Turn It Up (10G)

Jie Shan could feel the approach of the Saiyaness. She did not make a habit of hiding her strength, noted Jie Shan. And he was perfectly fine with that. It gave him a chance to at least monitor her progress. Already, she had grown stronger. Good, he thought, that meant that she had the potential to grow even stronger, especially under the pressure of ten times gravity. And, at a later date, under the pressure of twenty times, thirty times, forty times gravity and even beyond! There was no telling how far that they might go if they kept this up.

The woman appeared before him. She looked disheveled, less composed than she had before. And Jie Shan paid it no special attention. While another commanding officer might care, Jie Shan knew well enough that appearance and ability often had little to do with one another. He'd been on the receiving end of such prejudice before, with his Elemi looks. It would be downright hypocritical if he judged someone else for their appearance. Cornel, his all squad leader, had once told him that looks can be deceiving, and that judging someone by those was a good way to get turned into space dust. And Jie Shan was inclined to agree with him, after his encounters with alien life.

But his mind quickly shifted gears as the woman struggled against the gravity. For a brief moment, she nearly lost herself and had to balance against the door. Jie Shan started, moving to assist her, but it was not long before she righted herself and began to move about the room, testing her body against the pressure of ten times the planet's gravity. Good, he thought, she's handling the change of gravity well enough.

"Well, Melonia," said Jie Shan, "Welcome to the gravity chamber."

He watched her move about the room for a few moment before continuing. Yes, he thought, she could probably handle this much. "There's no need to be sorry, Melonia," continued Jie Shan, "Even the strongest individuals struggle with gravity a bit the first time they train under the pressures of enhanced gravity. I remember when I first began with it, it gave me some trouble. Of course, I've gone to at least fifty or sixty times the planet's gravity now, but ten times the planet's gravity is a huge step for a first timer."

In truth, Jie Shan would have liked to start her lower. Perhaps only double the planet's gravity. But he knew well enough that if she was going to get stronger, he would have to push her. Pushing was the only way to get stronger. Jie Shan had learned that much the hard way, spending his entire life pushing back against the world.

"So," he said, "Let's not waste anytime. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to suggest a spar. I'm hoping that fighting a more advanced opponent will help you grow as a fighter. Now, I promise you that I won't ascend to the Super Saiyan state. That would just be unfair of me."

Jie Shan might like to fight, but he did not enjoy beating on people much weaker than him. It was cruel, in his mind, to let someone struggle against a force that was basically untouchable to them. Of course, he thought, even without the golden power of the Super Saiyan state, he was way out of her league, but Jie Shan was going to try and make it a learning experience for the Saiyaness. And perhaps it would be a learning experience for him as well: he'd never trained anyone in earnest before.

She's fast, thought Jie Shan as she dashed at him. Pretty quick for the effects of the gravity. Maybe she could do this after all. Jie Shan did not react as the woman sped towards him from across the chamber. Instead, he let her close the distance. He wanted to see what she would do if she actually got within melee range.

And he did not have to wait long. The woman swung at him, her eyes meeting his. A right hook, he thought. Not a bad way to open. He'd tried something similar when he fought the Overseer. Jie Shan did not flinch as the woman's fist met his face. He felt no pain as the fist cracked against his face. Not bad, he thought. If she were stronger, he might have an issue. Slowly, he took a step back from here, and lifted his hand to his face, grinning.

"Not bad," he said, "Good form, plenty of spirit. If the difference between us were smaller, I'd have had some trouble with that."

He could have counter attacked. But that would do him no good. No, this was about her, making sure she was getting stronger. Jie Shan did not see it as a battle, but rather a lesson. "Here," he continued, "Why don't you try again?"

Jie Shan held his arms wide and left himself open to attack. Any moment now, he thought.

Brace himself, thought Jie Shan, but for what? Did the woman have some grand plan that she was about to enact, some power that she had been hiding? She attempted a kick, but it simply bounced off his outstretched arm. Well, he thought, that was not quite as strong as he was expecting. He hadn't even needed to brace himself.

But her assault was not over yet. She turned over in the air and slammed her leg into the side of his head. A slight ringing sounded throughout his ears. Not bad, he thought, his eyes narrowing a little. A bit more and she might actually make him feel something for real.

And even then she was not done. She spun away from Jie Shan in the air and leveled an attack at him. Purple ki crackled in her hands for a few moments before she blasted it towards Jie Shan. Not bad at all, concluded Jie Shan as the attack sped towards him, cutting through the air like a knife.

In a flash, Jie Shan flooded his body with ki and he burst up and forward with speed, coming to a stop behind Melonia, the attack sailing harmlessly through where he'd just been standing. "Damn," he said, whistling, "You're really going all out, aren't you? That one might have hurt if I let it hit me."

He grinned as he waited for the Saiyaness's response.

---

Jie Shan used [ST-1] Rapid Movement. It lets him dodge 100% of his defensive PL for 173,364.

Stamina: 2/3

The woman was right. If she was going to train, she might as well go all out. He liked that attitude. Give it your all... How many times had he heard that? And from how many people? He grinned. Every time he heard it, he had to agree with it. Put yourself fully into everything. That was his philosophy. "Well said, Melonia!" He exclaimed, "I could not have said it better myself."

She tried another volley of punches, but Jie Shan was able to dodge each one. Almost effortlessly, even. But she was improving. Jie Shan could see that much. The way in which they were training offered him the unique ability to monitor her progress moment by moment. He could see the improvements as they unfolded. She spoke as she attempted a sweep kick, from which Jie Shan stepped back. She lunged at him, attempting to drive both of her legs into Jie Shan's stomach. He took the blow, both legs hitting him right on target. The tiniest bit of wind escaped his lungs, and he grinned.

"Why yes," he confirmed, "I am a student of the Soy School. A master even, hand trained by the Overseer. You wish to learn? That could be arranged, perhaps. The Overseer has granted me permission to train some select individuals in the Soy Arts."

For once, he made his own move. He swung his fist through the air, aiming to slam it into the woman's shoulder and force her back. "Maybe," he said as his fist sped through the air, "You can be one of the ones I select."

His blow connected and the woman was sent to the ground, skidding and bouncing against it. Damn, he thought, he had not meant to hit her that hard. He really needed to mind his own strength. But Jie Shan was glad to see that the woman wasted no time in standing up again. She once again expressed her desire to learn the Soy Arts. "We'll see," said Jie Shan, "You'd better impress me!"

And perhaps she would. Train every day, every moment? Now that sounded tiring, thought Jie Shan, but he appreciated the sentiment. It was the kind of spirit that he was looking for in people. Rudieri, he thought, had made a good choice with this one.

Why she must fight. Jie Shan smirked as she flew at him once again, leg extended for a kick. Jie Shan stood there and took the blow, gritting his teeth as the kick made contact with him. "Not a bad reason," he whispered now that she was close, "But tell me, what do you intend to should you ever catch me? Grow stronger still?"

He stepped back, and for a brief moment, considered ascending into the Super Saiyan state. But he thought better of it. The halfblood would hold off on that for now.

Jie Shan returned the smirk. Rivals in his head? He had something in his head, but it sure was not a rival. It was far too twisted to be that. All the while, Melonia unleashed a flurry of blows on Jie Shan, all over his head and shoulders. Vaguely, he was aware of the dull thuds that landed against his body.

She was confident see would catch him. Good, he thought, aim for the stars. He liked that kind of talk. Certainty, confidence. Perhaps overconfidence? Jie Shan expected nothing less from a pure blooded Saiyaness like herself. Even now, she was fighting. Another spin kick, and this one hit his head again. The ringing in his ears came back.

"You're confident," growled Jie Shan, a fierce pride in his voice, "And you're right about upper limits. But, I'm going to give you a little lesson, one I learned the hard way."

Jie Shan flew backwards as quickly as he could, putting space between him and her. "There's always someone better!" He roared. And with that, he instantly summoned his ki. It surrounded him, the aura all consuming. It was silver-grey, but soon it began to change. As Jie Shan shouted, it ran to gold. His hair crackled to life with energy and turns from a fine silver to a glorious gold. Black Saiyan eyes became Super Saiyan teal. With a final surge, he expelled all the energy in his body, sending forth a small shock wave through the air.

"This," he said, "Is a Super Saiyan. When I was starting my training, I had to fight one, long before I could ascend myself. Tell me, do you think yourself strong enough to go toe to toe with a legendary warrior?"

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Jie Shan has activated Super Saiyan Full Power! It is a x16/x15 for him. This brings his new PL to 2,773,824/2,600,460!