Chapter 17: A Saiyan Beatdown (12.2)
Game
Thoughts
"Talking"
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Shy] Raphtalia:
[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]
Age: 15
PL: 650,280
HP: 3,500/3,500
TKI: 32,900/32,900
Reputation: 150/1000 (Liked)
[Shy] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally shy and introverted.
Weird ass name.
"You both alright?" Gray asked, looking at the two girls in front of him. Raphtalia was taller than Ochaco by a few inches, with long auburn flowing down her body. She was also skinner than Ochaco, being on the skinner side as opposed to the thicc, with two C's, Ochaco, but was also relatively curvy. She had beautiful porcelain skin and had a blush on her beautiful face.
"Yes… thank you…" Raphtalia said shyly, having walked over from the corner a moment earlier.
"Why were you guys with that jackass anyway?" Gray asked the girls, who had been clearly uncomfortable with Bareth's group. He could already guess the answer, considering he'd seen Ochaco get backhanded and overheard their conversation, but he wanted to hear the answer from the girls themselves.
Ochaco blushed, clearly embarrassed. "We didn't really have a choice… we barely passed the exam and wouldn't have survived here on our own."
Raphtalia nodded in agreement.
"Hah, are you sure you're even Saiyans with that attitude?" Gray scoffed as the Saiyan inside of him flared up, angered by his fellow Saiyans' decision to leech off of Bareth. Ochaco and Raphtalia both blushed deeper at his words, looking down at their feet in shame.
Chill out, Gray. Stop scaring the hoe's away. Why am I thinking like this suddenly? These girls are hot as fuck, so let it slide.
Gray sighed as he pushed away his inner feeling of disappointment, "Never mind. Regardless of your attitude, I've made it clear you're with me now. No one's gonna mess with you."
"Y-Yes! T-Thank you so much!" Ochaco said, her face lighting up with a bright smile. "That was incredible—the way you handled Bareth! You barely broke a sweat!"
Gray felt a feeling of pride and immense satisfaction well up in him.
I like you.
Gray smirked, shrugging. "Please, I could beat that idiot with my pinky toe. I'm Gray, by the way."
"We know," Raphtalia cut in, also smiling brightly at him, "Bareth talked about you a lot. He was really hung up about you humiliating his brother."
"He should let it go if he knows what's good for him," Gray hummed, a confident smirk filling his face, "If he or Dareth try anything, I'll really kill them this time."
"Now," Gray said, clapping his hands together again, "Any chance either of you have met two of my friends, Asia and Tamari? A short blonde and a tall redhead?"
"I don't think so…" Ochaco responded, while Raphtalia merely shook her head.
"Didn't think so, but would've been nice," Gray hummed, "I'll be off-planet on a mission for next month or two, so you two should stick with them. I'll also have another friend, Ren, and his group of friends train with you guys. You should be safe from any annoying pricks like Bareth if you stick with them."
"U-Um," Raphtalia brought up, "A-Are you leaving today? Will we see you again before you leave?"
Gray locked eyes with Raphtalia, causing the shy girl to turn away and blush.
Cute.
"Of course," Gray said with a rugged smile, "I'm just a bit busy today. I'm not leaving for another few days, so I'll talk with you guys tomorrow and introduce you to Asia and Tamari."
"O-Oh, alright… I'm glad to hear that!" Raphtalia said, blushing deeper as she smiled at him.
"Yeah! We'll come to the cafeteria at the same time tomorrow, is that fine?" Ochaco asked, locking eyes with Gray again.
"Meh, come an hour later. I doubt Tamari will wake up this early," Gray responded, turning and scanning the cafeteria as he looked for Ren, "I gotta go find someone now, so I'll see y'all tomorrow."
The girls echoed his farewell as they walked toward the exit together, and Gray scanned the cafeteria.
Before I look for Ren, I gotta figure out what this is.
Gray glanced back at the notification hanging in the air.
[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!
You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!
Assimilation? So, am I becoming more Saiyan-like or somethin'? I coulda told you that - I've been getting dumber and hornier every day on this planet, but what does that status condition mean?
Gray didn't have another moment to think about it, as through the floating box he saw a muscular boy speed-walking towards him with a purpose, clearly having been watching him speak to the girls. He had short black hair and a square face. Gray looked at the boy, using [Observe].
[Emotional] Ren:
[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]
Age: 16
PL: 9,860,290
HP: 75,725/75,725
TKI: 22,500/22,500
Reputation: 100/1000 (Liked)
[Emotional] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will highly value their emotions, doing whatever it takes to follow them.
Gray blanched as he saw the boy pick up his pace, adding a whole new definition to the term 'speed-walking' as he strutted towards him from the other side of the room, a fire burning in his eyes. Gray locked eyes with the boy, not backing down as he stared at Gray with a burning intensity.
Oh, he's totally pissed about Ken.
"I've been looking for you, Gray!" He shouted as he approached him, his teeth gritted.
"I'm sure you have," Gray responded, staring back at the boy.
I feel bad about Ken dying, and I don't wanna make Ren an enemy, both so he can protect the girls and since he was Ken's friend, but I'm not going to back down either.
Gray's heart began to race, adrenaline surging through his veins. He could feel the anticipation of a fight bubbling inside him, and despite himself, he fought to keep a grin off his face.
Fuck, I shouldn't want to fight him but… I feel excited. I feel eager.
"You know what this about then, right?" Ren asked, stopping a foot in front of Gray as he stared up into his eyes.
"Of course," Gray answered, still not backing down as he stared down at Ren, "This is about Ken."
"Good, then I won't have to waste time explaining," Ren said, shifting his body into a tense stance. Their eyes locked, and electricity could be felt in the air. Ren shifted his body, flinging himself at Gray…
…and wrapping him in a tight hug.
Huh?
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, man!" Ren exclaimed, squeezing Gray with surprising strength.
"Uh… thanks?" Gray mumbled, completely taken aback.
Ren placed his hands on Gray's shoulders, pushing him back as he stared into his eyes again, "I lost a team member too, brother Gray! I know how you feel!"
"Yeah-" Gray started but was cut off as Ren yelled loudly again, attracting the attention of other recruits in the cafeteria.
"I know it hurts, Brother Gray!" Ren interrupted, raising his fist dramatically. "But don't let it consume you! Ken knew the risks, we all did! He wouldn't want you to be weighed down by his death!"
"Uh… yeah, it's tough but I'm n-"
"Brother Gray! I know not a second goes by that you don't regret what happened! That you don't wish that you died in Ken's place!" Ren shouted, staring at his clenched fist as he looked on the verge of tears.
Ah, I mean, I'm sad Ken died, but not that sad. I only knew him for a couple of days. I think you're projecting here.
"But!" Ren continued, "You must channel that regret! That anger! That rage! It's what Ken would've wanted! We must use this rage to continue forward, becoming the strongest of the strongest! We must live on our brother's dreams, Gray!"
"I-"
"Gray!" Ken gripped Gray's shoulders again, staring at him with tears in his eyes, "If you ever need to talk about it, brother Gray, I'm here for you! And if you ever need anything, anything at all, I will be here for you!"
"Ah, that's great," Gray finally got a word in, bewildered by the unexpected direction the conversation was taking, "I actually do need to talk to you about some-"
+1000 Reputation with Ren (For bonding with him) [2x from [A Humble Master]]
What did I even do?
"Of course, brother Gray! We can spend all night talking about our regrets! About our feelings! About how much we miss our brothers! Let us bond through our sense of loss, and become even closer than blood brothers!" Ren shouted, a large grin on his face as he raised his fist high above his head.
"Ah, actually, it's not about that…" Gray started, stopping as Ren's face fell, his back hunching over dramatically at Gray's words.
"B-Because I'm just not ready to bring up those emotions again, y'know? I, uh, don't think I could handle feeling the pain again?" Gray tried to appease the boy, questioning his own words as he tried to relate to Ren.
+800 Reputation with Ren (For sharing his emotions) [2x from [A Humble Master]]
How do I have the highest reputation with this guy now? The fuck is going on?
"Ah, of course! I'm sorry for being so pushy, brother Gray! It's too soon, I understand! We all cope in different ways and at different rates!" Ren said, nodding rapidly at Gray.
"Right…" Gray said, steering the conversation back. "Anyway, about what I wanted to talk about. I've been assigned an off-planet mission for the next month, maybe two, so I won't be around to keep an eye on a few friends. Could you—"
"Of course, brother Gray!" Ren interrupted him loudly, grinning up at him, "Whoever it is, I'd be more than glad to train with them! I will treat them as my own brothers!"
Well, this went a lot better than I expected.
"Great, thanks," Gray said, "You know Asia and Tamari, right? It'll be them and-"
"Yes! Brother Gray's girlfriends! I met them when we all trained together!" Ren said, his grin changing to a smirk, "Should I still call them sisters? That might be strange, as they are my brothers' girlfriends, so maybe sisters-in-law?"
"Just," Gray sighed, feeling a headache start to form, "Sister is fine. Just stick with sister. The other two I'll introduce you to tomorrow. They're the two girls I was just talking with—Ochaco and Raphtalia."
"Great! Me and my brothers will train with them every day! I can assure you that they'll be twice as strong by the time you get back!" Ren shouted, raising his fist upward.
I'm glad he's so eager, but my ears are starting to hurt from all this screaming.
"And," Ren continued, yelling even louder to ensure that everyone in the cafeteria could hear him, "I'll make sure they all stay safe! Sister Asia, Tamari, Ochaco, and Raphtalia! If anyone messes with them, me and my brothers won't let them off with just removing a limb!"
Gray grinned, glad to see that Ren understood what Gray was asking him to do, "Great. I appreciate it, brother Ren!"
Ren returned his smile, then abruptly his face fell, the smile disappearing. He glanced downward, a shadow covering his eyes, "Gray… you avenged Ken, right? You made that bastard pay, right?"
"Of course," Gray responded, his face becoming serious, "I made sure it was slow and painful, though that fucker blew himself up and got off easy."
"Hah," The mood lightened as Ren's face lit up, smiling again, "Good. I did the same for the bastard that killed Sen."
They shared a smile and a nod of respect, then said their farewells as Gray left the cafeteria. He looked up at the ceiling, his head tilted curiously.
Sen? Ren, Sen, Ken? Are they all actually brothers and not just calling each other that?
Gray hummed to himself as he left the cafeteria.
Whatever. Training can wait for today. Now that I'm done with that, time to rest up for the actual mission, and figure out what this status condition shit is.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gray Tanaki:
[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]
Age: 15
Wallet: 46,150 Coins
Lvl: 10 (33,000/75,000 XP)
PL: 31,972,700
Available Points: 300
HP: 42,500/91,450
TKI: 171,925/171,925
STR: 315
AGI: 350
END: 290
INT: 435
CHA: 145
LUK: 455
KI: 395
HREG: 206
EREG: 206
Skills: [Observe LVL 4], [Running LVL 6], [Determination LVL 4], [Ki Control LVL 9], [Ki Gun LVL 5]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 4], [KI Suppression LVL 5], [Ki Sense LVL 2], [Pushup LVL 4], [Punch LVL 4], [Kick LVL 4], [Jump LVL 4], [Flight LVL 4], [Prediction LVL 2], [Zenkai Boost LVL 1], [Congnitive Acceleration LVL 1], [Ah! Lord Frieza! LVL 1]
Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Sayian], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]
Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 1]
Party: [Empty]
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will start the Earth Mission, and will be posted on Saturday! Or, you can read it right now at Patreon.com/Koyon!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone