Chapter Text
About five days have passed since starting at Orange Star, and I have a few opinions on the place.
School was just about as annoying and boring as it had been the first time I did it, maybe a little bit more considering my head start in this life. Having already had a college education gave me a distinct edge that, while not making everything a total breeze, did allow me to get ahead of my academic pears quite quickly. I only had to study something occasionally and it would usually stick pretty well in my mind, which meant that our first week of lectures only classes went by with little difficulty.
Some of the classes did up the difficulty a little bit, such as our defense against magicians course. Though, that was largely due to the fact that I didn’t have the talent for the mystical arts.
There were, however, a few upsides.
“Mmmhmmm! Finally, some good food!” I exclaimed in-between mouthfuls of noodles. The cafeteria was abuzz with activity, different cliques forming at various tables in some sort of invisible pecking order. Mu and I elected to just sit down at a relatively empty corner of the room, away from the rowdier masses of students.
“Are you sure you’re not secretly a Saiyan?” Mu asked curiously, his own lunch being a simple glass of water. “You are uh… eating quite a lot.”
“Hmm?” I quirked an eyebrow and finished chewing. “No, I’m pretty sure. I eat a lot for a human, but it’s not anywhere near what the average Saiyan can shove down their gullets. Just look over there.”
I pointed to one table across the room, piled high with dozens of different dishes. Each plate and bowl being licked clean by a hoard of tailed warriors. The sight of so much food-based carnage could easily make someone lose their appetite, but thankfully I was used to the sight by now, and I just went back to my own plates of delicious grub.
Mu made a small noise of disgust, looking away and covering his peripherals with a hand.
“Can we just talk about something else right now? I don’t really want to look at… that, any longer than I already have.” I placed the tips of my chopsticks to my chin, thinking for a second.
“Well, I have been meaning to talk to you about using one of the gravity chambers. Getting used to fighting in higher gravity would go a long way in boosting our physical strength, if you haven’t already done it.”
Conton City actually did have some gravity chambers that were open to rent for Orange Star students and Time Patrollers alike, courtesy of Capsule Corp. (as usual). They costed a pretty Zeni to use, but thankfully that was by the hour rather than by how many people were using the chamber. If the two of us pooled our incomes together, we can rent one for a few days of the week.
“I haven’t had an opportunity to use the gravity rooms for myself, but I have heard of them. Usually they reach around 150 times Earth’s gravity, right?” At my nod, Mu continued. “When should we meet to use one?”
“Well, we have our first practical class this afternoon.” I took a dumpling from another plate, spinning it in front of my face as I spoke. “We have no idea what our teacher has planned for us, so we have to assume we’ll be thrown into the deep end. Which means it’s probably for the best if we have some recovery time, just in case.”
“It seems a little early to say that, but if you really think so then-“ Mu was cut off as a pair of fists slammed down onto our table, sending a couple of plates flying upwards.
“Oh shi-“ My hands blurred as I began snatching plates and food out of the air. Time seemed to freeze as I grabbed every dumpling and noodle one by one at a blazing speed. As I did so I vaguely remembered a scene from an anime long ago where something similar happened with a chip bag, though I remember it ending with someone getting hurt?
Eh, probably not important.
“Oh man, saved ‘em!” I exclaimed, only to look up to see Mu and a very angry looking Son Bra looking at me. “What? I don’t usually get good food at home, okay! And why are you even here lady? We’re not bothering anybody.”
“You! I- you! I can’t believe you’re acting like this!” A bright yellow aura briefly shined around the girl, causing all of the noise to instantly turn to silence. “Do you seriously think you can act like this and just not have consequences?”
“Consequences? For what?” I asked, feeling just a little annoyed by her… whatever this was. And boy, did my response tick her off. For a split second it looked like she was genuinely ready to explode, but she was able to get a handle on her emotions after a minute.
“Look, you’ve done nothing but be a sarcastic asshole since the moment we’ve all started here. You have no respect for anyone and expect to get a free ride into the Time Patrol just because you’re somewhat academic. If you actually think that you’ll be able to skirt by with a pathetic power like yours, then I will personally show you just how out of your depth you are.” I quirked an eyebrow, before lifting my chopsticks towards her.
“Actually, I think I know better than anybody here just what kind of shit I’m getting into.” After saying that I looked back to my food, picked up a bundle of noodles. “Out there in the sands of time there are demon kings, alien emperors, dark mystic, murderous androids, and thousands of other threats that have me beaten in almost every department. I don’t have the power of the Zenkai, the ability to make Dragon Balls, or absorb damage like a bunk of bubble gum. No, I’m a simple human.”
Bra raised her eyebrows, knocked off guard by my claim. “Then you-“
“But I also have an advantage they don’t.” I interrupted the girl. “This school. This place, gives me the once in a lifetime opportunity to grow past all those threats. To meet people and go places that will let me ascend past my current level. There are more powers in this vast universe than just Super Saiyan.”
“And on another note. You call me a sarcastic asshole, but wouldn’t you punch someone if they hit you first?” I put the chopsticks full of noodles in my mouth. “You haventh really been an embothyment of kinthness.”
“Please swallow before speaking.” Mu requested, his disgusted face returning. I obliged and swallowed.
“Right, sorry.”
“I-uh, you-I.” Bra cut herself off, deciding to cut her losses and began to storm off. Before she was out of ear shot, she looked over her shoulder with a one-eyed glare. “If you want to be that way, fine. But don’t get pissed at me when you get ripped limb from limb.”
Then she left the room, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
“…What’s her problem?” Mu asked, watching the door she left from.
“She’s a spoiled brat who thinks that she can do anything without consequences.” I say simply, picking up my nearly empty plates. I’d pack the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, since school will be off. “I doubt she even realizes her hypocrisy even though I threw it straight in her face.”
“I see…” Mu then looked back at me. “What is a ‘spoiled brat’?”
Oh boy…
“So, these parents don’t have any means of controlling their child’s poor behavior?”
“Oh they do, they’re just usually too afraid of the kid throwing a massive fit or just don’t care enough to stop it. At least that’s how it usually is. You can’t really make that kind of broad statement about every parent child dynamic.”
“Still, the whole idea that a child’s unchecked behavior can control so much of a family’s lives. Back in the village everyone usually worked together to get everything done, the children included. There isn’t really an environment for anyone to grow into a uhh, ‘spoiled brat’ as you say.”
“And that, Mu, is yet another reason Namekians have the superior society.” I chuckled a little as we walked back into the classroom, moving past the various gaggles of students in order to get back to our normal seats. Everything seemed to be more subdued than normal, and I noticed a couple of our classmates looking at us before trying to look away before we noticed.
That doesn’t work of course, I could see them trying to look anywhere but me. To be honest I’d rather have them glaring right at me than have to deal with these playground whispering games again.
Alright, if they’re gonna play, I’m gonna enjoy a little game of ninja.
I sent a trickle of ki into my ears, feeling the world open up to me. It was a little trick I had discovered when I was still experimenting with my powers, to enhance my senses through ki alone. It’s not exactly an easy power to use (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nearly blown out my eardrums), but the ability to listen in on secret conversations was still pretty useful.
“Did you hear that guy, talking to Bra like that?”
“I know right? He’s being so bold for a guy with a power level of only 400.”
“Bold is definitely a way to put it. If he’s not careful she might get her dad involved.”
“No way, man. Vegito wouldn’t waste his time on a guy like that.”
“Vegito?!” I hissed to myself in shock. How in the hell was she the daughter of Vegito? Wasn’t there supposed to be a time limit on the Potara for non-Kais? “First the Heeters and now this? What is going on?”
“Hm, what’s wrong?” I turned to see Mu with a concerned face.
“Oh no, it’s nothing.” An awkward smile forced its way onto my face, my fingers fidgeting as I tried to hide my slip-up.
Once again, the Namekian seemed to see through my lie.
“Riiiiight. Regardless, we should focus. The next class is going to be starting soon.” The ki flowing to my ears cut off as I leaned back. The reminder sent ideas abuzz in my brain about what exactly our teachers were planning. If I had to guess, it’d probably be something surrounding ki attacks or energy manipulation in general. The school’s website said that our curriculum included practical battles, but there’s no way they’d throw us off the deep end like that, right?
The door to the classroom swung open right as the bell rung, two pairs of footsteps echoing over the remaining whispers and gossip. Maguro-Sensei entered with the same calm and collected aura I’ve come to expect, but I was completely dumbfounded by the person walking in besides him.
“Hey everybody, hope you’re all ready for today’s lesson!” A cheery looking Saiyan exclaimed, giving us a small wave when he came to a stop. Nobody said anything for a moment, but I could tell that all thoughts ceased as the same sentence screamed in our minds.
Shallot, the Toki Toki City Hero, had just walked in the room.
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!?” Even with my enhancement technique turned off, I had to cover my ears as all of the students erupted with noise. Next to me, Mu was also having a similar issue as he also covered his ears from the sudden noise.
“Alright alright everyone! Calm down please!” The Time Patroller pleaded; his hands held up in front of him to try to quiet the energetic students. I looked around to see that the only Bra and the kai were calm in the face of this surprise, besides the two of us. Though given the way Bra’s posture shot up, she wasn’t expecting the city’s most famous hero to stop by.
Shallot was… an interesting piece of lore, both in the Dragon Ball franchise and within Conton city. If my faded memory serves me right, Shallot wasn’t even a character in Xenoverse, instead being the main protagonist of Dragon Ball Legends. I don’t remember the actual story of Legends, but I’m sure he was crazy overpowered like all Dragon Ball game characters were.
Here though, Shallot’s life sounded like the plot of an anime – ironic, I know. He was originally born to low level Saiyans before Planet Vegeta’s destruction, and grew up mostly working as a chef since he was considered too weak to conquer planets.
That was until he was summoned by Trunk’s wish on the Dragon Balls, and he was immediately enrolled in the Time Patrol. The actual details get a little fuzzy from there, but Shallot went on to become the strongest member of the Time Patrol, defeating Demigra and saving Toki Toki.
To make a short explanation even shorter, Shallot is basically the Superman of Conton.
After what felt like several minutes of incoherent shouting and question’s being lobbed at the warrior, her was finally able to get the class quiet again. When he did, Maguro-Sensei stepped up and began speaking.
“As many of you are well aware, today marks the first day of practical lessons.” Everyone listened with rapt attention, the Saiyans in particular focusing for the first time since school started. Of course they’d lock in and focus at the first whiff of a fight. “Please follow us, this will require us to leave school grounds.”
We ended up hanging towards the back of the crowd, both because we were the last to leave as well as the fact that we didn’t want to get stuck in the crowd of people fawning over Shallot. Our class was being lead across the city, with a few ordinary citizens catching sight of the hero, and having a similar freakout as our fellow classmates.
Thankfully the general populous were kind enough not to crowd the man, and let him and Maguro lead us to a familiar area. I had spent days in my past life here, trying over and over again to get a Z score on missions, or just to get that one piece of clothing I wanted.
“Welcome everyone to the Time Desk!” Is that really what they call it? Nobody had a better name for this little section of the city? “This is the place where most Time Patrollers get their missions from, as well as take mock quests and rank examinations!”
Shallot’s boisterous announcement seemed to make most of the class even more excited, now actually seeming to pique the interests of the other species. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the kai wearing a gleeful smile. Huh, guess we might be getting into actual combat after all?
“For our first day together, we’ll de diving into one of the biggest difficulties Time Patrollers encounter while on duty.” A holographic display lit up, showing an image of a panicking Time Patroller accidentally punching a hole through Saiyan Saga Vegeta. A few people wince at the sight, and Shallot’s smile tones down into a more serious look.
“As a Time Patroller, you’ll be expected to join into battles across many points in history, and not every time period is created equal.” The screen changed again, showing a different patroller punching First Form Frieza’s head off… gross. “By the time you’ve graduated, you’ll all be a fair bit stronger than most enemies can handle. And that’s why we’re here.”
Once more a new image popped up on display, and I reeled back a bit at the sight of what seemed to be ten or so Saibamen all trying to swarm someone as they were in the middle of launching a ki blast. At first I wondered if the guy was too weak to beat them, but that look of concentration didn’t really look like someone who was out of his depth.
“This exercise is what we like to call Saiba Surprise-“
“Only you call it that.” Maguro muttered.
“-And in it you’ll be tasked with beating as many Saibamen as possible in a randomly chosen environment.” Shallot continued without missing a beat. A lot of the students suddenly seemed disappointed, likely since Saibamen… were really weak compared to almost all of the students here besides myself.
“The only restriction is that you’re not allowed to kill any of the Saibamen, only knock them unconscious. Kill more than three Saibamen and your time will be cut short.” So all of this is an exercise in control? That makes more sense than throwing us into mock missions. “You’re all free to partner up with someone or go at it alone, just let us know who you’re teaming up with before we send you in.”
Most of the class decided to take the challenge alone, only a few of the more passive races deciding to team up with each other. I noted how a few of the Namekian warriors gestured to Mu, but ultimately the didn’t invite him to join them. Oh well, their loss.
Thankfully, the Dragon Clan member wasn’t opposed to teaming up. While both of us were sure that he’s already strong enough to easily handle the power of a Saibaman, there was still a safety in having someone watching your back. Didn’t want to risk having one of them surprise us with a self-destruct move.
“So the two of you are together?” Shallot looked at us with his arms crossed, a smile once more stuck to his face. “Pretty interesting combo you’ve got there! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Dragon Clan member ever take up fighting. I’m looking forward to what you guys have in store.”
“Thank you, Shallot-Sensei. We’ll be sure not to disappoint.” The man just waved my words off, his grin not moving an inch.
“Don’t worry about impressing me, kid. Just focus on doing your best. This exercise is a lot harder than most people think.” I didn’t reply anymore, just giving a simple nod and walking off towards the desk.
Oddly enough the setup was the same as it was in the game, with two different pairs of receptionists depending on whether or not you were with a group. As we waited in line, I noticed a few people in the solo line looking right at me, before looking away hurriedly.
“…Do these guys really think I can’t see them staring at me?” I asked out loud, and I could see a few people flinch.
“Well you don’t really pay attention to what people say most of the time, but a lot of them think you’re trying to rival Son Bra.” Mu said, and I raised an eyebrow in response.
“Why would I care about rivaling her? I barely know anything about her. If anything, you’re my rival. I only really compare myself to you and try to be a better fighter than I was yesterday.” Thankfully the girl in question had already been teleported to… wherever the robots are sending us to for this test. “Besides, she’s not really what’d I’d consider ‘rival material’. Yeah, she’s strong, but she doesn’t have any of the finesse or control I focus on in a rival. Power isn’t something I really look at.”
“Hmph.” Mu grunted in agreement. “I figured that’s what you’d say, but that doesn’t stop rumors from spreading.”
“Why do you even listen to them?”
“I can’t not listen to them.” He replied simply, pointing to his pointed ears.
“Ah, right.” Super hearing. Useful in most combat scenarios, but not when trying to ignore people. “On a different note, do you have any suggestions for strategies?”
“I have been learning Magic Materialization from our village elder, but all I can manage right now is making simple clothing. Nowhere near combat ready.” I clicked my tongue. Being able to weight down the little green creatures with giant weights would have been useful, but it seems life isn’t so simple.
“Too bad neither of us know the Galactic Donut technique either. We’ll just need to knock them out instead.” I stretched an arm over my chest, feeling the muscles pull juuuuust enough to loosen them. We stepped up to greet the little receptionist robot. There weren’t any words exchanged between the machine and us, and before we knew it we were covered by a flash of light.
When it dissipated we were standing in a long stretch of grassy fields, occasionally peppered with large plateaus. Both of us dropped into guarded stances, our senses spread out over the area. Reaching down, I pulled out and placed the scouter on my face.
“Alright, so I don’t know how long we have until those gremlins start showing up. So let’s try to plan things out while we still can.” I looked over the landscape again, trying to find anything of note. “There’s not very much terrain to take advantage of, but there are a few points we can use to loop around and lead the Saibamen into a trap.”
“There are also a few rivers out that way.” Mu pointed in a direction, and I squinted my eyes to see that, yes, there were indeed some small rivers in the distance. “We can dive into the water if we really need to, and create an opportunity to either run away or attack them from a different direction.”
“Problem is we don’t know how deep the water is from here, and there’s no way of knowing without going over to check which may not be a good-“
Beep! Be-Beep!
My senses alerted me just a split second after the scouter, different energies sprouting up all around us. Fingers tensed as a familiar red ki covered my hands. Earth started bursting upwards as little green men emerged from the newly created holes.
“GRNYAAAAAAH!!!” Oh god, they sound as guttural and disgusting as they did in the games too. Freaky cabbage heads erupted upwards into the air, their eyes quickly homing in on us. The cultivated lifeforms putting off an air of bloodlust that permeated their energy. I could feel their desire to kill us.
“Ge gah, grah!” My scouter pinged again, displaying a bunch of numbers over each of the Saibamen.
1,200
900
1,100
600
850
“Hey Mu, watch yourself. These things have totally different Power Levels.” I hadn’t even felt the difference. Was this intentional?
“Must be a way to test our ability to adapt our strength between different leveled opponents.” The Namek commented, and I definitely couldn’t deny the possibility.
“Regardless if it is or not, be careful. We don’t want to get stopped early because one of the weaker ones got caught up in our attacks.”
“What about you, Leva. Most of them are still way stronger than you.” I starred up at the teal man, checking my own power and his own.
475
7,030
“…If I can survive fighting you, even holding back… I think I’ll be fine against them.”
“Ah, sorry. I forgot.” He said awkwardly, and my eye twitched a bit at his admission. We didn’t focus on it, the cackling of the monsters taking up most of our attention. “I see eight so far. I’ll take the four on the left, and you take the four on the right?”
“Even split down the middle?” Well, it wasn’t exactly even. The ones on my side were mostly the stronger ones. I wasn’t gonna mention that, though. “Sounds like a plan to me!”
“Good.”
“HOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHH!” With a yell our combined power surged outwards, and we charged into the group of devilish creatures. The Saibamen responded in kind, running at us with the familiar clanking of their clawed feet. I held an aura encased palm in front of me, ready to deal the first blow.
A few moments later, and we were right in the fight.
“Hm? That Namekian is doing really good.” Shallot commented, standing up straighter as he and Maguro watched each student on the digital screen. “It’s only been a few minutes and he’s already gotten twelve Saibamen? It’s not the most I’ve seen, but he’s keeping up with Bra and Wairu.”
“It is impressive, yes. But don’t forget that Mu is partnered up with the Earthling, Leva. That number is from the combined efforts of the two of them.” Maguro admonished, and the Saiyan quirked an eyebrow.
“Yeah, you say that. I just don’t get what you see in him. His ki control is fantastic, yes, but his power and number of techniques is way lower than everyone else in the class. His Power Level is the lowest ever recorded in an accepted student.” Shallot shook his head, eyes turning back to watch the various battles. “Maybe I’m just not as good of a mentor as you?”
“No,” the fishy alien denied immediately. “You just haven’t seen the things I’ve seen… Watch.”
The hero continued to keep an eye on Leva’s display, surrounded by a group of grinning Saibamen. The boy looked unimpressed, his red ki blades ready to strike. He took a deep breath, and Shallot noticed his Power Level fluctuate. It was spasming between a steady level of 475 and peaking near 4,700.
The second his power reached that peak, he rushed forwards. His sudden boost in speed taking the Saibamen off guard. Before any of his enemies could react, Leva slammed both of his ki blade encased hands down onto the cabbage like head of his opponent.
“SOUND BREATHING 1st FORM: ROAR!” A small explosion was set off from the impact, obscuring the aftermath of the boy’s attack. Shallot watched the Saibaman’s Power Level drop from 900 to 300, whilst the Earthling’s own power continued to fluctuate above that.
When the smoke dissipated, Shallot saw the unconscious form of the little green man.
“He beat an opponent that was close to twice as strong as himself, and with one hit too.” He couldn’t help but mutter in surprise. Granted, it was just a Saibaman. They aren’t exactly known for being extremely durable, but still…
“You forget Shallot,” the tailed-man turned back to Maguro, who was now watching the Earthling start to dispatch the rest of his opponents one by one. “Many of the strongest martial artists are able to grow beyond their limits due to their ki control. I believe you’ve fought against Goku enough times to know how his Kamehameha works, yes?”
The Saiyan was about to respond, but stopped as his thoughts wandered to his time as a Patroller, before he was a hero. It was true, many of his greatest opponents became far more powerful when unleashing their strongest attacks. And it wasn’t just Goku that popped into Shallot’s mind. People like Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, and even Yamcha could practically double their power when unleashing their strongest attacks.
Then he realized something was different, different about the Earthling’s attack.
“Usually when people unleash those kinds of attacks, they’re left weaker than before. The power behind those technique put too much stress on their bodies.” The two teachers watched as Leva flew into another Saibaman, unleashing his powerful technique once more. “He doesn’t seem to be getting tired from his. If anything, it seems to make him a little bit stronger.”
“Correct, a very strange yet powerful technique. To be able to boost his strength so much with such little downside? But it’s not just the technique itself, its his mastery of his energy and body.” Maguro raised a hand before Shallot could question him. “Just watch.”
While Leva was attacking one of the cultivated creatures, another tried to leap up from behind him in a move intimately familiar to any Patroller who had travelled to the Saiyan attack on Earth. The Saibaman was going to try to blow itself up and take Leva down with it. Shallot’s eyes widened in a panic, there was no way he could survive being on the receiving end of that attack! He lunged forwards to try to stop the exercise before-
“HAAAAAAA!!” Leva’s upper body spun around without missing a beat, and he let out a one-handed blast that engulfed the monster in its entirety. Its death would count against them, but it would also be their first strike of three, so they still had some room for mistakes. Even as the Earthling’s attack was being unleashed on the one behind him, his legs still moved on the ground, bringing him closer to his original target even as they tried to make space.
“Woah…” Shallot couldn’t help but mutter, his hand still hovering over the emergency stop button. “He didn’t even hesitate. Did you see this happen already?”
“Hmm… Perhaps.” Maguro’s eye shined a little, a small give away of his power.
“Stupid future seeing psychics.” Shallot muttered quietly too himself, stepping away from the exercise’s emergency system to stand back next to said psychic.
“I am only looking out for our students. It was only a lucky opportunity that I get to teach my fellow instructor something along the way.” The fish man stood up straighter, catching the grumbling hero’s attention. “Now then, it appears our first round of students are about to go over their limits. I assume you have an end of class lecture ready for them?”
Shallot shuffled awkwardly under the alien’s knowing gaze, not saying anything.
“Haaaah, I thought so.” Maguro sighed in disappointment.
“Heey. It’s not like I didn’t want to.” The warrior defended. “Trunks and Lady Chronoa pulled me for a mission and I didn’t have time to write one! Come on! Don’t look at me like that! Come ooooonnn!”
