Master and Disciple - Part I (Jie Shan)

Jie Shan arrived in time and Nasu had sensed him. But the Overseer only opened his eyes the moment the hybrid’s feet touched the titled floor. He was polite, the young captain, but Nasu knew that deep inside his eyes there was a flame. A flame that only true warriors had and that pleased him. ”Good.” he thought, chuckling a little bit as he cracked his neck by leaning it to one side and the other, and then proceeded to do the same with his fists; a very cliché gesture to show he was about to get down to business.

– You arrived just in time, Captain Jie Shan. And I hope you are ready. My father’s school requires a ruthless training and you will learn through pain. Don’t hold back while fighting me, otherwise you will be regretting it. – he said with a mischievous smile on his face. Then, without any other word of warning, Nasu flared his ghostly-white ki aura around his body and quickly dashed forward. Nasu moved way too fast for base Jie Shan, and it would be absolutely hard for him to handle what was coming to him, unless he used his techniques.

– Fist special movement, Flash Spirit! – he said, as he closed in and tried to strike Jie Shan with a powerful elbow strike to the face. Should the attack connect or not, he would quickly spin his body using but one feet, and try to kick him in the gut, with the intention of sending him away with a powerful attack. This was the first technique of the Soy Martial Arts, and it already showed just how fierce and brutal the style was. Natto was known for being a ruthless fighter with a very brutal fighting style, consisting of heavy blows and powerful throws. There was little to no softness in his style, and it focused on sheer strength and physical explosion.

– Soy School has three virtues that you will need to learn with the core of your being, Captain! The first one is Mental Discipline! In order to achieve that, you need to find calmness even when you are amidst a storm! And I’m the storm! Hahaha! – he laughed in excitement as he used his technique. – You will feel anger! You will feel hopeless and useless! You will feel desperation!!! – he said as he quickly started charging blue-colored energy spheres on both his hands. In the following instant, Nasu started firing a rapid volley of ki blasts towards Jie Shan, using an amazing speed. He didn’t seem winded at all, even though he just used a technique that required quite a lot of explosion. And right now his ki blasts were dangerous and fast, almost if Nasu was actually trying to kill Jie Shan. And truth be told, he sort of was. – And among all this despair, your mind will need to keep its cool! And find a way out! Or you will die on this very place! Hahaha! – he said, confirming the intention.

It was a very good thing Jie Shan wasn’t trying to start slowly. As soon as the battle started, he used that crazy power the saiyan hybrids always displayed. ”Good! I like that he is almost completely serious… If he wasn’t wearing those weights, this little power up of his would certainly allow him to become stronger than this base form of mine!” Nasu thought during his initial attacks. The technique Nasu used missed because of the rapid movement technique Jie Shan used, showing he was actually a pretty capable fighter. ”To think he would dodge the Flash Spirit with such ease. Impressive!” he thought to himself, as he fired the ki blasts that could only be blocked; Nasu had seized the opportunity when he reappeared, quickly reacting to it with his superior speed.

Despite being hit by a fierce rain of ki blasts, the hybrid didn’t falter and kept that conceited smirk of his, making Nasu chuckle, pleased with his reactions. Then, the young captain spoke, saying he was afraid but from one man, and reassuring he was going to ride this storm and overcome any obstacle Nasu put in front of him. The Overseer’s smile widened and he chuckled even more, liking the answer quite a lot.

– Hehehe… Jie Shan… You won’t like the second virtue very much. I’ve got to say that I hated it like hell when I first knew about it. And, so far, I know you are a prideful person. So… The second virtue is: Humility. – he said, chuckling even more as he stared into the hybrid’s eyes. – My father used to say that it’s necessary for a warrior to recognize that they aren’t perfect. Perfect beings need no improvements as they are… Obviously, perfect! A true martial artist, old man’s words, never sees himself as perfect and, therefore, constantly looks for improvement! – he said, pausing for a short moment. – Still… We can’t abandon our pride! Quite the contrary! The tricky part of this annoying virtue is: finding humility without losing pride! Are you capable of doing that? – he asked.

But Nasu didn’t just ask and stood there, waiting for the hybrid’s response. As soon as he finished speaking, the saiyan dashed forward again. On his right hand he charged a blue-colored energy sphere. Then, he halted his approach and draws his hand backwards, charging it a bit more before throwing it back forward. – Main energy technique of the Soy School! Spirit Canon!! – he roared. Nasu fired the energy sphere straight at Jie Shan, watching him carefully. He wanted to see how he would handle that blast. He showed he was capable of dodging that tier of technique, and maybe he would do that again, but that was a quite dangerous decision. If this was a race to see who would end up tired first, Jie Shan was probably going to lose. Nasu’s trained allowed him to fight for far longer periods and use far more techniques before getting tired himself.

”Show me what you’ve got brat. And, honestly… Try to learn the techniques by watching me use it! I have no patience to walk you through every single detail! Show me you are above average! Otherwise you are not worthy of the Soy School!” he thought to himself. Nasu could use his superior speed to drive him into an even tighter spot, but he chose not to this time.

The attack hit and blasted Jie Shan away, throwing his sword to the other side. Nasu’s eyes caught a glimpse of that blade and he grimaced, being instantly reminded of the fate of his tail in the hands of the earthlings. He was crippled now, and he was longing for his tail to recover naturally, but still no signs of it coming back. ”I hate swords…” he though snorting a bit. Nasu folded his arms again and watched the hybrid reaching for the blade as he dragged himself back up. – Come on! Get up already! No more resting time! Hahaha! – Nasu said in a cocky tone, laughing a bit at the end of his sentence.

Then, the new captain spoke, saying he thought he got what Nasu said. He wasn’t the best, indeed, despite the fact that he was among the strongest of the Alliance. But that was not something to be absolutely proud of. There were other fighters in the universe that dwarfed the best warriors of the Alliance. Earth was the perfect example, with all those damn monsters crawling on every corner of that shitty little planet, and Nasu alone couldn’t dream to win against them. And there was Atsuko, the Kami of Earth. That damn albino saiyaness was absolutely powerful, capable of outmatching him in single combat and even standing toe to toe with Athren, who had an uncanny crazy power that didn’t match the normal super saiyan transformation, or any form his parents had displayed in the past.

– Hohoho! Don’t worry; I will always be there to remind you! You are strong, but nothing compared to some enemies I’ve faced. They completely outmatched me! Especially one particular saiyaness… Her power was unbelievable! Even today I’m still no match for her, considering her power didn’t grow ever since… - he said, pausing for a bit. – In fact… If I remember correctly, her power level is over one million above mine, when we are transformed. This is the universe for you, Captain! And our duty is to surpass anyone who appears, and make the Alliance the topnotch faction of this whole damn universe! – he said, chuckling a bit when he finished. Jie Shan had understood the second virtue and now there was but one virtue for him to understand.

– Now, now… For the final virtue… Physical and Mental Endurance. – he paused briefly. – It really doesn’t matter if your body can resist a blazing hell of pain and injuries if your mind can’t handle that. It’s crucial for both mind and body to be in synch, otherwise, one will boycott the other! – he said. Nasu waits for Jie’s reaction to those words, but didn’t attack him this time.

Nasu nodded. – I remember, yes. – the saiyan Overseer said, before Jie Shan continued. The hybrid explained that he hated the man he deeply feared, but that this person had taught him a few things and among them there was mental endurance. He had it rough, but Nasu wouldn’t get sentimental with that, he didn’t care if he had a shitty life, the only thing that mattered to him was what he was going to do with that experience and background and, luckily, Jie Shan was using it to become stronger and, almost like done by a twist of fate, this shitty childhood of his allowed him to easily understand the final virtue of the Soy School, and that was quite convenient. Nasu liked it.

– Good! This saves us time! Then… Now that you know and understand all the three main virtues, the pillars of my father’s school, we can solely focus on getting you confortable with the techniques and fighting style. - He also didn’t fail to notice that he had sheathed that annoying sword and that was good, because Nasu truly hated swords. Jie Shan said that he was paying attention to the lessons, even the one’s unspoken and that made Nasu chuckle, surprise with his sentence. – Ho! Were you now? Then show me what you’ve learned! – he said, in a slightly demanding tone. Then, the young captain announced himself as an easy learner and said that he was going to use the same technique Nasu had used earlier, and that made the saiyan’s smile to widen a bit. – Don’t hold back! Hehe! – he said, as he watched him charge what seemed to be the Spirit Cannon, Natto’s signature technique.

Jie Shan fired a perfect Spirit Cannon, and that impressed Nasu quite a bit. ”Impressive! He managed to nail it in his first try! It’s obviously not as powerful as my own Spirit Cannon, but that’s only because of the gap in our power level!” he thought to himself, in awe. However, Nasu didn’t move, he just raised his left hand and opened his palm. The Spirit Cannon hit his left palm and he held the energy sphere there, completely stopping its track only to – a second later – fiercely close his palm and dissipate all energy it had. Nasu chuckled as he did that.

– That’s a perfect Spirit Cannon indeed! You can go even further with that technique, should you feel like developing it, but that’s you call! I congratulate you for accomplish such a feat, but I won’t consider this training over until you can show me the Flash Spirit too! By accomplishing that, your body will understand a little bit of the Soy Style and you will see how much you will improve in combat! – he said, with pride in his tone. Afterwards, he narrowed his eyes a bit. – But I guess you already had plenty of time to rest… Let me show you again the powerful technique of my school! – and with those words, Nasu charged forward again, aiming to strike him with his elbow to the face, that, if hit, would be immediately followed by a spin kick to the guts. It was the Flash Spirit technique all over again, and he was putting a lot of effort into that.

Nasu could feel his elbow strike connecting to Jie Shan’s face. The attack was heavy and it hurt like hell. As soon as the elbow strike connected, Nasu didn’t waste any time quickly span and kicked him in the gut. This attack should leave him winded for a while and also sent him flying, sailing through the air a bit before he hit the floor with his back, clattering to the ground. However, the hybrid captain quickly bounced back up to his feet readying his fists and that made Nasu smirk to widen a bit. – Good! You are back up already! Hehe! – he said, laughing a little. He didn’t fail to notice that he sort of allowed himself to be hit. That was a pretty good way to understand the core principles of a technique in order to try and replicate it, and that was precisely what he was doing with a thoughtful expression. ”He is analyzing the technique… I wonder if he will be able to replicate it like he did with the Spirit Cannon.” Nasu wondered, feeling rather hopeful he would.

Then, he announced that he believed he had figured out and Nasu chuckled more. – You did? Then show me! I won’t move! – the Overseer said, open his arms wide open to allow himself to be fully hit. Then, his sparring partner charged towards him and hit him with an elbow strike to the face. Nasu didn’t feel much pain, but it was still bothersome and he grunted a little. Then, just like he was supposed to do, he spun around, landing a powerful kick to Nasu’s gut. Even with his battle suit on, the kick was still enough to force him to empty his lungs a bit, and he was pushed backwards a couple feet, dragging his feet on the titled floor. Once the attack was done, he touched his nose for a bit, checking if it was still in one piece – and it was – and then he tapped on his stomach, on the spot that Jie had hit him just a second ago.

– Good! You figured it out. Quite impressive! I’m glad to inform you that you have mastered the two initial techniques of the Soy School. Now… How about a little spar just for you to get used to the movements and all? I will suppress my power level so that we are pretty much even! I dunno how much I can actually suppress it while fighting, but I will do what I can! – he said with an excited tone in his voice. Then, with that being said, Nasu fell back into the traditional Soy School fighting stance, which consisted of bending both knees a bit, turning the body to the left side a bit. The left hand was in front of the body, in the line of the chin, and the other was tightly close to the body, with bent elbow, both fists clenched. – Don’t hold back! – and this sentence had some sort of a bossy tone. The next instant, Nasu was already charging forward in order to attack.

He would spar with Jie Shan for as long as the Hybrids stamina allowed, and he would focus on using all different melee techniques the Soy School had, such as punches, kicks, grapples, lariats, blocks and dodges. His goal was to teach his new student by practical application, and he was quite excited on doing that, meaning that, although he was restraining his power level, it would spike a bit every now and then.

The sparring session was quite intense, and there were moments when Jie Shan almost got the advantage. The hybrid was indeed strong and had plenty of potential. A potential Nasu would see to help reaching its peak. However, the difference in skill was too huge at that moment and, as soon as Jie started to tire, Nasu began to gain the upper hand at an incredibly fast pace. On top of that, the hybrid’s stamina was considerably lower than Nasu’s own, due to his lack of formal training, and that pretty much decided the whole fight. Nasu was ready to give one final attack to knock him out, having vanished and reappearing behind him, above his head, with both hands together in a sledgehammer position, when he quickly turned around holding his hands up in the air.

Nasu was almost hitting him when he suddenly stop; it took a lot of effort of the young saiyan’s part to stop that impending attack, but he did so nevertheless. Jie said that he had enough and had no more juice in him, and Nasu nodded, chuckling a bit as he descended back to the titled floor below. Then, he thanked him for training him and Nasu nodded again, folding his arms. – You are a Captain now, and the first person I’m actually training! You should really appreciate this opportunity and privilege! Don’t break my trust, Jie Shan! I’m an amazing ally to have, but an even worse enemy! Don’t forget that! I really do trust you won’t! – he paused briefly. – Then you are dismissed. We will continue your training tomorrow at the same time and this very same place! Don’t be late! And don’t expect me to go so easy on you tomorrow! We need some improvements and we need it fast! – he said.

Then, as the Hybrid left the place, Nasu touched his chin with his index and forefinger. ”He is improving a lot. So this is the power of this mixed blood of his. It’s impressive. The growth rate is almost unbelievable. Well… I will teach him everything I know about the Soy School, but I can’t just blindly trust him. I need to find Karota soon and bring her back to our side. With her technique and support, there’s nothing else to be feared! All of my enemies… The Alliance’s enemies will be turned into space dust!” and, with that thought, a confident smile took over his feature.

The plans were already set into motion.