt between Gate 1 and 2, say, shouldn't prock the attention of Gate 6, across town.

This would be so much easier if I had even basic equipment. Nevermind the sensor baffles or anything complex, a siimple laser sight could foul up one of these turrets and-

Han would see Niko do one of those Holy Crap stares as he suddenly realized something. They could do this. They could make that diversion, dash far enough away to an area where there's far-less overwatch because of the diversion, and then disable the turrets long enough so as not to be even shot at, and then just hop the fence AND the wall in one go, no risk! A smile formed as Niko even realized that he DID have something he could toss in an emergency. Capsules can cause quite a distraction when their cargo poofs into existence. But putting that aside, the plan was forming in his mind, and he turned to the assassin now to explain.

"We can do this, and it won't even hurt much, maybe not at all, if we do it right. The fence is electric, but my technique will probably break it up, especially in the right place. The wall itself is another issue, but we don't have to worry about that. Here's the plan: I do exactly that, blast into the fence, sending bits and pieces - dirt and dust - all over the place. The guards hear something like an explosion, they can't exactly see what happened for a bit, they reinforce the area like you said. Meanwhile, we don't cut all the way to the other side because this place is too big for every station to give a damn."

It was a good hike from one corner to another is what he was trying to say. Other sections wouldn't move at all, in response.

"We'll just be getting out of the area local and move our way to a spot that's been vacated far away enough, and then this is where you come in. With no guards in that area to eyeball ths situation, it's just camera-laden turrets. Cameras have a distinct flaw: If you shine a laser or other intense light at them, the picture screws up. You have a technique that flings intense light in every direction from where you stand. You didn't blind me back on Earth, so I just have to be watching the wall while you're somewhere behind, overloading the camera feed. No feed, no targeting. No targeting, no gunfire. We hop the fence and the wall in one go, and no one shoots us down. If we time it right, nobody even sees the flash because they're too busy. Either way, we get a nice headstart into the city. What do you say?"

And that, friends, was a plan! Guards have to respond to things like a bomb to make sure they're not under attack and to oversee the damage done. It would take them a minute to assess the situation. Electronic surveilance could be sabotaged in the manner that Niko described, and Wu-Han was WAY more powerful than an infiltration kit. He'd get all turrets in range, and they wouldn't be able to fire. Even if something went wrong, it would be alot better than what could go wrong with another less-secure idea.

[Double]

@FalloutJack

While listening to Niko's response and his subsequent suggestion thereafter, Han had appeared to take a knee. His eyes were closed in thought, and while he very much paid attention to what he was hearing, his finger began to write something in the red Martian sand. Letters that would spell words, and words that would eventually form one of those Haikus that Han had enjoyed composing so much:

Blood soaks the red sand,
Foes await beyond the wall,
Our path, uncertain...

This was far from the first Haiku he had composed while traveling with Niko. In fact, Niko had likely heard or seen several of them on their trip here alone. But none of them had been quite this... ominous. Most of them were about the things Han saw and did, either in the past tense or in the present tense. This one was different, instead describing something that was about to happen in the future tense.

But in just a matter of a few moments, the winds blew away the haiku written in the sand. And once it did, as if waiting for such a cue, Han returned to his feet. His eyes opened once more and looked to his newfound partner with agreement and intent, "I'm ready when you are."

[FalloutJack]

He saw Han writing in the sand while explaining his plan. From his own perspective, the words were upside-down, but he could read them, and immediately the thought in his head was 'Come on, man. Lighten up.', and no pun was intended, I swear. This plan bolstered Niko's confidence, because it was both a decent strategy and an expression of their current abilities, the merging of the military and this martial arts world that he had entered. With him on comfortable ground, he felt good about this plan, and already had the energy welling up inside of him. Han stood up and declared he was ready once the wind had blown away his Haiku. Funny thing, it would've blown away immediately upon the expression of Niko's ability. Speaking of which, it was time to strike, now that the iron was hot!

Tatsumaki-Ken!

Whoosh-POW!! As intended, he condensed the forces of wind around his arm - having the time to make sure they were sufficient to the task - and then released, causing the attack to strike at the base of the fence, ripping a section apart as the pole intself either tore to bits or went flying! And the dust... So much Martian dust was all over the place now! It was like an especially-good Hollywood effect! Niko then said back to Han, "Alright, cut back and to the left to avoid being spotted when the guards come in!", before getting a move on, himself. Moving back and away from the perimeter, they would gain no attention from the guards who were wondering what the hell just went off there. Once it looked like the coast was clear, Niko moved from their vantage point ahead of Han so that the flash would be at his back and he'd see immediately if anything was going right or wrong.

"Do it, Han!"

[Double]

As soon as the attack was made, Han's training and instincts wasted no time kicking in. With the red dust kicked up by the blow, it actually made for a rather decent smokescreen which would only help cover their next movements. Following Niko's directions, Han cut back and to the left, ultimately putting them at an entirely different section of the wall. Everything looked like it was going well so far. And then Niko ran out in front, also part of the plan. The flash needed to be at his back or he'd get just as blinded by the Taiyoken as the cameras were about to be.

Taiyoken!

By now, Han would have shown Niko what the technique looked like when it was used. Both hands were placed instantly at his face, and both eyes were squeezed shut. Han was never sure if it was possible to be blinded by his own technique, but preferred not to ever take that chance. As for the flash itself, it came about by focusing one's Ki to a singular point in the face. Just as suddenly, the Ki is then allowed to explode outward in all directions from that singular point. Never powerful enough for the light to actually harm anyone, but certainly bright enough to leave the surrounding people blinded for a few precious moments. According to Niko, this flash would also be capable of disorienting the sensors of the security cameras to afford them a window to slip over the wall.

Han had actually considered sharing this technique with Niko, as he may very well find a use for it as Han had. But decided against it for the time being, as Niko had only just begun to grasp the concept of Ki control. And even so, Han was no true expert himself and was uncertain whether he would able to suitably teach a more "advanced" Ki technique like this to someone still so new to the concept.

"But bear this in mind," Han recalled telling Niko once during their training on the ship, "even if the Taiyoken won't physically harm you, there does still exist other Ki techniques that are far more deadly than it. And You can be sure my Father and his top men are versed in some of them."

[Balthazar007]

Mars

Tuesday, August 9th, 2500

Top of the wall

Inside the giant wall was a hallow hallway that spanned its entire length and was divided into sections, separated by giant metal doors. Along the inside walls of this long hallway, were alarms, alarms that were now blaring. The voice over the intercom called all guards into position. The men and women responded right away, some on foot, and others on various vehicles.

From outside the wall, none of this could be seen or heard, all was quiet on this alien planet. Leaving Niko and Han to only assume that their plan had worked, that the building was on high alert.

The sensors of the cannons were only momentarily affected by the blinding light of Han's technique. By the time the two men had jumped halfway up the wall, the cannons were coming back online, swiveling on their mounts, trying to line up their shot. But the two men were rising up the wall too quickly. The cannons couldn't turn fast enough to shoot at their targets.

They were at the top in a split second. The vast city stood before them in all its sunset glory. They didn't have time to take in the sight however, because the cannons were still turning. Apparently, they were completely capable of turning around, like a barn owl, and shooting into the city as well. As they descended, limited by the speed of gravity, they would be sitting ducks. They needed to disable the cannons before jumping down.

[Stuzzie]

Kame House -> Training Islands

Tuesday, July 19th, 2500

---

Jack Riptor

Jack turned his head to see the cause of the big and noisy splash behind him. The high waves almost pushed Jack under water. "What in hell was that?", he thought to himself. The result of the waves were also clear, glittering water drops that surrounded Jack and decorated the ocean he floated in. The brightly lit water drops blinded Jack and he closed his eyes to enjoy the water drops that were falling on his shoulders and his back.

A few moments later Jack opened his eyes and turned around. Other people had already swam past him and few others were gaining on him. Not that this was a competition, however, Jack decided he wouldn't be the last person to reach the island they were all swimming towards to. He took a deep breath then bend forward and swam down a few metres. He saw alot of swimming feet attach to swiftly moving bodies, Jack enjoyed the view. Jack was fond of water, especially clear oceans like this one.

Then Jack started swimming forward and upwards, slowly gaining speed with each stroke. While moving his body elegantly he kept gaining speed and almost reached the surface. Once his head stuck out of the water he took a deep breath in and slowly breathed out while he kept swimming. Jack had come to a point that his body had gotten used to the salt in the water so he could use this to his advantage to swim at an even higher tempo. "Let's go", he mumbled to himself. With each stroke Jack sped up a bit more and he was curious if he would gain on anyone in front of him.

He figured he would still swim a long while and maybe gaining on the others was not his main priority. He did not qualify for the knock-out phase of the World Tournament and it was a good idea to watch his stamina instead of focusing mainly on his speed. The fact that he started his last match at the tournament with full speed was actually the reason he lost. Jack simply collapsed before landing the final blow on his opponent, because he was out of stamina and energy. Fortunately, Jack had had one of the best nights sleep of his life and seemed to have regained full strength. He was now fully focused on swimming and was eager to finish the test.

[FalloutJack]

You could easily assume that an alarm was going off somewhere, but Niko was pretty sure that they'd be focusing on the wrong place. That was the beauty of the plan. Even if they caught anything on camera, it would take them at least minutes to figure out what was going on, and right now the reaction time of these two fighters was measureable in split-seconds. Take, for example, their leap onto the wall now, after the blazing light blinded the cameras. They were up on that wall in a few seconds, at most, and each man standing nearby a camera turret instead of on their approach and in their field of fire.

Worked like a shot! Now- Wait a minute... Aw, crap!

Uhhh, so...remember when he was saying it wasn't likely that the MMC wouldn't build their turret guns that they could hit each other, even though they were super-rich and could afford to do it, but it was such a bother? Well...the damn things were on a perfect swivel with no limitation in movement. The guns could turn and shoot them while they were on this wall, and they could fire on them inside the perimeter. A complete 360-degree coverage existed, and they only had a few seconds to react before the trouble started.

"Break 'em down!"

Niko backhanded the turret nearest to him and was surprised at the result. Upon impact, he heard bolts pop and parts coming loose. There was a good dent where he'd hit it, and the force of it all had caused the whole thing to come loose from its housing, with the 'neck' even bending as the bulk of the machine dangling by the cords powering it and sending signals back. Niko looked at his hand for a moment, then started heading down so they could get the hell away from this wall and into the city proper.

If I can do that with a bit of this gravity training, what the heck was Mr. Brief capable of...?

Oh, he was Super...just Saiyan.

[Double]

It seemed Niko's guess about the turrets movement capabilities were slightly off the mark. While at the top of the wall, they were faced with getting shot at if something wasn't done about it, and quickly. Han didn't need to be told twice. He gave the nearest turret a solid kick just before he went over the edge. The kick itself did a number on the machine, bending its barrel and appearing to damage the mechanical swivels that allowed it to turn and move. He'd tried to hold back so not to leave an obvious clue of intrusion, but it looked like he underestimated himself.

Once they were both on the ground, Han was the first one to speak. "We shouldn't stick around. Someone's going to notice what we did to the turrets just now." but that was all he got out before something else caught his eye. A figure on a nearby rooftop staring down directly at them. No way. No one could have found them out this quickly! Han quickly pointed up at them, "There! On that roof!" but the figure was already on the move.

They jumped down, using various ledges and footholds to rapidly descend the structure without having to fall the entire way. When they were on ground level, Han recognized them as one of higher level Wuyeying. A bit higher up the chain than the group they faced before in Hong Kong. They said nothing, but instead silently threw something in Han's direction. He caught it, realizing it was a cellphone. And the assassin was gone before they could be questioned. Were they just... delivering this? And then, the phone rang.

An Hour Earlier

"Unknown ship approaching the planet, huh?" asked Goda when that bit of news was delivered to his desk, "It's gotta be the kid. So he had the guts to show up after all..." the man was sitting in a personal office. The Wuyeying had a few branch offices and HQ's in certain strategic locations. Mars was no different. Goda had come here with the four men he'd chosen to await his chance. But when his targets didn't show up for some time, he decided to do a little extra preparations.

His office wasn't just guarded by his four chosen assassins. Other men were here. Right around 40 in total. The old man may have only given him four assassins to do the job, but that didn't mean Goda was without his own... personal resources that he could potentially call upon. He was determined not to let this contract get away. If that meant he had to call in every contact and favor he still had remaining from his old days in the Yakuza? Then so be it.

"Here." he gave a certain cellphone to one of the 4 assassins, "Deliver this when they get past the walls then regroup back here. Just because we're tasked with killing them, doesn't mean we can't do it on our own terms."

Back in the Present

Han reluctantly opened the phone after it rang a few times, and sure enough, he heard a familiar voice, "Took yer sweet time showing up, didn't you kid? You almost had me thinking you'd chickened out on me. You may have those corporate bigwigs fooled with your little stunt, but did you really think you'd fool me?" Han put the phone on speaker for Niko to hear as well.

"Oh let's meet up then, Goda." said Han, deciding to play along with the banter for now, "I'm sure we have lots of catching up to do."

"Sorry, kid. Bit busy at the office, you know how it is." there was a brief pause, "But... just for you, I might be willing to share what I know. If you can make it to my office alive, then maybe I'll tell you." the line went dead after this.

"Well, I think it's obvious he's goading us into a trap." Had said to Niko, "The real question is whether we can afford not to walk into it or not." he took a deep breath, "In most situations I would suggest we just leave him to stew, but... I'll be honest with you: I can't help but feel like I need to go face him. If for no other reason than to send a clear message to my father that I want no part of his organization."

@Balthazar007@FalloutJack

[Balthazar007]

Middle of the Ocean -> Training Islands

Tuesday, July 19th, 2500

Training Underway!

It had been eight hours since the warriors left Kame house, and three potential Z-warriors had already went under, collapsing under exhaustion. Each time, Lazuli came to their rescue. Without seeing them, she could sense their ki energies fall to almost zero, as their life force started to slip away. She would dive under the water, swim to them like a bullet, and take them back to Kame island. Then, when her lifeguard duties were finished, she would return to the middle of the pack, to wait for the next failure.

What surprised Lazuli the most was the man named Bakuto, the one that she punched and broke most of his ribs. He wasn't just keeping up with the pack, he was in the front half. If she hadn't have injured him, she was almost sure he would be to the island already.

Night had fallen upon the swimmers, and for most of them, they still had four more grueling hours of swimming to go. Luckily it was a nice night for a swim. The moon was only halfway lit, but it was bright, as were the stars in the sky. The water was calm...

[Balthazar007]

Mars

Tuesday, August 9th, 2500

In the City

It was the edge of the city, where Niko and Han landed, but the city was crowded. A group of teenagers saw them land. They stood in awe, watching as Han and Niko casually took a cell phone call, as if they were completely undamaged by the fall from such a great height.

Then the sirens began to blare. On every street corner, emergency lights began to flash. Then, the electronic billboards all changed to show the same image. It was an image of Niko and Han's faces just before they struck the turrets, from the turrents' point of view. Above their headshots was the word "Wanted". Below was the message "1,000,000 zeni reward for any information on their whereabouts."

An audio message accompanied the images. "Two dangerous criminals have just broken into the city." The group of teenagers began to point and gawk, confirming with one another that they were seeing the same thing. "They are considered to be armed and dangerous. Report any sightings of these to criminals to your local police headquarters. You will be safe there. Otherwise, please return to your home immediately. An emergency code red alert is in effect, until these two criminals are apprehended."

There was three or four seconds of silence, before the same message repeated itself, over and over again...

The teenagers ran away, in a hurry!

[BladeSS4]

Bakuto

Location: In the Ocean for a long swim

---

Started off strong and determined to get through this first part of training Bakuto had rushed into things head first. Fresh from his crushing defeat and against the old man hermit Krillian's suggestion for him to wait Bakuto leaped into the ocean to swim at the meeting point. His goal was to even with his injuries be the first one there and get there faster than expected. Expectations hit the hard wall of reality. The hours flew by and the group was swimming after the first eight hours the darkness of night set in. At this point Bakuto's lungs along with his arms and legs were burning. The constant swimming, and the salt water of the ocean burned as he swallowed a bit of water from time to time over the length of time they swam.

Lazuli rescuing those who would fall under the ocean. With Bakuto each time he faltered he refused to let her help. Often going through the lines of 'I don't need your help." or something along those lines. His pride as a warrior on display. Quite differnt from his playful side he showed when he fought her. This was training and things were more serious for Bakuto. He was here to get stronger. His body was in its condition because he wasnt strong enough and this would make he stronger. Expecting help or taking a sort of short cut wouldn't be his way. If he was going to make it to the meeting point it would be with his own strength and will power. If he was to drown then he wasnt meant to make it that far.

As things came to an end four more hours later. Bathed by moon and star light Bakuto finished barely in near the first those who finished in the front of the pack. Lazuli most likely was first he didn't keep track of her when he reached the beach. His limbs and body was near its limit but yet he was defiant of his own limits. Fighting to stand back up to his feet once reaching the beach front he then looks front forward then states in a plain determined fashion while breathing heavy trying to catch his own breath, "What's Next?" Fully expecting Krillian to already be there even if he wasnt Bakuto stood there against his own limit asking for what is next and willing to go further into this training.

[Darkmoon Angel]

Angela couldn't believe what she was hearing from Krillin. She turned and faced the vast ocean that Krillin pointed off to. A 100 mile swim!? She understood that they would be training under harsh conditions but this was something else. Sighing to herself, she took some time to psych herself up. She went around to where the ladies were and quickly changed into a swim suit, her physique showing that she wasn't scrawny and her face showing that she wasn't about to left in the dust (droplets?) by the other fighters.

Some had already taken off from the island, she took a running start and dove into the water, joining them in the 100 mile swim. With each stroke, she caught up and passed some of the others. I can do this, she thought to herself, she couldn't give up now. Not after everything.

Hours passed by and the moon's glows stretched across the waters. Angela could feel her limbs aching as she continued her strokes. She fought through the pain, in the end it would only make her stronger for whatever trials were next. She wasn't about to be picked up by Lazuli like some of the others. And as the final stretch ended, Angela took some well deserved deep breaths as she walked onto the beach and fell flat onto her back. She had made it, it almost seemed surreal to her. 100 miles of nothing but open water, but she made it.

After a second, she sat up and looked around. There definitely fewer people on the island then there were back at the starting point. Looking around, she also noticed Bakuto, standing tall despite appearing exhausted like everyone else. At least a familiar face had made it with her, Angela sighed and looked up at the moon for a moment, thinking about things that lead up to all this. A self taught fighter who not only won a tournament, but was now training to fight aliens of all things. Fate sure had a funny way of doing things.

[Stuzzie]

The ocean near Kame House -> Training Islands

Tuesday, July 19th, 2500

---

Jack Riptor

The moon shined brightly on Jack's face as he was still swimming. He tried to give in to his body's fatigue, but his mind wouldn't allow it. He had come to far to give up now! Back when the sun was still on top of the sky, Jack had seen wonderful sea creatures such as sea turtles, dolphins, big schools of fish and even a seemingly lost baby shark along the way. If this was already being gifted to him in one afternoon, what else could he possible miss out on if he had stopped his training now?

The island was now in his eye sight and the torces placed in the sand were becoming clear. He saw most of the people on the beach sitting and standing calmly, however some people seemed to be dancing underneath the moonlight as if they had just won the big tournament themselfs! Jack, however, knew better than that. This was training phase 1, it was just the beginning of an entirely new journey ahead of him. Someday soon the Earth would receive uninvited guests who would then try to claim Earth as their own. Jack would not allow that, he loved the Earth so much that he would defend Earth or die trying!

Much to his surprise Jack's knee hit sand and he almost fell headfirst in the water with the speed he was swimming. Jack got to his feet and felt the ocean water babbling to his ankles. He was almost at the beach. Slowly he walked to the brightly lit torches as he got used to walking instead of swimming. His tummy was rumbling, mentioning to Jack that it hadn't had food for hours and the small cracks on his salty lips made sure to let Jack know that he should drink soon.

At last, Jack made it to the island and he had passed the first test!

[Balthazar007]

Middle of the Ocean -> Training Islands

Tuesday Night, July 19th, 2500

Round 1 of Training... Over.

The last person washed ashore minutes after Jack. The man was a heavy set and in his mid-thirties. He laughed as he rose to his feet. "Oh man! That was fun!" He had done the backstroke the entire way. Occasionally stopping to let the waves pull him along. "Where's the chow? There has to be food here after such a long trip!"

Only nine people made it to the island, including Lazuli, who was clearly there as a trainer, not a someone in training. This meant only eight people had actually passed the first test.

"Very good!" Krillin said, emerging from the shadows of one of the lanterns. "Follow me, everyone! There is a buffet waiting for you!" After five minutes of relative silence, with the fighters struggling to make their legs work, they all arrived at a well lit hut. "This will be your new home. There are ten rooms inside. Since only eight of you made it through the first challenge, everyone should be able to find a room. Also, you will find the kitchen fully stocked with everything you could possibly desire."

Krillin then let out a yawn. "Well! I don't know about you all, but I'm getting tired." He then turned to Lazuli. "Good job little one. Let's go back to the island now."

Nodding in agreement, Lazuli took a few steps toward her great-grandfather. Then, they both bent at the knees, as if they were about to jump. Jump, they did. They jumped high into the sky and flew away.

[FalloutJack]

They landed on the ground, and Wu-Han said that someone would notice what they just did, so they should leave. Yeah...those kids lookin' right at them would probably know a thing or two. They were in the city proper, which meant that folks just were living here and working, all employees of the MMC and their families. Niko wondered briefly if any of these people really knew how bad their company was...when Han noticed a figure on a roof. Wait, had they been spotted already?! Well...kinda'. There was an assassin, much like the ones they encountered in China, but he didn't attack, he...threw a cellphone at Wu, which then proceeded to ring!

"Okay, that has to be the weirdest thing I've seen today."

Who reaches out like this?! Well...apparently Wu's order does. Not the owners of this town. At a guess, they send men with guns. Turns out, the caller was Goda. They were going to meet? Good. With all the trouble he'd caused them on Earth, Niko actually felt the need for a little payback. It may've been a more personal thing for Wu-Han to face this man, but once the Wuyeying had attacked the people in his life, it was just as much a stake for him, as well. Once the call was over, Han asked him his own opinion on the matter: Go right for him, or let him wait?

"I think-"

Suddenly, every single electronic sign in the city changed to their faces, and an announcement with a heavy reward posted was made about them! Niko was shocked by the sheer scale of it. The entire city would be up in arms! This is precisely the sort of thing that made him want to go to stealth, but how? Their faces were everywhere! Staring at it, he muttered...

"I think we just became the most wanted men in the world..."

Then, a little more collected, he looked Han's way and said "Let's move!", before leaping into action himself. The two of them were fast? Well, good, because they'd need it! For now, though, Niko was looking for the darkest alley available so that they were out of sight for just a minute or two. While he was doing this, he spoke allowed to his partner in this mess.

"We don't exactly know where his office is. I've studied the basic map available for this place, but they wouldn't just print where the assassins live. We need some information, or a means of tracking. Here, this alley."

He slipped into one of those mid-block intersectional alleyways you find in cities, where the backs of buildings usually face, currently lamenting the lack of a disguise kit or even a decent hat. And still no sidearm or any firearm at all. Totally out of his comfort zone here.

"If you have any ideas, speak them now. We have maybe a minute or less before someone spots us here. Personally, I think a bit of hiding out somewhere is best."

[Double]

The sirens blew almost the moment the phone call was ended. Almost as if orchestrated somehow. Han and Niko both went on the move, and both realized that their faces now appeared on every electronic sign and billboard.

"I think we just became the most wanted men in the world..."

"Looks that way." Han offered in response. It was a good thing they had become so fast as a result of their training. It would make it less difficult to evade capture. But unless they had a solid lead on where they were going, they would just end up going in circles until eventually overwhelmed.

"We don't exactly know where his office is."

Han had to think about that one a moment while the two were slipping into an alleyway for a brief hiding spot. True, he had never come to Mars before now. But did that mean he couldn't locate Goda's office? He had to assume their offices here on Mars worked the same as they did on Earth. In which case...

"If you have any ideas, speak them now. We have maybe a minute or less before someone spots us here. Personally, I think a bit of hiding out somewhere is best."

"I may have an idea. But we should find somewhere where we can hide first." it wasn't a good idea to just sit out in an alleyway to talk plans. Somewhere indoors would be preferable right now. As luck would have it, there was a closed down Mahjong Parlor with an entrance in the very alley they were hiding in. "In there?" Han gestured toward the old Parlor. They could get that door ajar easily enough, and being shut down meant the place likely didn't have any active alarms. It wasn't like they had any better options, nor the time to wait for anything else.

"I think I know how to find Goda." Han said once they got in, "The Wuyeying operates under the guise of two separate shell companies: White Lotus Shipping and Black Lotus Real Estate. Both are used as a means to get assassins into choice locations for carrying out contracts. I'd have to guess Goda is using one of those offices here on Mars." of course, that left the question of which one to check out.

"We're nowhere near shipping yard I don't think. And I doubt that Assassin went very far after delivering the phone. If I'm right, that means there must be a Black Lotus Real Estate Office somewhere in this area. And that must be where we'll find Goda."

[BladeSS4]

Bakuto

Location: At Training Island

---

After the instructions to go get food and rest up, Bakuto only popped another senzu bean then fell backwards on the beach and went to sleep right then and there. Unlike at the tournament banquet he didn't overindulge in food. He couldn't as his pride wouldnt let him. At the tournament it was to celebrate the successes of the tournament and the fights he won. He didn't win a fight, he lost and brutally. Eating generally was a reward for his hard work when it came to success. This was training and he trains his body using what it takes to survive and then training until his body could not move anymore. This is how he got to his current level and yet Krillan's training seems to be more intense than his own training.

Bakuto barely saw Lazuli and Krillian fly away, which gave him another thing to see that they were better than he was. A technique to fly, the girl who beat him could defy gravity and Bakuto could not. At this point he felt weak and thought of himself as weak. It did not matter what he did at the world tournament. Two people were way stronger than he was, and he wanted more power and to get more stronger himself.

He looked forward to the training that was to come. He had simple goals in mind, train harder than anyone else if possible. Challenge Lazuli to a rematch whenever possible until he can beat her if it was even possible during each day of the training for however long it would take. She defeated him so he must beat her before challenging higher being Krillian his master. If he had to, he would add extra training after Krillan's training sessions if his body could move. Bakuto couldnt prepare him for things to come, but yet with his determination he would either succeed in making it through the training or die trying.

---

The time skip Week one Training

---

The training for many was tough, for Bakuto he went into that first week. Rock climbing, but yet climbing up near sheer cliffs and climbing volcanos. Dealing with intense heights and extreme temperatures. Bakuto went as far on some days that first week climbing with only one hand to the best of his ability.

That first seven days at the start before the climbing Bakuto challenged Lazuli to a sparring match up. Taking a lot of convincing mostly constant asking to fight each day but Bakuto did get his fight. He also lost each day in similar fashion. One shot each day after each fight, each day Bakuto would train with whatever injuries he had each day. Bakuto had no interest in challenging or sparring with the others except for Angela, but he didn't challenge her or seek her out to spar. He wanted to constantly fight Lazuli someone who was exceptionally stronger than him. Each day one punch and being sent flying away. Each day however unlike the first day Bakuto refused to let Lazuli save him or bring him back. He swam back on his own

At night each day when everyone was supposed to sleep however Bakuto pushed himself further than before. Adding his own brand of training at night after the training sessions. Whether it be swimming laps around the island or be that running extreme speed laps while dragging logs or something to weigh him down.

Each day he would have half a day's rest and relied on either his own strength to keep going or used parts of senzu beans to keep himself going. The end of the first week came quickly. Bakuto went to his daily challenge removing his weights beforehand and he went at Lazuli faster and stronger, but it ended the same way. Yet Bakuto will claim he almost hit her whether that was true or not he went onto the next weeks trying to double his own efforts.

[Balthazar007]

Mars

Tuesday, August 9th, 2500
Underground Hideout

Goda knew the Han and Niko would come. They were on a mission for answers. The real estate offices above would be the first place Han would want to check. Might as well make it easy for them, he thought, as he sat in the corner of the room.

He watched four of his underlings play a 2v2 game of eight ball. Counting them and himself, there were a total of ten men and women in the room. None of these hired goons were a part of the team he brought with him however. They were from the local branch. The real killers were all outside. Two were on the other side of the door, the entrance to this basement hideout. The rest secured the perimeter, some hiding in the shadows, others in plain sight.

If they somehow managed to make it past the assassins and down into the basement, they would be in no shape to take on Goda himself. He would finish them both off himself. Laoguai had given him permission to kill Han, an opportunity he couldn't let escape. Sure Laoguai might be a little upset at first, but in the long run, he would be less distracted without his troublesome son running around... These were the things Goda told himself, as he scratched at the leather sofa's armrest.