Izon vs Goku (Psychic/Astral Crystal)

Izon laid back in the chair in the hospital waiting room. He had awhile before Bulma would show up, but he was bored as well in the meantime. He looked at his pocket watch and let out an impatient growl. Putting it away, he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

His mind broke from his body, propelling him through the universe and into room he knew well. It was black with only a table in the center with a spot light focused on it, though the source of the light was no where to be seen. It was where he was tortured continuously by those he murdered out of greed.

A smirk creeped up his face as he thought back at how much he had learned. Not really much. He gained power and he learned to be more brutal than he had been. Though he had yet to actually kill anyone. That Kanassan was beside the point. That was in self defense.

He knew where he was and knew the astral crystal had everything to do with it. Damn it, he'd have to be careful. The crystal was on his person. He'd have to leave it at home if he didn't want to vanish into the dream world during negotiations. He knew he didn't cause it, which meant his crystal had a mind of its own.

"Oh well. Might as well make the best of it. One partnership has been completed through here. Maybe he could get another one going."

He walked over to the table that had the nasty clamps that had held him down and sat on it, waiting for his opponent.

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"So you've gone off and trained with Master Shen, eh? Well, I suppose that was destined to happen, Goku, since I never mentioned Korin or Kami...At least he didn't change your heart like he did Tenshinhan or Chaozu some years back. I trust he taught you how to use PSI and Flight?"

"Of course Master Roshi! He taught me the basics of a whole bunch of Crane School stuff, too, like pressure points and stuff. Then I went through this intensive weighted race to focus on my speed. But the speed training took up, like, an entire year, so by the time we finished I only had two left...But I was so much faster than at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament! Then the next year focused on that stuff Chaozu did- PSI you said? And balanced it with more speed training. At the end, he pitted me against the fastest robots the Crane School could afford, and tried to trap me through that PSI stuff. I managed to break loose and defeat the robots every time, though. A couple days ago, though, Shen said he'd taught me all he could and kicked me out...So I came back here."

"I see...Goku, how would you like to get even stronger than ever before?"

"Even stronger than I am now!? How!?"

"A while back, my other students went to climb Korin's Tower. This is a tower taller than the highest cloud, with absolutely no pit stops. At the top is this giant platform where a powerful, fast, and strong Hermit lives. His name, as you may have guessed, is Korin. By reaching the top, he'll give you a special vase of water that will double...No...Triple your strength! But...there is one problem."

"What's that?"

"Just getting to the top is only half the battle. If you aren't totally prepared, you'll be completely annihilated up there. So...I want you to spend the remainder of the year- that's three months, Goku- on my island refining both your new skills and those of which I taught you. I want you to combine everything you learned from Shen with what you learned from me and your Grandfather; together, the pieces of the puzzle should fit, and you'll finally have brought back Mutaito's sacred and powerful fighting style."

"Sure thing Master Roshi!

Goku remembered those three months vividly. He did manage to bring the Crane and Turtle fighting styles together, but he'd taken far longer than expected to master the combo-art. When he finally had, though, it was well worth it. The three days following the day he'd managed to fit the pieces together, he and Roshi partied then rested, ending the reunion on a melancholy note. It would be some time- much longer than Roshi thought- before he saw Goku again. And Goku...Would be going on a much longer journey then he'd thought.

-------

The Saiyan of Earth's eyes snapped open, and his hands wiped at his face, expecting sleep to be evident on his eyes. However, when he found himself being sat on, and also on a very uncomfortable bed, he went into a bit of a panic mode, gripping the stone to his right in an attempt to slide out from under the rude person who had decided he, Goku, was a comfortable couch.

"Hey! Where is this? Where's my bed? Are we still on Vegeta? Do. You. Have. Pie?" Goku stood (or sat? it was hard to tell if he'd gotten free, as his eyes were a bit blurred from the still-evident sleep, and his body had numbed a bit.) awaiting his answer.

Izon jumped up when he was all of a sudden lifted. Looking down, he saw a man lying there. One he didn't know. But the warrior before him was obviously a warrior, simply based on the size of his arms which seemed to be as big as Izon's torso, a bit exaggerated of course.

"Hey! Where is this? Where's my bed? Are we still on Vegeta? Do. You. Have. Pie?" Izon listened to the ramblings of the man. Obviously a simple mind. The mind of a warrior. No room for intelligence in the pea brain.

"Welcome to my nightmare." Izon said, bowing like a true gentleman. "You are in a dream like world where our minds connected. No worries, this one kinda snuck up on me as well. And no I don't have pie, cake or anything of the sort."

Izon wasn't sure if trying to recruit this man was going to be worth it, but a simple mind is an easy mind. "Now that we are here, I have a proposition for you, if you are interested." Izon was willing to promise much in turn for some warriors. “I am a businessman and simply put, I am seeking warriors.”

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Dreamlike state? I guess that means no pie at all...Wait...he's talking...

"Now that we are here, I have a proposition for you, if you are interested." A proposition? That was the word Bulma used when he'd been asked to take Alucard and Amico out into space...He recalled, briefly, how he and Alucard had trained for the first few months of the journey, then simply sparred. He remembered how he'd taught Alucard a few things of psychic energy...Was it possible he'd survived, and Amico, too? Goku nodded towards Izon as he regained his focus, and the Businessman continued. "I am a Businessman and simply put, I am looking for warriors."

"Looking for warriors? You mean like the Saiyan Army or Master Roshi? And what for? Training? Some kind of Martial Takeover? I'll need more information than that, you know." And it was true; Goku recalled going headlong into Korin's Tower and getting stuck up there for months just trying to catch the dumb cat, just to find out the water was useless. Sure, his strength had increased quite a bit, but the water being normal water was a bit of disappointment. Then there was the time with Oolong, and the desert thief, and Jackie Chun...

Needless to say, he'd at least managed to learn knowledge was useful throughout his young life. Surprisingly patient, Goku waited for the answer to be given. Then, maybe, he'd be able to respond more...Accordingly.

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"Looking for warriors? You mean like the Saiyan Army or Master Roshi? And what for? Training? Some kind of Martial Takeover? I'll need more information than that, you know."

Izon nodded. "I don't plan to build an army, nor do I know this Master Roshi. I'm looking more for security, protection. Being a businessman, regardless of how I honest and caring I am, I make enemies. Being a warrior, you must know how that feels. Except with you, you simply confront your enemies. I'm not a fighter, I have to convince them not to come at me. Unfortunately sometimes they don't listen. A lot of the time hitmen or assassins are sent to try and kill me. I am simply looking for someone who would be willing to function as one of two jobs. Either as a close body guard, or a contracted protector."

He of course was fibbing a bit, but being a master of deceit, he was able to hide it well. And the latent psychic powers that he was slowly coming to know of was protecting his mind from probing. Little did he know, it's why a lot of people on Kanassa couldn't tell what he was plotting.

"I can offer you pay, unparalleled training, and all the pie you want. If you wish to turn in down, I only then wish that we be allies. If I need you, I can call you for help if I ever need it."

The look on his face suggested that he was tired, frustrated with the constant attempts on his life. Tired of the crimes against him while he himself was trying to better the universe. Those were outside of the protection his powers gave him.

"What do you think?"

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While Goku was tempted to say yes when he heard training, and even more so at the word 'pie,' he recalled something Roshi had once said about Shen. Well...Kind of. It was a bit muddled, but the gist was accurate; Shen will offer training and pay, but his motives might be different from what he says. From looking at the businessman, Goku could make a few connections; he, like Shen, had tired-looking bags under his eyes, and he could almost feel the tension in the business man's being. There was something a bit...different, maybe it was because this guy was younger, but he and Shen seemed similar in a few ways.

And then he recalled something Shen had mentioned about psychic powers; the ability to use psychic powers was, in all ways, most useful in gathering information. Even the worst psychic was capable of entering the mind of an unsuspecting enemy; the question remained, however, whether the businessman was or was not a psychic. Goku offered his raggy Saiyan clothes a glance, then folded his arms and began pacing, acting as if he was seriously considering the idea- or, perhaps, figuring out what 'powers' meant.

After a few seconds of gathering himself, Goku turned away from the businessman and stared up at the ceiling, inspecting it closely as he continued to think. At the same time, he envisioned a blue-ish vortex forming between his mind and the businessman's. He extended himself, making an attempt to, at the least, gather the businessman's name. Beyond that, he also grasped for just what it was the businessman wanted. He did his best to keep it discreet, but at the same time began building a physical defense by tightening his abdominal muscles. Once he was fairly sure that the psychic powers were working, he turned back towards the businessman. He'd need a distraction to keep him from fighting back.

"What kind of training?" It was a good question; there were a fair number of things Roshi and Shen had done that, perhaps, the businessman would overlook. It was possible he didn't even know what kind of training was good, which would both put him off guard and give Goku a chance to try and capture the conversation...

Izon watched the Saiyan ponder his proposition. To aid a stranger would be a difficult choice he understood. But he wouldn't push him. A warrior is a warrior and from what he could tell, there were thousands of them out there and he could easily convince others. After all, there was Frieza that was on his chain, only, he didn't realize he. And all he had to do was stroke his ego and make him think he was in change. Of course when Frieza saw the other side of him, it'd be a different story. His other side would show its power, which would make Frieza respect him.

The warrior turned back around. "What kind of training?"

The question was a good one. It meant he was interested, unless this warrior was more cunning than he let on, in which case he'd still have to tread carefully. And he had the perfect answer. His own men requested much of this.

"Gravity training. Ability to train under any weight. Train with others. Have pupils to train. Basically, if it exists, I can get it." Izon's mental block was still in place, pushing false thoughts to the foreground, that to anyone who didn't know any better, could dig deep through a mess of false memories and thoughts. It would take much digging to realize a barrier was erect.

"I can provide a training center with tools that will continuously put you to the test. I can work to get masters to come and help train. You name it, I will get it for you. Eventually, aside from protecting me, I'd like to run a group who will travel around to protect the innocent against the evil."

Izon was curious as to what the warrior would say. Then he remembered. He forgot to introduce himself. "And of course, why would you take a random deal from someone you don't even know their name. I am sorry, my manners seem to be slipping. I am Ian Lancaster." Izon bowed, removing his top hat as a courtesy. "I currently reside on Earth, but have made friends on Kanassa, and even brought a town back to life from the desolate despair it was in."

Throwing out a random good thing he had done was a good little trick to win over his target. "If you go to Hica, the city was dry, barely without water. Currently, a trade route is in place to provide water and food to the place and its people while an abandoned mining plant and warehouse is converted into a place to pump water and store food. I have employees currently working on it as we speak. In the meantime, I'm working with Capsule Corp in hopes to have them invest in other similar projects."

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"I see...That sounds promising. What about Kanassa? Is there anything there that would make it worth my time to stop there before going directly to you? Aside from checking for sure you did help that city..." A quick and direct topic change might bring forth some important thoughts, reveal something about Ian Lancaster that wasn't shoved carelessly at the forefront of his mind. From what Goku could tell, Lancaster's company or whatever was as he said, aimed to aid the galaxy in advancements...

But something felt weird about the thoughts. When Goku had used the technique on Alucard months before, the thoughts were almost subliminal, as if Alucard hadn't even noticed them. In fact, it wasn't until he'd touched the thoughts that Alucard was aware they existed, at which point they were almost instantly reeled to the forefront of his mind. Of course, that had been before Alucard's training had taught him psychics. And with psychics, one could secure thoughts before they were stolen. But these...These felt almost fabricated, made up. In some of them, certain things didn't add up...

Yet Goku was Goku, and though his instincts for battle said it could be bad, those very same instincts were drawn to the training. His ADD, too, was pushing his view from the distinct strangeness in the thoughts. He was tired, and as far as he knew still set for Guard Duty. And missing that would equate to exile; this time, without a space ship. Withdrawing from Lancaster's mind and redoubling his own defenses, Goku finally thought to introduce himself.

"My name is Son Goku, of Earth. I'm on Planet Vegeta right now...it was more of a crash landing. We intended to go to Namek, but kind of overshot...People here call me Kakasomething another..." In truth, he did recall it was 'Kakarot,' but figured it was safer to look dumber than he was. The psychic training had improved his memory retention a good bit, after all.

"My name is Son Goku, of Earth. I'm on Planet Vegeta right now...it was more of a crash landing. We intended to go to Namek, but kind of overshot...People here call me Kakasomething another..."

Izon bowed. "A pleasure to meet you Son Goku. As far as Kanassa, there are some temples to train at, but for the most part not much is there. Though they are a very interesting and kind people. They do have an interesting store there. I bought them out to help them grow, but basically, they can attach souls to equipment. It's really quite something. So it's something any warrior would want in their arsenal." He pulled back his sleeve to show an armband that was ornately crafted with purple magical runes on a black canvas. “A kind elderly gentleman gave me these to protect myself. His name is Iora. If you happen to stop by there, you aught to see him.”

Izon took a look at his pocket watch. "Well, if you don't mind, I really must be leaving. I am on Earth, just outside of West City if you wish to join me. I really do hope you will. I could use a good man.” Izon bowed. “In the mean time, I shall concede this little sparring match as it’s the only way to end this little realm, and I shall hope to see you in the near future.

With that, Izon left, leaving the Saiyan alone. He opened his eyes in the hospital. “I really gotta not take this crystal with me.

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