Ascending | ✔

Crossing the threshold

xXx

Kale sat up screaming, her eyes bloodshot and her pupils dilated. She clutched her chest, digging her nails into the flesh beneath her top. She was made hyper-aware of her heart beating within her chest cavity and each breath she took made her shudder. Her head pounded like she had just drank ten gallons of moonshine the night before - not that she would really know what that felt like...

"Kale?"

Kale's eyes widened as she met Cabba's gaze. The male was on all-fours and breathing heavily, his chest heaving as he inhaled and exhaled. "C-Cabba...!" With a sob, she got up on trembling knees and moved toward him, capturing him in a heartfelt embrace - oh how good it felt to see a familiar face!

"Gak! Kale! You're stronger than you look." Nevertheless, Cabba returned the hug, feeling the ridge of her shoulder blades as he held her. Something wet seeped into the back of his shirt and it took him a moment to register her tears.

"We're alive," she said through a strangled sob. "Oh, we're alive..."

Not just that, thought Cabba, we exist!

To their side, Magetta and Botamo were beginning to stir, while Champa reappeared as graceful as a baby horse on skates, somehow materializing upside down and tumbling down the bleachers. Hit, Frost and the Kaioshin of Universe 6 were already fully awake and observing their surroundings. Their existence was restored in the same place where they had been erased - the World of Void.

When Kale finally pulled away from Cabba, the others were celebrating their existence - Champa even went as far as to declare that he would "be more serious with his dieting from now on".

"Where's Caulifla?" asked Cabba, looking for a spiky mass of raven hair. "Wasn't she revived with us?"

"She should have been," mumbled Kale, nervously shuffling her feet. Without Caulifla, she felt vulnerable among her peers. "Where is sis?"

xXx

Caulifla had been the first to awaken from her stupor. She had known that the others would soon wake and decided to take a walk around the bleachers to clear her head. The saiyan remembered everything clearly - how Goku had eliminated her, how Jiren had taken her down with one punch and, of course, her new transformation. Her body was free of its wounds, those having been healed when she was wished back. Down at the ring, she saw the Pride Troopers gathered, talking amongst themselves. She frowned. In her short time of knowing them, their little cadre rubbed her metaphorical fur the wrong way. She saw them straight away for what they were - people who dedicated their lives in pissing people off with their nonsensical ideals. They talked big because they had rules on their side. Caulifla didn't care how politely they did it; at the end of the day it was all about flexing muscle.

She let her thoughts wander until, in her mind's eye, a vision of Son Goku appeared. Caulifla shook her head. Do not think about that... that spineless son of a bitch! So what if he has power? It's not like that's something totally unreachable to me. After all... I am a prodigy.

Around her, she could see the other universes slowly dispersing and returning to their beloved homes. Their angels, put in stasis when their universes were erased, had returned to take them home and serve their gods of destruction once more. Soon, Universe 6 was the only one left. Now that the crowds were gone, her teammates could clearly see her fuchsia crop top and purple bell-bottoms.

"Hey, Caulifla!" called Cabba, looking slightly relieved. "Come on, we're about to leave!"

Sighing through her nose, Caulifla gave a nod and headed toward them. After this fiasco I'm not sure if I want to face home again. Without Frost leading us, the empire's been torn to ruins. And I seriously doubt he would just take up his position again after so long. The boys at home... the faces of her loyal followers flashed through her mind. I'm sure they'll be fine. Ayote has been pestering me for co-commandment anyway. The guy's a natural born leader.