~ Kairo's Pov... ~
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In my memories, I remembered about the academy...
From what I know, it was just a form of school of sorts on this planet, for children to both grow and learn. However, based on the same memories I have, it's more about fighting than anything else, and that's because most Saiyans are fighters. However, that's all I really knew at the moment.
There could very well be more roles one could choose when they get there, but the role of a warrior was most prevalently chosen.
I turned to her and said: "Oh, right... Thanks mom, I'll bathe, and then leave."
"Alright, hurry, or you'll be late." She said to me.
I nodded and headed off to shower...
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Steam curled around me as the warm water hit my skin. I leaned against the tiled wall, eyes closed, letting all the heat soak into my muscles. I'm glad this hasn't changed from my past life... Even though I'd only been awake for a few minutes, my body still felt heavier than it should be...
That made sense... I practically had a body that didn't really feel like mine. A past I couldn't fully remember, if I'm being honest with myself. And now? I had future that was pulling me toward something quite, violent.
Which of course, made me weirdly happy...
A Fighter. That's what everyone expected of you to be on planet Vegeta. That's what this world molded you into as well.
I stepped out, quickly facing the mirror to the left...
'Ohh... I really do look like the character I've made before I got here, just way younger...'
I had based this character to be modeled after Goku. Of course, I didn't make the exact same character. I had made myself a bit taller, to eventually be around 185 cm, and my hair remained black, and was spikier upwards, whilst being slightly wilder. The facial features weren't much of an issue for me, I left that more or less the exact same as Goku's, since most low-class Saiyans had looked the same, maybe a few tweaks here and there...
I dried myself off and took up my battle armour and quickly got dressed. Interestingly enough, my armor felt extremely snug, like it had been waiting for me. My tail twitched slightly at my side, adjusting itself without thought. It was strange how natural all this felt, even if part of me still annoyed how foreign it actually was.
I left the shower, I felt a familiar presence...
Mom, she had waited near the door. She didn't say anything. Just looked at me with eyes that seemed proud...
'Looks like I've gotten myself a decent parent... It's just a shame that I didn't have a father figure.'
"I'll be back." I told her.
She nodded at me: "Of course you will, you're my son after all."
'I guess I am...'
"Alright mom, see you." I told her, running off towards the academy.
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The closer I got, the louder the noise became. Shouting, clashing, even the sound of energy blasts going off. The academy looked less like an actual school, and more like a military training compound. Massive metallic walls surrounded the perimeter, reinforced with some kind of dark alloy...
Kids my age, maybe even younger, were already sparring in the open courtyard like it was life or death.
Some had scouters on. Some didn't. Most had the same standard-issue armor I wore, though a few already had what seemed like personal modifications... Things like Scars, scratches, or added plating. It gave off a kind of unspoken message, saying, I've been through shit, and I'm still standing.
I stopped at the gate. A tall Saiyan woman with crossed arms stood beside it, her scouter already beeping as she looked at me.
"Name." She said flatly.
"It's Kairo." I replied.
She narrowed her eyes at me the moment I said my name, and she tapped her tablet once more, then smiled, saying: "You're Kaina's son...? A Low-Class...? New as well... Alright, you can enter."
That honestly stung a little, but I didn't say anything... I just walked in.
Inside, the chaos had some structure. Sparring rings were lined up side by side. Blunted weapons stacked neatly in racks along one wall. Some other instructors shouted commands over all the noise...
One of them, being a broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar across his chin, watched me as I stepped in... His scouter shone once, then he waved me over;
"You. Kairo right? You're in... Squad 8... See that little girl over there?" He said, pointing.
I followed his gaze to a short girl with spiky red hair tied up in a knot. She was sitting with her arms crossed, already watching me like she was sizing me up;
"That's your squad lead... A word of advice, don't piss her off." He warned me.
"...Got it." I said. I'm a bit more surprised about how they were talking to an 8 year old kid like this.
As I walked over, I could feel eyes on me... Some indifferent. Some curious. Others just flat-out hostile. They weren't even hiding it. Warrior kids I guess.
This just told me that this place, wasn't just a school.
It was a miniature battlefield...
I slowly walked up to her, trying not to make it weird. She didn't even stand when I stopped in front of her. She just looked me up and down with those sharp, brownish-crimson eyes.
Characteristics that were rare from what I knew. Most Saiyans had the usual black hair and black eyes...
"So… you're Kaina's son?" She asked, voice clearly hostile...
I nodded, saying: "Yeah..?"
She scoffed, clearly unimpressed: "Tch* Thought you'd be taller, or stronger... Or both..."
I narrowed my eyes slightly: "And you are…?"
"Aka." She said, continuing: "I'm squad Eight's lead... Which means I get to clean up after you when you screw up. Lucky me."
Quite charming, aren't you.
She stood now, arms still crossed as she stepped closer: "Tch* I can't believe Kaina birthed someone with a Low-Class reading... That woman was a Super-Elite. One of the best we ever had. And then you show up. With that scouter reading?"
Yeah. That stung. But, I saw it coming...
I sighed: "Yeah, I know. She was one of the highest-rated combatants in the empire... Super-elite. I get it. It doesn't mean much now, does it?"
She didn't answer me. She just stared like she was trying to figure out how much disappointment she could pack into a single expression... How is this a child exactly?
I already knew how this place worked. The moment I stepped off the pod, I felt the old weight settle on my shoulders...
Low-Class. The bottom rung of the Saiyan food chain.
It wasn't just a label-it was practically a leash, and the limit for a Saiyan.
Mid-Class? They got basic respect... High-Class? They were trusted with high command and were well respected as well. Elites? They got front-line honors, and backup if they needed it.
But Super-Elites like my mom? They were essentially untouchable. Legends. People will whisper her name even years after she vanished. That kind of treatment. She was also one of , if not the strongest female warriors on the planet as well...
And me...?
I got shoved into the same dirt as every other kid who couldn't blast a boulder at age six...
I evenly met Aka's gaze: "Listen, I get it... But, I didn't choose my power-level at birth" I said: "But I'm not here to match her legacy." I told her blatantly
"No?" She asked me: "Then why are you here?"
I clenched my fists: "To break it." I honestly did. Before I got here, I originally planned to become the strongest in this universe, or even multiverse. And that plan hasn't changed.
That response had gotten a reaction out of her. Barely. Her brow twitched a bit, just a little...
She scoffed, just enough to show a canine: "...We'll see how long you last, Low-Class." Then she turned and walked toward the rest of the squad like I was already yesterday's problem.
I watched her go...
I sighed: 'Well... Welcome to the bottom of the barrel, Kairo.'
Still, I'm surprised... When exactly did they set-up squads and choose leaders? Didn't school just begin?
'You know what... It doesn't even matter.'
I walked over to what seemed like the rest of my future squad members were. There were 5 of us, including myself. three girls, and two boys...
As I joined the others, I felt their eyes slide over me. A few looked away, uninterested. One boy squinted at me like he was trying to measure if I was worth even speaking to. The tallest girl just rolled her shoulders and went back to stretching.
So, no warm welcomes. Not that I expected one.
I sat down without saying anything. No point in forcing conversation that wouldn't stick. I could feel it already—the unspoken pecking order. And right now? I was at the bottom.
Aka stood a few meters away, arms still crossed. She was probably waiting for something.
Then, a siren blared. Loud. Sharp. Annoying. A loud voice echoed across the courtyard from a mounted speaker;
All squads report to your designated zones for preliminary assessment. Repeat: All squads report to your designated zones for preliminary assessment.
Aka turned, barking: "Squad Eight! Get moving!"
Everyone around me moved with the same instinct... They were quick, direct, and silent. No hesitation.
Saiyans didn't do warm-ups. They got tossed in and expected to swim, or probably die trying...
As we walked, I leaned toward the girl beside me. She was a bit shorter, dark-haired, and had a small scar over her right eyebrow.
"How long've squads been assigned?" I asked quietly.
She gave me a sidelong look, then shrugged: "Since 2 weeks ago. So you're the last one."
'So they did start without me.' That wasn't good, a entire 2 week head start?
"And these assessments...?" I asked again.
She cracked her neck a bit before saying: "They fight us against each other. Then against instructors. If you do well enough, you pass."
'I see...'
We finally arrived at a large circular platform, our testing zone. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, and faint scorch marks told the story of past beatdowns...
The instructor from earlier stepped up. Scar-chin guy.
"Listen up, brats!" he barked: "This assessment determines how you're ranked within your squads, and across the academy as well... Don't hold back. No one's dying today... probably."
A few kids laughed at that. Most didn't.
Then, he pointed at me...
"You and you. Step up."
His finger landed on me... and Aka?
'Perfect.' I thought.
I could see Aka smirking, already stepping forward;
"I Hope you're ready to eat dirt, Low-Class."
I walked forward too, jaw tight...
Nexus chimed softly in my head:
[Host. Caution is heavily advised. Power differential favors opponent...]
'Noted... How high is her power level exactly?'
I couldn't be that high, right...?
[...Approximately: 753]
'You've got to be kidding me! Okay, so winning definitely isn't an option here realistically.'
But, I wasn't planning to win...
I was planning to survive, and learn.
Still;
'I just know this is gonna hurt.'