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Post by Vocado on Jan 7, 2021 1:35:35 GMT -6
Thread Power Level: 241,250 | [UT] Ki Suppression in use: PL detected at 5,000
The Stargoons. A beacon of despair in a world so fraught with hope. A last bastion of evil in the land of heroism. They were legendary for their skill, and renown even further so for their penchant for theatrics. So strange they were, and yet strange and odd and not so normal was exactly what was needed for a job as unique as this. The only question remained was whether or not they’d accept.
Where once there was a vacant couch in the front office, there now sat a lone figure. If someone had been around to see it, they would swear the man had appeared as though he’d always been there. Gloomy eyes scanned the room, as if he was seeing it for the very first time. It was dingy in here, but unnaturally clean at the same time. Did they have one of those little cleaning droids? With the high-stake jobs they were used to he supposed they could afford to hire some help.
”Anyone home?”
His tone was too sweet for his intentions. Leaning back on the couch, Vocado frowned at the lackluster excuse for comfort. Springs dug into his back beneath the leather, and it felt as though the seat he decided to use was a favorite of someone much larger. Much heavier, too. Talk about a bad first impression.
”I hear this is the home of the Stargoons,” he intoned, voice still too sickly sweet. ”Are you available for a job?”
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Bamboo
Administrator
PL: 185,000
Fauna Princess (x13P) Fauna Queen (x18/x14T)
Tag: @bamboo
Posts: 250 
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Post by Bamboo on Jan 7, 2021 2:31:45 GMT -6
|Lights Out| - Bamboo's PL: 185,000
"-no, for the last time, we're not interested in signing up for Bao News Weekl- oh!"
It wasn't the news guy!
Instead... it was someone a bit more surprising. Bamboo, like a deer in headlights, stopped at the doorway to give the former King an inquisitive once-over. There was a faint familiarity to the man- not so strong as the others, but certainly present. Something about that familiarity, though... it didn't seem right. Bamboo could garner brief details of the people who the former inheritor of her power associated with- for Chime, admiration; for Ramen, fear.
This was reassurance, or so Bamboo thought. But that didn't make sense. After all, this man was...
"Vocado!? The Vocado!? Oh man, oh man-" Bamboo, suddenly self-conscious about her disheveled look, brushed a few fingers through her hair, adjusted her horns, straightened out her shirt, and settled the bamboo pole strapped to her back. "-it's super cool to meet you! You're, like, the gold standard for villainy these days! Sure, you died, but you killed so many heroes! You're an inspiration to us all, really. Your parner hired us to blow up Namek! What was his name- Cress? He was your partner, right? He talked like it. Though..." her eyebrows furrowed. "I really don't like him. But that's between us and him, and not us and you, right?"
Despite poor conduct on Cress's end, Bamboo couldn't deny that he was strong. Vocado smelled strong, too- tough, she should've expected as much, considering the reputation that he'd built for himself. Bamboo knew she was strong- there were few people in the universe who she considered to out of her league. For most, she felt like she could squeeze a good fight out, even if it ended in a loss for her. But for some people, it was different. For some people, she felt as if they'd crush her like she was nothing- a thrilling concept, but Bamboo couldn't fight if she was dead. It was a rare ocurrance, though. Only the obscenely strong gave her the feeling. Like the President.
Like Vocado. He was on another level. She'd never smelled anyone so strong in their base form. He even eclipsed Amara! Speaking of...
"Hey! Amara! We have guests! You won't believe who just came in!" called Bamboo, though she wasn't sure if Amara was still hanging around the base.
"Well, Mr. Vocado! What can we do for you? Need a job done?"
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Post by Amara on Jan 7, 2021 15:26:09 GMT -6
Thread PL: 230,000 | Items: Battle Armor
"What is it, Bamboo? Is it about the stranger in our-" Amara paused as she walked unto the scene, eyes scanning the Saiyan before her with unrestrained shock. "...You're alive, eh? And here I though full body vaporization was a bitch to return from." The Dragon Balls certainly hadn't played a part in Vocado's revival else he'd have been around causing havoc months ago. This was the guy that essentially drew more ire to himself than the entire Stargoons Corps combined - well before Namek, that was. It was almost impressive how quickly the Heroes came to dogpile the Saiyan as soon as he revealed himself upon the mountain. Rubbing her head and sighing audibly, the woman moved across the foyer to the kitchen beyond, reaching for a pot of coffee and pouring a generous amount into a thermos. She'd need it if they were dealing with a genuine crazy guy like this.
"Talk normally and cut to the chase," She grumbled, stirring in a faint dash of cream into her drink. "You're here to hire us for something involving either mass-scale destruction or murder, right? Probably one of the big shots like Carro if I had to take a guess." Amara paused for a moment, eyebrows scrunching. "If you're after Kayen I'd have to personally decline. I'm not necessarily loyal to the lady but politics are politics, and if its found out I played a part in her death directly... ugh." Saiyans were stupid and revenge-happy. She didn't need that over her shoulder in addition to Earth and the Namekians being pissed off already. "I hope you saved up during your tenure in Hell, too, seeing as we're still mercenaries and don't work for free." And Namek's payment may have been substantial but damn, certainly wasn't enough.
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Post by Vocado on Jan 9, 2021 0:27:13 GMT -6
How annoying. He really thought he was being clever with that nice voice. Surely nobody noticed, but he'd even combed his hair to seem more presentable. With a defeated sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, sitting up straight as Bamboo praised his villainy. "At least my reputation precedes me," he said, almost disappointed. One might think being recognized was sortof the point of his whole escapade, but his plans were slightly different now. Lower stakes, some might say.
"Cress was an ally, in a way. I could say I planned to betray him one day, but I saw him like a brother for a time... That was until he abandoned me to destroy something so useless as Namek." Shrugging, he thought over his comment, and decided to rescind it, if only a little. "I think useless might be the wrong term. Namek's destruction meant little if the heroes won, so why bother going for it? Honestly I'm glad he's disappeared. Saves me the trouble of running him through."
As Amara entered, he gave her a curious once-over. "I got better. Being a Bonemoon has its perks." He smirked at her, and stood up. Her battle point was incredibly high, near to even his own strength. Just how much stronger did the galaxy get in his absence? Had Kayen gotten this strong? Had Carro? The thoughts sought only to irritate him, so he ignored them for now.
"I suppose my intentions were far too clear considering my usual line of work, but the exact details of the job are... Less than you might expect."
He waited patiently for Amara to finish pouring herself a drink. Once she'd done so, he simply... Vanished. Not like he'd done some incredible trick to increase his speed, or even that he'd used some sort of magic. One second he was standing near the couch, and the next, he was already holding the coffee pot, pouring his own cup of brew.
"I consider myself, perhaps rather brashly, to be the strongest in the universe. Whether or not that's true has been put into question recently, so I was hoping to find a way to root out the answer." He nodded toward Bamboo, who still seemed hyper, offering to make her a cup as well. If she declined, he'd reappear at his original spot on the couch, and sit back down.
"I don't know much about you Goons, but I do know you're excellent at making a scene. That whole thing you did in Satan City? It got people buzzing."
Vocado took a sip of his coffee, and sneered. Too bitter. He'd somehow forgotten to put creamer. Too lost in the theatrics of showing off his new toy, he supposed.
"All I need from you lot is to buy me time. Distract the ever-growing mass of heroes long enough for me to settle the score. Carro and his merry band of misfits get in the way of many things, but if I can get him alone-- separate him and that glorified housecat from the rest of the pack? Then maybe I could prove things at Mt. Frappe were little more than a fluke."
While disappointing, Amara's disinterest in helping defeat Kayen was more than understandable. Besides, he didn't expect the queen to be bombarded by helpers like Carro. She'd gladly welcome single combat, even if she needed to beat down potential allies to keep the fight on even terms.
"You don't need to actually accomplish anything. Make a few threats, blow up a few buildings, whatever-- Just make a show of it. Get as many warriors as you can to dog you, and once things look even the slightest bit grim? I don't know, surrender or something. Pretend you realized the error of your ways. Whatever gets them off your back. I only need, say, twenty minutes? Thirty? I'll ring you when its time to start. You've got a phone right?"
There was still the matter of payment, which mattered little to Vocado. Putting down his coffee, he removed his glove to show off a mint green ring. It was simple, though the carvings on its surface seemed to betray some sort of otherworldly origin.
"With this, I can pay you whatever you'd like." He quickly covered the ring again, a paranoia creeping in that someone might be watching. "Name your price and I can see to it twice over."
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Bamboo
Administrator
PL: 185,000
Fauna Princess (x13P) Fauna Queen (x18/x14T)
Tag: @bamboo
Posts: 250
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Post by Bamboo on Jan 9, 2021 2:52:18 GMT -6
|Lights Out| - Bamboo's PL: 185,000
"Sounds fun! I'm in!"
It was a quick affirmation- but it wasn't one made entirely without thought.
In fact, as Bamboo sipped on her cup of coffee (which she didn't like, but was drinking to seem mature to Vocado) she pondered over the events that had just transpired. Bamboo didn't track energy through conventional means; she used her superb sense of smell to discern and track levels of power around her.
In all her years of sensing power this way, she'd never experienced anything even remotely like the stunt Vocado just pulled.
When people moved fast, their scent followed them- it was like a streak in the air. No matter how fast you moved, you couldn't escape that kind of trail- Bamboo had run into many fast fighters, and even if she was unable to keep up with them in a fight, she could at least tell where they were moving to, and from where.
But this wasn't that- no sign of his scent anywhere down the middle. Sitting in the chair one moment, holding the pot the next. Bamboo wasn't book smart, but her honed battle senses and strong intuition clued her in on what the man could do, and what that meant. Teleportation, manipulating time, hopping through space- whatever it was, it put him on a level beyond conventional fighters. Put him beyond fighters who had their own brand of magic, even, like herself and Mumbo. He could materialize things out of thin air, and she could morph her body to whatever lifeform she felt- but neither of those mattered in the face of this. Bamboo was no philosopher, but even she could recognize the unimaginable power that came with manipulating such a fundamental force.
Whether it was from that ring or something else, it didn't quite matter- what mattered was that whatever it was, he was in possession of it.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe he really was the strongest being in the universe.
If 'evil' were a 'pack of animals,' he would've been the Alpha. Perhaps, then, it was Bamboo's animal instincts to bow to the one on top of the food chain- to bow her head and accept her position in the pyramid, high as she may have been. Frankly, she'd have probably done whatever he asked for free, were she on her own.
But she wasn't on her own- she had her own 'pack' to look out for, after all.
"But... I'll only be in if Amara and Mumbo are also in, since we're a team n' all." turning her gaze towards the Saiyan woman, Bamboo continued; "I think this's a good gig for us. Without Carro, it's just a band of run-of-the-mill Goodies out there. We can deal with 'em. I doubt Kayen wants to get involved n' stuff, especially since we're just causing some issues on Earth!"
Bamboo crossed her arms, pondering the proposal for a moment more. "I can maybe ask Kraktus if he wants in! He loves causing wanton destruction n' stuff. Oh! Maybe I can even get Ramen to come! It's been so long since I've seen her- I wanna show her how strong I am now! Maybe Ashi could come back, too..."
An enthusiastic nod later, Bamboo set her cup down atop a rickety table and placed her fists on her hips, confidence evident. "This should be pretty easy, especially if we don't need to fight 'em to the death or anything." A bit disappointing for Bamboo, but she was pretty sure that Amara was over that kind of stuff after last time. "I don't think we have any other urgent jobs, too!" It was true- in fact, they didn't have any jobs... but their guest didn't need to know that.
"I think it's a great idea! Can we go? Pleeeeease?
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Post by Amara on Jan 10, 2021 13:55:59 GMT -6
Amara hardly blinked as Vocado seemingly teleported across the room in short order, in the midst of pouring himself a cup. ...That was their good brew, too. "Even if you've managed to edge out the other contenders for strongest in base by a bit, that hardly matters. A difference of ten-thousand or twenty-thousand at our level means next to nothing, especially since us Saiyans have seem to collectively hit a wall. Our transformations aren't getting any better no matter how strong we get, while others catch up and eventually surpass us through that method alone." She shook her head, taking a long swig from her thermos and sighing drearily. "I've been putting time to see if any legends mention something beyond even a Super Saiyan, yet I come up short. In the last hundreds of years Saiyans have risen to conquer the stars before in the form of an empire, yet for whatever reason that spanning galactic control has little records containing the exact nature of their fighters. Perhaps in an attempt to keep the peace further into the future."
Amara had nothing to do with Satan City and neither did Bamboo, but the feat still stood. The name of the Stargoons was enough to evoke imagery of Badman and Namek all at once, so it didn't necessarily matter that the current members had little participation in such acts themselves. "So you want us to raise Hell and attract the swarm that overtook you on Frappe while Carro is dealt with?" She paused, considering the ramifications of such a deal. It was true that Carro was thorn in everyone's side at this point and having him gone would be well worth most risks. "As long as you specifically target or dismantle the cat he has afterward. No doubt that little robotic trick he pulled will happen again now that his normal body has been restored. LEO is the key to all his power, and if she dies he'll be useless." Then again was it even possible for the Stargoons to complete such a mission? "I'm all for having Carro killed, but think about this logically. Even with Mumbo and the recruits I'm sizing up at the moment we'd be at a severe disadvantage. I'm not sure we'd survive at all, let alone get you the time you'd need to effectively defeat and kill Carro."
Even with Vocado stating his time of thirty minutes and options for surrender, the plan seemed shaky at best. "I guess..." Amara rubbed her temples, headache coming on harsh. "There are a few in the Hero camp who think we, and some specifically I, can be rehabilitated. Perhaps I enter the scene in a faux 'rampage' of sorts in Super Saiyan. Pretend I lost my mind and try to blow up a city or even the planet. The other Stargoons swing by to 'make sure I don't get killed' while the Heroes swarm in. The likes of Dion and Russ will likely want to keep me alive if they buy my charade. Then, and maybe then, could it work."
Bamboo's assessment of the situation wasn't wrong either. Kraktus could certainly be a big help if the loner would agree to help them. "I'm for the plan and deal all things considered but we still need Mumbo's go ahead. Strongest or weakest, he's still our boss."
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Post by Vocado on Jan 11, 2021 20:17:48 GMT -6
"Hmph. A lack of confidence is unbecoming of a Saiyan. Our legends go deeper than you'd think." Vocado put his coffee down, and leaned back on the couch. "I've always been a fan of history, you see. Something of a hobby of mine before the war started was thumbing through the annals of past conflicts. Something that always struck me as interesting was our previous sovereign body. The Saiyan Solar Empire, or SSE as usually referred, had two very important queens: Habana and Zucceta. Now, both of them had very different strategem when it came to leading, but something that always piqued my interest was their mention in what little personal writings were made public of their advancement of the Super Saiyan legend."
The thoughts were a smear in his mind. Wish-washed sets of pages scrambled together due to the lack of importance over time. Learning his own combat tactics and surviving in the wilds took precedence over remembering what Zucceta's favorite attack was, but he remembered it all the same. He took time to properly shuffle the memories together; fix them all right in his head, before he continued his explanation.
"They both had advanced these forms to something more. The basic form was erratic, as I'm sure you're aware, but over time they each learned to hone and bottle its most draining elements. They mastered it, much like I, and I assume you, have been able to do. However..."
Finally, he stood back up, index finger raising to touch his cheek as the rest of his hand rest near his chin.
"They each mention separately some other facet of the legend. Some sort of enhancement or alteration that boosted the form some twice over. A sort-of, "Hyper Grade" as Zucceta coined it. A second Super Saiyan form."
Of course, he could've been wrong. There history was muddy and some, if not most was lost to the flow of time. What little he read was also interjected with heresay and conjecture from historians and critics of the age. What he read as a Super Saiyan Two could easily have been them learning something akin to his own Titan State. Were that the case, then surely they'd be outclassed eventually like Amara feared.
"I can feel it on the tips of my fingers; in the crick of my back. Something is waiting to burst forth. I just need the right conditions... Enough time to find the key. I'd have stayed dead much longer if I had the knowledge on hand, but sadly I came up short."
Bamboo, as opposite to Amara as she always seemed to be, was immediately on board with the idea, barring some conditional agreements from other allies. Maybe things were looking up for him. He'd lost due to his lack of faith in others before. Maybe he'd succeed this once by putting in with these powerhouses.
"See? The green one's all aboard. I see no issue with it myself. Sounds like a great plan. Much better than blowing up Namek, anyways."
He snuck a thumbs-up toward Bamboo, and returned to Amara.
"Don't worry about that mangy pet of his. I learned my lesson the last time. The orange-haired brat will be anything but dead by the time I'm through. He needs to see each and every moment of my coming victory before he dies. To know how useless and helpless he truly is without the world at his beck and call."
Vocado's words oozed malus. The vision came to him but vanished just as quick. Carro beaten to a pulp on the wayside, watching in vain as Leo was reduced to scrap. How glorious an ending that would be.
"Your idea seems sound enough. The heroes love sob stories. Think your fellow goons can keep the act up in the interim?"
Whatever the case, it seemed most of Vocado's work was done for today. At the least they seemed on board, if not entirely approving of the idea. They just needed the okay from their leader, and plans would be in motion.
"Very well then. I think we'll simply need to reconvene once things are settled on your end. In the meantime I'll finish getting all the cogs in place; maybe pay a visit to that old squid-face. I did try killing him once, though, so he may not be... Receptive to the plan."
Shrugging, he turned to leave, but stopped short at the door.
"Oh, before I go-- Do either of you have a scouter frequency or phone number I can reach? We can touch base in a few days and decide how to move forward."
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Bamboo
Administrator
PL: 185,000
Fauna Princess (x13P) Fauna Queen (x18/x14T)
Tag: @bamboo
Posts: 250
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Post by Bamboo on Jan 30, 2021 20:19:13 GMT -6
|Lights Out| - Bamboo's PL: 180,000
Well... Amara's plan was certainly a lot less fun then what Bamboo had in mind, but somewhere deep in her combat-crazed brain, she knew it was the best shot they had at getting out alive.
But, even still. It was always like this- short scuffles, get in, get out. It was never an all-out brawl like how she liked it- it was never the fight she craved. She'd gotten so much stronger then she was before- but it was all meaningless if she had nowhere to direct it. Somewhere deep within Bamboo, the fire to fight someone on equal footing to the death still blazed. It was still a fantasy, an ideal turn of events, the thing she'd been living her whole life towards.
Now, though... now, things were different. Now, she had people who wouldn't much appreciate her dying, and who she wouldn't appreciate seeing die in turn. If she lost herself in the heat of battle and one of her fellow Goons bit the dust, what would she do? They were all she got, now- she couldn't let her rabid desires overpower her desire to work with her friends.
These two sides were in conflict- but it wasn't a conflict she could fix, not now, anyways. She was sure that, when the time came, the side that meant more to her would win out.
"Seems good! You're so smart, Amara!"
Bamboo then proceeded to ruffle the Saiyan's hair, regardless of whether or not the gesture was appreciated.
Speaking of Saiyans, Bamboo intuitively understood what Vocado meant, even if she didn't understand his reasoning or the history behind it. He was simply espousing a truth of the world, after all.
"When you push people enough, they always get stronger! I'm sure you two can get super strong if you get angry enough or something." When people were pushed, they showed their true colors and exerted their full power- it was the only way in which Bamboo knew how to experience a true fight to the death with another- threaten what they love to push them to their limits.
His next inquiry, however, wasn't one Bamboo could answer. She waved her hand dismissively. "I always break my Scouters. I'll know when the time comes, though! I've got a good nose." What a sense of smell had to do with reconvening before a large-scale distraction was unclear- what was clear was that Bamboo was quite adept at sniffing out trouble, and she did have quite the impressive intuition. "I usually hang around here, anyways. You should come back when Boss is around, though! I think he'd like to hear what you have to say. Would probably be super excited to meet a beacon of evil like you, too! He loves evil stuff."
Nodding to herself, Bamboo crossed her arms, giving the once-prince a confident smirk. "But we'll figure stuff out in a few days. I'd like to get some training in before then! Maybe get a new outfit, too..." mused Bamboo, considering her options. She had to make sure that she impressed such a high-grade villain, right?
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