Sean felt uncomfortably sore and hungry. However, it wasn't really a surprise after having blown himself up fighting Mindsweep and then continuing to spar with Punch Up and Coupé a few hours later. It was obvious how he would feel afterward. Unfortunately, it wasn't like he could take it easy going forward. In fact, the opposite was the case. If he wanted to become a Super Saiyan as quickly as possible, then this was the minimum. So, after having gone through an eventful first day and jogged home with the weight vest on, he continued to do some mobility routines and bodyweight exercises.
After an hour of his evening workout, he could barely move, so he dragged himself in front of the fridge and started eating his meal preps. He was almost too lazy to eat, but the taste buds praised almost all food landing on his tongue, coupled with that immense hunger, he couldn't wait to gorge himself into a food coma.
And that's what he did. He woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and hungry again. It wasn't the abyss-like hunger. Still, he ate until he was full, which amounted to almost 40 thousand calories. His intake had increased a bit, and it was honestly a hassle to order that much food. Although SDN would cover lunch, he still had to eat breakfast and dinner, so ordering groceries was a must.
He also looked for chefs to hire to cook him his meals while he is working. Despite meal prepping for several hours, it only lasts for the next meal. It was just not possible to prepare his own meal if he wanted to keep the training workload he was aiming for. There was simply no time.
That being said, he made some massive gains yesterday. Having blown up, healing with that Wonder Pill, and fighting Punch Up gave him a decent boost. Guessing by the intensity of his Ki and feeling, he must have grown 6 times as strong as before. It almost felt like he could blow up the moon…
He raised his palm, and a light dot appeared. It continued to hover there for a moment before dimming only a few seconds later. His Ki had grown, and with it his control, or rather, he found it easier to control the amount of Ki he would have struggled with the day prior. Similar to lifting weights, if one got massively stronger, it became easier to handle lighter weights one used to struggle with.
It made him want to try some techniques, especially flying, but he put it off since he wasn't sure if he would accidentally blow something up again. After a few minutes, he finished up his meal and packed his things before heading towards the dojo.
Despite having grown massively, he figured fighting regular people was a good way to learn how to properly hold back. It wasn't just about holding back a lot, but also about winning any encounters with appropriate force.
Despite already holding back, he almost felt like lifting off the ground on the way to the dojo. After having seen Coupé glide and then executing it himself, he could confidently extend his airtime, but full-on flight wasn't on the table yet. He arrived quickly and directly went to the changing rooms, after greeting Coach Arun.
"Good morning, brother." A heavily accented voice greeted him.
"Aleksandr, good morning," Sean responded as he finished changing.
"We must continue." Aleks said with a laugh. "I watched video of new technique. It will break your jaw, hahaha."
Sean couldn't help but snort. "We'll see about that." The last time, they fought rather evenly, despite having better reaction times and being slightly stronger than him. Knowing this made Aleks a beast. If the guy had superpowers, he would be a force to reckon with.
Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if he could suppress his Ki to a normal human level now. On the way here, his ki suppression just didn't want to go lower than 10 percent. Yesterday, 10 percent put him at a regular human level, but now? After having grown 6 times as much, it would mean he was at least 6 times as strong as regular people while holding back.
It had been almost a foregone conclusion that fighting against normal people wouldn't benefit him, but he didn't know this moment would come this quickly. He had figured he would at least get a few days.
Either he improved his control to suppress his Ki even further, found a way to make these fights entertaining through weighted clothes while fighting multiple people, or abandoned these regular fights altogether. He wanted to continue this, honing his fundamentals, but he needed to invest his time carefully. Improving his fighting skills was important, but for his goal, purely focusing on his strength would be the way to go.
"Morning, everyone."
"Coach Arun." Sean greeted him with everybody else before entering the mat. Some other people were standing to the side, greeting him as well.
Coach Arun announced, "Today, some friends of another dojo are visiting. They are MMA guys, so you might be able to learn something from them, especially transitioning from striking to grappling, or show you some throws."
…
"Man, you're a natural! Did you do some Judo in the past?"
"Naw, but Muay Thai also has some clinching throws and sweeps. I used to do some BJJ though."
"Oh, that makes sense-"
"Sorry, bro. I need to bounce. Was nice meeting you."
The training was stressful for him, having to be careful with them, treating them like glass, but it did have some upsides. His Ki suppression actually improved through sheer desire not to break someone's arm by accident. If he weren't growing this quickly, he would be able to maintain regular human strength, but growing after every meal made adapting difficult. If it were just muscle control, it would be easier, but he had to constantly focus on his Ki, otherwise it would snap back to normal.
Sean shouted his goodbyes and headed for the SDN. Although it was Saturday, the company didn't have off days or even off hours. Heroes were always deployed in the city, even at night. Crime never slept, so neither could heroes. However, there weren't many subscribers calling during the night, and an emergency mission would only trigger when someone caused an alarm from a client. Fortunately, despite crime going rampant at night, most villains are only active during the day.
Villains, especially the super kind, were mostly in for the notoriety. Apparently, it was a huge ego thing, and villains operating only at night were seen as cowards. Of course, this wasn't absolute and was more of a sentiment, but it still meant most missions were related to normal thugs in the night. There were only a few heroes on stand-by at night, and during weekends, teams were shifted around. There was also extra pay, so there were plenty of volunteers for these shifts.
"Hey, Jin!" Stacy greeted him as he rounded the corner before hugging him tightly. It lasted longer than a simple greeting. "So, I was thinking of a bullet list of things to ask clients. You know, like a checklist to have at least the basics, unknowns, or misunderstandings can probably be circumvented with this!"
Sean nodded as he took a glance over it, "Nice, good job. Great idea to list things worth asking, but it might be better to make the list more general. Questions like, Is the cat a house cat? Are rather specific… Questions should be about patterns, the general stuff, and probably should mostly be for you, not what you're going to ask the client. Otherwise, that list will be endless. "
Just thinking about trying to come up with a list of questions to ask the client felt impossible. "Perhaps, you should summarize the mission at the end in words that eliminate double meanings and ask for confirmation from the client…" Sean thought for a moment but shook his head. Even that sounded like a difficult task, especially if the mission was complex. "Honestly, I'm glad I'll be the one doing the punching and not have to do your job."
She preened at his comment while scribbling something in her notes. "I think you would do a great job. I'll have to write that down and think about more questions to ask. See you later!" With that, she hurried away, leaving him to find a chair to meditate on. Even when his shift 'officially' starts, it wouldn't mean he would be deployed immediately, even if it was likely, since Stacy might feel most comfortable sending him out.
Obviously, their team was slotted in for this weekend shift, but heroes could still clock in voluntarily and work with the on-call dispatcher. From the availability list, Chase appeared to take over this weekend.
The chair in the R&R area was soft as he sank into it. His focus turned toward his Ki, trying to suppress it to his maximum and hold it there before suppressing it even further down. When sitting still, it was almost too easy. The calmness and pure focus on a singular thing made it heed his command.
His Ki quickly dropped from 10 percent to 2 percent. However, he struggled at this point. Even going down by a single step felt impossible. However, with 2 percent, he was already in the realm of a normal human. If he could maintain it at that level, training at the dojo might not become as boring as it had already turned into-
"Did you fucking fall asleep?" A gruff voice called out. His Ki snapped back to 10 percent as his singular focus wavered. The sudden rise almost made his Ki radiate out of his body. His vision shifted to reveal Chase with his arms crossed.
"I was meditating." Sean simply said before exhaling deeply. Chase narrowed his eyes at him as if he suspected Sean had stolen something from him. "You good?"
"Heard you successfully finished a few missions." To be honest, he wasn't sure where this was going, so he nodded.
"We did, though Invisigal and Coupé were the ones to ensure the mission truly turned successful." Most of the time, the missions required a delicate and more seasoned approach. Just being the main muscle during their outings didn't mean he could have succeeded alone. Just them infiltrating a place, gathering information, and positioning themselves almost guaranteed success. The rest was practically a formality.
Though it seemed the elder man didn't approve of his response, going by his snort and the way he looked like Sean had grown a second head. "Yeah, right…" He continued to stare at Sean for an uncomfortable long time. "Weekends are usually busy." He began. "Well, not truly busy since the call-ins usually decrease, but it's still fuckin' busy for just two teams."
"Aren't there volunteers here as well? That's why you're here, right?"
"Well, someone did their homework- And yes, but tonight are the superhero bare-knuckle fights. Many heroes want to be well-rested beforehand, so don't expect much support." With that, he turned away and sipped his coffee as he walked toward the elevator, muttering what Sean figured to be insults.
The entire interaction felt strange to Sean. Almost like the old guy tried to bond through some chit-chat. As for his warning of not getting support from other heroes, it wasn't like he would get much support during missions either, and he didn't need long breaks either. As a Saiyan, he was a bundle of energy just waiting to release it.
He closed his eyes again and influenced the Ki in his body. Keeping it at 9 to 8 percent while moving it around-
"Watcha doin'?" A voice with an echo-like delay interrupted his session again. Opening his eyes revealed Malevola and Sonar. There hadn't been much time to interact with them, and to be fair, the only ones he truly talked to for more than a few sentences were Invisigal, Punch Up, and Coupé.
"Meditating."
"Huh, I can kinda see it. It fits your new look and attitude and stuff." Sonar supplied while nodding sagely.
"Thanks, I guess? Can I help you with something?"
"Heard you are going to participate in tonight's fights," Sonar said, leaning a bit forward. "How about we cooperate, you know?" He rubbed his fingers, making Sean raise his eyebrows.
"I'm not going to lose voluntarily." A strong indignation about deliberately throwing a fight rushed up from within. It was a surprising rush of emotion, something he could barely control. His words came out firmer than intended.
They, too, looked surprised at his words. "Right, wasn't going to." Sonar coughed distractingly, "We just wanted to remind you that you're representing us and that we will cheer for you. Also, third rounds are the best cough to finish a fight, it’s a luck thing."
Sean just looked deadpan at him.
"Sure."
"Alright, we'll leave you to your meditation… Mal you coming?" Sonar took a few steps, while Malevola continued to look at Sean.
"Your meditation…" She began, looking unsure how to continue. "Is that why you feel different?"
"I feel different?" Sean wasn't sure how to interpret the question.
"Every person has a different feel to them, you… It seems to be changing." Was she talking about his Ki? Did she have Ki sense?
"Might be." He responded, unsure how much he should reveal. He slowly eased his tight control over his Ki, letting it flow unbound.
"Yes, that!" She exclaimed, "How do you do that? Can you also transfer wounds?"
"Transfer wounds? No, I can't-"
"No? You aren't part demon?" Her question pulled him out of his thoughts with another question. Her eyes had drifted to his waist, where his tail wrapped around.
"Not as far as I'm aware."
"That's too bad, eh. It's rare to find someone from Hell who isn't completely fucked in the head. Anyway, either 3 rounds or 6, 6 are better." She winked before turning away.
Sean watched them leave, while his attention shifted to the coffee table in front of him. 'Transfer wounds, huh?' The question sparked something in his mind, an idea to expand his toolkit. Immediately, he conjured up his fight against Mindsweep from the previous day. After having tasted the feel of his opponent's telekinetic powers, he should be able to replicate it. With his hand pointed at the table, he tried to remember what telekinesis felt like, how the objects felt when shattering against his arms.
Mindsweep's ability was powerful, encompassing the entire inventory of that warehouse, and Sean had clearly felt its presence. His dodge of the first attack coming from a blind spot couldn't be solely attributed to the sound he had heard beforehand. Although he heard something from behind him, how would he have known it would come toward him this quickly?
There was no possibility that he was encroaching on the domain of Ultra Instinct, so another sense must have picked it up. His mind conjured up that moment, the fight, every moment Mindsweep took action, and tried to capture it. His hand trembled from the tension. His Ki stirred as he tried to force it.
An invisible wave of kinetic energy spread out.
Screech Bang
The table shattered into pieces. "Shit!"
"Whoa! The fuck are you doing?" What appeared to be a volunteer hero questioned him.
"Sorry, was trying something out- Do you know where I can get a broom and contact the janitor?"
…
"Yes, sorry! It was not intentional, just give me the bill, and of course I'll pay for it!"
"Hmph, you people should learn to control yourselves. Blonde Blazer will hear about this." He waved his hand dismissively. "Always the same with ability holders. Oh, I accidentally put a hole in this brick wall!" He grumbled quietly as he left, making Sean sigh.
However, even this little mistake couldn't dampen his mood much. Although he blew up the table with his Ki, he had moved it with telekinesis first. At some point in the blowing-up sequence, something clicked in his mind as if he unlocked yet another sense. Unfortunately, his mind felt exhausted, earning him a small headache. Despite being eager to try again, he wasn't going to risk passing out or having a severe headache for the rest of the day. It was still early in the morning!
"Alright, team. Hope you've slept well and are ready to attack the day!" Stacy called out enthusiastically. Sean glanced around and didn't see anyone else from the team. "Invisigal and Coupé, we have a robbery situation at the Torrance Art Museum. There are at least three robbers with handguns. No evidence of rifles or explosives. They have taken over the surveillance, so better to approach silently. There are an estimated dozen to twenty civilians inside the building. Two staff members have contacted us and emergency services from a concealed location. The suspects are already loading up their escape vehicle, a white van, in the backside parking lot. However, the primary objective is to get civilians and staff members to safety. If possible, apprehend the thieves and secure the stolen art."
"…"
There was a stunned silence in the team channel, and even Sean was stunned. The difference between that one call and most calls yesterday was worlds apart. He wouldn't be surprised if that callout came from some experienced emergency dispatcher.
"I-is that enough information?" Stacy asked hesitantly.
"We'll see after the mission," Coupé answered.
"It's enough to get started," Visi added before they were switched over to the mission channel.
"That's good." Stacy sounded relieved before coughing, then fell silent again. It was obvious she worked to prepare for the next mission. It wasn't until 15 minutes later that she spoke up again. "Jin, the client had noticed a troll, a large, probably 7-foot, humanoid creature covered in white fur, under the Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge. It's causing public distress by throwing feces at people. Could you try to calm it down and prevent it from becoming physical with people-"
"Hahaha, don't try to get covered in shit." Flambae laughed hysterically.
"You better shower before you come anywhere near me," Prism added seriously.
Stacy ignored the laughter of the group and continued the report. "Also, the MCB was already informed and will be ready for relocation once it's captured or calmed down enough."
"The MCB?"
"Eh, yes, the… Monster Control Bureau. They are responsible for anything non-human, except for aliens. Another bureau is apparently responsible for those."
"Alright, I'll be on my way. And thanks for the warning, team. I'll make sure to clean properly afterward."
"…You know it's not fun if you-" The response from Flambae started before Sean was switched over to the mission channel. It was the first time he was assigned to a mission alone. Without having someone to guide him, he opened the SDN app to look at the integrated map. It uses the location from where the call came in, so one could be quick and accurate when arriving.
The bridge wasn't far, located just a few miles away. He rushed out, while holding back enough not to crack the street with every step. His reaction time was high enough to dodge most things, but he still mostly opted for the street. His speed now exceeded most cars anyway, so there wasn't the worry of holding up traffic.
When he arrived, he immediately saw the creature that the call was about. There were some people in tactical gear. "Hey, you're MCB?" He asked as he approached the three. All of them were rather formidable, certainly not normal people. Their Ki wasn't quite double a normal person's Ki, but it was still higher.
"Yes. SDN?" The one in the middle stepped forward, flashed his badge before tilting his head to the 'troll'. "We'll leave it to you. Animal control was already called. Seems like it's an escaped albino gorilla from the Los Angeles Zoo."
"The Los Angeles Zoo? Is that near?"
"Not from around here?" He asked before shrugging, "It's not close. Not sure how the gorilla managed to get all the way here."
"Does the gorilla have some teleportation powers, perhaps?" The MCB guy opened his mouth to deny before looking at the gorilla as he rubbed his chin.
"The escaped gorilla was only reported 2 hours ago. You'd need half an hour with a car, maybe three with the bike." He crunched some numbers, but Sean could already see that the answer would be 'Maybe'.
"Alright, maybe you can figure something out from the Zoo, while I go say high to the gorilla."
'I should probably not mention that the troll was a gorilla to the team.' He thought as he closed in on the angry-looking albino gorilla.
"Alright, easy, buddy. This isn't a place for someone like you… Hey! Don't pick that up! I swear, don't throw your shit at me!"
The gorilla showed no concern about Sean's attitude and picked up a handful and threw that shit. Sean dodged with a meter to spare, obviously having no intention of getting splattered by it.
His dodging didn't seem to satisfy the gorilla. Fortunately, there was no more shit for him to pick up, so it turned to dirt mixed with pebbles. However, Sean was just too good at dodging, which made it snap.
"HOOH-OOH-OOH!" Suddenly, the gorilla disappeared and reappeared right in front of Sean, beating his chest.
"I freaking called it!" Sean jumped back, avoiding the gorilla's fist. After all, the gorilla hadn't washed its hands yet, so Sean avoided all contact with it.
The gorilla teleported in front of Sean again, and once again, Sean dodged it. This time to the side. The gorilla followed, while Sean dodged. Suddenly, the gorilla teleported behind his back. Sean barely avoided it by rolling to the side. "Maybe I can learn Instant Transmission by copying its teleportation style," Sean mused. He was a Saiyan, and despite his ability to teleport, the difference in speed was staggering. Of course, he wasn't sure if he would be wasting his time, since he doubted that the gorilla used his Ki to perform this feat.
Unlike telekinesis, teleportation in Dragon Ball wasn't something that most people could do. At least, he hoped it would give him some inspiration on how to perform it. The description he had from the series wasn't enough to replicate it easily. Besides, he didn't even have the foundation of having Spirit Control. There were no Yadrat people who could teach him either.
With surprising stamina, the gorilla continued this game of catch for a few minutes, giving Sean some precious moments to get a feel for this teleportation style. Unfortunately, after 5 minutes of trying to catch Sean, the gorilla was pretty much gassed out. Huffing and puffing, it slowed down before coming to a stop underneath the bridge. Even when Sean tried provocation, it would just ignore him.
The rest of the mission went by quickly. The MCB put an ability-damping device that they conveniently had for teleporting around the gorilla's arm. Afterward, it was brought back to the Zoo, and the mission officially ended there. There were some procedures about deciding responsibility, but nothing that involved him. Sean went back to SDN and beelined for the kitchen on the second floor to get a snack between missions. Nothing too big: protein and energy bars, trail mix, a few sandwiches, and a chicken.
As he returned, his channel switched back to the group channel, where he was immediately greeted by Flambae.
"Hey Monkey Boy, did you bring your cousin gorilla back safely?"
"Hehehe." "Hahaha." There was some laughter.
"How original," Sonar added, and Sean could almost hear his eyeroll.
"Literally, how did you get that information?" The mission didn't end for five minutes, and they were already talking about it. He hadn't even filled out the mission report yet.
"You were on the news," Invisigal added, and Sean could hear the smile on her face. "Ape teasing gorilla was the title."
"No wonder you're sent alone. Family business shouldn't be handled by outsiders!"
Sean sighed, "This is stupid."
"Don't let them get to you!" Stacy's voice called out, though it wasn't through his earpiece. He looked up at Stacy coming through the door. She leaned down to where he was sitting and gave him a comforting hug, almost sitting down on his lap. 'Is she… she is really touchy.' "If you need someone… comforting you, just say the word." Her hug lingered for a moment before they separated.
"S-sure, thanks." The fuck was happening? Their little 'moment' was interrupted when Sean's senses picked up a rather unforgettable ki signature. The most 'blazing' one in the building. Sean stopped the hug as Blonde Blazer walked into the kitchen.
"Stacy Bennet, could I borrow you for a second?" Her tone sounded a bit stiff with an underlying sigh in it.
Stacy nodded in response. "Sure thing!" Turning toward her but didn't show any intention of moving.
"In my office." Blonde Blazer added.
"Oh, right!" She passed Blonde Blazer, while the former hero gave Sean a thin smile and a slight nod before walking back to her office.
Sean couldn't help but wonder what that was about.