Catching the ball of energy firmly in one hand, Videl concentrated on holding it while it spun above her palm. Gritting her teeth as it hovered in place, the girl then focused her ki around it and began compressing the basketball sized sphere. Within a matter of seconds, the attack popped out of existence and the raven haired girl collapsed onto her backside. Panting heavily from the effort, she wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up, where she saw Gohan stop in front of her with a smile on his face and his hands on his hips.
Grinning at the Super Saiyan 2, Videl raised a hand, "I think… I'm gonna call it a day."
"No problem," Gohan nodded back, before reverting back to his base form with a quick exhale and beaming at his companion, "You worked yourself pretty hard this morning. You've definitely earned a good night's rest." He then offered a hand to her.
Immediately reaching up and taking it, Videl was pulled to her feet. "Thanks, Gohan." After dusting her gi down and adjusting her wristband, the spent youngster then turned her attention to Piccolo and Zangya, both of whom were still sitting across from one another, sweating and trembling from head to toe. Though the sight of the two of them bleeding bullets like that would have initially puzzled the young fighter, because she'd been at this for a month and a bit already, she knew exactly what was going on. "Those two are image training again?"
"Uh-huh. They've been at it since the end of lunch," Gohan replied, placing his hands on his hips. "That's good. It means they're really working hard."
"I wouldn't be surprised. Those two definitely seem like the stubborn types of fighters."
"You can say that again," the demi-Saiyan chuckled. "I've definitely seen Piccolo image training many times before, since he was the one who taught me how to, but I've never seen Zangya train like this." He then paused for a couple of seconds, "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her train, period." To be honest, it was a refreshing change of pace. For the first time ever, he was able to see how a character like the Hera actually worked on her skills in her free time and, judging from the expression on her face, she was really having a ball against Piccolo through their telekinetic link.
"So… they exercise their bodies using only their minds by fighting against a mental image of their opponent inside their heads?" Videl asked while glancing across at her instructor, seeing the boy nod in response. "That's kind of like shadow sparring, isn't it?"
"In a way. The image they fight against is a mental projection created and controlled by their opponent's ki. The resulting mental battle stirs up the circulation in the users' bodies, getting them to exercise their abilities physically as well as mentally, and requires the combatant to continuously project their energy at a controlled rate. That's why at the end of every session we're always exhausted and out of breath, since the fights we get into in the mental world can be just as grueling as a fight in the physical plain," Gohan informed, looking across at the girl to see her nod in understanding.
"And you say you can train like this by yourself or with another person?"
"Yep. It's a really good way to keep your mind sharp and your techniques polished. Though it is effective as an exercise, you still need to actually move around and do stuff to keep your body in full fighting form. You can't focus on one thing without working on the other," Gohan informed, a grin forming on his face.
Videl beamed right back and nudged him in the side, "Hey. When I get good enough and I've mastered control over my ki, I want to have a go at image training against you. No holds barred. Alright?"
"Whatever you say, Videl," the demi-Saiyan chuckled, "But I warn you, it can get pretty intense in there… especially against an opponent who's far more experienced than you."
"I think I can handle it," the adolescent replied with equal enthusiasm, meeting the smile from the spiky haired young warrior.
For the next couple of minutes the two of them stood there, watching the silence permeate between both Piccolo and Zangya. In no time at all, the audience began to question who was actually winning in the one on one fight taking place inside the link the pair had established.
It was obvious the woman was the more powerful of the two and probably an equal in skill. However, she'd been trapped in a star for over ten thousand years, whereas Piccolo had lived a total of two lifetimes with two other Namekians sharing his body, both of which brought an insurmountable level of experience and pain to him. The man knew how to play mind games just as well as anyone in their group and was as stubborn an opponent as they came.
Between the two of them, in a battle confined to a mental plain where there only limits were their strengths of will and life force, it was impossible to tell which of them would come out on top.
The trio got their answer seconds later when Zangya's eyes suddenly snapped open and the young girl gave a gasp of shock, collapsing onto her hands and heaving ragged breaths of air, as if she'd almost been drowned. Her awakening was shortly followed by Piccolo, the Namekian also reacting in a similar manner, only he was able to keep his arms crossed.
Sweating up a storm, the Hera glared up at her sparring partner in frustration, "That was a cheap shot. I didn't know you could use eye beams."
"I haven't had to use them for a while, but it definitely got the job done, don't you agree?" Piccolo asked with a smirk forming on his face. "You have to be patient with these kinds of fights. Unlike you, I don't jump in every time my opponent lets his guard down. If you rush in blindly without a plan of attack, you're likely to fall victim for whatever trap your opponent has laid out for you."
"Your back was turned!"
"And you went for it just like I knew you would," Piccolo replied with a smirk. "That's what happens when you get frustrated."
Snarling, the orange haired girl put her fist into the ground before standing up. There was a slight wobble in her legs the moment she straightened her posture, but she was able to correct it, "You, green man… are an asshole."
Piccolo snorted, finding a retort for the girl's response despite being thoroughly drained as well, "I'll take that as a compliment."
Folding her arms, the orange haired young woman turned her back on him and stormed off, deciding to go sulk over by the house.
Trunks chuckled when he saw her leave, "Man. Never thought I'd see her get worked up."
Getting to his feet as well, the Namekian turned to Gohan to see him beaming up at him, "Training done?"
"For now," the half-Saiyan replied cheerily, which was matched by a bright smile from Videl. "You zapped her when she tried to drop down from above, didn't you?"
"It was inspired," Piccolo replied, giving the boy a sly look. "Something I learned while fighting against you."
Remembering all the times he'd been hit by Piccolo's eye lasers during their training for the Saiyans, Gohan then led the march back towards the house. Around the other side of it, the group found Chi-Chi already laying out a gourmet feast for her family and their guests, Trunks included. Beckoning them over when she saw the group stroll into view, she then began pouring them all a serving of rice, at the same time Gohan, Videl and Piccolo sat around the outdoor dining area.
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