Chapter 25: Rest and Relaxation! The Brewing Storm in the Universe!

With the classes over and Nappa having taken off to wherever the Saiyans are residing, you finally have the chance to return to your friends. It's a beautiful, cool night, especially when flying high in the clear skies. There's barely any Grimm presence, so you can very happily enjoy the slow flight, twirling around, taking in deep breaths, and staring at the reflection of the moon in the water. You've come to appreciate nature throughout your life, coming to love every aspect of the planet. Well, every aspect you're aware of. You need to spend a little more time with the snow and desert, but it's just so cold and hot. Your inner shirt gets so sticky and gross. That's why you prefer Vale and Mistral, it's such a calm environment... in terms of nature. There's Grimm and Saiyans and giant Mutated Leviathans; all the works. Ignore that, and these places are amazing.

Lost in thought, you take ten minutes to reach Patch, which is a far cry from the seconds it should take. But you swoop down, landing in front of the door and slowly opening it up. The door creaks as you push, meeting a flashing TV screen that has a main menu option. It's cycling through various characters looking around, running, and some shots of monsters. You get in the house and close the door behind you, finally seeing all your friends sleeping on the ground.

Nora and Ren are on one of the couches, the former wrapped tightly around her stoic comrade. Whether he agreed to that or not will forever be a mystery. Blake is curled up in a corner, almost like a cat, with the blanket wrapped around her as if she was a caterpillar. She's in touch with her animal side tonight. You can just see Ruby's hair escaping from under a blanket, along with Crystal being under the same one, but actually resting like a normal person. Lastly there's Weiss, resting peacefully on the other couch.

"They don't have any beds?" You whisper, crossing your arms. "And where's Yang?" You follow up those words with a deep breath, searching for her Ki signature.

"(Y/N)!" Yang whispers from the open front door.

You turn around, seeing her gesturing you to follow her. You do, leaving the house and closing the door gently behind you.

"You're still awake?"

"I wanted to see if you'd come back," Yang swings her legs exaggeratedly while wandering around the front yard, eyes locked on you. "We watched a movie, Ruby got terrified like I thought. Crystal was pretty scared too," she chuckles. "It was a good time. You had fun?"

"Oh, yeah! Nappa showed up and stole my students!" You cross your arms and pout. "And I think he's a better teacher than me. He is older, though..."

Yang giggles. "Can't believe you let him do that."

"I did beat him up," your words are speedy and casual. "He's a lot stronger than I remember, though. Pretty cool to see!"

"Is that just how you interact now? Fighting?"

You shrug, remaining stationary as Yang circles you like prey. "Maybe. I'm just glad they're not blowing anything up or hurting someone. I should invite them somewhere."

"You want to go up there?" Yang flicks her head towards the roof of her house.

You nod, gently ascending off the ground and taking a seat on the roof. Yang lands beside you, setting her arms behind her as support and staring up at the night sky. "So, you think they'd want to sightsee?"

"I don't really know. Nappa seemed to like helping our friends... and Turles... he's kinda weird. Not in a bad way, though!" You keep a positive smile up. "But he doesn't seem like the others."

"Hm... you're not like the others either."

"I know. I was raised here! And happy about it. I don't think I like the super battle crazed-" You notice Yang chuckling, so you turn to her. "What?"

"No, it's just," she does her best to contain it, as to not wake her slumbering friends. "You're pretty battle crazy."

"Hey! I... well, I do have a lot of fun fighting."

"Did you have fun fighting Frieza?" She raises a brow, slowly steering the conversation towards a looming topic.

"Well... yeah, I'd say so," you casually nod. "He was so strong... I've never had as much fun in my life, even if I almost died," you end with a laugh.

"Hm... you know," Yang pauses to sigh. "When we snuck on your ship, I thought it was just gonna be a fun trip to another planet to beat up some aliens. The first humans, the first Huntresses, to fight for another planet. We got really excited about it," Yang gently leans back, adjusting so she can lay on the roof. You keep yourself sitting straight, but curiously gaze at her as she speaks. "Then we got there... I've never been more scared in my life. Everyone was so much stronger than us... if you weren't there, if the other Saiyans weren't there, we wouldn't have stood a chance. We were... useless," her frustration is laced in each word that leaves her lips. "We didn't stand a chance, even with all our training. And I've never even... Frieza," she uses the broken moon as a sort of destresser, always enjoying the beautiful moon. Not as much as the sun, though, but she can't really stare at that the same way. "I've never seen my allies... people fighting alongside me just die like that. For Frieza to be so casual, to enjoy himself as he killed his own ally, killed people we were fighting alongside... we all nearly died there in moments and I just..." Her voice rises, something she recognizes. "I've never been so scared in my life. When Frieza looked at us, deciding whether to kill us or not, I had nothing. I... I'm the strongest on my team; I should be thinking how to get them out of there. I'm the big sister; I should be thinking how to make sure my sister is safe. But with him... I just thought... 'I'm going to die.' It was so selfish..."

"Yang, it's-"

"But then there was you!" She leans back up, mimicking your stature. "You showed up, and just waltzed up to him like it was nothing. I've never seen you so calm and confident before... and you did it! You beat him!"

"Barely," you clarify. "If it wasn't for all of you... for Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, Turles, Kakarot, I only won because of all of you guys. I never would've launched the Spirit Bomb without you girls. I don't think it's fair to say you were useless. Really, I wouldn't have won without you."

Yang stares at you for a short time then looks out to the sky, contemplating it all. You immediately realize you didn't do the best job at making her feel better. So, you tell the truth.

"I was scared too, you know," you add on.

"What? You just said you were excited!"

"Yeah, it was. But Frieza... he was so different from anyone else I've fought. He wasn't just strong, he was... hehehe, evil, I guess. When I realized I was totally outmatched, that I was going to fail everyone – the Namekians, the Saiyans, Piccolo, you guys – and there was nothing I could do about it."

"But you did! That, what did you call it, Spirit Bomb?" You nod in response. "I have to ask you about that later, but, seriously..." She stares at you intently. "You were amazing. You ARE amazing. Despite everything, you managed to beat some galactic emperor! Nobody is going to beat that! You're the strongest guy I know!"

You snicker. "No, Frieza was way tougher than I am, and Piccolo too. I'm happy about that, though. I wanna be stronger, want to go beyond, and seeing what Frieza can do... I need to make it there. I need to be just as strong as he was. But once I get there... once I reach Piccolo. I need to keep finding something. It'll be boring if I'm the strongest, you know? I just want to be... I'm just... you know, (Y/N)," you say with a wide smile.

"Just..." She stares at your very casual face, despite it all. Despite the horrific battle that took place, you seemed to have moved past it easily. It's something Yang can't do, that her team can't do. They can't just let that go, they can't just forget the dead bodies falling around them. But you... you're already passed it, likely because you never saw them die and they're still alive right now. Your reaction to the deaths around you have been very odd in comparison to how much you seem to care about your allies. When you destroyed your village in Great Ape, you were affected more by the guilt others were throwing at you than anything internal. You justified it by saying you don't remember, you've only been told it happened. Some could say it's a concerning mindset, but Yang may see it as lightening the load on your psyche. You're so strong, so kind, so unwavering. "Just (Y/N)... yeah, that's pretty accurate," she says with a smile, focusing again on the clouds. "Do you ever watch the clouds?"

"I did all the time when I was a kid!" You mirror Yang's relaxed position, staring up at the dark sky and fluffy clouds. "When I got Nimbus, I loved going through the clouds... then I learned to fly and I could do it on my own, but when I want to be a cloud, just hang out there, I use my good buddy Nimbus."

"You're pretty lucky to have a flying cloud," Yang stops and shakes her head. "I don't like that I'm so casual about a flying yellow cloud. Did you do a lot of weird things like that when you were younger?"

"Mhm. Finding Master Roshi, meeting Krillin, beating up Yamcha when he tried to rob me, battling Tien and the Crane School... Tien was really tough. He beat me when I was a kid."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He was told to kill me, but he just couldn't do it. I think I rubbed off on him," you say with a chuckle. "He disobeyed his master... plus, I beat him up pretty bad. Krillin and Yamcha definitely could've protected me. It's kinda fun to think back then... I don't think I would've ever expected to fight in space, so, it's weird."

"Never thought you'd be an alien, either, huh?"

"Yeah, that's true. I was happy with Faunus... ness. Is that how you say it?"

"You can say it however you want, (Y/N). They're your words. I just enjoy listening to them."

"What about you? How's things going with your mother?"

"We've been speaking more. She may actually be dropping by this weekend."

"Really?"

"I don't want her to," Yang speaks plainly. "But... maybe Ruby would like to talk with her. Too bad dad isn't here. I'm sure she'd like to see you again... maybe."

You and Yang take a deep sigh, continuing to look up at the clouds. It's times like these, after great strife, that you can relax. This will be the best time to take advantage of it, and taking advantage is exactly what Yang will do.

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With the bright, shining sun warming all of Remnant, it's a perfect day for your group of amigos to have a swell day. And to start that day, Ren and Crystal are whipping up a miracle in the kitchen. Ruby wanted to help, since it was her house, but Ren was very adamant about there being the least amount of people possible in his kitchen. The only reason Crystal is allowed is because of her wide cooking experience. She was happy to lend a hand, of course, since she wants to be as friendly as possible.

Not everyone is around to smell the divine creations in the kitchen; the ones still sleeping being you, Yang, Jaune, and Nora. Weiss was one of the first to awaken, showering quickly and making some tea to accompany her loneliness. Ren and Blake were quick to wake up afterwards, Blake being the first upon hearing the whistling tea pot. The rest started waking up one after another, like reverse dominos, with Ruby being the last person to get up..

"So, Ren, how long have you been cooking?" Crystal asks, hair tied in a ponytail to keep any loose strands from falling into the food. She flips the french toast over to give the other side some love.

"Quite some time. Nora is someone who eats quite a lot, but she's not the most phenomenal cook. So, I took on the role."

"You two have been together for a long time?"

"Indeed, for..." Ren stops stirring the pancake mix, thinking back to when he met Nora. There's no major reaction, no true breakdown, no smirk, frown, tear, chuckle, anything. He just remembers. "For most of my life."

"Were your parents friends?" She innocently asks.

"No, they weren't," Ren shakes his head. "We simply met and remained together until now."

"So it's a special relationship?"

Ren pauses again. "Special?"

"Well, yeah. You've been together for so long I have to imagine there's something special about it. I don't know if you two are like siblings or dating or-"

"Dating?" Ren stumbles on the word, finally showing some emotion in the conversation.

"Oh, I don't know! I'm sorry if that upset you," Crystal hastily apologizes. "I was just thinking of special relationships. You're lucky to have someone so loyal to you! She seems like a really fun person, too! Very loud. It reminds me of (Y/N)."

"Is that a special relationship too?" Ren looks over at his assistant whilst pouring the mix onto the pan.

"Yeah," Crystal nods. "Like you, he's been around forever. He was my first real friend."

"She was too..."

The two cooks pause for a moment, reflecting on what's been said and how similar their situations are. Unknown to them, as they haven't shared it, both their villages had little to no friends to make, and only an outsider freed them from that isolation they both suffered from. But that doesn't matter now. They're all here, together, happy.

"We should finish and wake them up," Crystal takes the first finished French toast off the pan and replaces it with a new one.

"I agree."

While the cooks continue preparing food, up the stairs, into the rooms, are where you and Yang sleep. After talking up a storm most of the night, you both flew into Yang's room and fell asleep. Yang, in her bed, and you, on the floor with a pillow and blanket. The sweet scent of the food isn't potent enough to awaken you from the slumber. Perhaps if they brought the food up to the room, though...

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Kakarot and Raditz are high above the clouds, undisturbed by the blistering winds and hostile snow. The two brothers have been adamant about becoming stronger, their resolve being ironed after Namek. The massive power boost they achieved from it has shown them that they're not restricted by their low class status, much like you. Kakarot feels more competitive when thinking about you. He was stronger than you the first time you fought, yet you managed to force him to flee. Then he comes back and you're head and shoulders above him in power. Right now, you are the goal post for the Saiyans, not Vegeta.

The Prince still refuses to train with anyone, even his loyal companion Nappa. Not that it's an option, Nappa not returning since his departure last night. He's still on the planet, Vegeta can sense it, so he has no need to chase him. Nappa is capable, and the royal Saiyan has no need for him at the moment.

"Still brooding?" Turles pipes up, softly landing on the snowy plateau. Vegeta eyes Turles, seeing him holding some coloured crystals. "These?" Turles notices Vegeta's momentary interest. "Raw Dust from underground. Seemed interesting to me."

"That's what killed you on Namek."

"I didn't know enough about it," Turles calmly responds. "I'm assuring that next time I do not suffer the same fate.."

"How pathetic," Vegeta looks away. "You should rely on your own power, not what you get from some stupid crystal."

"It's foolish for a warrior to dismiss tools that'll lead to his victory. It's no different than killing a leader to save yourself from slaughtering his army," Turles replies with no fear towards the Prince.

Vegeta stares down the impudent low-class warrior. He turns away, staring off into the blizzard. Turles snickers, making his way towards the cave. "You won't get any stronger standing around, Vegeta. You'll remain second to Kail."

Vegeta raises his hand over his shoulder, beside his head, and fires a blast at Turles. The Saiyan leans back, dodging the hit and allowing it to explode against the side of the cave, shaking the mountain.

Turles stares into the cave, then to Vegeta. "You almost destroyed our home."

"You nearly got yourself killed," Vegeta coldly replies.

"Mm... I suppose. Perhaps you should join in on training, Vegeta. You have to put us in our place. We're not that far behind you."

"Nappa spoke such foolishness."

"Well," Turles enters the cave, speaking a little loudly for his Prince. "I'd hope you would respect Nappa and I's word. We're not complete fools like the brothers. But they're catching up too!" He ends louder than ever.

"Tsk," Vegeta crosses his arms, one finger rapidly tapping. The very thought that these morons could reach his level pains him. He was clearly the strongest of his team... that hasn't changed... that HASN'T CHANGED.

That thought echoes in his head, forcing Vegeta to take off into the air. Turles looks back out of the cave, smirking. He knows Vegeta is still the strongest of their group, but that doesn't change the fact that all of them are catching up. Surpassing the arrogant Prince Vegeta would be quite an entertaining endeavour, but he learned something when training with you. Pushing each other, using one another as a goal post to surpass yourself and your partner. It's important. If Vegeta can realize that everyone else is catching up, perhaps he'll realize he has to keep ahead. The next step would be him realizing how much weaker he is than you, and finding a goal to reach. Instead of the Saiyans being threatened by others being strong, like before, now it can be used as a motivator. At least, that's what Turles would like to see. Perhaps even Nappa is recognizing this. Who knows?

Kakarot and Raditz stare at each other, panting; small, bleeding scratches along their body and armour. It takes a mere moment for Vegeta to ascend between them, stopping in sight of both Saiyans. He eyes both, then takes a deep breath and assumes a fighting stance.

"You're getting too full of yourselves."

"Full of ourselves?" Raditz scoffs. "That's a good one. I'll be happy to show you my power, Prince."

"Nice to see you get off your royal butt and train!"

"This isn't training," Vegeta plainly states.

The two brothers charge at the same time with more speed than Vegeta expected. He blocks each punch, but the momentum and power of both overwhelm his body. He pushes himself back, giving more space between his opposition. Kakarot and Raditz quickly pursue, throwing a flurry of attacks that keeps Vegeta on the defensive. Any time he'd be able to retaliate against one man, the other attacks, forcing Vegeta to defend. This never happened before, not when putting these chumps in their place. He was always faster, sharper, stronger. It's clear to him, and the two attacking, that Vegeta is stronger than them individually. But two brothers acting together make up the difference, resulting in the Prince being pressured without any ability to fight back.

In an angry rage at their power, Vegeta howls as he releases an explosive wave from his body, sending the clouds breezing away and while the Saiyan brothers spiral in the air. They both recover, smirking.

"You seem a little worried, Vegeta," Raditz taunts.

"We're pretty strong this time around, huh?"

Vegeta seemingly disappears from place, revealing himself in front of Kakarot with his fist wound.

"Silence, clown!" He screams before throwing a fury fueled punch.

The fist connects with Kakarot's palm, a wave of wind pressure flowing past the Saiyan. Kakarot is pushed back, but he holds his ground against the Prince's punch... something he's never done before. Kakarot smirks, a massive flood of ego entering the young warrior. The two Saiyans stare at each other, their interacting arms shaking under the strain of their clash. Kakarot charges a Ki blast in his hand and throws it at Vegeta's chest, forcing the powerful opponent back.

"That was barely worth your effort, Kaka-"

Raditz cuts Vegeta off with a swift kick to the back of his head. Without skipping a beat, the two brothers charge at Vegeta's helpless form. The two slam their fists into Vegeta's back, knocking him even further away, then charge up their individual blasts. Vegeta recovers mid air, absolutely furious at their assault. His fury blinds him for a moment too long, enough time for the brothers to fire their attacks. The two beams, Raditz's being white with black lightning cascading around it, and Kakarot's being a simple blue.

"Don't get cocky, you low class wretches!" The royal Saiyan screams, managing to catch both the beams and temporarily hold them back. But the power of these beams, the energy Kakarot and Raditz are putting out, there's nothing Vegeta can do. The power of his clenched teeth could split a moon in half. He releases small purple blasts from his hands, causing the swirling energy to explode right in front of Vegeta.

Kakarot and Raditz relax, feeling as though this whole spectacle is over. As the smoke clears, Vegeta's frustrated visage becomes apparent. He's hunched over, fists clenched, breath heavy, veins visible. The prince's wrath has risen beyond comprehension. One may assume it's anger towards his Saiyan comrades, but it isn't... it's a different kind of fury.

The Prince bursts away, leaving a trail in his wake without a word being said. Turles ascends to the level of Kakarot and Raditz, watching his Prince retreat.

"Taught him a lesson, finally."

"Think he'll kill us?" Kakarot jokingly says.

"No," Turles shakes his head. "Come on, I want to train before I study the crystals more."

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The massive spike in Vegeta's power pierces through your brain like lightning. Your body fills with energy, shooting up and looking towards where Vegeta was fighting.

That feels like fun! Oh, yeah...

You get a sense of what's around you, feeling that most of your friends are up and about. The sweet smell of food soon fills your potent nostrils, completely distracting you from the potential problem arising to the north. You spring to your feet, only in your boxers, and run out the door. Your uncaring, loud nature wakes the slumbering yellow dragon, but she isn't too bothered by it. Yang sits up, rubbing her eyes; the chirping birds and shining sun indicating it's the morning.

"Huh, everyone else is awake... I should get ready. Maybe we can go to the beach like Crystal mentioned," she yawns while stretching.

You glide down the stairs, showing your desire to eat by not bothering with even descending stairs. You fly over some of the others, surprising them with a half naked flying man, before landing in the kitchen and spotting the growing pile of food. Pancakes, french toast, bacon, eggs of all styles, multiple pitchers of juice and milk, everything that would make you fall in love. In fact, that's very easy to see as your pure black eyes have been replaced by bright pink hearts.

"I knew it would take you up," Crystal says before turning around, her wide smile quickly changing to a frown.

"Why aren't you dressed?"

"It's fine," Blake walks past, taking a seat at the long table.

"We've seen it all before," Weiss follows her teammate.

"Seen it... all before?"

"All before," Ruby shivers, entering the room as well.

"First time I met him, he was naked," Yang shouts from the stairs, still in her sleeping tank top and short shorts.

"WHAT!" Crystal blurts in terror. "Why would you do that, (Y/N)? We talked about this!" She turns to scold you, but you're not even paying attention. You've already grabbed four plates of food and are stuffing your face without a care in the world. Crystal sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, he-"

Yang enters the room, having heard Crystal's outburst. She waves her off. "It's fine. Honestly, it wasn't terrible to look at."

"Nope," Blake shakes her head, gathering a respectable bit of food for herself.

"I should wake Nora before everything is gone," Ren says aloud, though not to anyone specifically, before leaving the room. His and Crystal's mountain of food is being picked at slowly by everyone except Yang and Crystal.

"Ooooh," Crystal shakes her head even more.

Yang pats Crystal's shoulder, assuring her with a warm smile. "Trust me, we're not offput. We like him too much... aaaand," Yang smirks, glancing at you. "It's part of his charm. Can't say you don't mind him being shirtless right now, huh?" She playfully nudges then subsequently starts getting food for herself.

"I... I mean... that's not fair!"

"I know," Ruby shakes her head, eating a pancake filled with chocolate chips. "It isn't fair. They get to eat all that and not worry."

"Oh, that's... aren't you Huntresses? Is that even a problem?"

Ruby slowly drags her eyes towards Crystal, slowly taking a dramatic bite of her food. Crystal just stares at the young leader, locked in her silver eyes – her own being filled with confusion. It's almost like she becomes deaf to the world as the young Rose stares mysteriously at the girl, continuing to take slow, drawn out bites.

"Wait, there are chocolate chips?" You look past your nine stack of plates.

Ruby instantly becomes defensive, looking at you like a wild animal and barking, "They're mine!" Before bursting into petals, swiping both the chocolate chips and the pancakes made with them and fleeing the room.

Blake and Weiss casually sit at the table, entertained as you take off from place and chase their leader.

"I thought she liked strawberries," Weiss notes.

"Have you ever seen her eat some?"

"Fair enough," the white haired one nods, returning to her simple dining experience.

They hear Ruby burst out the door.

"STAY AWAY!"

"You have to share!" You respond, following her out the door and into the sky.

"THEY'RE MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

"Pancakes?" Nora, as if rising from the dead, throws herself off her back, over the couch, and into the kitchen. She sees your food, which you've foolishly abandoned. She smirks, jumping onto your chair, nearly falling over, then digs in.

"I hope none of our neighbors sees a flying naked man," Yang calmly says before drinking some orange juice. "Meh, it should be fine. You should come eat, Crystal. You wanted to go to one of the beaches, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Crystal halfheartedly responds, staring out the door. "Are... are they gonna be okay?" She points towards the exit.

"They're fine," Yang waves off. "Well, how about we all finish up and then head over there? Everyone brought towels and stuff, yeah? We have extras."

There's a muffling surge of "Yes," "Yeah," "Mhm," "Absolutely," and everything in between.

"We'll gather our things, walk off the food, and then have a nice day at the beach. Oh, that'll be so relaxing," Weiss coos. "It's been so long since I've been to a beach."

"You are quite pale," Blake remarks.

"Hey! That's just my natural skin tone!"

"Pale?"

"You were pale when I met you!" Weiss snaps back.

"No, I wasn't. I was the least pale," Blake affirms.

"She's right," Pyrrha nods. "You've all gotten a lot more colour!" She says with a beaming smile.

"This is an odd conversation topic," Ren points out, somehow at the table without anyone, save Nora, noticing his return. "But I believe the beach will be entertaining and relaxing.

"Then let's EAT UP!" Nora stands out and cheers.

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Piccolo stands on the Lookout, eyes closed as he feels out the universe. Nail, his warrior comrade, stands not far behind him.

"What do you see? Are you checking in on our home?"

"Yes," Piccolo bluntly says. "It... appears that Frieza's Force is leaving the planet. Most of the ships have left," Piccolo opens his eyes and turns to face Nail. "You should return to your planet within a week's time." Nail smiles, eternally grateful that his people can make a safe return. "You'll have to grow stronger to protect them," Piccolo glances as it Namekian comrade for a moment.

"Indeed. Before now, I would not believe that such powerful, evil forces existed. I will not allow these events to repeat themselves. However..." Nail contemplates his next words. He understands Piccolo's position, but... "Forgive me for my straightforwardness, as I mean no disrespect, but I must ask why you did not come to defeat Frieza yourself?" Nail says as respectfully as possible, attempting to avoid confrontation. "Grand Elder Guru's memories have shown me what technique you use, the ones from planet Yardrat. You could've appeared on Namek and defended it any time you wished."

Piccolo keeps his visage steady, but internally he's upset. He agrees, he could've gone and stopped Frieza himself. Under normal circumstances, he would've. But...

"Being Guardian of this planet does not bind you to it. You can leave. Why didn't you? I'm certain my assertation of your power is correct. You're the strongest Namekian I've ever known. You show concern for our wellbeing, but not enough to come fight yourself? Your words and feelings do not align with your actions."

"I was asked to not," Piccolo reveals.

"Asked not to? Who dared to put my people in pain, in anguish!" Nail's temper flares for a moment.

"Someone extremely important..." Ozpin's condescending smile looms over Piccolo. "They want the Saiyans to become stronger, and that happens through combat."

"Then why not just train them yourself and act when necessary?"

"I will act when necessary."

"Our planet being attacked wasn't one of those times?"

Piccolo doesn't answer, deciding to remain calm in the face of Nail's fury. "Your people are safe, your planet is intact, and you'll be returning to peace soon. There's no need to lament what could've happened. I'm... sorry our people had to suffer so much for this peace to be attained."

"Many things could have happened," Ozpin chimes in, slowly walking with the dull tap of his cane echoing in the Namekians' ears. His appearance makes Piccolo's heart tick a few beats faster. Not of fear, but confusion. Piccolo is acute, powerful, and extremely awake. He doesn't like that Ozpin can appear on his own Lookout without his knowledge. "And this was one of the best outcomes. Unfortunately, it wasn't THE best," he accentuates that word. "Piccolo, we must prepare. Our job... isn't quite finished yet."

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"Why didn't you put any pants on?" Crystal sighs, walking alongside you in the long line of friendly, young Huntsmen-in-Training.

"Why would I? I'd be taking it off anyway," you cheerily reply, holding an assortment of umbrellas and a basket filled with snacks.

"He has a point," Blake supports your claim.

Crystal is almost blown away at how comfortable everyone is around you. She always thought you'd be an outcast – somehow who'd be ostracized because of how different you were. Not your Faunus traits, but your deeper personality. Your misunderstandings of general civilization, of decency, of conversation, it's been so lost on you growing up in the mountains. But these people, all of them, they're more than okay with who you are. It... it's such a happy outcome. Perhaps she has to stop worrying, stop seeing you as someone who needs help fitting in... someone who doesn't need help anymore. You're strong, you're friendly, you're liked... you're just a kid in school, like everyone else.

While you talk with Weiss and Yang, smiling and laughing with the girls, Crystal watches. This is what you needed. This is what you deserve.

It doesn't take very long to reach one of Patch's beaches, being such a tiny island. The ocean before you, however, is expansive and beautiful. The sun is gleaming off the clear blue water that's so inviting for you.

You stab the umbrellas in a line, not really sure how everyone wants them, then go sprinting towards the ocean. You throw off each article of clothing every step, tossing them atop the dotted umbrellas.

"CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNOOOOOOOOOOON-" You leap into the air, launching yourself miles away from the beach. "baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall," your faint voice is still audible, but it's nothing compared to the thunderclap of a splash and the bombshell of an eruption. Even from a distance, the water droplets drizzle over your friends, who have smartly taken cover under the umbrellas.

"He's having fun," Ren states.

"I wanna do that too!" Nora throws off her loose clothing, leaving her in the two piece pink bikini she chose.

"Ruby, you want to help me set up the volleyball net?" Yang asks, already pulling the packaging out of her bag.

"Sure!" The young sibling cheerily hops close to help.

The others set up their blankets, Jaune and Ren moving some of the umbrellas around to give small bits of space. Each of the umbrellas are patterned with two colours that, by no coincidence, are representative of the teammates. The one Weiss and Ruby set up under has a diagonal break of red and white. Blake and Yang's has a zig-zag black and yellow.

Meanwhile, you're deep under the water, cheeks full of air like a squirrel with nuts. You happily look around the dark depths of the ocean, watching large fish, bigger than you, swim around frantically. They don't seem too happy about your intrusion, likely because of the irritating entrance you made. You tread in place, enjoying watching all the fish swim around in their natural environment, but you will need air and you want to know if everyone saw your cool dive. You swim up, not using any powers to speed yourself up, and break through the water barrier.

"Hey!" You shout, waving.

The girls have already set up their volleyball net while Weiss, Crystal, Ren, and Blake are relaxing beneath their umbrellas. Weiss is merely relaxing with a drink she concocted before leaving, Blake is reading, and the remaining two are observing everyone's happenings. Crystal, whose attention is mostly focused on you, waves back. She can't hear you, but your movement is relatively visible to her. What's even more visible is a ginormous shark-like Grimm, its size rivaling Beacon tower, shatters through the water line right under you. It swallows you whole, twirling a little bit before gravity pulls it back into the water.

"(Y/N)!" Crystal screams in anguish, going full sprint towards the water.

"He's fine!" Yang says, leaning over to grab a volleyball.

"Nothing to worry about," Blake agrees, causally turning to a new page in her book.

"W... What?" Crystal slowly turns around. "How can you not care? He just-"

From the water, a little further back, the Grimm is involuntarily lifted out of the water. It's wiggling on its side, indicating to the group watching that you're pushing it up from the inside. Going decently high into the air, a strong yellow glow burns brightly within the Grimm, growing brighter and brighter, spreading throughout its body, until the creature finally explodes. With the Grimm's small bits turning to ash, you're left hovering mid air, your aura flaring.

"I THOUGHT OF ANOTHER WAY!" You cheerily shout, followed by a few laughs as you fly back to the beach. "Get eaten," you elaborate just as you land. "And then blow it up!"

Crystal immediately comes to your side, checking if you have any wounds. "Are you okay? Did you get any in your mouth? Feel ill?"

"What if it's a Beowolf?" Weiss brings up.

"Well..." That gives you pause, making you scratch your chin. "I guess it only works for big ones."

"I don't like the thought of getting eaten," Weiss shakes her head. "Grimm even touching me isn't a treat."

"I like touchin'em!" Yang snickers.

"Isn't that because you beat them up?" Jaune pipes up.

"Yeah!" Yang replies with a toothy grin. "Now, come on! Let's play some volleyball! Girls first!"

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The teams were simple – Ruby, Crystal, and Pyrrha on one side with Yang, Nora, and Blake on the other. Weiss was the only girl who didn't participate, opting to finally go in the water with a floating donut, completely relaxing in the cool water and hot sun. For such a regal, elegant woman, she's completely blobbed out from pure comfort. She's just lucky her friends are distracted; else they'd poke fun at her for it.

The girls in the game are really into it, eyes sharp and on the ball at all times. It's somewhat entertaining to hear their intense grunts and yelps each time they hit the ball. You, Jaune, and Ren are all intently watching the game, if for different reasons. You're completely innocent in your gaze, just enjoying the game between the girls and how they're holding back for Crystal's sake. Even though Pyrrha and Nora are far weaker than the members of RWBY, they've still been training with Ki. You can tell their Ki levels are higher than before, though still nothing compared to even your friends at Roshi's. But Crystal is a regular person, not even a fighter like everyone else here. She's just a typical girl without any of the training or Ki experience the others have, so she has no chance in a serious match – even if this is just a game of volleyball.

But for the other two, it's a typical setup. The boys are all staring at the girls, all in bikinis and swimsuits, jumping around, hitting the ball, diving, swaying, all things that can make certain aspects look rather enticing. Jaune and Ren, though rather controlled individuals, can't help but look at their teammates with red faces. You look over at them, noticing the flushed tint.

"Is it really hot?" You ask, looking over your shoulder, rolling onto your back and holding yourself steady as you fumble to pull two bottles of water out of the bag with your vision being upside down. You eventually get it, though knocking the bag onto its side in the process. You leave it alone, instead rolling back to a sitting position and holding the water out. "Here! You guys are super red!"

"Oh... uh..." Ren sheepishly grabs the water.

"It definitely is really hot," Jaune chuckles, trying to hide the reasoning.

You return your gaze to the game, utterly entertained by the girl's and their coordination. To your surprise, and maybe the others, Ruby is excelling at this without any use of her Semblance. You never knew she had this kind of speed and reflexes to match, though it makes sense given her Semblance is based around these kinds of attributes.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby shouts as the red haired champion sets up the ball for her.

Ruby jumps up and slams the ball towards the other side, only for her sister to slam it with a sideways hammer fist, something that certainly isn't regulation. Without pause, Ruby uses her flight to spin around, gathering a little momentum, and slaps the ball. There's a rush of air behind her hand from the pressure Yang put behind it, but the determined leader, with a bit of unnecessary grunting and wailing, manages to completely redirect the ball and slap it into the sand.

"WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruby cheerfully twirls midair.

"Yeah! Nice job Ruby! You're the champion of balls!" You throw your hands in the air.

Everyone, save the relaxing heiress, look over at you. Ruby gives you a thumbs up and proud, toothy smile.

"She's what now?" Crystal asks for clarification.

"She's really good with balls. You see how she handled it! A total master! A wonder with such soft hands."

"I..." Yang picks up the ball, her eyes shadowed by her hair. "AGREE!" Yang smiles, floating up to Ruby and giving her a high five. "Nice job, Rubes!"

"HEHEHEHE!" The leader keeps her confidence high.

"(Y/N), you shouldn't-"

"Don't worry," Pyrrha reassures with an upbeat attitude. "We all know he doesn't mean it."

"Unlike some others," Blake's squints at the other two boys, who immediately gulp down the water as if their life depends on it.

"You know, I wish there were some better waves," Yang descends to the sand, ball under her arm, gazing longingly to the sea. "Surfing would be really fun."

"We don't have any surfboards... and only you know how to surf," Ruby points out, landing beside her sister. "Wait, have any of you done it?"

Her response is a bunch of shrugs or nos, except for you, "What's surfing?"

"Oh... you know what," Yang's smile grows. "I'll show you! We can go rent some from Vale. It's not like we can't fly," Yang slaps the ball against Ruby's chest, knocking the wind out of the poor young girl and forcing her onto the ground. "(Y/N), come with me! We're going to rent some! Maybe... five of them?"

"I'd love to try it!" Pyrrha nods.

"YEAH! Water skateboarding!" Nora howls.

"You've never done that either," Ren points out, but is ignored by his excited partner.

"Come on, we have to go to Vale!" Yang starts to fly again.

"Okay!" You hop off the sand and soar into the air. "We'll be right back! You should play a round with them, Weiss!"

"Maybe..." The sleepy singer's voice replies.

Without any wasted time, you and Yang take off on a course towards Vale. You follow her speed, not being much faster than an aircraft. You catch up in no time, immediately starting up a conversation.

"Why're we going so slow?"

"Because it's a beautiful day," she extends her arms to display her reasoning. "Why not take a little time to fly through the clouds?"

"Cause people are waiting for us?"

"Bah," Yang waves off. "They'll be fine. We had a good talk with Crystal when you were gone. She's a really nice girl. Cares about you a lot."

"Oh, that's good!" You perk up. "She's been my friend for a long time. I'd be sad if she didn't."

"Have you told her?"

"What? I tell everyone a lot of stuff."

"That you're an alien?"

"Oh..." Your eyes drift down as you think about that a little more. "Well... no... I thought I wouldn't mention it since everyone forgot about the big monkey thing."

"Right..." The flashes of that day come back to Yang. In hindsight, that isn't nearly as scary as the more recent events that have transpired. But in context, watching you transform, kill everyone, nearly kill her... it's a different fear than what Frieza could instill. "But it's still a part of you, right? And a lot of people know now. Wouldn't it be good to tell her?"

"I guess... she has asked about my tail a few times. I just said a Grimm got the drop on me."

"You did just get eaten," Yang playfully points out.

"That was so gross," you shiver in the air. "It was so cold and slimy. So I heated it up!"

"You blew it up!"

"It's the same thing!"

"It's really not," Yang shakes her head, eying Vale's public beach. "We're almost there. We'll just land."

"Ooooooooooh," you sound as if you've connected the dots of the universe.

"What?" Yang asks with a slight chuckle.

"I remember you girls don't like when your skin is showing. I know you punch a lot of guys that look at your pecs," you rapidly tap your own. "Wait, boobs, right! But we're on a beach and everyone will be like that."

"You're a modern-day genius, (Y/N). Never change," she looks at you with a wide, genuine smile.

"Hehe, yeah!"

You and Yang descend upon the beach, having already been spotted by some of those who've been relaxing on this lovely afternoon. Seeing two people spontaneously fly in from above, land, then continue walking and talking like it's a normal occurrence is definitely not a normal occurrence for them. But most of the men, and some of them women, are distracted by the brawler's form in a two-piece, yellow bikini. Then again, you're quite admired by some onlookers as well. With unique hair, pure black eyes, and such a muscular stature, it's just lucky for everyone that you and Yang are 18 now. Lucky for them, at least.

"I've never come to this beach before," you bring up. "There was always this nice little spring by my house. It had a waterfall with a big pond that a ton of fish lived in. I swam there all the time. Never in clothes, though. I have to say, it's still weird being under the water and clothed."

"You have a strange gauge of what's weird," Yang shakes her head, soon turning to a young onlooker and winking. "Was fighting an alien on another planet weird?"

"No, that was fun!"

"Yet bathing suits are strange?"

"Well... yeah. Is it not for you?"

You both reach a large shack with various surf boards on display of various lengths, widths, and patterns. You're immediately distracted from Yang's potential response by the beautiful boards before you.

"Whoa... THESE ARE SO COOL! Yang!" You fly up to one hanging from the ceiling. "This one's orange and blue! Can I use this one?"

"That's a kid's one, (Y/N). Granted, by how you're acting..."

The man "working" at the shack – sitting on a rainbow hamak – lifts his head up to see you floating above him. He has wide, tinted glasses with shaggy blond hair that, from what Yang can tell, is dyed. No shirt, long swim trunks, shell bracelets – Yang can't imagine anything more typical. She'd like to see him surf to clarify whether he's a fake or not. "That's, like... some real enthusiasm. You Huntspeople?"

"Oh, that's a good one," you flip right around, your swim suit nearly drooping to reveal your hidden area. "It's easier than Huntresses and Huntsmen."

"We're actually just hoping for a few surf boards," Yang's eyes catch you pointing up at the orange and blue board, tickling it with your toes. "Boards not for children."

You frown, slowly lowering yourself to the ground and landing on your back, spread eagle on the ground. "I just want the cool board."

"We have one for adults, man, just like that one."

"REALLY?" You instantly are back on your feet.

"Yeah, of course. Orange and blue is a sweet combo."

"YEAH!" You and the lovely man fist bump over this true bro moment.

Yang rolls her eyes, though enjoying the simple happiness of you two. "So we can get some?"

"Yeah... just, uh..." He swoops himself out of the hamak and rolls his shoulders. "How many do you need?"

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Four surfboards is what you and Yang returned with. Not enough for everyone to go at once, but not everyone wanted to in the first place. Jaune and Pyrrha were the first to take to the sea, along with you and Yang.There's just one problem now, something Yang is very vocal about.

"There's no waves..." She states the obvious, looking out to the calm sea.

"WAH!" You shout, followed by a splash.

Pyrrha and Jaune laugh at your silly error. Your head pokes through the water, eyes sad that you failed again.

"You're not supposed to just stand on it," Yang shakes her head. "Come here!"

"I don't wanna leave my board," you grab hold of it.

"Pfft, okay then," Yang floats off her board and picks it up. "Catch!" Yang throws the board like a javelin.

The board plants in the sand, forcing some to erupt on Weiss and Weiss alone, despite her being in the middle of her two teammates. Yang tries to hold in the laughter, especially as the distant bombardment of Weiss can be heard, but she focuses on what's important.

"We're gonna work together on it. Come on, take a seat on it." Yang says while floating over and sitting a little further up so you can take place behind her.

You climb onto the board, straddling it and placing your hands on Yang's shoulders. The cool tingle of your hands touching her skin makes Yang jolt a bit. "Like this?"

"Probably lower. Around my waist."

"Oh, okay!" You scoot closer, wrapping both your arms around her waist and pulling your front against her back.

Jaune and Pyrrha raise a brow at your extreme contact with Yang, especially when you're missing so much clothing. They take a gander at the beach, where Crystal and Ruby are trying to calm down the raging Weiss. All things considered, it's good that Crystal isn't looking.

"Whoa, there, buddy. A little too close, don't you think?" Yang looks over her shoulder, purple eyes locking with yours.

"Not really. Is it?" You innocently tilt your head.

"Heh... maybe another time," she pats your hand. "We can't be so close when surfing... if we even surf..."

"We need waves, right?" You clarify.

"Mhm," she nods.

"Okay, let's get started then!" You slide back and hold your hand out to the side. "HYA!"

You release a simple beam to your right, then curve it around.

"That's a brilliant idea!" Yang's voice is fueled with excitement.

You keep it going forward, then turn it again so the waves will come towards the shore, and more importantly, you. The beam lowers to the water and expands, ensuring the waves are large and rideable.

"Okay!" You stop feeding the blast. "Show me how to surf!"

"You're gonna have to follow my movements," Yang shouts as she prepares herself for the larger than expected wave.

"I can do that!" You nod.

You and Yang start paddling yourselves towards the wave, Pyrrha and Jaune not far behind but rather far away. The intensity of the waves grows every second, along with your excitement. Without saying a word, Yang gets on her feet and you mirror her. You may have no idea what you're doing, but following Yang's movements is extremely easy, especially everything being so slow paced in relation to fighting.

But this... this is a different experience. As you both turn the board and ride the wave, the tunnel forming and water droplets cooling your skin, the colour of the sun shining through the water and illuminating this liquid tunnel... it's all so surreal. Fighting has always been your favourite pastime, the thing that drives you beyond, and while this doesn't meet the level of fun you get from battle, it's certainly an experience you won't easily forget. It infact reminds you of your love for this planet – the people, the animals, nature. It's what makes this planet beautiful. It's what makes you want to grow stronger and protect it.

Your fascination and inner thought take up the entire ride, only coming back when you and Yang ride out of the tunnel and start to slow down.

"So, you got it? Was that fun?"

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Your voice echoes across Patch. "I wanna try again!"

"Then try on your own," she floats off the board and makes way towards the beach. "I'll go grab my board."

"Right!" You nod, shuffling closer to the middle and readying another blast in your hand. "Okay, let's go!" You completely disregard what you just learned, instead standing on the board and using your flying to push the board ahead and extreme speeds.

Yang watches, shaking her head with a smile. "Not what I meant but as long as he's having fun." She stops midair, crossing her arms and watching while you zoom right into a new wave you've created, laughing the entire time from pure enjoyment. Your childlike innocent fun mixed with what she's seen of you. There's a small flutter in her chest as you break through the wave, board in hand and smile gleaming brighter than the sun. You quickly turn around and throw your board far into the ocean, quickly speeding after it while firing a few Ki balls to make more waves.

Pyrrha and Jaune watch from a distance, a little dumbstruck. "He's not making any for us," Jaune sighs.

"He's having fun! I'm sure we could ask!" She keeps her positivity up. "Or maybe we can try and learn to make them on our own," Pyrrha raises her dominant hand, focusing a moment, and creates a small red Ki ball. "I'm sorry, I don't think this will make good waves," she thrusts her hand forward so the ball traverses along the water. It splits the water, but nowhere near as potently as yours did.

"Wha- you can do that!?" Jaune waves his hands. "When? I thought we train together?"

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha rubs the back of her head.

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For over an hour, the gang all manages to keep themselves entertained. You're the only one still surfing, with Ruby, Blake, and Nora just coming back to the shore after taking their turn. Crystal is tanning under the burning sun while Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss, and Jaune play volleyball.

"I'm super hungry," Ruby stretches after planting her board into the ground.

"I think getting out the snacks would be nice," Blake nods. "We could-"

A sharp sense goes through all of RWBY and Ren's heads, making each of them drop what they're doing and turn to a focal point in the sky. Within seconds, Vegeta bursts onto the scene, landing on the shore where the sand and water explode around, landing near some of the exposed teens and tanning, scared Crystal.

The normal girl scurries back, instinctively wanting to go towards you but the stranger is in the way. Her heart races, breaths speed up, as the dust settles and she lays eyes on the Saiyan Prince. He stands in between Remnant's residents and you, eyes focused on the latter.

"Oh... oh, you're one of (Y/N)'s friends," Crystal's hand rests on her heaving chest. She stands up, putting a smile on. "Hi there! Are you joining us? You could... could've been a little less scary."

RWBY can tell that Vegeta isn't in a mood to talk. His intimidating visage, his sharp eyes, everything makes him seem like he wants something bad.

"KAIL!" Vegeta turns towards the ocean.

You stop mid air, mid trick. "Oh, Vegeta," you smile, quickly flying towards the shore and landing across from him. "I was too busy surfing," you chuckle. "You should try it. It's a lot of fun," you extend your arm, offering the board to him.

Vegeta clenches his fists.

"You're going to fight me. Right. Now."

Hello there! Nice to see you all again. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's fun doing this less serious, less arc stuff. Especially with the stuff coming up. I wish I could be putting these chapters out faster, but as I get older it becomes harder to find the time. I could time manage a little better but, hey, we all have things to do. Anyway, again, I hope you had fun reading and look forward to the next one! It already had some good progress on it! See you then!