Big Apple, Three Months Later

[Lord_Rednevac]

After concluding their treasure hunt, and spending a little longer unwinding in the mountain resort, the warriors went their separate ways to train. Some undoubtedly stayed within their own cliques but, as competitors, kept their training and secrets largely guarded against each other; come this Autumn, they'd all be facing off again to see who among them was the strongest on Earth.

As the end of Spring drew near, they would draw together again. The next qualifier would be taking place in East City and, while there was only one of their number still needing to win entry, scoping out the competition was always a must. Just what had they all been up to in that time, and how much had they grown in skill and strength? There's only one way for them to find out.

 

We take you to East City, the capital of the East Sector and one of the most bustling metropolises on Earth; rivaled by West City. A hub of culture and commerce and boasting the largest population size on the planet, it was dubbed the City that Never Sleeps. Normally abuzz with activity, the coming Spring Qualifier only made it busier than normal. Exciting times lay ahead for our heroes, but will they prove to be invigorating or exhausting?

We join our protagonists as they converge on the city; assuming they haven't been here before now. What have they been up to since then? Easiest locale in the city to meet up with is at the Budokai Temple, as usual, but want to leave options open in case anyone has other ideas of where they want to meet.

Sub Group Set Up

Speaking for my own characters and the NPCs I control, here's how I've got them split up.

• Ken and Fei: representing the Ghost School, they've opted to train separately from the others; Fei's suggestion, at least. They'd kept to the Eastern mountains for the time being as it provided a good naturally secluded local to focus on their training; Ken being familiar with the area helped.
• Ren: He stuck with Juno, like before. Not having anywhere else to go and still betting that the Demon-Hunter in training would either be his greatest rival or his ticket home.
• Frostbyte: Being his peer, she stuck with Onryo. She was open for exploring more of Earth, but also offered the village she had won over as a hub to stay at. Her "new little fiefdom" as she called it catily.
• Yura: Being the only student of the Wind Master was a tad lonely but, taking some of his mentors lessons to heart, and a recommendation from Ken, he took to traveling for those three months; being as unbridled as the Wind.

 

[Av Bloodbane]

In front of the temple waiting for her compatriots, was a familiar figure, bright pink and bubbly. Selki stood, waiting for her friends to arrive. She was dressed in a smart deep navy suit, a new pair of rimmed glasses, and a neat wavy pull back hairdo. She looked around, eagerly, one hand tucked into a pocket and the other wrapped around a jumbo slush drink she picked up on the way to the arena. Selkiara, mild-mannered citizen, simply waiting to watch the fights with her friends.

 

She double-checked that she still had her entry ticket for her seat, which she bought along with the seating tickets for any of her friends who accepted the offer. She slid the tickets back into her pocket with a smile, "Close enough to get a piece of the action." she joked to herself, chuckling before taking a big pull from her jumbo slush.

Edited April 27 by Av Bloodbane (see edit history)

[Drunva]

Onryo had spent the last few months with a satisfying mix of training and getting to know the people of Earth. Though outwardly aloof as ever, Frostbyte's offer of staying at her 'fiefdom' had been more than the aspiring Kai could have asked for. It helped that being used to the Frost demon's appearance, the village folk took his presence among them well in stride. Like the tomes he had delved into as part of his learning in Other World, he preferred a deep dive into a narrow subject as opposed to a broad summary and so he chose to mostly stay in the surrounding countryside as opposed to jetting about the entire planet.

Of course the knowledge that he had yet to win a tournament, despite his advantages, meant that he couldn't afford the time it would take to fully indulge in a world tour. He intended to make sure that his power was enough to both truly test this worlds greatest fighters as well as aid in the coming perils. To that end, both Master Guron and Frostbyte, with her powerful second form, were all to willing to oblige in his training. It was to such a degree that even despite his earnestness he was glad of the momentary reprieve attending the East City tournament.

While he fully intended to explore the city over the course of their stay, Onryo made sure to arrive at the temple as soon as possible to check in with the others. Even if most of them wouldn't be fighting, it was a valuable opportunity to gauge how they were all doing. Clad in his meticulously maintained Kai attire as opposed to his Sho-Kune fighting uniform, he raised a hand in greeting as he spotted Selki. "Ah Selki! Properly provisioned for the coming tournament I see," he said, smiling as he noted the large beverage. "I hope that you've been well since we last saw each other?" As always, he kept an even and somewhat formal tone, though his smile was genuine.

[Whosit]

After the adventure in the mountain caves, Nori had left for parts unknown, suggesting that she was going to train on her own. In any case, short of someone going to track her down in person, Nori was completely out of communication until she showed up at the Temple on the day of the Easy City Budokai.

 

"Hey," she said upon sighting Selki and Onryo. Nori was sporting a black leather bikers jacket with red accents over dark jeans. The jacket's lapels were opened and Nori had her hair pulled back. The saiyan woman's dark eyes turned towards Onryo--her gaze holding barely perceptible contempt--before her full attention was on Selki.

 

"Sorry I hadn't called," Nori said only somewhat apologetically. "Had some stuff I had to work on on my own. You been good, though?"

[Ndedwards]

After returning home from the little vacation. Juno would continue farm work and his brutal training with his master before the East city tournament. Leaving a few days before as to make it on time. If Ren wishes to follow that's up to him but he doesn't want to miss any of the action.

After he arrives catching site of the others from a distance. "Hey guys!" He yells and waives.