THIRTEEN

Hypo sits legs crossed over on an arcosian kneeling in the streets as if he were a throne. He was displeased by the lack of control in the area from the locals.

HYPO

"So let me get this straight. Not only do you weak little wannabe bad guys with no social skills, political experience, or even a hint of governing expertise find it funny to be a gang lord of a low class, underdeveloped town in the boonies, but you even allowed this deadbeat, broke company have its way with the residents, which provides little to no pay, no regards to the safety of the people, let alone your own kin. Because you are all a cavalcade of fuck ups. Incompetent, spineless, and not even able to work together for a greater cause of being better than your current counterparts in that nasty eyesore you call a headquarters. Do you really think I wouldn't kick your asses for this mess when you tell me you have back up? And that was all you could give me for a fight? You call these lowly flies back up? A bunch of mind controlled metahumans and androids? The humans are basically starving and beaten half to death. You expect me to find that a challenge? I'm an entire fifty centuries older than you, and in obvious hindsight, far stronger and far more superior than your so-called powerhouse. You're lucky I chose not to destroy that disgusting building because of your victims."

ACROSIAN

"B-but… if you can do that, then why don't you?"

Hypo steps on the acrosians hand as he stands up and walks forward.

Hypo

"Because, you simpleton, unlike your supposed boss who sees the livestock as simple cannon fodder, I see these poor half broken souls as die-hard soldiers. Though their spirits are broken, they have the potential to grow stronger from this adversity. Still fighting for their right to be free of this nonsense. What do you Forgotten Warriors think? Don't you find your current state shameful? Disrespectful even."

One of the metahumans unbuttons his shirt and reaches for the collar around his neck. The device starts ticking as soon as he grips it and it sends a shock of electricity through his body. He screams from the agony but still holds onto it. After a while his grip on the collar gets the better of the device and it slowly starts to crack on his grip until it finally shattered with one final scream of rage. Everyone around the man watched him in awe and amaze. Not from the man removing the collar, but by the fact that he was still standing conscious. The light had returned to his tired eyes and they were obviously filled with hate and conviction.

HYPO

"How does it feel to get freedom by your own hands, old human?"

MURE

"It's Kosue Mure. I may be a metahuman, but I still have a name. Who are you?"

HYPO

"Hypo. A spiteful acrosian to you, but I only wish to give the best for you. This is going to be my new home but I would much rather not be associated with the likes of these arrogant children."

MURE

"So? What are you going to do with us now that you've taken over the district?"

HYPO

"Well, I'm getting rid of that tower first of all. It'd be a problem if more wasps like this start spawning because of it. Though now, what of the rest of you? Are you just going to stand there starving and waiting to be rescued again? You can break these things yourselves and I'll make sure you have nothing left to lose because of it."

The others look to each other curious and nervous.

MURE

"You promise? Give us your word that you'll be our strength."

HYPO

"I don't need to promise that. You already showed me you have the strength. At best I'll be your support when things get too much for your tiny brains to comprehend."

MURE

"You swear!? You'll help us get that out of here and help us!?"

HYPO

"... Take off your collars. Then ask if I am willing to help you. Because I only help those willing to help themselves."

It's quiet for a while when another person goes for his collar. It takes him longer to remove it but it breaks eventually. Soon one after, the people removed their collars with brute force. Some helped each other and before long everyone, even the weakest of them, we're free of their collars.

HYPO

"Hm hm hhm… HAHAHAHHAHA!! Now, how does that feel, everyone! Freedom is the only way to fight back! And getting it yourselves can be nothing short of sweet victory and vengeance! What say you all, are you toys or are you alive?"

-"I… I want to live again! I'm sick of being treated like a criminal!"

-"we haven't done anything to deserve this sort of treatment! Neither do our families!"

-"I need to find my wife. My kids! I gotta get the kids!!"

Soon everyone started to rush back to the tower as a newly formed mob of rage and anxiety. Hypo simply sits and watches them all run off without a word while Mure stays with Hypo.

HYPO

"... you don't seem too eager to rush to save anyone."

MURE

"I just thought it would be better to stay near you. I do want to save my family, but I don't want to go in without any plans."

HYPO

"Hmph. I see you're no simpleton. Well, there isn't much need for it. We just need to go and give them a gift of gratitude for treating you so well."

Mure simply smiles from Hypos words and they walk to their destination. Hypo gets a call from his coms device and decides to answer it.

HYPO

"Plutos? What do you need?"

PLUTOS

"Hello, Hypo, my dearest brother! I-"

HYPO

"What did you do?"

PLUTOS

"Nothing to worry about. I handled it properly."

HYPO

"What did you do? Knowing you, you probably did something to cause a chain of misfortune that you had no business dealing with."

PLUTOS

"Well…"

HYPO

"And don't tell me you got a place to stay and are on the verge of losing it already."

PLUTOS

"What!!? NO!! I got this house specifically for us fair and square!"

HYPO

"With the insurance that you can keep it for how long?"

PLUTOS

"I own this house, Dammit! Shut up and listen to me! I found a special human in the east central city, Mozu. and Apparently I have to go to school with her now. But I need you to hand over custody to one of the officers so the process can be easier."

HYPO

"Why must you get me involved in this!? I'm on the other side of the damned continent! And let me tell you, this place is absolutely horrendous. It's going to take me a while to fix this place up the way it needs to be before I can even think of coming to visit you anywhere. You can do all that yourself anyway can't you?"

PLUTOS

"Just give me a verbal consent! It's not that complicated!"

HYPO

"Verbal? So they don't need to see me?"

PLUTOS

"N-not now but…"

HYPO

"If you can't get them to make accommodations for you, then you'll just need to deal with it yourself. I'm not near you to bother helping. You're the tech savvy dork that lays around all the time, figure it out."

PLUTOS

"Guh… I told you he wasn't going to comply that easily."

FLUTE

"Hand it over. Can't these things you made do video calls?"

PLUTOS

"Fine here."

FLUTE

"Hello. My name is Flute. I'm commanding officer at central Mozu police department."

HYPO

"A namek Police officer? What has he done to have you supervising him?"

PLUTOS

"Absolutely nothing!!"

FLUTE

"Don't worry, we just need you to tell me he can be under my supervision while he's in school for a few years. Nothing to do with anything bad. We need him under an official supervision so he can take the special courses he's asking for. Since he signed you as his legal guardian, we needed to ask you to consent to his transfer to these courses. That's all."

HYPO

"And prey-tell, what are these courses for?"

FLUTE

"He wants to be part of the investigation forces here in mozu so he needs to take specialized classes that give him early access to the job."

HYPO

"He wants to play detective?"

PLUTOS

"How else am I going to get anything done here legally?"

HYPO

"... Alright. Have fun with his complaining. Just don't call me for something stupid that he could easily avoid or fix. I want no part in this. I have enough on my hands where I am."

FLUTE

"Thank you very much for your understanding. We hope you have a good afternoon, Mr. Hypo."

HYPO

"I hope he hasn't done anything to your kind yet. He's had a bad history with bad natured Namekians that nearly got him killed so I ask that you be very wary and mindful of yourself around him. Is that clear? I want nothing or no one to upset him. I can already tell he's holding himself back quite a bit."

FLUTE

"... uh. I understand sir. I'll be mindful of that. He won't be living with us though, so no worries there."

HYPO

"Us? Then he will be going to school with one of you. Keep your eye on the others then. We can't have anyone dying because of his traumas."

FLUTE

"I understand. Thank you for your concern."

HYPO

"I couldn't care less about you. Don't mess with my brother."

FLUTE

"Y-yes, sir."

The line cuts out and Flute seems pale as he looks at the device then to Plutos.

FLUTE

"... so you have a history with the dark namekian types? No wonder you ripped off his arm. We should have considered your situation first before assuming you were like the other acrosians."

PLUTOS

"Disgusting planet full of them. I'm glad I was allowed to destroy it."

FLUTE

"... destroy…"

PLUTOS

"You got what you need so you can go back to your business, yes?"

FLUTE

"Ah."

PLUTOS

"I'm going across to visit Miu. You can see yourself out. This is a copy of the house key. Do as you wish."

FLUTE

"Right. I better tell Alto the news."

FLute and Plutos leave Plutos' home and go their separate ways when they see Kobi sneaking out of the window of his house. He was coming out of the punishment room on the third floor. Despite his lack of cardio, his determination to escape was becoming admirable to Plutos.

FLUTE

"What is that boy doing??"

PLUTOS

"Hmm… let's watch him a bit. Maybe he'll take us somewhere fun."

FLUTE

"I'd rather stop him. Who knows what sort of trouble he's trying to get in now. It'd be bad for Mii if he did something to get his family into trouble cuz of some dumb mistakes like last time."

PLUTOS

"... Fine. Let's stop him for now. I wouldn't want Miu to be upset because of this."

FLUTE

"What are your real thoughts on the girl?"

PLUTOS

"I'm going to get him before he hurts himself."

PLUTOS flies over to The Kosuke house carefully to grab Kobi, but Kobi suddenly starts floating on his own, although clumsily, and hovers away from the window. Plutos stopped in his tracks in surprise to watch him for a moment until Kobi caught him staring. Kobi suddenly falls but starts floating again as if to catch himself.

KOBI

"Waaah!! Wha!! Whoa!! I'm good. I'm good. Grr… wh-what are you doing here!?"

PLUTOS

"Watching you, obviously. Your parents are gonna get a kick out of this."

KOBI

"What!? N-NO! Don't you dare tell them."

PLUTOS

"Okay."

KOBI

"Eh?"

PLUTOS

"I won't tell them. Though I can't speak for the officer below me."

KOBI

"What!? Shit!! Shit!! D-don't you dare follow me!!"

PLUTOS

"No worries."

KOBI

"I… I-i'm leaving then!"

Plutos suddenly appears behind Kobi as soon as he turns around and scares Kobi into falling. Plutos catches him before he could scream.

PLUTOS

"Sorry, but I never said I wouldn't stop you."

KOBI

"H-hey!! Put me down!! Let Go of me!"

Plutos ignores Kobi's whining and flies back to Flute who was on the phone as soon as he saw Kobi. Kobi's mother rushes out of the house and snatches Kobi out of Plutos' grip, then slaps him on the back with echoing hits.

KOBI

"OW!! OW OW! MOM!! WAIT!! THAT HURTS!! THAT REALLY HURTS!!"

Plutos and Flute only watch as she beats him for a good while before forcing him to bow before them.

KELIPE KOSUKE

"Thank you so much for stopping him! What the hell were you thinking jumping out of the window to escape!! You could have seriously hurt yourself!! Do you realize how crazy you seem right now!!?"

FLUTE

"Actually, ma'am. He was… uh."

PLUTOS

"The boy can use Ki channeling to fly. He's very talented, although a bit clumsy."

KELIPE KOSUKE

"... Excuse me, but I don't think you have a right to make fun of my child even in this situation."

PLUTOS

"Oh no! I may sound like a sarcastic ass, but I promise you I wasn't lying. He is gifted. Why don't you show her?"

KOBI

"Are you stupid!? You think I'm crazy!?"

PLUTOS

"Ma'am, If he can prove his gifts, would you let him out of punishment?"

KELIPE

"If this lazy boy was so gifted I would have convinced the principal to put him in the student council. Forget being grounded."

PLUTOS

"You heard her. Prove yourself and you can get out scot free."

KOBI

"... wha… why?? What do you want?"

PLUTOS

"To prove you're not a waste of talent for one."

KOBI

"..."

Kobi forces his way out of his mothers grip and steps between them.

KOBI

"I-I just gotta float right?"

PLUTOS

"Uh-huh. Should be a simple task for you."

Kobi glares at Plutos for a moment before taking a deep breath. His hair suddenly starts to flutter as the air around him starts to ripple with heat. He started to rise from the ground in no time until he was above Flute's head.

KOBI

"... There I'm good, right? I-I'm not grounded anymore?"

PLUTOS

"Ask your mother once she wakes from her trance."

Kobi looks at his mother and sees that she was petrified with shock.

KOBI

"W-what? This isn't the first time I've done this."

PLUTOS

"I'm curious. How long have you been able to do this?"

KOBI

"After the Mozu incident. I saw that guy flying on the news and thought it was cool so I wanted to try it."

Plutos suddenly snickers to himself.

FLUTE

"Oi…"

PLUTOS

"Sorry, sorry. Ahem. so you learned from that. Have you been practicing since your grounding then?"

KOBI

"W-well, there was nothing else to do so…"

PLUTOS

"And I take it this is your first time putting it into practice outside the room."

KOBI

"Y-yeah…"

PLUTOS

"So you chose to learn something people on this planet thought to be impossible with absolute ease with no anchor to stimulate the feeling other than curiosity while literally no one was looking. Am I right so far?"

KOBI

"Yes."

PLUTOS

"Not only that, you're able to hold a normal conversation like this while still suspended in the air without a care in the world."

KOBI

"YES! SURE, Fine! Whatever! What are you getting at?!"

PLUTOS

"You're the only one born on this planet to do so, so I was simply quelling my curiosity. You have excellent concentration to be able to do this in such a short amount of time. Can you do me one last favor before you come down?"

KOBI

"What? This isn't as easy as it looks, you know?"

PLUTOS

"It will soon. Try to copy what I do."

Plutos floats into the air and holds out his arms. The air around him starts to move and get warmer until sparks start to fly around him in rapid succession until he is glowing gold around him. The air around him instantly bursts and everyone around him could feel his intimidating power. Only Kobi didn't seem intimidated, but only confused.

KOBI

"You… you want me to do that?? How? Where do I even start??"

PLUTOS

"I'll walk you through it. Close your eyes and shut out your mind. Think of nothing but the words I tell you."

Kobi nods and obediently does as he's told.

PLUTOS

"Now think of the most irritating, sad, or upsetting moment in your life, and put that feeling into the center of your stomach near your back. It should start feeling warm in that spot soon."

Kobi was still for a moment until the area around him started to spark instantly. As it did so Kobi started to cry from his frustration with heavy breathing.

PLUTOS

"Now in one big burst of rage, Release it! Like everything just crumbled around you!"

Kobi suddenly cries out in rage and the energy around him explodes stronger than Plutos' did. His hair was suddenly a bright sunny blonde and the energy around him was slightly bigger and just as golden as Plutos'. When he opened his wet eyes, they glimmered a bright sky blue color. He was sniffling while failing to force back his tears as they fell from his cheeks. He was obviously beyond frustrated as the sparks continued to flicker around him.

PLUTOS

"Now, now calm down a bit. You're fine now. You performed perfectly. Take a deep breath while holding that feeling in your back. Just relax now."

Kobi sniffs back his tears and wipes his nose as he takes a deep breath to calm down. The power he was displaying suddenly shut down like a power outage and he panics from losing the feeling.

PLUTOS

"That's alright. Calm down, you did wonderfully."

KOBI

"B-but you said."

PLUTOS

"Now honestly, it's completely fine. You did far more than anyone could have anticipated, trust me. I actually didn't expect you to stay composed after how frustrated you were, but you have far more control than you let on. Well congratulations, you just took your first step to transcendence and became a super saiyan."

KOBI

"Uh… A what now?"

PLUTOS

"You get it from your mother, don't worry."

Kelipe appears next to Kobi, floating with a white energy around her. She looks more worried now rather than upset.

PLUTOS

"And just so you know, that is all your mother can do at the moment."

KELIPE

"... so you could tell?"

PLUTOS

"With how he was acting before, no. He is really good at hiding his potential. You should start training him in the dojo."

KOBI

"N-no, thank you. I'm good."

PLUTOS

"Well, I guess the only thing he needs is a bit of proper discipline. But I'm sure you can handle that, yes?"

KELIPE

"No… I'd rather he learn from someone he's willing to listen to… If you are willing to do so, that is."

PLUTOS

"Oh no. I'm far too lazy for that."

KELIPE

"Huh??"

FLUTE

"Heh. Well, that's too bad. Because you were recently admitted to the school as part of the student counsel."

PLUTOS

"What??"

FLUTE

"Yeah. it just got approved by the board of education that you were more than qualified to fit the position."

PLUTOS

"Hold on. I didn't sign up for that."

FLUTE

"I signed you up for it. As your guardian I have that right, this was the only place I could put you for the required after school curriculum."

PLUTOS

"You sneaky little slugman, I ought to… *sigh*."

KELIPE

"Well I was going to sign Kobi into that too, so this works out."

KOBI

"Wait! You were serious!?"

KELIPE

"You think that sort of power is a joke!?"

KOBI

"NO, MA'AM! SORRY, MA'AM!!"

KELIPE

"Good! And keep this from your brother and Father. Your father especially is gonna have a field day if he finds this out."

KOBI

"Oh… o-okay."

PLUTOS

"Well, anyway, back to the ground. I'll be going home now."

FLUTE

"Actually, about that…"

PLUTOS

"Oh what now? Hm??"

Flute smiles at him but plutos didn't feel anything nice from his expression. His contempt for him only grew stronger.

FLUTE

"You're gonna need to start packing everything in that nice house of yours to move out soon. Be ready by monday. Bye now."

PLUTOS

"YOU SLIMY CREATINE!! JUST YOU WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON A BADGE!! YOU HEAR ME, SLUG!!"

Flute stepped into the patrol vehicle and drove off as Plutos yelled at him as he left. Kobi and his mother went back inside the house, leaving Plutos outside alone. Plutos quickly dials his brother again.

PLUTOS

"Guuh~!!! HyyyyPOOOOOO!!! I know this is your fault!! I asked for a favor, not a job!!!"

HYPO

"Good heavens! Now what is your problem?"

PLUTOS

"What sort of authority did you give the slug to make me have a job at school!!?

HYPO

"Ah… it was actually a request I gave to him from the Supreme Kai. he said you need to stop being so lazy and actually put in effort in making a living. Since you want to be a man of the law, the best thing for you to do to get there is to make sure you have a curriculum that can get you there faster."

PLUTOS

"So a fast pass to being student council was what he thought would be the best option?"

HYPO

"If that's what he deemed necessary, then sure. Why not?"

PLUTOS

"Fine then, so tell me. Why do I have to MOVE FROM THE HOUSE I JUST BOUGHT AND PAID OFF!!? I literally just got everything set up for security on the damn thing and he's telling me to pack and move out!! What does that have to do with-!?"

HYPO

"Ah. right. I should have said this after Thermo called me not long ago. He bought the building your friend stay'd at and is getting it remodeled for the new residence. Including us."

PLUTOS

"I got a house for us already!!"

HYPO

"Urgh. listen, Thermo found a group of outcasts that needed protection and that place happened to be the best location to utilize for them while keeping an eye on everything. He found out that a lot of things that have been happening these few years here started at Mozah."

PLUTOS

"Mozu."

HYPO

"Gesundheit. Anyway, you, I, and Thermo will be staying there from now on as living accommodation and headquarters. I found a better place to park the ship so I'm going to get it. I'll talk to you later."

PLUTOS

"Wait!! Uh… kuh! Dammit… I'm never going to have my lazy days now."