> The girl was yelling again. It was giving Kailan a
> headache.
>     *In all honesty, though,* he thought, *My head
> has kinda been swimming 
> for the past few hours anyway...*
>     He was starting to feel somewhat outclassed.
> First the guy... 
> what's-his-name... *Oh. That's right. He doesn't
> have one...* powered up and 
> traded blows with a guy who looked just like him,
> and then two absurdly 
> powerful fighters the likes of which he'd never seen
> squared off in the 
> factory, then Gabriev summoned a hurricane out of
> nowhere and reduced the 
> building to rubble and dust.
>     But Scimitar...
>     Kailan stole a glance at the other Sayian.
> Scimitar was like nothing he'd 
> ever seen before. A Super-Sayian... a Deities-dammed
> Super-Sayian! They were 
> legendary creatures, mythical demigods. They weren't
> supposed to exist at 
> all... and yet here one was, flying next to him,
> hefting the powerfully built 
> Gabriev as if he didn't exist. Power level
> 150,000... how could that have 
> happened? What sort of training did you have to go
> through to get that 
> extraordinary strength? 
>     A small voice in the back of Kailan's mind
> whispered "And where could I 
> get it?"
>     Kailan's eyes narrowed as he stared at
> Scimitar's back. *Sure, I'm 
> envious. Scimitar's somehow managed to reach the
> pinnacle of fighting 
> expertise; a state that every Sayian who's ever
> existed has strove for all 
> their lives. If he were to return to Sayian society,
> he'd be hailed as the 
> greatest hero of our history. But if I returned...
> They'd say, 'Oh, it's that tail-less bastard
> again...' The only ones who'd be 
> glad to see me would be the ones with lots of spare
> rocks and nothing to 
> throw them at.
>     *If only I...* Kailan's fists tightened in
> frustration.
>     "Ow!"
>     The high-pitched squeal returned him to reality.
> The girl he was holding 
> tried to turn her head to glare at him, and ended up
> just slamming her skull 
> into his nose. Kailan yelped.
>     "What the hell was that, pervert? If you're
> gonna squeeze me that hard, 
> you can just put me down right here!"
>     Kailan whimpered, trying to rub his nose. "I- I
> dink yoo broke my node!"
>     Her face softened marginally. "Oh. Really?" she
> said with a touch of 
> remorse.
>     He broke into a wide, puckish grin. "No. Stopped
> you yelling, though, 
> didn't it?"
>     She tried to elbow him in the ribs, but her
> leverage was pretty poor. 
> They both laughed a little. Her hair was blowing
> into his face, making it 
> difficult for him to see, but there were no
> obstacles this high up. *Guess I 
> might as well make conversation...*
>     "I'm Kailan, by the way."
>     "Azel. I'd say it's been nice meeting you, but
> mother always told me not 
> to lie. Of course, mother always told me never to
> kick the asses of guys who 
> liked being funny at my expense, and I've been doing
> that since grade school."
>     Kailan sniffed with mock-hauteur. "Have fun at
> the expense of a lady? My 
> dear, you wrong me. As a chivalrous gentleman, I am
> honor-bound to always 
> pick up the check."
>     She winced slightly. "That reminds me... I
> haven't eaten for awhile. If 
> you could stop off at some nice restaurant, I just
> might hold you to that."
>     Kailan pantomimed patting his pockets, a
> difficult task with both hands 
> occupied. "Oh, blast. It seems I've left my wallet
> in my other dress. Darn 
> the luck..."
>     She laughed a bit. "Other dress?"
>     "Why yes! It's a lovely thing, all satin-y and
> shimmery and all. It's a 
> size five! I was so proud of myself to get into
> that... to think that I've 
> still got it, after all these years... I think it
> makes my hips look fat 
> though. Do my hips look fat to you?" Kailan adopted
> a reedy tenor voice.
>     She looked back at him slowly. "You have a
> pretty girlish figure, you 
> know that?"
>     Kailan blinked. He cast an uneasy glance at
> Scimitar and Gordon. "Hey... 
> keep your voice down, all right? Some of us have
> masculine images to maintain 
> here."
>     "I bet you'd look good in a dress..."
>     /Ha-ha.../
>     Kailan glared at the ivory Pokémon, easily
> keeping pace with the two 
> Sayians. *So, you think that's funny, eh, Mewtwo?*
> he thought in the beast's 
> direction with mock-sweetness. *Well, I bet you'd
> look just precious in a 
> cute little kitty sweater...*
>     /Don't even joke about that, Kailan./ Mewtwo
> returned hastily.
>     *I could knit you a darling one...*
>     /Kailan, please!/
>     *Hey, come on. Think of how cool all the other
> cats will think you are 
> when they see your nice new sweater!*
>     /Okay, okay, I'm sorry I laughed, all right?
> Just don't ever mention... 
> those... again./ Mewtwo began to regain his
> composure. /And I'm not a cat, by 
> the way. Remember that I can blow you away with
> Metronome any time I want./
>     *Don't make me get out the spray bottle, little
> Mister Cranky.*
>     "A scarlet shawl would set off your hair nicely
> too..." Azel, oblivious 
> to their conversation, continued.
>     "All right, that's enough!" he hissed to her.
> "I'll shut up, okay?"
>     She laughed slowly. "I'll remember this
> conversation, Mr. Kailan."
>     *Damn. Behold, my gift with words... the ability
> to make a fool of myself 
> every time I open my mouth.*
> 
> 
>     Noname-san was still unconscious when the small
> band reached the 
> decimated ruin that once had been a stronghold of
> unspeakable horrors. 
> Ryoko-hawk was perched on a nearby shrub, having
> stayed to watch over the 
> prone man while the others went to rescue Gordon.
> The bird chirped at them as 
> they landed. Kailan looked at it with a trace of
> uneasiness. *Even that 
> girl's got lycanthropic power... everybody here's
> got some kind of amazing 
> ability, and all I've got is a sharp stick. So what
> use am I?* Kailan drew 
> his Power Pole, examining it meditatively.
>     "All right," Scimitar said after Azel, a bit
> puzzled, was introduced to 
> Ryoko-hawk. "So we've destroyed the Umbrella
> factory... what next? I'm 
> planning to fight Chronos and Alkanphel any way I
> can. Any of you with me and 
> Mewtwo on that?"
>     "I don't think either Noname or I are in any
> condition to help out," said 
> Gordon with a weak smile.
>     "I'm sort of lost here," Azel said. "I came to
> Nerima to try and win the 
> Chansey, and I'm not sure what to do now since the
> tournament kinda blew up. 
> Could somebody explain what's happened?"
>     Scimitar took her aside to explain the events of
> the past day. Kailan, 
> given that his choices for conversational partners
> consisted of an 
> unconscious man, a hawk, and Gordon, sauntered over
> to the Gabriev. He was 
> staring at Azel, a faraway look in his eyes.
>     "Hey," Kailan said. Gordon shook himself,
> startled, and met Kailan's eyes.
>     "Oh. Hi."
>     "I'm curious... just what was that attack you
> used on the factory back 
> then? I'd never seen anything like that..."
>     "Dulfin's Wrath," he replied in a monotone,
> examining Azel once again. 
> "My God... Lisa..." he whispered.
>     Kailan blinked and leaned a little closer.
> "Sorry? What'd you say?"
>     "Oh... umm..." Gordon sighed. "It's complicated.
> It has to do with a 
> woman I once knew..."
>     Kailan winced, remembering. *The Dragonballs...*
> "Ahh... women... I think 
> you and I may have a bit more in common than we both
> realized."
>     Gordon looked at him. *I certainly hope not,
> Kailan.* he thought. *For 
> your sake.*
>     And then it all went to hell.
>     Nobody ever figured out what the monster was,
> since the only one who knew 
> Umbrella's creations well was Noname-san. But it was
> obviously powerful, to ha
> ve withstood Gordon's hurricane. It rose from the
> pile of rubble, a hideous 
> creature with a brooding dark red carapace, six
> wickedly sharp segmented 
> legs, and a face that was a sickening, terrifying
> parody of something that 
> could have once been human. Snarling, it reared up
> on its hind legs and 
> struck Scimitar full-on with twin streams of a
> vile-looking liquid from 
> hidden pouches in its gaping mouth. Caught
> off-guard, he fell back, trying to 
> shed his garments before the liquid could touch his
> skin further. Gordon and 
> Mewtwo were shouting something, and Azel was
> handling a Pokéball 
> indecisively, but Kailan no longer saw them as the
> monster turned on him.
>     He raised his pole in feeble defense, but the
> creature paid no heed. 
> Dimly Kailan perceived burning pains along the
> length of his body as the 
> monster's fangs and claws tore into him, but it was
> as if the pain was 
> happening to somebody else. He was almost surprised
> when his legs gave way 
> and he fell to the ground in a heap; he was truly
> astonished to see that his 
> entire torso seemed to be a blur of
> indistinguishable red. *Perhaps this is 
> what it feels like to die,* he thought idly.
>     But something deep in him knew that was wrong.
>     The creature, satisfied that Kailan was no
> longer a threat, turned on 
> Gordon. While its back was turned, Kailan stood
> purposefully and formed his 
> halberd. Dispassionately, he buried the full length
> of his blade in a 
> hairline crack between two scaly plates on its back.
> The monster roared in 
> agony and rage, but he paid it no heed. With one
> hand, he lifted the beast, 
> impaled on his blade, completely off the ground. It
> tore at him again, but he 
> couldn't even feel it this time. The other hand
> languidly stretched out, and 
> a ball of green ki formed itself in his palm. A
> handful of seconds later, the 
> beast was a cloud of rapidly dispersing ash.
>     There was utter silence as the group stared at
> Kailan. Well, not quite 
> utter silence. The stillness was broken by the sound
> of-
>     "Holy shit," Azel whispered. "His body is-is
> coming back together..."
>     Kailan looked down at himself. Large chunks of
> him did indeed seem to be 
> quite close to detaching from his body, but as he
> watched in astonishment, 
> the open qoulds fused themselves closed and the
> blood impossibly reversed 
> direction, flowing back into his torn but rapidly
> mending veins. Within 
> twenty seconds, the only evidence that Kailan had
> just been mauled was the 
> remarkable assortment of tears in his shirt.
>     They all looked at him. Kailan looked back,
> honestly speechless.
>     "It's a gift, I guess," he said breathlessly
> after a moment.