Finding Your Way

    Lottus' retaliation overtook one of the Namekians, sending them slamming to the dirt. Lottus smirks and turns to the other two - but senses a strong power incoming! Lottus looks up just as the clouds part, revealing a titanic being! The fist that comes down fully overtakes Lottus, obliterating the ground around him! Energy explodes around him, and bursts towards the sky!

    But Lottus was not so easily taken. He had nearly perfected the Super Saiyan form, and had raised his power just before impact. As the dark energy geyser dies down, a new golden energy bursts through the rubble! Lottus stands up, damaged but far, far from defeated. Blood trickles down his chin, but he seems unconcerned.

    "Ahhh, you're a big insect. Come to be squashed?" he'd say, smirking. "You might remember me, but I don't remember you. You must not have been much to remember before. But by all means - come take a piece. I'll gladly see what you can do, before you die."

    It was at that moment, that the other two warriors rushed towards Lottus! He grins at them as they fly - to him, they may as well have been walking. They were far, far too slow. Gira was the first to reach Lottus, attacking pitifully and spouting emotional nonsense at him. Lottus merely laughs in Gira's face, amused by her anger and her determination. Not a single strike thrown at Lottus would land its mark - ki blasts from Gira and from Cabasa were merely sidestepped, or easily swatted away as if they were little more than annoying flies.

    "It feels like you're in over your head, insect. Your precious King chose to come after me alone - and got what was coming to him for it. He thought he was ready, SURPRISE!!" Lottus cackles at Gira. Suddenly, Lottus would vanish - reappearing directly behind Cabasa. "Under my boot it is - I'll savor the sound of your skulls popping."

    In a blur, Lottus would bring his left knee up at Cabasa's spine, and immediately turns to Gira, firing a single Ki ball in her direction! With the addition of the much stronger Namekian, this was about to become a fun little beatdown!

---

The first thing Gira sensed from Lottus was a sudden increase in power, far beyond anything she had felt before. This gave her pause, as she stopped firing for a moment to see what her opponent was up to. That's when she saw him standing there, golden hair to match the aura of power surrounding him. The young Saiyan warrior had never seen a Super Saiyan before, but there was no doubt in her mind that this was it. For a brief moment in the battle, she forgot herself and her situation and merely gazed in a mixture of awe and fear at the other Saiyan. Thanks to this momentary lapse of rage, Cabasa's attempt to get the young warrior to control herself caused Gira to snap out of it for a moment. Looking over at Cabasa, Gira nodded. 'Angry and precise. Right.' That was when she noticed that the other Namekian, Cello, had fallen. She could still sense his energy, but it was very faint. However, it was steady. He would live, thankfully. But they had to be careful not to get him in the crossfire. She turned back to the Super Saiyan, trying to get a hold of herself. Meeting Lottus here, like this... while she figured that she shouldn't be that surprised, she didn't think they would be fighting so soon. She thought that maybe she'd at least have time to process her emotions and prepare herself mentally, if not physically. Looking down at Lottus when he responded to her outburst, she scowled.

"Yeah. I know i'm in over my head. I'm not even as strong as Gan-sensei. I'm not a Super Saiyan. Honestly, it's stupid for me to even try to fight you." She paused, trying to push down the emotions that threatened to take her over again. "But I don't care! I'm not just gonna let you kill my sensei and get away with it!" Then the Super Saiyan was gone, vanished into thin air. The Saiyan could still sense the energy of her opponent, however, and detected where he reappeared. Turning her attention towards Cabasa, she moved to intercept the blow headed her way, but Marimba was way ahead of her, intercepting with a knee of his own. This gave Gira just enough time to respond to the ki attack headed in her direction. Putting her hands out in front of her, she caught the ball in them. However, the power behind the blast was more than expected, and it began to push her backwards without showing any sign of slowing down. Roaring with great effort, Gira managed to lift the sphere over her head, stopping her flight and causing the attack to streak over her, leaving the Saiyan hanging in the air. Gira let out a heavy breath, then winced from a sudden stinging pain in her hands. Looking down, she saw that Lottus's ki attack had left her palms burned. With a clear head, Gira finally took a moment to truly attempt to understand the Super Saiyan's power.

In comparison to her own strength, his felt endless. Trying to fight against it would be like trying to fight gravity or some other force of nature. Like throwing a pebble at a tank; a futile effort. Racing back to the battle, she stopped close to her original position. "Good to see you, Marimba. Having you here doesn't hurt our odds." She said before giving him a weary smile, then looking back at Cabasa. "You remember Gan-sensei's coronation? When we fought Zuci? Think that'll work here?" Now that she was thinking clearer, Gira was grasping desperately for some sort of plan. Her thoughts were all happening at the same time. Taking advantage of the Saiyan love for dragging out their battles worked well enough against Zuci, but Lottus was a different beast entirely. Superficially, Zuci and Lottus had a few similarities. However, Zuci was a good person at heart. Lottus... Lottus was pure chaos. He destroyed and murdered with glee, high on his own power because he knew no one could stop him from doing as he pleased. That worldview scared Gira more than any amount of power could... and such a person wouldn't be as likely to drag out a battle in the same way Zuci did. Whoever was left to face him would essentially be left to die. Gira wouldn't allow that. Not on her account. "It's a stupid question, huh?" She finally said to her Mazoku sister before letting out a dejected sigh. "I wish Gan-sensei were here."

Floundering back and forth between anger and despair, the young Saiyan's power also waxed and waned with her emotions. Most who knew Gira would consider this uncharacteristic of her. Her best friend, Kaci always said that nothing could break Gira's spirit. While her spirit wasn't broken quite yet, it was close. What the Saiyan was learning now was that it was easy to stand by your principles when they stood unchallenged.  It just remained to be seen if she could overcome this grief and despair and continue to stand by them.

---

Combat Statistics

Power Level: 337,310 (Awakened Fury)
HP: 270 / 270 | KP: 6 / 6 (+2) | MP: 4 / 6 (+1) 

Resources: Saiyan Pride | Burning Ki


Gira is going through it! (no action taken)

Transcendent agony was how he'd describe the feeling going through his body right now. Even as his regenerative capabilities kicked in, the large scale namekian could only sit there and watch as the warriors did battle. Taking the brief respite, of being ignored like a rodent, to heal himself. The pain was unbearable, truly, and it wasn't like he could really add much to the battle raging on. No, Cello sat there, bloodied, and watching. Rather, observing. Taking in the sheer tremendous output of power that radiated not off this 'saiyan' or the alien whom also seemed to be of the same ilk, no...of his kin. Marimba, and Cabasa. Mazoku of a different design, a different apperance, but Mazoku all the same.

He could feel their tremendous strength, their motivations, their determination, even from here. It was...wonderful. Though it was simply a testament to their ability, he had one thought that now radiated over him beyond all others. Weakness. He had been too weak to aide, and while this had come off to be a training to prepare for this exact person, He now felt cast to the wayside, and unable to really offer anything. So? What would he do? 

Well...He'd managed to survive. That was the first thing...and slowly, he'd rise to his feet. Bringing his hands together before him, he began to charge all of his energy that he held into an attack...though this would take some time...

    Lottus looks back at his handiwork, and throws his head back in a loud cackle!

    "Gahahaha!! Look at that - you're not half the warrior you think you are!" Lottus laughs - though, he was impressed by the Namekian's resilience despite being cleaved in two by his Ki Blade. But his battle with Gandigan already informed the Saiyan that Marimba would soon be regenerating. And sure enough, Marimba formed a new lower half! "Let's see what taking of your head next will do!"

    At that point, other things came into play - Lottus listens to Marimba's directions, and turns to look at Gira.

    "Oh, yes, let's see what little plan you have cooked up!" Lottus laughs mockingly. He turns to Gira, and opens his arms wide receptively, giving her a clear shot at him. "Come on, then!"

    But Gira would not be the only one attacking - the withering, strange energy is joined from separate blasts by the other two Namekians! Cackling, Lottus stands still as the blasts all converge upon him! The area where Lottus stands erupts in a bright flash of flame and a dome of energy forms for a moment before exploding! The blast forms a mushroom cloud of smoke and blazing flames that reaches high towards the clouds.

    After a few moments, the smoke around Lottus blasts away! His golden energy blazes bright and malicious in defiance of the attacks thrown at him. Something they did managed to stick, even if they hadn't really hurt him. He felt weakened - but not by much. Not by enough for it to matter. He pats the soot off his armor, and turns to Marimba.

    "That was it? Your big plan? Pathetic." Lottus mocks. He looks back at Cabasa. "You may be strong amongst your people - maybe even compared to some of mine. But before me, you are nothing."

    Lottus faces Marimba fully, an amused, mocking look in his expression.

    "You underestimate my battle experience. Those three just threw everything they had at me - all so that your little flute could do something to me. But you - you are reserving your energy, I can feel it." Lottus appraises. "So, what's next? You'll hit me for everything you have? You don't stand a chance against me, even now. But by all means - do your worst."

    Again, Lottus holds out his arms invitingly, this time to Marimba.

---

"YES!!!" Gira had no choice but to audibly celebrate their successful ambush. The young Saiyan looked on in anticipation at the cloud that formed from their attacks. That assault hadn't been enough to finish him. Not by a long shot. Something was different about his energy though. All three of them had each managed to land a decisive blow. And whatever Marimba had Gira do, it had managed to actually lower Lottus's power. "Hell yeah! Nice one!" She gave Marimba a thumbs up. The Super Saiyan then blasted the smoke away with the sheer force of his power, causing Gira to raise her arms to keep the debris out of her eyes. She looked back at Lottus, her spirits raised slightly by the outcome of their plan. In spite of it, however, he remained absolutely confident. Was he putting on a front? They had managed better than she expected so far. He called their plan pathetic though, to which Gira smiled slightly. "You say that, but I can feel your energy. You're not as strong as you were before. It might not be by much, but we've blunted your edge a little bit." The young Saiyan readied herself. Now was their chance. She had used her energy to lower the Saiyan's power, but that didn't mean she was useless in this. While they capitalized on the Super Saiyan's slightly weakened state, she could still provide support.

She didn't expect Marimba to show off such incredible power, however. There was no time to gawk, however. She had to do her best as well. With a mighty roar, Gira's green aura erupted around her. Even if they lost this day, they would make sure he remembered them after it was all over. An aura formed around each of Gira's hands, which she brought together above her head. Then, the young Saiyan would throw her hands forward, a beam of verdant green ki firing from her palms and towards Lottus.

---

TWC: 2308

Combat Statistics

Power Level: 337,310 (Awakened Fury)
HP: 270 / 270 | KP: 2 / 6 (+2) | MP: 6 / 6 

Resources: Saiyan Pride | Burning Ki


Gira fires a non-KP ki blast at Lottus!