DBZR ½

Chapter 29: Shakedown Cruise Initiated

Goku's Dimension

The Lookout…

Cologne was diligently working away when she was suddenly overcome with a wave of sensation. "Oh my!" She placed a hand to her forehead and stood up, moving slowly away from her work space as the sensations kept washing over her. Her body was becoming energized, tighter and stronger by the moment, and her mind was assaulted by experiences and skills to match. Grasping her head in both hands, she rocked back and forth, not even sensing her aura flaring about her and growing in intensity before the sensations finally passed, leaving her standing in place with her heart racing and skin covered in a thin sheen of perspiration. "What was…" She stopped as the realization struck her. Her wish had become complete. She was now twenty five years old, with all of the skills and strength that Shampoo would have gained had she continued her training to that age.

The Amazon Matriarch quickly thought of the skills Shampoo surely had learned, and she instantly knew all of the techniques that her granddaughter had learned and created. A grin creased her lips as a girlish giggle slipped past them. "My my, you learned much indeed. And would develop much!" The Elder was impressed with how dedicated to the Art Shampoo had become, and would continue to...provided she never stopped her training. "Considering she's a Saiyan now, perhaps she may not wish to stop training. Which reminds me…" Recalling what Ryoga and Shampoo had both said, she mentally channeled her chi, reaching for that tingle in the center of her back…

...and nothing happened at all.

"...where's the Super Saiyan fa-woom?" She muttered, confused as she gazed to her hands. "There was supposed to be a structure shaking fa-woom." Flexing her hands and checking herself out, she felt absolutely no different. "Well, no different from before." The young Elder thought, cupping her chin. "She's Saiyan now, and she became Super Saiyan. So why don't I know how to unlock that? My wish was that I would gain all of her skills and strengths as if she trained all the way until twenty five…"

The answer struck her the moment she finished the thought. Her wish was made before they became Saiyans. So she was still a vanila human being. Albeit, a more powerful one than she had been, but no more capable of going Super Saiyan than anyone else. On this world, or their own. "Clever girl." Cologne had to tip her proverbial hat to Akane: while her skills, along with what she gained from the hypothetical human Shampoo's training, made her a force to be reckoned with, or at least more than she was before, she was not going to be able to reach the same kind of power heights as her granddaughter, or as Akane herself. "Well played. Even if she didn't realize it." She chuckled and shook her head. "No matter. The power is with the tribe now, with Shampoo's change. Acquiring Ranma is just a bonus at this point."

Her mind flashed back to when they saw Ranma exit the Chamber, and she gave a wistful sigh. "A very nice bonus, admittedly." Brushing off the wistfulness as just young adult hormones stirring once again, she turned back to her work space. "Time will do the rest. Shampoo will most likely succeed, but the rivalry between her and Akane will keep them both sharp. And shall make for much more entertainment in the meantime." She mused, taking up brush and returning to making the wards.

The others came out from deeper in the Lookout just as she finished. "Hey, Old Ghoul, you ready to go?" Ranma called as they approached. She idly waved back with her brush, not bothering to look over her shoulder as she returned to the task.

"Almost. I will be done by the time you recover your packs."

Ryoga blinked, having completely forgotten about the incidental items they had brought. "Oh...yea. Guess we should go get them then."

"Right." Goku put his fists against his hips, smiling. "We'll be waiting." This prompted a scowl from the Prince, one that was directed to each teen that spelled out that he shouldn't be kept waiting for long.

The message wasn't lost on them, and they quickly moved to recover the aforementioned gear.

As Goku and Vegeta waited, Piccolo glanced over from his position near the edge, his cape fluttering from the breeze, before looking back down at the Earth. "I still sense something wrong on Earth. And it's growing stronger...but where?" He grunted to himself. The dark sense he had been having since they had arrived had continued, and remained, even after the barrier was set up and after they went to New Namek. So whatever was done had been in place and allowed to fester. The only thing he could determine was that it was tied to the nonsense that Toltir had been doing prior to the barrier going on, as he hadn't sensed anything prior to that point.

Piccolo would watch, and wait. Sooner or later, if it proved to be a significant issue, he'd go down and investigate.

Dende approached, the staff of his office tapping on the tile in time with his steps before he came to a halt. "You still sense it, too." He stated, taking a moment to gaze down at the Earth beside the older Namekian.

"Yes. It is elusive." Piccolo crossed his thick arms, fingers drumming against a bicep. "This isn't like Cell. But it still feels like trouble."

"I agree. We should keep a close watch."

They both looked over their shoulder as the teens returned, packs on backs, and watched as they spent a couple of moments organizing themselves. Then, energy flaring around them, they all took off into the sky with Goku in the lead.

Dende pursed his lips in thought, reflecting on what he was sensing, and the worries he knew Piccolo was having. They matched his own, and gave a small voice to them as they watched the group leave. "Hopefully nothing happens before they return."

A few moments later…

"We're going to head home. I'll let Mom know what's going on." Gohan called as they flew, adding silently, "And try to break the news gently to Mr. Satan about his daughter."

"Ok, Gohan!" Goku replied with a thumbs up. Ranma and Akane both gazed towards the local teens with grins. "Next time we meet, we'll have to spar again!"

Aforementioned teens grinned in challenge. "You bet! Good luck!" Gohan waved as he and Videl dove and pulled away, changing course back to Mount Paozu, and Satan City beyond. As they drew further away, Gohan looked to Videl, and laughed. "Guess we managed to avoid getting drawn into a conversation about us."

Videl gazed back, still carrying the victorious expression from when she had left the Chamber. "For now. It will become obvious soon enough."

"Sure." He sighed, shaking his head. "At least nothing else happened in there. That would have been awkward."

Secretly, Videl was happy with that as well. While she had definitely laid claim to Gohan, and would brook no other option, she wasn't quite ready to prematurely end her schooling. Not that they would have had a major issue, what with her father's finances, but still, it wasn't a good idea. Maybe in a couple years or so…

Refocusing on the flight, she shrugged. "We got lucky. And I definitely feel a lot more in control of myself than I did before. I think we'll be fine."

"I hope so. I don't think we'll be able to hide what we did otherwise if you weren't, especially with school." Gohan paused for a moment, and then grimaced. "And we'll have to get the tail removed. Can't really hide that in gym class. Or the fact that you look different."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm just glad we were only gone a couple days. The homework is going to be terrible as it is." Videl brightened as a thought occurred to her. "On the plus side, I can definitely join you in fighting crime! And we can continue to spar and get stronger!"

"Great idea! Where will we do that though?"

They continued to discuss sparring options and ways to make it more challenging for each other all the way to Goku's house.

Ranma's dimension, Nerima…

Daytime

Ukyo approached the Tendo Dojo in considerably high spirits. Having properly fitted attire certainly helped in that regard. Once more dressed with a comfortably fitted short sleeved, blue with white trim blouse, with the sleeves tied back, a pair of fitted black pants and her hair trimmed back to more reasonable lengths, she felt almost like herself. Granted, it had taken her some time last night to find the right kind of clothing: the extra hip width, bust size and overall musculature had put paid to the idea she only needed a size higher than her normal. Instead, she acquired clothing that was a size and a half to two sizes larger, depending on the garment, to allow for comfort and a little room to grow in, should that become necessary. It also required purchasing a replacement school uniform, and some other essentials.

Still, she was pleased overall, even if she wasn't sure what caused the change to happen in the first place. When she had dressed and gazed at herself in the mirror, she was struck by how grown up she was looking. But more importantly, was that she looked strong, which was something that was striking her as being of fair importance of late. The fight with the street toughs simply confirmed that she was indeed quite strong, stronger than she was before.

But just how strong?

That question was what led her to the Tendo Dojo. She didn't want to contact Sakura, Chun-Li or Mai, not after having trained with them just yesterday. There would have been too many questions that she was definitely not prepared to answer, much less be ready to test against. But the boys, having come from another world, surely wouldn't have nearly as an adverse reaction. She was confident they had seen stranger things. Plus, they were the strongest people around. Perhaps they would be up for a sparring session?

As she came up to the door and knocked, she realized she neglected one detail in this thought process.

How would the normal residents of the Dojo react?

"Good mo-oh, my!" Kasumi put a hand to her lips, her eyes wide in recognition and surprise. "Ukyo? You look so...different!"

The younger girl nervously tugged on the hem of her new okonomiyaki blouse, biting her lip. "Y-yea...it kind of happened overnight."

"I think you should come in and explain." Kasumi moved aside, allowing entrance. As Ukyo accepted the invitation and followed after the older girl, Kasumi added, "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, no thank you. Not right now." The chef replied, and began to explain what had happened, or at least, what she could provide. By the time they had reached the backyard, passing a starring Soun and Genma at their shogi board, Ukyo had finished, gesturing to herself. "And that required buying new clothing last night. Got into a fight with some thugs too."

"Oh my! They didn't hurt you, did they?" Kasumi's eyes looked over the teen quickly with practiced experience: she had seen and dealt with more than her fair share of injured residents after all.

"No, they didn't even get a chance to." Ukyo admitted, again tugging on the hem of her blouse. "I was kind of hoping to check on the boys, and see if they would be willing to spar. Just to see how strong I am now. I know training for one day doesn't make you strong enough to knock several people around before they had a chance to react, so I kinda need a baseline to go off of. They're the strongest ones I know, so I figured they would be able to give the best idea."

Kasumi nodded in understanding, smiling. "That is a good idea." Her expression shifted to concern as she held up a finger. "Although, please don't do any property damage. It's been nice not to have to call the contractors for repairs."

Ukyo bowed her head. "I'll definitely keep that in mind. No weapons, just hand-to-hand in the dojo."

Relief tinged Kasumi's response. "That will be just fine."

As they approached the dojo, where the sounds of cries and thuds could be heard, Ukyo looked to the family matriarch. "Why don't you train?" She asked, the question striking her from out of the blue. After an instants reflection, she realized that this was a question that had been bouncing in the back of her mind for awhile, and was equally applied to Nabiki. Not that she had any intention of asking the mercenary: that would have cost money. "Akane is the one who has done the training, but all three of you live here. Why haven't you and Nabiki?"

"Hmm?" Kasumi looked back, curiously, before turning her gaze to the sky in thought. "Well, I suppose I did not have a real interest in the Art to advance in it. Nor does Nabiki. Father has trained us some though. Akane is just the one who enjoys it the most, and I would not want to upset her by getting into something that she is genuinely good at." She looked to Ukyo with a kind expression. "She already has low self esteem when it comes to doing most anything that doesn't involve fighting or school. If I were to get back into the Art, I think that would make her feel I was encroaching. That's not fair to her."

Ukyo nodded as they stepped up into the dojo proper. "I guess that makes sen-wait, back into the Art?"

Kasumi gave a sly smile as she slid the door aside, revealing Trunks and Goten sparring with a rapid series of punches and kicks. At one point, Trunks drew his sword as Goten started flinging small rocks, each of which cracked loudly against the metal. One, deflected back and over the lavender haired demi-Saiyan, came at the two women with startling speed. Ukyo went to reach for it-

-only for it to have been deftly caught between Kasumi's fingers. "Oh my, that could have hurt someone. Boys!" She raised her voice on the last, instantly catching their attention. "Please don't throw things in the dojo. This could have caused a lot of pain. It would be better if the rocks were left outside."

"Sorry, Kasumi." Trunks and Goten intoned, looking appropriately downcast. She gently smiled as she flicked the rock towards the koi pond.

"It's alright. Just be careful, ok?" She turned away, adding over her shoulder, "I'll send Nabiki to let you know when lunch is ready, which will be in a little while."

"Thanks Kasumi!" Trunks called as the older girl walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Ukyo behind.

"Wha-how...no..no way...I didn't just see that." Ukyo shook her head, replaying the memory. Yes, she did indeed just see that. "Ok. Guess her father taught them more than she lets on. Or she only kept what she felt was necessary?" Deciding to leave that particular mystery alone, she moved into the dojo, turning to the boys.

Said boys were looking at her in confusion. "Hey, Ukyo. You look different." Trunks observed, prompting her to snort.

"I've heard that."

"Feel different too. You feel stronger. What happened?" Goten pointed out, poking at the girl's thigh and prompting a light swat.

"Quit it." She muttered. "I really don't know what happened. As I told Kasumi, I went training yesterday, and when I was getting ready for bed, I was suddenly surrounded in a glow, and then this happened." Gesturing at her form, she continued. "I'm a little older, faster, and stronger. But I really don't know how strong I am. I sent a bunch of thugs flying without too much trouble, so I'm hoping you guys can help me figure it out with a short spar."

Trunks and Goten thought for a few moments. "I wonder…" Goten scratched at his chin.

"Wonder what?"

"Well, I think a wish was used on you." Trunks nodded in agreement with Goten's conclusion.

"Yea. Glowing, suddenly stronger and older? Sounds like a wish to me."

Ukyo was more confused than she was before. "A wish? What do you mean?"

"We have Dragonballs at home, where we can summon a dragon that grants wishes. Someone must have wished for you to get stronger." Trunks shrugged, as if he couldn't fathom why they would do that. Which was likely true, as they were firmly in the camp of 'make yourself stronger,' rather than trying to cheat ahead. "Dad must have told Ranma and the others about it, and they decided to get Shenron to hook you up."

Ukyo's head spun. "A dragon...named Shenron...that grants wishes…" It was a lot to take in; however, it did seem to support what had happened to her, albeit in a really wild way. "Then again, there are people with curses here, and the boys can become super powerful with a thought, so...sure. Why not a wish granting dragon? Makes about as much sense as anything else these days. But who would have made a wish for me to be stronger?" After a few moments, she could only conclude that Ranma must have done it, causing her heart to flutter in her chest. It was uncharacteristically generous of him to use such a wish on her, if that was the case, but...it was quite touching. "Still, why older? Maybe that's how the wish worked? To become stronger, I had to become older?" Yet another mystery, only this one she would get to the bottom of when they returned.

"Well, ok. So that explains how I became this way." She smiled at them, challenge in her eyes. "How about that spar then? No weapons, just hand-to-hand. I could really use a good idea of just how strong I am now."

The boys looked to each other again, and then shrugged. "Sure. Could use a break from each other. We won't be fighting until tonight anyway." Trunks slipped his sword into its sheath before moving to the side to set it down next to the Power Pole. He crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall negligently. "Goten, you go first."

"Haha! Sure!" Goten grinned, the characteristic Son ™ grin on his face as he trotted to the center of the dojo, Ukyo following. Pausing, he placed his hands together and gave a bow, before taking up a low stance. The chef mirrored his bow, before easily slipping into stance, one leg forward, torso lowered, weight balanced. Her arms came up and around each other before one slipped back into a cocked fist by her chest, the other held up and forward, hand open like a blade. It took her a moment to realize...she had never done this stance before. Yet, it felt completely natural. "What else will I discover?" She wondered, watching the young Saiyan carefully. Goten simply stared, waiting.

From the side, Trunks put his hands to his mouth and called, "Go!"

Goten rushed forward with a yell, lightly tapping on the floor and jumping up to gain some height while twisting his torso, kicking his leg out. She deftly deflected the strike with her forward hand, and retaliated with her cocked fist, which he caught with one hand. Even so, the blow was strong enough to send him flying back, landing on his feet and sliding. She followed up by chasing after him, only to catch his smirk a moment too late as he spun about and performed a sweep. Her foot flew out from under her, only for the chef to flip sideways, plant her hands on the floor, and spin in place with enough force that Goten had to bounce back out of range, eyes wide with pleased surprise. Finishing the spin, she tucked down to her shoulders, and shoved off with a double kick, arching down to land where he vacated again in a quick retreat.

"Whoa, Ukyo! You're really good!" Goten admitted, grinning from ear to ear. Ukyo grinned as well as she pushed off from her crouched stance, while he rushed forward at that exact moment. Their arms struck at the same time, and they dueled in a contest of strength, one that was slowly going into Ukyo's favor with her greater height. With a grimace, Goten slipped back and then shot forward with a punch, only Ukyo quickly parried it and retaliated. In moments, their attacks became a series of rapid fire kicks, punches, parries, and deflections as they tested each other, the impacts of their strikes thudding through the room as they sparred. The whole time, they were grinning, even as he managed a blow against her cheek. She instantly turned the tables, grabbing his arm, pulling him off balance and twisting around his form while shoving against his back with her free hand, sending him towards the floor.

He caught himself with one hand and kicked out, which was blocked by an upraised leg. It was enough to give him some room, and he rolled forward before coming up on his feet and facing her once more. "You've really gotten stronger! Trunks! You should take a turn! This is fun!"

Ukyo paused with him, taking up her stance once more as she waited for them to resolve if she would continue with Goten, or with Trunks. All the while, her heart sang, nerves tingling with excited energy. "This feels amazing! I've never enjoyed fighting like this before! I feel more alive than I have in a long time!" She was practically giddy from the rush. On top of that, even though they had been sparring in earnest for several minutes, she didn't feel winded in the slightest. As Trunks stepped forward with an excited grin, she decided that she needed to really test herself. "How about both of you instead this time?" She suggested, prompting looks of surprise.

"Really?" At her nod, they glanced to each other and shrugged, before taking up stances.

She grinned widely, and in her mind, she could see exactly what she needed to do. "Here we go!" She rushed forward, the wind singing in her ears as she kicked off, spinning with a low sweeping kick. The boys jumped to the air, and she grinning in triumph as she pushed up off her back foot, spinning once more, this time moving diagonally upward towards the two demi-Saiyans, catching them off guard as she called out, "Shefu Kamigata Kikku!" Each strike from her kick struck, each foot coming around and hitting both kids, sending them flying onto their backs on the floor, dazed. Tucking her feet into her body, she tapped against the ceiling, and then kicked off, rushing rapidly for the two. Their eyes widened, and they quickly rolled in opposite directions as she came at them. She flipped in mid air, landing soldily on her feet just in time for her to lift both of her arms and block a punch and a kick from each direction.

With that, they were off, their movements fast and furious as they punched, kicked, and moved around each other, trying to find openings where they could. This went on for several minutes, the dojo shaking from their blows and their yells, the teak creaking from their rapid foot falls and plants. Finally, Ukyo saw the moment she was looking for, and slipped both of her arms forward. Grabbing Trunks by his gi, she flipped over and around, tucking in tight before kicking him at Goten. The action had caught Trunks completely off guard, and he crashed into a charging Goten before the other boy realized it was happening. Cupping her hands beside her, she charged up a quick burst of power as she jumped forward, crying out, "Shefudouken!" A brilliant purple-blue ball of energy, suspiciously shaped like a dumpling, shot out as she thrust her hands to the still slowly falling boys. It struck and exploded, shaking the dojo lightly as the two Saiyans cried out and crashed to the floor, bouncing and rolling twice before they flipped up onto their feet.

"Ok, that was really good!" Trunks admitted with a fierce grin. "Not a lot of power, but man, that was quick!"

"Hey, thanks!" Ukyo grinned, relaxing and straightening up, drawing a rag out from her ninja space and wiping the light sweat off her brow. "I've got a bunch of other techniques I learned too that I haven't had a chance to try yet."

"Oh man! That will be awesome!" Goten laughed, brushing his gi off. Neither of the boys looked the worse for wear, even after she gave them solid blows. Then again, none of them were really fighting in earnest. The knowing look they gave each other made that clear: they didn't want to destroy the dojo. "Maybe we should fight somewhere safer, and really go at it!"

Ukyo tucked the rag away, adjusting her blouse with a smile. "Sure. I'd like that. I have to admit, that was really fun."

"I'll say!" Trunks approached, adjusting his own attire. "You definitely got a lot stronger."

Before the chef could reply, a low rumbling echoed through the dojo for a seemingly long minute. Blanching, she put a hand to her belly, feeling it quivering under her palm. "Oh. Wow. I also got a lot hungrier! That's really crazy." She laughed, her face flush with embarrassment. "I guess I didn't have enough for breakfast."

Goten scratched the side of his head, blinking. "That sounded like my dad when his stomach growls."

"Yea, kinda like my dad's too." Trunks admitted, before shrugging. "Oh well. Ranma's stomach was pretty loud too."

"Well, Kasumi says lunch is ready." Nabiki's voice interrupted. The three turned and found her leaning up against the door frame as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "So whenever you're ready."

"That sounds like a fantastic thing right now." Ukyo rubbed her stomach, while the boys cheered and rushed past the Ice Queen. The chef went more sedately, only to stop when Nabiki commented, "Saw your fight. Or at least, some of it. All three of you were moving faster than I could follow. Kind of like how they spar against each other."

"What? What do you mean? We weren't moving that fast."

Nabiki snorted. "Yea, tell that to my camera." She held up her phone, and pressed play on the recorded video. As Ukyo watched, there were brief moments where they would appear clearly. The rest of the time they were mostly blurred figures. The few times that they were clear, the one thing that stood out most noticeably to the teen was the fact that all three of them had matching expressions: fierce, joyful determination.

"So, sure, tell yourself you weren't moving that fast." Nabiki commented, pocketing her phone and moving away from the door, hips swaying. "Camera doesn't lie. Kasumi told me something happened. Well, it must have been a very major something for you to keep up with them."

Ukyo stood in place as the other girl left, processing the information. However, she wasn't sure what conclusion she could come to. She was clearly significantly stronger than she was before, enough that even a modern phone camera, designed to handle motions, had a hard time keeping up with them. But how?

Her growling stomach interrupted further thought, and she decided to table it for now. The heavenly scents of Kasumi's cooking were delicately wafting on the breeze from the kitchen…

...which was clear across the yard and deep inside the house proper. It added another piece to the puzzle, and left her with a burning question.

"Just what happened to me?"

In the forest outside Nerima (Geography lesson: there are no 'true' forests directly outside Nerima, so he's at Saitama Kenei Wakojurin Park)...

Arashi shook his head as he observed his latest protege struggling. After Mousse woke up just after daybreak, and after he admitted he actually could use some help, they had gone into training in earnest. This mostly involved the Guardian in providing instruction, while Mousse listened and then attempted to apply what he had learned.

It was the latter part that he was having trouble with. Getting into the right state of mind to properly use chi had proven to be a major hindrance, which confounded Arashi to no end. Just when it seemed Mousse was finally on the right track, the young man would slip, lose concentration, and then become angry.

To be fair, he had been able to pull off his energy claw attack at least twice because of it, but Arashi knew that if he hadn't had his staff in place and channeling both the energy restoration sphere and a distraction suggestion, the nearly blind young man would have been out cold, and there would have been police investigating the destruction of another tree.

Arashi tried. He really did. He was patient, and calm with his explanations, and while Mousse did listen, it seemed as if he had a some kind of block that was consistently foiling him. Finally, after they had lunch, and after another backslide, Arashi knew he had enough. "Mousse, hold up."

The young man stopped, turning his coke-bottle glasses to the Guardian, eyebrow raised. "What?! Can't you see I'm screwing this up!"

An arm flicked, and Mousse was suddenly pelted in the forehead with an invisible burst of power, lightly rocking him. "Just be silent for a minute. I will prompt a response." Arashi sternly advised, while Mousse rubbed at his forehead and glowered. The Guardian began to move slowly around the clearing, glowing staff lightly tapping on the ground. "Mousse, there are literally hundreds of exceptionally strong fighters around the globe. Most of them far stronger and more skilled than you. Oro, Akuma, Heihachi Mishima, the Eternal, Geese Howard, Ryu, the Sailor Scouts...I could go on, and I could have gone to any one of them. Do you know why I came to you?"

The Chinese martial artist watched warily, and then shook his head.

"I came to you, because, unlike the others, you-" He pointed at the young man sharply. "-and your friends are lightning rods for trouble. The other fighters may seek out trouble, or get themselves into it by their actions, or even cause it. And don't even get me started on some of the questionable morals some of those fighters have. But you and your group quite literally attract trouble. It's as if you're magnets, and trouble finds you. You don't even have to try. Take that business with that Taro fellow, or the Musk, or Phoenix tribe. Or that foolish Copycat Ken. Trouble just finds you." Arashi looked up at the cloudy sky, concern on his face. "There are troubling things in motion. I cannot place my finger on what it is, but I sense it. And I've learned to trust my instincts in such matters."

"Ok, but why us? Why not just go find whatever it is that is 'troubling' you?" Mousse asked, and received a thwack in the back of the head from Arashi's staff.

"You weren't prompted." The Guardian retorted while his target rubbed his head in irritation. "I chose you because trying to chase it down will waste more time and energy than if I found the most likely point where it will be drawn to and waited for it there." Arashi came back to stand in front of Mousse, nodding sagely. "You wouldn't believe how effective that's been. Works every time."

"With me here, all I have to do is wait for that curse of yours and your friends to kick in and draw it right to all of you. And then I can do my job, and guard this world from it."

Mousse grumbled, letting the words sink in. "So you're using me as bait."

"Not in the way that you're thinking. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bothering to train you." Arashi corrected. "That is the other reason why I picked you. There is potential there...if you can figure it out."

The near-blind martial artist pursed his lips angrily. "What do you think I've been trying to do!"

"Trying to get angry, is what you've been doing." Arashi sighed and shook his head. "I've watched you from afar. You have the right potential. You've certainly been able to become a more effective fighter as a duck, so you can certainly do it as a human."

Mousse's jaw dropped. "Wait, you know about that?" Prompting a dry look in return.

"Really? None of you are trying all that hard to keep those curses hidden. The fact that the citizens of the Nerima ward hardly react is just a testament to how much weirdness is concentrated there." Arashi shrugged. "Besides, I'm very well aware of Jusenkyo, and the effects that the springs there can have on people."

At that moment, the only warning they had of impending doom was the rapid fire patter of something hitting the leaves of the trees just before a sudden downpour washed over their clearing. Mousse instantly became a white colored duck, thick glasses precariously perched upon his bill. A bill that was now hanging down to the forest floor as he stared up at Arashi.

Or rather, what Arashi had become.

Where once stood a six foot tall, brown haired, stocky man, now stood a slightly shorter, long, blue haired, buxom and stocky woman, wearing an expression of utter annoyance on her pretty face. She looked down to Mousse, gesturing at herself in distaste. "And now you know why I am aware of Jusenkyo."

"Quack! WAAAACK!" Mousse exclaimed, flapping his wings as the rain passed, leaving everything miserable and damp, and the two fighters soaked. "I have tried to deal with the curses there." Arashi replied, somehow able to understand what Mousse was saying. "Hate to break it to you, but you can't just take a dive into another one of the cursed springs. First thing I looked into." She stabbed her staff into the ground, and then pulled her hair around and wrung it out just as the sun came back out, before shaking her mane back and sending a sprinkling of water to fly through the air and creating a luminescence about her head in the refracted light.

Mousse's feathered face managed to blush, an impressive feat in and of itself, before quack-coughing to focus. She paid his reaction no mind, and pulled her cloak off, revealing a shapely backside, and gave it the same treatment as her hair before draping it over a nearby branch. "Another thing those guides didn't know about? That whole place could dry up, and the curses don't stop existing. Tried that too. They just have to fill back up with water, and they can go right back to work applying themselves to whoever or whatever living thing falls into one. If I hadn't been bumped into the Spring of Drowned Girl by that stupid-" She stopped, took a deep breath and shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Point being, I'm quite familiar with curses and their associated problems. Been working on it for decades, and the most I can say is that it's not an easy fix."

Mousse quack-sighed, hanging his head. Arashi noticed and kneeled down, lifting up his bill with a thin finger and smiling. "Don't worry too much about it. Right now, you've got bigger things to focus on, and I have to help you to get chi manipulation down so you're prepared for it."

The duck seemed a little more cheered, quacking in eagerness. "Good. Your trainers may have been deficient in showing you how to use chi properly, but I will get you to succeed."

A few minutes later, returned to their normal forms after a quick blast of heated water, they continued. "I have told you how you can use chi. I've explained where you have gone wrong. Yet you keep failing." Arashi pointed out, going over what they had done so far. "I suspect now that you may have learned some aspects of a different form of chi training, that of temperature or emotion based chi, but not the means to actually use it. Rage is a path to hot chi, of sorts, but as we covered, that's insufficient long term. So, I want you to meditate, and focus on when you feel at your best, feel how it flows through your form. And then use the instructions I provided you before, and that's when you will finally be able to use your chi."

"Easy for you to say." Mousse grumbled. Even so, he sat down, crossed his legs and began to focus on his breathing as he closed his eyes. Arashi watched for several long moments, taking slow, measured steps towards the young man. When he was in range, he placed his fingers lightly on Mousse's head. To his credit, the young man didn't react, clearly deep into his meditation. "Good. Good. You're on the right track now." Arashi observed, now moving his fingers to the center of Mousse's back. "Aah, and here I think is the problem...let's just tweak this…" Fingertips began to glow, and then the glow expanded slowly out until it encompassed Mousse's back, which he unconsciously straightened up as Arashi unlocked the chi gate that had somehow become badly mangled. That done, Arashi moved away as Mousse opened his eyes and stood up.

Raising his arms, he jumped forward and slashed out at the tree in front of him, crying out, "Tiě yīng lüèduó zhě!" Three slices of golden energy shot out from the extended metal claws, lashing the trunk of the tree and leaving three narrow gashes that glowed red briefly before fading away, leaving the cuts behind. Mousse breathed heavily, his face breaking into a disbelieving smile. "I...I did it!"

"Yes, you did." Arashi agreed, walking up to stand alongside the martial artist, giving the cuts a critical look. "Told you that you had the potential. Much better control than those earlier attempts."

"But I didn't cut the tree apart."

"Of course not." Arashi moved up to the tree and ran his fingers along the slices. "As I mentioned, rage can boost the combat power, and therefore damage, but it leaves you weakened in the long run. What you just did was more balanced. Calm, and collected, with control applied. Anger in battle has its place, but this is where your power truly lies, and it will take time for you to fully master it. You even gave it a name already."

Mousse considered, rubbing his chin in thought. "When I was emotionally neutral, I felt something...a wave of chi going through me. And it just became so clear to me how to do it."

"Well, you did have a major chi gate that was blocked. I fixed that." Arashi admitted, straightening up and taking hold of his staff in both hands, leaning. "I suspect you were struck at that point to stop you from causing serious harm, either to yourself or others. Considering how you behaved when I met you, I think that decision was justified."

Mousse blinked, staring at his new mentor. "But...why?"

"Because you needed to learn the value of patience, and discipline." The Guardian pointed out, before reaching back to the cuts, holding his palm in place. A golden glow appeared, and when it faded, the cuts had been nearly completely healed. "You are a bit hot headed, and I imagine that will lead to a potent series of techniques. But you needed the foundation first. Now that you've figured out the basics, you can practice and improve your mastery, and begin to incorporate other forms of chi to augment your attacks, even your defense and movement."

A slow smile quirked the man's lips, eyebrow lifting. "So. Iron Hawk Reaver, huh?"

The bespectacled boy shrugged before removing the glasses to clean them with one of his sleeves. "It seemed right."

Arashi gave a slow nod, approval in his expression. "That's good." He straightened up and took hold of his staff in both hands, spinning it about himself before bringing it across his body, one end held low, the other high. "Now that you've taken your first step, let's begin training you in earnest."

Mousse placed his glasses back in place and took up a stance, a smirk on his face. "Fine. Let's see you guard against me!"

"Oh, I intend to."

TBC…

Not a lot of follow up Author's Notes for this one. So, what is coming? Will they find out as they return home? Will Mousse ever catch up? Guess that will be found out in the next chapter...or two? Dunno, depends on if I write a novel length chapter again and cause the FFN site to hang up in the process.

Oops. ^_^;;

Until next time…

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Current Character Rankings

Trunks - Tier 10.5

Goten - Tier 10.25

Yamcha - Tier 8 (for comparison)

Ukyo - Tier 3.5

Mousse - Tier 1.75