Heroes of Truth and Ideals[Invite]

Galen had been near the Korin’s Tower for the past few days, ever since he helped patching up the tailed man named Rakasei, who had been injured by a rifle’s energy beam from another tailed person, a woman named Leena. ”They called themselves saiyans, right?” he remembered, with a thoughtful expression on his face, as his eyes seemed rather empty as they stared at the campfire he was sitting in front. A stick with a piece of rabbit’s meat was there, been grilled near the fire: it was Galen’s lunch. While his food got ready, he thought about the Timeless Lookout and how amazing it was now that he had found it. Many things would be changing on his life right now and he was looking forward to that, but, at the same time, he felt quite nervous and anxious about it.

”I traveled for years to get here… It’s funny. Sometimes I thought I would never find this place, and here I am. Oh boy… Hehehe… So many new things already. I mean, just look at the size of this tower! And, those tailed people! They don’t seem like different from me at all. Other than the tail, of course.” he thought, arching one of his eyebrows, but still with empty and distracted eyes. Galen was depleted of prejudice; he liked understanding what differences people had and what made their race unique, but, in his mind, even Majin’s were, like… Pinkish, soft people.

Anyway… After another while, he was once again surprised by his lack of skill in sensing energy. Not that Galen was an unprepared person, but, well, since he was just below Kami’s Lookout, he wasn’t really all that alert; it required guts for enemies to come this close of the headquarters of Earth’s most powerful defenders. Galen shook his head a bit, coming back to reality and turned around and up to look for the source of that voice, only to find that other tailed person, the boy named Christopher. The young man had a subtle and gentle smile on his face and raised his right hand to wave at the young saiyan.

– Oh, hey Christopher! Good to see you! Want some rabbit? It’s almost done! I have water too. – his tone was very friendly and he seemed sort of happy to see the young saiyan’s face, and he was indeed.

Christopher was already fed and Galen responded with a quick nod and then grabbed his stick, giving a large bite on the steak and quickly chewing it down; he knew it wasn’t exactly polite to eat while talking to others, but he was starving and if he let his steak go cold, it wouldn’t be as tasteful. On top of that, after spending so much time roaming on the Fortuneteller’s Desert, he wanted to eat a good meal, so his politeness would have to excuse him for now. Then, he mentioned that he didn’t know his name and that surprised Galen. ”Oh? I’m sure I told them my name… Maybe I’m mistaken, but… No problem…” he thought to himself quickly swallowing the piece of food and pounding his chest to help it go down to his stomach.

– My apologizes then! My name is Galen. – he said, introducing himself before drinking a bit of water from his canteen. The tailed boy asked how he was doing and mentioned that he was stronger than before and the comment made him chuckle a bit, feeling a little proud of that compliment. – I’m doing pretty good actually. And thank you for the compliment! I try to train every day. One hundred thousand sword strikes a day! That’s what my school teaches us to do! – he said in an excited and proud tone. He had already adopted the Kikoukenjutsu Sword School as his own and was dedicating himself to the harsh training the book told him to do. Of course this was but the basic of the style, but it was better than nothing and he would harvest the most of what he had got.

But then, he sighed as something stokes him. ”He too can sense energy…” and now it seemed like everyone other than Galen had mastered this skill. At first the Lone Swordsman thought that it was a very special and advanced skill, but the more he met people capable of manipulating their ki energy, the more he saw that sensing and suppressing power was a quite widespread skill, that he still lacked the knowledge to replicate. It embarrassed him, but he tried not to let it show a lot.

– I… I can’t really sense energy, so I can’t tell if you are strong or not with precision… But, from the looks of it, you seem strong enough. Just, not as polished, if you allow me to say. – his tone was gentle and he had a subtle smile on his face. Galen didn’t mean to offend Christopher, but as a trained swordsman that has been doing his best to improve, he could tell a person’s skill just by looking at them and evaluating their body movement. – But that’s nothing to be worried about now! Hahaha! You seem awfully powerful despite looking so young! How old are you anyway? 16? – he asked. Galen didn’t look much older himself, but he actually was. He was already twenty three.

Galen nodded when asked if he had helped a village with a bandit problem. – Yeah! I did. Bermia. That was the name of the village! – he said, happy that the people of the jewel of the desert were still thankful for what he did. When Christopher said that he had been there yesterday, Galen arched one of his eyebrows in curiosity, and when he said that something dangerous happened, concern took over his feature, but before he could worry too much, the tailed boy said that nothing bad happened with them and Galen sighed in relief. ”Oh, thank goodness…” he thought. Then he explained the rest of the story and Galen nodded again, with a quit impressed look on his face. ”So many people coming from outer space… Wonder why…” he wondered.

Then he spoke about joining a school and mentioned that Kami had her own school, which made a hell lot of sense, since, well… She was supposed to be the Guardian of the Planet. It was almost a basic requirement that she was strong and skilled, and that made Galen’s smile to widen a bit. ”I’m glad the planet is under protection of capable hands… Hopefully I will be able to be of some use to them…” he thought. After that, when Christopher asked what he did on the village, Galen chuckled and blushed a little bit, scratching the back of his head. – Nothing much. I just made the bandits to leave their evil ways behind them and go away. I also didn’t charge to do this job. I just… You know… I help the people I find during my travels. Ever since my home village was destroyed, that’s the goal I’ve set to my life. – he didn’t seem sad when he spoke about the destruction of his hometown, but there was longing in his tone.

Galen missed his old village, he missed the fellow villagers, he missed his parents and his siblings. They were the pillars in building the person he would later become and he was extremely grateful to all of them. It was a shame he couldn’t protect them in the end, but he knew he did his very best, and that was enough, he wouldn’t torture himself over what happened. The young man took a deep breath before continuing speaking. – I believe that people like us, who have the power to make a difference have the moral obligation to protect the weak, and bring justice to this world. We live in an amazing paradise. This planet is a blessing! And it’s our job to make sure peace can reign! – he said with a kind tone. He truly believed on these words.

When Christopher said that he had been trained by Kami’s assistant, Galen couldn’t hide his surprise and admiration. Like if he was jealous but not in a bad destructive way. – Wow! Trained by Kami’s assistant? That’s… Wow! I can’t even believe it… You have no idea for how long I’ve been searching for this place, the Timeless Lookout… An I can only imagine that the training is intense and completely incredible! To be honest… - he paused, sighing a little bit to give another bite on his steak, chewing it quickly and swallowing to continue speaking. – I barely ever had formal training… I was introduced to ki energy by the monks on Orin Temple, near East City, and then I found out about a school due to a book I’ve found. I’ve been training really hard ever since, but, still… I lack plenty of skills that most trained fighters have. – he mentioned, a little embarrassed. Galen blushed a bit, remembering how he didn’t know how to sense or suppress ki energy and it bothered him.

Like most warriors, Christopher wanted to become stronger and Galen could sympathize with that feeling. Unknown to the human, Christopher’s blood gave him an even greater battle instinct and thirst for power. Then he explained about Kami becoming a legend named Super Saiyan. Galen had never even heard about it, but the saiyan name was becoming part of his knowledge lately and that made him arch one of his eyebrows, feeling rather intrigues. ”Super Saiyan? So… Kami is also this saiyan sort of people… And a super variety it seems… Like a hidden power maybe?” he wondered, making a small comparison to his own hidden power that could be briefly unleashed in tense moments, being responsible for having saved Galen’s life more than once.

However, when Christopher continued to explain how powerful it was, the numbers he used to describe were so mind-boggling that Galen couldn’t even believe it. The look of surprise took over his feature and he opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words. ”That’s… Over one hundred times our strength… Almost two hundred times stronger! Oh boy! I can’t even imagine this level of strength! It’s so… Wow!” he thought, gulping a bit. Galen reached his canteen and drank plenty of water, almost like his body was doing so in order to try and swallow such information. Then, the tailed boy continued suggesting that during the full moon he could show something powerful, and that teased him. The Lone Swordman smiled with a small bit of mischievousness in it.

– Hehe… So you have some tricks under your sleeves too… What are you saiyans folk? A tribe or something? I’ve never heard of you people before… - he admitted. Galen was curious to know, since they were really self-conscious and stuff. If he could understand what they were, maybe he could understand what kind of power they had in them, like the Majin people, who seemed to be extremely resilient to physical punishment, much more than they let it out.

Despite his claim that his training wasn’t a big thing, Galen vehemently disagreed: every training was important, especially under someone who can help you improve. To help with weak points was something even more important, making Galen long for such an opportunity. Then, Christopher began to explain that the reason he searched for Kami was because of a battle that he took part in, where he fought against a Majin and an Android. ”Wow! Tough call… I don’t know about this android, but Majins can always cause trouble with that soft body and capability to take damage…” he thought to himself, touching his chin with his thumb and index finger, in a thoughtful expression. Then, once again, he brought up this saiyan thing, mentioning that they could gain a lot from training. Galen’s curiosity towards this saiyan thing was at its peak, but the tailed boy would start explaining shortly after that.

Christopher explained that he was born in a planet named Vegeta, but he didn’t remember much as he was sent to Earth when he was still a newborn. He explained about the tragedy of his past, and Galen sympathized with him immediately. The human sighed and then nodded. – I also lost my family… Together with my home village and all of my friends when a zoan bandit attacked us. I managed to defeat him in the end, but… It was too late. I killed him too… I wish I didn’t have to do that, but there was nothing else I could’ve done. He was alive because I had spared him the first time we battled, hoping he would see the wrong of his ways… - he shrugged, with a little disappointment in his feature. – It’s a shame he continued to walk the path of evil… And that his choice cost me my family and my home… But we are responsible for the decisions we make, and I still believe everyone deserves a second chance in life. I don’t regret not killing him the first time we’ve battled. I would probably have saved my village and my family, yes, but I would have lost myself there. I would be spitting in the peaceful upbringing I had. You see… My parents didn’t have a formal education, they were but rice farmers… But they were decent folk and they taught me what it means to be human! – and with those words, a large, gentle and sincere smile took over Galen’s face.

Then, after that, Christopher surprised him with a unexpected request: a spar. Galen’s expression changed immediately to that of surprise, with both brows arched and widened eyes. – You want to spar with me? I mean… Sure, I would enjoy that… But, you see… I’m a sword fighter! I’m afraid I might injure you even if I’m careful! – he said with all honesty he had. He wasn’t underestimating Christopher’s potential, but he believed it would be better to warn him first. If he was still willing to take on such a risk, Galen would spar, being careful enough to use the blunt side of the blade.

The tailed boy claimed to have taken bullets to the chest that bounced off, as well as ki blasts and other heavy blows. Still, Galen wasn’t so sure he would end unscathed by his sword. He was a trained martial artist, after all, and, although the young human didn’t know it yet, he was far beyond most people’s skill level due to the Kikoukenjustu Book he had found weeks ago. His response to Christopher was a shrug as he slowly got up, finishing his meal with a final large bite. The tailed boy reassured he wouldn’t have asked for a spare if he didn’t believe they were on the same level, and Galen nodded. – Alright, alright! Let’s spar then! – he said, still with a serious expression on his face. ”Remember to avoid using the blade…” he reminded himself, as he stretched his arms.

Then, suddenly, Christopher started laughing, and that made Galen arch one of his eyebrows in curiosity. He said that he wanted to get stronger and training would help that, and in this part he was right. He also asked if there wasn’t someone he would like to defeat, like a rival or an enemy. Galen chuckled a bit a shook his head. – No, I don’t. Not yet. But… Right now… I want to beat you! Hehehe! – he said, with a excited smile appearing on his face, as he quickly unsheathed his Broad Sword. Galen dropped his green bag on the ground and took a few steps, getting away from his belongings and the campfire he used to cook his meal.

With both fighters ready, Christopher took the initiative and charged towards Galen. The boy used a feint, but Galen was ready and he saw through it. His real attack was a kick towards the knees. In response to that, the human swordsman quickly thrusts the sword downwards, intercepting the kick with the blunt side of the blade. The moment the kick connected to the blade, Galen absorbed its impact and used the memento and force of the kick to help spinning his sword above his head and to the other side. ”Now for the counter!!” he thought, as he skillfully threw a diagonal cut towards Christopher’s left shoulder, using his hips to apply full force to the movement. It wouldn’t cut, but it would hurt if connected. Galen’s reaction speed and counter-attack were very skilled, showing he was indeed training in fighting.

Christopher was good, he had to give him that! To counter his own counter was quite a feat, but it was clear to the human swordsman that he just barely managed to do that. ”An opening!” he thought, narrowing his eyes when he spotted the breach in the tailed boy’s defense. His counter was indeed good, but he couldn’t account for Galen’s next move. As Christopher slammed his Broad Sword away and tried to punch him in the gut, Galen quickly reacted by side stepping swiftly. As he side stepped, he used the slam on his sword to spin it back from behind his own back in a horizontal strike with the blunt side of the blade aiming for the boy’s stomach.

Galen was smiling in excitement with this fight. It was good to be having such an even spar. Usually he was far above his opponents and the last fight he had, Saki, the Red Tiger was far above his level, and he was completely humiliated and utterly defeated even though he used his inner power and did his very best. – Haha! You are skilled! But I still have some swift movements to show! – he told Christopher as he attacked him. And that was true: Galen had plenty of skills to show, and he was a versatile fighter. Still, he didn’t want to use his techniques right away, since getting tired could quickly shift the tide in Christopher’s favor. His last battle ended with defeat, there was just no way he could allow this one to be another defeat.

His pride was in the line.