Beyond Super Saiyan

It hadn't been too long since Gira had gotten out of the hospital. Her battle with Maxsuz in Sadala had gone poorly, resulting in the young Saiyan nearly losing her life. She had to wonder, however, why Max didn't finish the job. Did he simply believe her to be dead after what he did? That was certainly possible. It took her quite some time and several surgeries before she looked like her old self again. If Max simply looked at her, it might be easy to assume that she was gone. Or... maybe something else stayed his hand. She didn't know what was true anymore. Her sensei was using her... perhaps even from the beginning. Her friends attempted to destroy Arcose, a complete surprise to her that shook her faith in their good nature. Gira knew one thing for certain, though; for all of her power, she was still too weak to protect anyone. She couldn't defeat Maxsuz. She wouldn't be able to defeat Marimba if he came after her, too... and, for all of her bluster, she still wasn't powerful enough to beat Lottus fair and square like she wanted. She had gotten much stronger since she first began her training, but no matter how hard she worked, it seemed as though her goals were unattainable. These unattainable goals used to excite her, but now with so much on the line, it just made her feel powerless. She remembered back before all of this... when it seemed that all of her goals could be attained if she became a Super Saiyan. Now, however, she was painfully aware of the form's limitations. It was powerful, but power wasn't enough. The teen was caught between keeping her temper under control and utilizing her rage to make her stronger.

This contradiction was what held her back the most. She would have to choose whether or not to harness this rage to its fullest. This half measure that she had been taking thus far wasn't going to cut it. She either had to utilize its power or try to bring it under control... getting stronger another way. One thing was for certain, though; she would have to go beyond the Super Saiyan form. Was such a thing even possible? That was what Gira was going to find out. That was why she came here today to the Breeding Pits, where the highest concentration of Saibamen resided. Zuci mentioned the place to be a great spot for training, but she was shocked how many of these creatures lived here, and especially how many of them gathered around this lagoon. Dozens upon dozens of Saibamen attacked the girl on sight. Gira kept herself in her regular form, wishing to push herself to the absolute limit. If she couldn't defeat a small army of Saibamen, then she had no business even trying to change things in this universe. Gira's movements were fluid, dodging each claw strike from the creatures with ease. However, one of them soon got the drop on her, latching onto her back with a sadistic giggle and restraining her as best it could. More soon joined, holding each of Gira's limbs still as a group of Saibamen took turns beating her in the stomach. While these punches weren't anything special on their own, the speed and sheer number of Saibamen caused these attacks to begin to wear down on her. As one of the creatures struck her right in the chest, the teen snapped.

"Get off of me, ASSHOLES!!!" A golden aura erupted around the Saiyan, sending the Saibamen around her flying in all different directions, some of them landing in the lagoon. The remaining creatures stared at the golden warrior, frozen in fear. Rearing back its fist, the Saibaman let out a gurgled, screeching roar as it tried to punch the Saiyan again. Gira allowed the creature to land its blow, but her body didn't budge an inch. The creature looked up at Gira in surprise, soon beginning to throw several more punches in a flurry of blows aimed to wear down the Super Saiyan. Gira glared down at the creature as it continued its futile assault. When she had seen enough, the Saiyan grabbed the creature's fist, stopping its assault in its tracks. Without warning, Gira threw the creature at its cohorts, the ones who hadn't dared attack the warrior once she became a Super Saiyan. The thrown creature knocked down its allies like bowling pins as it crashed into a nearby cliff face. The other Saibamen simply stared at the fallen creature as it twitched beneath the rubble. However, they weren't safe. The young warrior charged forward with her arms out to the sides, simultaneously crashing her forearms into the necks of these monsters before sending them flying through several trees, taking them out of the fight immediately. Gira glared downward at the final Saibaman that stood before her. It trembled in fear, but Gira wasn't feeling like letting it off the hook.

In an instant, Gira's hand wrapped around the creature's mouth. It tried to bite her, but the warrior's grip held its jaw shut. Then it wrapped its clawed hands around the Super Saiyan's forearm, desperately trying to pull away. It was too late. Gira charged forward towards the cliff in the distance, slamming the creature against the rock brutally. She dragged it along the length of the cliff before finally coming to a stop, lifting the creature and slamming it directly into the rock over and over, the creature's body creating a perfect Saibaman-shaped crater in the cliff face. Gira finally let it go afterwards. Its eyes were rolled back in its head, its putrid tongue lolling out of its mouth, but it would live. Just like the others Gira used for her training.

"Thanks, guys. Same time tomorrow?" Gira sighed and reverted to her regular form, her spiky, golden hair turning black and falling around her shoulders. The creature merely gurgled in response to the Saiyan's question. In spite of this successful training, it wasn't enough. These creatures were incapable of pushing her as much as she needed. It was kind of frustrating. The stronger she got, the more difficult it was to find a challenge that could push her to the heights she wanted. Gira gazed towards the sky, her frustration brewing and leaking into her energy. She knew that no matter how hard it was or how long it took for her to break through the Super Saiyan ceiling, she couldn't give up. She had to do it.