A True Saiyan (22.1)

Game

Thoughts

"Talking"

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Back already?" A female voice shouted as Gray followed the towering Yamoshi into a small rock hut. 

"Found someone interesting," Yamoshi replied easily, and Gray glanced around the room. There was a large stone table in the middle of it, with a bunch of wooden chairs surrounding it. Two scuffed-looking beds that looked more like a flat rock with animal fur over it were sitting in the corner. A small baby was on one of the beds, looking not even a year old as they snored under an animal fur blanket.

Gray glanced at the other Saiyan in the room, who was dressed similarly to the women he'd seen on the street outside. She was practically naked, except for small pieces of cloth covering her privates. She had long spikey black hair, was decently short, and was skinny compared to the huge Yamoshi.

She kinda looks like Caulifa. Just a bit. Also, why is everyone here just almost naked?

Not that Gray had room to talk - whenever he'd been transported in the pendulum room, his clothes had vanished. He was now shirtless, with just a small pair of pants, just like nearly every other Saiyan he saw.

Observe.

[Caring] Pinea:

[Saiyan Warrior]

Age: ?

PL: ?

HP: ?

TKI: ?

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

[Caring] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally caring of others.

"Someone interesting?" Pinea responded as Yamoshi walked over to her and kissed her. He then grabbed a bowl off the small stone counter behind her.

His wife. That kid must be his.

"He wants to learn," Yamoshi said simply. He grabbed another bowl and walked over to the stone table. He set them down, then gestured for Gray to sit as he sat down.

"This brat?" Pinea asked with a raised eyebrow, "He's just wasting your time. He won't understand, just like the rest of those idiots."

"No," Yamoshi said in finality, sliding one of the bowls over to Gray, "You didn't see him fight. He has potential."

"I'm right here, y'know?" Gray said as they talked about him as if he wasn't in the room. He looked down at the bowl, which was full of some type of soup. A thick gray sludge with a couple of floating pieces of meat.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Yamoshi asked as he raised the bowl to his lips, not using a utensil as he dumped it into his mouth.

"Self-taught," Gray said bluntly, grabbing his own bowl and dumping it down his throat. It was bland and thick. 

This tastes terrible.

"What about your parents?" Yamoshi asked.

"Dead," Gray responded.

I actually have no clue who this body's parents are, but they definitely aren't alive a thousand years in the past.

"How long?" 

"Since before I knew them," Gray responded, "What's with all these questions?"

"It's even more surprising that you fight that well," Yamoshi hummed, setting his empty bowl back on the table, "If you grew up on the streets, it would've made sense for you to fight like an idiot."

"And yet, you said I was even further from a true Saiyan than the rest of them," Gray countered, staring into the man's large pitch-black eyes, "What does that even mean? A true Saiyan."

"A true Saiyan," Yamoshi responded, staring directly into Gray's eyes, "To become a true Saiyan is to embrace the one thing that all of us are born with."

The man leaned back in his chair, the front two legs coming off the ground as his huge frame reclined, "A pure heart."

Gray blinked, "Huh?"

A pure heart? Am I about to get a 'power of friendship' ass speech from the literal original Legendary Super Saiyan?

"As Saiyans, we have an ability that puts us above all others," Yamoshi continued, "An ability that makes us a superior people. A superior race. The ability to maintain a pure heart."

"'A pure heart'? Like, being nice and shit?" Gray asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I told you he would never get it," Pinea chuckled, making herself a bowl of soup.

"No. Not pure as in good," Yamoshi explained, leaning forward now, "Pure as in pure. A heart not tainted by anything else."

"...Tell me more," Gray said simply.

"Those idiots that roam the streets fighting will never achieve a pure heart. Their hearts contain too many conflicting emotions - Anger, at their opponent. Arrogance, at those they deem weak. Pride, fueled by their desire to never lose. Hatred, aimed at those who are stronger than them. Shame, for being weak. They will never be able to cleanse their hearts of these. But, you," Yamoshi leaned across the table, jutting a finger into Gray's chest, "Are even worse. Your heart is tainted - beyond tainted. You had so many emotions mixed into your battle: Anger, arrogance, cowardness, self-preservation, killing intent, joy, pride- too many to count."

I'm… fighting with too much emotion?

"So, fighting with emotion is a bad thing?" Gray asked, confused about where this was headed.

No way, right? Everyone fights with some type of emotion. Some of Goku's biggest feats came from him being fueled by emotion - like when he went Super Saiyan for the first time.

"No, it's a great thing," Yamoshi shot him down, confusing him even more, "Fighting with conflicting emotions is where you lose yourself."

"Why?" Gray asked bluntly.

Why does it matter if I'm mad at my opponent, but also looking down on them? Who cares?

"It complicates the fight," Yamoshi replied, "A fight is not complicated. It will never be complicated. It is not a test to see who can take the most blows, or who is the fastest. It is not a battle of wits, where you aim to outsmart your opponent. It is not a game, where the winner gets to ascend beyond the loser. A battle…"

Yamoshi stared directly into his eyes, "Decides who wins, and who loses. That's all it is. You don't need to outsmart your opponent. You don't need to outlast them. You just have one goal - to defeat them."

I… kinda get it. 

"...I'm thinking too much?" Gray asked.

"No, thinking is fine," Yamoshi said simply.

Ok, then I don't get it. This guy makes no fucking sense.

"You have too many goals," Yamoshi continued, "When you fought that man earlier, your attention was split. You could've defeated him many times, but you chose instead to worry about something else. About his friends in the crowd. About if the crowd around you would become a threat. About the consequences that could come from killing him. All of it is useless."

"...No," Gray replied bluntly, "It's being cautious. I have a crowd of dangerous Saiyan's around me, of course I'm going to be careful. If I'm not, then I could end up dead."

"He's not going to understand," Pinea chuckled again, sitting down next to Yamoshi with a bowl of soup in her hand. 

"That is why you will not become a true Saiyan," Yamoshi grunted, "You have too many emotions in your heart. Self-preservation, as you consider everything that could go wrong. Cowardness, as you anticipate a moment to escape if something does go wrong. Arrogance, at how easily you were defeating your opponent. Anger, at the crowd's words toward you."

"...I should ignore all those emotions, and just focus on one?" Gray asked.

+250 Reputation with Yamoshi (For Understanding) [2x from [A Cute Pawn]]

"Yes," A grin appeared on Yamoshi's face, "You get it now. If the only emotion in your heart was anger at that man, then he would've died from the first blow. If all your heart was intent on killing him, then he would've died before he even had the chance to fight back. You are strong. Far stronger than he was."

"Then, what about you?" Gray asked, "I saw your fight before mine. You let him live. If what you're saying is right, then you should've taken him down right away, right?"

"Ha!" Yamoshi's grin turned into a smirk, "That is because my heart was full of pure arrogance. That man would never be a threat to me. I could spare him a hundred times, and he would never reach me."

"...To fight with only one emotion in my heart," Gray muttered, staring down at his empty bowl.

…This kinda makes sense. Becoming a Super Saiyan means you have to have a pure heart. When Goku transformed, he was angry over Krillin's death. His heart was filled with pure anger - or maybe, pure hatred at Frieza. Vegeta didn't have a pure heart in the positive sense, he transformed because he was filled with shame at being inferior to Goku. He had finally accepted his inferiority after constantly training and not being able to transform, and that's what made him transform.

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 10%!

Status condition [Saiyan Bloodline] has become stronger!

Well, I'm on the right track for the quest at least. I'm not sure if this way of fighting will actually be better or not though.

"It's a difficult thing," Yamoshi said, his face falling a bit, "Even I can not keep my heart completely pure. As simple as it sounds to focus on one emotion, it's not nearly that easy."

The conversation ended there, as there was a knock on the wooden door to the rock hut. 

"Enter!" Yamoshi shouted, and two men swung open the door.

"Ready to get some training in, Yamo?" The first man said, a large grin on his face. He was tall, huge and bulky, with broad shoulders and thick muscles. He had a square face with a strong jaw and poofy black hair.

Another man entered behind him, being much shorter than the first. He was close to five feet in height and was skinny with well-defined muscles. He had a sharp angular face, and long black hair that fell to his shoulders.

Observe.

[Strong] Brokon:

[Saiyan Warrior]

Age: ?

PL: ?

HP: ?

TKI: ?

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

[Strong] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally inclined to pursue STR-based skills. 

[Speedster] Bok:

[Saiyan Warrior]

Age: ?

PL: ?

HP: ?

TKI: ?

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

[Speedster] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally fast and will gain AGI 500% faster.

"Who's the young guy?" Bok asked, looking at Gray.

"He'll be training with us," Yamoshi said, standing up from the table.

I will?

"He will?" Brokon echoed his thoughts, "He any good?"

"Yes," Yamoshi said simply, giving Pinea another kiss before he walked over to the door.

"I'll go get some more food for when you get back," Pinea said as he left, and Yamoshi merely nodded.

Gray stood up as well, following him and the other two men out of the house. They shot off into the air, and Gray followed. They soared over the rock huts below them, and then the huts gave way to rocky hills and flat landscapes again. The three men stopped, descending downwards as Gray sensed another two power levels below them. 

"Who's the kid?" One of them asked as the four men landed. He was muscular, as was pretty much everyone Gray had seen, but had a more toned than bulky physique, similar to Yamoshi's. Short spiky black hair sat on his head, and his face was angular.

[Prodigy] Peppa:

[Saiyan Warrior]

Age: ?

PL: ?

HP: ?

TKI: ?

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

[Prodigy] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally adept at all aspects of life. They will gain all stats 1.5x faster.

Next to Peppa was a female Saiyan who was stretching out her leg. She had short black hair, a rounded face, and was slim with well-defined muscles.

[Angry] Caylin:

[Saiyan Warrior]

Age: ?

PL: ?

HP: ?

TKI: ?

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

[Angry] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally angry.

"Why the hell did you bring some brat?! He's just gonna get in the way!" Caylin groaned, glaring at Gray as she stretched.

Well, she's living up to the modifier.

"Calm down. He's not a pushover," Yamoshi said dismissively, "There's six of us now. We can train in pairs. Train with the kid first, Bok."

"Alright!" Bok responded, grinning over at Gray, "I won't go easy on ya, kid."

I can't see any of their power levels, but training with strong partners is a good way to learn. 

"You don't need to," Gray said, grinning in response as adrenaline started to flow through him. His heart started beating quicker, his body reacting to the strong man in front of him. The rest of the Saiyans broke off, flying away as they formed training pairs.

"Yamoshi said you're not bad, but I'll be the judge of that," Bok smirked, tensing his muscles. Gray shifted into a combat stance. They both stood still for a moment, and Gray watched in real-time as Bok's eyes changed. He closed them, breathing out, and when they opened they looked different. His previously excited brown eyes became steely, and he gave Gray a death stare.

Damn, he's really getting into this train-

Gray didn't have any more time to think, as he had to sidestep a lightning-fast punch as Bok appeared in front of him. Gray grunted, jabbing forward with a punch of his own, but Bok was already gone, standing back in his original spot.

He's so fast. I can barely keep track of him.

They both stood apart from each other again, with a roughly 10-foot gap between them. Then, Gray was forced to lean back again as Bok's fist slammed past his face. Once again, the man didn't follow up on his attack, merely retreating to his starting position as Gray swiped out with his leg. 

Playing defensive, huh?

Gray gritted his teeth, pushing off the ground as he blitzed forward at Bok. His hand barreled forward, but Bok merely dodged the punch. Gray's other hand followed but was once again dodged. Bok flashed backward, creating another dozen-foot gap between him and Gray. Gray clenched his teeth, glaring at the speedster.

Is he really gonna do this hit-and-run shit the whole tim-

Gray was ripped out of his thoughts as the man suddenly blinked in front of him again, and his side-step was just a bit too slow. Bok's fist barreled forward, slamming into Gray's stomach and sending him stumbling back a few steps.

-10,000! (390,100/400,100)

Fuck, that hurt.

Gray grimaced, stabilizing himself as Bok disappeared again, creating a gap between them and not following up his attack.

"Yamoshi said you were good, but you're disappointing," Bok said, his steely eyes staring down Gray. Gray simply glared in return, shifting into his boxing stance.

This bastard is starting to piss me of-

-10,000! (380,100/400,100)

"Fuck," Gray grunted as a fist abruptly slammed into his gut again as sent him sliding back. His eyes snapped forward, but Bok was already gone as he blinked back to his starting spot.

"Boring. You're just another moron," Bok sighed, his eyes losing a bit of their focus as he stared at Gray. Gray tensed his arms, glaring at Bok, and his eyes widened as he realized something.

I get it. He's trying to piss me off. He's waiting until I lose focus and have too many things conflicting in my mind. I can't follow his movements and be pissed off. I need to focus on one thing.

Gray breathed out, his eyes losing their glare as he stared at Bok. His arms relaxed slightly as he held them in front of his face.

"Oh?" Bok muttered, his eyes sharpening again.

Yamoshi put me against him for a reason. He wants me to learn. To focus on one emotion. But which one?

Gray's eyes locked onto Bok, and he was able to barely shuffle to the side as Bok's fist blasted past his face. He was given no time to counter, as the man blinked away again.

Arrogance? No, I'm weaker than him. I can't make myself feel arrogant. Shame? No, he's been training with the original Legendary Super Saiyan. I can't bring myself to be ashamed that I'm weaker. Ange-

-10,000! (370,100/400,100)

Gray grunted, shaking his head as he stumbled back.

"You were almost there," Bok hummed, already standing a dozen feet away again.

Cognitive Accerleration. Think. Think. What would Yamoshi want me to do? No, better yet, what would he do?

Gray's mind whirled as his thoughts went to the only Legendary Super Saiyan he knew a lot about - Broly. 

How did he fight? How would Broly fight here?

An absolute monster of a man. He didn't fight like a normal martial artist - there was no finesse, no regard for his well-being. He'd tank hits, throwing them off like they were nothing. He wasn't dodging with backflips, or doing complicated attacks. He threw wild punches, fueled by rage as he punched with the strength of meteors. His fighting style could only be described in one word.

Dominance. 

Gray stared, his mind becoming blank for a moment as he watched Bok.

Focus on one goal. Only one goal.

The man's leg tensed for a millisecond, and then suddenly he was directly in front of Gray with a fist cocked back.

Dominating my opponent.

Bok's fist shot forward, slamming into Gray's stomach.

-10,000! (370,100/400,100)

At the exact same moment, Gray's arm lashed outward. He ignored the punch as it hit him, not hunching over or moving as if his body was a brick wall. Gray's arm reached out, and a millisecond before Bok could shoot away, his hand clenched around his neck.

"I…"

Bok's eyes widened as he was stopped, Gray's hand encompassing the man's neck as he gripped it. A sound came out from deep in his throat as he started to choke.

5,000! (?/?)

"...get it now," Gray said, his eyes blank as a large grin spread on his face.

I know why you chose to teach me, Yamoshi.

-10,000! (360,100/400,100)

-10,000! (350,100/400,100)

-10,000! (340,100/400,100)

-10,000! (330,100/400,100)

-10,000! (320,100/400,100)

-10,000! (310,100/400,100)

Bok's eyes were wide as he started swinging into Gray's chest, but Gray ignored them completely.

We're the same. You saw that…

His grip on his neck tightened as his other arm swung forward wildly, channeling all the power within his arm into a punch of pure power. His fist slammed upwards into Bok's gut, and spit flew from the man's mouth as his eyes popped out.

50,000! (?/?)

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 15%!

Status condition [Saiyan Bloodline] has become stronger!

I'm also the Legendary Super Saiyan, aren't I?

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gray Tanaki:

[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]

Age: 18

Wallet: 119,650 Coins

Lvl: 17 (83,100/750,000 XP)

PL: 328,050,200

Available Points: 50

HP: 400,100/405,100

TKI: 457,225/457,225

STR: 675

AGI: 810

END: 600

INT: 575

CHA: 215

LUK: 515

KI: 795

HREG: 596

EREG: 596

Skills: [Observe LVL 5], [Running LVL 10], [Determination LVL 10], [Ki Control LVL 9], [Ki Gun LVL 6]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 4], [KI Suppression LVL 5], [Ki Sense LVL 3], [Pushup LVL 10], [Punch LVL 10], [Kick LVL 10], [Jump LVL 10], [Flight LVL 4], [Prediction LVL 2], [Zenkai Boost LVL 1], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 1], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 1], [Mouth-Beam LVL 1], [Ki-Blade LVL 1], [Cooking LVL 1], [Ki Array LVL 3], [Ki Explosion LVL 1]

Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]

Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 2]

Party: [Saeko, Celia, Asuna, Ranfan]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: The next part of the chapter will be out later, or you can it along with the next 4 chapters right now at Patreon.com/Koyon ! Thanks for reading!