(Later that evening)
By the time the sun had begun to set, every single employee at Capsule Corp, save for the half a dozen on the nightshift crew, had retired for the evening. This meant that the halls of the main building were practically empty, which was good for one member of the Z-crew as he went about his merry way, marching through the corridors of his home with his hands in his pockets. Training boots clapping against the tiled floor and shoulders struck back, the dark haired form of Vegeta strolled along with his eyes set ahead and his thoughts focused on a number of different subjects. On the surface he appeared perfectly normal.
But in truth, the man had found himself troubled by the odd series of events that'd been occurring over the last month. First Satan City had been besieged by a human mercenary dressed in a mechanized suit of armor that was specifically designed to combat super beings and aliens of Super Saiyan class. Then Gohan spouts some nonsense about a phantom woman that'd just appeared out of nowhere to haunt the very room they'd all been standing in. And then, without any warning whatsoever, the same demi-Saiyan then falls prey to the very virus that his father had been plagued with years before.
In other words, it was simply baffling. For one, not only had this collection of circumstances occurred one after the other in succession, but they also didn't fit into Vegeta's knowledge of coming events. As far as he was concerned, his son Trunks, the one who'd came to them from the future all those years ago, didn't mention anything about a mechanical abomination, a phantom, or Gohan contracting the same virus his father had. In fact, the only member of their group to have caught the disease was Kakarot. Though this was probably a result of the timeline skewing in a different direction or due to a set of completely unrelated actions, for things to get this far out of hand was just astonishing.
As hard as he tried, the Saiyan Prince just couldn't put his finger on it or the source that was causing all these anomalies.
Choosing to shelve these thoughts away for the time being, Vegeta decided to focus on getting to the kitchen to grab a coffee and some after dinner snacks. However, when he passed by the entrance to the Gravity Room, the man then noticed on the screen beside the door that the chamber was currently occupied. Curious as to who was using the chamber at this time since the design of the room's walls prevented ki from being picked up the prince moved over to it and went through the first door. Entering the locker room and passing through the aisle of steel cupboards, he quickly found himself at the porthole window of the blast door and looked in to see what was going on.
He then blinked when he saw that it was Zangya inside the dome-shaped chamber and gutting it out with the equipment. Dressed in a pair of black spandex shorts and singlet, the woman was positioned in the center of the floor space and glaring through the glowing red room towards the ceiling. Judging from the way her body was shaking, it looked as though she was currently under a lot of stress.
This was no surprise because when Vegeta took a peak at the control panel next to him, he saw that the room was set to over two thousand times earth's gravity. She was practically hitting the danger limits of the machine on an organic life form and what any person was capable of achieving in that kind of environment. Raising an eyebrow, he then looked in to see the orange haired female take a step forward and cock her hands to her sides.
Sweat falling off of her and hitting the ground with the force of anvils dropping from the sky, the powered up Hera gritted her teeth and took aim at the flying drones above her. They orbited her for several seconds, keeping their crosshairs locked firmly upon the woman's form. Then, after the sensor lights flashed between all of them, the drone floating behind the warrior a full story above her then lit up and fired a powerful golden sphere of energy down at her.
Reacting fast, the Hera spun around and smacked the attack away, sending it hurtling towards another drone. In the blink of an eye, the ki blast bounced off of an invisible force field that sprang up around the basketball-sized robot, which promptly sent the attack shooting towards a third. Once again the attack bounced off of the machine and flew towards another, and another, and continued to repeat the process over and over again, until the single ki blast was moving in a blur between all of the training bots, forming a glowing net above the Hera.
Zangya growled as her eyes darted after the energy attack, watching it rebound off of the floating metal orbs one after the other. A few seconds later, the attack, which had built up enough momentum between the robots to confuse any ordinary quarry, then shot towards her a second time, prompting the Hera to leap into the air and avoid it. The attack struck the ground, where it was absorbed by the energy resistant barrier above the tiled floors, preventing the attack from detonating and keeping the room intact.
With a yell of rage, the orange haired warrior thrust her hand forward and unleashed a powerful energy blast towards one of the robots, slamming it in its single eye and sending it flying into the far wall. The drone smashed into the barrier, exploding into a thousand pieces that scattered over the floor. Zangya then followed up with a blast behind her, only to watch the attack streak past her targets when they avoided it.
Responding quickly, the remaining six robots hovering around her then unleashed simultaneous energy attacks in her direction, catching her in the middle of their formation. The energy balls converged on her position at light speed. But just when it seemed like the woman was about to be crushed by the synchronized force of their multiple shots, Zangya crossed her arms over her chest and produced a blue energy shield that jumped up around her like a bubble and stopped the attacks. The blasts burrowed into the film and began to compress it, threatening to break through. Then, just when it appeared the sphere would pop, Zangya threw her arms out and, with a mighty howl, dispelled the attacks with a full-body blast.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
This counter took the form of a bright flash of light, which engulfed the surrounding drones and melted them under the sheer heat of the wave. The robots' lights flickered and flashed, giving off a warning sound as their hardware was toasted from the inside out. Several seconds later, a shockwave reverberated across the chamber that sent the metal spheres hurtling into the surrounding walls, bouncing off of them and scattering their remains all over the chamber.
Once the deed was done, the spent and exhausted Zangya hovered back down to the ground and stood in place, feeling the gravity continue hammering down on her like a weight. Sweat dribbling down her face in rivers, the Hera then prepared to move on to the next stage of the training regime, only for the light of the room to suddenly turn back to normal and an emergency siren to call out.
With a low hum, the machinery in the room was shut down. "Gravity Room Door: Open. Gravity Simulation: Deactivated. Normal Environmental Settings: Restored."
Hearing this announcement over the intercom quickly drew Zangya's attention towards the entrance. When her eyes fixed upon the door, she saw Vegeta standing there, with the blast proof gateway to the training hub closing behind him and sealing shut.
Blinking in surprise, the Hera looked across at her visit uncertainly, "Oh. Hey, Vegeta. I… didn't know you were still hanging around here."
Arms folded over his chest, the prince frowned at the blue-skinned alien before then taking stock of the damages. After counting all of the robots lying in pieces in the training space, the man then grunted and looked back at the exhausted woman with his usual, disapproving scowl. "And what possible reason could I have to not hang around my own house… let alone my own Gravity Room?"
Scoffing, the sweat-covered and visibly battered Zangya then looked away with a frown, "None, actually. Geez. I keep forgetting that this is Bulma's place and not mine." She then clocked herself on the forehead, "Ugh. I'm such an idiot."
Brow creasing, Vegeta took a decisive few steps forward, "That's an assessment that both of us can agree on. However, all matters of self-examination aside, I notice that you were in the middle of a rather interesting training exercise."
Zangya then snapped up to glare at her visitor, watching as he approached the control panel standing in the center of the room. "Yeah? What of it?"
"Well… after seeing your little outburst against the woman's training probes, I thought to myself that you could use a proper, live training partner to shoot at; someone who can actually take your hits without falling to pieces in the first few seconds and hit back with just as much force." Stopping beside the control tower and looking at the computer board, Vegeta then reached out with his hands and typed into the keys. After applying the appropriate settings, a loud clank followed by the hum of machinery echoed throughout the room once more, signaling the start of another round. Upon seeing the computer accept the codes, the prince turned and faced his home's guest once again. "Do you still have the energy to take on a Saiyan elite? Or would you rather call it a night?"
Hearing the thrum of the turbines echoing all around as the room began diverting power Zangya then narrowed her eyes and faced the flame-haired man with a frown. Her fists were clenched and at the ready and, after a few moments of consideration, she relented. "Fine. I'll take you on."
This drew a nod from the serious warrior. "Good." Then, in a bright flash of golden light, the Saiyan Prince jumped straight to Super Saiyan 2, bolts of electricity running up his form and accompanying the fierce, celestial aura that now shrouded him.
Without needing to be told twice, Zangya also powered up and went right into her Super Hera form, her hair flashing blood red and her skin turning a shade of green. Her own aura blasted around her, matching the intensity of her opponent's as they both stood glaring each other down.
Several seconds later, the entire room turned red and the gravity engines activated. Both fighters lurched forward ever so slightly when they were both hit with the same gravitational pull of a black hole, causing them to grit their teeth and fix their most intense glares upon one another. As soon as the room's power and output stabilized, both Hera and Saiyan were primed for combat, and the stage was set for what was sure to be an explosive bout.
However, from Vegeta's perspective on the situation, it didn't look like one of them was intending to make this a long one.
With an angry snarl and a yell of rage, Zangya exploded from her spot and charged straight towards her opponent at full speed, her green aura blazing around her. She lunged at him with an overhand, watching the man parry her blow and slip away. She pursued with due haste, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks on her opponent as he retreated across the tiled floor, yelling out with every blow. However, despite their great speed and strength, Vegeta's expression remained mostly calm as he avoided and knocked aside every attack launched by his opponent, allowing the alien warrior to chase him down.
After crossing fists with one another across the ground for some time, the Hera then threw a kick at her opponent, only for him to leap straight into the air and out of her reach. Zangya growled in frustration and chased after him, attempting to cut him off. She roared when she swung at him with hooks and upper cuts, trying to hit the man in the face, or any part of him that would earn a satisfying 'thump' from her knuckles. But when he successfully avoided all of her strikes without the slightest bit of effort, it only caused the woman to lash out at an even fiercer rate, at the same time yell out with even more fury.
Dodging another series of punches, Vegeta then swung around the woman and nailed her in the cheek with a well-placed counter cross. It was after the blow landed Zangya spat venomously and, spinning in the direction the Saiyan had gone, the woman thrust her hand out and fired two quick ki blasts. She watched them streak after the man at great speed, only to see her opponent smack them away and promptly return fire. She evaded his retaliatory blast easily with a quick duck and charged in after him, swinging towards the man's face with a hook.
The Prince blocked it, but then received a powerful uppercut that knocked his head upwards and smacked some spittle out of his mouth. Clearly caught by surprise, Vegeta gritted his teeth and retaliated with a swift roundhouse kick to the woman's side, knocking her out of the air and towards the ground. When the Hera landed, she quickly back flipped into a standing position, just in time to dodge a diving kick from her opponent when he chased after her. Seeing his foot slam into the floor then prompted Zangya to thrust her finger out and fire a red beam, which shot towards her target like a bullet.
Spotting the approaching attack, Vegeta calmly head slipped it while simultaneously pitching an energy ball at his opponent in an awkward, underarm throw. The ki blast curled upwards and slammed Zangya in the stomach hard, knocking the wind out of the woman's lungs as she was unceremoniously knocked into the air by sphere. Her back slammed into the wall of the gravity room, causing her to bounce off of it with a thunderous 'bang' and spin to the floor, where she landed painfully on her side. Coughing in shock as she remained on all fours, the woman gave another bellow of rage and, picking herself up, sprinted headlong towards her opponent.
She ran down Vegeta like an enraged bull, opening up with a vicious assault of punches. But despite the swiftness of her attacks, the Saiyan Prince avoided them easily, even when she was punching out at him with full force. In the midst of her continuous combo, her opponent waited patiently for an opening, before eventually slipping around a punch and nailing her in the stomach with a swift body blow. This attack stopped Zangya dead in her tracks and had the female spit up, before she eventually received a hook across the face, followed by a vicious kick. These two hits sent the Hera skidding across the floor and through the piles of scrap that were the remains of the training robots, before she eventually stopped several yards away.
Blood trickling from her mouth, the Hera shook her head and frowned deeply. When she fixed her glare upon her opponent, she then sneered loudly and vanished into super speed. Vegeta copied her and also disappeared, intending to outgun her.
For two minutes after that the air became filled with the sounds of shockwaves and fists making contact with bodies. Moving around the room at untraceable speeds, both Vegeta and Zangya darted after one another in the form of two unrecognizable blurs, which crisscrossed the training room floor and the air above the ground repeatedly. Their high speed battle meant that their maneuvers and actions were impossible to track, with the ultimate outcome of the battle remaining completely unknown. However, after another violent spurt of shockwaves filled the space and rattled the chamber's walls, the pair's battle soon came to an abrupt end when Zangya reappeared near the ceiling, her eyes darting around in paranoia, and her opponent nowhere in sight.
Almost immediately after she emerged from the speed zone, Vegeta teleported behind her and dove at her from above. Her response to his attack came far too late when the Saiyan Prince buried a knee into her stomach, before he cupped his hands in the air above him and dropped a hammer blow right into her back, sending the Hera spiraling to the ground. Zangya slammed into the floor with an earsplitting crack, leaving her lying sprawled out on the tiles with blood flying out of her mouth.
The moment she was grounded, her opponent landed alongside her stricken form, arms crossed and a disappointed look on his face.
The Prince of all Saiyans huffed, "It's over."
Groaning through her teeth and the various bruises covering her body, the red haired woman attempted to get back to her feet. "No. I'm not… done yet." Sitting up was a struggle, especially when she had the force of several thousand times earth's normal gravity weighing down on her. The woman breathed heavily when she then dug her nails into the ground. "Let's… go again."
"No."
"I'm telling you, I can keep going-"
"Enough!" Vegeta, sporting a solitary bruise on his cheek and a bloody lip, turned his back on the stubborn woman and stomped over to the control panel. "This session is over." Pressing the big red button on the controls, the man promptly shut the gravity field off, the hum of the chamber's engines dying down as normal environmental settings were once again restored. As soon as he felt the weight of the simulation lift, the Saiyan Prince turned his glare back to his opponent, who was breathing heavily from the short bout. "Hmph. Pathetic."
Zangya's head snapped towards the man when she heard his comment, "What?"
"Your form. It was all over the place. You barely even touched me once. Your attacks had little to no edge to them, your punches were sloppy, you had no flow in your movements whatsoever, and you barreled towards me head first like an idiot without even taking a second to think about your strategy or technique. To put it to you simply, your abilities in this round were revolting, a complete eyesore… utterly unfit for a warrior of your stature," Vegeta said straight out, eliciting a stunned look from the woman, who then looked towards the ground in disgrace. The Prince grunted at her desponded expression. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Biting her tongue for but a moment, the red haired woman then sighed and closed her eyes, "I… I know that. I know."
Scoffing in disgust as the lights of the room returned to normal, the Prince then dropped out of his Super Saiyan 2 form and turned his back on the woman, who remained seated in a damsel position on the cold, hard floor. Keeping his eyes locked on the far wall, Vegeta then spoke. "Out of all the warriors on this planet, you are the only one besides the brat I view as being an equal to me in both skill and power, with the Namekian coming in at a close second." He then glanced over his shoulder to see Zangya sit up properly, before bringing her knees up to her chest to rest her chin behind. "Normally you would've put up a more decent fight compared to that pitiful excuse of a performance you just gave me. Care to explain yourself?"
Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists tightly around her legs, the red haired woman allowed her body to revert back to its base form. The strain of the battle and the expenditure of energy she had in her fight with the Saiyan instantly caught up with her. But through sheer force of will, Zangya was able to prevent it from upsetting her train of thought.
Glaring ahead of her, the Hera spoke in a quiet voice, "I just… have a lot on my mind right now."
"Like what?" Vegeta asked gruffly, turning around a bit more to glare down at his sparring partner. His question caused the alien girl's shoulders to jump. "Please. I'm all ears."
Turning her head away, the clearly upset Zangya exhaled sharply, "It doesn't matter. A guy as tough and unfeeling as you wouldn't understand."
The prince smirked, "You sound so sure about that."
"Just leave me alone, alright. What I'm thinking and what I'm feeling is none of your business," the Hera replied, unable to hide the annoyance in her voice from the arrogant smirk she could feel on her opponent's face. "It's nobody's busness but my own."
"It certainly doesn't seem like that from where I'm standing."
"JUST GO AWAY!" Zangya finally snapped, spinning around and chucking one of the drone parts that'd been lying right next to her at the Saiyan.
Her outburst, though sudden and unexpected, was easily avoided by the prince when he simply moved his head to the side and heard the chunk of metal impact against the far wall. When it eventually clattered to the floor, Vegeta moved his head back into position and watched as his opponent's tear-filled eyes glared right back at him.
Unable to hold it in anymore, the orange haired woman on the ground brought her arm up and pressed her eyes into it, her body trembling as she began to weep. She sobbed freely into her skin, filling the once silent room with her cries of sadness and despair. Though her expression of grief didn't at all affect the Saiyan Prince, he certainly could not ignore her display and continued to look upon her silently and considerately.
After listening to her bawl for several seconds, the Saiyan Prince sighed and stepped towards the alien girl, his arms crossed and a serious glare still in play. "Anger for a warrior can be a very powerful weapon and a source of great strength in battle when put to the proper use. The problem with you is that your anger is misguided and unfocused. You have allowed it to get the better of you, to steer your actions and, as a result, it has clouded your judgment." He then raised his head when he heard the woman's sobbing subside and her trembling still. "From what I gather, all of this drama you're experiencing right now must have something to do with the brat."
Looking up from her arms, the Hera took a moment to catch her breath before, with tears still shimmering in her red, tired eyes, she began to speak. "Somebody did this to him," Zangya whispered, prompting Vegeta to raise an eyebrow at her. "Gohan and Videl being attacked on the streets by that armored freak, the mech having the exact same tech as Seventeen and Eighteen, Gohan being affected by the same heart virus his dad had… these aren't just coincidences. Someone very dangerous is hiding out there somewhere on this planet, watching us, and he wants Gohan dead." Her gaze then shot towards the Prince, whom she could see was staring back at her with as straight an expression she'd ever seen on him. "You can see it too, right?"
Remaining silent for but a moment, the flame haired man then grunted and looked away, turning his gaze towards the wall. "Yes. I can see it. I'm not blind."
Clenching her fists again, the orange haired fighter then glared ahead of her and snarled under her breath, "My best friend is in that room right now… suffering… dying. I just… can't bear seeing Gohan in so much pain. He doesn't deserve that… not someone as good and as kind as him." Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she spoke, which prompted her to shake her head and shut her eyes. "I only wish… I could do something to help him… make him feel better. But I can't. All I can do is just stand here uselessly, like an idiot…"
Expression becoming even tenser, the Saiyan then tapped his finger against his bicep impatiently and murmured. "There isn't anything more you or anyone else can do for him, except allow him to rest and let the medicine do its job. There's no need to stress over it." When he turned back to his fellow Z-fighter and saw Zangya still sitting there with her face pressed into her arm, the prince blinked a couple of times before grunting in acknowledgement of her current emotional state. "Especially you. You're angry right now because of what's happened to Gohan and because you feel powerless to help him… but you have no idea what to do with your rage and who to center it on. That's why your fighting skills were so terrible just now… because you were confused, scared, and unable to focus your emotions and accept the truth." Vegeta then narrowed his eyes even more as he broke down the woman's words and the secret that she was concealing. It was something he was able to figure out with just a single glance. "You're in love with him… aren't you?"
His question had Zangya look up with a start. Unable to contain her gasp, the Hera quickly looked over her shoulder and towards the Saiyan Prince, whom she could see was staring at her with his unflinching gaze. Eyes shimmering with her tears of grief, the woman attempted to speak, but no words came out.
Vegeta grunted at her bewildered gaze, "Don't bother trying to deny it. I can see it clearly on your face. You love that brat more than anything else in the world and its killing you keeping all of these feelings for him locked up inside, especially now that his life is in danger."
Cheeks turning bright red, the alien looked away hastily and gripped her legs even tighter, pressing her knees further into her chest. Trying to hide the stunned and embarrassed expression currently framing her visage, Zangya began forming a reason in an attempt to dispute the prince's wild allegations. However, after several minutes of silent contemplation and coming to terms with her whirlwind of thoughts, the woman bit her bottom lip and nodded her head meekly.
She couldn't deny it. Seven years of hanging around Gohan's home, as well as the demi-Saiyan's warm and welcoming presence, had finally taken its toll on her. The two of them had shared so many great times and experiences together that she'd more than just grown to appreciate his company. His innocent, country boy nature, his words of comfort and support, his virtuous spirit, his confidence in battle, and his charming smile, had all but captured her existence in its entirety. To put it in simple terms, the boy had opened his heart and his home to her, and in return she'd given hers to him. Despite all of her exhaustive defensive strategies and attempts to prevent her feelings from escalating too far, she couldn't help but fall for the boy with the spiky hair and boyish smile, who had long since become the most prominent figure in her life.
"He gave me the life I have now," Zangya said, speaking in the firmest and most sincere voice Vegeta had ever heard from her, "And I intend to protect his in return… no matter what it takes." She then nodded and allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of her mouth, as her true feelings were allowed to flow freely. "I love him."
Even though she'd admitted it in her head, the impact of her words still felt just as potent to her as the first time she even considered the notion. Her heartbeat quickened as a result of her confession and, curling up even more, the woman did the best she could to keep the heat out of her cheeks.
Smirking when he heard the woman speak her peace, Vegeta then turned away and chuckled, "To each his or her own, I suppose."
The Hera, taking a minute or two to cool off and catch her breath, then rose up from the floor and stretched her arms. Slapping herself in the cheeks a couple of times to clear her head of her daze, she then turned back to her sparring partner, whom she saw was now glaring over his shoulder and in her direction. After a quick stare-off with who many would regard as the most dangerous man on the face of the planet, the woman massaged her arm and left the room with a renewed spring in her step.
"Thanks, Vegeta," Zangya said as the Gravity Room door automatically opened in front of her.
Grumbling in his usual, dismissive tone, the Saiyan replied coolly, "I expect a much better fight from you tomorrow."
"Alright. What time?"
"Five A.M sharp… and just so you know, I don't like to be kept waiting."
His demand was returned by a half-assed wave from the Hera, who nodded at the same time she stepped through the exit. "Sure thing."
Zangya then disappeared into the locker room, leaving the Prince of all Saiyans standing in the center of the training space all by his lonesome to count up all the busted up drone parts carpeting the floor. The cleaning bot would be in later tonight to sweep up the mess, but until then the man was simply content with just standing there brooding, until it was time for him to turn in.
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