The mighty Oozaru tranformation or often called the great ape form was the height of saiyan power, a power that often wasn't relied on but used in the most dire of situations. The transformation itself had changed the saiyan warrior into a ten story tall ape and their power would multiply by ten. This form also allowed the saiyan to maintain their speed, even when increasing their size by that amount. It was something that usually caught people off guard, having such a large size, yet such a high speed.

It was truly the pinnacle of saiyan power but that power did come at a cost to those whom were untrained to it. It was a form that was capable of consuming ones mind as the beast itself took over. When the mind of the beast was in control of the body, it would stomp around and rampage, it would destroy anything in its sight if given the chance. If the transformation was done in a city, every building and moving object would be destroyed and there wouldn't be a single target. It would be pure chaos, destruction at random with everything being obliterated under the crazed might of a great ape.

An uncontrolled great ape form would attack anything and anybody. It didn't matter if it was friend or foe, anything that moved was likely to be attacked, though while in this state the beast was still capable of self preservation and would often manage to at least focus on the biggest threat to it's life. Though even then, that wasn't the most consistent thing. While possible, it didn't mean it was probable.

If the great ape transformation had been done in the forest or a mountain, the rocks and trees would be obliterated just because. The mind of the creature didn't act logically, instead if acted on impulse and aggression. The uncontrolled beast would leave nothing left standing if given the chance, anything before it would fall, nature, buildings, lives, it didn't matter what any of it was. The only thing that mattered in that situation was the facts. The Oozaru transformation needed to be controlled, it had to be learned and if there had ever been an uncontrolled Oozaru unleashed in an area, you had to know how to stop it and that came down to two very simple things.

One could either remove the tail of the beast and force them to revert back to their base saiyan form or you could go toe to toe with it in a fight but there had yet to be a saiyan that could do that. That was something that had been impossible, unthinkable and simply a dream for no saiyan warrior has ever reached that level of power. Not even Braccus himself would be able to compete with an Ape in his base form and unlike Athren, he didn't have any alternative transformations. At least, as far as Athren knew.

The only way to prevent the rampage of a great ape was to train it and that was what Athren was set out to do. At this point in time he was only a child, he had only been eight years old but he understood the Oozaru transformation fully. He understood the benefits it gave in battle and he also understood the risks associated with it. He knew that it was a liability if he didn't train it and that wasn't something he was willing to be. Even at a young age, Athren didn't want to be the cause of a squad failure, and he sure as shit didn't want to fail on his own terms for his own goals. This was something that he was going to have to learn to control immediately, no matter how much of a struggle it was going to be, no matter how tough the mind of the beast was. He had to face it down, he had to take control and he had to beat it.

There was far too much at stake when a mighty Oozaru was let loose. Warriors on the same side could die, battle plans could go straight to shit and that wasn't something that could be tolerated. Even if Athren had only been a low class warrior, he needed to be an asset to his future squad, he needed to be an asset to himself and he needed to harness this power to get him out of dangerous situations.

He was a saiyan warrior and his grey tail swayed behind him. He had the means to have this transformation, it was in his DNA, he was born with this gift and it would've been far too much of a shame for him to completely ignore the gifts given to him. If he was going to be the best warrior he could be, he was going to have to master this power and continue to train hard. He wanted a bright future, he wanted to become a warrior who's name was respected all across Vegeta and to do that, he was going to have to stand out, he was going to have to become powerful beyond the means of most.

Of course, this was all going to take time and it was his vision as a child. The mind of an eight year old was a vast thing, an eager thing that real life limitations didn't seem to drag down. He didn't understand fully the challenges that would face him ahead, he had just believed that no matter what got in his way, he could conquer it. That's what the saiyan race did after all. They killed, they conquered, the destroyed. He had to make sure he was in the position to become a great asset to Vegeta, he had to keep working towards that goal to become stronger and stronger and his first big step towards that was going to be today, for today, he was going to learn how to control the mighty great ape form and all of it's might.


While this was a big challenge for a saiyan child, Athren wasn't going to let that get the better of him. He was damn well determined to end the day with control of the Mighty Oozaru. It was something that he needed to get done in order to be the best potential warrior he could be. He wanted to have access and control of the form when in a dire situation and he refused to be a liability to his team. That just wasn't something that he was going to allow. He had to be better than that, he had to be better than most. He didn't care if he was just a child nor if he was inexperienced, his drive was far beyond his power at this point in his life and he wasn't going to let anybody stop him. He had to do this, he just had too. He didn't want to be a weak link, nor did he want to slow or hold back a squad of saiyans. He had to be able to perform just as good as them, if not better. He wouldn't accept having such a weakness, he wouldn't tolerate being incapable of such things that others saiyans would do. He had to be the absolute best he could be for his entire squad. He had a bright future and he knew that, he just had to work at being the best version of himself he could be and it was all going to be for him. The benefits were that he'd just be a mighty saiyan warrior capable of anything.

Brahma simply smirked and nodded his head. He admired the boys drive and eagerness to learn this thing and he even admired the fact that the child was so eager to face this challenge head on. Of course, he couldn't help but assume that the boy wasn't quite sure what he was getting himself into but that wasn't something that Brahma was going to be able to change with just words. The boys confidence was far too high for the words to affect his mindset on the matter. However, it would either be while in the transformation or after it that Athren would truly realize what a challenge that this was going to be. It wasn't going to be an easy task, however, Brahma still had faith in the boy. He'd be a stomping controlled Great Ape on a planet soon, being put to work and conquering higher rated planets than Athren had already been sent too. "If you continue to remain this confident throughout your life, I have no doubts you'll go far but I warn you child, the mind of the ape is a strong one. You'll have to remain calm and focused when you try to take control of the body of the ape and there's no easy way to do that." He paused for a moment, before going deeper with his words of advice. The last thing he wanted to do was send Athren to this task unprepared. He wanted Athren to at least have a plan of attack or an expectation on what he was going to face here.
He was confident that today was going to be the day he learned to control the mighty great ape form but it wouldn't come easy nor would it come fast. This might've been the hardest mental battle he'd ever have to face but he was more than prepared to take on this challenge. He wasn't going to fail, he wasn't going to let the mind of the beast win. He had to overcome it. The plan for the day was he was going to meet Major Brahma out in the Oozaru wasteland, it was the perfect place for a saiyan to learn the great ape form as the environment was empty of all life or saiyan built structures or towns. A saiyan could lose control and nothing important would be damaged. It was also far enough away from everything that if the saiyan warrior had ended up roaming towards a city or town, the individual they had with them could cut off the tail or remove the power ball and force the saiyan out of such a transformation. It was essentially a safe guard and Major Brahma was more than capable of handling such a task but Athren was confident it wouldn't come to that, he felt as if he'd learn this rather quickly and manage to overcome the struggle in such a short period of time. He had always displayed himself to be one of the fastest learners of the low class kids and he hoped that would carry on going forward.

Meeting Brahma wasn't just about having a safe guard in place if Athren failed but it was also about being taught lessons in regard to how to handle it. He'd get the lecture and tips and Brahma could provide him with the power ball technique to actually initiate such a transformation. He was really the best person for this job. He had personal experience and knew exactly how to handle it so he would have the best possible guidelines on how to face this head on. Athren had nothing but faith in the Major, he had demonstrated himself to be a smart, cunning and powerful warrior and he'd take his every word to heart. He wanted to improve and at such a young age, he was more than willing to attempt things another way. He hadn't grown so stubborn yet that he thought he knew what the best approach was, he wasn't stubborn enough to put aside the opinions of others. He'd take every word serious and follow the guidance to the best of his abilities. He didn't want to fail, he didn't want to be overpowered by the mind of the great ape. He had to prove that he was capable, powerful and strong. He didn't want to fail, in fact failure wasn't an option and that was completely Athren's own mindset. The only way through this, was to succeed and that's how it was going to go. Athren was going to leave here having conquered the mind of the mighty Great Ape.

At this point, Athren had geared up eagerly and began flying towards the Oozaru wastelands. Excitement had consumed him and his nerves had been flaring up slightly. It was a big task he was trying to take on and most saiyans his age didn't but luckily enough for him, Brahma had met his offer with open arms and even wanted to train him. Brahma had managed to see great potential within Athren and it was potential he didn't want to waste. If he could train this boy to the standard of an elite or set him on that path to greatness, Planet Vegeta and the New Saiyan Empire would've had themselves another great warrior in the future. All Athren would have to do was grow up and continued his training, expand his knowledge and expand his strength. If he managed to keep up with that and continued chasing greatness, there wasn't a doubt in Brahma's mind that this boy would be one of Vegeta's best warriors and even Brahma himself was looking forward to the future to see this vision come to pass. It might've taken a decade or two, but he just knew that Athren could exceed all the expectations that were going to be laid upon him. He was just a child but he was still a saiyan, a saiyan that was chasing to be the pinnacle of saiyan power.

The boy had the drive and the motivation to become the best of them all, he just needed the guidance and the training. This was all something that would come in time, something that would come natural after deployments, battles and missions. If he could take all the guidance that Brahma was willing to offer, his natural power would be unrivaled. The boy had the spark and the passion, he just needed to grow and get deployed. It wasn't often Brahma had such faith in a boy but he couldn't ignore such potential, he couldn't just turn away and hope that such power came to be. He needed to help forge this weapon and he knew he'd be promoted soon, he'd also be in a position where he could aim this weapon which would benefit both the New Saiyan Empire and the young saiyan that was going to be trained today. Brahma was going to give him the best guidance he could, he was going to be patient and let the kid battle it out with the mind of the Great Ape. The only thing that would make Brahma step in was if Athren was heading in a direction that could cause any damage to the Empire. That wasn't something that Brahma could allow. While he was willing to forge a weapon and have a hand in creating strong warriors, he wouldn't allow that weapon to be turned towards his own kind, his own people must stay out of harms way.

"So, You're finally here? About time." Brahma said as he had his arms crossed against his chest as the young Athren had landed beside him. He had been standing on a high point that overlooked the entire wasteland. It was the best vantage point to observe the struggle with the mind of the saiyan and the mind of the ape. "I was starting to think that you weren't going to come at all, that maybe this challenge was far too great for you." Of course, he didn't believe this for a second but it was something that he believed would motivate the child. That was often the case for most of the saiyan race. Doubting them had only given them more of a push to succeed and a much deeper drive to be better than they were. Most of the saiyan race hated being judged, hated being looked down on and Athren wasn't going to be any different. With his high drive to succeed, he'd want to make this quick to prove to Brahma that he was far better than people thought and at this age, Athren did care what the higher ranks though for he simply wanted to stand out, he wanted to be known. He wanted to be put on a squad that took on the most difficult of assignments and to do that, he'd need to be powerful and well known, he'd also need to be respected amongst the higher ranking saiyan warriors.

Athren had a frustrated look on his face at first at being doubted the second he landed there. That wasn't what he was expecting to land too but there wasn't much he could do about it. The only real thing he could do about it was prove those words wrong and learn this Great Ape form quickly. Of course, that was already what he wanted to do before he heard those words but those words simply gave him an extra drive to do it. He didn't give a shit how difficult this was going to be, he didn't care how strong the mind of the ape was, he was going to consume it and take control of the form in a heartbeat to prove himself better than what Brahma had said. "I wasn't going to miss this! I need this to get stronger!" Athren paused a moment as he glared up towards Brahma with an intense stare. "No challenge is too great for a saiyan warrior! I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of!" Athren exclaimed excitedly. Of course he was a little young and eager and the scale of difficulty wasn't quite registering with him yet. In fact, he really didn't know exactly what he was about to get himself into. He might've been a little nervous but he wasn't scared of this challenge. He'd overcome it no matter what it took. There was too much riding on this for him to fail and the only thing he saw was victory.

Brahma would continue to speak to the boy, guiding him. "While I'm sure you've transformed under the moon at least once or twice in your life, this is going to be much different. You would've been at the age where attempting to control it wouldn't have gotten you very far at all." He paused briefly. "This time around, at your age it should feel like your body is being controlled by another. Your consciousness locked behind a wall that you can't break through as your muscles and body move to destroy everything in sight. You'll try to fight it, try to take control of your body but the ape will resist." He was speaking nothing but truth and this was all coming from Brahma's own experience with the great ape form. He went through the exact same thing as Athren around the same age as him too. "While the ape is on it's destructive rampage, don't try to take over at random. I want you to focus on it's moments of thought. When it's mind is distracted by a certain object, when it's mental strength is honed in on one single thing. At that point in time, you may find the resistance weaker as the beast won't be fueled by it's destructive nature." While it wasn't much, it was really the best advice Brahma could give.

While the beast was consumed by it's destructive rampage it was much like a saiyan warrior. It was high on adrenaline and excitement and it's mind was overstimulated by it's actions and it's recent reveal to the battlefield. It was the time that it's mind was it's strongest. A warrior had to wait for the right moment to take control and while the ape was focused on a singular object, it wasn't fueled by such things to the same degree. It's vision would narrow as the focus went from pure destruction to only destroying that single thing. It gave the saiyan a chance to slip in and resist just the one action, instead of the chain of actions the ape was on to destroy multiple objects. He had hoped Athren would understand this and while this challenge was the boys alone to face, he felt like if Athren followed this advice he'd make it through just fine. He'd just have to stay strong and pick his moments because a mental battle was just as difficult as a physical one and if Athren didn't pick and choose his moments, his mind would become fatigued and the only way he'd gain control is if his tail had gotten cut or the power ball had been reduced to nothing. Though now, unless Athren had any further questions or wonders, Brahma was going to want to get into it. There wasn't a point in talking about such things for a lengthy period of time. The best approach now was simply for Athren to face this challenge and try to overcome it.

Athren nodded his head. "I understand." He couldn't help but feel more nervous now but he understood the advice completely and to him the logic behind it had made sense. It was almost like him. When Athren had gotten into a fight, at first it was pure excitement and adrenaline that fueled him and his own actions and he was often just trying to do as much damage as possible but as the fight continued, he wouldn't be overwhelmed by such emotions and adrenaline and his fighting style would become more focused as he tried to pick apart his opponents weaknesses and openings. At that point, his mind was more focused on individual moves than a combination of them and he too thought that was the best time to take advantage of somebody. When they had been calmer and their mind wasn't simply consumed by such things as 'destroy'. Now that he had gotten his advice and understood what he was going into fully, he felt like he was ready to get right into it. It was pointless standing around and talking, Athren came here with a specific goal and it was time to get to it. He wanted to be back to the mess for dinner and that gave him just a few short hours to get this done. After all, a saiyans appetite was the only thing that could rival their own power. "But if there isn't anything else, I'd like to get started! I want this to be done before dinner!" Athren said to the Major.


With Athren now vocalizing he was ready, Brahma didn't waste anymore time. "Alright Kid, Get out to the middle of the wastelands."
Athren had immediately listened, he blasted off to reach the point that was deemed the 'middle'. He didn't want to risk harming anything and wanted to follow instructions. As Athren landed, Brahma prepared his power ball technique and tossed it up into the air.
It was now time for Athren to face this challenge head on. He was confident, he was proud. This day was going to be his for the taking. He wasn't going to accept defeat. He wasn't going to accept failure. There wasn't a chance in hell he'd allow the mind of the Oozaru to beat him, he was going to overpower it, he was going to take full control and harness the full abilities of the mighty great ape transformation. It was time to put his confidence and his will power to the test and he wasn't going to fail. As the power ball reached the air above Athren, it took it's place and expanded. All that was left for Athren to do was to look up and take in the sight of the large and bright ball of energy and the challenge would begin. Before Athren looked up, he took one more solid breath in preparation.

With Athren finally looking up, His ocean blue eyes gazed upon the bright light of the power ball and the transformation had begun. His body started to grow bigger and larger as his armor and clothing expanded to match the size. His power level began to increase as grey fur started to grow out of his body. His nose grew into a snout, his teeth grew to become sharper than before and his size had become about ten stories tall. It wasn't the quickest transformation but it was one that could be used to the greatest of effects.
The way it felt was strange to the boy, it had felt just like Brahma had described to him. He felt like he was simply observing the movements from inside the body, seeing through the eyes of the ape but there had been absolutely no control. He couldn't move an arm, he couldn't move a leg but he could feel what the ape was thinking as the powerful primitive mind suppressed his own. It was powerful and it was fierce and it was completely out for destruction and at first, Athren tried to take claim to the transformation, he tried to overpower the mind of the beast but there simply wasn't any use. The mind of the ape had been far too strong for him, far too powerful and it shunned him out and locked him out for the time being. He was completely outclassed and overpowered and for now there wasn't anything he could do.

The destructive rampage of the ape had gone on for a little while. It would appear from the eyes of Brahma on the sidelines that Athren wasn't getting a handle of the great ape and while he had hoped Athren would fare out much better, he was just a child. He was a young saiyan warrior who was trying to make a name for himself, trying to improve and get recognized. The boy simply wanted to be as useful to the New Saiyan Empire as possible while developing himself to be the most powerful. Yet, he was just a child and that was the fact of the matter. He might've not had the mind yet to conquer the great ape and there was even some adults who couldn't. It wasn't the biggest deal in the world for a saiyan not to harness such power but he wasn't going to count Athren out just yet. He'd sit by and watch the rampage of the great ape run through the wasteland. Punching through rock formations, kicking boulders, stomping creators into the ground. He could only hope that the boy would get a grip on it. He continued spectating from afar, making sure that the Ape wouldn't go off wandering towards a village in the low class region or worse, head to the capital of Vegeta. If that was the case this training would be cut short and Brahma would force Athren out of the great ape transformation no matter what.

With the battle of the minds still taking place, the great ape had picked up a giant boulder and narrowed its focus. Of course this had been about an hour and some into the transformation itself. Athren focused in and began to try to take over as the ape itself was starting to slow down on it's rampage. He figured it was now or never and with Brahma's advice, he was going to use everything that he could in order to take control. The struggle would carry on as the ape dropped the giant rock. It knew it was now losing the battle of the minds as Athren continued to press harder and harder to overwhelm the giant ape. He was pushing it out and slowly, he started to take over as the mind of the ape kept getting pushed out. Athren was winning. The struggle carried on and it wasn't before long that Athren himself was in control. There was no more destruction, there was simply only a giant ape standing there as he looked over to his mentor and the one that gave him the advice to conquer this thing and he did. "I did it!" Athren exclaimed in the deep voice of the ape as he stomped around happily. He had set out to complete a challenge and did it once again. He was growing stronger every single day and he couldn't be more proud of how far he had come in such a short amount of time.

Brahma would let Athren experience his victory before a short time before removing the power ball from the sky and in turn, Athren would slowly revert back to his base form as he shrank back to his child size. His clothing was stretched out far from being expanded and he even found himself to be a little exhausted but that was all well worth the victory that had been accomplished here. Athren had been on the right track to becoming a very important member of the New Saiyan Empire. Even if he was destined to be a simple soldier, he was going to have the power to conquer planets on his own and leave nothing to stand against him. He just had to continue wanting more, he had to continue training and learning more techniques and that's all that he had to do. In time if he kept that up and went out on assignments and missions, Athren would become one of the most powerful saiyans to ever live and for now, with the power of the mighty great ape under his control. Athren would be even more useful to the empire now than he was just a few hours ago. He would not be a liability anymore and his power could be counted on. This boy was going to need some harder assignments from this point on and he would be best off learning the power ball but that was something best saved for another day.


While Athren had managed to control the mighty great ape form once upon a time, he knew that he didn't keep up with the control of the form. It was something that required use of the form to stay in control. This was due to the fact that he didn't prefer becoming a great ape. He would much rather remain in his base form or his alternative transformation to win his battles. If he was turning into a great ape, things were going drastically wrong for him and the saiyan's nearby.

Another reason why Athren didn't use the transformation of the great ape was simply that it had required a full moon or a power ball technique. Athren didn't both to learn the power ball technique nor was he interested. As far as the full moon went, planets had a different time cycle for when it appeared and while saiyan's would often coordinate their invasions with the full moons cycle and sometimes a planet didn't even have a moon. It seemed as Athren's former squads didn't align their timings with the full moon. They had faith in their abilities in their base forms and strongly believed that they'd be more than enough in their base forms to complete their assignments and come out successful.

Though all of this would lead to a challenge. He knew that the primitive mind of the ape wasn't one to take lightly. While he had grown stronger in body and mind, the ape mind was strong and determined. It was very easy for a Saiyan warrior to lose themselves to the transformation. He knew that this was going to be a battle of the minds and he knew he had to come out on top. He didn't just need control of his great ape from the way he desired as a child. He needed full on mastery of this thing. He didn't want to have to face this challenge again, he wanted the form to be reliable if he ever needed it again and with the earth having a moon and this tournament upcoming, he felt as if things could spiral out of control rapidly and therefore he wanted to be as prepared as possible.

He had been taken by surprise on Cereal. The power of the warrior that defeated him was incredible, surprising even and he couldn't have ever expected that from a warrior from Cereal. He didn't want similar to happen to him on earth. He was pushing himself to have all winning options available to him if he found himself backed into a corner with his other transformation failing behind. While the time it took to transform into the great ape was risky, Athren learned that attempting it may be better than not and it very well might've been worth the gamble.

What Athren needed to do to rectify that situation was to become stronger, to improve his current roster of techniques and to create new ones. He also needed to master all of his transformations. Now while it was unlikely he'd find himself transforming into the mighty Oozaru often, he wanted to have it mastered this time around. He didn't want it just controlled, he needed full control and mastery over the primitive mind of the beast. With the tournament coming up and a handful of saiyan's being there, he wouldn't have even been surprised that somebody there would drop a power ball in order to secure their victory.

If that was going to be the case, he could've only hoped that all the saiyan's going to this tournament would have their Oozaru transformation mastered. An uncontrolled Oozaru in a place like that would be chaotic. While Athren didn't give a shit about any of the lives of the other participants or the location itself, he did care about the rules of engagement set by the King himself. He didn't want the kings fury coming down upon them because some Oozaru went off and started killing anybody in sight.

While that situation itself would be entertaining, it'd want him to let loose and join but an uncontrolled Oozaru would also likely be trying to kill him. It wasn't an ideal situation but it did sound thrilling but with the kings rules of engagement in place, Athren had hoped everything would be under control. A Saiyan victory was required, it was what had to happen and he really didn't give a shit how the saiyan's got there so long as they followed the simple rules of engagement. Breaking those rules would likely escalate tensions between Vegeta and Earth and while Athren was expecting orders to come out soon to conquer the Earth, he didn't want that fight to start prematurely.

He was more than ready, more than eager to conquer another planet but he needed to wait for the appropriate time. He needed to wait for the orders from their King. He wouldn't start a war on his own terms and currently, the Saiyan race didn't even know what they'd be up against when it came to Earths forces. While it was established that the Earths forces were weak and the power level of the average human was low, Athren had learned from Namek and Cereal that rumours hadn't always been true and that there were some who could highly outperform expectations to defend their planets. With this knowledge, Athren wasn't going to allow him self to be surprised by another powerful warrior, he wouldn't allow himself to be beat again. He was going to be fully prepared for anything coming his way, and he wouldn't be defeated, not again, not by somebody who
Wasn't a saiyan.

If anything, this tournament was going to reveal Earths hand. The Saiyan race were known to be powerful warriors, they wouldn't reveal anything by showing up to this tournament for their abilities and strength was widely known. This tournament would give the Saiyan race a good idea of what they were going to be dealing with, they'd see Earths strongest fighters and they'd know exactly what they'd have to kill when the time came and Athren couldn't help but be excited by this.

While Athren had formerly trained the Great Ape transformation as a child, he hadn't kept up with it or used it very often in his life. He had been cursed with another type of transformation that couldn't really be explained. All he really knew was that no other saiyan he had ever met had anything like it. He didn't even know what to call it but it was usually more than enough to drive him to the victory or at least to keep him highly competitive with his opponent. While his other transformation wasn't quite as powerful as the mighty great ape, it managed to hold it's own and it caused him to not need the great ape transformation. Not only that, Athren had never learned the power ball technique and that too was a reason for the lack of Oozaru usage. With all this information though, Athren was determined to get into his Great Ape form once more in order to insure it's reliability. He didn't want to be an uncontrolled Oozaru in the tournament if it came to it. With the amount of saiyans that had been going to the tournament and the Kings order to win, he had a feeling that the power ball might've made an appearance at one point or another and if that was the case, he wanted to be damn well ready for it.

The last thing he was going to allow was for his own lack of preparation to cause a saiyan defeat. If he couldn't control the great ape form there was a likely hood of him fighting the other great apes as they would've been the biggest target in sight. While the ultimate goal was to remove everybody from the ring or knock them out, he wanted to save his own kind for last to give them a better chance at winning. He knew that a victory for himself would be very difficult. These fights weren't just going to be a one on one and he could even get ganged up on. While he was alright with not taking first place, he wasn't alright with a saiyan defeat. They had to win at all costs, he didn't care what it took. Teamwork off the hop would've been perfect and saving each other until the end was the best strategy, but even then Athren wasn't going to risk eliminating them too early unless he absolutely had too. If a saiyan came to him for a fight and attempted to eliminate him from the tournament, he was going to fight with everything he had to stay standing. Just because his chances were low and he didn't care for the victory as an individual, didn't mean he'd just back down and hand out his defeat. He was a warrior after all, he was still going to try his best.

Now while he wanted to revisit this transformation to prevent any unnecessary collateral damage, there was one issue. Athren didn't know the power ball technique and he wasn't exactly going to go back to Brahma in order to learn it or for him to use it. So he did have an idea. He got himself geared up, his super heavy weights had been on and he was prepared to tackle the day. He had still been adjusting to the weighted clothing and it still felt heavy on his muscles, but it was still beneficial for every single movement had been somewhat of a training session and he couldn't argue or complain with getting more power. Not only did he wanted to perfect his transformation but he wanted to improve his power and more techniques too. When he landed on Earth, he wanted to be completely ready for it. He didn't want a repeat of Cereal and he surely wanted to cause some damage to the others fighters present in the tournament. So he wouldn't slack on his preparations, he'd keep training and training until the tournament was there. Hell, he knew he'd even continue training on the ship if he managed to afford one by then. He knew he really didn't want to take a pod to Earth. That would've wasted multiple days of training and that wasn't something he wanted to tolerate. He had to keep training, right up until his feet touched down on Earth.

Now his fresh idea in order to transform into the mighty great ape today was no other than his friend Celric. He had plenty of experience conquering worlds and he often transformed into the great ape. While Athren never fully asked him whether or not he used the power ball or even knew it, it was currently his best chance. Plenty of Celric's stories had involved his squad becoming great apes and completely wiping out all the life on the planet they had been sent to conquer. So either Celric knew it or he knew somebody who did and if it was possible, he'd take one of them out to use the power ball technique to make sure Athren remembered how to control the giant ape form. It was currently his best shot as surprisingly, the power ball technique was rather uncommon within the ranks of the saiyan race. It might've been part of the key to their power yet too many saiyans including Athren had failed to learn it in their lifetime. It seemed the technique itself was most often saved for the elites. They had learned it as most of them had learned to control their oozaru transformation. Either way, it didn't hurt to ask a question. If Celric or his squad didn't know, he'd just have to find another way to get this done. Right now, Athren wasn't going to stop until he managed to confirm that he still had it, that he could still control the giant ape. It was too much power to let go unchecked and he wasn't going to be any rookie mistakes.

Athren made his way out to his favorite pub where he was sure Celric would be. When Celric was on planet and not on assignment, he was always there drinking. He wasn't a saiyan that trained much anymore, apparently he had grown quite content with his current level of power and yet he still challenged Athren to a friendly spar to see who was better. The thing about that was, Athren only seemed comparable to Celric when he had his super heavy weights on but the reality of it was that Athren was so much stronger than Celric now. Athren had a Zenkai, he had been training non-stop and he was really working to improve himself. Celric hadn't been keeping up but that wouldn't determine their friendship and Athren wasn't likely to flaunt his power in front of Celric so easily. While it might've been enough to spark Celric to get back to training, it might've also been a very heavy blow to his pride and Athren really didn't want to do that to him. Plus, if Celric knew of Athren's actual power, it might've put a halt to their friendship and Athren didn't want that either. Either way, for now Athren had required Celric's assistance and now that he was at the pub, he'd make his way in. As he did, the first set of eyes on him was the bartender Cress.

Of course Cress gave Athren a large smile and a wave, she was always happy to see him coming in here. "Hey Athren! Looking for the usual or here for something else?" She asked him curiously. Lately Athren was either here to drink or here for information. There really wasn't anything in between. He either wanted to relax or wanted information or some sort of a sparring partner. She always liked to know right away, that way she knew whether or not to prepare him his normal drink. Often if Athren was here to drink, he'd stay quite a long time so she'd make plenty of trips to his table. He'd often leave a pretty heavy tip too. He was one of her favorite customers, as he wasn't overly aggressive and throwing around his pride like most of the saiyan warriors did after a few drinks. He was typically passive in the bar, quiet. Didn't really make a scene or try to flaunt how powerful he had become. He was just there for himself and that was something she rather admired from him. Even Celric from time to time let his large ego out for everybody to see and it was rather annoying. Especially considering Cress was no longer a warrior and she gave up that life. She was now just a humble bartender serving the soldiers of the empire in a more calming and peaceful way. While it wasn't ideal, she couldn't quite complain with her job.

Athren couldn't help but give a return smile. Though he didn't waste time getting right to the business of why he was here. He approached the bar and Cress and simply told her. "Just here for Celric, hoping to go out and do some training so you won't be bringing us rounds today. Though, I always appreciate you when you do." He said before turning and wandering back off to Celric's usual corner. Of course, to no surprise Celric had been there relaxing and drinking ale. Sitting all alone spectating the crowd of saiyans that had filled the bar. Athren had approached and got right to the point. He hadn't been here for small talk, nor was he here to waste any time. Now that he was in front of Celric, he got right to the point. "Celric! Any chance you know the power ball technique?" He asked rather casually and rapidly. He was eager to know the answer. He simply wanted to get out there and see if he could still control the mind of the beast. If he could, it was simply one less thing that he had to worry about. If he could manage the mind of the beast now, he could move onto better techniques and other forms of self improvement in preparations for the tournament. He had some ideas too, but first thing was first. He had to get the Great Ape out of the way and confirmed. While he believe he still had it, there was a chance he didn't.

Celric couldn't help but glare at Athren with a big large smile on his face. The question was right to the point and there really wasn't any opening with banter. He knew that Athren was here with intentions and meant his business. He was only ever like this when he was only driven to get something done. Celric could tell that Athren had been eager and wanted answer as soon as possible. So even Celric had decided to completely avoid the banter. He'd give his friend the answer. "It's one of my favorite techniques actually, as you know I am quite fond of the Great Ape transformation. I damn well use it on nearly every assignment I'm sent on. Why do you ask?" Of course, Celric had an idea of where this was going to go. He couldn't help but think Athren was actually going to ask to learn this technique. While it would've been a little out of character for Athren to ask for such a technique from somebody like Celric, he understood that Athren's recent loss on Cereal might've given him a little bit of extra motivation to learn the technique. A loss like that would often change a saiyans mindset, ever so slightly and having access to the great ape transformation on demand was a game changer in a fight so he couldn't exactly blame Athren for wanting to learn such a technique. It did come in handy after all.

Athren couldn't help but smile at the answer. It would turn out that this was going to be a little easier than he initially though. Celric had known the technique and he'd damn well assist without question and he knew that as a fact. "Actually, I want to go to Oozaru wastelands. I want to transform into the great ape. It's been awhile, I want to make sure that I've still got it." Athren explained to his friend. In all honesty, it was unlikely that Athren would've lost control of it even if he didn't use it frequently but he wasn't going to risk another fight on an unlikely. He needed to make damn well sure he'd be fine and that he would be in full control of it. He had to be prepared, he couldn't take another beating like he did on Cereal, especially not while on Earth. That planet had the reputation of having weaklings and while the tournament was open to everybody, he didn't want to go down on Earth, not by anybody other than a saiyan. This was purely his pride speaking to him in the back of his head, it was driving him to cross all his x's and continue with his preparations. He might've even been a little too worried about the battle that was going to take place on Earth. Maybe, it wouldn't be challenging at all and the saiyan race would just plow through the competition but maybe, they'd get stomped? If Namek and Cereal taught them anything, it was not to underestimate anybody.

The two would leave the pub with Celric following Athren's lead. It seemed Athren was rather in a rush and wanted to get there immediately. Celric couldn't help but chuckle, when Athren wanted results he wanted them yesterday. He was a true saiyan at heart, always pushing himself to be better than he was the day before and it was quite a respectable character trait. As they flew towards the wasteland, Celric couldn't help but ask the simple question. "What're you prepping for, anyway?" While he knew Athren was off to go fight in that Earth tournament, he too had heard that Earth hadn't really been known for producing warriors of value and while the tournament was open to all, the Planet Trade had been pushed out of the system and now that both Namek and Cereal had fallen to saiyan might. There wasn't really any neighboring planets in the area that would produce a warrior that could rival a saiyan. Of course, there could be rare instances of somebody powerful but even that seemed highly unlikely. With this information and thought process, Celric couldn't help but think that maybe Athren had a different assignment elsewhere? Perhaps he was going somewhere more deadly? Hell, maybe he was even assigned to go check in on the status of the PTO and see where they had currently been residing. They still had a large force and surely, it would come back eventually.

Athren responded quickly as the breeze ruffled around his hair as they flew rapidly towards the destination. Once more, Athren would be returning to the Oozaru wastelands to become the mighty Oozaru. It was kind of strange that history was repeating itself. In all honesty, Athren never thought he'd be back at Oozaru wastelands to do the same thing he did as a child but he knew that it would be beneficial for him. "I don't know how this whole tournament on Earth is going to go and it's been a while since I've actual transformed into the great ape. I just want to make sure I've still got it down. After Cereal, I just want to make sure I'm prepared for anything when the time comes. Though that being said, I still do have to try and make time to learn the power ball technique." Whether or not he got to do this before the tournament would be unclear. A lot of his time was already dedicated to other things. Basic techniques, training for power and things such as that. He didn't know if he'd have the time to convince somebody to train the power ball to him in the short amount of time they had left. He knew that by the end of this week, he'd have to be on his ship and heading to Earth. While he hoped he'd have a new ship to continue his training in, if he didn't his time for training was extremely limited.

Although he might've not had the power ball technique under his technique roster yet, he couldn't help but wager that another saiyan going to the tournament would. Athren likely wouldn't try to go Oozaru but if the power ball was up in the sky and the situation called for it. He wasn't going to idle around and just hope his other transformations were enough. He'd go full ape to try and make sure the saiyan race would come out on top. "I get that." Celric replied. "Doesn't hurt to be over prepared. Though, I doubt you'll face an opponent like the one on Cereal on the planet Earth." Of course, nobody could be sure and even Athren suspected the same thing but he was going to be prepared regardless of what everybody thought of Earth. After all, the thoughts on Namek and Cereal had been the exact same. Though now the two saiyans landed and got right too it. Celric would take the higher ground while Athren landed in the middle of the wastelands. He wanted to be far away from everything as Celric prepared his power ball technique and launched it into the sky. With the glowing energy ball now high in the sky, it was time for Athren to put this to the test. He couldn't help but hope he'd still have it but he had to guess that the lessons he had once learned from Brahma wouldn't have faded away so quickly.

It didn't take long before Athren raised his head up to look into the sky. It had almost been the exact same positioning and motion that he did twenty two years ago but this time, he knew exactly what he was in for, exactly what he was going to do if he hadn't been in control of the beast right off the bat. He just had to remember the lessons Brahma taught if anything went wrong, his advice so long ago was practical, relevant and by far the thing that got him through it all that time ago. As Athren's ocean blue eyes rested upon the Power Ball and the transformation had begun to take shape. His body began to grow big and tall as his clothing stretched out with it once more. His body began to grow thick grey fur as he got to ten stories tall. His eyes would turn red as his nose stretched into a snout. His teeth turning sharp as he finished his transformation. When the transformation has finished, his power level had multiplied by ten. He was stronger than he ever was though his Super Heavy Weights had remained attached to his armor and had still been reducing his power level.

The bright side here was that Athren had been in full control. The primitive mind was no longer there and wasn't even trying to fight for control. It would seem that Athren's former training had held on and allowed him to maintain control. If he was on Earth, the saiyan it was like riding a bike would've applied here. "Alright, you can cut the power ball. I've still got it. Just had to be sure." Athren stated with confidence as he looked over to Celric.

Celric would now dismiss his power ball technique. "Good, Now.. Can I go back to drinking?" He stated, eagerly wanting to go back to drinking if Athren didn't require anymore assistance from him. If Athren did want something else, he would've stuck around but knowing Athren's eagerness it was pretty safe to say his work here was done.

With Athren now reverted back to his base form he glanced over at Celric before flying over. His boots touched down beside Celric as he took note of how his clothing had stretched out and fit too loosely now. "You're good, that was all I needed. Appreciate it." He was quite pleased Celric was so eager to assist in the first place and this made sure Athren was prepared to the best of his ability. He only had a handful of days before he had to leave for this tournament and time was running short and at this point, every single minute counted. Though with Athren's confirmation. Celric flew off in an instant. Of course he was just making his way back to the bar. He wasn't finished drinking yet for the day and there was plenty of time left in the day to consume a hell of a lot more ale.

In the meantime, Athren had a hell of a lot more work to do. He felt the pressure of time working against him and he was running out of it fast. Now that the Oozaru Mastery was confirmed and he was happy with it, he had to begin to improve upon a few of his offensive techniques and create some defensive ones. He wanted to land on Earth and be prepared for anything that could've been thrown his way. He didn't care what kind of techniques would come his way, he just wanted to have a way to handle them no matter what they were. The next few days were going to purely be about preparations in both power and technique. He was going to wake up every single day early and get to training and he wasn't going to waste a minute. Even if he had felt that the bar was calling his name, he'd simply force himself to avoid it and to keep on training. With Callion going to the tournament, he felt like they had a very high chance of coming out on top but it would likely come to him versus Callion again and he didn't want to lose twice to the same elite and depending on how the tournament went, both of them might've been fresh and their full powers on display. While Athren wasn't chasing the win, he'd grab it if it was within reach. He really was more eager just to land on Earth and bust some heads and display what saiyan power was.

While Athren was preparing intensely for this tournament, he couldn't help but be excited. He was going to face a type of fighter he hadn't had the chance to face before. He had hoped the Earthlings would far exceed the rumours that had been passed around Vegeta. he had hoped they they could actually hold their own in a fight. He wanted a challenge, he wanted to dig deep and have a fight that would push him to a breaking point. There was something about fighting an opponent that could actually kill him that fueled him, he even craved such a battle. It was likely that this simply came down to his saiyan bloodline, but it was almost something that he needed. While cutting through the the Earth warriors would've been entertaining too, he had craved a strong opponent, one that could give him a real fight.

Whether or not the Earth or the rest of the universe was going to provide him with this at the tournament would be yet to be revealed, but he couldn't help but hope. He was going to travel all that way and he was just hoping he'd get something good out of it. Strong fighters made him stronger and that's his ultimate goal. He needed more fighters to push him, force him to become better, to become stronger. In only a few short weeks, he'd see what the Earth was capable of.

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Word Count: 10,001.
Gradable Word Count: 10,000

Super Heavy Weights Applied + 75%
One Pre-Workout Mix used: + 10%
-1 Preworkout Mix.
[ST1] Oozaru Mastery: Learned.
-1 TP