With Gandigan's time on Namek coming to an end, the Namekian wanted to wrap up a few things before departing. One of those things was continuing the training with the Saiyan Gira, whom he might be seeing for the last time. The last time he saw her had been during his coronation; she had spoken up in his defense when Gandigan's claim had been challenged before going off to fight with Zuci and Cabasa. Gandigan hadn't quite seen how that had ended yet, though as far as he knew everyone had made it out alive.
While their first bit of training had been done at the Shrine of Porunga, Gandigan this time decided to head out to the Whistling Caves where they could each show off their new found strength without having to fear any risk to the shrine. Gandigan had grown immensely since the last time the two had fought each other, but he expected that Gira was much stronger too. Enough to keep up with him without holding back? Probably not, but that was fine. He needed every little bit of help he could get, and more experience fighting Saiyans was always useful.
"Gira. This is Gandigan speaking. If you can hear me, please come to the Whistling Caves. Follow my energy and you should find it easily enough. Once you arrive we can continue our training."
Gira had found a quiet spot to train for what would be her final time doing so on this planet. After that, it was just a matter of saying her goodbyes to the people she had met and who had influenced her a lot. Namek itself with its tranquil atmosphere was conducive to intense, focused training, the young Saiyan from Earth found that it was the people themselves that truly pushed her to the next level. When she first came to this planet, she had lived a sheltered existence that led to her feeling like she didn't belong anywhere else. However, after meeting Gan-sensei, Nero, Zuci, and even Cabasa, she had finally found her confidence and with it, the inner peace that she had been seeking when she first touched down here on this very spot that day. The teen chuckled lightly, reminiscing on a time that seemed so long ago. She then looked down at her final task before training could begin. In her hands was a dark purple training gi, and Gira was putting the finishing touches on the front; a patch in the upper left, depicting the Mazoku sigil that she had spotted during her sensei's coronation. She had been searching for a way to thank Gandigan and show her respect for him, and she could think of no better way than wearing the insignia of the clan he now ruled. She was going to be sure to find him first so that she could show him.
However, just as she finished her work and put the gi on, she heard the voice of her sensei in her mind, communicating with her with his telepathy. He wanted her to meet him in a set of caves to continue their training, saying that she should be able to find them easily enough by following his power. The young Saiyan opened up her sixth sense, searching through the ambient ki on the planet in an attempt to find her sensei's energy, very quickly doing so. Gira could tell that he had grown stronger by leaps and bounds since their last meeting. Gira was slightly ashamed at her own comparatively minor growth in power. With her new goal to attain the form of Super Saiyan before Zuci, however, she knew that would change very quickly. Now that she had attained her goal of gaining control over her anger, she was going to pursue gaining strength with the exact same ferocity. Gira took a moment to admire her new gi in the mirror before sending Gan a telepathic message in reply. 'Found ya, sensei! I'm on my way.' stepping out of her ship, Gira turned in the direction of her sensei's energy before taking off into the sky. She had not flown long when she spotted the caves Gan mentioned. His energy signature in the area made it obvious that this was where he was. Landing on the ground and taking a few steps into the cave, she admired the enormity of it all before her steps led her to Gan.
"Yo, sensei!" Spotting the Mazoku King, Gira at first gave him a smile and a friendly wave before realizing his new position and stiffening up like a soldier at attention, giving her sensei a respectful bow. "I mean, good day... Mr... King Gandigan-sensei... sir." She never had the occasion to stand before royalty up until this moment, and she was entirely unprepared on the proper etiquette.
Gandigan sat alone for maybe ten minutes before he felt Gira's power coming his way. He was a little disappointed that she hadn't grown as much as he thought she might, though he didn't plan to tell that to her face. Progress was never linear as he had found out himself recently. Despite the massive growth in power since the first time the two had met, Gandigan had found his more recent training to be less fruitful despite the hard effort he was putting in every day.
The young Saiyan quickly rushed in to greet the Namekian King, showing off a new outfit which was embroiled with the Mazoku symbol. Having people bow to greet him was something he was having to get used to, though he wasn't expecting it from Gira. "I am not King of the universe, Gira; I have no formal authority over you." Gandigan had expected the two of them to train, though first he was curious to know what had happened after Gira and the others departed from his coronation.
"Speaking of my Kingship: what happened with you, Cabasa, Zuci and Nero? I understand that there was some sort of conflict that broke out, but I didn't catch all of the details."
Gira blushed with embarrassment when her sensei brought to her attention that he was not technically her King, and therefore she didn’t need to act so formally. "Oh, yeah, of course!" Laughing nervously, she continued to approach, taking a seat next to him on the cavern floor. He asked about what happened with the battle she and Cabasa fought with Zuci. Gira grinned with pride, ready to recount the tale to Gandigan. “That was one heck of a battle. That Zuci girl is really strong. She transformed into a giant monkey and we were kinda on the backfoot for a sec, but then I had an idea to build up my energy and unleash it in one giant burst. Y’know, like I did with you when we trained last. So I had Cabasa keep Zuci busy cuz I noticed she got some kind of kick out of toying with her. I thought it was unlikely that she’d die, but I was prepared to jump in if I was wrong.” Gira took a deep breath. She had been speaking quickly, excited to tell her sensei the story of her first serious battle. After a long gasp, she continued.
“It’s tricky though, cuz I can’t really select my targets very well with that one. But I really wanted to use it anyway, cuz I thought it was my best chance to win. Cabasa though… I wasn’t sure she’d be able to survive it. And with Zuci charging up a powerful attack of her own, it wasn’t looking good for her. I promised no one was gonna die, though. And I really wanted to keep that promise, so I switched tactics. You probably know this already cuz you’re familiar with Saiyans, but a Saiyan with a tail has some disadvantages. I can access my full power while maintaining my size for the most part, but she can’t. Ever drop an aspirin in a shag carpet? That was my idea. ‘Cept, unlike an aspirin, I can run and hide. I hid my energy and retreated to a cave in the thickest part of the forest while I built my power and Cabasa kept her busy.” Gira grinned cheekily as she got to what she viewed as the best part of the story.
“When I felt her building up her attack, I left my hiding spot and picked a new one closer to the action so I could be ready at a moment’s notice to ambush her. I didn’t expect her to simply spray her ki over the entire area I was in though. That threw me for a loop for sure. Cost me my element of surprise too. I tossed up a Banzai Bubble to protect myself as much as possible, but it didn’t do me much good. I thought for sure I was dead there for a second. But once I realized I was alive, I hid my energy again and executed my ambush. That attack was devastating though. Like, I could barely move afterwards. I had to move my body with nothing more than ki and adrenaline. I shot like a rocket right into her back with a huge punch, pouring more energy than I even knew I had into it. I actually managed to throw her up in the air, which surprised me. It was what I wanted though because I needed to take advantage of a tailed Saiyan’s second disadvantage; her tail itself. By throwing her up in the air, I guaranteed myself a clean shot right at the base of her tail. She had no energy left after that whole ordeal either, so she didn’t have a chance to defend herself there. I took aim, charging up an uber-powerful Justice Cannon and sending it her way…” She paused for dramatic effect.
“And BULLSEYE!!! Right at the base of the tail. Blew it clean off. No tail, no giant monkey.” Gira nodded assuredly. “After that, the win was pretty much mine. I could barely move, but I could hold on to my full power still, so I could hit like a tank if need be. Cabasa reeeeeally wanted me to kill her once I won though. Like, even tried to tell me you’d be proud of me if I did. I knew that wasn’t true though. And like I said, no one was gonna die that day. I worried what she might do when she learned I had no plans to kill my newest friend, but luckily, Nero showed up and took control. Healed Zuci and I, plus fixed the damage to the area from our battle. I left after that, but…” Gira furrowed her brow with concern. “I sensed something weird as I was making my way back to my ship. It felt like Cabasa… kinda? But, like, way more ominous. I kinda wish I stayed longer. But Nero was still way stronger than whatever I felt.” She sighed, then looked up at Gan-sensei and smiled. “But hey, I owe my win to you. You’re the one that taught me pretty much every tactic and way of thinking I used in that battle.”
When Gandigan had asked what had happened, he only meant the outcome; he hadn't expected Gira to give such a detailed account of everything little detail from the battle. In any case, it lined up with what he had heard from Cabasa and Nero. He wasn't quite sure how to approach his response, considering what kind of person Gira was. In truth, if Cabasa had killed Zuci it would have been probably a good thing in the long term, but that wasn't anything that Gira would want to hear.
"Be careful about Zuci. You may both be Saiyans, but your upbringings are very different. On Earth, you were taught things that Zuci wasn't, just like Zuci was taught things on Plant. She's a full blooded Saiyan in every sense of the word, which means she loves to fight above all else. That can lead to troubling situations if you aren't careful. And the same goes for Cabasa: that Mazoku is probably even more dangerous than Zuci is, despite it's proclamations of loyalty to me."
Gandigan didn't have all that many people he could trust. He felt like Marimba was the only one who's mind was truly aligned with his; even Nero would have objections to some of Gandigan's thoughts if he spoke all of them to him. "There's something you should know: I'm planning on leaving Namek soon. There's a Saiyan by the name of Lottus who posses a threat to us all. I plan on finding him and eliminating him before he turns his attention to Namek. I don't know what plans you have for your own future, but I'd like to ask that you stay on Namek for a week or so, just until I get back. With me being gone the planet has lost one of it's defenders, and it could be at risk."
Gira nodded at Gandigan's warning about Zuci, saying that even though they were both Saiyans, their upbringing couldn't be any more different. She could understand why he'd give her such a warning. Zuci definitely wasn't someone you would invite over for tea and sweet cakes, but Gira preferred to look at the sort of person someone could be rather than the sort of person they were in the moment. Naïve? Definitely. But that was just the sort of person Gira was; always willing to see the good in someone before the bad. Her mother always told her that this was her gift; the ability to discern the inner beauty of who someone could be from the outer ugliness of who they were. This gift could prove to be a curse in time. Gira had not dealt with people like Cabasa and Zuci pretty much at all in her life. It remained to be seen if the young Saiyan's hopeful, rosy view of people would survive her grand tour.
Then came something the young woman found very significant. Her sensei was asking her to stay on Namek for the time being while he visited Plant, the Saiyan home world, for the purposes of eliminating a potential threat to Namek in the form of a Saiyan named Lottus. This caused her to begin thinking more deeply about Saiyans generally. Of course she was going to agree to stay here and help defend Namek. She didn't have to think at all about that. This planet, its people-- Nero and Gan-sensei included-- they've done so much for her. She was happy to begin paying them back immediately. However, he was going to the Saiyan home world to fight (and probably kill) a Saiyan who was a threat to Namek. She kept hearing about her race and how they were a danger. She gulped, thinking about what that meant for her. "Of course, sensei. You can count on me. With me 'n' Nero, we'll be more than enough to keep this place safe. But... um..." She wasn't quite sure how to word the question she really wanted to ask, but she tried her best. "Sensei? Are all Saiyans... bad? Is there something in us that makes us wanna destroy everything? To be honest... i've felt these same urges my whole life." She sighed.
"On Earth, I do superhero stuff. Save people, rescue kittens from trees, all that. On my first job, I was foiling a bank robbery when I one of the robbers caught me by surprise and I kinda... I dunno. I hurt him bad. I definitely broke several bones and I didn't even try to. I was shocked and I felt sick, but I also felt powerful. I didn't want to feel that way. What I did was terrible. All he had was a gun, I didn't have to--" Realizing she was getting off track, Gira realigned her mind. "I don't wanna like hurting people. I like fighting, but not to hurt my opponent. I just wanna test myself and keep improving. But if all Saiyans eventually go down the path of destruction like Zuci or this Lottus guy, is that gonna be me one day too?" She paused, trying to stop running away from the real question. The one she truly wanted to ask. "One day, if I give into it, are you gonna have to come to Earth and kill me too?" She loved sparring with her sensei, but the thought of the two of them in a life or death battle didn't make her excited. It made her sad.
Gira's question was a sensitive one, and one he wasn't even sure if he knew how to answer. His experience with Saiyan's thus far had been a mostly negative one, though it was still quite limited on the whole. He hadn't traveled over all of Plant, nor had he interacted with every single Saiyan. And when it came to the debate on nature vs nurture... well, he wasn't too studied in that department either. Still he knew that Gira would want some sort of answer, and he had thought about this before.
"Is every Saiyan bad? I don't think so Gira, however you must understand a few things about their kind. The Saiyan culture breeds fighters like Zuci. People who are hungry to test themselves in battle and who look down upon those who can't. It's been a part of their culture for as long as anyone can remember. Some Saiyan's would probably go as far as to say that it's in their blood. Whether that last part is true I can't say, but it's no unnatural for any strong warrior to have those sort of feelings."
Most people with strength wanted to use it; even Gandigan felt the same from time to time. "The power to destroy can be intoxicating to same, like Lottus. He's been driven made by it, though I expect that many in his situation regardless of whether or not they were a Saiyan would feel the same." Her last question was the most difficult to answer; something he hadn't ever thought about before.
"I don't think that's going to happen. You never received the same sort of... development that other Saiyan's back on Plant did. But... I'll do whatever it took to defend Namek. The reason why I'm going after Lottus is that he has his eyes set on Namek because of me. I have to take him down before he moves on us."
Gira listened intently to Gandigan's answer to her question, and his words enheartened her somewhat. He did imply that if there was a world out there where Gira did indeed fall to brutality like Lottus, that Gandigan would do what he had to do to protect Namek. But he also stated that it wouldn't be necessary for him to kill her. If Gira's sensei had faith in her, then shouldn't she also have faith in herself? Did evil really worry about being good? Gira didn't think so. Giving Gandigan a nod, her smile returned. "Thanks. I feel better now. I'm gonna keep fighting against that part of my nature. Cuz I know i'll be able to overcome it." Giving him an encouraging thumbs up, she proceeded to reaffirm her faith in him. "I know you can do it, sensei. This Lottus guy doesn't know whose home he's messing with." Standing from her seated position, Gira began to stretch as if anticipating a fight soon. "I was gonna go back to Earth for a bit and then continue on to somewhere else, but seeing as how i'm gonna be getting comfortable here for awhile, how about I show you what i've learned since fighting Zuci and learning from Nero?" Last time they sparred, before the coronation, the Mazoku warrior had counseled Gira on developing more offensive moves. Since they last met, she had done just that. Now she had a suite of offensive and defensive moves. She hoped at least that would impress him. "I'm interested to see if you've got any new stuff too. You've gotten way stronger at least. More than I thought possible if i'm being honest. Hard to believe you're the same person. I gotta admit, this is something i'm really looking forward to."
Gandigan wished that he could share Gira's optimism. The young Saiyan was so sheltered; she hadn't seen anything like Lottus before. He was a monster that warmed up on planets so that he could ripe through galaxies. The best odds he could hope for were fifty fifty, yet as long as there was a chance he could win he had to take it. "Lottus will be taken down. One way or the other." If he failed then the it would fall onto the warriors of Namek to stop him.
Gandigan felt bad about interrupting Gira's plans to return to Earth, but given the circumstances he felt as though he had no other choice. "I should only be gone for a week or so. And once I'm back Namek will be in safe hands once more." Unless he failed. But best not to think on that possibility too much.
"More sparring, aye? As it so happens I have developed so new techniques that I think could be effective, though I've yet to actually put them into use. I could do with an opportunity to do so. Why don't you start by showing me what new level of power you have; once I see I'll try to match yours and then we can begin on equal footing."
Gira nodded in barely contained excitement as Gan-sensei told her to power up to her maximum. Not only was this her chance to show her sensei how much she had grown her power since they last met, but she could also show him that she learned to get a handle on the irresistible rage that came with her full power. Wasting no time, Gira tensed up her muscles and raised her power to its maximum with a low growl. Her muscles bulged, her hair stood up on end, and her eyes turned a bright gold as a bright green aura erupted around her, but she maintained a calm, cool demeanor. "What do you think, sensei? I've been training quite a bit since we fought last." This journey on Namek had changed Gira in more ways than one. She wouldn't have imagined before this that she could gain so much strength in such a short amount of time. More than strength, however, she also felt a clarity about herself that she hadn't known since she was born. With that clarity, however, came questions. Questions that would have to wait for later. For now, she faced down her sensei, waiting for him to reciprocate her increase in power with one of his own. While Gira was impressed with her own growth, she knew that it would pale in comparison to what her sensei could pull out. She had caught a glimpse of his full power during their first meeting, and he had gotten far stronger since then.
Gira's maximum power was even greater than he could have imagined, though she still fell short of the Mazoku lord and Marimba. He wondered how strong Zuci must have been to not be defeated by Gira and Cabasa; had that Saiyan been hiding her true power from him as well? To make this a fair fight he was going to have to use more of his own power than he had anticipated, though that was no problem with him. He was eager to put this strength to the test.
"Impressive growth in a short amount of time. But having strength and knowing how to use it aren't always the same. Let's see how well you can put that strength into use." Gandigan transformed himself, quickly bringing his power down to match Gira. The Mazoku Lord wasn't going to waste any more time talking; he was eager to see Gira in combat, and was quick to move first to start things off.
Extending his right arm out in front of him, Gandigan brought his left arm forward and grabbed hold of his right wrist. "Now let's see how much you've really learnt in your training." Placing one foot back before slightly kneeling, Gandigan would dig himself into the ground and fire his Nerugi wave at Gira.
Gira nodded enthusiastically at her sensei's praise. She was glad to know that she wasn't the only one impressed with how much she had grown in so short a time. The young warrior also agreed with what her sensei said about the difference between having strength and knowing how to use it. That was a lesson she had learned while she was here; that power was more than a number on a scouter display or a feeling in the back of her mind. There was no accounting for bravery, cleverness, or technique with that method. All of these were just as important as raw strength. Gira might say that they were even more important after everything she witnessed. As her mentor transformed and lowered his power to match hers, Gira readied herself for his opening move. To her surprise, he opened with something she did not recall seeing before, extending one of his arms and grabbing hold of his wrist in a stance slightly reminiscent of part of her own Justice Cannon technique. Anchoring himself to the ground, however, he would unleash a devastating wave of ki in the young Saiyan's direction. 'Jeez, no starting small for you, huh?' She grinned with excitement. Time to unveil her first new technique.
As her sensei's attack barreled towards her, Gira remained calm, raising her hands in front of her chest and placing the tips of her fingers' together, forming some kind of pyramid shape. With such a powerful attack headed her direction, she had little choice in her response. She could attempt to raise her energy and throw back an attack with just as much power behind it... but if she did that, her energy would take a pretty big hit, and there was no guarantee she'd escape unscathed. Gira knew that she couldn't avoid it either. The chances were good that her sensei would see an Afterimage coming. He was wise to her old tricks at this point. However, If she couldn't avoid it, then she'd respond with something else. Her sensei was aware of this technique, but she wouldn't be using it like she did last time. "Banzai Bubble!" Remaining calm, she allowed a translucent bubble of ki to surround her, shielding her from the brunt of her sensei's technique. She saw the bubble deforming. There was no time. She had to act now. Sweeping her hands out in front of her in a circular motion, Gira brought her wrists together, hands cupped. "Ka... me..."
Holding on to the shield and continuing to pump more power into it, she quickly built energy for one of her newest techniques, a blue orb of ki growing between her palms. "Ha... me..." Then her shield broke, the heat of her sensei's ki singeing her hair and leaving her with black patches of soot on her face and gi. She still had the strength to fight, however. "HAAAAA!!!" Throwing her hands out in front of her, hands still cupped, Gira unleashed a wave of bluish white ki towards Gandigan.
Gira pulled out a technique that Gandigan remembered seeing before, though he couldn't recall the name. This defensive maneuver surrounded the young Saiyan in a protective bubble against his Nerugi Wave, though some amount of his attack still bled through. Gira's fighting style was very... different from Lottus's. The Saiyan warlord almost liked taking attacks head on, as though absorbing damage some how made him more powerful. He wondered whether that was something specific to Lottus or if it was how all Saiyans learned to fight on Plant.
As much as he hated to admit it, it also made Gira a poor sparring partner in terms of preparing for Lottus. He couldn't ask her to change her style either, as it would have been putting her in an unnecessary amount of risk. Very few people were capable of fighting like Lottus; to take punishment the way he did required great strength and fortitude of which very few warriors were able to match.
As Gira's Kamehameha wave came in, Gandigan brought his arms up and tanked the attack dead on, allowing the energy to crash into him without any proper defense. It was a new technique from Gira (as far as he could recall) and one that had potential, though he found himself taking it well enough. "That's good, Gira. I hope that's not all you have for me today."
It was time for Gandigan to show something else that was new, and probably something that Gira would never suspect. Gandigan would bring each arm up, rapidly stretching them out to either side of him where each would grab onto a tree. Slowly he would walk backwards, increasing the stretch on his arms until they couldn't take any more. Only then did he let go, launching himself head first into the Saiyan.
'Yes!' Gira couldn't help but celebrate when her Kamehameha collided with Gan in a direct hit. She knew all those martial arts tapes and magazines she brought from Earth would help! The Kamehameha was a technique created by the Turtle School, who Gira herself found a lot of affinity with. Their style of fighting and living meshed with her perfectly. She had bought tapes and magazines years ago, but this was the first time she actually bothered trying to learn from them. Her sensei asked if that was all she had to show him, causing the Saiyan to grin in response. "No way! I'm just getting started!" She had another technique she was saving, but that was for a little ways down the road. For now, it was time to enjoy the time she had with her sensei. She readied herself for his next move, but Gandigan was doing something that Gira found odd. Stretching his arms out and grabbing onto two trees, he slowly began walking backwards. The young Saiyan watched with a mix of confusion and curiosity. She knew she should probably stop him, but the Saiyan had to see what he was planning. Unfortunately for her, the answer would be coming soon. Letting go of the tree, the Namekian flew towards his student like a ball bearing fired from a slingshot. His head collided with the girl's nose, blood spewing as she was sent flying backwards into hard stone, her body creating a crater shaped to it perfectly. Standing from the spot where she landed and wiping the blood from her nose, Gira stretched and cracked her neck. Giving her sensei a brief smile, she vanished from where she was standing and reappeared in front of him, aiming to throw an elbow into his face, following up with a punch to the gut before attempting to sweep his legs out from under him and send him into the ground with a hammer blow from both fists.
Gandigan's slingshot attack worked perfectly, colliding into the face of Gira with a hard thud and sending the young Saiyan flying backwards. It maybe seemed a bit excessive to use such a technique in a spar, but Gandigan was confident that Gira would be able to handle it. Indeed she was back to her feet rather quickly, and wasted no time moving on the offensive. One moment she was near out of the sight, and the next she had appeared in front of Gandigan, driving an elbow into the Namekian's face.
That was followed up with a punch to the gut that had Gandigan keel over, but the Mazoku King was able to leap over the incoming sweep and jump behind Gira. From there Gandigan spun around and begun his own onslaught, throwing a heavy variety of strikes at Gira aimed to tire the Saiyan out. He threw punches, elbows, kicks, knees and just about every other sort of strike he could think of. None were thrown with heavy power, but that wasn't their purpose.
Gandigan now wanted to try and test out something he had learnt while sparring against Ticoga. The Arcosian had struck against a weak point of Gandigan that left the Namekian feeling tired for a few seconds. The Mazoku now tried to do the same, finishing off his combo by aiming a chop down the back of Gira's neck.
Oct 20, 2024 18:31:30 GMT -5
Marimba: Yep. Better than ever too.
Oct 20, 2024 21:26:39 GMT -5
Rhuba: I wish I saw Marimba talk more in the Discord.
Oct 21, 2024 16:21:05 GMT -5
Yakito: Marimbus will perish by my hands.
Oct 22, 2024 2:13:57 GMT -5
Chomei: Marimbus will persevere by my hands.
Oct 22, 2024 4:38:31 GMT -5
Rhuba: Why is he preserving your hand?
Oct 22, 2024 15:18:52 GMT -5
Pom: Maybe he likes it?
Oct 22, 2024 17:04:34 GMT -5
Marimba: It'll come in handy some day
Oct 23, 2024 12:26:15 GMT -5
Mister Steel: Chomei's estate is vast, and marriage into the family can only benefit Marimba with access to cattle, pasture land, and much grain to feed his armies.