Colder Than Usual (Invite Vocado)

Tarch’s head snapped up from his little cove of blankets. He couldn’t even sense the former king’s arrival until the loud knocks snapped him from his daze. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the first to answer the door. That privilege went to his grandfather, who happened to be rolling by. The former champion opened the door just in time to see what appeared to be a one-armed vagrant rustling through his bushes. Without a second thought, the old geezer began shouting as loud as his elderly lungs would allow.

“Hey! You quit digging around in my yard or I’m calling the--” It took him a moment of scrutiny, but after a while, he recognized Tarch’s former teacher. “Oh, King Vocado. Sorry about the rude greeting, the cold is murder on the joints.” Since Fize’s accident, he was always known to be much more irritable in the winter, especially on cold snaps like these. The old man rolled backward a small ways to call up the steps. “Tarch! Vocado’s here!” He didn’t have too much else to say to the former king, though he did want to make something clear for him. “Mar and Suda aren’t here, but they wanted me to let you know they don’t blame you for what happened. Tarch thought you were just going on a grand adventure for magic orbs. No one realized he was flying straight into a warzone.” He then let out a small pain chuckle, “probably good they aren’t here anyway. Suda might have just shut the door on you seeing you like that. I know what it’s like to have a debilitating injury though,” he gave his wheelchair a few taps. “I’m real sorry it happened though.” With that, Fize wheeled himself back into the living room, grabbing a couple of blankets to rest on his limp legs. “Tarch!”

“I’m coming, grandpa!” Tarch wanted to put on the bodysuit to his saiyan armor just in case the two happened to do any sort of fighting, be it training or for real. The hybrid quickly threw on his sweatpants and hoodie over top the elastic suit and ran down to meet his former teacher. When he rounded the corner of the door he’d see his teacher struggling with his cloak. Tarch just froze. “H-hey.” He figured he should at least be polite. Without another word, he would walk over to the bushed to help Vocado in freeing his cloak from the bushes. He had to say something else, anything was better than this painfully awkward silence. “Mr. Vocado, I… I’m sorry.” It was a start hopefully.

How was this the hardest thing he’d ever done? Tarch survived an entire war on Namek, part of which involved him letting out all of his frustrations out on the man he just helped to get his cloak out of some bushes. He was exposed to things any regular kid his age should never have to see. Even now he’d get small flashbacks to the horrors he went through. Yet somehow this was still harder for the young half saiyan. Standing out there in the freezing cold with the man he once looked up to with a sense of awe, wanting to be just like him. In a way he still did, but he saw parts of him he never knew existed. For now though his suggestion to go inside was certainly welcome.

“Er, yeah. Let me just…” Tarch held the door open for his former teacher and walked over to the kitchen. He then pressed a couple of buttons on a tall black hot water dispenser, pouring out two mugs of hot chocolate for the two saiyans. “Here,” he breathed, setting a mug on the table for the Vocado.

Tarch then took a seat, sipping at his own mug, welcoming the warm soothing drink. He had no real idea what he should do now. He wanted to just pretend everything was ok, ask him what happened on Vegeta, and what it was like to be a super saiyan. That was always a big question of his. Ever since he saw Vocado and Nashua with blonde spikey hair he wanted to know what it was like. The boy just sat there though, nursing his hot cocoa. What a sad sight he must have been for his teacher. Finally, it was too much, be it the right or wrong thing to do Tarch had to break the tension somehow.

“So uh… What’s it like? To be a super saiyan I mean.” Not exactly what he had in mind. The half saiyan actually winced at his own awkwardness. This was not the time to talk about super saiyans, or at least it didn’t feel like it for him. “Sorry. I’m just not sure what to say really.” That wasn’t entirely true. “Well, I do kind of. I just… Damn it.” Tarch took a moment to rub his eyes, groaning softly. “I just want things to be normal again. It’s been a month or two and I still feel, I don’t know how to put it. Off I guess?” The teen then plopped his head into his arms, taking a deep breath in an attempt to gather his thoughts. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you Mr. Vocado. I heard my mom, Kohlra I mean, blamed you for it. I told her it was me being stupid but I guess she didn’t believe me. Seems like you were able to talk her down though, she was really calm when she came home from Vegeta.  Which I'm sure you know is rare for my mom.” Obviously, Tarch didn’t get all of the details of his birth mother’s meeting with Vocado. Really he didn’t get any details at all, he was led to believe the two talked like rational adults. Perhaps that was just his human half being optimistic.

Things might never be the same. It hit Tarch hard. Things seemed so simple not even a year ago. But he had to wonder something. Was that really so bad? Simple wasn’t always good, something Tarch found many adults forgetting. Mr. Vocado wasn’t simple though, and he knew that. Both he and Tarch had power, it’s just the former king had the experience to go with it. Which is why Tarch was a little confused when he said that his constant losses were what drove him to become a super saiyan.

“But, I lose all the time. It doesn’t bother me any.” He didn't give his teacher a chance to even think about that, as Tarch already had a realization after hearing his thoughts out loud. “Then again, we are different people. I mean yeah I can get frustrated.” Tarch remembered their little sparring session on Namek. “Like that time we fought back on Namek. I was so angry after a while I kind of exploded I guess.” Unfortunately, that fight was a little fuzzy for the hybrid. He couldn’t even remember how it ended.

On a brighter note, Mr. Vocado went on to describe the feeling of super saiyan. Of course, Tarch was in awe. At first, he was just thinking how cool the form must have been, and how cool he’d look with spikey blonde hair. However, that awe took a more fearful turn. It wasn’t a scared feeling though, more of respectful fear. Like seeing a beautiful animal only to learn that is was extremely poisonous. This also showed how different the two were. The shame of losing to Kayen. It seemed a little silly to a young boy raised in a very human home. But if that was what triggered him, then did the opposite work for Ms. Kayen? Of course, his teacher warned the teen not to go looking for the power on his own. More notably, he mentioned that the power doesn’t come from wanting it, but needing it.

“So the power comes when you need it. And for you, it was from your past losses. So it’s like a zenkai, but also that feeling I got when I fought you and Nashua.” Before going any further, Tarch wanted to try and put Vocado’s mind at ease. “Mr. Vocado, to be honest, if you had told me about super saiyan a few months ago, I probably would have just tried to get it without a second thought. But after… y’know, Namek. I don’t know.” He figured now, if any, would be the best time to pose his question.

“Mr. Vocado… is it really a bad thing? That things might not ever go back to being like they were? To being the same I mean. Like it feels bad, but there’s gotta be some good right? And even if there's not... I… I want you to be my teacher again!” This time Tarch stood up, nearly knocking over his own mug of hot cocoa. It didn’t take him long to recompose himself though. “If it’s okay with you. If not I understand, and I won’t make a fuss.” Now to see his answer.

Tarch didn’t quite understand it. How can someone lose in a way that makes someone feel so bad they transform into this all-powerful super saiyan form. Was it that Zenkai thing Nashua told him about? No that didn’t sound right. That was losing so badly you almost die then come back. So it was likely that wasn’t the kind of loss Vocado felt. Then his gaze drifted to where his arm should have been. Now that looked like something that could have been traumatizing. Loosing not only your crown but a physical part of yourself. It was a pain Tarch could only imagine, and one he couldn’t understand. Hopefully, he’d never had to. The teen was lucky in that despite all of his scars, be it from fun misadventures or scary missteps, he was still intact. Maybe that was what Vocado felt.

Though that wasn’t entirely clear for him, Tarch could completely understand why Vocado wouldn’t continue being his teacher. Of course, he didn’t say anything. What even was there to say? Tarch was just like any other kid, trying to believe that everything was still okay. He slowly slinked back into his seat, eyeing his hot cocoa before his former teacher turned back to him. He had one last thing for him.

“Like a parting gift? Or I guess I send off thing?” What really caught Tarch off guard was how it seemed Vocado was now asking HIM to be his student one last time. It was at that moment that it really sank in for the hybrid. This one-armed man standing in the doorway was not the same Mr. Vocado Tarch had looked up to the year before. It also told him why he couldn't be his teacher. Still, Tarch got up from his seat. For once he was far calmer than a situation like this would normally prompt from the teen. “Mr. Vocado, I would be honored to have one last lesson with you.” It wasn’t as though Tarch didn’t know any saiyans anymore. It was just that this once king was the first real saiyan he’d ever met. Who knew that a random encounter in the desert would end up in a final lesson in the harsh winter.

Tarch followed his teacher one last time to a very familiar place. The once green and balmy backyard, neighboring the now dormant forest. It was in this very same spot that the two had their first lesson. It was oddly fitting that their last lesson is here, only now in the snow. Tarch thought he was ready for whatever his teacher had planned for him. Boy was he wrong. He was at first confused, then absolutely floored.

Vocado was going to teach him the Galick Gun? It took the young half saiyan a good moment of thought before vaguely remembering the purple beam the former king fired against the current queen. Granted Tarch was still not that knowledgeable on the history of Vegeta, but the tone of Vocado’s voice alone was enough to tell him just how much this technique meant. He had to promise that he upheld the technique with honor and pride, and never abuse it. Tarch felt like he was six all over again, his mother standing over him, making him promise to never use his ‘special punch’ which was then nameless.

Tarch gave his teacher a nod. “Y-yes, sir. I understand. It’s a little like what my grandfather told me about my Torrent Impact. It’s a power I should use responsibly, and never abuse it. But uh,” something didn’t sit right with Tarch. “Is it really okay for you to teach this to me? I’m just a half saiyan from earth. I’m not a prince or really much of anybody.” Hang-ups aside though, Tarch didn’t want to risk throwing away what was likely to be his final lesson with someone he looked up to with true awe. So he quickly straightened himself up, a newfound look of determination taking him. “But if you’re sure. Then I promise I will only use the Galick Gun with honor and dignity.”

The hybrid was at a loss for words, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. If nothing else today, Tarch would hear the man he respected above all others telling him that he was ‘more than some boy’ to him. How much would that have changed the events on Namek. He spent almost the entire time on the green planet believing he was nothing but a stupid kid to Vocado and the others. Now wasn’t the time to be bashful or humble though. Now he had a beam to learn.

Tarch watched his teacher intently, only a little confused by his little ki-blade trick. Was that part of the attack? No, if anything it looked like he just needed a literal hand to help out. Soon enough, Tarch was staring wide-eyed at the large purple beam shooting from Vocado’s hand. It was simple but beautiful, full of energy and power. It faded pretty quickly into the sky as his teacher straightened himself out. Okay! Now it was his turn.

Tarch shifted his weight to a rough approximation of what he saw his teacher do. His right hand reared back in a sort of awkward twist as his left hand clung limply in front of it. Already he could tell this felt wrong. Without even trying to fire off a single blast, Tarch would stand back up to take a few breaths and take a moment to focus. To think about a year ago he would believe he was doing perfectly fine. The second try looked a little closer to what Vocado had demonstrated. The only issue was his right arm. Since Vocado didn’t have one to speak of, Tarch wasn’t entirely sure how to mimic the ki replacement. Still, it felt a lot better than his first attempt. He focused as much power as he could into his palms, aim up into the sky just as his teacher had.

“Garreku HO!”

A small pitiful puff of smoke popped out of Tarch’s outstretched palms. The young hybrid stood frozen with embarrassment. That was probably the worst attack he’d ever seen. It probably didn’t help that he was pronouncing it wrong. However, Tarch didn’t want to risk letting Vocado down, on what could be their final lesson.  So he decided to give it a third try before resigning to ask for help. Once more he took the position. This time a familiar blue flame would ignite in the teen’s palms.

“Garriku… HO!”

His signature Torrent Impact shot out from his fists in a large plume of icy blue fire. Well, it was better than nothing. Now ready to admit he needed help, Tarch turned to Vocado with a cocked eyebrow.

“I uh… I think I’m missing something. I think my left arm was okay, but I’m not sure how i’m supposed to hold my right. Also, I have a feeling I’m not saying the attack right… does that make a difference at all?”