Day 1
Age 778 Future Timeline
Underground Cave
Ki was the energy I always wanted when dealing with the Sect; the power to destroy planets would have been useful against those snobby bastards. Having it in the dragon world wasn't special, and being in the future timeline was a massive disadvantage. There were no masters I could rely on, and I doubted Gohan had time to help me play catch-up when he had Trunks. With a little patience, they could have beaten the androids. That led me to a disadvantage I had no one to reach me and only half-remembered techniques to work from.
With my ki, I did what felt natural. I hovered a couple inches off the ground and held the position. The energy was there, and my endurance stat was closer to 400 than 300. Getting a feel for this new energy was more important than flying around on my first day. So I took it slow.
I had the stamina to spare and a month's worth of ration bars.
The androids were likely still in the area, and flying out of my cave was bound to get me spotted.
With that in mind, I hovered and tried to get a feel for the tiny star of power within me. My training wasn't as fancy as working out; it was more about understanding what I was working with and what I could do with it.
A ki blast wasn't in the cards yet, but I could shift my body in the air. I punched the air and felt my ki coat my arm; it wS automatic, and the air ruptured. A hole exploded through the wall in front of me. The ki blasted forth and destroyed with little input on my part.
It reminded me of Goku's battle with Beerus; control was the most important attribute a ki cultivator could have. It was the difference between blasting an annoying enemy and obliterating a planet by mistake.
I punched again, struggling to keep my ki contained to my arm. The cave shook slightly less, but it could have been my imagination. Every punch ate into my stamina as I struggled. Releasing uncontrolled waves of ki was too wasteful to allow. Forget fighting the androids; I could kill myself if I wasn't careful.
More blows flew as I floated and trained my control. Soon I only left impressions from my blows. My stamina regeneration kept my stamina full, almost like the androids' perpetual energy.
…
Day 7
Age778 Future Timeline
Underground Cave
Days flew by while I struggled to get a handle on my power. As I used it, the power grew, testing my control.
PL 145
Ki grew from use, and I used it constantly, confident my stats would let me run out. My punches no longer ate at my ki, and I began integrating low-leg kicks into my training.
Even when I leaked ki like a sieve, my stamina hadn't run dry I regenerated as much as I lost. Sleep was only needed to keep from going insane staying awake had no ill effects physically. My stats allowed me to forgo food, rest, and extend my rations further.
Once I grasped my ki well, I let my feet touch the ground for the first time in days. While I didn't make the gains I wanted, I felt confident I could fly straight and for an extended period of time.
I didn't know how far the androids preferred to fly, but I doubted they enjoyed low-oxygen environments. 17 seemed like a hedonist who shied away from most discomforts. While he liked to fight, he wouldn't tolerate a true challenge.
With that in mind, I planned to use the night to fly as high as possible.
I poked my head out of the cave and pulled it back. The mossy hole was nearly invisible from the air, and the rising dust and smoke made the night pitch black. There was only the faintest orange glow from the smoldering city to provide light. Without my extremely high perception, I couldn't see a thing. From my perspective, the darkness was complete.
Once, I smelled for 18, listened for the flutter of clothes, or the sound of breathing. I flew out and up. Flying outside the cave was far different than mere hovering. My ki wrapped around me, and with it, I rose; the power flowing through my very cells acted as a vehicle moving at my thought. Time appeared to slow down as the energy saturated my mind, and I knew this instinctive action was how fighters saw the world. Shifting smoke froze in the air as I passed through it.
At once, I burst through the dust cloud, blanketing the sky where the air was thin and poisonous. I raised my hands to the sky and wanted to shout and cheer. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I was free. For the first time, I knew what freedom and power meant.
I flew up dozens of kilometers at a time, but I could go faster and feel it. The air thinned, and the temperature dropped as I entered the mesosphere. My ki battled the harsh conditions stressing my meager control. It was harder to control my ki against the elements than to keep my energy contained in my punches.
I soon left the mesosphere and couldn't go far into the thermosphere. Nothing was underneath me, and I felt I could fall to my death at any moment. Temperatures suddenly spiked, forcing me back into the mesosphere, where temperatures rapidly cooled.
A sudden wind blew me off course, nearly breaking my ki barrier before suddenly changing direction. As the winds ate my stamina, I flew toward the northern pole with all my might. A sudden updraft of dust hit me, tearing hundreds of small holes into my plate, chainmail, and gambeson. Blood leaked from my mouth as I struggled to stay in the air. A sudden temperature drops A sudden temperature drop nearly froze my lungs as I flew down into the mesosphere. I began descending rapidly to try and save myself.
Blood leaked all over my body as I descended, struggling to keep my ki barrier up. My barrier was weak, and I was inexperienced.
A sudden cyclone appeared, dragging in dust and debris from too many ki blasts. I tried to fly away, but it was too strong to resist. Then I remembered hearing what to do if a current began taking me out to sea. Instead of directly resisting it, I flew with it, angled away from it.
A few rotations later, I managed to break free and descend. The northern pole came into view, and I felt completely exhausted.