After Mandy left, Sean made sure Visi was fine before he went to the gym area and trained for a few hours. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the workout one would expect despite the weights he was moving. There was literally no more space on the bar for him to put weights on it, even using two barbells in both hands barely worked for a few exercises. At least, it taught him how to suppress his Ki while moving.
Afterward, he showered and changed before moving to some 24/7 fast food chain, got himself the menu twice, and brought everything back to the SDN building. Despite the building only being accessible through the transponders of employees, he didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone to be awakened by a random coworker in the morning. At least, not many people would be there on a Sunday morning.
Besides worrying about her, he also used the moment to think about his current situation. He hadn't been lazy, but he still felt restless even just sitting there. He had already clocked out, participated in a superhero fight club, socialized with his coworker, and worked out in the dead of the night, and still, he felt like he hadn't done enough. His muscles weren't sore, and he wasn't exhausted- well, besides the mental fatigue accumulated over the day.
Super Saiyan wasn't something he could achieve by cruising. His body needed to be broken and battered every night. However, there was a small problem. It had been just a few days, and he was almost certain that he had eclipsed almost every hero he came across. Veterans and former champion heroes were easily defeated while barely using 20 percent of his power. If that gravity chamber couldn't be realized with the information Royd could get from that invention he had read in an article? What should he do then?
Perhaps he should ask a few of the aliens that he had seen working as dispatchers and heroes. They should have gotten to Earth somehow, shouldn't they? Their spaceships had to have super-high technology and probably some gravity tech as well to prevent any atrophy in their pilots? Astronauts?
If it were impossible to create a gravity chamber to fulfill his demands, then what? How would he experience anything difficult enough to count as a meaningful Zenkai Boost?
As he continued to mull over what possible other venues he had in case Royd wouldn't be able to help him create his chamber, Visi roused from her sleep. Honestly, he expected her to sleep through the entire night. "F-fuck- Hmrggghaaa" She promptly puked into the trash can he had prepared and handed over. This was probably better than having her body try to slowly detoxify all the crap she drank.
"Fuck." She muttered again, her words echoing slightly in the trash can.
"You said that already." After making some distance and spraying some Febreze knockoff into the air, he continued to eat the greasy stuff he had bought.
"H-ow long was I out?" She asked with a grimace while patting her upper leg, searching for something.
"Your phone is on the table and about 3 to 4 hours. Here are some wet wipes as well." He handed her a few before placing the package in front of her. Without thinking, she just grabbed the wipes and cleaned her face before putting them into the trash.
"Urgh," She uttered in disgust as she noticed her clothes were sticky from the alcohol before using the wipes, trying her best to clean them superficially. At least, she was mostly saved from having her clothes smell of puke. It was then that she looked at him. "Did we fuck?"
"…You were basically unconscious."
"So, no?"
"Yeah, hell no. The fuck?" She narrowed her eyes at him before leaning into the couch.
"Huh." There was something on her mind, but she didn't voice it. Honestly, Sean didn't want to know what kind of depraved asshole she thought he was.
"Want something to eat?" Sean asked, seeing that she wasn't going to puke anymore. His question prompted her to glance toward the table and floor littered with food. It almost looked like he robbed a place. To be fair, the employees looked like they would have been happier to be robbed than to serve him the entire menu twice.
She hesitated for a moment. "Sure, why not. Let's hope it'll stay inside." Grabbing a cheeseburger before being handed some water. After being provided with the basics, they slowly ate together in silence. After she ate two burgers, she sighed heavily, leaned back, and closed her eyes as if she contemplated the life choices that brought her to this point.
"Do you want me to bring you to your home?"
"What? You want to f- Never mind… Sure." With her answer, he crushed all the wrappers and cups and boxed them into the trash can, tied it shut, and, with Visi following him quietly, brought it outside to throw away.
"So, which direction is it?" He asked as the dumpster door fell shut.
"It's not that far." She said before heading out of the parking lot. "You know, you don't have to brin-hic-g me home."
"That was reaaally convincing. Besides, I don't mind."
"Hm." They didn't speak much during their walk. Sean had the sense that she wanted to say or ask something, but didn't.
It was only after she unlocked the front door to her housing block that he broke the silence. "Alright, have a good night. See you tomorrow."
He was about to turn away when she asked him, "Don't you want to come upstairs? See my apartment?" Although he could be dense at times, he realized what those questions in their current situation really asked.
"We are both a bit drunk, and I need some rest. Let's postpone the room tour until we are both sober and not a wrong bowel movement away from hugging the toilet."
"…Fair. See ya tomorrow." With that, she let the door fall shut, and Sean could sense her moving upstairs. Without her being in his care, he headed back to his house to get his well-deserved sleep. Fortunately, their shift only started midday, so he had enough time to sleep in.
…
As he was about to enter the SDN building, another hero from a different team flew in and landed in front of the door. "Excuse me!" He called out without really planning on what to say. Since learning telekinesis, even if it's more of a cantrip than anything he could effectively use in a battle, he thought about learning different things from other heroes' powers.
Although their powers didn't seem to come from their Ki, he might be able to get inspiration from them. He might be able to learn how to shoot lightning or fire. Of course, he didn't intend to focus on them too much, as it would only act as a tool in his belt to handle a diverse range of situations.
"Yes?" She asked as she turned around before narrowing her eyes at him. "What do you want, Saiyan?" There was venom in her words, making Sean hesitate for a moment, but that was his cross to bear.
"I saw you fly in just now and wanted to ask if you could explain how you're doing that-"
"I usually don't explain how my powers work." With that, she promptly left. The reaction wasn't something unique to her. There were several others with whom he had similar interactions. It was a bit of a bummer, but he could understand them not wanting to talk about their powers to him. Not only because explaining powers was rather personal, but also because of his reputation.
Since she was unwilling to explain, he headed inside and down to the laboratory, hoping to find Royd there. Fortunately, he was already present and working on something on his bench. The room looked like the first time after Royd raised the fake walls. Everything was perfectly lit up and looked high-tech, except for a few tools even he recognized.
Regardless of the level of tech used in this laboratory, it remained a messy sight. "You should clean up your room. Heard it helps organize your thoughts as well."
"Hm?" He looked up with goggles on his face. "Really?" His head tilt indicated that he truly considered it. "Naw, I always know where ma tools are. What can I do for ya, brudda?" He asked as he continued delicately welding what appeared to be a PCB.
"So, you told me to figure out how to conjure my Ki without the woosh." With his hand stretched out, he summoned a minuscule amount of Ki, something he would have struggled with just a few days ago. The advantage of having lots of Ki was the increased control of comparatively small amounts.
Seeing him create a dot of light right above his palm without having it affect the surroundings, Royd couldn't help but remove his goggles to replace them with another magnifying pair like those of watchmakers.
"I still don' get it. How can I see it if it's truly Mana?" Royd asked in a hushed tone that indicated he had thought about it for the past three nights.
"Well, Ki isn't something you can see. It's just how I channel it that makes it visible to the naked eye." Sean wasn't sure how it worked, but there was something that made it visible once he forced it into a shape or purpose. It would certainly make for a colorful world if Ki were generally visible. Just his Ki sense making it detectable to his perceptions, sometimes made it overwhelming. There were just too many flavors, too many things that had Ki. Though he remembered there were some invisible attacks in the series as well, there ought to be a way to realize that.
"So, about that gravity chamber." Sean steered toward the topic he had come for that morning.
"Right- your chamba. The prototype is in da corna." He pointed toward something that was covered by a protective cover. Sean removed it only to reveal something that could only be described as an iron maiden.
"For real? Does it work?" Sean's eyes widened as he glanced at the thing. Even if it wouldn't suit his ideal training, it would be better than nothing. However, "I honestly thought this would take longer."
"Ah, it's not done. Rememba, energy consumption is huge! Made dis small prototype to experiment with ya Mana."
"Yeah, but the gravity chamber would work with energy already?"
Royd wiggled his hand. "Hm, it should. I called a few buddies of mine, and luckily, they were able to connect me with the lead scientist of dat invention in Switzerland. Anyway, let me hook ya up." Royd rummaged through some stuff before finally finding several bendy metal tapes. "Alright, give me your hands." He strapped them around his palms, then around his head, and around his feet.
"So, how will this power the 'chamber'? Some kind of electromagnetic induction?" Royd looked at him, surprised as if he hadn't expected to know what that was.
"Nah, brudda, I like where ya heads at, but dats waaay too inefficient and the heat generated- Anyway, I just need to hook it up. Go inside." He did as Royd told him to before he had him press the tapes into the protrusions. "Don't worry, proof of concept. Afterward, we make it happen so ya can move and stuff!" Royd seemed to interpret his frown as disapproval when he looked through the small window after having closed the contraption, but that wasn't it.
"No, it's fine." He called out loud, knowing it would be difficult to hear him as well. "If it works, it will already be much more than I had expected. It's just… uncomfortable." His head was fixed with some metal straps, and his hands were close to his chest, pressing against the inside of the sliding door halves, while his legs were pressed together. Royds seemed to have used the measurement from a few days ago.
"Sorry, man, didn't know you would get dis big!" It was understandable. He had put on a lot of size in just a few days. The difference was night and day.
"Yeah, figured as much. So, I guess you also want me to direct Ki towards my feet and head?" His question made Royd freeze for a moment before looking through the window a bit sheepishly.
"Is dat possible or only through palms?" Seemed like he hadn't considered that his Ki might only flow through his palms, which was a fair assumption to make. After all, Ki was lifeforce and should make no distinction between where in the body it was.
"No, it's fine. Though the last time I tried to channel something through my feet, I blew something up." Sean revealed, no point in keeping it a secret. "So, when we run this test, you might want to take a few steps away."
"Oh, I see. Good to know. Next time, we put you inside de reinforced room." He nodded before continuing whatever he was doing by typing away on his screen. After finishing some adjustments, Sean heard the Iron Maiden make hissing sounds as something locked in place. "Alright, bruddah. Whenever you're ready, try to give it your Mana!"
Honestly, Sean tried his best to keep his expectations low. After all, Royd only had two days to not only build his own version of the gravity chamber but also invent something that could potentially interact with an energy he hadn't seen before or even thought of as some myth. There must have gone a lot of guesswork into figuring out how to convert it into an energy source he could use to create gravity.
"Does the energy flow need to be the same at all contact points, or can I start with palms first?"
"Oh, good idea. Yeah, do palms first!"
He didn't need to be told twice and immediately started directing his Ki to his palms. Although he should be able to direct them to other parts of his body as well, it didn't come as naturally. The moment he did, a thrum started, and the lights inside the Iron Maiden flickered on. By starting slowly, he wanted to prevent it from blowing up. More Ki was poured into his palms, but he noticed the metal tapes getting warmer, so he figured he shouldn't increase his energy too much and distribute it more.
Despite not having done it before, he knew it was possible, and there was no conceivable reason why this would stump him. The only thing he truly had to worry about was constraint. If he accidentally used too much energy, he risked creating an explosive reaction. Ki flowed to his feet, and with the tapes making contact with skin, it was promptly absorbed. With the four contact points being supplied, the lights lit up steadily, and he felt his body growing heavier.
Unfortunately, the tapes started getting uncomfortably hot. There was a need to distribute it more. His head was the only option, but directing Ki to five different points was too difficult. Sweat ran down his chin as he focused on output. The amount of Ki was minuscule, but the stress and concentration were exponentially higher with each different direction.
Fzzzt
The Iron Maiden's light suddenly shut down, and Sean could smell something burnt.
"I guess that's how far we can go," Sean muttered. Of course, he would have loved to already have a functioning gravity chamber, but those expectations were too high. Just that he felt something was already a huge success. It could only turn out better from here.
"Hahaha. A resounding success!" Royd seemed overjoyed as he pried open the Iron Maiden. "I got loads of data. "
"How the hell did you figure out how to convert Ki into usable energy?" He couldn't help but question.
"Oh- hahaha, thanks for de compliment, but I didn't invent dat. Some genius in Korea experimented with some common alien ore he had traded. Turned out most energy could interact with it. Something that allowed most aliens to be spacefaring way before us. He coined the ore Panergite. A naturally occurring ore whose quantum lattice resonates with most energy fields. Now it's mostly used as an energy transducer. The government uses it to power their ability-suppression-restraints, and most individuals use it in tandem with whatever energy source they have, and of course, rockets."
"And that's something just anyone can acquire?"
"Well, you need a certificate since most don't know how to work with it." Royd rubbed his neck sheepishly, making Sean doubt he had that certificate.
"Anyway, got lots of data to hopefully prevent this in the future," Royd said as he took the metal tapes that had mostly melted. After putting them on his bench, he snapped them open, revealing a green-glowing stripe.
"So, when do you guess I should visit again?"
"Hm? Not much work besides this, so come back tomorrow." He dismissed him absentmindedly as he dived into the data he must have gotten just now. Royd was certainly enthusiastic about it, and obviously Sean wouldn't complain. For Sean, Royd was a miracle worker and best left alone to his genius.
With the first stop marked done on his list, he made his way up. It was then that Blonde Blazer's voice called out through his earpiece. "Z-Team, please be at the conference room in 10 minutes." He also got a notification on his phone about the meeting at 1 pm. This was the first time they would have to gather for a meeting besides the introduction of Stacy. He had a bad feeling about this.
In his past, he had worked for a few companies. In one particular instance, the CEO also called for a spontaneous meeting early in the day, only for them to lay off twenty percent of the staff. This happened twice that year and then once again the year afterward. So, given such short notice for a meeting that didn't describe the agenda, gave him a flashback.
To be honest, from what he now understood about how their team was working and having the leaderboard as a constant reminder of their work and reputation, it wouldn't surprise him if they were now laid off and directly brought back to jail.
The idea of escaping rose to his mind, but over the last few days, they had done some good work. Their scores increased slightly, and he could practically feel that they were gaining momentum. From Visi's explanations and the few interactions he had with the woman, Blonde Blazer seemed to genuinely believe in this program. She wanted this to be a success. However, Sean knew even she had to answer to someone, explain the expenditures to those who care more about the money than the lives changed.
He shook his head. These few days were a chaotic storm of new impressions, responsibility, and hardships. Even being fired wouldn't throw his life upside down. He was a Saiyan in a different universe that almost seemed like his old world, with additional craziness. A shift in employment was mundane in comparison. The only thing he was concerned about was how to avoid being arrested.
As he started to plan for an escape or possibly see prison as a training opportunity, his feet had already carried him to the conference room. When he entered, he saw Prism on her phone, chewing bubblegum.
"Good morning, Prism." He greeted as he sat down opposite the door at the corner of the table. The exit was in sight, with the windows on his left that he could just run through.
"…Saw your fights from last night. Since when are you that strong?" Sean noticed her eyes narrowing at him behind her glasses.
"My accident and memory problem made me better at handling my powers." Even if he couldn't tell the truth, he wanted to avoid lying straight out.
"Right. You must have been utter shit in using your powers."
"Yeah, you tell me." The door opened at that moment, and Coupé and Punch Up entered, followed by Flambae and Golem.
"Morning, Jin." Punch Up greeted.
"Good morning. You better now?" He lifted his chin toward Coupé, who nodded before sitting down with a water bottle in hand.
"I've had worse nights. This won't kill me." Her tone was dead serious, which made her words rather funny. It made him chuckle a bit, earning him a slight grin from her, indicating that she didn't actually mean that one hundred percent seriously.
"So, when do ya think of steppin' in the ring again?" Punch Up asked as he sat down next to him.
"Well, considering that I'm effectively banned, probably never." His words earned him surprised looks from those present, prompting him to explain. "Seems like fighters who are too strong are hard to advertise, and give an appropriate arena for. Also, finding opponents is apparently difficult, so they 'contact' me when they have an opponent, which Knuckleback said is practically never."
"Shucks. Would have loved to see ya in more fights." Punch Up admitted, which made him confused for a moment.
"Well, you can see me fight during our missions." His response made him wave his hand dismissively.
"That's not the same lad! It's more about the fight. It's the buildup, the crowd, the lights, the excitement, the tension, and the clear parameters of the arena. Those make the fight more than just a simple brawl!"
"Right." Perhaps it was because he had never really enjoyed watching fights back home or because his Saiyan brain didn't care about anything else besides fighting. During his time in the cage, he had barely noticed what was going on around him, solely focusing on the fight, and even the cheers paled in comparison to wondering what the next opponent had to offer. Unfortunately, opponents hadn't grown stronger after defeating the previous one.
"I can't believe I'm saying that, but I'm with the little one," Flambae added to the conversation.
Invisigal, Sonar, and Malevola entered at that moment, talking about something. They offered a short greeting, and for some reason, it felt like Visi was avoiding eye contact with him.
"So, the only ones left are Stacy and Blonde Blazer. Does anyone know why we were called here?" His question was answered by shrugs and headshakes. Sean glanced at the watch that he had found in one of his cupboards. The meeting would start in just a few minutes.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long before Blonde Blazer came in with Chase in tow. Seeing this, Sean extended his Ki sense. It took a moment to discern the different Ki signatures with the blazing one occupying most of his senses right in front of him, but after a few moments, he could confidently say that Stacy wasn't here today.
Blonde Blazer looked at Sean a bit longer, making him wonder whether she expected him to say something before her eyes wandered to the rest of the team.
"Hello Z-Team, first of all, I wanted to say that the work you've put in has been noticed and acknowledged, and I hope you will continue that way going forward. Unfortunately, I have the bad news to deliver that Stacy won't be working with our branch for the foreseeable future. She was transferred to another branch in San Diego." That was a bombshell she just dropped at the start of their shift.
"Why?" Sean immediately asked.
"I can't go into details, but we both agreed that this would be for the best. There was a critical relationship between her and one employee in this branch that could have led to problems in the future, so we decided together that it would be best to continue at another branch. It’s a shame since this team had seen some growth with her, but I'm sure you can take what you've learned and apply it to your future work. Chase will take a more active role as a substitute dispatcher until we find someone who can fill the gap."
Her words obviously caused the mood of the team to plummet, and Sean didn't need his Ki sense to notice that. He wasn't in a better mood either. They were starting to become a decent team. Her callouts were getting more precise, and even with the occasional mishaps, he was sure they would decrease over time as she gained more experience. Although she seemed unfit at the beginning, she had turned out to be adaptable and empathetic, something severely needed if one wanted to succeed as a dispatcher.
"Alright, for today, Chase is assigned to your team and the volunteers, so it'll probably be a slow day, but I guess you already know the deal." With her speech finished, she remained silent for a moment, expecting some response.
"It's a shame, she was starting to improve quickly." There were some grunts and nods of agreement from the others. "But we will continue to move forward." Sean felt compelled to say. It was a minor setback, all things considered, even if it stung a bit more than he expected. After all, he had only known her for a few days, and it wasn't like she was dead, even if San Diego was a good distance away from Torrance.
"A good attitude," Chase responded as he took a step forward. "A dispatcher that you fu-… rookies finally managed to work with decently, but that doesn't mean you can return to your pathetic performance from before…" He continued to say a few things before he and Blonde Blazer left the team in the room.
"Honestly, I had hope for her after her first day," Prism admitted, crossing her arms as she leaned into her chair, obviously dissatisfied with the situation.
"Ah, I told you she wouldn't last long," Flambae said with a snort, though Sean had the feeling that even he was bumped out by this.
"So, what's this critical relationship?" Sonar asked, making Invisigal frown heavily, her eyes flicking toward Sean before hastily looking away. If he had seen a guilty face, then this had to be it.
"Knowing won't change the situation..." Sean started. "The decision has been made, and if it turns out to be final, then we will have to accept it even if it doesn't feel right."
"If it's final?" Prism asked, catching on to how he phrased it.
He nodded. "I'll inquire and see if I can overturn the decision or at least get some more information. I'm not satisfied with that explanation... are you?"
There was hesitation to voice their opinion for whatever reason, and before Sean could ask them again, Sonar called out. "I thought your whole schtick was to make upper management happy."
"Where did you get that idea? It's not about making them happy. It's about doing our job and doing it right. If I see a dumb decision, then I will call it out for what it is."
The rest of the team was silent, just staring at him as if he had said something that put him in a new light once again.
"Can I take this as our team's opinion? That we want her back? Some of you previously voiced your dissatisfaction with her. I will respect the decision even if I disagree with it, but I must have an answer." His tone was forceful as his gaze wandered among the members. Most just nodded quietly, even if they seemed reluctant about it.
"The lady was nice to me." Golem's deep voice called out with a heavy nod.
"Shit, the bitch is alright, I don't want her to be fired… just like that." Visi crossed her arms, looking down at her feet.
"Then I'll do my best to convince our boss to give our dispatcher back."
With this, he gave them a nod and headed out to ask Blonde Blazer.