The middle of nowhere (Complete)

[Antary]

Flying from the point where Nam and Antary met to John`s house would take a couple minutes at an average for them speed. The house itself was made purely out of wood, quite small, with only a few rooms inside. Though, the owner was nowhere to be seen. There wasn`t really much choice but to wait.
The saiyan took a seat on the roof, patiently waiting for a whole 10 minutes before his racial attitude kicked in. "Where the hell is that old man?! I don`t want to waste time doing nothing, I want to train!" After this small rant, he sighed and came back to silently sitting down, waiting.
It would take a couple hours of waiting, however finally out of the bushes came out a man. He wore red robes that seemed way too big for him and were dragged on the ground behind him. The old man had sunglasses covering his eyes and was wearing a backpack.

He tossed the backpack on the ground, and looked at the 2 visitors. Antary jumped off the roof. "Good evening." The man greeted him first. His greeting was inappropriate, it was still a long time before evening. "I see you brought guests. What is your name, young man?" Though he was interrupted by the saiyan. "What were you doing? Where were you for so damn long?!" In response, John lifted the backpack in front of him, unzipped it and revealed lots of food stuffs, causing Antary`s stomach to growl. He still didn`t eat since morning.
"Me? I was buying food at Central City."
"Don`t talk nonsense you old fool! Central City was destroyed!" John looked down at the backpack full of food, looking surprised. "Then where did I get all this?.."
"...It doesn`t matter. Let`s just... Train." Antary was surprised yet again. But the old man was more interested in the guest.
"Now, then, what is your name young man? My name is John, I live here in the wild. I love nature."

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam followed behind Antary for a few quiet minutes. He was taken to what seemed like a small wooden house in the middle of nowhere. The two landed on the roof and began to wait for this “John” to arrive. They were still quiet, not saying a word since their last location, each minding their own business. Nam occupied himself looking at the clouds. It was these quiet moments when he would take the time to reflex on the current events. Nam wanted to help somehow, but he didn’t know where to start. What can he do? He didn’t really have any real talent; all he had to offer the world were his words and standard fighting abilities. He wanted to restore Central City and help protect the world. He wanted to protect it ever since the accident with his mother. It made him realize just how real vandalism was. People were just coming in and out of his planet without restraints and causing chaos all over the place. It made him wonder, why does power corrupt so many people?

After a few minutes of waiting, Antary seemed to grow impatient and began to rant a monologue about the whereabouts of John. Nam remained quiet and laughed under his breath, his face hidden. He understood his feelings though, he could relate; Nam hated doing nothing, it just seemed to be easier for him to conceal his emotions under his face. It was true that Antary was definitely different from the average pure-blood, but some things you just can’t change about their genetic identity. Even Nam still had saiyan characteristics within him, although they were probably very diluted and small. He loves to fight, of course, not to the point of casualties; but he enjoyed a spar at least.

Another characteristic, one that is new even to him –was his rage. It seemed within Nam existed a darker side. He needed to control that side of him, or he’d become another monster. Images of the blue dinosaur flashed through his head. The way he smashed the Gira’s face to the ground simultaneously and blood gushed all over the place. He remembered his reflection from the beast’s blood. In it, he saw another beast; one that was impulsive and enraged.

A couple of hours had passed and even Nam was beginning to feel impatient, but he would never show. He bottled it up like he did with anything else. He simply laid down on the roof, gathering his thoughts. They’ve been mute for so long, it actually felt stressful to Nam, as if he felt the need to speak or say something. Moments later, patience was a virtue and the man seemed to have shown up. Nam didn’t see him at first, he just assumed because Antary got gotten up and began to talk, directing his words to another person. Nam got up and as he saw the man, he felt his presence. From what Nam was sensing, the man’s power level didn’t seem to impressive –but he knew better than underestimating the elderly. There was probably more to what the eye could see.

Nam followed behind Antary and hovered down to the ground. The man tried to make conversation but Antary quickly interrupted with his inquiries; leaving Nam with his mouth open as he was about to reply. He didn’t give it much thought and just allowed them to talk first. They could leave the introductions for later. Nam was confused by the old man’s claim of having bought food from the recently annihilated Central City. He just stared at the bag with food. He nodded his head in approval as Antary explained the current state of the city. Nam’s confusing then shifted to amusement at the old man’s puzzled face. At last, Antary cut to the chase and asked the man for training, but he seemed to have discarded his petition –or shelved it for later, as he switched his attention back at Nam.

"Now, then, what is your name young man? My name is John, I live here in the wild. I love nature."
Nam immediately sized him up. He was wearing a long red robe, which completely covered his body, and big sunglasses. It seemed like odd wares for someone living in the wild. Nam would expect something like shorts, even a loincloth seemed more appropriate. Finally he managed, “nice to meet you. I’m called Nam Reikonaga. Antary brought me here because I was wondering about that Kaioken technique he used. I was wondering if perhaps you could teach me.”

[Antary]

The man nodded. "I don`t want to teach you it. It`s far too dangerous. However, if you insist, I`m not going to try stopping you. But before training, we should rest, and eat a bit!" He then quickly walked in the house, dragging his heavy backpack. John walked deeper into the house, then quickly turned, disappearing from sight in one of the rooms. He loudly closed the door.
"I never know what`s on his mind. By the way, did you know that he`s-" The door loudly and quickly opens, releasing tons of steam and smoke. "DINNER READY!" Came from the room. Antary, for some reason, looked furious.
"That old man, HE JUST LOVES TO INTERRUPT EVERYTHING I SAY DOESN`T HE?!" The saiyan shouted it loudly, specifically so that he could be heard from afar. "Sorry, can`t hear you!" John responded. Antary`s eye twitched there, but he quickly gave up and sighed, slowly walking inside.

It was a small kitchen, full of all kinds of kitchen ware and machines, with a pretty big round table in the middle. The table was full of food. Delicious, delicious food ranging from noodles and simple salads to huge chunks of roasted or steamed meat. To the hungry saiyan, it was jawdropping. "H-how did you make all this so quickly?.." He didn`t wait for an answer, though. He jumped on a chair and started consuming food at an incredibly fast rate. Antary didn`t know any manners when it came to eating food, so he was just shoving everything into his mouth and tried chewing, doing it again and again until his hunger would be finally satiated.
"Nam, sit down and eat as well. It would be rude to me if you didn`t." John calmly noted, eating some noodles himself.

The feast would go on for about an hour. With their bellies full of food, it was about time to train. "Well, then! It`s about time we all did what we enjoy doing! Training!" John happily said, quickly walking out of the house, gesturing his 2 students to follow.
And so they walked on, and on, and on. "Where the hell are we going? Couldn`t we just fly to our destination?!" Antary`s saiyan attitude kicked in again, but they really were walking for what seemed like forever. It was mostly annoying because they still
didn`t start the training. Though John was as calm as always. "Walking is also an excercise. Besides, we are already here."

They left the forest jungles they were walking in for hours, to reveal a less forested area and a cave. Antary`s first question was obvious. "Where the hell are we?"
Their new teacher stood in front of them, taking a deep breath, and started explaining today`s training excercise.
"We? In the middle of nowhere. One of the most interesting places in the world is this cave. It is a strange phenomenon, one that is difficult to explain. When you enter that cave, all your senses will be essentially gone. You won`t be able to see, smell, hear, you name it. One of the challenges in that cave is to not go mad due to lack of senses. The other is why I came here with you in the first place, it is to achieve a sense that even this maddening cave can not block. It is the ability to sense energy. I am sure that you can sense energy, but at your current level it is useless inside that place. You have to find a way to unlock that other sense. Once you will enter, I am going to beat you until you get it. I will know that you mastered it once you are able to counter attack my simple moves. Simple, yes? And Nam, think of this as a way to prove to me that you are ready for the Kaioken. Oh, and one more thing. Once night falls, you won`t be able to leave the cave."

Everything John said up until now sent shivers down Antary`s spine. A place where you can`t see, hear or even smell? That was... "WHAT?! THEN WHY DID YOU WASTE SO MUCH TIME BEFORE WE WENT HERE?!" The sun was only an hour or two before setting down, turning into night. "Are you really going to back down from the challenge? If you do, I shall no longer consider you my student, Antary, nor will I train you, Nam."
"Hah! You think a little cave will scare me?! Let`s go, Nam. Or are you going to chicken out?" The saiyan asked, still somewhat scared, but hiding his fear well, not showing it to anyone.


*You can proceed with this whole thing now, the cave removes most senses, and John is going to constantly beat us until we figure out a way to be able to "see without eyes", as in sense energy to the point where we dont need eyes and can see energetical silhouttes (I didnt spell that right did I).

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam understood the man’s feelings. Antary himself had told him that the move was exhausting to use. But it didn’t matter to Nam how dangerous it was, he needed the power to protect those he cares about. With great power comes great responsibility and most people have become corrupted because of it. Nam was going to be the mediator between them; he would become the neutralizer, the limit to all evil. They cross the line? Nam would push them back in place. But life has proven in multiple occasions that he was far from such status.

Nam followed behind Antary as they were escorted into the old man’s home. Nam lost sight of John as he disappeared upon entering and he could only hear the door slamming. It was a little weird, but he didn’t pay much attention to it and just heard Antary out; but with just a few seconds in between, the old man yelled, "DINNER READY!" The saiyan let out a rant about how John never let him finish his sentences. It was amusing to Nam, they were so familiar with each other; as if they’ve known eachother for years.

The anger emitting from the saiyan then turned to wonder and delight, while Nam become flabbergasted as he watched in awe, the food displayed on the round table. The kitchen was vast and full of different utensils. It was evident that the old man was an avid cook –no, it was undeniably obvious; but still, how could anyone cook this within seconds? Antary didn’t take much time before sitting down to eat all the food. John was also eating his noodles when he urged Nam to join them; whom was planted on the spot, trying to make sense of everything. Finally, Nam decided to join the pair. It was true after all, it would be very rude not to eat something so well prepared and in such short notice. Just a few minutes ago Nam saw with his own eyes the raw supplies and ingredients on the old man’s bag.

Nam tried some of the beef and noodles. He wasn’t a big fan of the salad but he served some anyway to please John. Nam wasn’t sure whether he was out of place or Antary was the weird one; while the pure-blood saiyan gobbled down his food, Nam grabbed a fork and knife, cutting down his meat and swirling it around the noodles. Nam thought he was a fast eater, but Antary definitely swiped the floor with him. Usually Nam would always be the first to finish eating, but that was because every would converse during lunch hours while Nam would just silently focus on his food.

After an hour or so of this, John finally announced their training would commence, but Nam was caught off guard by the long walk that had followed the old man’s words. He didn’t know where they were going, but they’d be there sooner or later. As customary, Antary began to grow impatient and Nam would repress the signs of his own impatience. Not even a mind reader could know Nam’s impatience. It was a weird feeling, but it was as if Nam was capable of clearing his mind completely. It was like he was literally thinking about nothing.

He could remember moments of his childhood, his mother would be driving him to school and he would just silently watch the scenery through the car window. Nam’s mother seemed to be worried by his quiet behavior and would occasionally ask, “What are you thinking about?” It was then when the young Reikonaga would realize he wasn’t thinking about anything at all, just aimlessly looking outside. He would remain silent, but inside he was struggling to figure out what his thoughts were, anything so he could answer his mother; but he couldn’t even make it up. It was as if he were thinking, What am I thinking?

In the end he just ended up answering his mother, “Nothing…” and then they would both feel that unsatisfying feeling of failing to connect with each other. Nam would then feel tense and wonder if his mother felt the same.

Finally, they reached the end of the forest and before them was a cave. Nam could’ve bothered asking, but Antary had already done it for him. "Where the hell are we?" The old man was as calm and stoic as Nam’s first impression and maintained that status throughout the entire traverse. He did seem a bit odd from time to time; but still, he gave the impression of a true master. John took a deep breath and began to explain the training Antary and Nam would have to endure. His sunglasses flashed as he did, "We? In the middle of nowhere. One of the most interesting places in the world is this cave. It is a strange phenomenon, one that is difficult to explain.” Nam wasn’t sure where this was going, but it was safe to assume their training had something to do with this cave. Nam listened as the old man continued.

“When you enter that cave, all your senses will be essentially gone. You won`t be able to see, smell, hear, you name it. One of the challenges in that cave is to not go mad due to lack of senses. The other is why I came here with you in the first place, it is to achieve a sense that even this maddening cave cannot block. It is the ability to sense energy.” Nam smirked as he heard this. He couldn’t say much for Antary, but Nam sure knew how to sense energy. It seemed he would not need this training afterall, but John hadn’t finished explaining…

“I am sure that you can sense energy, but at your current level it is useless inside that place. You have to find a way to unlock that other sense. Once you will enter, I am going to beat you until you get it. I will know that you mastered it once you are able to counter attack my simple moves. Simple, yes? –And Nam, think of this as a way to prove to me that you are ready for the Kaioken.” Nam nodded to the old man in approval. It seemed there was more to it than meets the eye. Is there truly another form of sense? All this time Nam had thought that sensing energy was the ultimate sense. There were the five senses: Touch, Smell, Hear, Sight, and Taste. –And then there was sensing energy. But now this old hermit with his big sunglasses was telling him that there was a much more effective form of sense. Maybe it was just an improvement of sensing energy. That was most probable. Either way, Nam received the training with open-mind and prepared to enter.

As Nam and Antary were about to enter, the old man warned. “Oh, and one more thing. Once night falls, you won`t be able to leave the cave.” Nam heart began to race. He didn’t expect this. The half-saiyan immediately looked to the sky, which was dimming with every breath. Nam estimated night fall at around two hours. "Are you really going to back down from the challenge? If you do, I shall no longer consider you my student, Antary, nor will I train you, Nam." Nam remained silent as usual and analysed the situation before answering.

"Hah! You think a little cave will scare me?! Let`s go, Nam. Or are you going to chicken out?" the saiyan looked at Nam, he seemed to be ready. All they were waiting for was Nam’s answer. The half-saiyan was a bit shaken from the news, but as said before, nobody could ever know. He smirked back with bluffed confidence, “of course!”
Yes, Nam was unsure about this whole thing, but he also knew that he needed to improve his abilities. If he couldn’t do this, then how in the world could he even consider protecting his friends? It wasn’t a light job, and so it required rigorous training.

To succeed where others have failed, you must dare do what others have never dared before.

Nam walked towards the cave, not checking whether Antary was following or not. As he entered, exactly what John had warned occurred. It was completely dark, and within seconds of walking he could no longer see the light from which he entered. Maybe that was why the old man said we wouldn’t be able to escape in night fall. What could possibly happen, in the night that wouldn’t allow Nam to leave the cave, ever? Couldn’t he just fly up and break through? Can’t he just blast it with his energy wave? He couldn’t make any sense out of it, but perhaps that was one of the senses this cave repressed. Nam could breath, but he didn’t smell anything. It was empty and blank, like his thoughts. He couldn’t see anything but the darkness, not even silhouettes of rocks and elevated ground; In fact, what ground? He couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet, it was like his legs had gone numb; and then again, he’d have no way of knowing because he couldn’t feel it either. It was definitely weird. Someone could have been stabbing him to death and he probably wouldn’t have felt it. And of course, he couldn’t hear either.

The experience was somewhat stressful. Nam had remained silent for so long and now everything was silent. He tried to scream, just to break the silence, but he couldn’t hear his own voice. All he had was his inner voice and conscious. After a few moments of just standing there, doing absolutely nothing. Nam was pushed. He didn’t exactly FEEL it, but he noticed the disruptance in his stature. He noticed his body tumbling down to the ground, or whatever it was that stopped him from falling; unless he was already falling but didn’t know it. He honestly never considered the thought of it, but the fact he could walk proved he wasn’t. Or… was he actually walking? Was he moving? He wasn’t sure. This cave was genuinely a phenomenon and within a few more seconds he was pushed once again.

Nam tried to sense it out. He was sure this was John’s doing; that, or he was bumping into Antary. He definitely felt the presence of both Antary and the old man. But somehow it was scattered and difficult. He felt them, but at the same time he didn’t. Nam couldn’t make out their location. It was like they were all around the place. The next moment, he was bumped once more and Nam began to feel impatient. He flailed his arms, punching the air. Maybe, he’d get lucky.

(I'm not sure if this is how you imagined the cave would be. But you DID say ALL senses. xP)

[Antary]

Antary was worried. Though this wasn`t caused by the fact that they are going inside a cave where no senses work, but the annoying time limit. Bleh, the old man is probably bluffing. What could happen during the night? Would he just roll over a rock at the cave`s entrance? He`s not trying to kill them, is he? Who knows. Nobody does, probably. But there was certainly no time to waste.
He watched as Nam disappeared in the darkness of this strange cave. It really was some kind of phenomenon. It gave out this chilling feeling since the moment they arrived near it. "Well, darn. I wonder what we`re getting ourselves into." He was trying to keep those thoughts away. If he was afraid of training, then what will he ever do in an actual fight to the death? "Throw those darn thoughts away."

And so, he entered. At first, it was simply dark. However the deeper he went, the more "unnatural" this darkness was becoming. It started to literally surround Antary, consuming him completely. This was certainly not normal.
"What`s going on?!"
But there was nothing. Not even his voice. "But I did say that!" This was overwhelming. Antary never felt such a thing before. Or more like, never NOT felt anything. He could see how one of the challenges was to not go mad due to loss of all senses. "If this keeps up, I really might go mad... No! Thinking about it will only make matters worse. I have to focus. I have to-" His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain, right in his stomach. Moments later, he hit something else. Probably a wall. The saiyan couldn`t even feel his flight all the way up there, or perhaps he flew to the side? It was impossible to tell.

The pain returned again and again. It was probably the old man`s doing, but it didn`t make a bit of difference that he knew the source of his troubles. The more important thing is that there was no way to counter it. But there has to be a way! "I need to get used to myself in this place first, then I`ll see from there."
He stood up. Or did he? Yes, he did. Antary couldn`t tell exactly what happened, but it seems he can finally fully control his body in these conditions. This seemed like the first step to the completion of the goal.
He took his fighting stance. There wasn`t exactly a reason for it, but it gave confidence. He was hit again and again, and many more times. How long was he standing just like this, taking hits, trying not to fall? Or was he already laying?

Something had to be done. First of all, Antary had to calm down, and sense energy at the "basic" level. So he did, but he could not feel a clear signature, it was more like a mix of two all over the place. He was certain that the one he felt "better" was Nam`s, while the weaker one was John`s. But what now? Where do you go from here? There wasn`t anything more to perceive.
"What is this cave, anyway? This certainly is not normal, not even a natural phenomena, I think. There is no way something could muzzle energy of others, other than of course..! THAT`S IT! That must be it, the cave must be made out of energy! There is no other explanation!"
The hits weren`t coming for a while now, maybe it was Nam`s turn to take punishment. This was a relief, he had time to actually focus. He took a deep breath...

The cave began to fill with flashes of light, as if millions of shining icicles filled the air. They seemed to move in some places. "Maybe that`s them! Both Nam and John!"
"Good, you made quite a bit of progress." He heard a familiar voice, first time in this cave. It was a relief.
He could see the icicles move, kind of like water, away from some disturbance and then returned to their position gradually. "I can see him!" Exclaimed the saiyan, raising his arms for a block of an aerial attack. "Uh, no you don`t."
He took a hit. A hit from below, to the stomach. "You indeed made progress, but the way you are seeing things is so easy to confuse and trick. All I did was throw a tiny rock, and your entire "sight" was broken. Do not rely on the unknown. You have 10 minutes left before nightfall. What are you going to do?" And another punch.

10 minutes? Already more than an hour passed? That only strengtened Antary`s resolve, which was shown by a smirk on his face. "10 minutes is more than enough, now that I actually feel consciousness, life as it should be."
The saiyan was close to perfection and he knew it. Now he was not simply blindfolded and helpless like a baby, he could actually put up a fight, even if it was still more or less instinct based. But how do you take that last step and get where you should be? John was not letting him think it over with his constant assaults, and the threat of being forever stuck in here was even more dangerous than before. This all seemed like a riddle of some kind, a puzzle. It`s been that so far, he was simply doing things he never though of before, and got results. "Things I never thought of doing before in a fight..." Antary closed his eyes. From sudden realization, he opened them. He could see. He could finally see John clearly! Lack of natural eye vision is the key.

With his newfound vision, he engaged in fighting with his master. The old man hopped about like mad, trying to compensate for his short height with acrobatics. Smart. Their power levels were completely different, but John could still keep up with the much stronger Antary through raw skill and amazing speed. The saiyan made it clear that he can see everything John is throwing, and so he stopped, motioning to leave. But where was Nam? He was not exactly interested, his first and most wanted thing to do was to get the hell out of this cursed place. And so, he left. It was already night. Was Nam standing there?

[Nam Reikonaga]

How long have I been here? How long do I have left?
The shadow of a person stood there, standing in the darkness. He had been pushed around various times without stop, but now it seemed to have stopped. Perhaps, the old man was pushing Antary now. Wonder how he’s doing…

Nam was still, looking into the void of nothingness. He wasn’t sure whether his eyes were even open. He couldn’t make out his own position, was he dead? Nam tried to focus his energy onto the palm of his hands. Not knowing where his hands were, he simply performed it by memory –instinct. The orb of energy was sitting there, glowing; but somehow, it didn’t lighten the area. It was simply a yellow light of energy, floating in the darkness.

“Antary is already getting the hang of it…” a voice said within the darkness. Nam was surprised to be able to hear it. He wondered how it was possible and tried to reply, but he couldn’t hear his voice. Maybe the old man was using telepathy. Nam made sure he’d remember to add that technique to the list. “You should really hurry. You’ve only got about… Ten minutes?” the voice warned. Nam’s heart began to race. Ten minutes? It was a bit disappointing, to hear that Antary was already perfecting the technique, while Nam was still unsure of what it was they were actually trying to learn.

But he can’t lose here, he won’t lose here; he wouldn’t allow himself to lose here, not now. There were so many things left to be done. If Nam couldn’t pass this simple test, then he was a fool to ever dream so big. His mind was still empty, thoughtless, like his surroundings. He tried to make reason from all of this. What was he supposed to do? Nam let the energy sphere disperse in his hands as he closed them. –Suddenly, he was moved. It seemed it was his turn to be pushed around again. Nam would just stand there and allow it.

Nam closed his eyes. It was very quiet, as it has been for the past hour. He only had minutes left to learn what he hasn’t even begun. He tried sensing the energy around him once again. As expected, it was mixed up and unreadable. He could feel the presence of both Antary and John, but he couldn’t tell where they were. He was pushed again. “Time’s running out…” the voice warned again. Nam began to think about the cave. This couldn’t be natural, it was unreal. Nam didn’t know of anything in this world that could possibly cause this effect. He couldn’t feel, see, or hear. And… he couldn’t sense? Sensing energy is an energy based move in itself. The only way to counter energy would be…

Nam opened his eyes, “Energy…”
John laughed, “So you’ve figured it out… ‘bout time…” Nam could see him now. This cave isn’t a natural phenomenon; the old man rigged it himself, but it served its purpose. He didn’t see John as clear as day. That’d be unexplainable. Instead, he could see the energy surrounding his body –not the aura, but his spiritual essence. He looked up and the whole cave was filled with this blue energy, kinda like looking up while under water. The old man’s silhouette thrust its arm forward, and from it came a smaller ball. Nam instinctively lifted his hands up to catch it. Doing so, he saw the silhouette of his own arm and he was also able to feel the texture of the object; it was a rock.

John smiled and charged at Nam. The half-saiyan stood still, watching as the blue figure closed in and smiled as he noticed something. “You’re still wearing your sunglasses?” Nam hopped just inches over the old man’s arm, floating behind him and gently tapping the back of his head.

“Very good, you have passed.” John assured, smiling with a bow. Nam bowed as well. They then agreed to leave before it was too late. From the shadows of the cave, the silhouette of both Nam and John walked out. From the look of things, they left the cave just in time before it would have been too late. Ahead, Nam could see Antary. He seemed to have been searching for them.

“Looks like you beat me to it.” Nam said, grabbing the saiyan’s attention. He was a bit flustered that Antary had figured it out before him. So much for being an introvert... It was that saiyan competitiveness that lived on in his veins. It was beginning to annoy Nam the fact that he was always second when it came to anything; if not, he was last. But nobody would ever know…

“So… do I get to learn the Kaioken now?” He laughed.

[Antary]

"You`ve both done great progress. You`re the first ones to pass this trial. It gave me important information about the both of you, as well as a better idea on how to train you further. Anyway, I`ll teach you the Kaioken tomorrow, Nam. Also, assign you two a new training task. Well, then, follow me, back to the house. I`ll cook lunch or something..." The saiyan was silent. He was simply looking at the clear sky filled with stars, but followed John when they were getting far away, still not breaking his silence.

The rest of the night was relatively peaceful. Antary went to bed without eating anything, which was kind of unusual. He did not sleep. He couldn`t stop thinking over things. All sorts of things. He was uncertain in his purpose, questioning his own goals and the path he decided to take. It`s as if that last training freed him from chains that were stopping him from thinking. The saiyan`s mind was surprisingly clear. It had no hostile intentions, it`s as if his source of anger was missing.
When he attempted to recall the past, which always made him sad and angry, now he never felt any negative emotions. This was so unusual. He`s never felt at such peace.

After sleeping, Antary felt more or less better. He spoke when talked to, but his behaviour changed. He wasn`t as ill-tempered as the day before. This seemed to bother John. And so came time for training.
"Well, I have a really special assignment for you. I won`t be able to teach you anything now, so I am going to give you in reliable hands." He took out a map, some locations were circled and crossed. "You have to go here." He put his finger on one of the crosses, it was labeled "The Lookout".
"What do you mean?" Antary was... surprised, to say the least. Did he run out of techniques to teach them?
"Don`t worry. I`ll give you a couple gifts before you go though. First for you, Antary." He takes out 4 wristbands, 2 of them were slightly larger, but they were for his legs, apparently. The saiyan quickly put them on. "Uh, what does this do?"
"These are weights. Give me just a moment, now." The old man put up a finger, and went silent. Suddenly, his finger emitted a large transparent ring of energy that went through Antary. The wristbands vibrated a bit, he opened his eyes in amazement and let out a surprised scream as his arms were suddenly supressed to lower than his knees, just barely not snapping. "My GOD THESE ARE HEAVY! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ANYTHING?" There was a loud crack. "Those weren`t my bones just now, right?" No. Antary looked below him, on the ground. It was in cracks. Once it went past the point of being able to keep the combined weight, it got completely crushed, causing the saiyan to fall downwards. The ground below that started cracking, too.
"I dunno, figure out a way. Nam, I don`t have this kind of gift for you, so the best I can do is teach you the Kaioken. Please do my assignment, however. Let`s not distract Antary, hah." And so, they walked away, leaving Antary alone in his struggle to not fall into the middle of the world.

"Darn that old man! Darn him! Is this some sort of riddle again?! But I can`t move! If I stop concentrating on just keeping this things from breaking my arms, it`s over!" But he just kept breaking the ground, falling deeper and deeper. There was little choice. "KA... IO... KEEEN!" Antary was engulfed in a red aura, and was finally able to lift his hands up, but only temporarily. It`s as if the weights got used to his power and only gained weight, breaking the concentration required for Kaioken, which did absolutely nothing to help in this situation. "Darn it! Maybe I can`t do this with raw power, but then how?!" The saiyan closed his eyes. Maybe these weights really react to his power? Then what if he lowered his power level? No, this would probably not work, since the weights would still react accordingly. Then what was left? Maybe he should try... "focusing" his energy to be only contained within his body, and not all over the place? His power level wouldn`t exactly rise or fall, so maybe this is it? No other choice.

Well, these things were still heavy as hell, but at least he could move now. It was strange, it only got slightly lighter, but the ground stopped crushing. "Whatever. I`m getting out of here." Antary jumped, using energy to jump higher. He managed to leap out of the hole he created in one jump. "Ah, you`re back." Calmly noted John. "Nam is already headed to the lookout, why aren`t you?" Antary wanted to fly, but couldn`t. "Yes, you can`t fly wearing these things. So I guess it`s up to walking and running now, huh? Well, this should help you get stronger, don`t you think? I suggest you not fight anyone wearing these, because you are so much weaker right now than you once used to be. Anyway, it was nice knowing you, maybe we`ll meet again, Antary the saiyan."
"Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks, old man." And so, he left. He ran as fast as he could to The Lookout, whatever that was. Antary was slowed down by a lot, but he was still fast. He extended his right arm, suddenly catching a piece of paper, a scroll more like. It was the world map, which the saiyan could read. "Nam will probably get there in a day, it`ll take me a week to get there on foot though. Darn."


Anyway, thread ends with your next post, probably. Taking zeni and buying heavy weights if possible.

[Nam Reikonaga]

After successfully meeting John’s expectations with the cave, everyone quietly returned to the cabin. It took a while, but Nam suddenly noticed something had changed in Antary. He didn’t eat dinner and he was silent the rest of the day. I wonder what’s wrong with him… he thought. Nam would’ve tried asking, but he decided to let him be. It was a peaceful night. Once John and Nam had finished eating, they stepped outside into the cool night breeze. The moon was smiling tonight, so there wouldn’t be any Great Ape problems to worry about.

“So, Nam…” the old man began. He was still wearing those huge sunglasses. His face was calm and relaxed. “Tell me about yourself.”

The half-saiyan sat quietly on the cozy chair, trying to think about what to say. “Well… there isn’t much to say really…”

“Oh please! There has to be something. Where are you from?” the old man insisted.

Nam sighed. “Well… I’m from here, earth. I was raised in Central City. Everyone I knew lived there. Now I’m left with nothing.” He explained.

“Even your parents?” John questioned.

“My mother was murdered by a saiyan, not too long ago. My father… I never knew him. He was a saiyan, but he left before I was even born.” As Nam said this, John almost hopped off his chair and began to survey the young man.

“I didn’t know you were a saiyan…” he admitted, staring at Nam’s tailless-ness.

“Half,” the saiyan corrected. He noticed the man’s puzzled complexion. “I cut my tail off a long time ago. It was nothing but a weakness.”

“I see…” John was rubbing his beardless face. “Tell me… why do you fight? Is it, perhaps, vengeance?” The sound of that single word made Nam’s heart stop –and he froze, staring into space. John instantly knew that he was spot on. “I know revenge –I’ve been there my lad. I won’t make you change your resolve. But I ask that you rethink it carefully and make sure it’s exactly what you want. Nothing good comes out of it. It only poisons the heart.” With that said John retired for the night and went to bed. Nam sat there silently, reflecting on the older man’s wise words. He couldn’t think of how to answer before, but once it was already too late, he had begun thinking.

I understand what he’s saying… But if I don’t do anything about it, people like that saiyan will never change. They will continue doing their barbarous acts of crime and injustice. They think that just because they have the power to push others around, that they should do it. It’s wrong… Nam kept pondering on their little chat. He wished he had gathered the words in time so he could tell John, but it was always like this. He didn’t know why, but he always thought of his answers once it was too late to actually say them. “I will become stronger…” he said, knowing nobody would hear. And I will become the limiter to all evil…

The day after, John gathered both Antary and Nam outside. Saying we were going to begin training. The old man –still wearing sunglasses- flashed the scroll he was carrying and opened it. Nam and Antary got close to observe it. The map was marked with circles and crosses. John signaled a specific cross, calling it “The Lookout”. For their next assignment they were to go there. Nam had heard stories about it, but he never actually went. He was sure Antary hadn’t the slightest clue of the history behind it; although, Nam hadn’t gone too in depth on the subject either.

Next, Antary was given two pairs of wrist bands: two for his wrists –hence the name, and two larger ones for his legs. Nam didn’t understand the reason behind them at first, but the old man did something weird to them and the ground crumbled beneath the pure-saiyan’s feet. Antary mentioned it was quite heavy. John urged Nam to leave him be, while they commenced their training for the Kaioken. Nam smiled to the thought of finally learning the technique. It would definitely help him with his goals.

“I believe I’ve said this before but, I’d rather you didn’t use this move unless it is necessary. Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.” He advised. Nam could understand him perfectly. That’s exactly how he felt towards all those saiyans who think they can do whatever they please, just because they feel –and possibly are- superior to humans. But still, he wondered why John feared.

“Okay, before we begin. The Kaioken is a move that multiplies your power for a heart-beat. It’s perfect when fighting someone significantly stronger than you, but there’s a downside.” He paused, allowing Nam to absorb all the information given so far and listen carefully to the next part. “Although the Kaioken grants great power, if you use it for too long, or perhaps, if you enhance the stress on your body –it could destroy you.” There was silence in the air. Nam was beginning to think that all of John’s methods were life threatening. First the cave, and now the Kaioken; but still, he was determined to learn the new technique.

“You’ll understand once you use it. Allow me to demonstrate.”
The old man took a wide stance and breathed in deeply. Nam could sense he was a bit nervous. After a few moments, John yelled out a kiai and his body was soon engulfed by a crimson red aura. Nam could feel the power radiating from him. John’s once small power level had surpassed Nam’s in a heartbeat. He maintained it for a few seconds and then allowed it to release. Nam was surprised as his new mentor began to breath heavily and sweat through his pores. “You see… this… is why… it… is… dangerous…”

John took a moment to catch his breath, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. “As you can see, I only used it for a few seconds, and I was already out of breath. Within those few seconds, you must move quickly and make sure your attack hits. If you miss, then it was a wasted attempt, wasted energy, and probably your own demise.” John was making sure Nam understood all the risks that came with this new technique. It was clear that if Nam ever used it –which he will-, he had to make sure it counts.

(Skipping process because I don’t know how Kaioken actually works ><)

After a few minutes of trying, Nam had finally managed to perform the Kaioken. “HA!” he yelled. His body was covered by the crimson aura which he had seen on Antary and John. He would’ve been celebrating if he didn’t feel the draining of his energy so drastically. Nam tried to maintain it a bit longer, but after only a few seconds, his aura broke and he fell on his knees with his hefty breathing. He couldn’t believe the strain it left on his body.

“Very good, I congratulate you!” John cheered, patting Nam gently on the back, which caused him to tip over on the floor. Nam was so exhausted he couldn’t even be touched. He suspected John knew it would happen; he just wanted to prove a point and show Nam how weak his current state truly was. “Oh my… was I too rough on you?” he joked. But Nam wasn’t laughing –he couldn’t! He remained laying there, trying to catch his breath. John advised him to go to the Lookout, now that his training was over. Nam wasn’t sure why he had to go there, but he had doubted the old man too much already. He deserved Nam’s trust by now.

After Nam finally pulled himself together, he forced himself off the ground and headed out. “I hope we meet again.” He said.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure our paths will cross again in the near future.” John hinted.

Nam couldn’t figure this man out; he wears red robes, huge sunglasses, lives in the wild, doesn’t know where he gets his food, and he knows weird techniques and training methods. Just who was he? How did Antary ever get involved with this man? There were many things to question about him, but he has done nothing but help since they met –and to a complete stranger too. Nam would make sure he never forgets the old man. He planned to protect the earth with the things he has learned in the short time he had been there.

“Don’t wait on Antary, it’ll be a while before he catches up to you…” he assured.

Nam nodded and bid him farewell. An instant later the half-saiyan was soaring through the sky, heading towards the Lookout.


Thread done, I want Zeni please. + Kaioken. And... was that thing in the cave a technique or just personal growth?

Kaioken: This is primarily a power-up move. When Goku uses this technique, he flares up and gains a large boost to his speed and power but saps an enormous amount of ki. Goku learned this technique from the martial arts master King Kai in which it was named. Since Goku learned to go Super Saiyan, he stops using it. For this RPG, It will be counted as only a 3x transformation as it is gained at start if choose wanting this move.

[Antary]

Well, it`s just a big energy sense upgrade, so I`m guessing it`s passive.

[Zach]

Review in progress...

The following sums of money are awarded:
Nam: 3000
Antary: 2300

And Nam, technique approved.

Enjoy.