“Ok, so... I've got something nice for you ! I think... But, first... Here's how my personal training went !” Sala said as soon as their ship left the planet's orbit. She was talking while tapping a few keys on the on-board computer, probably the coordinates to their next destination. “I landed on a pretty advanced world...” She paused and amended : “Actually, it was crazy advanced ! I think it's because they used science and magic in concert... They could do things you wouldn't believe ! For seven months I was in a kind of... school, there. Since they looked pretty much like me, I blended in easy enough. Except for my clothes at first. Since they gave me a few looks, I decided it was the first thing I needed to change... But it was expected. Anyway, the first reason I chose the place was because the data given by the sacred dragon assured me they were like me in appearance. The second was... It was a world fraught with some of the best crafters in the universe : enchanters, manasmiths, Arcanic jewelers, tailors... Not to mention their advancement in technology... or technomancy, rather ! Needless to say it was hard for me to join those kind of schools, but I managed... For seven months, I learned everything I could in the library and classes. I asked many questions and experimented a lot. I've even come close to figuring out a way for me to gather mana without the bothersome meditation ! The reason I left was that... they'd found the ship. I figured it was only a matter of time before they caught up to me so... I grabbed everything I could and ran to the ship. It was a bit of a hassle to get on board, let me tell ya !”

Avo asked seriously :

“What do you mean you grabbed everything you could?”

She snickered an answer :

“My school gives each student some kind of... computer and a way to transfer data. This way, they can access the school's (and library's) network. During my stay, I used it to download every books I found interesting. It was easier to carry than physical books, anyway... However, when I decided it was time to bail, I thought of you and your love of fashion.” Now, she was mocking him... Him ? Interested in fashion ? Hardly ! As he grunted, she raised her hands to placate him and explained : “Calm down ! I'm joking ! The reason I grabbed everything I could on their manufacture of textiles is because I know you ! Ever since we first met, you never set foot on a hovercar, a plane or even a bicycle ! I'm even surprised you lived in your home after you learned it was a spaceship.”

“And ?”

“Well, I had projects. I wanted to make some magical armors inspired by some of the designs I saw and I knew you would never wear those ! But I also knew you'd need protection... Although it's not as good as what I'll make, some of their clothes offer a pretty decent one ! Now you just have to learn how to make it. Unless you don't want to ?”

Avo thought about it for a moment. When he left the planet its inhabitants lovingly called Inferrock, his master basically told him to broaden his magical horizons... To be a true wizard, he had to keep on learning, work on applying new knowledge to his older one and so on... He supposed that finding out how to weave enchanted cloths was knowledge. And, who knows ? Maybe it could be useful...

A moment of silence fell, during which Avo was handed the books from Sala's capsule. When it seemed the namekian was just going to read in silence for who knew how long, the woman prodded him :

“So, that was my journey... What about yours ?”

Without moving his eyes from the first book, he laconically related :

“My master beat the magic into me. It was effective, if rather brutal...”

Another silence.

“That's it ?” Sala bursted when it became clear he wasn't gonna say anything more about it.

“If you want details, I improved by leaps and bounds my healing and nature magics, learned some concepts of shamanism and mastered my shape-shifting nature as well as mental abilities.”

“I understood... the first two.” Suddenly, a look of realization changed her confused expression to an eager one : “You can shape-shift ?” A frown. “I have no idea what shamanism is or what you mean by mental abilities...”

“Yes, I can.” Avo said matter-of-factly. “Most namekians can to some extent... A big part of my training was focused on understanding how to operate mana on my own body, to urge my body's cells and organs to change. Shamanism is basically the practice of witchcraft... rituals, the knowledge of materials effects and their uses, the brewing of potions and carving of idols. Then, there's mental magic... Although considering the use, it's more about raw mental power than true magic. I can move things with my mind, read others and talk to them or create illusions... There are probably a few others applications but right now, I mostly know how to force my will on others.”

Sala covered her ears as if it would protect her from his intrusions.

“You can read minds... Damn, this is creepy ! Got to find a way to protect myself...”

The Battle Mage smiled and tried to reassure her :

“I wouldn't use it on you. Except maybe to communicate... Oh ! And practice. I have an ability who can enable me to create a dreamscape and practice magic there. Without using mana. However, yes ! You should find a way to protect yourself if you ever encounter another person who can do this.”

“A dreamscape, you said ?” Sala dropped her hands slowly. “How would that work exactly ? Like the real world ? If I could work on my projects in my head – or yours – with realism, I could save up some valuable resources... Experiment on my plans and projects, diminish my failures until I can get it right. If I can get it right...”

Avo thought for a moment. Then, he explained :

“Maybe... We'll have to try.” The woman probably wanted him to create the valuable resourcesinside his dreamscape so she could study and use them. The problem was, he wasn't sure how it was supposed to work... Basically, their environment would come from both their minds, which meant that her knowledge of the items would be contained in their dream. Would it react in the same way inside their heads and outside ? There was no way to know for now...

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A more comfortable silence settled as they both decided to get to work. Avo was reading through instruction manuals written by tailors and leatherworkers. During his training, he often saw his people materialize clothes from thin air. He probably could have learn it too, or at least asked which school of magic this spell was coming from. The problem was, he wasn't really interested. Apparently, they could (to some extent) make those clothes heavy for training or shock absorbent for combat... However, the effects were rather limited. On the other hand, these manuals detailed the properties of a number of fabrics ranging from the aforementioned to the ones that could protect from magical attacks, whose enchantment could hold better and longer, could help hide his mana, gather it or increase his control on it or its power.

Then, there were the manuals to teach how to tailor and work on leather. He read on, realizing that he'd need tools and machines if he truly wanted to learn these crafts. While flipping a page, he asked his friend :

“Did you read these ? Because it says I won't be able to do a good job without a few things first. Oh ! And I forgot to ask but... Where are we headed ?”

Sala smirked, obviously pleased that he finally asked the question she was waiting for :

“I've bought a few tools but you'll have to wait for the machines. I haven't worked on it, yet... And we're going to... Bassiglio. Apparently, they have an advanced school mainly focused in energy manipulation and emission-based spells. I bet we'll learn how to kick ass from a distance ! If we manage to enter that is...”

“Why wouldn't we be able to ?”

“According to my teachers, it's a military school. And their entrance exam can be... uncivilized. It's supposed to be a tournament where you prove what you know about magic and how strong you can be by bashing your opponents faces in. We have to reach the top 32 to be sure we're admitted.”

Avo turned his head at her, smiling a vicious smile. He uttered :

“Now, this seems fun !”

For the good part of eight months on Inferrock, Avo was beat up every day, almost all hours of it. Although his anger at his people had subsided, he still felt a pent-up frustration. This tournament seemed like a good way to (finally!) lash out. Sala frowned when she saw his hungry expression. Ever since she landed, the woman didn't recognize her friend and that wasn't only because he was in the midst of a few dozen people just like him... His atmosphere had changed, as well as his personality. From what she read in books and saw on TV, Avo felt like a soldier, right now... Battle-ready and maybe a bit bloodthirsty. She didn't really know how to feel about it...

On the one hand, it felt somehow reassuring to journey into the unknown with this new and improved Avo. On the other, she kind of missed the curious namekian from when they were kids. Still, she supposed he still was curious, given how he read those books...

When he took out corpses from his bag, however, she had to stop him :

“What the hell are you doing ? And do you have capsules in this bag ?”

“Well...” He had the good sense to show embarrassment after he said : “I was gonna practice skinning those beasts... I see now this was not well thought-out... The bag was a gift from my master after I survived in the wilderness for fours days. No, there's no capsule inside... The bag is the capsule ! It's enchanted !”

“No way ! Can I take a look at it ?” she exclaimed, a little too eager for Avo's taste. He'd already often seen her this way as she was about to take apart some piece of tech... Generally, it ended with the object in shambles and her getting angry because she couldn't put it back together again... Needless to say he feared for his precious bag !

“Y-you... you have your own project to work on ! You can't waste time on something else, otherwise, you won't be ready for the tournament !”

Immediately, she prepared to retort until... she realized he was right. Despite the fact that it was obviously a ploy on the namekian's part. Still, she felt good to see him squirm for once ! Usually, she was made a fool out of or something... get embarrassed. It was a nice change of pace... Especially since he was often involved in those cases in some way !

Sala resumed working on her blueprints. The fights for the tournament would be one on one... The woman had no experience fighting, couldn't ask for Avo's help during her battles nor any other potential allies. So, she had to improvise ! There was no rule limiting equipment, that was a plus ! However, there was one on the use of drugs... Thankfully, she'd never use those. Sala preferred to use her brains to get herself out of a shitty situation. In her eyes, under pressure was when she did her best work !

It took their ship two weeks to reach its destination : a tiny moon orbiting around a massive gaseous planet. Before entering the atmosphere, the duo took the time to admire the next stage of their journey. Through the giant window and despite the thousands of kilometers still separating them from the surface, they could see the lights of civilization covering it, like tiny fireflies on the windshield...

In the seat his elbow rested on the back off, Avo could feel a nervous excitement coming off of Sala. She was shaking, the glint of her eyes a testament to her enthusiasm. Their time had been limited, yet she was confident of her creation. Still, she wished for more time and hoped the entrance exam wouldn't be for another week or two...

Avo echoed her worries :

“You know... I'm not sure your... armor is finished. It barely covers your vitals... If it really is a military school of sorts, they probably know to aim for those, right ?”

“Shut up, Avo ! You're ruining my confidence.” She sighed and looked at the capsule in her hand again. She clutched it and nodded, a determined look on her face. “I'll continue working on it if I have the time... Otherwise, it'll have to do.”

Avo proposed an alternative :

“Or... I could go alone. When I come back, I can just connect with your mind and transfer everything I learned to you.”

“First... Ew ! Last time we did that, it was... unpleasant.” Her exact words at the time were 'It's like your mind poured mud in my brains'... How she knew what such a peculiar situation felt like was a mystery in itself. “Secondly : we don't have the same interests at all ! I want to join their magic engineering department and you'll probably just want to learn how to launch energy beams from your eyes or something...” She sighed again and declared : “No ! I have to earn my own place. Especially with the threats out there in the universe... With what Buu and Babidi did to Earth (and me !) I want to know how to defend myself !” She tapped the capsule with her fingers and raised it to him : “This is how! I'm a tech-nerd and a thief. I have to play on my strengths ! Just like you have to play on yours !”

A little while after the erasure, Sala had forgotten everything about Buu (like it never happened) and Avo had to explain it to her again. Thankfully, given the fact that she hung around with a green guy with antennae who could fly as easily as she ran, she believed him. It was a year prior their search of the Dragon Balls... He figured it was better she (or any human) didn't remember what happened so he didn't really mind it. But his resolve to grow stronger had been contagious, as was the feeling of powerlessness and the knowledge that she died without being able to do anything...

As they gazed upon the moon with seriousness, the two friends prepared themselves mentally for what was to come...