He was always a rock when I needed one (closed)

[fashionably_strong]

Who: Bulla and Vegeta (open to Bulma as well)
What: A special Father's Day celebration, Saiyan (and half-Saiyan) style
When: June 16th all day
Where: Brief household, Battle Dome and then back home again
Summary: Bulla trained diligently for over a month in order to surprise her dad. This is the result.
Rating: PG for sparring violence



Bulla was up uncharacteristically early, but she wanted to wake up before her father. She prepared a generous breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon, bagels with cream cheese and orange juice. Her outfit had been carefully selected. Fashionable, and yet, something she could train in without minding if it got sweaty. She'd been planning this for over a month, and as far as she knew, her father had no idea how much time she'd been spending training. She'd pretended to do very little other than exercise - she claimed she'd been going running, or just exercising with friends to stay fit to explain the times she came in sweaty and wearing athletic (though still ver colour coordinated) clothing.

It wasn't a lie - she had been getting plenty of exercise with friends. She just downplayed the extent of it by a lot, and didn't mention training at all. There was no reason for him to think that she'd changed her routine by much. The lack of a shopping mall necessitated finding other hobbies, but she'd kept herself busy with Fashion Club with Quinn and that wasn't a secret at all.

"Good morning, Dad!" she greeted cheerfully when her father finally emerged. "Happy Father's Day."

Comments

[misterbrief]

Waking up to smelling pretty much every breakfast food he loved was a good start, though he's a pretty early bird- and not used to someone getting up before he does. So into the kitchen he wanders, after he'd at least made himself decent. His daughter's cheerful voice makes him wince, because man it's way too early for that kind of enthusiasm, but he soon forgets it when he sees all the food she'd prepared.

"Happy...what?" The brain isn't registering what she'd said quite yet. "Right. Morning." The Prince sits down at the table she'd prepared, his stomach already starting to rumble just from looking at all the food. "Did you really make all this?"

[fashionably_strong]

"Well, yeah. It's Father's Day, so I wanted to do something nice for you. I've also got a present for you. I left it at the Battle Dome, since I figured you'd probably want to go there sometime today anyway."

In reality, it was a card containing a voucher valid for this day only for her to train with him for eight hours or until she was too exhausted to move. Whichever came first. She'd carefully hidden it away, so even if he took off early and went too fast for her to keep up, it was unlikely that he'd find it before she caught up.

[misterbrief]

Oh, yeah, that human holiday. It comes around every once in a while and he never really remembers it until someone shoots him a Happy Father's Day comment. Not that he's ever really cared, it was just another day out of the year with no real significance to him. He brushes that off but he does at least appreciate the amazing breakfast laid out before him.

"You got a present for me eh? And exactly where is it in the dome?" He motions for her to sit too- he might be able to eat this by himself but he's not going to be a disgusting pig and not let his daughter partake as well. He wasn't Kakarot, he had better manners than that.

[fashionably_strong]

"That's a secret," said Bulla. "I'm going to walk over there with you after breakfast and give it to you personally."

Emphasis on walk. With this much food, even he might need half an hour or so to digest before training to avoid uncomfortable stomach cramps. She took a seat and helped herself to a bit of everything. All in all, it was a hefty breakfast for a girl her size, but by Saiyan standards, it was a perfectly normal and healthy breakfast portion for a teenage girl.

[misterbrief]

He chuckles, smirking at her as he dishes himself up- as in taking whole plates of food after she'd gotten her share. Because whatever she doesn't eat, he will gladly finish off.

Isn't she just like her father sometimes, because it sounds like something planned. "So you're going to keep it from me? Trying to drive me insane with curiosity?" He taps his head with an index finger. "Well, you're going to have to try a little better than that!" He takes a few bites of his breakfast. Yum. "If your gift is that you've figured out how to increase the gravity in those blasted chambers, then I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. It's unbelievable that they restrict it so much."

[fashionably_strong]

"Sorry, but that's not it. If Mom couldn't figure it out, then I'm not going to have any more luck."

And thank goodness for that. Bulla had discovered she could handle ten times Earth's gravity well enough, but she didn't even want to think of what it would be like training under higher pressure. Least of all what he considered a good workout.

"I think you'll like it anyway."

After all the hints that she should be training that he'd given her in the months she'd been in Luceti, Bulla was fairly certain that he'd like this surprise. Gifts wouldn't mean much, but a gift of her time and being willing to do something she didn't like for his benefit? That would probably mean a lot more.

[misterbrief]

Not only can Bulma not figure it out, Vegeta had gotten Spock to try his hand too, to no avail. And if those two can't do it, well, he doesn't really know who can. "Well I can always dream, can't I?" Either way, now he is curious because he can't logically reason out what she could have possibly gotten for him that had anything to do with the Battle Dome. Perhaps she'd found something he could use. He could always use new training devices, maybe he'd even try to not break these ones for a change.

He starts really digging into his food now, because it is starting to drive him insane that he can't figure it out on his own. He gives her an eye as he swallows his pancakes, trying to analyze her face to see if it would give anything away. "Well, hurry up with your food so we can go. You've got my attention now. Though I'm not making any promises about walking."

Training

[fashionably_strong]

(Let the training begin!)

[misterbrief]

He'll lead her inside, closing the door behind them and looking at the panel. Does he just turn the gravity on now or later? He decides to turn it on anyway, it'll be good for her, and it's only ten times normal gravity, it's not like he's making her train in one-hundred and fifty like what he used to do with his son when he was small.

"Think you can handle a warm-up with the gravity on?" He's throwing a few punches and kicks in the air for himself, stretching just a little to get those muscles ready.

[fashionably_strong]

"Yeah, I can manage it," Bulla confirmed with a nod. "To be honest, I kind of figured you'd want to train in this kind of gravity and I've been practicing a bit. Getting in time here in the Battle Dome without you realizing what I was doing was actually harder than handling the gravity."

In fact, ten times gravity wasn't all that hard for her to adjust to at all, she'd discovered, much to her surprise. Bulla could only assume that was due to having half-Saiyan physiology. It certainly wasn't due to any real strength training on her part. But if a Saiyan infant could handle that gravity, it was perfectly reasonable to expect that of herself. She was gradually beginning to realize that her strength was not at a level that could be considered baseline human.

[misterbrief]

"You've been practicing? Really?" Color him surprised, he wasn't expecting that answer at all. "Yes, I spend most of the day here so I can imagine trying to sneak inside to use one of the chambers for yourself would give you some difficulties. But I never saw you once so I'd say you did a pretty good job with getting away with it. I might have to watch you a little closer now that I know that though." Sneaky, he ponders if she's snuck anywhere that she didn't want him to know about that didn't pertain to this. Eh, he's got eyes all around Luceti- he'd find out if she had.

He continues to warm up, and will let her do so too, before the real training begins; and he's definitely going to start out with sparring, since that's his favorite thing to do and he hasn't fought anyone around here with the durability equal to everyone from their world. It'll be a nice change, even if he thinks he has to go easy on her.

[fashionably_strong]

"Oh, I don't think there's any need for that," said Bulla, glad for at least the warmup opportunity. Especially the chance to stretch. She was sure that her muscles would thank her later, when they were only sore for two or three days as opposed to an entire week. Ten times Earth's gravity might be easier than she'd expected, but this was still going to be way beyond any of the training she'd done with friends.

All of that time had been excellent preparation. Her reflexes were better than they'd ever been after such a concentrated effort. She also learned techniques for using an opponent's force against them, and those were the ones where she was most likely to have the element of surprise. The body contained all sorts of natural levers, and while she wasn't anywhere near his level of strength, she'd learned that she was strong enough to hit grown adults hard enough to knock them through trees or send them flying for several yards without much effort. It was enough to throw her father when they sparred, if she had an opening to do so.

[misterbrief]

He finishes up, walking over and rotating his arms a little to loosen them up. He might go easy on her for his standards but he still doesn't have a problem hitting her. She signed up for this and he's willing to let her have it, at least as much as he thinks she can handle.

"We've wasted enough time. Let's get started." He'll be nice though, and not surprise her by throwing a kick right at her head. Instead he sets himself in a fighting stance. "Ready when you are."

Taking a break

[fashionably_strong]

(Because things like getting water or using the bathroom are probably important over the course of several hours. Also a good time to talk to them for a bit.)

[capsuleprincess]

Part of her feels useless, because it has been a long time since she could really follow anyone's training sessions without having the impression that they just vanished in thin air due how fast they were. And so she's left to spend her time watching them pop in and out of her sight as they train. She's slightly disappointed, she had expected that with Bulla not being used to train she wouldn't be this fast, but obviously she was wrong. Or Bulma was way too slow, which could be possible and wasn't a shame seeing as she was comparing herself to two aliens. Or an alien and a half-alien.

Another part of her is just beyond ectasis. There she is, watching her daughter and her husband train. And she just knows that even if she was back home with many things to do, she would still love to take a bit of time to watch this. Specially seeing as it's a very special event. She still can't help to feel awe at her family, even if she has come to accept it as a reality and her future, sometimes she just fears it's all one of those crazy dreams that would haunt her and give her weird ideas about Vegeta back home. Of course, now they aren't so weird, but for the Bulma she is back there, who doesn't know about her future, they are.

All in all, she's proud of them and very happy and she understands fully how special this day must be for Vegeta, to be able to do with his daughter what he surely has been wanting to do but somehow never did -maybe because of how he had come to adjust to a peaceful life?-. After all, he was a warrior, he came from a species that did nothing but fight. Even if at times it gets on her nerves and bothers her, Bulma knows it well and she supposes that it must have been hard for him to adapt to a peaceful life. To understand that there's no need for him to fight every hour of the day, that he's not in constant danger or anything. And that his children don't have to learn to fight, that they may not even want to.

Still, no matter what, Bulma is Bulma, and training non-stop is no good for anyone. Specially not for a girl who doesn't do it on a daily basis. So she waits for them with refreshing drinks ready once she deems they have been going at it for long enough. She gives them the benefit of doubt and waits for them to stop on their own, but if they don't do so in ten minutes she'll hijack the system to force them to take a break if she has to.

Bulma -> Vegeta -> Bulla? or whoever is boomeranging at the time lol? I AM BAD AT THIS.

[misterbrief]

He skids to a halt, being beaten back a ways by Bulla, ducking, blocking and dodging her assault fist for fist and blow by blow, when for a second his eye catches a particular blue-haired woman standing outside the glass of their chamber. He lets that glance rest a moment too long before Bulla's foot connects solidly with the side of his face, causing him to flip before catching himself with a hand, pushing himself off the ground and flipping back up onto his feet.

He wipes the blood from his mouth, keeping his gaze locked now on his daughter but bothers to speak up.

"Your mother is here. And I think she wants to see us."

Thread order sounds good - if you guys want to boomerang, Bulla can sit & enjoy her drink and break

[fashionably_strong]

Had she hit just about anyone else like that in a sparring match, Bulla would probably have apologized and worried if she'd hurt her sparring partner too badly. She already punched Tenten through a tree and sent Lee flying during her training with them, and semi-panicked. In her father's case, she knew that he could handle much worse than what she could dish out.

Bulla couldn't help but feel just a bit proud of herself that her training paid off enough that she could land any blows at all. He was going easy on her to an extent - she knew he could hit much harder than he was hitting her, and he was being downright restrained with his ki blasts. He was being less generous with his defense. Every one of the few hits she'd landed, he made her work hard for.

Her expression lit up at her mother's timely arrival. Bulla was breathing hard and she'd worked up a good sweat in their training, and this was the perfect time to take a break.

"Perfect timing," she said, heading out of the room surprisingly quickly for a tired person. "Hey mom! I'd hug you, but I'm all sweaty and gross right now."

[misterbrief]

His hands drop as Bulla goes out to meet her mother, and his shoulders relax. They'd been at it for a while now, and he supposes it's not such a bad idea to take a breather. He was thirsty anyhow, and Bulla isn't accustomed to going for eight hours straight like he was. So he follows her out, a little less quick but at a good pace nonetheless.

He stops next to his wife, silently taking two of the water bottles she'd brought. "Bulla, make sure you drink this," he commands while he tosses the bottle right to his daughter. He cracks open his own, finding a place to sit for the moment. "Don't expect the break to be long, we've still got a lot of work to do."

[fashionably_strong]

Bulla didn't have to be told twice, although she did have to stifle the urge. After taking a seat, she had to remind herself not to chug, and to sip her water slowly. She didn't realize how thirsty she'd been getting while they trained like that. But then, it wasn't really a surprise. Even when she'd been practicing with other friends, no one had worked her anywhere near as hard as her father had been in the time they'd spent training so far.

After she finished off her water, she made a trip to the bathroom. While she was just going to get sweaty again, that didn't mean she couldn't at least clean her face and fix her hair so that it looked less disheveled. She didn't want sweat clogging her pores for any extended period of time. It didn't take her long to freshen up, although her body didn't feel quite ready to go back in there and continue training just yet.

"So...biggest surprise I've ever pulled off, or what?"

Time to go home

[fashionably_strong]

(Bulla's exhausted and she's going to hurt like crazy tomorrow, but it's been a good day all in all.)

[fashionably_strong]

She'd lasted much longer than she ever thought possible, but Bulla had finally hit her limit. Sore and exhausted, she could scarcely move, and she didn't have enough ki left to even think about trying to fly. What she really didn't want to think about, though, was how much worse it would be tomorrow. She decided she'd have a bath tonight after dinner and do some stretching, and then it was time for bed.

Luckily, she'd already told the friends she regularly hung out with that she wasn't going to be available for the next two or three days after Father's Day. Bulla had anticipated aching, but anticipating it was different from feeling it.

"Oww..." Presently, she was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall for support. "I don't have enough energy left to fly home right now, Dad."

[misterbrief]

It had gotten late, later than he'd even realized. "You've got legs, don't you?" Arms crossed, and training finally done for the day, he stands above her. He knows she must be tired. He'd pushed her beyond her limits that day, and she'd kept up. "If I remember right you made us walk here to begin with, after all. Come on, up."

He'll extend a hand at least, to try to help her up.

[fashionably_strong]

Bulla slowly raised her hand to try to take his, but now that the adrenaline had worn off and she'd already done everything she was determined to do and beyond, even just reaching for his hand was shaky. She tried to use his hand as leverage to get up to no avail. Her legs buckled under, refusing to cooperate. At the moment, it felt like they were made of jelly and pain.

"...I don't think walking is going to work so well, either."

It probably didn't help that she was hungry, too.

[misterbrief]

He blinks a few times, surprised at first. But then reality sinks in and it hits him that she'd just gone a full session at his desired amount of time, and for anyone else they'd of collapsed hours ago. Silently, he picks his daughter up, cradling her in his arms.

"Don't get used to this. Next time I'll be dragging you home." Not that his words were true, she'd definitely earned being carried home. He's surprised she hadn't passed out. He starts to head out the door, leaving the Battle Dome. Speaking of which...

"You managed to go the entire time. Well, I'm certainly surprised." And happy. He's not hiding it.

[fashionably_strong]

"And that would be why I said an hour every other day going forward," said Bulla with a tired smile. She didn't believe that he'd drag her home, and was only joking in return.

"Barely," she admitted. "I'm just as surprised as you are that I made it." In his arms like this, she felt herself getting drowsy as the full extent of how exhausted she was settled in. Her eyelids were starting to drop.

"Happy Father's Day."