7th Taunt | Video/Action

[misterbrief]

Video:

[Hey, look, he's back with another subject that he's getting real sick and tired of explaining to people. That and after all the crap that's happened to him in the past few months, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let people know, especially after a conversation he had with Cliff recently.]

Now I'm only going to explain this to the lot of you once. Now watch.

[He's out next to a sheer cliff, at the base of the mountain range. The camera is set on top of another rock, as to show the Saiyan Prince with his hand raised and aiming toward the rock wall- and as soon as it's raised, a blast of energy decimates the wall with a loud boom, leaving it as a rocky heap, the dust slowly settling. Vegeta hasn't flinched, and is coming back to pick up his journal again. This may also give away exactly who was responsible for all those explosions that were heard from last week, if people are smart enough to put two and two together.]

Now, with enough diligent training and meditation, which you should be doing anyway, any of you can do that. It's a simple matter of controlling your energy, but if you're not physically fit enough you're not going to be able to do it. In fact, I'd be surprised if even one percent of you manage to be able to achieve even a fraction of the same destructive force I possess. Either way, that might be something you'll all want to start aiming for. And if you're too weak to fight? Fix it.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not looking to pick up students. But if you think you can handle it? Then come find me. We'll see what you're made of.


Private to Firo:

Boy, you've stayed hidden long enough. I've got someone for you to meet.

Private to Cliff:

I do believe you and I have things to discuss yet. I'll not have you jumping me anymore with those pathetic attacks of yours, we're fixing that.

Private to Saori:

If you want to see how it's done, I'll be in the Battle Dome the rest of the day. Don't be late.



Action:

[As promised, he'll be at the Battle Dome if anyone decides to try to seek him out. He'll be actually in a chamber, training in a complete power suppressed simulation, working on his battōjutsu that he's taken up learning. Otherwise, those who know where to find him at home can find him at House 29.]

Comments

[aerialassault]

Hmf. Figures you were.

[He wasn't surprised by the admission in the least. He had expected it, but he didn't think there was anything particularly special about his style. There were other, better fighters than him to learn from. Cliff just had the advantage of being strong and unconventional.]

[misterbrief]

So, throwing in the towel then? Because I've got a few things that might be in your interest, unless I've beaten you to a pulp so badly that you have to quit.

[He'll push that button, yep.]

[aerialassault]

[Button: Pushed.

Cliff narrowed his eyes and stared sharply at the man.]

You trying to say something?

[misterbrief]

[He shrugs. Cliff said he wasn't done.]

I'm just calling it as I see it. Now we can either continue or I can show you a thing or two. Choose.

[aerialassault]

[He hissed out a sharp breath and averted his gaze, bringing that hand up to his head again in an attempt to soothe the throbbing ache that remained in the wake of the adrenaline rush. Cliff wanted to continue, but he gave in to reason.

A Klausian couldn't take a Saiyan, after all.]

Just shoot. I'm not gonna leave here with nothing.

[misterbrief]

Glad you saw it my way. Now, remember back several months ago we discussed my showing you how to do more with that ki of yours? Well, I think your little cry about cheating with ranged techniques can be quelled. I'm going to show you how to do it.

[aerialassault]

...

[Cliff stared at Vegeta as he spoke, listening to the man speak through the filters of his own training and his ego.]

Oh, I remember alright. I still dunno how that's gonna work though.

[misterbrief]

Oh, I do. It's simple. You've already gotten past the hard part as it is. [The Sphere of Might already proved that much.]

Think you can handle it?

[aerialassault]

Think?

[It was a challenge, and Vegeta seemed to enjoy kicking Cliff's ego. There were few aspects of himself that Cliff held on to, but among them was his pride. He had enough of it to not be insulted by minor slights, but Vegeta had already kicked it over once that afternoon.

Cliff placed his hands on his hips.]

Is that even a question here?

[misterbrief]

Just making sure, you know. [Provoking Cliff was slowly becoming one of his favorite things to do if the circumstances called for it. He never thought he'd have this much fun teaching someone. Clearly, he's a natural. Right.]

Alright, remember that little stunt you pulled with that energy ball you tried hitting me with? Do that again. Now.

[aerialassault]

[Just. More staring.]

Really? C'mon, that's a beginner's move. All flash, nothing like the boom with the others.

[misterbrief]

Did I tell you to stand there and question me? Go on, get on with it.

[His arms are folded, and his finger is slowly starting to tap in impatience.]

[aerialassault]

[So. Not. Impressed.

And wearing low. He wanted nothing more than to kick his feet up and eat a few burgers, followed by a long shower and a tumble into his heavy comforters, but he had a hunch that Vegeta would just hurl him into the wall again if he tried to duck out. He huffed in annoyance and stepped back into a fighting stance.]

Alright, fine.

sheesh...

[He took a breath and focused, calling his ki forth into a short, controlled burst. He didn't care to maintain the pressure for any longer than he would have in practical use.]

[misterbrief]

Alright. Now compress that to about this small. [He holds up an orb of his own energy between his hands.] But you've got to keep the same amount of power, just smaller. And hold it there, don't let it fade until I say so.

[aerialassault]

[A look.

Sighing, Cliff maintained the flow and steadied his breathing as he quietly narrowed his focus on the energy itself. He pushed through the pain that pulled at his muscles as he moved and condensed the crackling energy between his hands, until it was in a smaller, more manageable form. The orb pulsed and flared as his attention split off, but it wasn't out of control.

It was a smoother trick. He simply wasn't used to going this slow or maintaining it for this long.]

[misterbrief]

Now put even more power than that into it. All you've got. But keep it steady, or else that's not going to be good for you, after all. [He's confident he can handle any blast that goes out of control from Cliff. He's been hit with things much harder.]

[aerialassault]

Hah!

[A short laugh. He funneled more power into it, further destabilizing it with the added pressure. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus on containing the energy.

Power didn't mean control. It was lesson one of any athletic skill being tried for the first time. A fledgling runner could burn be burnt out by a sprint if care wasn't taken. A fighter could break an arm-- or worse.

Cliff grinned when he finally managed to find a balance of stability, although it wasn't as condensed as Vegeta's.]

Ain't gonna be good, huh? You've never had to fight Mirage.

[misterbrief]

Concentrate now. Use that control and push it out from your hands into a beam at the wall. [Good, his energy might be enough to actually blast something.]

Besides, I'm not scared of your girlfriend. [See if Cliff can focus after that.]

[aerialassault]

[Nope!]

What? She's not--

[concentration: broke.

The barely contained energy crackled and expanded. Cliff barely had time to swear and lift his arms to guard himself before it exploded.]

[misterbrief]

[He's got to lift his own arm up to shield himself, though nonetheless...that was pretty funny. It might of been a little counterproductive to what they were doing, but he got the desired effect- and it was totally worth it to see his energy blow up right in his face.]



Heheheheh. [He has to chuckle softly to himself, it was too rich.] I didn't tell you to lose your head, I told you to blast the wall. Now do it again.

[aerialassault]

[He hates you, Vegeta.

He hates you so bad right now because he knows that you're right.

That doesn't calm him down any.]

Dammit! Can't ya let a guy catch his breath?

[But he's doing it again, funneling that frustration and that power together into yet another sizzling ball.]

[misterbrief]

[Hey, he's just having fun because it's great to know how to rub his friends the wrong way. Looking on, he waits for Cliff to finish readying his own power- and when he feels like it's at the right magnitude, he'll speak again.]

Make sure you've got full control, and try blasting the wall this time instead of yourself! Focus it into a beam, got it?

[aerialassault]

A beam?!

[Like that immense blast he had witnessed back on TERRACE, the one that he and Vegeta had discussed as part of their deal. The Old Man who taught him his skills could do something similar-- but, he had only seen it once or twice.

Not even Mirage could do it, and he was by no means his master's most brilliant student.]

I'm not even used to maintaining it this long.

[His tone was an irritated growl. Every once in a while, just for the sake of practice, he made a stab at it. But he had never done so in practical use.]

[misterbrief]

Yes, a beam. Just like what I do. I've already told you that you've accomplished the hard part. Now put that control to use and force it out into a destructive force against that wall. I don't want to hear any excuses, including your inability to maintain your energy outside of your body for any length of time.

[He holds his own hand up, and blasts the wall himself. There was no ramp up time, no charging, just a hand and then an energy blast exploding suddenly against it.] Like that. Now quit your jabbering and get to it.

[aerialassault]

[Melee vs. range. It was completely counterintuitive to a man whose spent a lifetime mastering the art of knocking heads with both words and fists. It was another wall for him, like the one he had hit with his work in helping Fayt.

He would ask Maria. He would ask Mirage. Hell, he would ask Nel if she were willing, but Runology was completely different from anything like this. Maria and Mirage weren't here.

Gritting his teeth, Cliff forced his tired mind to focus and the swirling sphere to stabilize. Another breath, and he managed to condense it to a manageable size.

Barely.

The next step was harder. A beam.

A beam.

Brick. Wall.]

Gah! Forget this!

[Cliff hurled the ball into the adjacent wall at full force in his frustration, tearing throw layers of metal and wiring just to make his point.

It would grow back.]