Young Writers Society

Contained herein is an account of our heroes' lives as they were beyond the Academy. You may find these concepts or scenes dark and/or difficult to witness.

Prologues, flashbacks, setups for inner conflict! You'll find it all right here...but try not to mess up our theater floor with your tears and snot. It's uncouth.

-ACADEMANIA PRODUCTION TEAM

Up until the incessant beeping and flickering lights, it had been a blissfully peaceful slumber. She rubbed her eyes and picked up the scouter from her bedside table. It was receiving an incoming call. She quickly covered it up to stifle the noise, concerned that it would awaken Noion - but then she noticed his bed was empty. He was probably at another late-night meeting with the other Saiyan men.

Half-asleep, she almost answered the scouter. Almost. She pulled her hand away as the fogginess in her mind dissipated. She lived on a small space colony with about ten other people, who would simply seek one another out face-to-face if they had a message for one another. So… who would be calling her scouter?

A few more seconds passed. The call didn't stop. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her - she placed the scouter over her left eye and tapped the call button.
"I don't know who this is, but is there a reason this couldn't wait until morning?"
"Ah. I apologise if I've contacted you at an inopportune time. We are likely in different time zones, due to -"
"Wait. Wait a second. You're not calling from within the station?" Her tone grew sharper. "Who is this?!"
"My name is - well, call me Slade for now. I'm calling on behalf of the Academy for Heroes-in-Training."
… The hell is that?
"We are located in a pocket dimension, removed from the normal bounds of space-time, and we've observed your situation for the past week - not in a sinister way, I assure you…"
"It certainly sounds like it," she muttered drily.
"... anyway, we would like to make an offer. There is a free slot in this year's class and -"
"I am an accomplished, top-tier Saiyan fighter. What do you think this Academy of yours could possibly offer me?"
"Ahahaha… no, you misunderstand me. We want to offer this position to your daughter."

Chikori blinked. "Spinacia?"
"That's right."
"But she…" Chikori narrowed her eyes as she spoke. "What do you want with my daughter?"
"Simply, to teach her. To train her. To add her considerable ability to our own, even temporarily. I don't mind telling you that this would benefit us as much as it would you - or perhaps more so?"
"You understand that her power level is… below average?"
"Mmm… we at the Academy don't put so much stock in reducing someone's power to mere numbers. And in any case, I and a few other staff members don't believe Spinacia's fullest potential has been reached. Which, again, is partly why we are offering her this opportunity."
Chikori thought about this. "I would have to discuss it with my husband - will that be a problem? It might take me a moment to find -"
"Actually, I would prefer that you went to him. He's in…" There was a pause. "… the meeting hall. With two others."
"You can see - ?"
"Quickly, now. You're going to want to hear what he's saying."

Really quite unnerved now, Chikori made her way out of her sleeping quarters and towards the meeting hall - but, instinctively, she stopped outside the door and listened in.
"… so it's decided." Noion’s voice echoed across the room - he must be at the head of the table, at the other end of the hall. "When I am no longer fit to lead this Saiyan contingent…"
"Kuress will take your place."
That’s Keppa's voice - wait. What did he say? He wants his son Kuress to take over from Noion - Spinacia should be next in line for that position…
"Which means that something will have to be done about your girl, Master Noion," Keppa continued. Noion merely grunted. Chikori cracked the door open at this point, just a smidge, so that she could see the men gathered around Noion.

"S-sir, if I may," said the man to Noion's left. Tillen. "I don't understand why that's necessary."
He went quiet for a second - the other Saiyans were glowering at him.
"Well… with no disrespect, Master Noion, we're talking about the leader of a colony, not a monarchy. There's no blood relationship to cater to. You could name Kuress as your successor without… you can name him as your successor and leave young Spinacia out of it. Let's face it, even if she disagrees with the decision, she lacks the strength to oppose you -"

"I could do that."
Noion’s voice was ice-cold. Tillen stopped abruptly.
"But then," Noion continued, "that slap in the face to my DNA would still be running around."
There was an uncomfortable silence. He can't possibly be saying what I think he is! Chikori thought furiously, fists clenched.
"You're wrong about one thing, Tillen - there is a blood relationship to worry about." Noion looked up and glared at Tillen, right in the eye. "Mine."

He closed his eyes. "I don't care about the purity of King Vegeta, Prince Vegeta, or any of the royal family. I care about the purity of my family. You've all seen how that little runt performs in the training room… she is an insult to my legacy. The reason I'm brokering this little arrangement with Keppa in the first place is so that she can be... removed."

Keppa spoke up again. "And it is greatly appreciated, Master Noion. But if that's the case, why is the girl still alive to this day?"
Noion snorted and glanced at Keppa. "My wife. She's a fine warrior, but a sentimental idiot. She's developed an attachment to the girl. I was tempted, many times, to do it anyway - against her will - but… have any of you seen Chikori when she's angry?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"I advise you to keep it that way. This operation will need to be executed with great finesse - the girl must seem to vanish entirely. There must be no body, no witnesses and no suspects. And if you have a problem with that, Tillen," he added, the coldness returning to his voice, "by all means, you're welcome to join the child."
He yawned. "But we have all the time in the world to make plans. I need to shower, then I'll be going to bed. Dismissed."

Chikori moved quickly as the men shuffled towards the exit, and made her way back to her bedroom. She had some time - Noion was going to shower, and he often spent upwards of thirty minutes in there. Still, she had to act fast.

"Are you still there, Mr. Slade?"
"I am. You heard everything, I think?"
"You said this Academy was located in a pocket dimension, didn't you? So those brutes couldn't get at her if she was there."
"Unless they had the necessary technology. Or some sort of magic. But as far as we can tell the only methods of interdimensional travel in your world are outside their reach."
"Good. Then you have my answer."
"I should make it clear that we can't make an absolute guarantee for Spinacia's safety even if she enrols. She'll be among other youths with all kinds of abilities, and will be sent on frequent missions to other universes…"
Chikori shook her head. "Safer than here, Mr. Slade, safer than here. How soon can you take her in?"



Up until the incessant shaking and whispering, it had been a blissfully peaceful slumber. Spinacia rubbed her eyes and looked up. Her mother's blurry face slowly came into focus.
"Wake up, dear."
"Wha- Mother? It's so early…"
"I know. Get dressed, and I'll explain. Here, you should wear this. Make a good first impression and all."
Spinacia struggled into the too-small Saiyan armour. Ironic that she's considered a "runt", when she's taller than half of the people on board, Chikori said to herself.

"So… this 'Academy' wants to train me?" Spinacia said uncertainly. "But I can train here, with the other fighters. And what if Fa… if Master Noion needs me here, for any reason?"
For just a split second her mother seemed to freeze at these words… but then she continued stuffing clothes into the bag she was holding.
"Your father," she said, "will be fine. He'll barely notice you're gone. Mr. Slade told me the Academy's training facilities are state-of-the-art, and they even have a gravity chamber. That ought to be useful for your training, wouldn't you agree?"
"That does sound good," Spinacia admitted.
"And you'll be attending with a group of young people around your own age. That must sound better than being around all those stuffy old Saiyan men, mustn't it?"
Spinacia shrugged. "If these other kids aren't Saiyans, what's the point?"

Inwardly, Chikori almost agreed with that statement - years of Saiyan self-satisfaction were clouding her thoughts. But not half an hour ago she'd heard first-hand how Saiyans could be just as sickeningly savage as any other people…

Half an hour. Why did that seem - oh, no. How long has Noion been in the shower?! There was no telling what would happen if Noion learned about Chikori's plan, or about the Academy.
"Spinacia, dear, I don't mean to be rude, but we need to get the lead out!"
"What? Why?"
"Because…" Because the father you hero-worship is going to murder you.
"… because the Academy needs you to enrol as soon as possible. Actually, they're closing enrolments within the hour. We've got to go now."
"Wow. Uh, okay, I guess I'm in! Let's go."
Good. Because I wasn't really giving you the choice, dear.

"Mr. Slade? We're ready."
"Excellent. Stand perfectly still."
Chikori saw the handle of the bedroom door move as a bright blue portal opened in front of them - she put her hand on her daughter's back and pushed her forward, stepping in after her. Glancing back at Spinacia's messy room and all the missing clothing, one last thought crossed her mind before she found herself on the concrete outer path of the Academy:
I'm going to have a lot of covering-up to do.