Chapter 29 – Of Love and Virginity

~ Two Months After Raditz's Arrival~

Amidst the two rows of palm trees that flanked the Lookout's main entrance, Ajax diligently performed his morning Kata, engaging in the time-honored and ancient art of working his butt off. Gracefully maneuvering through the intricate forms of the Kata, Ajax's breath materialized into a misty cloud in the brisk morning air.

With clenched teeth, Ajax pushed through the precise movements at the required speed, fighting against the viscosity of the air around him at every step. He can feel his heart pounding within his chest, the satisfying burning of his muscles, and the sensation of his sweat-drenched Gi clinging to his form. The vibrant red Gi was darkened by the sweat from Ajax's intense exercise, resembling rich, flowing blood, and is a striking contrast against the sun's golden rays.

Ajax is convinced that everything must be perfectly picturesque, but he can hardly find it in himself to appreciate any of it when the piercing sunlight is practically blinding him, even after squinting. All in all, he feels kinda gross– and blinded by the sun– and cold at that, all of which are annoyingly impinging on his personal introspection time.

Speaking of introspection time, a surprising number of events had occurred in the past two months. Notably, Kami had decided to play a hands-on role in his training after their little conversation.

At every single moment, the airspace around him was under Kami's dominion, constantly maintaining a density akin to honey at the minimum. As if that wasn't challenging enough, Kami occasionally fluctuated the density without warning, leading him to lose balance and fall on his ass on more than one occasion.

However, the regimen didn't end there. Every article of clothing he wore was greatly weighted, courtesy of Mr. Popo. Like Kami, Mr. Popo periodically opted to increase the clothing's weight, but unlike Kami, Mr. Popo is one sadistic son-of-a-bitch. To Ajax's great annoyance, the genie's manipulations often left him sprawling in an Ajax-sized crater on multiple occasions. He swears to god; one day, when he's confident that Mr. Popo can't easily kill him, he will punch that dick in his insufferable face. Hard.

Over the past two months, rather than a meteoric rise, his power level advanced at a steady pace, which, while underwhelming, aligned with his expectations. Unsurprisingly, weight training didn't yield significant gains in power levels but did contribute noticeably to his physical strength.

He supposes that high-gravity training will be different in that it would theoretically fortify your internal organs and circulatory system as well, which might be the main cause of increased Ki and power levels. Unfortunately, Kami has yet to give him the green light for the time chamber.

Whining aside, he has to give credit where it's due. During Kami's training, his adaptation didn't activate in response to his physical conditioning as much as he had anticipated. Somehow. His working theory was that since Kami made sure he never fully recovered from his muscle soreness; his adaptation couldn't fully activate. Unfortunately, this means that he's in constant pain from said muscle soreness, but fortunately, he can easily ignore it thanks to his experience with the Ultra Divine Water.

The good news is that he did experience a notable burst in power level post-Ultra Divine Water, and while it isn't the most dramatic increase in the world, the practical results in his sparring sessions spoke volumes. Krillin, who had once been a formidable opponent for him in the past, now frequently found himself on the back foot.

Directly following the boost from the Ultra Divine Water, Ajax is already capable of engaging Krillin on equal footing, matching him blow-for-blow. After two months of Kami's intensive training, he outclasses Krillin physically in strength, speed, and, very soon, height as well. Oftentimes, Krillin struggled to inflict any damage on him, while he could, even during the worst-case scenarios, consistently outlast Krillin through strategic counters and efficient Ki management. Krillin… just wasn't a challenge anymore.

Ajax snickered at the thought. His senpai was very salty when he realized that.

Also, the moon has spectacularly exploded recently, which he supposes is an indication that Gohan is doing fine under Piccolo's tutelage. He knew that Gohan would become an invaluable asset in the upcoming battles and is the crucial piece for the MASTERPLAN's endgame. However, the future could wait. For now, Gohan can deal with his own shit by himself. Ajax had bigger fish to fry.

Truth is, if Raditz was the training wheels, the tutorial so to speak, then the confrontation with Vegeta and Nappa is his first true test. Correspondingly, the objectives he must achieve in that battle are more difficult and numerous than with Raditz. This time, however, observing passively is a luxury he could no longer afford. Ajax shakes his head to dispel distracting thoughts. He needs to worry about his own ass at the moment. Today. He will seize the initiative to ask–

"I should make some time to talk with Maron about what's happening," Krillin mused aloud. He stretched his arms, attempting to warm them up for the training ahead, but the physical activity couldn't conceal the guilt written across his face. "In hindsight, I haven't really explained to her why I'm leaving. I just told her I needed a year of training to save Earth and left it at that."

Ajax drew a deep breath, attempting to suppress his annoyance as he powered through the final set of his Kata. His introspection would be considerably easier, he thinks, if he weren't constantly surrounded by the buzz of inane, romantic gossip! Why did they have to constantly remind him he had been eternally single– and still a virgin in his past life? Why couldn't they be more like Tien, and keep their own romantic ventures to themselves?

"Oh yeah, I have to tell Launch as well. Lunch could understand but Launch… not so much." Tien added nonchalantly like he hadn't just dropped a major bombshell.

'Screw you too, Tien!! Aruuuggghhh!' Ajax screamed internally, too busy mentally screeching in outrage to feel shock at the news. His one one-sided trust had just been ruthlessly betrayed! 

Krillin, on the other hand, was unmistakably taken aback and almost ate marble at the news. "What?! Since when were you dating Lunch?! –or Launch?!" 

Tien simply turned his head to the side, redirecting his attention to his stretches, nonchalantly disregarding Krillin's physical reaction.

"Ever since Goku recommended finding love to me, but don't worry about it." 

"Wait, tell me, Tien! Cause I definitely will worry about it!" 

Almost on the other side of the Lookout, Yamcha crouched, stretching his hamstrings with a noticeable air of dejection. "Well, at least you guys still have girlfriends. Bulma broke up with me!"

Krillin rolled his eyes and leaned down to touch his toes, having recovered from his near faceplant earlier. 

"Okay, look, dude, I felt bad for you the first, like, sixteen times you said it, but I'm going to be honest. You kind of brought it upon yourself with your cheating. Besides, she said she needed a break to think about everything that's happened, and you need to train. This break was inevitable regardless of how well the relationship is going."

"But she's just going to end our relationship afterward!" Yamcha wailed, the uncertainty of his love life casting a shadow over his typically self-assured demeanor. "–And, for the record, I only brought it up like… five times!"

Krillin raised his hand in a 'hold up, wait a minute' gesture.

"Okay, stop. The mere fact that you had to pause and think about how many times you said it meant that you said it too much. Come on man, get your shit together."

Ajax, his patience finally exhausted, stopped his Kata to give the Z Fighters a piece of his mind. However, as he turned, he nearly leaped out of his skin at the sight of Mr. Popo standing eerily still, right at the corner of the building. With only his head visible, he peered at them unblinkingly, his bloody red lips stretched into a macabre facsimile of a smile. Ajax felt a cold sweat break out from the jump scare. Dear god, just how long has the prick been lurking there?

Mr. Popo broke into laughter upon locking eyes with Ajax. However, it wasn't a jovial laugh. The other Z Fighters, who were oblivious to the peeping Tom, all collectively flinched as Mr. Popo's eerie laughter reached their ears. One by one, the Z Fighter woodenly swiveled around, their expressions shifting from casual camaraderie to sheer traumatization. The sound of Mr. Popo's laughter had resurrected their memories of past 'training sessions' that they had fervently tried to bury in their mental graveyard.

Mr. Popo abruptly spoke in his usual emotionless drawl.

"Greetings, ladies. Kami will be with you shortly for your morning torture session." He stated, addressing the Z Fighters with an air of detached amusement. "Your breakfast, featuring Mr. Popo's Nutritious Ghost Peppers, will be prepared. They're Ghost Peppers but with nutrient paste stuffed inside. Yummers~"

Having conveyed his message, Mr. Popo started to dissolve from existence. His form blurred, grew faint and then vanished entirely.

"…"

"...he can't be serious, right?" Yajirobe's complexion visibly paled, and he bent over slightly, as though on the verge of retching

A ripple of nervous laughter and uneasy glances circulated among the Z Fighters.

"Remember the last time he prepared a meal for us? Ramen with noodles made from mashed Jalapenos and broth that had more spice than actual broth," Chiaotzu recounted to everyone, shivering and looking a little green.

Chiaotzu's words brought forth a collective shudder from the Z Fighters, the vivid memory of that fiery concoction still haunting their taste buds. And what do you know, Yajirobe actually did lean over and retch.

Ajax vividly remembered that day. The… 'distinctive' flavor of the ramen had mercilessly assaulted his palate, not unlike a storm of hellfire descending from the sky. For a moment, he completely understood what it was like to be Natsu Dragneel. However, his adaptation swiftly took effect, and Ajax discovered that the flavor had transformed into something surprisingly pleasant. He couldn't recall what in the seven hells prompted him to do so, but he ended up complimenting Mr. Popo on the dish.

Naturally, everyone, including Kami, had cast absolutely bewildered looks at him, as if he had grown a third head. But then again, since none of them had drank the Ultra Divine Water as he had, they had no right to judge. Apparently, Mr. Popo appreciated the compliment, as there was not one instance of an Ajax-shaped crater in the following two days. Still going to sock him in the face though.

Ajax closed his eyes, using a brief moment of serenity to clear his mind. He is going to accomplish a significant goal today. With purposeful steps, Ajax walked up to Tien.

"Good morning, Mr. Tien Shinhan."