An Idol (OPEN 1/2)

The streets were swarmed with a sea of people. Gyoza frowned as he slipped through the crowd. He was jostled here or there, though it didn’t budge the teen an inch. Most of the crowd parted to let him through, eyes widening at his size though he wore a school uniform. Slipping past a group of excited school girls, he stood in the middle of the sidewalk and looked around, one hand clutching the strap of the backpack casually slung over his shoulder.

“How the heck am I supposed to get home like this?” He frowned, scratching idly at the side of his face. “Grandpa doesn’t want me flying without a good reason. Hrm…”

He clutched a pair of steaming fried buns in his left hand. Raising it to his lips, he took a big bite and chewed, his brow furrowed as Gyoza deliberated his next move. He was always eating something; his body required a vast number of calories for upkeep. He tried to keep a careful watch on his macronutrients, but his grandfather’s strict diet wasn’t easy to follow.

Sneaking a fried treat every now and again was okay, right? Especially if he burned off the calories afterwards. A glance at his watch revealed he’d be late for training if he didn’t get a move on. Stuffing the buns in his mouth, Gyoza offered muffled apologies as he barreled his way through the crowds.

He didn’t see the happily skipping Majin until it was too late to avoid a collision.

---

6,000 PL (Base)

He frowned and lowered his backpack from his shoulder to the ground. It was little more than a paperweight to him, but it was stuffed with a number of heavy textbooks most people would have trouble lifting. Gyoza glanced aside, blushing lightly at the chiding of the white Majin. She scanned him and determined his power level, something the Majin insisted could be dangerous if he didn't learn to suppress it.

Suppress his power? His grandfather had been trying to teach him how to do that for years. It felt like a wellspring gushing powerful waters that could scarcely be contained. For that reason he purposefully avoided conflict with strangers; it was far too easy to hurt someone by mistake.

"Yeah... tell me about it..." He gave a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his head before meeting the Majin's gaze. "If I could control it, I would. The more I train, the stronger I seem to get but as far as controlling my ki in that way..." Gyoza shrugged. "It's not really my thing. At least, not without a LOT more training, yanno?"

"Whoops. Sorry. I forgot my manners." He bent at the waist, head bowed in contrition. "Forgive me, lady! I wasn't trying to be rude—just in a hurry to train. My grandpa gets a stick up his butt about it when I'm late." He rose to his full height once more. "I'm Gyoza Tienshao. Nice to meet ya. And you are...?"

---

Hers was a bubbly, infectious personality. Everything Sugar said and did was done with a childish flourish; strange as it was, it was also rather refreshing. Yongshao was a strict, dedicated individual. Gyoza couldn't even recall a time he saw his grandfather smile. Sugar, on the other hand, was fully of vivacious energy. She not only accepted his apology, but she even offered to train with him if he didn't have far to go. "W-Wow! That'd be awesome!" He could scarcely contain his excitement, though his goofy grin soon faded. "Except... grandpa doesn't want me supplementing my training with anyone else. Unless..."

Gyoza had no doubt in his mind his grandfather was strong and capable. He'd won a number of local and regional martial arts tournament in his prime. But at Gyoza's current pace, he knew he would soon outpace his grandfather. He was a freak of nature, somehow blessed with the strength of the gods themselves.

Gyoza didn't want any obstacles in his path to reaching even stronger capabilities. Majins were unique creatures; if Sugar could show him something as useful as placing voluntary restraint on his own power, then he could spar more without fear of harming others. It was worth a shot. "You know what? Let's go for it. Grandpa might be mad but he'll get over it. Especially if I can show him I learned something new." Gyoza gave a light hop, drifting up into the air as he pointed off in the distance. "I know of a quiet place where we can practice. Follow me!"

He took off in flight, hoping Sugar would follow close behind.

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