Training in the Colosseum

---

When Daika's father had been delivered the formal request by the royal house's deliverance, she wasn't present to see her father's mixture of excitement and terror. A semi-personal training session with the monarch of their planet was an insane ask for someone of their status. While Daika knew from Jagaimo's reactions and the not-so-secret secret across every Elite family's lips that Queen Zuqetta did not like the status quo, her father was stuck in the old ways. He held her aloft his arms and swung her around like a child's toy speaking for an hour straight about the joy he felt knowing a child of his was becoming so familiar with the royal family, one could meet them in a private venue. It was a great achievement for a family who's entire elite status during the old reign came from the least 'saiyan' of industries. They were real estate moguls, she was the heir to a fortune made from planetary property, and while her father fought in the war against the Tuffles, it was not violence that made her family rich. This was a great determining factor for them to return to the fold.

Daika, though, was absolutely scared. She was not familiar enough with the new Queen's personality to know how to act. Was she like Jagaimo, smart, cold, the definition of a sparking warrior of honored potential? Or was she the eccentric, violent tyrant who ruled with a steel fist and blood. There was no chance for the girl to properly prepare herself for whatever lions den she was walking into, and everything she prepared for herself was entirely going off of the obeying of royalty. She had to make a good impression, both to save face for her mentor's sake, as well as for her family and herself. She did not want to disappoint the Queen, highest of highs in the Saiyan hierarchy. There was no greater person to offend to the house Imperator. If Daika brought shame, she'd be as good as forgotten like her unnamed siblings before her.

Arriving to the fortress of the Sadala Capital's palace and displaying the missive to the guards, Daika was escorted by an armed entourage to the underground colosseum to meet up with those who had arrived. She did exactly as the note had asked. Having shown up in her training gear, she was still missing her combat armor from her training with Jagaimo, she was wearing a simple black body glove suit and leggings, with her red fur skirt tied around her waist. Finally, her limp, pitiful tail tied through the makeshift belt loops of her skit into the vague shape of a belt. Looking around anxiously, her mind did not process exactly what it was that she was seeing immediately. Another woman, roughly the same height as the young girl, bearing strikingly long saiyan-styled hair stood wearing a similar body suit to Daika's, staring off for awaited visitors as attendants made a picnic of the event. The girl did not piece together who this was as she approached, one arm raised in greeting to the equally sized girl.

"Hey! I wasn't expecting another kid to be here. My father said something about this 'Zuci' person being an adult. Who are yo-" Daika would greet and request, explaining her confusion before seeing the woman's face directly, her vision correcting and seeing exactly where she messed up. The girl's face would flush, before blushing hard from embarrassment. Instantly, the young girl would drop to her knee, her forehead pressed against the knee as her newly repaired fists, fresh from the healing vats were planted firmly on the ground in a show of obedience. "I-I'm so sorry your highness, I didn't see that it was you. Please forgive my ignorance, I'm still recovering from my last training and I must have had a bad concussion or something to make me not immediately recognize you." She would beckon her forgiveness, clearly a mixture of both regal fear and anxiety about the girl. "I did not mean to offend you if I did, I just... I'll admit, I expected you to be taller. A lot taller."

Zuqetta stood with her arms crossed while she looked over everything, happy with how the preparations were coming along. There would have been plenty of snacks for them to enjoy during breaks, and while mats and weights seemed like something a bit out of the ordinary for a Saiyan, Zuqetta had done her research! The average human paled in comparison to a Saiyan, but their training today would have been similar to how humans who couldn't manipulate ki trained their bodies. In all the magazines she read they used all this equipment, so of course she had to make sure she, Zuci, and Daika had access to it all too!

A few Royal Guards began to take up stations in the stands of the Colosseum; they were meant to guard the trio while their powers were lowered, but considering the state of things, it was likely an unnecessary inclusion. Zuqetta could almost hear Jagaimo's voice if she DIDN'T include them and ended up getting hurt because of it, and grimaced. It wasn't like she was accident prone or something!

She wouldn't be left hooked on the thought for too long however, as a voice would get her attention.

"Hm? Another kid?" Zuqetta would question with a blank expression as Daika approached.

She didn't have a chance to remark further or even correct the girl however, as the girl would suddenly drop, slamming her face into her knee as she hastily expressed an apology. Zuqetta's own face would redden a bit as well, the realization of her appearance even more apparent than when she was with Tunic, or even Laezi... No, no this absolutely COULDN'T be normal! She'd seen the dossier on Daika, this overgrown plant was only eight! She undoubtedly had a mutation, that HAD to be the case; Zuqetta would convince herself of this firmly, as there was NO WAY she was only as tall as an eight year old! In fact, Ayu was also eight and still much smaller, something that brought Zuqetta a bit of ease.

Zuqetta would reach a hand out, hoping not to come off as too menacing; she recalled Jaggy mentioning that Daika's family was a bit... eccentric, but Zuqetta wasn't sure what that exactly meant.

She'd place a hand on Daika's head gentle, ruffling her hair as she offered a kind smile. "Hehe, it's okay, really!" she'd try to reassure, "Ya don't gotta be so worried, and I'm not mad at all. Honestly, even I expected ta be taller by this age.." she'd say with a small sigh, before lifting a clenched fist with a determined expression, "But there's still time! I'm only a young adult, I still have at LEAST two or three more years ta grow!" she'd say confidently; just before Zuci's voice would break the conversation with laughter.

"Oh! Zuci-!" she'd call out, giving Daika a final pat; she'd rise, gesturing with a nod to Daika to stand as well so the three could converse properly.

Zuci was as loud as ever, a pleasant experience to come back home to considering all the crazy things she'd gone through since they'd last met at the challenge for the throne. As Zuqetta looked up towards Zuci however, she'd cross her arms, her right cheek puffing up in a bit of a pout as she looked her over. Zuci seemed even taller, and even MORE buff than before, despite the fact that she'd apparently been sick due to her overuse of Super Saiyan! To say she was jealous was an understatement, there was an obvious reason why Zuqetta thought of Zuci and Gira back when she was with Tunic, but she wouldn't admit such a thing out loud.

When Zuci brought up Gira however, Zuqetta eyes would widen with surprise as her face reddened. "W-W-Well, hehehe, ya know?" she'd remark, twirling a bit of her hair; but what exactly was Zuci supposed to know from that!?!?

Zuci was quick to get back to business however, causing Zuqetta to clear her throat and do the same.

"Right then!" she'd begin, placing her hands on her hips as she looked between the two, "Zuci, Daika, thank ya both for comin'! I explained in the missive what the training would be about, but I could imagine it a bit difficult to understand. That said, it's easier to show rather than tell!"

With a quick snap of her fingers, a massive cube of compressed stone would appear floating off to the side for a moment before setting down to the ground lightly.

"When we fought last time Zuci, we used all the power at our disposal." Zuqetta would remark, then looking towards Daika, "I imagine your training with Jaggy was pretty similar." she'd smirk, turning her attention to the stone block, "Thing is, when I do this--" she would reel her arm back, before delivering a swift forward jab to the stone cube; in an instant, the cube would be demolished, vaporized by the punch with incredibly few fragments even still existing to be launched out, "It makes it seem like I'm strong, but what I'm actually using is a wellspring of Ki and Magic to both protect my body and enhance my strikes."

Zuqetta would pat her hands off, turning her attention back to the two.

"So then, my intention to day, is for us to completely severe our connection to either ki or magic, training with only our physical abilities." she'd explain with a sharp grin, "From what I've learned, we can't completely cut ourselves off from Ki, it's somethin' like a life energy. We Saiyans have a naturally higher affinity for manipulating this energy within us than humans do, that's why humans seem so much weaker despite having similar builds to us!" this of course, was merely an assumption on Zuqetta's part, but it got her point across, "That said, we won't simply be suppressing our energy. Even then, our bodies will naturally acclimate and we'll still be enhancing our movements and strength with Ki. So, I brought these-!"

On cue, and attendant would approach the group carrying a silver case; opening the case would reveal four devices inside, similar to wristbands. Zuqetta would remove three, tossing one each to Daika and Zuci before holding up the third in her hand.

"These are special devices, courtesy of the Arcosian Empire! Apparently they used stuff like this for some tournament they had there." she'd explain, pressing a switch on the side of the device to cause it to spring open, "It interferes with a persons natural connection to their Ki, thus dampening their energy and dropping their battle power. These however, have been modified! Once this locks around your wrist, it'll completely severe your connection to control Ki; you'll still be picked upon on scouters, but your energy will have dropped to a point natural to your physical body, just like a human!" she'd state, her tail flicking back and forth behind her with a keen interest.

"Don't worry either, if ya get uncomfortable, just click the switch on the side here again and the device will open right back up! But, enough explanation, I'll go ahead and demonstrate!"

With that, Zuqetta would first choose to cut off her connection to mana, a much easier task since it wasn't intrinsically tied to her life energy. She'd release a breath, her invisible Mana Veil fading and allowing her energy to once more flow and be sensed by others. A bit of lift to her hair would vanish, while a small twinge of color would go from her skin as her connection to magic became exactly zero.

"Whyaaahahahahaa!!?!?" a voice of a guard above would shout out hysterically, as the clothes they wore began to vanish, causing the second guard beside him to smack his hand to his face.

"You were told in the briefing this morning NOT to wear your issued gear you idiot!!" the buddy would chastise, before ushering his friend out of the colosseum.

"Pfft, I hope no one else skipped the memo I left." Zuqetta would laugh; with her magical connection severed, any items maintained by materialization had now been disconnected from her and would de-materialize. Luckily, this would have no impact on most of the castle save for the lights, as she'd ensured things were constructed properly, "And finally--"

She'd would place the band around her wrist, where it would snap in place. The item would initially look overly wide around her wrist, but coupled with the sounds of mechanical and technological humming, the device would alter in size until the cushion of the underside was snugly around her wrist. Lights would flicker from the data screen on the band, before it would end with a solid green light, indicating the device was now fully active.

"Huh, well that wasn't so ba--"

For Zuqetta, suddenly everything would feel cold; as if an intense pressure would fall upon her before vanishing. Her face would go completely pale, her tail limb, before she would simply fall forward, flat on her face as her power was sapped away in an instant. It seemed nearly that the drop in energy wouldn't stop, until she would finally take a breath, gasping for air as if she'd just finished running a marathon. It would be nearly impossible to sense her energy, but upon the band would read a number, 4...

"T-Th... t-t-t-t-t-t-that wasn't... s-so bad..." she'd force out, before laying her face into the ground and giving a weak thumbs up to the other two, "Y-Your t-t-turn!"

Already another attendant was beside Zuqetta, a glass of water and bowl of orange slices in hand.

Hm? Zuci had noticed the...'gesture' Zuqetta had made at her appearance; was something the matter? She had no way of knowing Zuqetta was upset about their differing statures, but the monarch's reaction over Gira quickly wiped away any thoughts Zuci might have had in the moment. Zuqetta deflected quickly though as she transitioned into getting ready to show them something special.

Zuci watched with interest as Zuqetta began to explain and demonstrate, her mind only briefly registering the fact that this Daika child seemed to have past dealings with Jagaimo before the monarch continued. Destroying the cube, Zuci wondered what the point was in pointing out the obvious fact that people used Ki and Magic to power themselves, but assumed they'd be getting to that shortly.

"Humans do seem rather weak for how similar they look to us... The Saiyan race is lucky to have someone like me born into it and not one so fragile like they are. Though they make excellent food..." Zuci trailed off as Zuqetta explained more, eventually having a servant bring out some metallic wristbands. After thinking of how amazing it would be to have her own gaggle of servants waiting on her hand and foot, her ears perked up after hearing this was Arcosian technology.

"Uh..." She couldn't help but look surprised; as Zuqetta explained more about them, Zuci was looking at them with more and more apprehension. It was only when Zuqetta explained how to take them off that she let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, okay. I'll be honest, hearing that they have technology like that is...rather concerning? But if it's a gift, I suppose it's fine..."

As Zuci walked forward to get one of the wristbands she flinched at the sudden shouting from up above. She cringed realizing what the man was going through and shook her head before grabbing her wristband. Before she could snap it on though, the loud thud of someone falling caught her attention. She turned to see Zuqetta face down on the floor and immediately thought the woman was on her way to the afterlife before she weakly spoke up. Her number was four...

"U-Um- Okay?" Zuci awkwardly glanced between Zuqetta, the servant offering the fallen monarch water and orange slices, and Daika before snapping the wristband on herself as well. She took in a sharp breath, feeling the chills surge throughout her entire body; Zuci closed her eyes and caught herself before the sudden change in nature made her fall over too.

"Ugh... Is this what it's like to be born as a human? I feel so bad for them..." She said with pity while examining Daika's reaction. Now that she thought about what the kid said earlier, standing did feel kind of strange... Actually, it was then Zuci noticed that she herself was bending her knees rather than standing up straight. The Saiyan straightened out her posture, groaning uncomfortably to herself while Daika slowly picked herself up off the ground.

"Oh! Impressive, little one! ...Er," Zuci awkwardly turned to the still face-planted monarch. "You...do a lot more mental training than physical, don't you? Well, I guess this will be good for you then! Let the 'Strongest Saiyan Under The Heavens' build you from the groun- Ohmygodonesecond."

Apparently vertigo was a fun little thing that decided to show up in Zuci's vision; though she initially had things under control, it was going to take continued focus to keep that control up and running. She put her hands out in front of her and began slow breathing; Zuci always knew being a Saiyan meant she was even more amazing than everyone else was, but to this extent? Wow.

---

Having successfully assisted the Queen to her feet as the weight of the planet's gravity seemed to no longer wash over the group, Daika's body felt suddenly lighter, stronger ironically despite the circumstances of their situation. Stretching herself in every which way as the Queen rose back to her feet to her surprisingly weak physical splendor, the one who seemed to get the most sick from the situation was the strongest among them, being none other than Zuci herself. Seeing the woman turn and do deep breaths, likely suffering from some kind of Ki withdrawals or something of the sort, Daika couldn't help but feel bad for the woman. Maybe it was from Daika's natural body strength she's worked little on, or her own lack of too much reliance on her non-natural strength, but she most she felt was the slightest hint of acid reflux as she felt nauseous from the sudden destruction of her mystical protection. The layer of Ki that kept her regulated was so quickly stripped away, and she was left here with only the bare necessities to provide.

"Y-Yeah I'm feeling that too..." Daika would respond to Zuqetta as she began to rub her forearms for warmth, surprised by the odd cold chills up and down her body. Goosebumps rose across her skin as she started to feel the raw temperature of the cold room and her hairs began to stand at end. "I... I didn't know how much of my creature comforts were things I was unconsciously doing with my Ki." She would remark, pulling her first out in front of herself and begin to grip and release her fingers feeling the proper tension of her muscles with proper gravitational suppression on her. It wasn't too different, but she felt like she was in a totally different body than her own. Breathing was a task she felt like she had to manually contribute to, and her internal temperature fluctuated so much it was making her feel ill. "This is... miserable."

It was when Zuqetta remarked to the strongest of the trio about what they should do to begin their training, the youngest of them was reminded precisely why she was present for the event in the first place. This was to train their physical bodies more than just their Ki, to prepare the saiyans for physical prowess over just generic Ki-enhanced combat. A skill not enough of their species utilized. "Good point, Miss Zuci, your natural strength is awesome! I am curious as to your method of achieving such peak form." She would request cautiously as she took baby steps around, getting her footing back before running around the two older Saiyans with her arms wide beginning to enjoy the unfettered movement. It wasn't until she tried to jump, rising six feet from the ground before falling back down and landing roughly on her back with a thud. "...I can't jump very high without my Ki. Noted." Daika's voice whispered to herself while she rubbed her head and sat up, feeling the raw level of pain against her back. This would take time becoming accustomed to. "I've never properly trained my body, just weight lifting for combat training with my father. Most of this is birth muscle, so I need to perfect my physique so I can be the most optimized Saiyan!" She would announce with one fist raised into the air, hyping up Zuci to see if she could lead them in their training.

"Pretty please?"