Unleashing Potential [Ryuteki / Flashback]

Eh? Not even Zeno is briefed about what’s the business entails? That’s way too sudden, and it felt like some political business either. It felt more to like… a sudden inspection or test instead, at least to Beat’s young mind. He doesn’t mind being tested, but he prefer to hear the content beforehand so he could at least prepare himself for the worst sort of situation. Then again, hearing how the Guru is “a really lazy green man” made him question himself if he’s not too overly cautious.

The fiery red haired boy spotted th said green man… and to his surprise, he’s… wow, ain’t he the chillest guy around. He never seen Namekian so daringly laying idly on their roof like that. This… honestly a really quirky guy, at least to him. Lazy… is rather apt to describe the guy, he guess. Even so, there’s a vibe like a “lantern in midday” when he saw this guy… like he pretended to be lazy, or is lazy, but actually a highly functional lazy guy. The way he immediately recognized the incoming two did not escape Beat’s notice. At the same time though, he still feel like he’s worrying for nothing. He thought that he should give better impression by wearing his armor before, and true enough like Zeno said, he should’ve relaxed. Well, no place to change here he guess. He’ll just follow the guy’s pace.

When Ryuteki gave a bow, Beat returned the gesture, but with slightly deeper one. “Very nice to meet you, Sir. Yes, I am Beat, a new recruit of the Remnant Alliance, a half saiyan from Earth. I have heard a bit of you from my benefactor Isabella-san… and of course from Koma-san himself. Thank you for your hospitality, I’ll be intruding then.”

Beat entered the said building, hoping that he soon would get some sort of understanding what’s awaiting him. Honestly, the pressure in thought that this is some test made him nervous.

“...I...uh…” he wondered if he slipped. Komatsu never really sounds like he minded the nickname, and he always called Isabella with the -san suffix. Does that sounds that weird? Or is it that the Namekian doesn’t really understand how the Earth honorifics work? Then again, best answer to the man’s more important question. “A-ah, yes, my other half is human. I honestly never have any contact with Majin before Isabella-san.”

...although honestly he wonder if all Majins are pink? From Rensu he heard that there are blue majin…

“...huh?” Beat was wondering what the man is talking about. He… doesn’t quite understand the Namekian’s wording, but he guessed that was related to his past…? Oh well, he’ll begin his talk.

“...Well, um… let’s see… My name’s Beat, as you know, I was born in a tribal village in the east. My father’s name is Chard, he’s… a saiyan who was exiled from the Saiyan Empire. I have no idea the exact story, but apparently he was exiled because he was weak, and then he arrived on Earth, met my mother, and married.

Unfortunately, apparently Saiyans aren’t looked at favorably by the Earth people, so my father decided to remove my tail, until it grew back.. I mean... “ Beat slowly waggle his fluffy tail. “Well, as you can see.”

The story is honestly a long one, so he decided to speak slightly slower. “Even then, saiyan’s energy signature is unmistakable. He also put a seal on me, to allow me to have an idyllic lifestyle, free from any conflict. My father described that I was born quite strong even for a pure Saiyan standard. He’s… afraid that I will be drafted in any sort of war, be it from Earth’s order or his old empire’s order. Unfortunately, this also means that I have little means to defend myself. All my training did not increase my strength at all. I was really thin prior to this. I think I’m on the taller side of the class. Back on Earth, my peers bullied me because I’m a tribe guy, and the fact that I’m weak. The city and the tribe doesn’t have all that favorable relationship. Tribe people deemed city people as too depraved, too materialistic. Meanwhile, we’re viewed as barbarians who refused to bend to the will of the city, something of that sort. Some kids that know ki usage would bully me, and those who doesn’t want anything with them ignored me. My life pretty much revolves around such scenario. But of course not all of them are like that. There are also kind people, like a lady at a restaurant that gave me the leftover of whatever she cooked for the day, or my boss who I worked for… ah, I worked as newspaper delivery boy, you see…

Until one day, when I can no longer take it. I decided that it’s the best to risk it all. I have heard some kind of strange rumor that the water on the Korin’s Tower could cure any sort of ki disease. I thought I have one, so I begged my father to let me go there. He did, and he unlocked a bit of my ki. From there, my power suddenly just grow so exponentially. I was… honestly very surprised. From the weak kid with 2 PL into a kid with power around 20000, in such short time… I never thought I would be that strong. I thought… it all will change to be better.

...But I was wrong. I… I found East City destroyed. I have no idea what caused it, but… I felt it was countless misfortune upon misfortune from that point on.”

He decided to take a lil break from his storytelling, hoping the Guru would either correct him or something else.

He have thought of it… yeah, he dislikes flaunting off strength for no reason. He dislikes using it to torment the other. Sure he have thought of gaining power for revenge toward those bullies, but as he grew stronger and stronger, he began to ask himself… “what for?” In the end it felt like a futile thing. Revenge become petty and trivial when something bigger presented in front of him. From the “I don’t want to be bullied so I want to be stronger” into something else like “I want to be stronger so I could save those who I care about” is his current driving goal. He did not seek revenge. He seek some form of stability; stability where he could be happy, and live his life. Yes, trial and tribulation makes a warrior grow, but even so, he want a time where he could spend the time with those that he love, and thus let them continue with this life in peace.

...this of course impossible, or at least, almost so, when done alone. Beat’s bad habit is he tend to act alone compared to be in group. Beat has repeatedly beaten himself over things he cannot control. He understood the death of those in the East City wasn’t his fault, yet he still beat himself over it. He, for many reason, doesn’t feel so numb to people suffering even when he dislikes how Earth peoples are rather xenophobic (with justified reason). Whether he’s just or simply a fool, he have no idea. Yet he know to beat himself so much over it, to feel something “if only I were there” is definitely foolish if not outright arrogant. He’s clouded by grief. Thus, for now he stopped blaming himself.

...Yet, he also refused to blame those who are actually destroyed the city. Perhaps it’s one of his strangeness after all that thing that happened to him. He’d excused it as him being broken, but… what’s the truth even? Or has he literally fed up about all things in this life? Whichever it is, he in the end find that blaming himself is easier than blaming the other.

But the guru is right. To treat failure simply as a failure would make you closed from all the possibilities of lessons you can pluck from it. Instead, you will trap yourself in that hole for nothing. Beat nodded in understanding.

“...Huh?” Beat had no idea what to say. “Shadow…” it sounded really ominous. It’s not evil, but it’s something else? “...I… don’t really get it, Guru. What do you mean?” he asked. He had an inkling that he wouldn’t get the answer, and it was meant for him to think about… but even then, he decided to ask further.

“...Um, so… Is there is anything else? Like, why Koma-san told me to meet you? Is there… any test? Or something else perhaps?” he asked

“...Hmmm, at a time like this I both love and hate you Namekians who goes like ‘I could answer, but at the same time I can’t answer it because it’ll make you lose your chance to learn, and it could change you significantly’...” Beat commented. Malice however absent in his tone, only playfulness and teasing that came with it. “After you said that of course I won’t ask more! I’m someone who prefer the long way rather than a shortcut to get something! Well, if it’s an emergency though, now that’s another matter entirely, but you get what I meant right?”
Though… a gift? He have no idea what sort of gift, but the thought that he would use that power to abuse or harm someone without a reason, a reason that could be said as selfish definitely… make him a bit sick. Back then he was used to the feeling of “being lost”, and the thought of using his power to satisfy his ego. He after all he was bullied. When you gave power to a bullied person, wouldn’t their first thought be to get revenge in some way?

But in the end, he decided there’s a lot of more meaningful things in this world beyond his strength. He will not use it for that sort of purpose. He won’t flaunt his strength so he had something in this universe…

“Huh, so I passed…”

….That sounds goddamn shady somehow. Regardless, when the Guru asked him to come closer, he stood up and approached the Namekian.