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Currently on CH17
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Enjoy you sexy bastards.
Update Schedule: Monday and Friday.
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[Escarot POV.]
Two weeks had passed since I made my wishes. And one week since Nail reluctantly agreed to train me.
Not out of kindness, obviously. He still didn't trust me. But he trusted Guru, and Guru had kindly asked him to teach me. That alone was enough to make him take on the role of my instructor, even if I could tell he wasn't happy about it.
I wasn't about to complain, though. Even if he wasn't happy with this arrangement, this was exactly what I needed—real training. Not the bullshit we Saiyans call training.
Today, we were working on my ability to sense ki, or rather lack of.
For obvious reasons, I relied on my scouter. Without it, I was as blind as any other Saiyan when it came to sensing power. And that was a big disadvantage.
One I was aiming to eliminate.
We were on a rocky plateau, the wind blowing lightly through the grass, and there was no one around to bother us. It was peaceful here, calm. The kind of place that felt perfect for meditation.
Nail stood before me, arms crossed, his usual expression of quiet intensity fixed in place. He wasn't the type to waste words, and I appreciated that.
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
I did.
"Block out everything else; the wind, the ground beneath you, even my voice. Focus on what lies beneath the surface of all things."
I exhaled slowly. I could still feel everything. The warmth of the suns on my skin, the breeze brushing against my face, the shifting of my own weight as I tried to stand still. But I didn't say anything.
It was hard tuning things out. But I kept on trying.
"Ki is life force," Nail continued. "It exists within every living thing, flowing like a river, unseen but always present. Most go their whole lives never noticing it, like a fish unaware of the ocean around it. But you… you must learn to feel it."
I furrowed my brow. It was easy for him to say.
"Don't think. Feel." His voice was calm, but firm. It was almost as if he could read my mind. "Focus inward first. Can you sense your own heartbeat? The warmth in your chest? That energy that is flowing through your body with each pulse of your heart, is Ki—it is you."
I tried.
Tried to shut out my thoughts, to focus on the feeling rather than the logic of it.
At first, there was nothing. Just silence and the usual awareness of my own body. But then—
A flicker.
Something faint, something just below the surface. Like a warm sensation, that covered my entire body like a blanket. Not foreign, not separate, but mine.
I nodded slightly. "I think… I feel something." Though I wasn't entirely sure what, I was sure I was feeling something.
"Good," he said. "Now, extend that awareness beyond yourself. Just as you feel your own Ki, others carry it too. It moves, shifts, and pulses with their emotions, their intent. I am standing before you. Do not use your ears or your eyes—use your Ki. Find me without sight."
At that I felt him moving, but where? I had no idea.
So, I swallowed hard and focused.
It was harder than feeling my own energy. My first instinct was to listen; to pick up on the sound of Nail's breathing, the way the wind moved around him. But that wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't what I wanted.
I let out another slow breath and pushed past those distractions.
I had felt something before. That warmth inside me. If that was real, and it was, then maybe… maybe Nail's Ki was just an extension of that.
I focused outward.
At first, there was nothing. Just the void of darkness behind my closed eyelids. Then—
Another flicker.
It was faint, but it was there. Something steady, something solid, standing a few steps away from me. I didn't see it, not in any way that made sense. I just knew it was there.
My eyes snapped open. Turning around to face him.
"I found you!"
Nail studied me carefully, his expression unreadable. "You did," he said. "It took you a while, but you did. In time, it will become as natural as breathing. But for now… you have taken your first step."
I clenched my fists, a grin tugging at my lips. This was progress. Real progress.
"That's enough for now," he said, arms still crossed. "You've taken your first step."
I exhaled, steadying myself. "So, what's next?"
Nail's expression remained unreadable, as he shifted his stance slightly, weight evening out, arms uncrossing. "Now, we spar. No energy blasts."
I blinked. Then, I grinned.
Finally!
I had been waiting for this since training started. Every time we drilled technique or focused on theory, I had held back from asking, knowing he wouldn't agree until he was ready.
I was so ready for this.
Nail, of course, remained completely calm. "I will not go easy on you."
I smirked. "Good. I'd be insulted if you did."
He gave a small nod of approval, then slid into his stance. "Let's begin."
I barely managed to take a stance before he vanished. Kicking me in the face
Oh, shit, that hurt.
Blood dripping down my nose, I grinned. "Alright then!"
And with that, I shot forward.
Nail dodged my initial charge with a smooth step to the right, barely shifting his stance. His footwork was sharp, precise. But I wasn't just charging in blindly—this wasn't Saiyan training 101.
I twisted mid-step, throwing an upward kick at his ribs. Fast. But Nail was faster.
He leaned back just enough, the wind from my kick rustling his cape. His counter was immediate—a horizontal strike meant to take my head clean off.
He wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't go easy on me. Good. Otherwise this wouldn't be fun.
I ducked, narrowly avoiding it, my tail flicking behind me for balance. Nail's movements were calculated. Every step, every motion, measured. It was like he had an answer to every move I made before I even made it.
That bastard… he was reading my ki. Hahaha!
But that was fine. That was good. That meant I just had to push harder.
I didn't give him time to recover. Spinning low, I swept my leg toward his ankle, but he jumped—just high enough to avoid it without losing control.
"Tch," I smirked. "Not bad."
Nail landed lightly and came at me immediately. I barely had time to brace before he threw a flurry of punches—quick, controlled, powerful. My arms moved on instinct, blocking, deflecting, but each hit stung.
I was stronger than I was two weeks ago, but Nail was still stronger, and above that, he had more experience.
For a full twenty seconds, we exchanged blows—dashing, dodging, countering. Fists clashed against forearms, kicks met blocks, the ground cracking beneath our feet from the sheer force.
Then, Nail saw an opening in my advance, and before I knew it. He twisted sharply, his knee rising fast. I barely caught the movement before—
CRACK.
The hit landed square in my face.
I felt my feet leave the ground, my whole body lifted off the ground. The world spun for a moment, before I crashed down several meters away, skidding through the dirt.
I groaned, blinking up at the sky.
"Hah! Damn, that hurt!" I laughed, wiping a trickle of blood from my lip as I got up. "You don't hold back, huh?"
Nail didn't answer. He just waited, arms crossed again.
I grinned. Alright, my turn.
Taking a deep breath, I focused. Ki burned in my chest, running through my limbs like fire. Then, I moved.
I hit the ground so hard it cratered beneath me. Nail had just enough time to tense before I was in front of him—fist already flying toward his gut.
This time, I landed the first hit.
His body jerked slightly, but he didn't stagger. I saw his muscles tense as he absorbed the impact. Before I could follow up, his elbow came crashing toward my head—
I ducked—this time on purpose—and drove my shoulder into his torso, pushing him back a step.
Then, before he could counter, I grabbed his arm and yanked, twisting my entire body as I hurled him into the air.
He flipped mid-air, landing smoothly, but I was already on him.
I threw a barrage of punches, faster, sharper, putting my new power to use. Nail blocked, countered, but this time, he was retreating.
I was winning. Or at least getting the advantage.
My grin widened as I closed the distance.
"Come on, Nail!" I shouted, throwing a heavy right hook. "You can't tell me this isn't fun!"
For the first time since we started, his lips twitched—just slightly.
Then he vanished.
"Oh—"
BAM!
I felt the impact in my ribs before I even realized where he had moved. My breath hitched as I was sent flying backward, crashing into a rock formation hard enough to shatter it.
Okay, I coughed, staggering back up. That was new.
"Your enthusiasm is noted," Nail said, stepping forward. His voice was still calm, but his stance had shifted slightly—just a fraction looser than before.
I smirked, wiping my face. "So, I did get through that stone-cold head of yours."
Nail exhaled sharply—was that a laugh?
I barely had time to process it before he moved again.
I raised my arms to block, but it didn't matter—his knee slammed into my gut hard, knocking the wind out of me.
As I gasped for air, he twisted and drove an elbow into my back, sending me face-first into the dirt.
Shit—!
I rolled to the side just as his foot came down, cracking the ground where my head had been a second earlier. Pushing off with my hands, I launched myself backward, flipping onto my feet, barely managing to steady myself.
Nail was already coming at me again.
I lashed out with a wild punch, but he ducked under it, his counter-strike aimed straight for my ribs.
I had two choices—take the hit or find an opening.
I chose wrong.
Twisting, I tried to use my tail to sweep his legs, but he was too fast. He jumped at the last second, avoiding the strike entirely, and in that moment, I was wide open.
Nail didn't hesitate.
A brutal hook connected with my cheek, whipping my head to the side, followed immediately by a sharp kick to my stomach. My vision blurred as I was sent flying, skidding across the plateau until I finally stopped, lying flat on my back.
I groaned.
"Damn," I muttered, coughing. "That hurt."
Through my spinning vision, I saw Nail standing a few feet away, arms crossed, his stance perfectly composed. He wasn't even breathing hard.
I pushed myself up, shaking the dust from my armor. My body ached, my limbs felt heavier than before, and I was seeing double, but deep down, underneath all of that—
I was excited.
This was fun.
More than fun.
Nail was leagues ahead of me in terms of experience, and that meant I had something to chase.
A goal. A challenge.
And Saiyans lived for challenges. For the fight!
Still, I wasn't delusional. I knew I had lost. I had gotten some solid hits in, sure, but he was in control the entire time.
He had let me push forward, only to cut me down the second I got cocky.
Damn. He was good.
I wiped some blood from my lip, shaking out my arms. "Alright," I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. "I can admit when I've been outclassed."
Nail's expression didn't change. "Good."
I sighed dramatically. "I was really hoping you'd slip up at least once and let me land a clean hit."
"You landed several."
"Yeah, but they didn't matter." I chuckled. "Not even a scratch. Kinda demoralizing."
Nail tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady. "You are stronger than you were two weeks ago."
I blinked.
Did… did he just compliment me?
I grinned. "Well, damn. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were impressed."
"I am not."
I snorted. "Cold as ever, huh?"
Nail didn't reply. He just turned away.
I let out a breath, staring up at the sky for a moment.
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[Third Person POV.]
[Lord Slug.]
The dim glow of flickering monitors bathed the control room in an eerie green light, as the hum of the ship's engines shattered the silence. In the middle of it all, sat Lord Slug hunched on his throne, his aged form wrapped in his dark cloak, his old bony fingers rhythmically tapping against the armrest. His eyes, sharp despite the wrinkles around them, glowed with cold determination.
After decades of searching, he had finally done it.
He had found Namek.
The home he had been cast out from.
A slow, cruel smile crept onto his withered face.
For over a hundred years, he had been drifting through the void, exiled like some criminal by his cowardly brother, Guru. A fool who had used the Dragon Balls to cast him and anyone with evil in their hearts away to the farthest reaches of the universe, hoping we would never return.
And for a long time, Slug had been lost.
Adrift in a galaxy so far removed from anything familiar, alone with nothing but his rage.
But rage was fuel.
One that had never stopped burning.
Through sheer will and decades of conquest, he had carved a small empire out of the void, enslaving many planets, crushing all who stood in his way. His forces spanned systems, his influence spread like a disease.
And yet, even with all he had built, there was one thing he had never been able to do.
Find Namek.
Until now.
Slug's fingers curled into a fist. Guru must think himself safe, hidden away on that miserable green rock, surrounded by weaklings.
How pathetic.
Angila stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Lord Slug," he said, his voice smooth but careful, measured. "We have the final calculations. We are exactly three months, nineteen hours, and fifty-four minutes away from Namek."
Slug exhaled through his nose, a low hum of satisfaction vibrating in his throat.
Three months.
Three months before he set foot on his homeworld once again.
Three months before he reclaimed what was rightfully his.
He glanced down at his own hands, aged and weathered. His once-powerful body had weakened with time, his prime long behind him. But that was temporary.
Knowing his brother, the Dragon Balls still existed, and if they did, his idiotic brother had given him all the tools he needed to restore himself.
With them, he would reclaim his youth. Restore his strength.
And once he did…
A slow, menacing chuckle escaped his lips.
The universe would kneel.
For far too long, the Cold Demons had ruled unchecked; King Cold, Frieza, Cooler. Parasites who sat atop their thrones, acting as if they were untouchable.
They weren't.
Not once he returned to his prime.
Once he returned to his full power, he would make sure no force in the universe could oppose him.
Slug's gaze shifted back to the monitors, watching the vast expanse of space stretching endlessly before him.
Three months.
That was all it would take.
A dark smile tugged at his lips.
Guru had made a mistake all those years ago. At that time, he would've let his brother live. That time had passed.
And now, he was going to pay for his betrayal.
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Power Level Section
Lord Slug (Old): 610,000
Angila: 48,000
Nail: 42,150
Escarot: 31,017
Okara: 189
Garlik: 602
Note: Lord Slug has never seen the full power of the Cold Family. So, he thinks that first form Frieza, Cold, and the power Cooler shows are their maximum.