Chapter Seventeen

After you managed to rid yourself of their judgmental and teasing gazes you finally managed to take a nice, relaxing shower and let all your worries flow away with the water. Splashing your face several time to snap yourself back into reality you tried to think things through. "How the fuck did I end up here?" You ask yourself as droplets of water flow down your chin.

Somehow you find your mind going blank for what could be minutes, you aren't sure. Your mind tries its best to process all that and just... take it all in. But eventually you do manage to somewhat gather yourself and step out of the shower.

Dressing up some freshly laundered clothes you make your way out and just... sit down by the lakeside. You feel tired after all that, so tired that you are too tired to even sleep. Perhaps if you wait long enough the sensation will pass and you can get some rest. However, as you find yourself dozing off you feel someone approach you.

"Erm... Eric? Do you have a moment?"

"Oh... hi Kale. What's up?"

"M-May I... have a seat?"

"Of course Kale."

"T-Thank you." She sits down next to you but with some distance between the two of you.

"So. How was the food?"

"It was delicious as usual!"

"I'm glad you like it. So... What can I help you with?"

"Erm..." She fidgets in place, looking for the right words to say. "I just... I just want to say that you are a nice person. I think what you did with those two was... really sweet."

Feeling your cheeks flushed with blood you also start feeling nervous. "W-Wai-wai-wait! What are you-"

"I-I'm sorry... did I say something wrong?"

"N-No but... sheesh. I just don't need to hear that right now. It's embarrassing enough without being reminded of it! I just... did what felt right... as weird as it was."

"A-And that's why I feel like you're a good man.

I don't think many people would comfort someone like that... And because of that... that I..." She turns around to face you and blurts this out. "PLEASE HELP ME BECOME SUPER SAIYAN!"

Letting out a barely audible "phew" under your breath you wipe your forehead clean of sweat.

"W-well Kale... I think you're knocking on the wrong door this time. I don't know a thing about going super saiyan. Heck, I barely know about Saiyans. Period."

"But that's it!" She speaks with determination and courage this time around. "You managed to help Sis achieve something we've never seen before! You are very talented, so much so that sister Caulifla is jealous of you! We... we've been trying to get back our transformation for a while now but we're not getting any closer. I want to get it back to help sister with it! And... I believe you can help me..."

"W-Wow... really?"

"Uh-huh... Sis thinks so too. But she's too proud to ask for your help. So... could you help me?"

You think about her request for a second.

You stand up, weary and tired beyond description but thinking: Maybe this is what you need to fall asleep. "Sure Kale. Though I don't know how much help I'll be to be perfectly honest."

*GASP* "Really? "Her eyes twinkle.

"Of course!" You answer her. And even if you fail there is still that little tidbit you heard from Vados. Maybe once they hear the opinion of a professional they'll have a change of heart and stop forcing the matter.

Walking away from the lake as it's your favorite place on this rock and would hate to wreck it you face off against Kale who appears to be still as reserved about fighting as ever. You don't even have a clue why such a timid girl would even be interested in fighting.

"Okay Kale. We'll do this the regular way at first. I want you to come at me seriously. No holding back, okay? In turn I promise to do the same."

"Y-Yes!" She pumps her arm and as she brings them down to her hips she unleashes her pent up energy. "HA!"

Her ki erupts around her and rages on with the intensity of fire. Though it fluctuates constantly it's still a sight to behold. Where does this little girl keep all that power you wonder.

"Okay Kale, that's good! Now for me..."

You ready yourself for battle and raise your guard as Kale charges you. With almost animalistic grunts accompanying her strikes she throws her fists at you. Dodging and weaving between her attacks you try to gauge her power but it's fluctuating so much that figuring out her capabilities is simply impossible.

Dodging another incoming "GAH" as Kale likes to call it you get clear of the Saiyan and start thinking things through. You don't know much about Super Saiyans only what little you heard from Vados and even that's hazy at best. But you do recall her mentioning that it requires some sort of trigger, a heightened emotional state. Perhaps... she could learn from your example. Grow like you do.

Yes. That sounds cool. So you try it.

Jumping backwards you get clear of the Saiyan and change your stance, from defensive to offensive and start preparing.

"Prepare yourself Kale... Because not even I know what's coming!"

You crack a smile at her and charge Kale who powers up even further and starts to show signs of her mounting rage. She lifts her arm and swings at you but finds it completely missing you somehow. This little accident causes her to snap out of it and just stare blankly at what just happened.

Taking this chance you spin around and deliver a kick into her side, sending her flying.

As she's careening to the side you are left smiling at your own success. "YES! I pulled it off!"

As you pat yourself on the back however Kale manages to regain her balance and stands back up. "W-What was that?"

"I just became stronger. Watch carefully Kale! This is how you can force yourself to break down your limits!" You clench your fists and charge her once more wreathed in Ki.

Delivering one punch from both sides you attempt to put some pressure on Kale who seems to be at a loss for what to do. She tries to retaliate but when you see her fist incoming with your heightened senses you create another spacial anomaly which causes her arm to bend around your body. As the attack misses you deliver a merciless counter attack straight in her guts.

She doesn't get too damaged from the attack but it obviously frustrates her. Extending her arm she attempts to ram her upper arm into you via a lariat, seeing how her punches seem to miss you all the time. But you simply duck under this predictable attack and strike her with a spin kick in response.

Staggering for a moment she pauses as you continue to chain punch into kick into punch, bending space around you when you need to dodge or when your attacks would miss. As you keep striking her over and over again you can see Kales frustration mount and finally that same killer sheen appears in her eyes that you've seen back on Earth.

With her eyes having that yellow tinge to them she charges you with renewed vigor. Her speed and strength, though still fluctuating like crazy seem to go ever higher than before. This time you have to use both your space bending AND your time-skip in order to steer clear of her fists which is definitely having an effect on you. Panting and heaving you dance around Kale as she continues to grow angrier.

As she drives her fist in the ground you start to realize just what's going on. This is not some sort of a powered up state like the Super Saiyan. It's more... primal than that, savage, dangerous. She doesn't appear to be entirely in control of the thing and by the looks of it she's slipping.

Slamming her forearm into a tree and promptly breaking it in half she continues to assault you, her screams becoming more prolonged and bestial. "RRRRARGH!"

She throws another punch and you're afraid that bending space itself to protect you might not be entirely enough, so you do something else. Gripping the air, you drive your fingers into it and watch as the fabric of space folds between them like cloth. With one swipe of both arms you send forth a wave which twists Kale out of the air and slams her body into the ground.

"Take it easy Kale!"

"Grrrrr...." She stands up and pieces of rubble which cling to her body start falling off of her.

"How..." She grunts. "How are you so good? So amazing?! Why can't I be like you?! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?

RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

She roars and her ki erupts like a pillar of pure rage. As you watch the timid, noodle armed girl growing slightly visible muscles as she looses herself bit by bit to her berserker rage you realize that you should've worn your brown pants today.

Taking up your time-skip stance you start weighing your options. "Shit... What did I just sign up for?"

Cracking your neck you spread your arms and speak up. "You want to be like me? Fine! You're gonna have to learn the lesson I learned a long long time ago. That there is ALWAYS gonna be someone out there who is Stronger than you! Even now I'm shaking in my boots just looking at you! So COME ON! Do as I do and let us ascend together! Don't let who you are stop you from becoming who you can be!"

You charge the berserker Kale with your palms open and ready to dish out some serious pain. Striking her forearm you send a shockwave through them and watch her recoil in pain as she grunts. But with her free hand she winds up and slams the whole thing into your gut, sending you flying into a nearby rock.

Coughing you push the stone away from you and stare down Kale who lets out a vicious grin... and so do you. The two of you charge the other and when you clash you exchange a barrage of punches, both of you doing some serious damage on the other. But each time one of you hits the mark the other just grits their teeth and works through the pain.

Your little exchange ends when you both punch the other one in the face and send the other flying.

With a push of psychic energy you stop yourself mid flight and almost give yourself a whiplash before taking to the skies where you start tossing ki blasts at Kale who retaliates appropriately. As explosions go off the intensity of your battle increases as you get into melee range once more and the entire planet is shaking as your battle rages on.

As you continue to beat the shit out of Kale and in turn get pounded harder than you ever dared to imagine the rest of the planets denizens start gathering as the commotion is getting too loud to ignore. From your bosses to your universe 9 mates, to the other guys crashing on this planet all the way to your new Tuffles they all march out and watch in awe as the two of you continue to throw yourself against the other.

"I-Is that how strong that guy is?!" Kamin asks, not really expecting an answer but getting one anyway.

"No." Vados responds. "Believe it or not Eric is still growing in power. I'd like to say he's breaking through his limits but truth be told... he hasn't even reached one yet."

The mouth of the Tuffles hangs agape as they return their attention to you. Meanwhile Champa just lets out a cocky smile.

"Hehehe... Finally..."

Kale continues to throw her punches your way but it's at this point that they start missing again. Using your time-skip and now your space distortion you start to throw off the raging Kale and avoid most of her attacks.

Whenever she misses an attack you brutally counter her by targeting her weak points like the joints and tendons. As a result of this "conditioning" her attacks pick up in speed as well as becoming more brutal and precise.

Driving your fist into her gut you smile as the shock travels through her body, shaking it to the core. But the effect wears off quickly and she locks her two hands together forming a hammer and beating you over the back with it. Your body crashes against the hard ground before Kale follows up her assault with two balls of heavily condensed ki.

The balls explode and fill your body with indescribable pain. As your body bounces from the impact you look up and let out a smile. "Look at you... stronger than me and still complaining... Heh... What a girl!"

Standing up you extend one arm to the side.

"Well... time to go all out I guess. Null-"

A black sphere gathers in your hand and Kale definitely realizes what you're doing because she begins to charge her own attack in response. A massive globe of green energy is formed in her hand and she hurls it in your direction.

The roaring ball of fire suddenly expands to a size big enough to send shivers down your spine just by looking at it. But you do not falter. Planting your feet firmly you thrust your arm forward.

"LANCE!"

The two attacks collide and particles of energy fly all around you as the head of your little needle desperately tries to pierce the surface of Kales orb. At first the attack doesn't even slow down as it completely overwhelms yours. But mustering every bit of power you have in your body you unleash all of it in one final thrust.

As you scream the Null Lance expands in girth and finally stops the ki blast in its track at which point the two attacks cancel it each other out in an earth quaking explosion. Beyond the fire and the smoke Kale powers up once more and charges straight through the explosion, her fists aching to go another round with you.

But as she gets close her eyes waver as she sees you remaining motionless. Just before contact she pulls back her fist and stops.

You look up at her and pant. "Sorry... Kale...

Looks like... that's it for me... I can't bring out your best just yet... But don't worry... You'll get there in no time! I'm sure of it..." You then extend your fist to her. "But it was good... wasn't it?"

She bumps her fist into yours and smiles.

"Yes... Can we... do this later?"

You give her a big, dumb grin. "Of course!

It's always a pleasure to help a pretty girl in need!"

"H-Huh?!" But Kale got no answer to that as you've already drifted away into a deep sleep.

Sitting down next to you Kale then allowed you to rest in her lap and she said this.

"Thank you..."

And as she finally spoke what was on her mind... her hair started to change.