The sun was barely up when Kai hit the backyard.
He'd been awake since dawn, already stretching and running through warmups. Capsule Corp's backyard wasn't just a yard — it was practically a training field, complete with flat grass, smooth tile, and a robot gardener that gave him side-eye every time he cracked the ground.
Today was flight day.
Well — attempted flight day.
So far, his efforts had produced one popped hamstring, two near-concussions, and a dramatic but ineffective somersault that ended with him face-down in a flowerbed.
But he was improving.
Kind of.
Sort of.
Okay, maybe not, but he felt like he was improving.
Kai threw a series of punches, breathing in rhythm.
His ki buzzed under his skin — stronger than yesterday. Focused. He had learned that if he focused too hard, the energy went wild, but if he let it move through him, like water through pipes, it flowed better.
Today, it was flowing smooth.
[DING]
[Adaptive Trait Progress: Ki Control Efficiency +3%]
He dropped into a crouch, then launched into a backflip — landed clean, fists up.
'Alright. We're in it now. Still not Goku-level, but I could definitely take, like… a dinosaur. Probably. One without beams.'
He started shadowboxing harder. His ki flared briefly — just a flash of aura — and vanished.
"Damn," he muttered. "Almost had it."
"You're really going hard out here, huh?"
Kai jolted mid-kick and spun around. Bulma stood near the patio, coffee in hand, sunglasses on, robe slightly open over her pajamas like she hadn't planned to come out, but couldn't help herself.
"I wake up and you're already beating up the air," she said. "You sleep at all?"
"I meditate aggressively with one eye open," Kai replied. "Counts as rest."
She laughed and walked over, sipping her drink. "You really think you'll be ready for the Saiyans in a year?"
'No. But I'm built different.'
"Gotta try," he said out loud. "I may not be the strongest, but I've got something they don't."
"Which is?"
"Rent-free living and anxiety."
She snorted. "Wow. Real inspiring."
Kai grinned, then glanced up at the sky. His expression shifted slightly, thoughtful.
Bulma caught it. "What?"
"I was just thinking about something," he said slowly, backing up into the grass again. "Like… Piccolo. He floated off after the fight, right? Just casually hovering and zooming away like a green helicopter."
"Yeah, so?"
Kai bent his knees slightly. "I want to do that."
"…What?"
"I'm gonna fly."
Bulma blinked. "You're… serious?"
He took a deep breath and nodded.
Then he jumped.
Nothing happened.
He jumped again.
Still nothing.
He jumped a third time — this time with an audible grunt of effort — and got about half a foot higher.
Bulma just stood there, sipping her coffee.
"…You good?" she asked.
"I'm concentrating," he huffed.
He jumped again, flailing his arms slightly for aerodynamics. He landed like a sack of potatoes.
"Look, you're not gonna just jump and willpower yourself into flight," Bulma said. "You need control over your ki."
"I have control. Kind of. Mostly. It's developing."
Kai inhaled, centered himself, and channeled his ki down into his legs.
This time, when he jumped, a tiny pulse of energy pushed from his heels.
He rose four feet.
Hovered for half a second.
Then panicked.
"OH SHI—"
And crashed straight into the decorative koi pond.
SPLOOSH.
Bulma spit coffee out of her nose laughing.
Kai emerged from the water like a swamp creature, koi fish flopping around his shoulders, his hair plastered to his face.
"…I was close," he said, sputtering.
Bulma was bent over now, actually wheezing.
"You—you—looked like a cat that got launched out of a cannon!"
"I hovered, okay? That's progress!"
"You flailed like a balloon losing air!"
Kai stood up, water dripping off him. "This is how legends are made. You mock me now, but next time? I'm clearing the lawn."
A robot gardener rolled up, looked at the soaked pond, beeped twice in judgment, and rolled away.
After changing clothes, Kai returned to the backyard for more practice.
Bulma had gone back inside, but he could still hear her laughing every now and then.
He didn't mind. Laughter was better than screaming. And besides, he had hovered. Even for a moment.
[DING]
[New Trait Unlocked: Flight Initiated – 3% Control]
'Boom. First flight XP secured.'
He cracked his knuckles and dropped back into stance.
'One year. One system. One chaotic fanboy who's not supposed to be here.'
"Alright," he muttered. "Time to go airborne. For real this time."
He jumped again.
CRASH.
Into a tree.
"...Son of a—"