PL: 51,289
Training Mix 10%
SWC (75%) PL: 12,822

Quash was sitting at the cockpit piloting his ship, with Jorey presumably inside. As looked out into the distance, he saw nothing but sand for miles. He sighed, getting a little bored. Now that Quash had gotten a partnership going, he thought that they could finally make some real progress. Next stop, finding Athren! Or at least, that was the plan. There was one problem though: They had no idea where he could possibly be and they didn't know where to start. It looks like they might just have to be blindly looking until they get lucky.

Athren had to turn up eventu-

Suddenly, all the hairs on Quash's body stood up and he could feel his heart skip a beat.

He was frozen in fear, eyes widening in shock as he almost couldn't believe what he was picking up. His palms immediately began to sweat and his body began to fear. What he was feeling... he couldn't quite describe it. It was as if there was an enormous mass in the middle of the desert. His Ki sense was overwhelmed by what he was detecting, it was like this energy was boundless with no end in sight. It felt as if whatever abyss was present in this barren wasteland had wrapped around his entire body and had begun to pull him in. Feeling like he was being physically dragged into the center of it, Quash used the controls to fly the ship towards it.

It was at this point Quash realized he forgot to exhale.

Letting out a deep breath that came from the bottom of the diaphragm, Quash was in horror as he could see his breath as he got closer and closer to the source of the energy. His teeth chattered as his body began to shiver as it called out for warmth. Was it really that cold? Or was his Ki Sense so overloaded that this was the only way his body to figure out how to process what he was feeling?

The intensity of the energy began to increase more and more the closer he got. It put a certain weight on him that felt like it was getting heavier every second. He felt like he was going to be flattened by raw power alone. He couldn't tell if Jorey had noticed or not, because his brain had blocked everything else out.

After coming within a close enough distance, Quash forced himself to land the ship. He didn't want it to be too close to the source of this energy. As the ship touched the ground, Quash found that it was almost impossible to stand up. Maybe someone left the Gravitron on? Wait no... the artificial gravity didn't cover the entire ship.

It was almost painful. He could feel himself moments away from a panic attack. The Saiyan's primal instincts began to kick in at this point. They were telling him to run, put as much distance between him and this pressure as possible. Any longer and he might even crawl out of his own skin.

Calm down. Quash. You're freaking out. Stop and think.

Quash closed his eyes and counted. Even actively shutting off his Ki Sense.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

He slowly opened his eyes. He was still a little shaken, but at least he could think now.

Quash hesitantly opened up his senses again, trying to see if he could get a better idea of what he was dealing with. He had to do it gradually, or else it would overtake him again.

There was something incredibly strange about this energy... it was unlike anything he had encountered before. He was feeling an amalgamation of sorts. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. There were three energies that he could make out. He had to actively try and isolate each one to see if he could recognize them. One of them he didn't recognize. The other...

Callion?

Quash was already confused.

What's Callion doing here? Why is his energy so- Hold on. Something's not right. I-It's... suppressed by something? The hell? What is this? Something's forcing me out... I can't hang onto it-

Then came the third energy. This felt a lot more powerful and oppressive than the others. Out of the three of them, this was clearly the one in charge. This power he was now detecting was easily recognizable by Quash, but it only gave him way more questions than answers.

L-Liari?!

Quash pressed the button at the controls in front of him to open the doors to the ship. He stood up, immediately feeling dizzy. He stopped for a moment to regain his balance. He looked at Jorey and nodded to the now open exit to the ship, trying to tell him to get out. He'd make his way towards the exit himself, now outside and exposed. Quash's aura flared to life, though you could visibly see it being tighter than usual as if it was being compressed by something.

For the most part, the energy felt like it was all around them now that they were on the ground. After taking a moment to regain his sense of direction of where the source was, he took flight and headed towards it.

Quash had to see this for himself.

WC: 891

Liari's eyebrow twitched as the feeling of two energies ROCKETING her way touched upon her senses! One she... had a vague recollection of... It was so hard to sort though all her old and new memories... The other one, not so much. Her sanguine eyes stared off in the distance in the direction of these powers, a small, sharp-toothed smile coming across her face! They had to be coming here for her, right...? Even the Majin knew of how her power FLOODED this world! No doubt there wasn't a single person on the planet that couldn't feel her energy... it was only a matter of knowing who the cowards might be. 

"Oh...? A pair of challengers...?" Liari mused, slowly climbing to her full height! "Well, then... Let's see if they can keep up with me." INSTANTLY, Liari would SHOOT towards the challengers to cut them off halfway... but, as she approached at UNFATHOMABLE SPEEDS... she became aware of how... WEAK they were! Like... UNDERWHELMINGLY SO! How disappointing... But then again.... Liari's sanguine eyes glowed a BRIGHTER RED, her smile WIDENING into an evil, chaotic smile!

...A little fear was always a fun time.

The MOMENT they got within sight, Liari would STOP DEAD before the two sayains, carrying with her a whirlwind so mighty, it might've kicked up a whole STORM had they been anywhere less dry! She towered over them both by at least two and a half feet, the deep blue majin smirking arrogantly! Voltage crackled around her form as her passive energy SPARKED charge within the air, a soft pink glow of power radiating around her hands! Liari's sharp, chaotic gaze first fell upon Jorey, her smile growing WIDER... before flicking her gaze over at Quash... that smile falling from her lips...

"Hm..." She rumbled, her voice low, throaty, far deeper than what Quash might remember. She stared at him, studying his face, his clothes, the fact he was practically sweating through his clothes! 

"...I recognize you." Liari rumbled, pointing a finger at Quash, her sinister smile returning in force! "You were one of the ones who fought me before. A pity, I don't recall your name... You must be far too weak for me to remember! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Liari chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest as she enjoyed a good laugh! Of course, she knew who this was. Quash, Captain of the Sayains, that guy she fought during one of her moments of boredom. ...And now, little more than a throw-pillow to the giant blue majin. His companion, though, he was unfamiliar and even LESS notable... Probably a servant-boy Quash had brought along, a bullet-sponge for when he needed one. 

In a flash, a mere half-instant, Liari would APPEAR behind both sayains, her back practically touching both of theirs as she stared straight ahead, the majin clearly thinking NOTHING of these two!

"...I wonder who might miss you if you were to just... disappear." Liari mused darkly... before WHIRLING around to grab Quash's head, aiming to THROW the man into Jorey and send them both CRASHING to the ground! If she succeeded, Liari would slowly lower herself to the earth, raising a finger with the smallest pink energy-sphere coagulating at its tip! "...Sayains. So prideful. So hungry. Always looking for the next fight even if it kills you." She leveled her finger at the pair of men. Firing a pair of thin, blade-like beams at their faces, aiming to cut BOTH across their cheeks shallowly, a display of control rather than anything else!

She looked to Quash once more.

"...But what about now...? You're afraid, scared of me... aren't you? Do you feel guilty... knowing your friend will die here with you?"

WC: 616
TWC: 1151

You ever have so many things go through your mind at once that you can't really process what's happening in real life? Ever have those moments where nothing really feels real just because of the insane amount of brain fucking you just went through? That is what Jorey is feeling at this current moment, as the insanely, never-before-seen power level is now hurdling towards them at never-before-seen speeds.
Okay, so, this is where we die, I guess. 
The power level stopped immediately in front of Jorey and Quash. As soon as Jorey laid his eyes on it, he was filled with confusion and fear all over again. His body wasn't even able to produce any sweat, it was all practically exhausted from his glands. Despite being on guard and squaring up a little bit in reaction to this creature showing up, he knew that there would be no point in doing so. With how fast she appeared to move, there was no doubt she could probably take him down in less than half a second, without him being able to even react to it. As it turns out, this creature, named Liari, and Quash knew each other.
Oh, just my luck. If that's the case, Quash, please be a doll and have tone down the intimidating a bit. 
Jorey couldn't help but to size himself up with her, both in power and in general. She was a giant, blue, menacing piece of bubblegum. The Saiyan bet that if he poked her skin, some ripples would form on it. He somehow was able to distract himself from what felt like impending doom by thinking about a bunch of different anatomical questions to ask her.
I wonder how soft her skin is. Wait, does she even have any organs? What even is she? ...You think she tastes like bubblegum? 

Unfortunately, negotiations and conversations weren't going well when Jorey suddenly blinked and felt her energy behind him. His eyes widened in reaction to her speed, and he froze up, not even bothering to try and look back at her. It was too quick, it was too sudden, it was too badass. So edgy, it spoke out to the edgy Saiyan on so many different levels. It made it all the more cool to Jorey when he realized she didn't even bother to look at them; she had her back facing them, as well.
Holy shit, that's badass. 
Liari asked a simple question, about who would miss them if they were to suddenly disappear. Too traumatized to stop himself, Jorey actually started to casually answer the question.
"Eh, no one, most likely. I don't have a family any– Oh, crapbaskets."
As quickly as he could, Jorey put his arms up to guard, knowing he wouldn't be able to dodge. Quash's body was casually flung straight at Jorey, and it collided head on, sending both Saiyans to the sand below. Jorey tumbled a little more, in immense amount of pain already. He landed on his side, then pushed himself up as quickly as he could, despite the pain, looking straight down to the ground in astonishment. In a split second, his whole life flashed before his eyes, and he saw the face of an individual he didn't want to remember.
"Mother, is that you?"
Jorey sensed Liari's power level get on the same ground as them, and he looked up to see her charging a technique. Immediately, the Saiyan channeled Ki throughout his entire body, attempting to use Rapid Movement to dodge the technique. However, he was a little too late in pulling it off, and he felt the attack cut right through his cheek. He felt the warm substance that flows through his body, giving him life, pouring slowly out of the wound he just received. Wincing, the Saiyan looked down at his cheek, trying to see how deep it was, and then looked back up at Liari. He knows Quash just tried to warn him to dodge the attack, and that just pissed him off even more. He looked towards Quash and reacted to his warning.

"Dumbass, now's not the time to be worried about each other! We're both already way too weak to deal with her, as it is. You just worry about your ass, and I'll worry about mine."
There was something strange about the way Liari talked about Saiyans. She mentioned how proud they were, how they were itching for any single form of physical combat they could engage in, even if it meant it cost their life. He couldn't disagree with those statements at all, these situations definitely seemed like things Saiyans would do. Hell, if it meant Jorey could match up a lot better with Liari, he wouldn't have any problems with fighting her, even if it meant death awaited him. It's either he dies trying, or he gets a lot stronger out of the fight. However, it seemed like this monstrosity knew Saiyans. She spoke very familiar of them, and Jorey knew damn well she wasn't any sort of Saiyan. The wary lone wolf slowly got up to his feet, ready to face this menace once more. If Liari wanted to kill them, Jorey knew very well she could've done it already. At this point, it was a matter of them surviving her toying with them. Jorey's pride was shot, by this point, but he wasn't going to just let himself die. He still had other things he wanted to live for, one of them being tied around his wrist. He got back into a battle stance as Liari uttered one more statement, to which Jorey had to respond to.
"Uh, you're making a lotta assumptions right now. If anything, I think I hate Quash for the situation he just put us in."

None of this talk was going to change the situation they were in. At the end of the day, it wasn't a life or death situation they were in. This quite literally felt like a die painfully or a die quickly situation. This wasn't something Jorey was pleased to be stuck in. If he was somehow able to survive all this, there wouldn't be a single doubt in his mind that the rest of his days would be spent training. He didn't care about making a living, now. He didn't care about his mercenary job, or anything else. If he wasn't getting more powerful to match this speed, this strength, this raw power, then he was doing something wrong. He won't stop catching up until he's fully caught up and surpassed it, or until Liari was no longer a threat to potentially the whole universe. There was no point in trying to make a living and being carefree when the whole world could just end in a split second, and Jorey was of course on it. He glanced over to Quash, who gave him some sort of "get ready" look, and he became even more annoyed. The Saiyan rolled his eyes and groaned, upset he had to deal with this situation.
"Don't you gimme that look. We're probably already as good as dead."

Quash was admittedly a little thrown off by Jorey's response. He thought they were supposed to be a team, but his "friend" wanted nothing to do with any of this. In fact, Quash found that he was blamed for them being in this situation. He felt a little betrayed, but he couldn't be too pressed about it. There was a legitimate point made, though who was to say that Liari wouldn't have followed them if they tried to leave? Their ship probably wouldn't have been fast enough to lose her. Hell, there might not even have been a ship anymore if she had gotten to it.

Quash decided to keep his thoughts to himself instead of responding to Jorey's comments, figuring he'd talk to him about the whole thing later. Right now, they had to address the elephant in the room. Liari had gone on about how cowardly their behavior was, saying that they were sorry excuses for saiyans. The captain was almost impressed, to be honest. The last time he saw her she didn't even know what a mom was, and now here she was preaching about saiyan pride. Who taught her about all of that? More importantly, how did she even comprehend that?

His nerves spiked as she flattened the area next to her in anger. She expressed her disappointment in him, hoping that'd be happy to see her this strong! As much as Quash wanted to defend himself against her words, he found that... he couldn't. Recently, he'd been feeling uncertain in his own power. Between Callion, Athren, Liari, and now THIS Liari, he had been shown that there was an entire region of power and abilities that he had never been exposed to until now. It was a lot to take in and, while he knew that he should be happy, he already had doubts over where he was in the pecking order. His race had fallen very far behind that they were at almost half the strength they used to be, but he had convinced himself that he was the exception.

It turned out that he wasn't.

Part of him had always known. He had been suppressing it this entire time. Ever since coming to Earth, however, he has no longer been able to. When he met Ayu, he had no choice but finally admit to himself that he didn't really know how to handle it. Ayu was able to give him advice in a way... But to be honest he didn't exactly take her too seriously given how naive she came off. What was it she said? You can't become better without changing? What kind of change would he have to make to be able to stop a living cheat code with boundless energy?

There was no more time for thinking about his own issues. Liari was already on the move! He didn't know whether to be a little pleased that she defended Quash from the blame Jorey tried to place on him, or be more concerned that she was gunning for him! He decided to take the more mature route (for now) and pick the latter, leaping into action! His right was enveloped in yellow ki before elongating and hardening into the shape of a blade. His signature Savoy Sword would appear!

He'd raise it into the air before bringing it down on the arm the majin was using to grab Jorey. There was reluctance in his movement, his body trying to fight through the fear. He knew being this close up to an opponent having this much power was a recipe for disaster, but there was no other option. If either he or Jorey died, the other would surely be finished. The only way they were going to even have a chance to get out of this was if they worked together.

"Let's watch each other's backs instead!" Quash replied, taking another swipe to the side of his sword to perhaps create some distance between Liari and them. He had fought her before, he knew how versatile and crafty she could be. Regeneration, elasticity, chopped-limb controlling, she could even copy moves! As far as he knew, Jorey hadn't had the same experience. While her power has gotten a lot stronger, with new abilities in store no doubt, Quash's knowledge was their best chance at survival.

The last time they fought, Quash remembered his plan was to use her own biology to her advantage. He never had a chance to test it out, but he figured he had to now. There were a few problems, though. It was easy to throw her off her game before, but she was much different now. Her attacks were much sharper and had a lot more precision. In fact, the only time Quash had seen those moves before was when Callion had taught him how to use the Three-Section-Staff. Considering she was now wearing his gi, that did make sense. What didn't make sense is why Callion would bother training someone like that? He was a good guy when he met him. He had to know that she was up to no good, right?

In addition to having learned many new skills, she looked and acted much older than she used to, which meant he probably wouldn't get away with "yo, mama" jokes again. He had to find another way to bait her somehow. She seemed pretty sensitive about her origins, maybe they could use that? He wasn't sure how he could craft that into a clever insult just yet, but right now this was the plan he had.

As things were right now, there was no way for him to tell Jorey the plan without her knowledge without also needlessly increasing the risk of getting killed. The best thing he could do was try and get him to follow his lead and help him out whenever he was able. As for Quash's own confidence, well, he'd have to figure out how to get it into gear. One slip-up could mean certain death in this mind, there was no room for those with only half of their heads in the game.

WC 1024
TWC: 3136

In all honesty, Liari was SERIOUSLY considering tightening her grip, just enough so that Jorey's neck snapped within it. All these excuses... all this complaining... This man sounded more like a human being made to work an extra shift than a sayain warrior in his element! If this was what one of the strongest warriors had to say about being faced with THE strongest warrior... then he might as well hang up his stupid hair and monkey-tail and go home... Or in this case, GO TO HEL-

ZZZPT!

Liari blinked as she saw her hand suddenly detach from her wrist, the glow of a yellow ki-blade resting just beneath! Her hand still hovered in the hair, unmoved as if such a wound hadn't come to pass... but at the very least, she opened her fingers and allowed Jorey his freedom! Liari's sanguine eyes flicked over to Quash, still glowing FIERCELY, but perhaps a twinge of hope touched upon her expression! 

"...And what was THAT supposed to be?" She questioned, the two saiyans quickly retreating! As if to show how irrelevant such a technique as, the majin would simply extend her arm a little further, reattaching her hand instantly! A futile... but commendable effort. Could it be that they were actually going to FIGHT now? Jorey seemed to be, LUNGING at the majin for a few quick kicks which, to the saiyan... must have HURT as they didn't move her an inch! In fact, she barely seemed to notice their impact as she merely observed his movements! There was... some technique to them, yes, but still FAR too WEAK to be worth the energy put into them. Jorey was still cracking his jokes, though it seemed to be more out of arrogance than fear, Quash encouraging they stick together because... you know... numbers were really all they had right now. 

"FINALLY. I can't believe it took you two this much to want to fight." Liari huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. ...Now the tables had turned. Now JOREY was taking charge, showing more bravery while Quash appeared anxious and unwilling in the background. Perhaps the sayain in Jorey was stronger than that in the good Captain, only buried under a mountain of wise-cracking cowardice. What an unfortunate handicap that it took the threat of death... or worse to get him in gear, however. With heroes like these, the world may never survive a true invasion. Jorey would level his hand out towards the Majin, remarking how Quash better get his attacks ready too if they were going to survive this! 

"...'Watching each other's backs...'" Liari repeated slowly, slowly dropping into a sitting position on the ground, lightly leaning back on her hands! "...With such pitiful coordination...?" 

Well, Jorey didn't seem interested in such a question, firing off a beam at the majin that would suddenly split into MANY aiming to pepper Liari with impacts!

"How predictable."

SUDDENLY, TWO HANDS WOULD SHOOT UP FROM BELOW QUASH, AIMING TO WRAP AROUND HIM LIKE A PAIR OF SNAKES AND DRAG HIM THROUGH THE EARTH FROM WHICH THEY HAD SHOT! If either saiyan looked closely, they would notice the majin's arms pushed down into the earth where before they were used as supports... A DECEPTION!

If Quash was unable to react in time, Liari would PULL HIM OUT of the ground right in front of Jorey's blasts, letting the saiyan captain take the full brunt of the dozens of impacts!

"...Try again. This time, consider everything I am doing before acting." The majin would utter, her eyes tracking Jorey's rapid movement to her left! If Quash had taken those impacts, Liari would HURL him back at Jorey as if he were a throwing-spear, aiming to STRIKE HIM with his friend before he could fire his Halo-Buster! "...And coordinate with your teammates if you depend on them."

WC: 642
TWC: 2306

The Saiyans' backs being against the wall wasn't the most ideal situation. To both of them, it was very obvious how strong Liari was, and how quickly she could kill them. Cutting off Liari's arm was barely doing anything to her, and the kicks Jorey sent into her chest did nothing to her. It only served to push the Saiyan off of her. It was like kicking a brick wall to destroy it, only to have yourself get sent flying the other direction.
What in the hell is this thing made of!? 
It was infuriating, the situation they were in. A being so much more powerful than them, playing with them and making light of them, trying to lecture them as if she wanted them to be better people. Nothing else more so spelled out annoying to Jorey; he wasn't sure about how Quash felt about this, but he could only imagine he felt similar. However, one thing seemed to stand out for Jorey. Sure, he was pretty pissed that she had the nerve to remark about it taking this much for them to finally want to fight. Who wouldn't be pissed off at that? With such a powerhouse they were facing, it wouldn't be much of a fight. Regardless, that stood out to Jorey, and something became apparent to him. Liari had no plans to kill them, just yet. She had an ulterior motive, right now. Maybe it was to torture them and break them? Maybe it was to test her strength on them? Maybe it was just to kill time in her boring day? Either one of these possibilities infuriated the Saiyan even more, but one thing was still for certain: she wasn't trying to kill them. At least, just yet. Jorey could only wonder when she decided it wasn't worth it to keep them alive.

A part of Jorey kind of wished she was there to kill them. It was a warrior's dream to die in battle, and just because he's done shady stuff in the past didn't make Jorey any less of a warrior. He wanted to become stronger, to enjoy the fight, to relish the challenges put in front of him and take them down, head on. He also wanted to live, admittedly, but to die in the heat of battle was nothing short of badass. In the end, what was happening right now was what they should worry about. As pissed as he is about not being worth it to kill, right now, Jorey wouldn't back down from this fight. If this meant he could get so much stronger in the long run, then so be it. It's another ceiling to break down in his journey, and that concept excited him even more than anything else. Jorey would blatantly ignore Quash's plea for a "thank you." If anything, the lone wolf figured with the way he'd been talking to Quash, a "thank you" would be a long time coming. He still continued his attack, sending out a Shatter Beam towards Liari. It was then he realized an energy signature coming from the ground. He looked in Quash's direction and watched as two blue hands came out of the ground and grabbed onto said Saiyan, dragging him into the ground. Jorey followed his signature through the ground and watched as he popped back up in front of Liari, taking every single blast that he had sent out to the freak of nature. All of this happened in the span of a very short second, but for some reason, Jorey saw it all happen in slow motion. It felt like a minute had passed. He gritted his teeth in response, frustrated at her sheer speed.
Let's see if I can match that speed. 

Unfortunately, he could not. He emerged from his Rapid Movement to Liari's left, and started charging his Halo Buster, ready to fire at a moment's notice right to his opponent. However, he soon realized Quash was being flung right at him.
Oh, okay. So, I can't match that speed at all. Good to know. 
The Saiyan immediately stopped charging his Halo Buster, dispersing the Ki in a heartbeat. He braced himself, gritted his teeth, and spread out his arms, attempting to catch Quash. He let out a battlecry, and let Quash's body hit him, attempting to wrap his arms around him and stop him in his tracks. Of course, he wasn't able to keep up with the speed the Saiyan was thrown at, and he ended up getting sent backwards and rolling to a halt, skidding on his back.
Ah, fuck. It doesn't feel any better the second time. 
The Saiyan got back on his feet, glaring right at Liari. What was she getting at this time? What was her goal in all of this? She wants them to now work as a team to defeat her?
Hell, I thought the whole point of this was to toy with us or test out your power! The hell do you mean, "try again?" 
There was something about what she was saying that made Jorey lost in thought for a bit. Everything Liari said rang through Jorey's brain like a ceaseless bell toll. It buzzed around, putting different ideas and speculations into the beehive that was his mind. This was probably the most Jorey's brain had worked in a tactical sense for a long time.
"Consider what you're doing?" The hell are you doing? Just standing there, menacingly! How am I supposed to consider what you're doing? Unless...is she not just standing there to intimidate us, or 'cuz she's bored? Is she doing something else? I can't see any damn openings, so what's the point in considering what you're doing? 
The Saiyan felt like he was getting nowhere. He came to one conclusion: either she was trying to get them to coordinate and think of her actions before they react, or she was trying to get them to think about her goal in all of this. Either way, Jorey couldn't quite put his finger on what she's getting it.

Jorey's train of thought was interrupted by Quash. He'd let him talk, hear him out a bit before even responding. Quash was speaking nothing but facts in his second sentence, and Jorey nodded at every single fact he mentioned. He really didn't want to hear anything else Quash had to say. If it was really up to Jorey, he'd love to beat Liari to dust with his bare hands, not having to rely on any outside help. That was what his pride wanted, but obviously, that was impossible. He abandoned that reality as soon as he realized what reality he was truly in, and that happened when he first sensed Liari's power. The whole coordination part would take a little more convincing, but with what the blue freak of nature was saying, he really didn't mind it. After all, there might be something Liari is trying to get at from having them work together. He doesn't know what it is, and for all he knew, it could just be the cue for her to finally kill them. However, it was worth a shot, just to find out what it was. Jorey responded by smiling, a cunning and excited one, and responded to Quash in a joking way.
"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just try not get in the way of my attacks like you did last time."
The Saiyan chuckled at his own comment, then took a deep breath and balled his fists up. With Quash standing next to him, Jorey started letting his power surge through himself, the dirt and sand being kicked up even higher with his additional power up. He roared as his Ki, a light red-violet color, flared up and surged around him.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Quash immediately sprang to action. This wasn't the most ideal situation for Jorey, but he felt that he could make it work. If Quash was going to get up close and personal, Jorey would be more than fine with doing the same, but from an opposite angle. Jorey soon found out that his partner's motive was not to hit Liari with some attacks, but to charge into her completely. Was he planning on tackling her? Maybe a German Suplex, or something? The lone wolf didn't think either of those would really work, but whatever, at this point. Jorey touched down some distance behind Liari, shooting some basic Ki blasts straight at her from behind, before Quash made it to their opponent. From there, he would charge straight at her, wary of her every movement. If he saw her reacting in some way he could react to, he would take necessary measures to dodge or block. Jorey knew this woman had a tendency to literally throw them around like rag dolls. He wasn't going to let her throw Quash into him again. If there was an opening from Quash's attack, Jorey would follow up with two Ki blasts in his hands, sliding in-between Liari's legs, attempting to shoot through them and have her fall on her back.

As Quash inched closer and closer to Liari, he couldn't help but notice her energy drop significantly! He didn't know exactly what that meant, but if it really was lowered then they would have a better chance at stopping her. Perfect! Either that or, she was trying to bait them. In which case, then that'd be FAR from perfect because that'd mean they would be running right into a trap. The best he could do in this kind of situation was proceed with caution and hope for the best. She was still stronger than both of them, so he figured that not much had really changed in their gameplan anyway, right?

Quash thought that Liari would've had a harder time trying to catch him, but it looked like he was wrong on that. His entire body felt like it had hit a brick wall as it came to an immediate halt when he slammed right into Liari's hands. The vibrations that ran through him as a result made him really weird. They were almost like chills. Well, so much for that. He thought. He wished that he had a cool neat power in store for her. Unfortunately, he couldn't do any fancy aura changes as he had seen from certain fighters. He really was never able to figure out what that whole thing was about, was he? Questions for later. For now, he was in deep doo doo... Or so he thought?

It looked Jorey was sticking to the plan, albeit in his own way. Quash was kind of expecting to stay where he was, but honestly as long as he was backing him up in some way, he figured it didn't matter all that much. Quash saw that he had made an attempt to attack the majin from behind. While admirable, that attack wasn't able to break through Liari's defenses. Nothing new there. They really had to start coming up with some galaxy brain plans soon, or else all hope would be lost! Speaking of defenses, Quash really had to start worrying about himself, because she was getting ready to attack him again! She had gotten ahold of his hair and had reeled back her arm for a heavy punch towards his stomach!

Quash placed his forearms over his stomach and grunted as her punch struck them. He may have prevented some real devastating damage, but he still felt the force move throughout his entire body. One thing was for sure though: He was right with his initial theory. She really had lowered her power. If she had attacked him as she had earlier, his arms would have been surely broken behind the momentum of that hit. It appeared she was being even less serious than she already was! They may still have their work cut out for them, but at least he could imagine a win now.

In any case, it looked like Jorey was already a step ahead of him when it came to galaxy brain plans because he performed a real clutch maneuver and actually managed to land a blow that did something! It was satisfying as all hell to see Liari feel some real, actual pain for once during this fight! He had to hand it to his partner, that was a pretty unique display of combat intelligence there. He really had to stop underestimating him and start trusting him more often.

Quash couldn't celebrate for too long, because Liari was immediately on the offense again! She had been pummeling him for a while so far, but not this time! He wouldn't waste the chance that Jorey gave them! The kick she fired at him would go completely through his body like it was nothing, almost like he was intangible! The image of him would fade away shortly afterward like he just vanished from existence.

It was his afterimage technique, perfect for this exact kind of situation! It was his first time using it in a real fight too. He had just begun to get a hold of the technique, so he could only create one image at the moment, but it was good enough for now! Liari was way too fast for it before, but with her now weakened power it was just barely doable! Quash had to act fast before she could figure out his new position and get a chance to attack him again! He could only hope that Jorey was alright.

Quash was now a considerable height over where he previously was, flying straight down towards Liari's head! He had his right fist cocked back and ready to slam right into her face! When he'd be almost right on top of her, he'd figure it would be a good time to reply to her latest taunt.

"CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE GODDAMN SECOND?!"

He'd throw his haymaker as he yelled at her, hoping his own attack would connect. His aura would flare up as he'd generate his own momentum downwards, doing his best to get his attack to force her into the ground. If he was successful, he'd try to climb on top of her and tie her arms together like he was tying his shoelaces. He didn't know how effective this was going to be, but it was better than nothing.

"Holy hell, you'd think a student of Callion would have more humility! What do you think he'd say if he saw you right now?"

Quash had still assumed that the gi she was wearing was something she was given from some kind of school she went to in order to learn from him, so he was still going off of that assumption. He hadn't known Callion outside the one day he spent with him learning how to use the staff, but he felt confident in saying that he wouldn't be too happy to see Liari attacking her former friend and acting like a general pain in the ass. Besides, being that this was a fellow saiyan they were talking about, it was only right that the Captain would help uphold the standard that his comrade had set!

WC: 1020
TWC: 5414