Thread: True Grave's fanfiction "Z-Academy First Year"

Ting Shu Min 1 August 18 Ting screamed as he bolted up out of his bed. Sweat was running down his face in the climate-controlled room, and there were raised goosebumps on his skin. His heart was racing, making it hard for him to breathe. As his mind whirled, one image remained front and center in his mind. It was of a man, an evil man of great size and terrible power. Broly... was all he could say between breaths. These dreams had not started recently. He had dreamed of this destructive giant since he was a baby. That was long before he knew his name, and had called him 'scary man' for most of his life. Everything about him was horrible, from his grotesquely huge muscles to his mocking laughter and pupil-less eyes. His power was exactly the same as the heroes of old, being able to use the Ki in his body. In fact, his power was so great that it caused catastrophic destruction wherever he went. Ting had been tired of having nothing to understand this sleep demon, so he went to the Hercule City Public Library. In the old archives were film and records of alien invasions, and he had found a picture that exactly matched the appearance of his night tormentor. Further research on the picture finally led to him being able to put a name to him, Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan. His terrible wrath and fighting prowess had proved almost unstoppable even to the mighty Z-Fighters, but they had stopped him in the past. Broly was dead, had been for centuries, but the ghost of his memory lingered in the depths of his soul. He could not find any record to substantiate any kind of relation, so he wondered how this ancient evil was showing up in a mind that he had never known or been connected to. But, the scary part was that the connection was not as tenuous as he had hoped. In his dream, Broly had a giant green blast resembling a football that he would toss at opponents and cause it to explode. To his horror, Ting found himself able to do the exact same thing, though far from being on the same scale as Broly. Being Chinese, he had knowledge of the spirit realm that was passed down for generations, but this was phenomenal. Despite his fears, his family insisted that he attend the Z-Academy and learn to harness his gifts. Ting wanted nothing to do with the place, but was loathe to disappoint his family. Just two days prior, he had been through an audition of sorts in front of the school's Grandmaster, Hinoki. His demonstration of his Shining Bomb technique had blown down a clump of trees with surprising force. That, on top of his impressive Kung Fu abilities, made him a good match for the Z-Academy, and Hinoki had enrolled him on the spot. That night, his mother had prepared a celebration feast for them, and his father had taught him some more advanced Kung Fu. Ting was not yet at black sash level, but he was not far away from it. All that was missing from his training was actual combat, and he was guaranteed to have some of that at the Z-Academy. Time had flown since then, and it was now time for him to attend the Orientation Day of his new school. Ting rose from his bed and did the usual morning preparation rituals, dressing in the traditional Hanfu style robe, with a lapel coming across like a Gi and sleeves that hung down from his elbows. It was a clothing style of great importance and ceremony in his culture, but in all honesty, he felt silly wearing it. Also, it was completely impractical for fighting, as there was no way he could move properly with that much silk cloth between his feet. He preferred good old American clothing, blue jeans and a T-shirt, and his parents assured him that he could wear whatever he liked when he was training after today. But since it was Orientation Day, he had to show that the Shu Min family was still one of honor and tradition. Ting had learned a long time ago that there was no arguing with his parents, but that did not mean he did not push it every now and then. He had tried to tell them about his dreams and their connection to the aliens, but that had only encouraged them rather than warded them off. Ting was going to the Z-Academy to become a spiritual warrior of great renown, and there was nothing he could do about it. Despite his fears, he had to admit that he was excited. A new environment meant a new opportunity to make friends and hone his skills. With his preparation complete, he was shuttled off to school by his father so that he would not get the outfit dirty on the streets of Hercule City. His father stopped the air car in front of the building and Ting got out. Ting, this is your big chance to bring honor to ourselves and our ancestors. I am very proud of you for what you have accomplished. Go forth, and bring the spirit of the red dragon to the Z-Academy. Ting and his father bowed to each other, and then the boy turned to enter the building. His get-up meant he could only walk at a slow pace, but he got inside and followed the noise to the auditorium. When he stepped inside, he was astonished to see how many people of different species and age groups had joined up for the inaugural year. Many boys caught sight of him and began laughing at and making fun of his dress. He wanted to shrink down inside the outfit, and had feared that this would be exactly the reaction of some kids. He pushed past them, and had to deal with creeps purposefully stepping on the flowing part of his outfit. He committed their faces to memory, and swore on his honor that he would get even with them. Finding a seat, he sat down carefully and began to wait for whatever was coming next. Brodaras 1 Planet Broga, August 1 Within the universe, there are four galaxies spanning the cardinal directions. The North was the home to the legendary Z-Fighters, and at the opposite end was the South. It was not known for anything until it was destroyed by the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly, and so it existed for centuries as a black, deserted stretch of space. But, as is the way, life carried on. Space dust and asteroid fragments began to coalesce to form planets, and the first to be reborn was the Planet Sarbin, at that time, a vast and hot wasteland. It eventually cooled and life began to form, single-celled at first, but over time, man began to exist. These men were primitive, at first, but eventually formed a complex society. The first leader they had was Broslamane, a mighty chieftain that used sheer brute force and Ki energy to rout the beast-folk of the land and secure the site to build the capital city of their society, Broga, named after himself. Once just a regional capital, his influence and military might spread over the land and conquered it, forcing the beast-folk further and further into the mountains and other secluded holdings. Broslamane died many years into his reign, still trying to control all of the land, and in honor of him, the planet Sarbin was renamed Broga. Broslamane's son, Brodane, did what his father could not and seized the rest of the planet, wiping out all of the beast-folk so that only the Brogians, the men, remained. Now a powerful society, they went on to conquer many planets that had formed during Broslamane's reign and formed their own empire spanning one-half of the South Galaxy. The other half of the galaxy was owned by Gaspar, a man who had overthrown the government of his planet to reign over his own empire. Brodane might have attempted to oust him and seize control of the entire galaxy if not for the fact that Gaspar had a much mightier space fleet and a much bigger and better trained army. The two Emperors sat down and agreed to a treaty that put on paper which planets were owned by which, so that they could reign in peace. With their grip on their half of the galaxy unchallenged, their society began to grow technologically and intellectually. Trouble began to stir during the reign of Brogar, the great-grandson of Brodane. The people had begun to grow dissatisfied with a supreme Emperor, and began to call for limits on his power. As can be imagined, Brogar did not like the proud tradition that stemmed back to Broslamane undermined by anyone. He fought attempts at reform, and by the time his son Brodaras was born, the climate was rife with revolution. The opposing party called themselves the Sarbinese, wanting to return the planet to a time before Broslamane and his world empire took control. Their leader, Sargon, was a revolutionary of the highest caliber, getting through bribery and negotiation what he could not take by force. He was the first true internal threat to the monarchy, and no amount of money or negotiation would make him back down from his anti-royalist agenda. In time, war broke out between the Brogians and the Sarbinese, each wanting nothing less than the complete and total destruction of the other. So, Brodaras had found himself coming of age in this violent and war-torn era. His combat training had been accelerated, teaching him advanced Ki control and hand-to-hand combat. As the Prince of Broga, he was a tempting target for kidnapping and assassination. Nonetheless, he wanted to fight on the battlefields. The very integrity of his family was at stake, and despite the best efforts of Brodane's advisers, his son would not be deterred from this course of action. However, even his valiant spirit could not overcome the fact that the Brogians were losing the war. Brodaras ran quickly through the streets of Broga City, heading for a different zone under attack by the Sarbinese. The fighting had been particularly fierce, as the outcome of the entire war was hinging on this battle. His side had been dominating the war for several months, but the balance had been changing. The Brogians were losing resources, and Sargon was wooing more and more dissatisfied and fugitive citizens to his cause. Many were joining now simply to end the war, for it didn't really matter to them who was in charge. To them, Sargon was no worse than Brodane, but Brodaras knew that they were wrong. Sargon had once been a member of his father's cabinet, a panel of advisers and planetary governors. He was only an adviser, but had been pressuring his father to give him a position on Rendax 4, one of their tributary planets not far from Gaspar's established territory. Brodane had been too shrewd and intelligent to do that, knowing that Sargon was plotting betrayal. His ambition was plain for all to see, and he would stoop to even selling out to Gaspar if it meant getting a bigger piece of the pie. Brodaras had been able to see the slime dripping off of the creep a mile away, and wished that they had gotten rid of him sooner. Unfortunately, Sargon came from a very influential and powerful family, and his election to the cabinet had been legitimate, so there would have been no easy way to depose him. Now, of course, it was far too late. Sargon had resigned from his father's cabinet, only to begin leading a violent revolution against him. There were even rumors that he was speaking to Gaspar and getting military support from him, a move that would guarantee the success of his coup d'etat. The battle for Broga City was still going on, and his side was being beaten back. Brodaras reached a new zone under attack by Sarbinese, and saw them advancing forward with coordinated blasts. Gathering Ki into his hands, he charged toward them and leaped into the air, preparing and firing a two-handed Ki blast at them. It hit with deadly accuracy, blowing away most of this first line. However, more were advancing, and he was forced into close-quarters with them when he landed. Brodaras lashed out with elbows and kicks, stunning and knocking down many of his foes. Jumping back, he was forced to retreat as the forces of his enemy built. He needed to find more of his father's troops and coordinate a strike on them. As he retreated, however, he saw nothing but burning buildings and bodies wherever he went. He proceeded to the center of the city, where the palace was. He could see smoke rising from it, and bodies were scattered on its steps. As he proceeded up the stairs, the great gate was flung open and some Sarbinese revolutionaries went tumbling down the stairs. His father Brodar stepped out, his red cape flying in the wind and terrible fury plastered on his face. As he laid eyes on his son, his expression softened and he beckoned him forward. Brodaras, hurry and get inside.