[IC] Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

[Mogtaki]

Viral didn’t think he was going to manage to continue so he might as well just give up now. It would be unwise to keep pushing himself, not unless he wanted to be incapacitated for the rest of the evening. Looking to Vegeta he frowned at his question, moving his legs around to ease the pressure on his joints. “You make it sound as if I am a burden to the rest because they can’t function efficiently while I am like this. All my work is just leading up to the inevitable dying in battle because I am not able to keep up”. It was always going to be an issue of getting stronger and catching up to everyone when they were continuously training and getting stronger by the day. They were eventually going to go up against a powerful enemy that everyone could find equal ground against, but if he tried he would probably be killed. Vegeta really was just treating him like a simpleton who would find pleasure in being told he was ‘doing good’, how he should be happy knowing he was improving and forget all his worries. “I’m on a lot of medicine for that crap. Just what makes you so confident that I am going to be completely out of the illness phase? I can’t run in this damn room without collapsing and that’s what you call ‘recovery’? You realise I’m going to strangle you one of these days for being overly positive, but then again I will probably just be overpowered, huh…”

Kiton was completely not ready for any of this and just wanted to leave, knowing he could get in trouble with Aito if he was to say he had lost his watcher and incapacitated a rebel, even if he didn’t mean that last part. It was stupid of Leto to bring him here, especially when there was a big Saiyan who definitely didn’t want to have him around. Looking to Aito who decided he should remain here he couldn’t help but wonder if that was a call that he was in trouble or if he was just being told to stay put so he could be found and dealt with later. All the reasons he could think of weren’t particularly good for him, knowing he was probably going to end up in worse trouble than he could’ve been. Looking between Aito and Krom he frowned at Aito’s suggestion to join in, groaning lightly before he looked to Leto. “I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for this imbecile! I don’t care if I have to join in or not to keep out of trouble…”

Krom looked between Aito and the Frost Demon before grunting, hardly looking pleased. He wasn’t told of this Frost Demon, but from the sounds of it he wasn’t with the rebels so he probably shouldn’t care that much. Looking back over to Takeshi as he decided to try and be the big man again he scoffed, turning back to him. “’Old man’? Is that supposed to sound tough? Do you think calling yourself a little boy is tough? Because that’s what you’re doing by calling me that”, he spoke, moving into a stance, “And I can complain all I want when the training’s been so rudely interrupted like this! But hey, maybe it is just preventing me from getting so annoyed at your inability to follow simple instructions that I end up breaking your arm or something…”

Shu didn’t know what was going on but his heart was still racing from the sudden crash that had interrupted their training. He was scared of the unknown and that was definitely pretty unknown at the time. Sighing lightly and looking away he rubbed his chest, feeling a little confused to what he was supposed to be doing now. That whole incident had completely thrown him off and he was promptly forgetting what he was feeling that was making him feel so bad, just managing to make him feel even worse and confused. “I-I don’t mind, I think. I’m not sure. Do I not mind? He seems angry…”

[GambolMuse]

"You will not die in battle Viral. Never mind the fact not a single one of us has died yet, you're easily one of the strongest when you're healthy. The chances of you falling I would imagine are very slim," Vegeta responded casually, giving a small shrug before frowning, "You are not a burden. Considering during our last battle you saved everyone I would say that couldn't be further from the truth." His recovery might take some time to be fair, and it may be longer still until he could fight at full capacity, but Viral would fight again. By this time they had everything he'd need in place, it was simply a matter of administrating everything now. "Confident? We have everything we need to help you improve, and we're beginning to put it in place. Yes, for the time being you're on medicine, but as your condition improves further we can ease you off of it. And if strangling me helps you blow off some steam..." Vegeta began, smiling slightly amused before folding his arms, "Be my guest. Or we can spar and I can simply act as a punching bag, I don't mind. Whatever you feel you need to feel better or relax I'm happy to provide it." It was the least he could do, the memory of his actions on Pagonia still fresh in his mind. Coupled with his negligence and inability to make any progress until now and Viral owed him plenty of payback.

Seeing Kiton here was pretty unexpected, but Takeshi didn't mind too much. He didn't have any problem with the Frost Demon despite the circumstances in which they had met, he got the guy had to deal with some crap and what had happened was an accident. Krom seemed to be against Kiton's being here though, serving to only annoy the Prince as a result. Maybe he could finally shut up the Elite, and what better time to do it than when he had an audience? Sneering when Krom shot back at him, Takeshi took a stance and slowly approached the other Saiyan, a smirk covering his lips as he drew closer. "Sorry, I have a hard time listening to people I hate. Maybe knocking you around a bit will make me like you more?" he retorted, going ahead and moving in to resume their session. Figuring he'd try something a little different this time, he stopped short of Krom and threw a punch, using his Ki to push the air around his arm and, hopefully, hit the guy with what would basically be compressed air. Sure he could feel energy, but would he see that coming?

Having Kiton and Leto appear like they did complicated things somewhat, but perhaps it wasn't all bad. Having someone else here to help occupy Shu would be nice, and at worst it gave the boy something to focus on for the moment. "I don't know, I can't tell you what to think," Aito responded, glancing over at Kiton as he began shouting, "Your being here isn't going to incriminate you. In fact I was hoping to see you anyways, for a check up. If you don't mind?" Waving the Frost Demon over he got down on one knee to be more level with him, starting to slowly inspect his body and lightly prod at previously wounded areas for any signs of damage. "Shu... There's something I would like to try with you later, some play therapy. Would you come by my office with me when we're through here?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral frowned, looking away as Vegeta decided to give him a fairly casual lecture about it. It was all the same, all this hope and all this faith they had in him was a little too much for him to think of as real beyond trying to encourage him to get through all of this. “They know how to nullify me and they will do it if they come across me so I see no reason to believe I will not end up dying in battle if I am allowed to fight. Just because those monsters don’t know my weaknesses doesn’t mean others don’t know how to take me down with very little effort”. He didn’t know how such a weakness would be fixed but even the RRA knew about it and that was quite alarming. Vegeta and Aito probably knew what to do to pacify him which is what they always meant by ‘beat him easily’, probably. Looking to Vegeta at the offer to spar he felt he had to refuse that offer, seeing how it could easily end with blood being spilt. “I would still injure you, even if it was just me punching. I’d probably end up having you in bandages by the end of the day. And don’t say you can block my claws too…”

Krom was still rather annoyed but he wasn’t going to have Takeshi bring his mood down some more, his mind already bugged by the entrance of the alien. They probably wouldn’t know what the big deal was anyway, but even then he was not concerned with telling them why. Watching Takeshi he smirked when he was instead told off for talking, finding his stupidity pretty amusing. “Oh? I don’t care, anyway. It’s not like I’m the one who needs to get good at fighting, anyway”. Takeshi was just being so typical, it was boring. Once Takeshi moved in again he raised his arms up to block the punch, watching him carefully but remaining unmoving when the Ki was blasted as well. He was holding strong to annoy Takeshi, knowing if he started to show his true strength some more Takeshi would become frustrated. “Try harder! I didn’t even feel that!”

Kiton was rather annoyed but he was sure he could somehow get away with everything not being completely destroyed and pinning it all on Leto kidnapping him, possibly. He didn’t know how this was going to work but when Aito started talking to him he did manage to get a fright, looking to him immediately before letting out a sigh. He didn’t know how he’d be after all that nonsense, he had only just been getting better too. Maybe the adrenaline was making it easier for him to move around, seeing how he nearly died back there. Slowly flying over to Aito he landed next to him, hiding the toy behind his back before his tail took it as Aito started checking over him.

Shu wasn’t entirely sure on what the situation was but he was going to keep pretty quiet for now, pressing his fingers together before his eyes wandered to Aito when he spoke. Staring at him he didn’t really know what to make of it, eventually nodding when he thought it through some more. “Play…play. Yes, I would like! I would like…so long as it not be bad…” he spoke, pressing his finger against his bottom lip as he tried to think about what it would involve, “No know where your office is, though. Will you take me there too?”

[GambolMuse]

"You know your weaknesses, don't you? Then you know how to fight to cover said weaknesses. Just because someone knows a way to beat you doesn't mean they're guaranteed victory. If they target your weak points then you know generally what to expect, and can counter accordingly. In that way your weakness can also be your greatest strength." Truth be told there were not very many 'simple' ways to defeat Viral, and even those few methods were not the easiest to achieve. Vegeta and their father were fortunate in they knew his inner-workings intimately enough to do it without issue, but hardly anyone else had the same claim. "Bandages and bruises won't be the end of me. As I said, if it helps then so be it, I'll allow it," he repeated, hefting his shoulders in a dismissive shrug, "But let's not bother too much with that now. That's neither here nor there." Just beyond the door there was an echoing knock, and a second later the doors slid apart. A pair of rebel soldiers carried a tray with them, steam pouring up from the sides with plenty of well cooked foods within, and the other carried utensils and dishes. "Ah, excellent. Set them anywhere please, and uh... That will be all. Thank you very much," Vegeta said, rubbing his neck awkwardly as the soldiers saluted him and Viral before promptly leaving. Well now they could eat in peace, provided the Beastman even could eat.

He'd figured that attack would at least have done something, so why didn't it? Dammit, he'd tried something new and didn't even get Krom off balance, let alone knock him down. Gritting his teeth angrily he crouched low and threw another jab at Krom's stomach, getting that blocked as well. Throwing his other hand in frustration he backed off when neither of them worked, growling before rushing back in and throwing a sideways strike, unable to get through with that as well. "I'll make you regret saying that!" Throwing another punch he cursed when that was blocked, jumping up and spinning his body around quickly as he could, trying once again to kick Krom upside the head. Before it could actually be blocked however he used his Ki to push himself down, trying to punch the Elite in the chest in hopes his guard would be too high. "Got you!"

While Takeshi was off playing "big man", Aito was busy tending to Kiton. Given his condition upon their meeting he was in superb health, and showed no signs of most injuries. Just another day or two and he ought to be completely fine, astonishing really given the period of time that had elapsed. "You seem to be in fine health, shouldn't be long until you're well again," the doctor said confidently, giving Kiton a pat on the arm before getting back to his feet. Perhaps now they could focus again on Shu's condition, and namely begin discussing treatments. "Play won't be bad at all, at least it won't be unless we make it so... Which we won't," he added quickly, not wanting Shu to get the wrong idea, "And I will gladly take you there. As soon as your brother is through playing with Mister Krom we can go ahead and go there. Kiton? Did you have anything you needed before we leave? I'm happy to help."

[Mogtaki]

Viral growled in annoyance, looking away. He didn’t know how to cover his weaknesses when it involved those disruptors and what they did to his body. It didn’t appear as if Vegeta was going to understand it either, seeing how it was an affliction that couldn’t possibly be solved when he probably didn’t know what it was they did to cause it. He didn’t really have a way to prevent it and was still trying hard to figure out how they managed to figure out something like that would affect him. “It’s not as easy as you make it out to have my weakness become my strength too. There are some things you have to live with being weak to and being unable to do anything about it”. Having very little care at the moment he sighed heavily, keeping to himself before there was a knock on the door. Immediately, his eyes went to the door and stared at it intently, frowning when it was the food that Vegeta ordered for him. He felt a little terrible considering he probably wasn’t going to eat it, knowing they went through all that trouble too. Letting out a light groan he watched as they delivered the food, slowly standing up before making his way over. “Great, now the hardest part…”

Krom was pretty okay with not giving Takeshi a chance, even if he was supposed to. He saw no reason to inflate his ego by pretending to be anything less than the King’s Right Hand. Unless Takeshi could let go of that ego and get serious about this training, he wasn’t going to give him any chances; besides, the kid was just wanting to beat him up anyway without making any progress and there was no way he was going to let him do that. Watching Takeshi, he moved around to keep his fists away from causing harm, purposely blocking attacks that Takeshi should’ve been learning to do and even bouncing back when he tried something new. His attacks were pretty predictable, but even when they were new he wasn’t going to let up with his attacks until Takeshi cooled off. “You don’t have me and you never will until you drop that dumb attitude of yours!”

Kiton didn’t really want to be in poor health for very much longer and was willing to have his check by Aito done quickly, luckily for him he did seem to be getting better. He had sustained injury many times so something like being in good health wasn’t something he was terribly familiar with when it came to preventing further injury. Sighing lightly, Kiton stepped back and rubbed his chest, looking down at himself. “Oh, great…I-I mean, I’ll be able to get back to…uh…something…” He didn’t know what he was supposed to do once he was better, even if these people were trying to give him direction. He just didn’t know what to settle on and was constantly going to end up questioning it until he finally found a belonging.

Shu didn’t really know what play therapy was but any sort of play sounded good to him. He was getting awfully excited about play on the inside, but outside he still looked a little worried and confused. While play was good for his mind, he was still wondering what it was going to entail when he was certain there was going to be some ideas behind it that might involve mentally tampering him. “Oooh, Takeshi will keep playing until he wins or is hungry. I don’t know how he act with umm…uhhh…” he spoke but paused, looking to Krom quickly before away again, “Umm…y-you know. I don’t know when he will quit so play can happen. Maybe just wait until tomorrow…?”

[GambolMuse]

"True... Some weaknesses cannot be overcome. But then everyone has a weakness, just as everyone has a strength. If you can learn to fight around said weakness, or use it to your advantage..." Vegeta began with a slight smirk, "Then what chance does the enemy have against you? Yes, the RRA may have developed weaponry to combat you. But... If there was, hypothetically, a way to render most of it useless. Or say we could train you to be resistant to it, what then? Is your weakness truly as debilitating as you think it is?" That was for another time though, but they could develop some way to help Viral handle the RRA. Nothing was impossible, and every technology had a counter to it, you only had to understand how one worked to develop a response to it. Perhaps on their next visit to Earth he could ask the others to borrow some equipment from those soldiers, reverse engineer it and help Viral battle it. The food had finally arrived and with that the time for Viral to eat, something he still did not seem keen on. Taking the tray from the soldiers he met the Beastman halfway, holding up the array for him to see. "It's all small portions and well cooked, plus relatively plain as not to overload your tastes too soon. There are fish filets, a few various steaks and some vegetables, so please, take whatever you'd like. And might I suggest slicing it up into bite-sized bits before eating?"

Seriously, what else could he do here!? There must be something he wasn't getting, Takeshi was trying to mix it up and still getting nowhere. He knew he could beat this guy, he was stronger than he was! So why weren't any of his attacks working? Even after switching it up real quick he only ended up getting blocked, serving to frustrate him further. "Tch... What dumb attitude? What's wrong with being confident, huh?" the Prince shot back, though this time he backed off and scoffed at his own shortcoming, "Not my fault I can't hit you. You've got years and years of training, I got what, one? That's hardly fair you know!" Hell he'd spent more time on missions than he had training when on Kortal, and what little he'd gotten hadn't changed his fighting style all that much. It was humiliating not being able to land a single blow and Krom looked like he was enjoying it the entire time, the jerk. "If you're so good then teach me, huh? You were my old man's right hand man or whatever, you should know what to do. So teach me! Teach Shu!" He'd figured training just meant sparring to get stronger, but clearly that wasn't what they were doing here. So now what?

Well it sounded like the Krom and Takeshi situation was finally beginning to diffuse, good. No doubt it was a blow to the latter's pride, but he'd be better for it later by owning up to his shortcomings. Being able to tell Kiton his health was improving was a welcome change as well, and in no time every single one of his injuries ought to be well and gone. "If you're still lost for direction, why not rest and think it over?" Aito suggested, giving the Frost Demon's shoulder a gentle clasp before standing up, "It seemed like there were plenty of people interested in having you, but ultimately that's your decision to make. You can travel with someone or alone, I suppose those are your options here." However he chose to go would be fine, after all it was up to Kiton and no one else where he went from here. Smiling amused at Shu's rebuttal, the doctor glanced over at the two Saiyans finally coming to a stop, pointing over for Shu to see. "Or until one of their ego's is deflated like a balloon, it seems. And we can go ahead and go to my office now if you'd like to. It's not far from here, and..."

"Kiton! Oh mister Kiton!" Leto suddenly shouted, lifting his head and glancing about the room in a panic. With a still-red face he sprung to his feet, frantically searching for the Frost Demon before spotting him and bounding over. "Apologies my young friend, I seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment! Fret not though, a man such as myself does not need to rest for quite so long!" He should be keeping an eye on the boy for Miss Sasha, and sleeping on the job was not a way to do that. Seeing the doctor giving him a puzzled and exasperated look, the Yulian blinked once before coughing awkwardly, realizing he'd just interrupted something. "Er... Right! I will post myself by the door and wait for you there, Mister Kiton! Please join me when you're through!" he added hastily, dashing over to the door and pressing himself up against the wall.

What a peculiar man he was... But he meant well, that was obvious. Smiling slightly amused and shaking his head Aito turned his focus back on Shu, seeing the boy still a little uneasy about accompanying him. "Play therapy is very simple really, and is exactly how it sounds. I'll give you some toys and maybe ask you a question or two, and you can use the toys to act out how you imagine something might go. For example... I could ask you to act out how you and your brother train, and you could show me with the toys, understand? It's painless and fun even if you let it be."

[Mogtaki]

Viral frowned at Vegeta’s words, finding them to be the complete opposite of what he was trying to announce after he called him out for it. He was sure that there was little Vegeta could say that wasn’t hiding the truth, only trying to make him feel better for his obvious flaws. Groaning at the suggestion they could fix his weakness by trying to forcefully get rid of the problem he shook his head and finished off with a sigh. “That’s like training someone to take a knife to the gut better. You can’t resist being gutted just because you don’t want it to happen”. While all that was a little dumb to suggest, it was the food that had taken his attention and was making him particularly nervous. He wasn’t really looking forward to this, he hated feeling stressed and even if it was just food he didn’t particularly know what would help him feel better about eating it. Staring at the food on the tray he soon looked back to Vegeta before to the cutlery, groaning momentarily as he gave his paw a wave. “Well I just…can’t stand around here with it! Just-…just we need somewhere to eat it, or whatever. There’s no rush, not like it’ll go rotten if cold…”

Krom was doing everything he could to keep Takeshi at bay and it was definitely working. Watching him struggle was making him certainly feel pretty good about his own agenda, only hoping the Prince would finally start seeing the light and that sparring like he’s full of revenge won’t get him anywhere. He had to learn who the true enemy was and it most certainly wasn’t him, not by a longshot. Moving whenever he needed to dodge attacks and raising his arms whenever he could to keep attacks at bay, he successfully kept Takeshi off him even when he was attempting his silly excuses. “You’ve been fighting your entire life, it’s not hard to see! You’ve just been fighting like an idiot your entire life!” Easing off now that Takeshi was too he listened to what Takeshi had to bark about, making a glance to Shu before smirking. “Heh! Look, you’ve got potential, but your brother…hmmm well, let’s just say he’s still in first grade and you’re close to graduating. What I will be teaching Shu is nothing you’ll need to learn. What you need to learn is focus. Howabout you take a few deep breaths first and expel whatever grudge you have against me. Do you see me getting all pissed off when I start fighting? Let’s see you start focusing then, ey?”

Shu wasn’t sure what he was needing right now and was just quite content at keeping quiet, trying to ignore everything else that was happening. He wasn’t in a very good place right now, he knew he was going to end up failing this whole training stuff so right now he had to rely on Aito to help him mentally. Maybe if he could see he was able to get better he might be able to train, but as it stood now he was weak and barely able to stand up for himself. Quite okay with leaving everything until tomorrow he stared at Aito before squeaking when Leto suddenly started yelling, making him worry that something was wrong. When nothing really seemed to be wrong he frowned, looking back down to the ground with his shoulders raised. Hearing what play therapy was certainly made him a little confused, it almost sounded like he would need to picture the toys as being part of answers in some way. Keeping his gaze low for a moment he soon looked up, tilting his head a little. “I think I understand. Maybe…maybe see what it’s like, then maybe can decide if helpful. Can maybe see what it like now? I don’t think I’m going to get to train today, anyway…”

Kiton didn’t like how Aito was talking to him, like there was a massive pressure for him to either stay or leave. He didn’t know what he wanted yet but they all made it sound as if it was all going to be a matter of urgency that he’d decide. Keeping his head low for a moment he gasped when Leto was already up and about, turning to him angrily as he came over with nothing but excuses for his poor entrance. “If you don’t mind…” he mumbled a groan, staring at Leto before watching him make a mad dash back as if he wasn’t the one who was supposed to be in control. Sighing heavily, he soon started to walk towards him, feeling particularly annoyed. “There’s nothing for me to wait for! This isn’t my training! I’m not even supposed to be out of my room! Remember?”

[GambolMuse]

"No, I suppose if you're going to be stabbed then there's little you can do for it, save for perhaps wearing a titanium-laced carbon fiber body piece..." Vegeta mused aloud, scratching at his cheek thoughtfully before shaking his head, "Not the point. My point is you can't dull the blade, but you can work on ways to prevent being stabbed, to use your analogy. Maybe we can't build you an immunity to your weaknesses, but we can damn sure develop ways to help cope and even overcome them." And they would, there wasn't a single doubt in his mind they could develop such a thing. "Father created you and we both have extensive knowledge of you, weaknesses included. We'll come up with something, just give us a little faith, hm?" Having at last gotten the food they could now make another attempt at eating, though perhaps not quite yet; Viral wanted a change of scenery, which given the drab and plain setting they were in perhaps it was time for one anyways. "Well then, in that case we can head outside, around the back of the building? There's a decent amount of land on this base, we can find a nice spot to settle down and have lunch." Putting everything together then Vegeta took the lead in leaving the room, insistent they get this meal underway to test Viral's ability to eat.

So he'd really not been able to hit Krom at all, even when he'd tried mixing it up. Why was that? What in the hell was he doing wrong? He'd never had a problem before, and any other Elite he'd managed to beat, albeit with some help. They had beaten this jerk before too so what was the difference now? He was stronger for sure, and even if Krom had gotten stronger too the gap shouldn't be all that big between them. Being completely shut out like that was humiliating, and the Prince was beginning to face the facts he might just be outclassed here. All the power in the world meant nothing if you didn't know how to use it, old man Roshi had said that once and now it was making a bit of sense. Shooting the Saiyan an annoyed glance when Shu was insulted, Takeshi reeled back said emotion and closed his eyes as he did his best to settle down. Taking a few deep breaths he waited a moment before nodding to himself, his body relaxing as he adopted a more serious expression. "I won't forgive you that easily, you know... But I'll put it aside for now," he responded finally, shifting his weight on his feet before rubbing at one of his shoulders to ease some tension, "So now what? How do you want to do this?"

After the rather abrupt reawakening of Leto, Aito hoped that he might get back to tending to Shu. Kiton was not in any need of medical assistance just now, and while he was sure the Frost Demon wouldn't mind a more thorough check-up it wasn't his turn. He had agreed to help the young Saiyan before him first, and nothing shy of a medical emergency would sway that decision. Watching as Kiton began walking off, the doctor smiled and gave a small wave, calling after him and adding "Think it over, and feel free to visit my office if you need anything! You know where it is!" He'd been dealt such a poor hand at life hadn't he, and now his whole world was being shaken like a snow globe, it was no wonder he didn't know where to turn. Given some time however and Aito was confident Kiton would find his way, whatever that might end up being. "Anyways... We can go to my office now, yes. And perhaps after some play we can try our hand at training again, hm? I'd be happy to instruct you in that as well," the doctor said, taking a brief moment to address Krom and Takeshi as he looked to them, "I'm taking Shu to my office for a moment, hope you two don't mind! I'll let you know if we go anywhere else!" he explained before placing a hand on Shu's back, easing him towards the doors and out of the room.

[Mogtaki]

Viral really didn’t like the sound of Vegeta’s voice when he showed a little bit of interest in artificial augmentation, or rather the possibility of it ever happening. He didn’t like that, especially when Vegeta did take a pause to think about it. Looking away momentarily, he sighed and shook his head as he still saw no way that could ever happen. “I don’t see how I can become immune to something that makes me feel completely weak and helpless while also tearing through my body like its butter. I am not a Saiyan, even if there are claims I have the genes somewhere in me. I cannot overcome weaknesses like that. Your father hasn’t seen me in a couple of decades, but you…weren’t you wanting to rethink your career path? You didn’t want to be stuck treating me forever, after all”. Feeling like he could prolong the whole not eating habit he did suggest to go somewhere else and much to his relief it sounded as if Vegeta was completely open to doing such a thing too. Sighing lightly he looked to the door quickly before following Vegeta out. “As far away from this place as possible would be fine for me”, he sighed, looking back briefly, “I just really don’t feel comfortable in such a wide open space like this, even if being outside is…hmm, well, food might not be such a good idea…”

Krom wasn’t really expecting Takeshi to make a change in his personality so quickly just because he had been told to, but he wasn’t going to let him carry on with this silly temper tantrum of his just because it was part of who he is. While his emotions were essential to bringing out his power, having them all over the place wasn’t going to help matters either. He would have to learn how to focus them into power before he could become stronger and to do that he needed to chill out a bit. Folding his arms when Takeshi seemed to finally take his advice he frowned slightly, eventually shrugging. “Hmm you know, I’m not the bad guy here so don’t go treating me like one. Just because I appear to be what you would see as a ‘bad guy’, just like these rebels are the ‘bad guys’ to me”, he spoke, moving his hands in front of him with his feet steady on the ground, “What I want you to do now is to focus your energy, focus your determination to beat me rather than…you know wanting to punch me in the face because you’re a big baby”. Just about to start with his focusing he looked to Aito when he addressed him, staring at him for a moment before chuckling. “Heh! Sure, whatever…”

Kiton was already trying to think through his own actions by the time Aito decided it was best to call out to him again, his head immediately turning around to look before he let out a groan and immediately turned away again. “Yes, yes, I get it! Please stop telling me this, already…” He knew he had to think it over, he wasn’t an idiot and end up forgetting he even existed. If he didn’t make a decision he was going to be stuck going nowhere and end up in a place where he might as well not exist. It was either get over his problem and make a decision or end up completely alone. He didn’t understand how they could take such a decision so lightly and hardly give him a reason as to why he should go with them other than they’ll be there. It was probably obvious that he should go with them, but being around people wasn’t something he was ever used to. Even having Sasha always watching him disturbed him greatly, he wasn’t even eating or sleeping right. There was so many worries going through his head that he could barely understand them, only making him frustrated and confused.

Shu was a little worried that this would go badly or that he wouldn’t understand what it was he was supposed to do. He was sure he was going to not understand what it was he was supposed to do fully even after being told, but he would try his best either way. Looking to Krom quickly when Aito gave him a prompt he frowned but was soon pushed on ahead, looking back at Aito before to the doors. He was sure Krom was going to make fun of him more for being so bad at being a Saiyan, but it wasn’t as if he could defend those thoughts he was throwing out in the first place. While it was a little saddening that he was being treated that way, but there wasn’t much he could do about it considering he was right. Looking back at Aito he stared at him, walking with a slight tilt backward. “Umm, this won’t hurt, right? Even if memory bad? Will I have bad memories to talk about while doing this?”

[GambolMuse]

"You won't be immune, you'd build a resistance. There would be ways to fashion a device to counter what they use, and perhaps that device might even be weaponized to give you an edge over them. Wouldn't that be something? They think they have the edge, but what if that advantage suddenly disappeared?" A lot of what negated Viral was attacking his energy source, but it would be simple to build something to counteract that; a conduit to discharge the attacks, something to absorb it rather than have the Beastman take the brunt, any number of things really. "And yes, I'll be changing careers at some point. I'd prefer to focus on engineering if anything, but that'll come in time. For now I've no problems with treating you, it's good experience and only natural I do it." Viral was family after all, and familial obligations aside he just wanted to help. If not him and his father then who? Some Uuonian doctor perhaps, but just look how difficult a time they were having with the Beastman. If people he was close to couldn't get him to budge, what chance did a complete stranger have? "We can just find a vacant room then and eat, how's that? I'm sure they won't mind us taking up some quarters for our lunch," Vegeta suggested, walking past the exit and instead continuing on towards the barracks.

Takeshi was frustrated, angry, impatient, but determined all the same. He was getting tired of Krom telling him he wasn't working out quickly and just wanted to prove the man wrong. All he had to do for that to happen was calm down, was that it? Tch, easier said than done when you were sparring with someone you might just as soon kill if you had the chance. Managing to take a step back he took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he somehow managed to reel in his angst; Shu was still here, and whether he was watching or not he shouldn't have to worry about them getting into anything. "Perspective or whatever huh...? Say it that way and suddenly there are no 'bad guys', now are there?" Takeshi replied coolly, frowning as he took up a stance again. Whatever, let Krom argue he wasn't the bad guy all he wanted, it would take more than words to change how he was viewed around here. Glancing back over his shoulder when Aito mentioned leaving he nodded slightly, putting on a smile for Shu and giving him a wave. "See you in a bit buddy, okay? Have fun!" Back to the task on hand, he was supposed to fight Krom again wasn't he? Fine then, but he was going to do things a little differently this time around. "You come to me this time. If you want to really test me then don't hold back, see what I can do against that."

Well that was easy, looks like they could get moving without any problems from Takeshi or Krom. Heading for the doors then, Aito glanced back at Shu and smiled reassuringly at his hesitation, shaking his head as he folded his hands at his back. "No, it won't hurt. At least... Physically it won't hurt. The purpose of this sort of thing is to bring to light something you're struggling with, understand? And it could be something minor, or it could be something big, I don't know. But I'll be with you in case anything does happen, so don't worry too much, okay?" he added, closing his eyes with his smile before looking ahead again. "And don't feel bad about how today went. Everyone is at a different stage right now, whether it's health, training or something else entirely. Just because you're at a different place than your brother doesn't make you any worse or him any better. If every person was always the exact same then the world would be a might boring place, don't you agree?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral let out a grunt, shaking his head. “I don’t want to have to carry around all sorts of gadgets just to feel like I am able to function in battle! I’ll have all sorts of stuff and belts everywhere if you got your way”. He hated the idea of having to use technology to feel like he could battle on even ground, but it didn’t help that people were using technology against him to try and subdue him. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the rebels had picked up on that technology too and were secretly holding it off just in case he got too out of hand. It made him feel rather sick to know so many people could beat him, like he had lost the respect of others and was simply being treated like a nuisance in battle. Everybody would probably want rid of him first before he could annoy them all even more. Grunting angrily he looked back to Vegeta, staring at him even after telling him that he was expecting him to leave his side anyway. “Tch, only natural? Must be quite difficult to think of different career paths after having me as your focus for so long, because you know…maybe you’ll grow bored of not having such a challenge anymore…” He was a little bitter about the fact he was probably being seen as something like a big project case, like curing him would be like having a graduation ceremony for Vegeta. It was always going to be that way though, knowing he was probably counting down the days until he was finally able to move onto what he truly wanted to do. “A room? I don’t know, considering it will take us longer to find a place outside and quite frankly I don’t want to eat too soon”.

Krom could probably get through to Takeshi if he was able to get this through to him, knowing how to filter out all that nonsense he was throwing at him so long as he would listen to what he was saying. If he could just do this one thing then maybe he could progress with teaching him how to punch through those monsters and destroy them where they stood instead of pounding into them like an animal. “You are not born evil, but then again…you can grow up cold and heartless. There are many who are of no use to society because of their origins…” The Frost Demon was probably a good example of this, considering they didn’t appear to know what they wanted to do despite there being an obvious option. They just didn’t have the capacity to feel friendship and belonging, it seemed. Hearing Takeshi’s request once his brother had gone he smirked, sighing aloud. “Hmmm are you sure? You know how strong I am, but if you insist…” Almost immediately Krom was right up close to Takeshi without any hesitation, his speed hardly allowing the air to catch up before he was already throwing a quick fist at Takeshi before another almost immediately after to prevent any sort of block catching both fists.

Shu looked up at Aito, feeling rather nervous all over again as he was told what it might entail. He wasn’t looking forward to having to talk about his problems or any he might be covering up in the past, seeing how he had tried hard to not end up thinking about any of that stuff. He didn’t want to start feeling the pain again, but it seemed like he was going to have to go through it all if Aito was going to be happy. Squeaking a little at the thought of it he gasped, looking up to Aito quickly before groaning, his eyes going down to the ground again. “Ooohh, I don’t know about boring. I was just really good at being strong for a while, but…but I am not very strong anymore. I am not strong at all anymore. Takeshi good brother, though. He pretend I am strong and say I am, but I know I am not. I wonder if I am boring, though. It is not hard to think that I might be boring Takeshi by being too weak for him to train with”.

[GambolMuse]

"You say that like I'm going to give you a utility belt full of various tools, Viral. At most you'll need one item, maybe even something similar to a wristwatch in size, that's it. Surely having something like that wouldn't be such a hassle would it?" There were any number of ways to diffuse or redirect the energy used to fight Viral, it was simply a matter of applying them to technology for use. "I could do something even less invasive than that if you'd prefer too. Perhaps some sort of conductor attached to your belt, if you'd prefer. Everything of course is in the pre-development phase now, but I could draft something for you to inspect by tomorrow." With the help of his father too of course, he would have a better understanding of how the energy they were countering worked. There were likely some factors at play here which Vegeta didn't have a full grasp on, such as polarity, fields and potency of energy, he'd certainly need help in those regards. "I've not been single-mindedly devoted to you, sorry to say. I've debated on what I'll be doing for some time, and I've come to the conclusion of engineering several times now." Proposing they eat in a room instead didn't appear to satisfy Viral, meaning they needed to double back and go outside after all. Turning on his heel then the Saiyan grabbed Viral's arm and pulled him along, balancing the plates carefully in his free hand. "Okay, outside it is then. But I'll pick us a spot and we'll sit there, agreed? It'll be plenty isolated, don't you worry."

"Yeah? And people can change, I'm proof of that. If I stuck to my origins I'd be as bad as my father, but I'm not. Maybe it wasn't the easiest thing to do, you know? But now here I am saving people instead of killing them." He'd had to do some nasty things for the King, but since then Takeshi had been relatively okay about how he fought. Sure, there were the Kaesstrian soldiers who had died for attacking them, and there had been one or two soldiers when fighting on Pagonia who had lost their lives, but in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't that bad, was it? With Shu and the others now gone they could get back to training in earnest, and Takeshi wanted no less than Krom's best going into it. "Yeah I'm sure. And I don't care, if I can't handle that then I'm not getting anywhere," he retorted as he took a stance. He knew how strong Krom was before, sure, but not how strong he might be now. He would find out pretty soon though, eyes widening in surprise when the Elite had seemingly teleported across the room and was now stood before him. Trying to react to the first punch he missed the block, groaning as he was clocked right across the face and stumbled back. Takeshi didn't go far though as another fist slammed into his gut, lifting him off of his feet briefly before he fell back down, clutching his stomach and trying to remain upright. Okay, maybe this had been a mistake. Collecting himself and struggling to remain level-headed he threw his own punch in retaliation, not bothering to reel back as he usually would for it.

Just what was it that had Shu so uneasy? Was the notion of discussing his problems really that unsettling? He could understand if someone was depressed or anxious then reliving or retelling events could be uncomfortable, but maybe there was more to it. It was highly possible he had some kind of PTSD too, though only time would tell whether that was the case. "Training and strength are not the only things that matter in this world Shu. And your brother does not stay by you simply because of training, he must enjoy it, don't you agree? It seems to me like he thinks you're anything but boring," Aito responded politely, "And for what it is worth, his methods of training are... Well frankly they're wrong. He seems to miss the point of training altogether, more intent on just pushing himself to exhaustion rather than refine anything. You'll understand if we train together." Working yourself to the bone then recovering was one way to train he supposed, but not a very reliable one. You would see improvements, yes, but minimal when compared to what you'd see with directed, intense training. "If you don't mind answering for me... How strong are you compared to, say... Yumi? Or the rest of your friends?" Aito asked thoughtfully with a smile, "Maybe you aren't as strong as your brother right now, but you're likely as strong, if not stronger, than the others."

[Mogtaki]

“Of course it would be a hassle! What if it just happens to break or something breaks it instead? What if I end up breaking it?? Having any sort of technology on me is always going to be a disadvantage no matter what it’s going to do”. Viral really didn’t want to have to have lots of different things on him all the time, he shouldn’t need any of this stuff that was being proposed to him and what was worse was Vegeta sounded like he was actually considering it. “In case you didn’t notice, I don’t have my belt when I transform. Hmph, I don’t even know what my third form is, nevermind getting an addon for my belt to help me last in a fight…” He didn’t have confidence technology could help him with his weakness either and there was always going to be flaws too so that didn’t help. With little confidence in technology that he was unfamiliar with already, he didn’t think such a thing would ever work for him. “Hmph, good to know you’ve always thought machines are your calling. Can see why you’d want that”. He wasn’t wholly surprised Vegeta had enough of him and wanted to move onto machines, especially when engineering often meant being alone. Just what he needed, to be alone again. Giving Vegeta an angry glare when he grabbed him he soon let out an annoyed sigh, looking away. “Fine! You pick the spot. I don’t care about where I sit or whatever, so…it’s just better to be far away from this place…”

“Heh! You’re absolutely sure you’re not? Guess you got lucky with finding your brother, even if the child becomes pure evil when he changes. Maybe it’s evil to tell him that happens to all Saiyans? Who knows, I’m not the one reinforcing that belief…” Krom wasn’t going to hold back against Takeshi if that was what he so wished, knowing it was probably for the best anyway to show him he wasn’t kidding when he was fully capable of teaching them all to get stronger. It wasn’t as if he was in the wrong, it was Takeshi who wanted this and if Aito just happened to come back to him and saw Takeshi bleeding on the floor; besides, he had witnesses what with that rebel and Frost Demon nearby. Moving straight in to Takeshi he moved with such speed and hit so hard that he managed to completely outdo Takeshi and punch him right across the face before crossing another hit into his gut. He wasn’t going to go easy on him, if he wanted to be challenged then he was going to give it to him. Watching as Takeshi made a poor attempt to kick he didn’t even block it, letting it hit off him before smirking. “Are you already regretting your wishes??” he grinned before throwing a punch one way before spinning around quickly to deliver a kick.

Shu did wonder if he was going to have nightmares after this game of theirs, feeling he might end up a little traumatised if he was unable to feel better about what happened. There was so much that could set off the bad dreams and he did hope he wouldn’t have to think about the stuff that made him incredibly uneasy. Pressing his fingers together briefly he looked up at Aito, frowning at his words before looking away again. “Oh gee, I hope I haven’t been making him think like that. I just wanted to help and get stronger too…” He had been training with Takeshi for so long that he didn’t think it wasn’t helping all that much. Sighing lightly he soon looked back to Aito, staring at him as he questioned how strong he thought he might be. “Ooh? Oh, Miss Yumi is very strong. I think she stronger than me. She kill massive giant before! Shu could never do that! Friend T’charrl could fight Krom so he very strong too, can’t even do that. Everyone so much stronger than Shu, even Takeshi’s friends. They train a lot! Mister Viral is not well, but he always much strong and fight giants too. No think Shu is as strong as everyone else, that seem strange to think if possible”.

[GambolMuse]

"Then we replace it, I don't see what's so bad about that. Scouters break all the time yet they're used because when they work, they work well. Machinery and gadgets breaking are a facet of life, it's why people are employed to fix them," Vegeta said indifferently, not quite understanding Viral's complaint, "It would be a small, unobtrusive device that could make a big difference in your fights, I fail to see a downside to that. And if transforming is the concern then I can work around it. Apply the device to a band made of the same material that Saiyan armor is crafted from, so it expands and retracts when you change. No tearing and the device remains on your person at all times." What was the big issue with that? The potential benefits of having a resistance to his weakness should be plenty to spring for the option, yet the Beastman seemed abhorrently against any such idea. It would be a situational item as well, something which would only be needed when fighting an enemy they knew could cause him great harm. Out of Viral's view he rolled his eyes, as though his tendency to lean towards engineering work was ever in question; it was his passion in Capsule Corporation as CEO, his passion growing up and still remained so now, hence his willingness to develop these technologies for Viral's sake. "Let's just focus on eating for now, hm? We can discuss potential solutions later," Vegeta said, redirecting Viral briefly before leading him outside the building and into the open space beyond the facility. There was plenty of open ground out here, and once they were past the benches and tables it was a little more natural and isolated, just how Viral liked it.

"I never went through it, so how does it happen to all Saiyans? And even if it does that doesn't help him with his problem any," Takeshi retorted, frowning as Krom continued talking, "Just shut up and do it already. We're not here to talk about Shu right now." He knew what he had asked for, and he was bracing for whatever the Elite had to offer him. They had fought Krom before though and other Elites, they had beaten all of them too, so how bad could it be? Well as it happened it could be very bad. He wasn't even able to see Krom move at first, barely following his Ki before he was struck across the face, nearly doubling over after when he was punched in the gut. Trying to throw a punch of his own he smirked when it connected, only to have the smirk wiped clean immediately when he saw landing the blow did absolute nothing. Grunting then when he was punched in the chest, Takeshi stumbled back and tried to guard, only to be kicked in the side and sent bouncing across the floor, hitting the wall soon after and collapsing in the corner. Damn it, why wasn't he able to hurt Krom?! He'd hit him clean and everything, yet the guy hadn't even budged! "Damn... Damn it damn it damn it!" he cursed, pushing himself to his hands and knees and punching the ground with every iteration, "I can't be that weak! I can't be..." How was he going to keep Shu safe if all he could do was make Krom flinch at best, or the others for that matter? Had he seriously been neglecting training that badly?

Aito wasn't going to comment whether Takeshi was right or not, having no desire to make either boy seem at fault here. The only thing that was clear is both boys lacked disciplined training, they had substance in regards to strength but no way of directing it. Calling the two of them almost berserk wouldn't be too far fetched, and indeed when Shu transformed it appeared as though he became precisely that. "The others have been trained to fight though, you haven't, not much. All the power in the world is pointless with no control of it," the doctor said carefully, glancing back at Shu before smiling slightly, "You're powerful Shu, I am certain of that. You only need to learn how to use that power is all, and you will. But before we worry about that, let's focus on making you feel better, hm?" Happiness should come before all else, lest whatever else they did feel empty as a result. Viral was a prime example of why someone should be happy, as even in his accomplishments he no longer found satisfaction, no optimism. Shu wasn't that bad still, but there was a very real concern he could be if not checked.

T'charrl was healing pretty well now, that was a relief. And with Haku keeping him company he ought not be too lonely, assuming those two got along okay. Kai and Choi were goofing off last she had seen them too, and goodness only knows where Kabocha had slithered off to. It was surprisingly difficult keeping track of everyone here on Uuonoe, everyone had gone off on their own it appeared and were doing their own thing. Yumi hadn't seen Vegeta or Viral all day, nor had she seen Takeshi or Shu for that matter. That quickly changed however as she stepped out of one of the facility's washrooms, spotting the younger boy and Aito coming towards her. Smiling cheerfully she finished drying her hands off on the sides of her pants, giving the pair a wave as she approached. "Well there's a sight for sore eyes, I was beginning to wonder where you had vanished to," she said as she stood before Shu, leaning over and reaching out to tap his nose playfully, "And where are you off to, hm? Is Aito being nice to you?"

"I assure you I'm taking every step necessary to be kind to Shu," Aito answered, smiling meekly when Yumi glanced up at him accusingly. "Honest, I've only offered to help him is all, we're heading to my office now for just that. And before you ask Takeshi is training, he'll be along before long I would imagine. I just figured it might be a good time for Shu to take a moment to practice some play therapy."

Hm, so Takeshi was off training and leaving Shu on his own huh? Typical, that knucklehead was more concerned with getting stronger it seemed. "To your office? That sounds great, I think I'll come along and help," Yumi said firmly, making it clear her joining was not up for discussion. Smiling again at Shu she reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders, getting eye to eye with him before laughing cheerfully. "Shu doesn't mind if I tag along, do you Shu? I can help make you feel more comfortable if you'd like."

[Mogtaki]

Viral growled in annoyance, trying hard not to snap at Vegeta for simply not getting what he was saying. It was hard to say he didn’t like the thought of having to rely on technology to survive, especially when Vegeta seemed so into it. “It doesn’t matter how it looks or acts or whatever! It’s the fact I would have to rely on it to be any good on the battlefield against weapons like that! It’s just frustrating…” It was probably difficult for him to understand because he had his little fascination with technology and probably wanted to use that fascination to test his ability to create. It was frustrating to have that laid on him already just with Vegeta confessing his desire to undertake engineering over anything else. It was unlikely Vegeta would ever understand why it was an annoyance to have that laid on him, that his suggestion to have a piece of technology stuck to him would ever annoy him. Feeling rather annoyed already he sighed when Vegeta was back to trying to control the situation, folding his arms as they walked. “Hmph, it doesn’t matter what I protest, you know you’ll always think you’re in the right with your suggestions”, he sighed, looking around the area, “Let’s just get this over with. I’m sick of the constant metallic taste in my mouth…”

Krom smirked; so it seemed Takeshi didn’t know that it was abnormal. Shame for him for teaching Shu that it was a normal thing for Saiyans and for Aito enabling too. That kid didn’t know anything at all it seemed which was slightly disturbing, knowing how the kid might feel if he ever found out he was an abnormality. Not wanting to get into more trouble with the rebels and Aito, however, Krom decided against telling Takeshi knowing he would start acting funny around Shu, ruining their plans. Concentrating on teaching Takeshi a thing or two about focus he didn’t hesitate to strike him hard, managing to hit Takeshi once more before kicking him away. Hearing Takeshi get frustrated after collecting himself he grinned as he only just started to lose it again, punching the floor in frustration. Sighing lightly he folded his arms, shifting on his foot. “You always completely forget I am the King’s right-hand! Of course I’m going to beat you if you insist on a challenge”, he spoke before he sighed, shaking his head, “As for weak, you don’t have to be if you just take heed of what I’m teaching you and focus. This training isn’t only for those monsters, but because you need to get stronger in general. There’s so many opponents out there that don’t use raw strength, those days have long gone. Power levels and all that…all complete nonsense nowadays. You want real strength? Then you’re going to have to listen to me”.

Shu didn’t know if he was just being humble but he was fairly certain he was not in the strongest, seeing how strong everyone else was compared to him. He didn’t get jealous of others for being strong, he just acknowledged it and was quite alright but not as good as everyone else. While it did make him a little sad that he could barely defend himself he still tried to see it as something not to be ashamed of. Looking to Aito when he tried to make him sound better than he probably was he gave him a little smile back, his gaze quickly dropping again. “Oooh, that sound like a big thing for me to be. I would like to feel better too, though…” he squeaked, pressing his fingers together, “I don’t know about powerful, I mean…I am little with no much muscle”.

Shu was too busy staring at his hands to see Yumi appear in the corridor, letting out a squeak at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t seen her for a while and immediately started bouncing on his toes, staring up at her with shaky hands. Yumi hadn’t popped along to see him in a while so it was always nice to see her, smiling up at her happily as she spoke to Aito. This was nice and hearing how she wanted to join him for his little session definitely made him happier, hoping things were going to be less nerve-wrecking if he had Yumi with him. “Ooh! I would like that. This all making me scared already, don’t want that. It play therapy thing! Not sound scary, but Shu be scared anyway…”

[GambolMuse]

"Well then... Consider the alternative? Nothing changes and you remain susceptible to those kinds of attacks. Which realistically speaking everyone has a weakness, and trying to eliminate the weakness often times opens new ones. All I'm saying is that there is a chance to minimize this single one, if you wanted to," Vegeta responded calmly, not exactly moved by Viral's frustration, "If you don't wish to use it then we won't, that's fine. I was just making it known that it's an option." Really it was a theoretical option as things stood anyways, he had yet to develop the technology they would need for it. It was possible of course, much in the same way one could erect a field to nullify most Ki based energies, but nothing like it had ever been created before. Viral would then be using the prototype of a new technology, and that was never exactly something which instilled confidence on the battlefield, test-running a new device. "I wouldn't say I'm always right... Just most of the time," the Saiyan joked, smiling slightly as he cut across the field in the back of the facility, "In all seriousness though I'm not always right and you know that. I would say I'm more confident than I am correct, certainly more fitting that way I'd think." Just like he was confident Viral would eat today, and confident that the Beastman would begin to recover in earnest now. Now that they had found a suitable location as well, a small alcove tucked away in the shade of some trees, they could try enjoying their meal. "Here we are, this ought to suffice," Vegeta noted, glancing around before nodding and taking a seat at the trunk of a tree, "Care to join me?"

Why was there such a big gap between them? He'd been fighting almost non-stop since leaving the military, he'd trained with Shu plenty often enough, so why? Why was Krom able to knock him around like this? He couldn't follow the guy's movements, his strike did nothing and he was getting absolutely pummeled just by one or two hits. It was humiliating frankly, he was completely unable to do anything against this creep right now. After venting some frustration he climbed back to his feet, feeling awfully dejected as he didn't even look at Krom when spoken to. "Great... So all of that doesn't matter now, that's wonderful," Takeshi grumbled as he rubbed at one of his arms, looking anywhere but at the Elite; it frustrated him quite a lot that Krom was being proven right here and he was in no position to make the man see it otherwise. "Fine, fine, I'll do what you say. If I can't even hit you then I'm screwed fighting other people..." Boy was it unpleasant to admit as much, but that was the truth of the matter wasn't it? When was the last time he had handily beaten someone by himself? Maybe the soldiers back on Kaesstra, but then they were basically primitive by comparison, what pride was there in defeating them? "About Shu... Should we tell him it's normal to change? That every Saiyan goes through it...?" Takeshi asked uncertainly, frowning as he finally looked up at Krom, "I don't want him to be so afraid, but I don't know what to do to help. Should we tell him that?"

"Well... You said Yumi was stronger than you, remember? But she doesn't look very muscular now does she? You don't need a lot of muscles to be strong, it's all about how you use what you have really." Again that notion of control and precision, being able to direct your strength. A physically weaker fighter could win with better training, as all it took was one decisive blow to bring down an opponent. He had seen it happen many times in the World Martial Arts tournament in years past, and even in his own experience of watching June fight. Sheer, raw physical power didn't determine the victor, rarely did it ever nowadays. "Shu, just raw power doesn't guarantee you'll win a fight. I'm not sure how you've been taught, but it's all about the way you fight, and how well you can adapt that makes a good fighter." Aito would have gone on if not for Yumi's sudden appearance, something which notably lifted Shu's spirits. Timing couldn't have been better on her part, he mused with a smile. The fact she wished to come along for the play therapy made it even better.

No complaints on Aito's part, not that she expected any, and Shu seemed more than happy at having her tag along. Having been busy with her own business lately she'd not seen much of the little boy, not nearly as much as she'd like to anyways; any chance to spend time with Shu then was nice, and he seemed to think so too. Smiling kindly as he expressed his worries, she reached out and placed a hand on top of his head to try and comfort him. "It won't be scary, it's really simple. Even I know what play therapy is," she explained, crouching down before playfully prodding Shu on his stomach, "We'll play with toys and make-believe we're doing something, and Aito is going to just watch and see how we play, that's all. No scary machines or hard questions or anything like that." She'd done similar exercises as a child and they had stuck with her, knowing personally how relieving it was to be able to do such an exercise. Springing back up to her feet, Yumi grabbed one of Shu's hands in her own and began pulling him along gently, letting Aito lead the way back to his office. "Maybe after we finish play we can go and get some fruit, how'd you like to do that?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral would rather learn how to tolerate a weakness than to have something that is essentially just holding off the problem, even if the problem was he didn’t have a clue how to tolerate the technology that was used against him. He didn’t want to encourage Vegeta to experiment on him with technology that would probably put him at a much higher risk of being injured if he relied on it too much. “I’ve already told you I don’t want to end up with a utility belt full of stuff and if you had your way with me you’d have all sorts of stuff stuck to me…” He knew there was a lot of problems he had to carry because of what he was, but the solution couldn’t be constant gadgets. He just wanted to be strong without all this constant need for external assistance, even if it probably wasn’t the wisest idea to rely on something that he had to have faith in himself. Groaning at Vegeta’s high self-esteem he simply looked away before being prompted by him that they had arrived at their intended destination, his eyes going to him quickly before to the spot he had chosen. He really wasn’t looking forward to this and simply watched as Vegeta sat down, frowning before he slowly made his way over too and reluctantly sat down by the tree as well. “Okay great…just great”, he grumbled, looking to the tray before sighing, “You know I already feel completely disgusted right now, like my throat is ready to close up and reject this stuff…”

Krom wasn’t going to play around with Takeshi if he asked for him to get serious and he was quite alright with showing him he wasn’t kidding when he held the title. They always thought he was weak just because he had been testing the kids before, even if the youngest had managed to scratch him up pretty bad. Shu was very strong when he was unleashing all his rage, probably too strong for that much anger to be unleashed all at once. He didn’t think Yamate could handle Shu very well considering how quickly he made the kid Takeshi’s problem back on the other planet. “It never mattered. All those stories of pure strength winning are all exaggerated. All the ones that used only their strength all failed in the end! The winners had much stronger forces behind them”. Takeshi certainly did try to rely too much on strength to win and that was always what screwed him up. “Good…heh, you know, maybe you’ll soon realise we’re not all that different like you may think”.

Laying off the kid for now he eventually looked back to Takeshi when he questioned the Shu problem, finding he was carrying a lot of worry with him about his brother. “Hm, so you do know it’s not normal”, he spoke, folding his arms, “The problem is the longer the truth is held from him, the worse the impact will be when it finally hits him. Maybe he’ll come to realise it on his own and that will make it easier for you, or he could end up fearing everything about himself and hate you for not telling him. Maybe he’ll figure it out for himself gradually once he realises the reason those scientists of Yamate’s were experimenting on him by trying to desperately gain control of his ability. Imagine that kind of strength under the control of those who wish to see how much destruction they could cause with it…”

Shu let out a squeak, his fists shaking momentarily. “I-I guess so! Takeshi always want to get muscle, so I thought that make you strong”, he spoke before shaking his head, “Very strong and much muscle! Thought Saiyans were like that, yes? Many Saiyans have a lot of muscle! But Shu no need that?” Shu didn’t know what he was supposed to believe, but if some people like Yumi could have no muscle mass and still be considered very strong then maybe there was some truth in it. With shaky hands he was certainly a little nervous, but having Yumi there might help calm him down. Smiling up at Yumi when she pet his head he raised his shoulders a little, squeaking when his stomach was prodded. “Ooh! Make-believe? Pretend? I guess so, just no want it to go bad…” Looking to Aito quickly he gasped when Yumi grabbed his hand, staring at it as he followed her along. He did hope it wasn’t going to be that bad, but with Yumi reassuring him that it was going to be okay he gave a little smile. “Ooh! Yes please! Play and fruit! Yummy food!”

[GambolMuse]

Vegeta had tried to reassure Viral his solutions would be invasive, yet the Beastman was still having none of it. There may well be a more organic, biological solution to his weakness and yet that was not within his expertise; their father would have to develop a "natural" resistance, doing such a thing was beyond him unfortunately. Relenting for the time being he pressed no further on the matter, nodding once to show his understanding before changing the subject to their meal. "I know it's going to be difficult, but just trust me here, okay? We'll take it slowly and in small portions, no reason to rush this," Vegeta explained as he began slicing apart the steak, setting the small chunks on one of the spare plates. "And we'll only eat until we don't feel the need to anymore, it doesn't have to be finished either. So don't feel compelled to have every little bit." Setting the plate with the well done cutlets before Viral, Vegeta helped himself to the other half of the steak itself, slowly slicing off pieces and testing it for himself. Certainly well done, no seasoning and a bit rough. Not his most pleasant of meals, but then it wasn't made for him now was it? Bland, well cooked and simple, just what Viral needed.

"I get it, I get it... Strength isn't everything," Takeshi grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest, sniffing indignantly as he turned his head away. So he'd just have to work at it more, what of it? Though he really wouldn't want to train with Krom still, he'd rather see if someone like Aito could make time to do it. Given how busy that guy was though the chances of him helping were slim to none. Shooting Krom a silent glare when he said they might be similar, the Prince shook his head once but said nothing, knowing for once speaking would only put himself further in the hole. Whatever similarities they might have didn't make them nearly enough alike to be on good terms, that much he knew; nothing was going to put him on good terms with Krom, not after everything that had happened. Having Shu brought up in conversation was never a good thing for him, bringing the inadequacies he felt over handling his sibling's situation bubbling to the surface. Letting out a sigh he acknowledged the problems the younger boy was facing, even asking Krom what he thought they should do. "So... Tell him it's not normal, but there's a way to help it...? I... I mean I figured he was happier thinking it was normal, you know?" Then again Shu did seem upset about it a lot, like he knew it wasn't the truth. Was getting mixed messages the reason he was so upset then? If that was true then it was all his fault Shu was such a worried mess, only furthering his guilt over the matter. "I should tell him..."

Yumi smiled with amusement at the conversation over muscle, catching just the tail end of it all. "Right, a lot of Saiyans just build up muscle to look tougher, it's to boost their egos," she added teasingly, raising one arm and placing a hand on her modest bicep, "But I can still fight them, big as they are! Know why? Because all the muscle in the world's pretty silly if you can't do much with it. I used to train against guys like that, they built up tons of muscle and were huge, but then they couldn't move fast or had no clue what to do with it, so I'd kick their butts every time." Besides she just couldn't imagine Shu being all muscled out and buff, he'd frankly look silly! Really though who of their group was all that muscled? Before he got sick Viral was probably the most toned, and even then he'd not been so strong solely because of that. Smiling as Aito began towards his office once more, Yumi grabbed Shu's hand in her own to pull him along, glancing back at him with an offer of fruit. "I thought you'd like that, fruit it is! We'll get some fruit and go outside to eat, sound good? Just you and me, we haven't had time to relax in a while."

Definitely a good thing Yumi was here, she seemed to have a wonderful calming effect on Shu. She'd prove to be invaluable then during the therapy, and perhaps afterwards he could track down Viral and check his progress. Hm... Before that though he should go and see T'charrl again, check to see how he was getting along. Not only that but he should see June as well, knowing she had gone into the city to lend a hand with relief efforts. So much to do and not enough time in the day, now he remembered the hassles he used to face back on Earth. Smiling to himself slightly he shook his head with a chuckle, coming to a slow stop as they had finally arrived at his temporary office. "And here we are Shu, hopefully you don't mind it too much, I've had to track down what I'd need and it's a bit of a mess." Opening the door revealed a spacious room beyond, with a plush carpet covering the floor, a desk at the head of the room with a window at its back, papers and folders stacked high in a clutter. Bookshelves with numerous volumes of Uuonian history, culture and medicine coupled with his own books from the ship were sorted along the walls, and two chests full of toys sat beside the shelves. Aside from a few tables here and there the room was markedly bare, nothing on the walls to decorate it. "Feel free to find a few toys you'd like, they were all donated by the locals here you see." He had seen a fair number of children since coming here, helping to explain and cope with the events of the latest attack. Most had fared well it seemed, having amazing support at home, but there were a few who would be repeat clients for some time.

[Mogtaki]

Viral knew this was going to be one of his biggest challenges yet, even if it was simple with near enough everyone having to eat eventually. He couldn’t last on solar energy forever, especially when his muscles were so weak and probably looking worse for the wear. He was not certain about his future regarding this and was just as well trying it now and seeing what happened later. If Aito and Vegeta were able to stop him if he got out of hand then that would be good for them, but bad for him. He didn’t want to go mental after eating again and was about ready to give up on his journey to becoming better altogether if this was just going to go so awfully wrong. Staring at the food as Vegeta sliced it up he slowly looked to Vegeta as he spoke, deeply frowning. “If I am unable to get started, just start shoving it in my mouth”, he spoke before he looked away, folding his arms lightly, “I am not sure if I am just going to end up rejecting the food. It’s hard to tell whether the medicine is strong enough to stop me from going mental too. Hmph, who would think something as simple as cooked flesh would be the hardest part of this…”

Krom didn’t think he’d get it through to Takeshi even if he continued to try and force it into his head that strength wasn’t what turned the tide in a battle. There was always going to be different types of strength whether it was speed of intelligence, but Takeshi always seemed to like the thought of getting stronger because that was the best solution. He knew from experience that it was not and even if it took a long time to get it through to Takeshi he would still continue to drill it in every time they trained. It was his goal to get them to fighting standards and do the job the King assigned him to, not much else to it. “Hmm, maybe you will be a good Prince after all. Not soon, but eventually…”

As he looked away briefly he was soon brought to look back to Takeshi, frowning when he mentioned his brother’s problem again and how he might have to approach it. It was a complicated subject and a rather difficult problem to fix, especially when the kid was so sensitive about it and having all these people around him unable to help him just made it worse. Narrowing his gaze when Takeshi seemed to come to a conclusion he eventually sighed, shrugging lightly. “Well, it’s not normal for Saiyans, but for him it’s normal so there’s no way to cure it, you know? It’s not something you can do, though”, he sighed, scratching his chin, “There’s probably a way to tell him, but to tell him he’s an abnormality is probably not the best way to go about it. What he needs is some control, not chaos that comes with being told he’s a freak. You’ve never had to be told you’re a monster, have you? Even your planet is familiar with Saiyans considering the history our kind have there…”

Shu wasn’t sure if he would ever get some muscle, mainly concerned with looking really out of the ordinary if he ever got it. He was a little Saiyan and to have a little Saiyan with a lot of muscle would probably look fairly weird. The most muscle he probably had was in his tail, seeing how it was a little thicker than some of the Saiyan tails he had seen where they were quite happy to wrap it around themselves and never use it at all. “Ooh! How you beat them…? It sounds scary!” he squeaked, disliking the image he was conjuring from it, “Miss Yumi very strong, yes! If I did that, might end up running away because big scary people…” Being dragged along by Yumi he felt pretty happy over the thought that he would be getting fruit after this, even if he was supposed to be training. He probably wasn’t going to get much use out of training if he could barely land a hit against the one who was supposed to train him, thinking he was probably not cut out for training if that was the case. “Ooh! Yeah! I want fruit and I want cuddle, okay? I feel bad after today. Shu’s not very good at training…”

Shu was feeling a little better about this play therapy now that Yumi was here, feeling he hadn’t spent enough time with her to feel relaxed. He was a little scared that he wasn’t going to be able to get through it, but now that Yumi was here he might be able to feel more relaxed about being near Aito who was still a bit of a stranger to him. Staring at the door as Aito gave a little warning about the state of his room before peaking in as he opened it, tilting a little to the side to see inside. It certainly looked rather busy with a lot of stuff he didn’t really understand, but when he saw the toy chests he bounced on his toes. Smiling happily, he listened to Aito before looking up to Yumi, taking little bounces towards the chests. “Ooh! Ooh! We pick toys! Not seen so many before!"

[GambolMuse]

Surprisingly enough they had settled down to eat, which for a moment Vegeta was skeptical even that much would be accomplished. Yet here they were, the food uncovered and being divided out for consumption even now; Viral still had to actually eat, and overcoming that hurdle was the biggest test here. "Force feeding won't help much, I hope you know that. It was to be of your own free will, otherwise you're liable to... Reject the food." Throw it up, transform, simply gag and refuse to eat more, take your pick and it was a potential reaction. Everything they might possibly do to make this easier on the Beastman had been seen to, now it was up to him to actually eat the meal. "You should be able to do it, just don't think of it as that. If it helps don't even look at the food as you eat, just eat it. There's no flavor and the consistency hardly resembles what you'd be used to back home."

By now Takeshi was reluctantly accepting the reality that he was inferior here. All of his big talk amounted to nothing, and for all of his strength he was about as threatening as a baby against Krom, what a humiliating revelation to have. If strength meant next to nothing then he'd wasted years just building up strength for nothing; in effect he was just like Shu now, completely hapless when it came to a fight and more a liability than an asset. "Tch... I don't care about being a Prince, that doesn't mean anything to me," Takeshi replied with disdain, reaching up and itching at his nose, "Even if all the stuff you said is true, the Saiyans have still done shitty stuff. I want nothing to do with that, even after all of this ends." Someone else could be a Prince for all he cared, he was fine with just being Shu's brother and friends to the others around them. Shifting uncomfortably at hearing Krom speak about Shu, the older boy had to grab at his own sides and shift his weight to try and relax. The idea that there might be no helping Shu made him nauseous beyond measure, and he couldn't fathom telling his brother as much. "So what do we do then? What the hell do I do? I hate feeling this useless!" Takeshi snapped, scowling before looking back at Krom, "And I have been called a monster before, plenty of times. I don't care though, people can call me whatever they want, it doesn't make me one."

"Beating big people is easy, you just have to know how," Yumi said knowingly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "Big people are usually slower, and even if they're not, they aren't as flexible. If you can figure out where to hit someone where they can't hit you back, then size doesn't mean a thing." Plus there were ways to deflect powerful strikes and use their momentum against them, things she'd been taught when sparring with larger students over her years. Someone like Krom who was a good head and a half taller than her could probably defeat her handily, but that was only if he could actually hit her. Maybe she could track down that man later and get him to show Shu just what she meant, if he would be willing to play along. "Fruit and cuddle? Fine by me, I'd be happy to do that. And how about we try training together, would you like that too? I'd be happy to train with you." She hadn't done terribly much herself as of late, and training with someone like Shu, someone who wouldn't take it so seriously, was a pretty good way to ease herself back into things. Waiting for Aito to let them into his office, she only took a brief glance around before Shu rushed over to the toy chest, smiling endearingly as he began looking through them. "Pick whatever ones are your favorites Shu, it'll be more fun that way!"