Viral really hated his weak spots being taken advantage of like this, finding it all to be too irritating to him. He couldn’t retaliate and was just left embarrassed that it could even happen, all because it was completely beyond his control and impossible to get them away. If somebody did this during a battle when he was in his feline form he would probably end up in an even worse mental condition than he is now. He would be traumatised and probably unable to fight again. Hearing Aito talk like his problem was something so simple and completely trivial made him lose just a little but more faith in his ability to keep healthy. Hormonal imbalances sounded like something a human would go through naturally and come out of it completely fine, not turn into a twisted monster like he was now. What a pathetic illness to have, if it can even be called an illness at all. “I don’t…understand how this can be linked to hormones…” he groaned, finding it hard to argue, “I can’t see how…how Vegeta even missed something like that…”

He felt rather discouraged in his own ability to keep healthy if it was something as simple as that. If normal people went through it then he didn’t know what to think of himself for collapsing under such a simple problem. He was feeling rather depressed now and if this was what an illness was to him then he never wanted to get ill again. He knew humans went through a whole bunch of illnesses but this one made him wonder if he was going to survive or remain the same way he was always. Hearing him admit he was only around for two out of five years of his life just made him even more depressed. So much for him apparently caring for both him and Vegeta, but it definitely gave him all the more reason to not trust him as much as he could. He greatly doubted his abilities now but he saw no point on saying when he was forced into submission like just now. “Hmph, if you say so…but two years is nothing. No wonder I don’t trust you…”

Feeling rather annoyed that he was still being subdued like this he started to groan, slowly shifting his head to the side as he tried to look to Aito in annoyance at his idea to keep it in mind if he was to use it again. He wasn’t going to let the guy anywhere near him if he was going to abuse this. Once Aito had finally removed his hand he let out a growl and scratched his ear quickly, not finding that to be pleasant at all when it meant complete submission on his part. Feeling more annoyed than relaxed at this point he sat up again, still scratching his ear as he was brought into even more confusion. “Changed back? Wait idly?? I’ve been like this for weeks…” he grumbled, not believing he could manage such a challenge just by assuming he could, “What was preventing me from doing so before??”

"It's simple really, if you'll allow me to explain," Aito began, "See... The hormones in your body dictate quite a lot, from how your body develops to your moods, from the chemicals your brain produces and the structure of your body itself. It's a very simplistic way to say this, but hormones influence a great deal of our being. If someone's is out of sync or running amok then they may experience, oh... I don't know, mutations, mood swings, and the latter can lead to depression and anxiety. At face value they seem to have little to do with anything, but if you delve into things a bit deeper than you can begin to see where patterns might emerge. And besides... I suppose to truly clarify your problem I should be completely candid with how you came about..." Aito couldn't force Viral to trust him, that would either come with time or not at all. In response to the Beastman's doubts he could only smile and shrug, having no words to offer for that; his actions would reflect his true intentions, and it would ultimately come down to whether his actions gained trust or drove Viral away.

There would have to be another way to temporarily halt Viral's transformations, and Aito thought he might have an idea as to what he would need. Just as a whimsical idea he had gone and tried petting Viral, just having a funny idea of trying to soothe him that way. Far as he could tell it was more akin to giving a cat catnip in that it became unwillingly complacent and almost unable to resist, so calming it was not. Stepping back and folding his hands behind his back the Saiyan smiled knowingly, "Well I would imagine Vegeta wasn't sure of what to address in order to change you back. See... His focus was on the genetics and your DNA, which while not wholly incorrect is far more time consuming and difficult to adjust. If we tackle the problem from my perspective I can develop a pill, a serum, some kind of medicine, and it will restore your form to its regular self. Mind you it will be temporary and repeated dosages will be administered, but I am confident that we can at the very least give you your regular form back for a decent period of time, and as long as it takes to develop a permanent cure. If you're willing to try my methods I can have something developed for you within the day."

"But back to my previous point, about the imbalances. There's a reason why you're struggling so much, and I will fully admit it is my fault. While it is true that you are my greatest success you are also the only one to ever survive the process, and as such I've not had any data prior to see how someone like you develops. I regret to say that I am now witnessing problems I didn't consider before hand, problems that have arisen due to your unique make-up. They are reversible and even preventable, but it was my short sightedness that caused them in the first place, and for that Viral..." Aito explained, taking a knee before the Beastman and bowing his head, "I am sincerely sorry. It is my own folly that you're even here to begin with, that you've suffered so much. Maybe it's guilt that drives me to help you as well then, but I do wish to see you healthy again. Ah... But I'm rambling again! That's what I get, harboring that guilt for so long!" he added, laughing bashfully as he lifted his head and grinned.

"The reason for your difficulties is quite obvious. But tell me something... Have you ever considered how you look? I mean the base form of you? Why is it, do you suppose, that you've got such a human-like form? That, some features aside, you could easily be mistaken for a human being?" Scrutinizing Viral for a moment, Aito got back to his feet, leaning down as he placed a hand on the Beastman's shoulders. "In order to create you we needed a catalyst, something to hold together all of the strands of DNA together. We needed a bonding agent if you would. You see... Just splicing two strands of genes together does not an organism make, at least not one as complex as you. In order to truly make you we needed something to work with as a base, and so we used something... A human egg." Aito's smile waned rather quickly as he began to get into the topic, not at all enjoying this aspect of their work. "I discovered the missing component was a human embryo, one that we could use early on and make the necessary adjustments. In the early stages of development its common for humans to mutate, though normally these mutations are minor at best or fade. However, through careful manipulation we could introduce the genetics from various creatures into the embryo, and in turn allow it to produce traits of the desired creatures."

Letting out a sigh Aito removed his hands from Viral, looking a bit tired all of a sudden though his smile had come back. "No one would willingly give up an embryo or egg to try this, which is understandable. We were about prepared to give up on the matter entirely when someone finally offered to give us the last component, the final piece to the puzzle so to speak. And that person was June, her egg was used to create you, just like how Vegeta came about. So now perhaps you understand why we refer to you as our child, and you and Vegeta as siblings. In every sense of the world you are, as you share much of your genes with both June and Vegeta. In fact... Aside from the alterations you are every bit our child as he is."

This was a lot to take in, and none of it was very pleasant. Yumi couldn't believe her ears when she heard Aito speaking, only able to stare at him blankly as he spoke. Why did he look so upset when he was sharing this? Earlier he was all eager to go and proud of himself, so what changed? Did he not want Viral finding out about this for some reason? It had struck her a little as odd that both he and June refereed to Viral as their son too, but she figured it was just a show of adoration as they kind of had raised him as one. But to think that he was really their son, or at the very least June's... "You're telling me that he was a human, and you changed him...?" Yumi asked, blinking as she looked over at Viral in disbelief.

"No, he wasn't even developed when the process began, he was mostly just a single cell or two. Though the introduction of the DNA continued into the embryonic stage the entire ordeal began before he was even beginning to take shape. We had no plans of having another child even, so it wasn't as though we were forcibly changing another being. At any rate you were removed from June after a certain period and placed in a tank, as we didn't know what might come of things during your development. You grew as any human child would, but there were most certainly differences as you developed. Larger hands, for example, a stronger skeletal frame, and as we would find out after your birth, enhanced senses. But that isn't the point of sharing all of this with you, of how you came to be. My point is that you are at your very core human, but a human changed by the tampering of myself and my peers. Where I found success I seemed to have caused you nothing but hardships, and now I feel it's only a petty thing that I am offering you help, after all this time. The reason you struggle now is because I never had a proper chance to help you learn to adapt and control your unique traits, but now perhaps we can reconcile that and make things right."

Viral didn’t know what he was supposed to believe at this point about his body, seeing how it was failing him so much time and time again. Asking Aito such a question about his health should probably help his case and make him feel just a little bit more secure about having this guy work on him, but if he just made things worse by overcomplicating the solution then he wouldn’t know if the man was telling the truth through simple logic. He didn’t think of himself as a simple creature with a simple mind, but he did know when he should be keeping an eye out for filtered crap designed to make him feel more secure. Staring at Aito he was more inclined to listen to him, but he was still feeling embarrassed by him taking advantage of him just moments before. “How I came about? I don’t understand how that will help ease this…”

He was rather confused as to how this can be related, but he didn’t want to put off any sort of possibility that he might understand who he actually was and why he was created. With his poor memory he didn’t know how much of it he would retain if it was completely irrelevant and dull, but he also might end up having it ingrained into his mind if it was traumatic enough. It was always going to be a worry for him and if his condition got worse then who knew how much he’d remember. Still rubbing at his ear he stared up at Aito, narrowing his gaze slightly as he almost talked down about Vegeta’s methods. He didn’t really like how vague the man was being yet he was trying to sound as if he was the correct one out of the pair, even before he started treating him. He didn’t know if this medicine he would need to take would work, but Aito certainly had confidence in it as if it was a simple prescription.

Feeling rather uncomfortable with the subject he shifted on the couch, trying to pull his legs up but not really getting anywhere as his legs and feet were too awkwardly shaped to pull up. He couldn’t really understand how the imbalance and his creation were related, but hearing Aito speak of his laziness to look and see if these problems were a possibility he felt a little betrayed. Grumbling a sigh he looked away for a moment, only looking back when he got on his knee and apologised. Frowning, he stared at him before grunting as he began to laugh, giving his arm a scratch. “What…is there to say when you already admitted you weren’t there for me for most of my previous existence”, he muttered, looking away, “You were already happy that you made me…for whatever reason…”

Feeling concerned when Aito told him to question his looks he looked down at himself, not understanding what he was getting at. He couldn’t see how it related, his looks were probably more for convenience in his mind than anything else. He didn’t understand what he was getting at but when he leaned down and touched his shoulder he felt more concerned than anything else. Staring at him as he spoke he felt he couldn’t say anything to try and help him understand Aito’s methods, his eyes wandering away for a moment before looking back at the conclusion, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with what he was discovering. They weren’t just creating something from DNA strands but from what could’ve potentially been another human being and even with his distrust towards humans he felt like he had stolen life. He had been told there had been many before him, but just how many had been created using a human egg was something he didn’t know.

When Aito removed himself his understanding over the egg was made limited to only one, the one used to make him. He still felt uncomfortable getting told all this, but hearing who gave the egg just made him feel even more stressed out. It couldn’t had been that simple, there had to be more to it but it meant he was part of June regardless. This must had been how it felt to discover family for the first time, but she hadn’t spoken to him much if at all since coming back so he also ended up feeling confused. Did she see anything in him other than a product of an experiment which she took part in, or was he just being avoided because she was afraid of what he had become? Why did they decide to make him in the first place instead of just a normal child? He had been experimented on before he even knew what existence was like and while he already knew this, knowing he had a chance to be born a normal human being made him question just what he was supposed to be. The creatures they used to make him were some of the fastest and fiercest in the animal kingdom, but why they decided to create a modified human only masked Aito’s attempt to make him feel like family.

Looking to Yumi when she questioned his existence as well he backed into the couch some more, feeling cornered by all these questions running through his mind and Yumi’s. His entire existence was being questioned even when he knew he was created before, but hearing how they did it made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. Hearing June being used as part of the experiment meant she had been harmed by the ordeal, knowing your potential child was being experimented on as time went on. Placing his hands to his head he felt the other details were less important, dwarfing what he had already heard. Letting out a groan as Aito tried to make him feel better about his existence he looked away, unable to see how saying that was going to make everything better. Instead of it doing what Aito hoped to achieve from the conversation it simply made him angry and confused, looking back up at the man who experimented on him.

“Don’t you lie! You always had the chance! You just chose to ignore me for most of my existence with you!” he snapped, trying to push off the couch but not getting anywhere in a rush. “What were you doing to ignore my existence for so long at a time? What was June doing? Did you start ignoring me when you got a real son? I know I was never created to be someone’s son, don’t try and mask that fact from me. What did you use to fertilise the egg in the first place? Why did you conduct this experiment? Was it the RRA that commissioned my creation? Why did you choose these genes to make me?? What is their function, what am I designed to be, what are these things I can do…just everything…everything I am, what am I supposed to be?? I grew up fast and can do everything a bio-weapon can do…I can level entire cities! Why create something like me??”

"I was happy with our success, yes, but happy does not always mean content as well," Aito pointed out, "I said I didn't get to spend much time with you due to other duties, that much is true. But it also holds true for Vegeta as well, I didn't spend much time with either of you. Now that you're both so old I feel it's a moot point to try and fix that, but I do feel badly for it." Other duties required his attention at the time, in particular trying to keep the secrets of Viral's creation just that, a secret. Not from the public persay as artificial life was hardly anything new, but more from the RRA. After Dr. Velkov's less than friendly departure he had grown worried what the man might do in trying to replicate their work, and so much of his time had been spent sealing away important information and entrusting much of it to Ikura.

There was no doubt that learning all of this was making Viral feel even worse, yet he needed to know. At his age it wasn't right to keep secrets anymore, the Beastman had certainly more than earned his due and deserved to know his origins. Much as Aito was willing to spill the beans now he wasn't overly fond of what he had to say, having been just as conflicted back then as he was now. What he had initially hoped to do was to create life from nothing, to use proteins and some other kind of method to create a living being. When it had become increasingly apparent however that some kind of base organism would be needed then they had to go for what they did, even if he didn't like it. What Aito had hoped to shed some light on Viral's existence only seemed to upset him further, and understandably so. In a way he had been denied a normal human life, and in others he was essentially just a curiosity, a pawn in some mad scientists' cruel game. What could possibly be said to make this right?

"As I said, I didn't ignore you, not willingly. Work kept me away more often than not, but there was a two year span where we spent plenty of time together, and I don't regret a single day of that," Aito recalled, smiling sadly, "June ended up being busy with Vegeta, but she still found more time for you than I did. You didn't quite need the attention that your brother did, so she could simply play with you and that would be that. Given the fact you aged at an accelerated rate as well it didn't seem like you'd want or need the same kind of attention either. Perhaps I was wrong in that regard too." Physical development didn't necessarily mean emotional or mental, and Viral could have been every bit as much a child as Vegeta was. In fact, looking back at it in retrospect it was more likely or not, and giving a child that kind of burden was a terrible thing. The more they recounted the experiment the less fond of it Aito was becoming, beginning to truly have to face the ramifications of his actions.

Letting out a somber sigh, Aito ran a hand through his hair as he looked to the door, wondering if perhaps they should end this session. No, he couldn't well go and do that just because he felt uncomfortable, he needed to be open with Viral here and now. "I used myself to fertilize the egg... So you really are our child," he admitted, giving Viral a pained, apologetic look. His own son... The conflict he had felt back then was resurfacing, and seeing the Beastman so hurt and angry over everything just made it feel a hundred times worse. Perhaps he was a little rash in thinking he could make this all better, maybe arrogant even. It was his fault any of this had started, if he had just abandoned the project as he'd first thought this never would have come about. Though... If he did then Viral never would have been born. Was it an ideal life? No, not at all, but it was life. Viral had plenty of time to turn things around, to make it something worth living, but first he needed help.

"I conducted the experiment because of the dwindling number of protectors for Earth. Over the course of my grandfather's life the planet was constantly attacked, and the foes who came were increasingly more and more powerful. With it seeming as though our family was the only one left of Saiyan lineage we needed someone to help defend Earth and her people, as there was no way Vegeta could be expected to do it alone. As we were doubtful that we could produce someone like him again naturally I had opted instead to try and create something, something that could not only hold a candle to but surpass Saiyan might, to defend Earth. Your genes were carefully selected to give you enhanced abilities, to further set you apart from a Saiyan and make you your own being. In the end I can see that everything we did was incredibly selfish, that we had no right to deny you a normal, happy life and turn you into this. Even if you had been born normally you may have been born without the strength that Vegeta has, and maybe that would have been a happier life for you, I can't say now. But..." Aito paused, shaking his head as he looked at Viral steadily, "What is done is done. The only thing I can do for you now is try to help you heal and get you back to where you once were. I already failed as a both a father and a creator, all I've got left to offer is my support, if you'll even have that."

Viral felt so empty, finding it hard to find any sense of belonging as he was told all of this. He didn’t want to feel like this, but with Aito forcing it onto him he couldn’t stop wondering who he might had been if they never conducted the experiment. He probably wouldn’t exist at all but there was no telling what would had become of him. He was not able to understand what any of this meant for himself and was just left confused and questioning his purpose even more, his condition not helping any when getting stressed. “’So old’?? I don’t age…I can’t age! I have plenty of time…it’s Vegeta who doesn’t…” he growled, still holding his head in confusion and frustration, “All I did was ruin it for him by being so…easy to control…”

He really was a pathetic creature. He couldn’t make up for what he’d done and was doomed to a life of guilt. To take the life of another even before he was born just made him confused about his true place in life and whether he really had one in the first place. He didn’t know if artificial creatures could ever belong, he had never felt he had belonged so it must’ve been true for ones created from stolen life too. He didn’t know how much stress he caused June because of her involvement with his creation, even if she volunteered for it. It didn’t matter what Aito said or what he thought of him, he was still always going to be seen as an experiment first which is exactly what the Saiyans saw him as too. They used his genetic make-up for their own experiments, tossed him around like a ragdoll and didn’t give him the same treatment they gave Shu when they experimented on him, being left to feel all the pain and anguish the experiments caused him rather than give him any rights as a living creature.

He was angry with the knowledge that he had been granted about his past and how much attention he had been given, but knowing that he was sure that was what he remembered the most after being released from his frozen state. The bitterness of the lack of attention he received probably carried on over, but it wasn’t only him who was affected in that fashion. Vegeta probably picked up his lack of attention and willing to bury himself in work from Aito because he had done the same when he was little. Vegeta didn’t spend much time with him once he was old enough to look after himself and when Yumi left he had nothing, just left to watch the television and forbidden from going outside the building once they were done paying attention to him. The most he had been allowed to do was go hunting with the pair, but other than that he wasn’t allowed to go near populated areas.

“I probably didn’t know anything about the world…and I certainly didn’t when I came out of that tube! I didn’t know anything apart from the instinct to kill. I was confused, I didn’t know what I was or why Vegeta released me…I had no other instincts to prepare myself for the outside world except natural ones. Maybe I wouldn’t had been so afraid when I learned I could manipulate my energy and change into a monster-…I just…couldn’t…” He remembered the first time he changed into the lizard creature after being unfrozen, how the scientists found him and locked him away into isolation for a month to assess whether he was dangerous or not. He remembered that well and how Vegeta was made to believe he had gone to de-stress, even if he returned looking drained after lack of sunlight to rejuvenate his energy levels.

Letting out a groan he slowly leaned towards his legs, groaning before his eyes went to Aito as he gave him a pretty straight forward answer. While it was getting into ‘too much information’ territory it was still essential for him to understand how he came to be, but knowing that didn’t ease his confusion. So that technically made him part Saiyan too, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He couldn’t do anything a Saiyan could so that part was probably extremely diluted or removed altogether when they reworked his genes. “I would had been normal if you didn’t pull me out of June, is that it? Did you remove the Saiyan that would had come with your genes too?”

Feeling fairly defeated he lowered his head, releasing it from his grasp. He didn’t know if he even wanted a normal life since he didn’t know what it felt like, his instincts also keeping him from the desire; however, it was more June he wondered about. He didn’t know if Vegeta was an apology to her for not getting a real son, a show of love that they were capable of having a child that wasn’t given a pre-birth purpose. When Aito began to talk about why he had been created he didn’t know if it was supposed to be seen as an honour or if he was a tool to fulfil this purpose. So he was just a weapon, designed to destroy those who would do wrong to the Earth. He had failed that task when he was captured, everyone else proving to be stronger than him and continuing to grow in strength as he rested at the bottom of the pool.

He didn’t know how to feel, his head hurting pretty bad and his mind confused beyond true thought. He couldn’t compete with a Saiyan, he was on the lower end of the chain regarding power. Whatever purpose had been given to him he had long since lost it, making him feel even more defeated and unable to see a way to climb back up to the top. With his eyes to the floor as he tried to think through the negativity he eventually sighed, slowly standing up looking like he was ready to leave. “I was the first to be defeated by the Saiyans when they came to Earth. I was the first to be captured”, he spoke, leaning towards him, “You failed in creating the perfect weapon. I failed in upholding that purpose. It doesn’t matter what way you look at it. Making me healthy will make no difference in how I feel or alter my position in this group. What use is a protector that can’t even protect himself? Besides, Vegeta’s stronger than me, anyway…”

Viral needed to know all of this, it gave him a sense of identity that he was sorely lacking. Yet, at the same time in learning all of this the Beastman was clearly becoming upset, not at all liking what he was told. It had never occurred to Aito until now how his experiments might turn out in the long term, and now that he was seeing them first hand he almost regretted it. Not that he regretted Viral, he never could do that, but maybe it would have been better if something else had brought him about, maybe if he'd been born naturally instead. "You do age, or you did. When you were born you were every bit a child as Vegeta was, but as I said you grew at an accelerated rate. As of right now I can only theorize why your aging has come to a halt, or at the very least barely a crawl. And there is no shame in what happened to you, you were manipulated against your will. I'm certain you fought it as hard as you could, but given the intimate knowledge Volkov had it was a fruitless effort, I'm sad to say."

Just how many times had Viral been placed into stasis anyways? It sounded like he was locked away every time he acted up, hardly the way to handle him. It was no small wonder then he was in this state, and why he was so angry and bitter. Long gone was the Viral who could smile and laugh, and it was certainly a far cry from the child-Beastman that he had played with day in and day out. Hiding information from him, trying to deceive him... People back at Capsule Corporation were going to pay. It was difficult to believe that Vegeta would have so willingly done this to Viral, meaning someone else had to have been orchestrating his treatment, but who? A board member? One of the staff who'd worked on the project? When they did finally return to Earth he was going to scour every single inch of that property for clues, he'd be damned if the person who caused this still worked in his building. "You would have ended up the same way regardless of whether you remained in June or not. Our only concern was how you might develop inside the womb, and what damage it may potentially cause both you and your mother. It's for that reason we moved you, for both of your safety. As for your Saiyan powers I can only imagine they must either be dormant or locked away, as you should have some."

This conversation wasn't helping anyone's moods any, not Viral's nor Aito's or Yumi's for that matter. The circumstances surrounding the Beastman's life were anything but pleasant, and the Saiyan couldn't help but feel responsible for nearly all of it. Had he only been more careful, more considerate then perhaps all of this would have been prevented. Instead of delegating duties to his associates he'd surrounded himself with work almost obsessively to keep busy, and as such Viral was neglected. Looking over at the Beastman somberly he frowned when Viral began to get up, hoping he wasn't trying to leave. "Viral... You were against an unknown enemy, there's no shame in losing that kind of fight," Aito said, stepping closer to Viral, "And you have not failed in your purpose. Earth still remains, it has been protected by you one way or another. And once we return you'll be one of the strongest fighters again, I have no doubts of that." Letting out a sigh he reached up and grabbed hold of Viral's neck, wrapping his arms around it and pulling him down into a hug. "Listen to me son... You were able to fight with me, something Vegeta never could do, and likely still can't. I didn't assign that job to you because I felt you were incapable, and I don't think you are still. You're sick, but once we make you healthy again you'll have no problems."

"Besides Viral... You don't have to protect Earth alone..." Yumi added in, smiling sadly as she stood by his side, "You have a family, and all of your friends to help you. It's not a job that only Vegeta has to do, or you, or any of us. We're all here right now because we're friends, and we'll fight beside one another no matter what. Next time something happens back home no one's going to be taken away, because we won't let that happen. We'll watch your back and you watch ours, that's what friends do." Viral wasn't alone in his purpose, everyone on this ship shared that goal now. Earth was home to most everyone here, and in the case of Kai, Choi and Kabocha it would likely become their home. What had started as a small, rag-tag group's efforts to defend their planet was becoming an organized group, and Yumi had no doubts they would be better prepared next time. Reaching up she began to stroke Viral's hair gently, giving him a kind smile as she did so. "And it won't just be Earth you'll protect Either. You already saved Namek, or did you forget about that? Maybe your purpose shouldn't be so specific, maybe you should just try to protect the people you meet, and the people you care about."

Viral couldn’t recall the last time he felt this confused and angry at the knowledge of his existence, feeling he should’ve been better prepared for it rather than stuck in a deep and dark depression. To know he didn’t have a better life before their deaths made him wonder if he had anything to look forward to from these people if they didn’t have much of a care for him before. He didn’t know who he was or what he was supposed to fulfil if everything he had tried to accomplish was all failures. Listening to him about his age contradicted a lot that he had been told before, but he was probably trying to make him feel better and give him a sense of mortality where all he could think of regarding dying was being killed off for going insane. “Volkov…? I don’t-…I don’t age because my regeneration rate is so high, I just…don’t have to worry about old age over something like this…”

He was rather stressed out and didn’t particularly want to be here anymore talking about this kind of stuff, especially when it was the reason for his stress was finding he was failing at every corner he tried to go to. His health was failing, his mind was going, he was unable to fight and unable to function properly. Who cared about the past when he was growing up, nobody else cared and they sure wouldn’t care now if only to dish out some fake sympathy. He knew what was going on when he was released, even if his mind was immature and he wasn’t exactly the adult he appeared to be. He saw Vegeta as his Master through programming when everyone in his family was gone and he was the only one left with the same genetic material. The rest of the Corporation didn’t see him as a family member and eventually influenced Vegeta into not thinking as such as he grew older and less dependent. He found it hard to find family himself and even when it was right in front of him he didn’t know how it felt when it was real. To be told he would’ve been a danger to June if he remained with her made him feel terrible, even if he didn’t know the woman with his terrible memory. “Dormant…locked away…I don’t know. You could had replaced them too without realising. I don’t know what they’d do to me…”

Viral didn’t particularly want to talk to him anymore. He wanted to go and leave for some other place and find comfort in being left alone for once. He didn’t know what would happen if he was left alone since there was always someone with him now, making him feel trapped. He didn’t know if he was going to lose his mind if he was left alone but he didn’t really care either, it was certainly better when he had nothing to think about. Growling lowly as Aito spoke he kept his eyes off him, not seeing how him getting captured made any sort of difference to whether the Earth was safe or not. He failed terribly, that was just it. Not taking in his praise he scratched at his arm, waiting for him to finish but was instead pulled down into a hug, his feet stumbling until he grabbed onto Aito’s arm for balance. Looking to him as he spoke he simply sighed, his eyes wandering in disbelief. “If you can make me healthy and prove this to me, but…words are just words…”

Feeling about ready to leave it was Yumi who was next to speak up after remaining fairly quiet for some time, looking to her as she spoke. He didn’t know what he was supposed to believe whether it was his own doubts that were correct or their words, his past experiences only playing to his doubts. He didn’t have a string of self-respect left as this illness destroyed his ability to retain any dignity and feel proud about his actions. To have such strength felt impossible for him to accomplish again, he just couldn’t believe he was able to compare with Aito. Looking to the floor he frowned but gasped slightly when Yumi stroked his hair, his eyes going to her as she spoke. He may had done that but he could only do it after help when it was already weakened. He may had killed the monster but he caused Vegeta to lose faith in his ability to help him, even after he tried to get him to believe in himself once more. “They’ll soon be able to protect themselves. I live to fight, but I’ve been failing so often. Am I not allowed to have doubt after so many failures?” he spoke before he sighed, Looking to his claws in a moment of contemplation he soon grunted, shifting his head to the side. “I’ll..try to believe you two. I am in too much pain to be concerned for myself anymore. I just…want to feel normal, to fight again. I don’t know what half of the stuff I can do is…what is Enki? Why do I know its name? I don’t know what are these things I can do are supposed to be…”

Well that was true, Aito supposed, Viral didn't have to worry about aging. After all, aging was due to a body's processes slowing down and cells dying, that was par for the course knowledge. If someone like the Beastman had near instantaneous regeneration of their cells however then they would cease aging at a certain point, which he had done several years ago it seemed. Both a blessing and a curse in a way, there were some things that the Saiyan figured you got to enjoy with age, things that Viral may never experience. Or perhaps he could, who was to say just because he didn't age physically he couldn't have the same experience? "If you truly wished for it I may be able to activate the Saiyan genes in your body. I can't even guess to what extent you may gain the abilities we have, but you'd certainly gain something from it. Of course, we should focus on curing you before we consider further augmenting you." Any additional without getting the Beastman to 100% could cause further problems, something that nobody wanted right now.

Yumi couldn't just keep standing by and watching Viral be hurt, even if that wasn't Aito's intention. If her friend needed to know about his birth and upbringing then there had to be a better way to explain it, a way that didn't involve causing him to worry more than he already was. Doing all she could to try and show her support she stood at Viral's side, smiling up at him as she stroked his hair. "You can have doubts, but you can't just accept that you're a failure," Yumi said, nodding her head as she smiled, "Everyone fails, that's a part of life. I failed martial arts classes more times than I can count, I know Vegeta's failed in tons of the projects he's done, and I can't even speak for the others. It's okay to fail and have doubts, that's natural, but you need to understand we get better from those. You know what to do, what you can't do, and you work from there." If you let yourself be defined by failure then you'd never rise above it, that's what she had been told by one of her sensei once. Sure, there were some points where it seemed impossible to do such a thing, but if you toughed it out and came out on top then you were all the stronger for it. If Viral could weather this storm, make it through the treatments and get healthy again, there was no doubt in Yumi's mind that he would be better for it.

"So it seems like you still have some of your memory left," Aito said with a satisfied smile, "Enki is one of your abilities, a sort of trump card for you. I'm going to assume that, when you've used it, you've noticed you're extremely exhausted after? Enki uses the energy within you to create a sort of protective exoskeleton, and the attacks are obviously based on your energy as well. While your various forms are all suited for something they are not ideal for every situation, that's where Enki comes in. It can do everything the forms can and more, but it is far more taxing than just changing. If it's knowledge of your powers and abilities you want I can more than happily share that with you. Though... I think there's something else we need to do first." Hopefully Vegeta wasn't overly busy, it seemed like his work with Viral hadn't quite come to an end just yet. Looking up at the Beastman he gave him a clap on the shoulder, "Listen, I can have you back to your original form by the day's end. I'll need to ask Vegeta for a hand with this, but I have a solution that will have you change back. In short, it'll be a sort of serum that is injected to stabilize your body, and we can make an auto-injector to apply it whenever you feel a change coming on. Think of it sort as a... Epi-pen for diabetics, the same basic idea applies."

Viral couldn’t find faith in himself but if others had what he was missing then maybe he could find some support to help him through this illness. He didn’t know how long he had been different for, only Aito and possibly Yumi could tell, but he was on the edge and struggling to stay afloat by himself. He didn’t know if he could keep up with either of them if they were going to go through treatment this fast, especially after this start. He didn’t know if he wanted all that information straight off the bat, even he wanted to wait and see what might happen during treatment before asking such things. He was still angry at Aito for doing that to him, but he couldn’t find himself feeling too alienated from him anymore. He felt a little hurt that Aito didn’t care to watch over him while he was dead, he had always been told the dead watch over everything and a lot that he did he was trying to make him and June feel proud that he was a proud warrior; shame none of that mattered, however. To know he might be able to get his genes unlocked did make him nervous on one part but on the other hand he’d be a more powerful fighter, whether Aito wanted that he wasn’t absolutely sure.

Looking to Yumi as she spoke of failure he frowned, letting out a sigh as he turned his head. Failing tests and experiments were one thing, but failing tasks where it could mean death was an entirely different thing altogether. He didn’t know if he could take it anymore but he still would have to try if he wasn’t going to end up suffering in the end. He was tired of failure and knew he couldn’t manage it any longer but everyone else insisted on pushing him forward. He was going to have to keep trying if he was going to continue living, but it was certainly a case of waiting and seeing what might happen during this treatment. If the treatments were a failure then there would be no point on trying anymore. “Would a human still want to continue on after failing every task they’re given? I’ve not heard of one who would…”

Feeling rather depressed with all this talking he needed something else to occupy his mind, something like another concern he had. He needed to hear first-hand what Enki was and how he managed to conjure such a machine. He had heard it before when they were still dead, but it wasn’t enough information to settle his mind. He didn’t know how he managed to remember its name or how he managed to form it and for it to take that particular look. Listening to Aito explain it to him he couldn’t help but feel confused still. He knew what it did to him and while finding out why he was often left exhausted didn’t exactly enlighten him to its form and purpose. “Hmph, you’ll eventually have to tell me why it looks the way it does and why it has a name…” he muttered, keeping his eyes off him. Feeling confused still over it all he looked back to Aito when he finally decided on a treatment plan his eyes went to his shoulder quickly, frowning as he gave him a short explanation to how he was to change back. So it wasn’t going to be a permanent solution to his problem, just a temporary one where he’d need to be kept aware of what was happening to him. Sighing he shook his head, looking down at himself. “I don’t care. I just want to be feel normal again, even if it’s only on a temporary basis. Whatever gets rid of the pain is fine by me…”

Viral was still feeling anxious even after everything was starting to get sorted for him, his body not exactly showing much improvement as he continued on like this. He knew he had to wait just a little bit longer for the serum and despite feeling impatient he was still going to have to wait. He didn’t know what was going to happen once he took the serum and whether it’d have an immediate effect, but what was worse was he didn’t know how his body was going to react to it. He didn’t know if it was going to be painful or if it would be quick and he’d finally be without the pain his mixed transformation gave him. To be without pain finally would be great for him, but it was still a wait and see moment. He didn’t want to be seen as a coward, but he was still rather difficult to remain brave over this. It wasn’t the same as being with the Saiyans by far, but even when it was the opposite he still didn’t know what was going to happen to him and if he was going to be okay. Waiting for Aito and Vegeta to finish up was proving to be the worst part of this, his body pretty tense.

Shu had a pretty good time with his playtime, but there was a few hiccups here and there as well. T’charrl was pretty quiet and withdrawn as they played, not looking like he wanted to get close to Takeshi whenever he could remember to keep away. The guilt that he was causing more harm than fun made him less likely to get close to the others and eventually he went off to his room. He was a little sad that his friend wasn’t having as much fun as he wanted to but maybe he’d feel better later and forget about the whole thing. It was about time for them to start doing something else anyway, but what that might be he wasn’t entirely sure. He was left with Takeshi now by the end of it, making him curious as to what they might be doing together. He wasn’t hungry and was still full of energy, even if everyone else was leaving to go and do other things.

Kai and Choi were just leaving the changing rooms after a long time training, having washed up and getting all prepared to go and make themselves some food for finishing up the day. They were quite hungry, seeing how everyone else had invited themselves to the feast they had prepared and portions weren’t set on how much each of them was going to have. They didn’t mind at first but now they were feeling some regret that they didn’t eat as much as they wanted because both were hungry. Without any word to each other for anybody else to hear they left after having a shower, all nicely dressed and ready to go and make some supper for themselves before bed later on. It was going to be some nice easy snacks, just something to settle them both and restore some energy.

"Humans would and do keep trying, I've seen it dozens of times. Do you think humanity's history is free from failure or mistakes?" Aito asked, "Our entire race, humans and Saiyans alike, have had hardships and difficulties throughout generations, but they never stopped trying. Being alive means facing those hardships and persevering through them, defeating your demons so to speak. For some its easier than others, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying. Hell... I failed countless times before I ever succeeded in creating you Viral, more than I can remember. I figured that through all the difficulties though I was bound to learn something, and next attempt would be better. Your own creation is a testament to not giving in to a struggle, and so too will your recovery." Nothing really was ever easy in regards to the Beastman, but then that probably came with his being what he was. From birth until now it had been nothing but an uphill battle, and he'd really not had the support he needed. Perhaps now, with both Aito and June back from Otherworld, not to mention the almost dozen others around them, maybe Viral could get that support. "It will be temporary, but only in that it'll be used until I develop a true solution. And besides, I should be able to make it last a fair amount of time, even if its temporary. I'll aim for a few days between each dosage, but we'll see what I get."

Just how long might this serum last, Aito wondered. Without preliminary tests there was no absolute certain estimate, but he had made the dosage fairly moderate, hoping to at the very least give Viral three days reprieve. If they got more out of it then he'd leave it as it stood, and if not he'd increase the dose by small increments until they got the desired results. Realistically this serum would not be the real cure and he knew that, but something similar may well prove to do the trick down the road. For now however temporary relief was their primary concern, something just so Viral could be at ease with himself. Watching as the centrifuge continued to whirl about he let out a sigh, leaning against the counter and running a hand along his face tiredly. Since they had come back he'd done very little sleeping, or eating for that matter, which was really nothing new for him. It wasn't so much the deprivation that made him weary, but more the pressure of the work they had on their hands. Before it was always working with a stranger, and while he wished the best for them their meetings were brief, almost impersonal. Viral was in every sense his son, so there was far more personal desire and pressure to sort this out.

"Come on now, old man, don't tell me you need a break," Vegeta teased lightly, smirking as he continued tinkering with his latest invention. Per request of Aito he was developing an auto-injector, one that with a simple button press would administer the serum designed to stabilize Viral. In practice and actuality it was a very simple device, essentially just a syringe with a trigger that would administer the drug for the patient. Due to the nature of Viral and his transformations however they were being particularly careful with regards to durability, and also ease of use. On the side he was working on a small firearm as well, one specifically designed to fire off one of the vials if need be. That was only if it was too dangerous to get close to the Beastman, though with a quick enough administration of the serum they shouldn't need it. Snapping the final piece of the injector in place, Vegeta smiled confidently, pulling up the goggles he'd been wearing to meld the bits of metal together. "There... It's a little heavier and bulkier than your typical injector, but it'll work for us just fine," he explained, glancing over at Viral and holding it up to show, "I don't suppose you've got anything you can carry this in, do you? If not I'm sure we could find something."

Takeshi was feeling pretty lousy after their play time, what with T'charrl having been upset the whole time. It was tough to enjoy yourself when someone in the group wasn't up to it, especially not when you were the reason why. The Kaesstrian had left even before they finished playing, and when Haku wandered off to go get food it was yet again just himself and Shu. It sure did work out this way a lot, just him and his brother, and it was getting a little old. Not that he didn't adore the little guy to death, but when he was practically being followed like a puppy searching for food it made things a little tiresome. He was all Shu had for family though, so even if it was a bit tiring he'd never tell the kid. Smiling over at Shu he reached out and playfully plucked at his nose, folding his arms over his chest after and glancing around the room. "So now what, squirt? Do we keep playing...?" he asked, giving his brother a curious look and tilting his head, "Oh, I know what we could do!" he added, smacking his hand into his palm, "We've gotta train you in Ki still don't we? I mean everyone else can use it pretty well, you know? Ought to get started on you then, if you're up for it!"

Bah, what a pair of jerks, refusing to feed him. Kabocha had gone and trained with Kai and Choi for the whole hour and expected some food out of it, but instead they were adamant about taking him along. Something about him eating too much, which was stupid because they were all pretty gluttonous, being Saiyans and all. Not being let along to the kitchen posed another problem for him as well; now that he wasn't spending time with the twins what the hell was he to do? Kabocha didn't particularly spend time with anyone else, though neither did the twins as everyone seemed to be running off doing their own thing a lot. He could head back to his room, but of course if he did that then he ran the risk of running into his parents, and that was the absolute last thing he wanted now. "What am I supposed to do then, huh? It's not like there's a ton of stuff on this ship!" he grumbled, smacking the wall annoyed before letting out a huff, "There should be people finding things for me to do, instead I'm wandering around like an idiot. This is so annoying." If they were on Kortal he'd not have this issue, there would be a servant finding him something to entertain himself with. Instead he was left to his own devices, and frankly Kabocha hadn't the slightest idea what to do.

Playing with the Princes and T'charrl had been fun and all, but Haku still couldn't help but feel out of place. Maybe it had been T'charrl feeling off the whole time, or just himself being a bit tired, but play time hadn't been as good as he'd hoped it would be. When the games had ended and T'charrl was long gone he saw no point in hanging around any longer, feeling that he didn't much have a place with the Princes right now. Since there was little else to do really, and Kiton and T'charrl were both unavailable, the only thing he could figure to do was eat. He wasn't very handy himself when it came to preparing food, but maybe there was some leftovers or something easy to put together, like a sandwich. He'd eaten loads of those back on Earth, and if they had the stuff on the ship for it he'd probably end up living off of them again. On his way to the kitchens he hadn't expected to run across anyone, so to his surprise he spotted Kai and Choi not far off, both of them heading to the same place he was. Smiling nervously he lowered his gaze a bit as he drew closer, partially hoping they just wouldn't say anything as he really didn't know how to talk to them.

Everything that was happening in the making of this serum was leaving Viral itching to leave, not wanting to be around with all of this science stuff going on around him. He was not afraid of the noises of the instruments, just the anticipation and watching the process made him feel absolutely terrible. His chest was sore at this point, but really he couldn’t be bothered caring all that much when everything else was giving him enough pain as it is. Listening to everything that was going on he scratched at his arms, staring down at the floor as the pair worked their magic. He knew Vegeta would probably be tired of doing all this work for him, he had been trying for long enough to get it right only for things to get worse, but when looking at Vegeta he seemed quite alright doing what he was doing now. He didn’t understand why he might be hiding his irritation, but maybe he was just being paranoid as usual too.

Looking up when Vegeta spoke up through his workings he simply let out a groan in response, holding his head in his hands as he looked back down again. He thought for a second he was going to say he was done but of course not, nothing was said to suggest he was done. Feeling the pressure come right back again he sighed slowly, trying to keep his mind together as the work continued. It was like waiting for a needle through the chest, the feeling of uncertainty making him worry of what might happen to him with this treatment. He had dismissed treatment for a long time, seeing it as something that would probably never happen for someone like him but now it was definitely rather real. Keeping his focus down he gasped when Vegeta spoke again, this time looking finished. Looking to him as he held up the bulky device he let out a groan, disliking how it looked and how much it was probably going to hurt. “Do I look like I have anything…? All I have is a belt”, he muttered, giving his trousers a brief tug, “What exactly do you have in mind? I’m not wearing a backpack if that’s going to be a thing…”

Shu hoped everything was going to be okay with T’charrl but if he said he was going to go rest then he wasn’t going to question it any further, especially when he had saved them along with Viral. It must’ve been a lot of energy he put into fighting that creature if he was tired, but then again he didn’t know how much T’charrl actually slept when he never saw him sleeping. Smiling up at Takeshi with hopeful eyes he squeaked when Takeshi plucked his nose, bouncing happily on his toes as he asked him for suggestions. He didn’t know what to do, but he had got what he wanted to do so he was fine with whatever Takeshi wanted to do with him. Scratching at his head he looked back to him when he had an idea, quite liking the sound of Ki training. “Ooh! Yeah! I did good when fighting, didn’t I?” he squeaked happily, clapping his hands, “I’m not everyone else so I still have problems, but I want to try again! I did well…right?”

The twins were quite content to talk with themselves in the way nobody else could hear them, even if it was simple chatter between each other. It was just second nature to them and whether it was weird or interesting to people they didn’t care. Feeling rather refreshed after all that the pair continued on their way to the kitchens, not taking any notice to who else was on their way up. They were too busy keeping to themselves, discussing what they were going to make and what they might do before arriving at this next destination with Choi complaining about his arm being sore. Finally making it to the mess hall they wandered over to the kitchen, Choi letting out a groan before wincing as Kai punched his arm in response.

"You don't need a backpack, it's not that bulky..." Vegeta responded a bit defensively, frowning as he looked down at his device, "I mean... It is a little unnecessarily large, but then I made it in 15 minutes. I'm good Viral, but if you want a streamlined version I'll need more time." And resources for that matter, he'd made this out of spare parts he had found lying around the lab. It was the literal definition of a rushed job, but he'd more than made what was necessary. "I suppose I could add a sort of clip to it, hook it right onto your belt. Maybe I could even find a holster of sorts so its protected..." Did they have anything like that on the ship? Much as he was skilled with machinery there wasn't a chance in hell Vegeta could craft a holster, that was a whole different set of skills, skills he didn't have. Rubbing at his chin thoughtfully he took the device back over to the table he'd been working on, sifting through a bucket of scrap metal to find anything that might suit as a clip. Whilst shuffling through the container he'd not paid his father much mind, jumping slightly when Aito made a sudden exclamation, looking over at the older man exasperated.

"Finished! Brilliant!" Aito said eagerly, beaming as he turned off the centrifuge and opened up the lid. Inside of the device were a dozen vials in all, and if his estimates on the potency of the dosage was correct then that would mean a total of a month or so of drugs, which gave plenty of leeway to develop a true cure. Really he doubted they needed even half as many vials, but it was best to make excess now and not need them later than to come up short. Satisfied with how quickly they had gotten to this point the doctor removed one of the containers, glancing at its contents proudly before nodding to himself. Marching right on over to Vegeta he simply plucked the device out of his son's hands, loading the vial into it before going to stand by Viral's side. "Now you're going to feel a slight pinch here, probably, but it'll be quick!" Aito said, abruptly going right on ahead and using the injector not a second later. Just as he'd hoped once pressure was applied to the device the needle automatically pushed out, just puncturing Viral's skin and emptying the serum into him.

Takeshi didn't think Shu would have any issue with training, and goodness knows the little guy could use it. Overall he was pretty alright when it came to fighting, if a little erratic, but then that was to be expected; as far as their training went he had been awfully neglectful, they had a ton of ground to make up. The biggest problem Shu probably had overall was Ki control, something that for all the time they had been together he'd barely improved on. Hearing the little guy was more than happy to go along with his idea he grinned eagerly, nodding before giving his brother's hair a ruffling. "Sure did buddy, but we can still do better! We'll work on it until you're as good as I am!" Takeshi responded, chuckling before rubbing at his nose, "Well, almost as good as I am anyways. After all the student doesn't really get better than the master, you know? Always more to learn!" Now where should they begin? Blasts seemed like a bad idea until Shu had basic control down, so maybe just getting off the floor first? Yeah, sounded safer than blowing things away. Tapping his chin thoughtfully he looked over to the doors when they began to open, surprised to see Kabocha coming in to join them. "Uh... Hey Kabocha! What's up?"

Honestly what should he do? They had done some training already, an hour's worth even, but Kabocha didn't quite feel like he was up to par with everyone yet. More importantly he needed to be on par with the Princes, and those two had only been slipping away ever since this journey of their started. When they had just begun working together he swore he was Takeshi's equal, and probably Shu's as well save for his crazy Oozaru form. Now that those two had gotten tons of field time that he didn't however he hardly felt like their equal. Well fine, what he couldn't do in the field he'd do here on the ship, he'd train twice as hard to make sure those two didn't think they were above him; just because Shu and Takeshi were Princes didn't mean they were necessarily stronger or better, he'd prove that any noble could stand up to their caliber. Figuring he'd go train a bit some more he had tried to find an empty training hall, but when he opened up the doors he was immediately greeted by none other than the brothers. Blinking in surprise he looked between Shu and Takeshi, not exactly having expected anyone to be down here. "Uh... Hey... You two just leaving?"

Haku in part wouldn't so much mind some company right now, but the twins were hardly someone he spoke to that often. In fact, come to think of it he'd only spoken to them once or twice before, and very briefly at that. Even if the Princes weren't exactly his friends yet they had more conversations together, and trying to strike it up with those two was a little daunting. He'd have just as soon avoided them altogether if they didn't appear to be going exactly where he was, making him reconsider his destination for the moment. When Haku's stomach growled however he let out a reluctant sigh, his head drooping slightly as he looked down at the floor. "Great... No way around it I guess," he mumbled, inhaling deeply before heading right on into the kitchen. As he'd expected both Kai and Choi were inside, having him stopping at the door as he looked at the pair uncertainly. Should he be trying to talk to them, or maybe wait for them to leave? Biting his lip Haku opted to just stand silently at the door, being a little optimistic and hoping they were grabbing a snack and just leaving.

Viral didn’t think carrying that around would be very comfortable, especially with a belt like his where he’d have to carry that and his blade. It would be especially worrying if he started fighting and pulled out the injector instead of his blade. “Don’t bother with any excuses, anyway. I know you made them because you think my hands are large…” he grunted, looking down at them before he looked away, “I don’t care what I get. So long as it works and is not horribly painful, I’ll probably be fine”. He didn’t know how much he’d need to use it but he did hope it wasn’t all that much, hoping that maybe he might get away with using it as little as possible throughout his illness. He was worried over what he might become and what might happen to him in the future, whether he would be cured in the end.

Gasping when Aito suddenly spoke up he gave him a growl, feeling annoyed at him all over again. His enthusiasm was the annoying aspect but maybe once he got a bit more independence he wouldn’t have to put up with that all the time. Who knew when he’d get his independence, he was already too used to being with someone and having that dependency made him worry even more for feeling loneliness creep up on him when he was so used to nobody being around anyway. Watching Aito carefully as he checked out the vials he soon looked away as he lost interest, figuring the serum would have to sit after being whizzed around like that for so long before he noticed Aito moving on right next to him. Looking to him with uncertainty he noticed he had the injector already loaded, all ready to use. “What? What are yo-!” before he could even have a say in anything Aito had already forced the injector against his arm with a terribly sharp pain soon following. Shivering immediately, his hair stood on end before he suddenly threw a punch at Aito. That really hurt and felt absolutely terrible, the liquid feeling horrible as it made its way through his bloodstream.

Shu didn’t mind what he did so long as it was with Takeshi, feeling all happy that he was going to get to practice Ki again. He felt confident again after helping Takeshi get free from the rocks without hurting him, making him happy that he could actually help someone instead of biting them or hurting them another way. Wagging his tail around happily he soon bounced around after the hair ruffles, squeaking happily. “Better and better!” he giggled, eventually stopping his bouncing but ended up bouncing on his toes. “Yeah, well, maybe I can get better than you soon! I get good and you get to ask me how to be good!” Twisting around and pretending to throw Ki around the room he soon stopped when Kabocha came in the room, his eyes quickly going to him instead. He didn’t think he’d want to come in here and did wonder why he was here. Looking to Takeshi curiously before back to Kabocha he bounced on his toes, shaking his fists. “We’re just starting Ki training! I’m going to be super-good at all the Ki!”

The twins figured they might as well go for something that wasn’t too heavy but still good enough to keep them satisfied until they were ready to go to bed. It had been a rigorous training session to keep on top of everyone else going out to fight so they had to make sure they stayed on top even if it was a lot of pain. Going into the fridge to get some meat it was Choi who started up the cooker, getting everything ready before turning and noticing Haku standing awkwardly at the door. Just as Choi spotted him Kai soon followed, peering at him from the fridge before he let out a sigh, turning to Choi with the food. “There’s plenty of room if you want to cook something, you know”. He spoke, laying down the food on the counter, “We’re not exactly fat…”

Vegeta wasn't overly fond of his bulky invention, and having Viral accuse him of purposefully making it that way was a little insulting. "I didn't choose to make it this way Viral, I worked with what I had," he responded, frowning as he glanced down at the device, "I mean sure, it's not the most pleasant of things to look at, and there is most certainly excess weight. Not to mention the melding of metals is a little crude, I could probably increase the efficiency of the injector itself to be quicker... Ugh, well it's a prototype! It'll have to do for now." Hmph, some gratitude would be nice, though he supposed he ought to be more sympathetic given the Beastman's condition. How long had it been since he'd built something anyways? His last device were the scouters, and even then those were only modifications, not something he'd built from scratch. It felt kind of nice to be able to do that work again, even if the end product was far from desirable. If he could make a clip to place on Viral's belt then that might be an easy way to carry it around, and perhaps even a small metal case to protect it should the Beastman be flung about in a fight. Searching for some metal suitable for such a purpose, Vegeta frowned when his hand became a bit lighter, looking over at his father who had taken the injector. "What are you doing father...?"

"Relax Vegeta, I'm just inspecting your work is all," Aito responded, smiling as he went on and took one of the vials from the centrifuge. It looked nice and ready to him, and with a dozen vials in all they had some to spare for a decent time, hopefully longer than they would need them. Placing the vial into the injector the Saiyan wandered over to where the Beastman stood, smiling up at him knowingly as he prepared to use the device. "Slight pinch, it'll be quick!" Aito reiterated, abruptly using the injector and delivering the serum right into one of Viral's veins. After emptying the contents in just seconds flat he smiled in satisfaction, looking back up to Viral to speak but instead being greeted by a fist. Completely not expecting it whatsoever Aito just stood there, getting a big hit square in the face and standing there even after the arm had been lowered. Blinking in surprise he wrinkled his nose, chuckling before setting aside the injector. "I told you Viral, I'm not afraid to..." he began, trailing off as he just as suddenly teetered on his feet, falling onto his back with a groan as his eyes seemed to swirl a bit, evidently having been a delay in being hit like that.

Yumi sort of stood by in awe and watched as Viral punched Aito in the face, having a hard time believing he'd just done that. For a second it looked like Vegeta's father was completely unphased from being struck, but not long after he ended up square on his back, probably seeing stars from being sucker-punched like that. Rolling her eyes she shook her head, getting up from where she'd been seated on the floor and walking over to Viral, looking up at him in disbelief. "Good idea, punching out your doctor. If he gets hurt then who treats him?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips before glancing down at Aito, "You deserve it though for pulling that surprise, you know that right?" How was someone so intelligent such a goofball? Vegeta was more your stereotypical genius, but even he had his moments where she had to wonder if he was just really good at faking it. Shaking her head Yumi turned her attention back to Viral, smiling sympathetically as she offered to help him sit down. "You might want to try relaxing, especially if that serum does what it's supposed to."

"Heh... Well you've got a lot of training to do before you're even as good as me, never mind better than me," Takeshi retorted, smirking as he ruffled Shu's hair, "But hey, I guess having a dream is cool, you know? Gives you something to work towards!" He'd been using Ki all his life practically whereas the little guy just found out about it a little over a year ago. It was hard to believe he'd be able to surpass anyone in such a short time, especially the one teaching him, but then they had seen plenty of crazy things before. Watching amused as Shu bounced about, the older boy looked over at the door when Kabocha came marching in, surprised someone else was down here. "No, in fact we're just starting," Takeshi replied, looking at Shu as he finished answering. Chuckling in amusement at his brother's enthusiasm he nodded his head, gesturing to Shu with a grin. "Yeah, he's going to be pretty good alright when I'm through teaching him. Hell, I bet he'll even be better than you!" Ooh, did that strike a nerve? He'd gotten a dirty look for saying that, smirking as he shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Better than me huh? Right... And that's the same person who can hardly use Ki, isn't it?" Kabocha asked, frowning as he crossed his arms and looked at Shu. Was training the young Prince really such a good idea? He could barely handle himself most of the time, teaching him something as destructive as Ki blasts could spell some serious trouble for them; Takeshi training someone to do anything was worrisome too, as the Prince wasn't exactly known for his patience or precision. "Look... Since I'm here and I would love for our ship not to get blown up how's about I help? I know plenty about Ki too, I can help train you, Shu." Probably better than Takeshi could, as he'd had some honest instructors where he figured Takeshi was self taught. Having the mind now to mentor the little Saiyan he walked across the room, giving Shu a look over before smiling slightly. "Alright then... So what can you already do? Fly, blast, use an after-image, do something. You can use Ki at least a little bit... Right?"

Haku didn't really want to be talking to the twins, or at least didn't feel up to the task. Now that everyone knew he was pretty much a pushover he worried someone might try and bully him, and if he just avoided everyone then he'd not have to deal with that. On the other hand though he really did want to try and befriend someone, feeling awfully lonely as he was essentially excluded from every group right now. Hoping the twins wouldn't pay him any mind he frowned when Kai spoke to him, sighing before putting on a small smile and nodding his head. "Right, uh... Thanks." Like he could cook, but he might as well try as his stomach was feeling a touch empty. Going to the refrigerator he sifted through its contents, trying to settle on something before he took out a pair of small sirloins. Not much, but it would be a decent snack until they had dinner later anyways. Carrying the packaged meats over to the counter Haku placed them down, staring at them for a moment before scratching his head. He'd seen people do this a few times, how hard could it be? Unwrapping the steaks he placed them aside on a plate, just standing there after wards as he looked around at the various pots and pans. So... Which one did he use?

Viral was rather angry that Aito had ambushed him like that, especially when the device hadn’t been used at all before now. He could’ve at least done a test run on it but apparently that wasn’t an option. It was a device that had been built for the first time and who knew if it would explode or cause even worse damage than intended. Snarling at Aito as he just stood there he let out a huff when he eventually collapsed, not feeling guilty about it. Looking to his arm to analyse the wound his eyes were soon taken to Yumi who decided to give him guilt about it. Aito deserved that, plus it wasn’t as if he wasn’t showing off earlier with how ‘easily’ he withstood his attacks. “Why are you giving me grief for his own fault?? He stabbed me!”

Viral really couldn’t feel guilt for what he did, seeing how he went straight ahead and did that without giving any real warning. The puncture wound felt rather sore, but soon his head was not feeling too good. His vision was going fuzzy, his eyes trying to focus on the approaching figure that happened to be Yumi. Grunting as she took a hold of him he took hold of her shoulder, soon finding himself sitting down rather unevenly. He felt like he was dying all of a sudden, the serum taking hold of his body rather quickly and when it was already changed a lot there was much for it to work on. “W-What is-…I feel…!” He felt absolutely terrible and knew it wasn’t going to get any better from here as very quickly the pain was coming in, his head hurting the most. Growling in pain his hands moved to his head, not getting all that far before his features were getting less prominent with every moment; the only problem was the pain was getting worse by the second.

This was absolutely horrible, but Viral knew it couldn’t get any better for him when it was still in his system. As his body essentially went in reverse he was losing features but every one receding looked painful to him. His eyes glowed as it continued, the change back only becoming less violent to his body as his form was slowly looking much more normal; however, it looked taxing to his body and was soon beginning to show. As the transformation back gradually eased he looked drained, his nose bleeding not too soon after.

Shu giggled as his hair was all ruffled up, raising his shoulders before he bounced around on his toes. “Better than you! Better than Idol Goku!” He was allowed to dream big, especially after all the hardships he went through to get where he was. If he could get Ki under control then all that was left was getting his anger under control, even if he didn’t like moving onto the subject of such a thing. Looking to Kabocha he frowned a little at first, looking unsure to what he was getting at before he realised he was going to get to train with him, getting all excited again. “Really?? I-I-I can fly! I can do blasts! I don’t know after-image…ooh! I can do a little bit…I am okay with stuff! I think I am…”

Neither Kai nor Choi thought much of Haku, just that he was around doing the same things they did except for the obvious fact he didn’t have a twin himself. They were pretty indifferent to him being around and were quite happy to go along on their normal business, so long as he didn’t get in their way. Getting ready to prepare some hot steak and egg sandwiches for themselves Choi got the rest of the toppings ready as well as the bread they baked a day ago. Checking the temperature he swung open the grill and went to get a pan, but with Haku standing staring at them all looking completely clueless he looked between him and his line of sight, raising an eyebrow. “…Lost something?” he asked him, pulling out a large pan and holding it in front of him, “You do know how to cook a steak, right?”

Yumi wasn't trying to guilt Viral persay, but more make him realize he'd not exactly reacted the best way. Sure, Aito had kind of sprung that on him without warning and she couldn't think of anyone who'd be happy to be stabbed, but was near knocking him out the best response? "Just... Don't try knocking him out next time, please?" So how was acting was that solution exactly? She didn't know, but it didn't take long for them to begin to see results. Surprised when her friend began to groan and use her for support she grabbed hold of one of his arms, doing her best to support his larger size. Even in her grasp he had begun to change, his body starting to shrink some and the extra features he had becoming less and less prominent. Having trouble holding up Viral, Yumi helped sit him to the ground, watching wide eyed as he finally did assume his regular form. Something didn't seem right however, if his bleeding nose wasn't evident of that enough. Frowning as she watched the blood leak out she pulled her sleeve up some, instinctively placing her covered hand over his nose to try and stifle the bleeding. "Aito...? What's wrong with him?"

Hm? What was wrong with who? Reaching up and rubbing at his nose gingerly Aito sat upright, looking over at Viral curiously. "Ah... So the serum worked! That's good, very good!" he exclaimed, smiling as he moved closer, "But he seems to have been worn down... Hm..." What could the possible explanation for that be? Looking the Beastman square in the eye for a moment he then examined one of his arms, looking all over him before nodding to himself. "The muscles were extremely fatigued from the transformation, and a massive amount of energy was spent in order to maintain it. Where he wasn't getting proper nutrition and rest to build up that energy again his body had to use itself as a source, meaning extra strain was put on it. What we're seeing now then, I surmise, is the result of essentially pushing himself past his limit." Viral likely hadn't done this intentionally, it was a byproduct of his transforming. Now that he had the serum however he wouldn't change back for some time, and with luck they could now get him to eat and rest as he very well needed to. "Viral, can you hear me...? Just nod your head if you can."

Takeshi knew Shu was just being a goofball but he still got a little indignant. Trying to be a good sport he smiled at Shu, rolling his eyes and waving a hand dismissively, "Okay, even IF you got better than me, and that's a big if, there's no way you'd be better than Goku. But hey, if you wanna try then go for it, maybe you'll get close!" Probably not, that was a massive leap for someone who barely got the basics. If it helped Shu focus on the training however then he could go right on ahead and dream. It wouldn't just be the two of them training together now either, not with Kabocha having stumbled in on their session. Takeshi didn't quite know how he felt about having a third person, though he would acknowledge their friend was perfectly capable of Ki control. Smirking when Shu was questioned about his abilities he looked over at Kabocha smugly, gesturing to himself with his thumb, "I taught him most of it, he's had a lot of practice before now too!"

"Yeah... That's exactly what I was afraid of," Kabocha responded, frowning as he rubbed at his head.

"Hey, what are you saying? My training isn't good enough?" Takeshi snapped, getting red in the face as he pointed angrily at the other Saiyan, "I taught him perfectly well!"

"For a beginner, sure, but you don't know the finer points of it. You never got the training I did, I know how to really use my Ki. Face it Takeshi, your attacks and things have a lot of punch behind them, but can you really do anything fancy with it?" Kabocha asked, watching as the older Prince got indignant and turned away in a huff. Rolling his eyes he smiled slightly, walking over to Shu and slinging his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "Listen, Shu, I'm sure your big brother taught you well and all, but I can teach you stuff he can't. See... Father bought be all kinds of instructors back on Kortal, they taught me techniques only Elites use, and some that were pretty original and cool. I could show you a whole bunch of neat tricks... Or you can let Takeshi show you the same stuff you've done before. Your call kid."

Takeshi turned back around as he heard Kabocha saying this, frowning before walking over and pushing his friend away. "Hey, I've still got things I can teach him! I just saved the really complex stuff for last!" he said defensively, linking his own arm around Shu's shoulders. Looking down at his brother with a smile he gave him a pat on the chest, gesturing between himself and the younger Saiyan. "You want to train with me buddy, I've still got things to teach you. Sure, Kabocha got all this fancy training, but do you really want that? You can do without all the flashy, showy moves, right? You just need to know the basics!"

So how exactly did people prepare a steak? Haku knew you had to get it over a flame and all but then there wasn't exactly a flame here, not one he could see. Did he put it in the oven? Seemed kind of weird, but that was the only possible way he could figure to cook the steaks. Staring at his to-be meal curiously he glanced over when Choi began talking to him, eyes shifting to the pan he was offered. "Oh... Uh... Well..." he mumbled, his cheeks flushing a bit as he took the pan, "Not really... I mean you've just got to heat it up, right? I could put it in the oven and cook it that way, I think..." Did he need to put it on something, or could it go right on the rack? Looking at the pan confused he figured just to place the steaks in there, and then probably in the oven to cook. Or did he put it on top? There were those coils on top of the oven too but he didn't quite know how that worked. "Uh... Do I put it in the oven?"

Viral didn’t know what the serum was doing to him the entire time he was changing back, at least not from what he could feel. It was a horrible torturous pain and soon he was struggling to find focus again the changes back were over, his body returning to its natural yet greatly weakened form. He couldn’t hear anything coherent around him, just mumbling noises from beyond a thick fog that clogged up his hearing. He felt terrible, unaware that his nose was bleeding until he felt Yumi press her covered hand against his nose. It was a light touch followed by damp feeling, the smell hardly being a proper issue when he could barely tell what was happening or where he was.

Viral felt extremely light and extremely tired, but his tiredness was unwanted as sleeping wasn’t an option. He felt like he was in danger of dying with this much strength, feeling too weak to move and struggling to breathe properly. Hearing the mumblings of probably Aito he struggled with understanding what he was saying, staring at him without so much a response. Staring at Aito as he spoke he barely realised he was being asked a question, eventually trying to move but finding the struggle overwhelming very quickly. It was painful to move and he had absolutely no energy or strength, feeling helpless and panicked at how vulnerable he was. He didn’t know how close to death he was but it must’ve been coming soon given how terrible he felt.

Shu had big dreams for the future and a lot of those dreams involved getting strong and becoming a hero whom everyone loved. “I could become big strong hero too! Maybe not big…but strong! Real strong!” He was sure he could make it, he was still young and probably had a long life ahead of him still. Feeling pretty ready to go and happy to go at it he smiled at Takeshi and Kabocha, wondering if Takeshi was going to let him train along with Kabocha as well. He did wonder what he could be taught from Takeshi’s friend, he hadn’t really seen much of him in battle and was pretty excited about what he might be able to learn from him; however, it didn’t seem that easy apparently.

Takeshi didn’t seem too enthusiastic about letting him be trained by his friend, seeing it as an insult to his abilities over giving him the chance to fight. Tilting his head curiously he looked between them, wondering what the big deal was until the questions were directed towards him instead. Squeaking lightly he tapped his fingers together, feeling fairly curious to what was going on. He didn’t know why he was being left with the decision but he felt he needed to settle things down a bit. “Umm, I could train with both of you! I would like to learn important things and both of you can teach me, right?”

It was going to be a delicious sandwich, nice and toasted with just the right amount of juice from the steak but not too much to make it greasy. It was the perfect after training snack for a Saiyan and it was quick too. Throwing the pan on the hobs Kai turned on the heat, Going for the oil before looking to Haku who genuinely seemed confused over how to make a good steak. To put a steak in the oven would be a rather strange thing indeed, not impossible but hardly fast and giving it the best flavour. “No…no, you don’t put it in the oven”, he sighed, drizzling the pan with oil and turning the heat up high, “The best way to cook a steak is to fry it on a high heat. Cooking it in the oven takes too long and makes it kind of tough…unless you like it tough then I’m sure you can fry it and stick it in the oven for a while. Just wait for the oil to get to look close to smoking”.

"Hm... No good. It looks like his body is even further weakened than I had anticipated. I suppose it's even a surprise he's conscious," Aito remarked, frowning as he looked at the glossed over expression Viral wore. The next priority had to be getting some nutrition into the Beastman, be it intravenously or through actually sitting down and eating something. There was obviously no food in the lab, and somehow he figured they weren't going to get Viral to walk all the way to the kitchens. Hm... They would have to settle for an IV then, though he loathed to prod Viral again, especially considering what had just happened for doing so. "Vegeta, we'll need to set him up with an IV to get some vitamins and nutrients in. Right now he's working on near nothing, and all of that shifting is quite literally damaging his body. He needs energy to heal, otherwise he'll not be in very good shape. Yumi? I need you to go to the kitchens and get some real food, anything you think he'll eat. IVs are lovely as a substitute, but he needs a genuine meal." Taking the latter's place at Viral's side he eased the Beastman down into a sitting position, propping him up against one of the cabinets for support as he used gauze he had grabbed to apply pressure to his nose. "Viral? Just focus on breathing and keeping awake, I know you're tired but you've got to stay with us for just a bit longer, then you can rest. Understand?"

Vegeta hadn't known the repercussions of the serum, how could he? He'd not been the one to design it and certainly hadn't expected one to change Viral within moments of administration. Just how powerful was it anyways? Perhaps too much if the Beastman was reeling like he was, maybe they should have lessened the dosage as not to cause him harm. It had done its job, of that he had no doubt, but maybe it had done so too well? "Uh... Right, an IV..." he mumbled, blinking before going to fetch what he was told. Hooking Viral up to a machine wasn't what he wanted and he was damn sure the Beastman didn't either, yet if he needed to be just for a little while they would have to settle. There was only one cabinet that had bags of mixtures in it, and luckily they had plenty to go around for now. Finding one that he figured had everything they would need, Vegeta found himself a stand from a nearby closet and set it up, wheeling it over to the Beastman and handing the needle and a bit of medical tape and gauze to fasten it in place. "You're sure this will help him?"

"I am, he's weak because he's been denying himself any nutrition," Aito explained, doing ahead and preparing Viral for the IV, "The energy he was using to maintain that form was probably the last of what he had, it's a wonder he didn't just change back out of sheer exhaustion." The face he had been transformed for so long was impressive even, it showed just how durable Viral truly was. Of course right now giving any kind of compliment like that was bound to be moot, he'd best save it for later. Once he had cleaned some of the skin he pulled the protective casing off of the IV's needle, grabbing Viral's arm and carefully placing it into a vein separate from where the serum had been administered. "Small pinch again Viral, not as bad as the last one, okay?" Best to let him know this one was coming, no reason to get floored again. Placing the needle into his arm, Aito went ahead and placed both gauze and tape over it, making sure it was secure in place before smiling sadly at the Beastman. "Well... The first step of your recovery is complete, now we can begin working in earnest. I hope you're ready to be healthy again."

No way did Takeshi want someone else training Shu, especially Kabocha. He had trained Shu up until now all by himself and the little guy was doing just fine, even if he was a bit out of practice. They didn't need some fancy, formal training to use Ki, their way of teaching and learning worked just fine. That aside he'd be damned if someone else took the job from him, he felt like he was getting cheated out of the chance to teach his brother something. Expecting his brother to side with him his eyebrows raised in surprise hearing Shu would take them both, looking to his younger sibling in surprise. "Uh... Really? You're going to train with both of us?" Takeshi asked in slight disbelief, hoping he'd misheard maybe. Letting out a soft sigh he slumped a bit, lifting his head and looking at Kabocha grinning at him triumphantly. "Fine, we'll split the job, but I'm doing most of it. After all, everything you've got to teach him is probably overly complex and just for show, he doesn't need that. I can train you just fine Shu, I have been so far, you know? But if you want him to help too..." Could have just said no, that would have been awfully nice.

"Hey, I'm not an idiot, Takeshi. I know we've got to start with the basics," Kabocha retorted, smirking as he folded his arms, "I can teach him the same way my instructors taught me, which is way more efficient then whatever you had in mind. Trust me, I'm just trying to help... you know?". Hmph, now he was just doing this to get under Takeshi's skin, he didn't even much care which one of them turned out to be the better teacher. Looking down at Shu smugly he motioned for him to come over, figuring he might as well get them started off. "Okay then Shu, so you said you can fly? Show me. I want you to go up, touch the ceiling and then come back down, plain and simple right?" If the young Prince could do that much without somehow messing up then they would be in decent standing, otherwise they really did have to get back to the basics.

Haku had earnestly no clue what he was doing here, and much as he might try to fake it he couldn't pull it off. "R-Really...?" he asked in regards to using the oven, watching as Kai put oil in a pan and set it on a burner, "Oh, okay, that makes sense I guess." So fry the steak in oil rather than put it in the oven, it was a little odd and he couldn't explain why they did it, but if the cooks said so then he'd believe them. Glancing into the pan a bit impatiently as he waited for it to smoke, Haku smiled sheepishly as he turned to both of the twins. "Um... If you don't mind, can you show me how to prepare some rice too? I kind of wanted just more than the steaks, but I don't want too much before dinner." A steak he could potentially wing it and it'd turn out fine, but rice he hadn't the foggiest idea. When he'd seen rice before it was all soft and fluffy, yet the grains they had onboard were dried and brittle, he didn't understand why. It was probably something annoyingly simple and he just didn't know, but then that was why he was here now asking.

Viral didn’t know what was going on but there was a lot of talking and moving him to get him to stop struggling, even if he was already finding it hard to struggle to get up. He wanted to do all sorts of things such as move by himself, feel like he might be able to survive and possibly not fall asleep. He couldn’t end up falling asleep like this, he was in too much danger and would probably end up dying if he fell unconscious. After being moved he stopped moving himself, lowering his head before lazily lifting it to look at Aito again. He didn’t know if this was what he meant to do to him, to have him drained to the point of near unconsciousness. He was in a lot of pain and didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about this from the man that was apparently his father.

He could hear voices talking still, but one of the blurry images soon went away. It frustrated him to remain in this vulnerable condition where even breathing was difficult. Hearing quite a commotion go on around him he soon noticed what appeared to be Aito giving his arm a rub, feeling confused to what was going on before a sharp pain returned again, gasping and kicking slightly in a reflex response. After the pressure was gone he could feel a cooling sensation pass through his veins, the liquid giving him new energy even if it was artificial and very low. He was starting to hear a little better and see images come together, but his nose was still bleeding even if it was being blocked. He felt like he was choking even if he could breathe, his eyes going to Aito as they tried to focus.

He was a little distressed, but it wasn’t going to be something he was going to get over that quickly. He had been brought down to his basic form again and while that was a relief he had been in the other form for much too long. It had felt like forever since he was normal again where he had actual fingers instead of puffy almost-paws, his head no longer heavy with horns. It was distressing being back like this like any other change, but it wasn’t as if that feeling would suddenly go away and everything would be okay again. Taking in deep breaths through his mouth his eyes focused on Aito. “I-I feel like…I’m going to die…” he muttered, closing his eyes momentarily, “How is this…recovery…”

Shu didn’t see any problem with the pair of them helping him learn Ki, finding it rather nice to think that they might want to work together and give him the help he really needed. He didn’t know if they were close friends seeing as how Takeshi liked to argue with everyone, but he thought they probably liked each other enough to want to work together. Giving Takeshi a nod he tilted his head when he seemed less than stellar about the idea. Curious, he looked between Takeshi and Kabocha as they argued briefly, tilting his head as they tried to make each other look like the better person for him to be taught by. He thought it was quite nice himself, even if they were essentially fighting over him. He didn’t think Kabocha even liked him, but maybe this made his doubts void.

Feeling pretty confident he could do good and show he was a good student he bounced happily on his toes, smiling at Kabocha as he asked him a simple question. “Fly? Fly! Up to the top?” he repeated, looking up. He could do that without a problem, surely. Getting all ready to fly he squatted down a few times, trying to show enthusiasm before he suddenly flew up quick only to bounce off the roof with a thud. Tumbling back down again he landed on the floor on his front, shaking his head as he slowly stood up he gave Kabocha a nervous smile, raising his shoulders. “I-I got too excited…”

Kai and Choi were alright with helping someone out with food but it was a little weird for both of them to be in this situation where the person asking the questions knew virtually nothing about cooking. They could understand someone like Shu not knowing, but not someone who knew what civilisation was. Getting their own food prepared for cooking Choi and Kai glanced over to Haku, looking confused at his request before they looked between each other, Kai eventually looking back. “You only want rice? Sounds a bit plain, but whatever”. Going back to the cupboard he pulled out a pot, placing it on the hob. “Well first, put in however much rice you want…like, a handful or whatever, and fill the pot halfway or something with water from the hot water tap. You can put a sprinkle of salt in the water as you boil it on the hob. I can show you how to advance it once it’s cooked through”.

There wasn't much that could be done to halt Viral's nosebleed right now, just apply pressure and let it sort itself out. Something like this was hardly going to be fatal, just a minor inconvenience during this crucial phase in the Beastman's recovery. Watching as blood leaked onto his hand unphased, Aito smiled sympathetically as Viral finally found his voice, certainly sounding drained from the whole ordeal. "Your body is reeling from the energy expended from your transformation, think of it almost as coming down from an adrenaline high. It's going to be rough initially, but once we get a bit of food in you then you'll feel better." He knew that Viral had an aversion to eating, but they had to give it a try; if the Beastman wouldn't eat solid foods then all of his nutrients would have to come intravenously. Pulling away the soiled clump of gauze Aito changed it out for a new one, first cleaning up Viral's nose as best he could before reapplying pressure. "I know it's a little hard right now Viral, but you need to tell me if there's anything else that doesn't feel right. It'll help me focus on what we need to fix."

Takeshi really didn't want to have Kabocha butting in like this, but if Shu wanted two teachers then so be it. Sure, he had none of the fancy instruction that a noble Saiyan did even if he was a Prince, but then he didn't need it; a handful of teachers and some self-instruction had taught him all he needed to know. Figuring he'd let their friend take the first shot at it he stepped back, frowning as he folded his arms and watched Shu. If he knew so much better then the little guy should be able to get it on the first try, using that oh-so-excellent instruction of Kabocha's. The task assigned was simple enough, but then in knowing his sibling he'd find some way to add difficulty to it. Watching Shu fly up, Takeshi's eyes widened in alarm, moving quickly but missing to catch the younger boy as he plummeted back to the floor. Thank goodness he was durable, though it was extremely worrisome to watch as it was eerily familiar to their first time flying. Letting out a sigh of exasperation he rubbed at his head, narrowing his eyes then at Kabocha to see how he wanted to go about that.

"Too excited? You used way too much energy for such a simple thing," Kabocha responded, placing his hands on his hips before shaking his head, "Don't you have any control? It's not enough to know how to do it, you have to regulate how much you use. I can see we've got a ton of work to do..." Hmph, he was starting to wonder if Takeshi had even tried teaching Shu how to regulate his Ki, or if he just showed him the moves and then let him loose. Considering how erratic and excessive the young Prince's attacks usually looked it was probably the latter, which while perhaps fine if they were out in the open was an awful thing inside an enclosed ship. "Okay, change of plans. Since you seem to want to smash into the ceiling I'm thinking we won't go that high, not just yet. Instead of flying all the way up..." Kabocha began, rising into the air just a few meters off the ground, "Just come up to me. And I don't mean overshoot me then come back down, I mean come right up to where I am. Take it slow if you have to."

Haku just sort of shrugged his shoulders at his choice, not really knowing what more he could do. Rice in of itself was tricky enough, how was he going to request anything else? Plus, where it looked like the twins were going to have to help cook his meal he didn't want to be too greedy and annoy them, as if he wasn't already. Watching and listening intently as Kai gave his explanation, the Saiyan nodded a few times before shuffling through the cabinets to find the rice grains, taking out the box to pour some in. "So put the rice in, then hot water, got it..." Haku mumbled, taking the words literally as he poured a fairly large serving of rice into the pan before smothering it with steaming water. Once he had put the pot back onto the burner he glanced into the pot curiously, having trouble figuring out how doing this made those crispy grains look like poofy rice. "Advanced...? You mean you can do more with it?" he asked, earnestly confused as he looked at Kai, "But there's nothing in it. Or are we going to add stuff?"

Yumi sincerely hoped Viral was going to be okay, as he hadn't looked terribly well when she left. Just looking like himself again wasn't enough to be healthy, there was still tons of work that had to be done for that to happen. For the time being it was a start, but she would have to spend even more time with her friend in case he should need anything. It was all she did, it seemed, spend time with Viral now, almost as if she was just a sort of nurse waiting on him. Well, if that was all she did then she would do her best at it, as getting Viral healthy again was near everyone's priority now. Nodding to herself confidently she smiled as she looked up at the doors to the kitchen, determined to find something for her friend to help him get his energy back. Before she had even opened the doors, Yumi picked up on the smell of cooking food, eyebrows raising before she entered the mess hall and glanced around curiously, "Hello? Who's in here?"