Android = Gladiator? [Vespasian/Lord Zex]

[Man]

Having received more funds from Prometheus Zex, the scientists had been able to develop a new mechanism to improve Zero's growth. These new devices were thin exo-armor pieces which concealed themselves by taking the form of the android's body; in essence, they were nothing but transparent cases built with the purpose of encapsulating his figure. Click! Click! Man's arms immediately slumped down. Other than the slight shine reflected from his red bracers, his chest piece, and his boots, he looked completely unaltered. The purpose of disguising the weights were mostly just for aesthetics, but having them adapt to his body would also avoid causing Zero any obstruction in his movements. Model Zero was a nimble fighter, he couldn't afford to have big weights three times the width of his arm.

The scientists were so psyched to try out their new invention and assess the results. They had sent a request to their new sponsor, Lord Zex, asking for a letter of approval. The letter was then taken to the infamous Arena, overseen by none other than Vespasian, the Arena Master. Yes, another diplomatic meeting. It was interesting how much diplomacy was required from scientists. One would think they spend their time in labs doing research and performing experiments. But although Ivan and the Doctor would much prefer doing just that, they couldn't do it without first obtaining the necessary funds they have received through their connections with King Arctic and Lord Zex. And now, they were about to tie in the third most powerful beast in all of Alpha Prime. But they were not there for money, they were there to force the giant to take Man under his tutelage; how could he refuse Model Zero when Zero had been sent by Lord Zex, the most powerful man in the planet? To deny them was to deny his Lord, and to deny his Lord was to commit suicide. Ivan was a smart man. He wasn't just looking for money when he appealed to their leaders, he was looking for influence, connections, power. And now he had it...

The group approached the arena, bundled together as usual with Model Zero following behind them like a pet. They didn't know much about Vespasian himself, except some unkempt rumours. He was a large individual with stories reciting through the many scars that plagued his body -or decorated, however it is he might see it. Ivan knew they were probably dealing with a very unusual and unpredictable man -maybe more unpredictable than a saiyan, and that is what made him the perfect candidate to tutor their creation and turn the android into a gladiator.

"Greetings Vespasian!" Ivan cried, dramatically announcing their presence. He reached out his hand, extending the letter to the brawny man. Vespasian would find himself with a humanoid being, the one speaking, and a reptilian one. "My name is Ivan, and this is my assistant -just call him Doctor." The Doctor bowed his head slightly. "We have come to you today with a letter from Lord Zex himself. We are requesting that you take our creation into your hands and train him in the ways of the gladiator, so he can serve our Lord best!"

The two scientists motioned towards the android. Man walked front and center as he was presented. He glanced up at the tall figure, whom was about quadruple his muscle mass and almost double in size. Standing straight, the android barely stood over Vespasian's chest, but he was having trouble doing so while getting accustomed to his new weights. "I present to you Model Zero," Ivan announced, "he's an android we have developed for Lord Zex, but he still has a lot to learn before he is of any use to anyone. He has grown stronger in very fast rates, but we believe those standards will increase even higher if he's under your care."

[Deleted]

Vespasian did not take kindly to being forced into things. Especially tasks that she had absolutely no interest in dealing with. Diplomatic meetings and events were some of his most hated chores he had to do on the Omega Collective, right behind flame spike traps and unicorns. Vespasian was not a fan of being stabbed with anything. The massive gladiator despised having appeared interested in the meetings when actuality he just wanted to return to training his gladiators and match making. It was a much more difficult job to match two gladiators against one another so that one did not just rip the other in half within the first ten seconds of the match, or to have the men circle around each other because they were both counter fighters. To deal with these scientific fools was proving to more of a task than before. Especially when it became clear that they were going to wave the fact that Zex had sent them to him, a single look at the letter in their hands reaffirmed this fact. It was causing his blood to boil and he did not want to deal with them.

The two scientists stood behind their creation as if it was some marvel to the world. When in fact it was a giant piece of metal that could probably only put two sentences together but would be called the next step in technology. Technology was overrated. If he wanted to put a food processor in with a living breathing creature he would just go have lunch. Vespasian took a step around the android tin can that stood at just barely his peck. Once he had circled around him both his arms shot out and his massive hands encircled the two scientist’s throats.

“I don’t take well to being commanded by a man that sits atop a throne of mystery. Let alone having that fact rubbed in my face by two sniveling scientists who want me to train a tin can food processor,” Vespasian growled as he lifted both of them off the ground. “Tell me what is stopping me from breaking both of your throats?”

[Man]

(Sorry for taking so long, haven't been feeling so great. Hopefully, posting will gradually give me a kick start.)

The giant being walked around the android and curled his fingers around the necks of both scientists. They squeaked and wiggled helplessly with fear. Then, an uprising sound screeched behind him with a buzzing warmth levitating over the back of his neck. Man had unsheathed his energy saber and pressed the tip onto the back of Vespasian's head. His eyes were cold. With an ephemeral gaze of Man's face, anyone knew he would not hesitate to slit a child's throat. "Release them," he ordered. Ivan moved his hands frantically and shook his head. "No Zero! It's okay! Let me handle this!" the scientist said, not wishing to tantalize the former gladiator any further. Man proved puzzled by his master's request. Although he wondered whether this was one of those moments when a person would say something, while meaning to say another. The android straightened the blade. He was not going to withdraw until Vespasian settled down. "Release them," he repeated.

[Deleted]

The hum of the ki was like music to Vespasian’s ears. It was that sound that he often heard when it flew past his head during his gladiatorial matches. It was not the first time he had encountered ki blades but it was the first time that a little tin can was ballsy enough to actually form one and place it at the back of his neck. His eyes glanced sideways as he took in the android more. Its face was expressionless and it seemed confident that he would be able to beat the long time gladiator.

“I would best extinguish that blade you hunk of metal before I rip your arm off. I have no quarrel with you just these pathetic scientists that think they are your masters,” Vespasian said. The scientists squirmed in his hands trying to escape from his grip but by moving it only got tighter. “You should not have to take orders from pathetic fools thinking they know what is best for you, only you know what is best for you. Think about what I am saying before you make the stupid move to attack someone who is going to rip you apart.” Vespasian growled. The scientists could wait if it meant getting through to this tin can. He was tired of being told he had to train people by those that were higher up the political ladder then he was. These scientists were the latest fools to come forward and try and pull this charade. No longer would he be pushed around, no this time the person they were sending him had to show some kind of drive or potential that most didn’t. No longer would he provide boot camps to quickly beef guys up before they went out on dangerous missions only to have them die and him get blamed for their failure. “Pick your poison, these fool scientists or me. Who is going to destroy you?” The gladiator growled.

[Man]

"Your words... are lost to him..." Ivan struggled as he continued to fight off the behemoths crushing grip. "Model Zero is a mindless... war machine... he has no conscious of his own... his thoughts are our thoughts and so his will... is that of Lord Zex..."

Vespasian would see his claims to be true once he gave another glance at the cold individual glaring into his eyes. It would be hard to believe a soul warmed the cold etches of his armor. Model Zero stood completely unmoved by the gladiator's sermon. They rebounded off the mandibular structure he had in place of ears. It was symbolic to this occasion. There would be no reasoning with this android, only misanthropy. But Ivan recognized the futility of their situation. Man knew full well -as did they- that he had no chance of scraping Vespasian's tough hide. It would end no differently than his brief ballad with Wrath. Fortunately, Ivan was known for his silver tongue and he planned to use it to smooth out the predicament and ease the gladiator into submission.

"Please," he started, "don't view this as an order... but... a most humble request... from our dearest Lord. This android... was built to protect Alpha Prime... but he is nothing... without proper guidance... Lord Zex is too busy... and we know nothing about your art... We are at your mercy..."

[Deleted]

“Please…don't view this as an order... but... a most humble request... from our dearest Lord. This android... was built to protect Alpha Prime... but he is nothing... without proper guidance... Lord Zex is too busy... and we know nothing about your art... We are at your mercy..." The scientist said as the tin can still didn’t move the ki blade from his base of his neck. Vespasian looked from the scientist then back to the tin can and then back to the scientists again. He grip only tightened around their necks causing a throbbing to start to emanate from their necks.

“A request? A request that you seemed to fail to ask me about. Instead you decided to play the pathetic political ladder in order to get my aid. Let me guess Zex is getting a portion of the funds for creating this stupid tin can or is he getting full use of the hunk of metal after I am done training him?” Vespasian asked the scientists. The lack of an answer spoke volumes to the mighty gladiator. “Let me tell you this right here and now. This tin can is never going to be able to receive proper guidance until he gets some sort of free will. Otherwise he will be utterly useless in battle. He will follow some fool’s idea of how a battle is supposed to go. And by doing that he is going to end up a heap of scrap metal.” Vespasian growled. “By the way…Zex is too busy to see me wrecking his little tin can.” Vespasian said as he threw the scientists into the nearby wall. He then spun on his heel away from the android. He would then launch a small ki blast to the chest of the android causing whatever damage he could. He had it and was ready to take everyone on.

[Man]

Erk! The scientists struggled. If they had not answered the man's question it was only because his hands were nearly crushing their throats. Regardless, the was not wrong. Prometheus was not gaining anything in the form of currency for the development of Model Zero. However, he was promised full reign over the android. Man would serve the lord in whatever he desired without question. Ivan kept repeating in his mind, if they made it through the day alive and in one peace, he would have to speak with Lord Zex and tell him to keep Vespasian in check. They could not have such violent beings on Alpha Prime, he thought. Barbarians like Vespasian deserved to be dumped on the Gamma Slums where he could be with his own kind. Of course, he would never verbally disclose that to anyone within a mile's distance to Vespasian. He did not wish to die today. Suddenly, the hulking beast of a man tossed the scientists aside, and they would only rejoin with the ground after cracking their back against the bricked walls of the gladiator's dome.

Alarmed, Man took a step back as Vespasian turned to face him and promptly launched a blast of energy from the tip of his nail. The android positioned the blade of his saber diagonally in front of himself to block out the attack. The force of his ostensibly mundane attack dragged his feet back against the dirt. Sparks crackled where both energies met. Searching for support, Man managed to prop his feet to a bump on the imperfect structure on the ground and propel his body forward. With a thrust of the blade, he intended to return the energy blast back from whence it came. According to Vespasian's power-level, which his scouter read, Man already knew he was no match against the gladiator; however, smash two rocks together and they will begin to crumble. The buzzing energy blast drifting through the air was made of Vespasian's own energy. If it hit, then it will have been as if someone as strong as Vespasian himself, had dealt the attack. One might even say that Man himself was as strong as the gladiator just for being able to inflict that kind of damage.

All the same, Man, although dazed, he would not stop there. The android moved quickly in pursue of the antagonist, following the energy blast like a shadow. As he approached Vespasian, the android would fade through his body using his dash ability. He had performed something similar with Wrath, in which he tried to slice through the vertical column of his back; but the creature's hide was so thick, his blade slid over it like soap. Having learned from his mistakes, he buried the tip of his saber into the ground and zigzagged around the gladiator, lifting the dirt airborne to obstruct Vespasian's mortal and fragile eyes.

[Deleted]

Eyeing the small android, expecting it to dodge to the side or skirt away from the blast Vespasian snorts as it simply lifts its sabre. Not able to get an exact reading on the weapon he wondered if it had the capability of cutting his attack in two, canceling out the blast to render it ineffective. Creatively enough the tin can intercepts the attack with his blade, but it does not rend it, the sabre almost seeming to catch the blast for a second before it is launched back the direction it had come. Not having put his full strength into the shot the Gladiator steps forward and puffs his chest out to take the blast full on. Hitting his chest with small explosion of Ki the hit stings, but nothing compared to the blows he had taken in his younger days. Taking the hit in such a way left a scorch mark upon his chest, but nothing more.

Following the blast in gave Model Zero a bit of cover before his fading form seemed to go right through the gladiator. Beginning to turn at the realization that the metal man was no longer in front of him it did not take long for the Arena Master to realize what was being attempted. As dust and dirt began to lift into the air, no doubt an attempt to obscure his vision, the big man new exactly what to do in such a scenario. Many times in his past had opponents tried the same thing, but little realized that with such power and reach not being able to see that well wasn't the largest hindrance. With speed far greater than one might think his large body capable of the gladiator starts to spin. Like a destructive top his arms snap out to the side as he starts to move from the dust cloud. Sure he couldn't really aim his attacks, but with so much strength he hardly needed to. Spinning faster as he attempts to move to what had been his right even a glancing blow from the big man would most likely send the android flying.

[Man]

The blade stopped. Man turned to observe the beast of a man twirl in place. His calculating mind struggled to comprehend the origin of such a bizarre technique. The airborne dust rose in a spiral around Vespasian's spinning body. By the time he realized what the arena master was doing, it was too late. That first flick of the arm slammed across the android's face like a freight train and propelled him several feet away. Man caught himself in the air and landed on his feet with a single swift and sharp motion. Rubbing his face with the back of his hand, Model Zero gnashes his teeth on the fact that tactics just didn't work with someone this large. And he already knew this, the only reason he fought was for the sake of struggle. Even a machine didn't think too fondly of just sitting down and taking their beatings. If he was going to get ripped to shreds, a fish might as well jiggle some. But Vespasian might as well have been as strong as Wrath himself, for with numbers this high, it did not matter which one Zero faced; the outcome was all the same.

Man let his arm hang for a while, resting on the weight of his bracers. He stared, eyes slanted on the hulking mass, there was nothing he could do. The android swiftly un-clipped his pistol from its carrier and shot at the gladiator.

[Deleted]

The gun was a bit of a surprise to Vespasian. The shot echoed throughout the arena and for a moment the arena master thought about moving out of the way. However his pride told him other wise and the gladiator sunk his feet into the ground and braced himself. The shot slammed into his chest. There was a brief instance of sustain pressure against the front of his chest and then it disappeared. Instead it was left with a feeling that he had not endured in a very long time. He looked down to see where the bullet had hit, to the right of his heart and a hair past his lung , to discover that he now had a gaping hole there and blood profusely running down it. He glanced to his back quickly to see the large exit wound. It had been quite some time since he had received a wound like this. Vespasian was impressed; it was not often that someone was actually able to hurt him. Perhaps this tin can had some potential after all.

Now was the time to test his resolve though as he let his power climb. He wanted to see how much resolve this hunk of junk had. He sprung forward with incredible speed, if the android was able to follow him then today would be a good day, he couldn’t this was going to hurt. Vespasian rotated his hip and threw a hard kick destined to land on the android’s mid-section. This however was not a normal kick. Instead it would detonate like a stick of dynamite creating a small explosion; Vespasian was unleashing his dynamite kick. The attack was not designed to destroy the android but rather send him flying into the wall violently again.

(Note: Dynamite kick is a master move)

[Man]

It went through. Man's energy bullet boomed out of his pistol and cut the wind. Although he might have been able to evade -or even deflect it, the gladiator anchored his feet to the ground and braved the compressed energy. To their surprise -everyone's- blood was now trickling down Vespasian's broad chest. Ivan and the doctor stared, slack jawed, from the far ends of the arena. Frankly, with his vast power-level, Man expected the energy bullet to rebound off his pecks and dissipate into the air. It seemed this man's pride was as thick as a pure-blooded saiyan's. Model Zero squint his eyes and level the barrel of his gun once more, aiming carefully, he placed his finger over the trigger to launch a second bullet. However, in spite of his injury, the large arena master lunged at him so fast that his scouter was not able to process it in time. It was only when his leg slammed into his midsection, that his scouter beeped and his eyes turned slantwise. BOOM An immense explosion erupted from the fabric of space. The entire arena shook violently and out of the clouds of smoke, Zero's body soared. A tail of gas followed his fleeting body as it reached the walls of the arena.

Man's body bore through the wall. His pistol soon after landed nearby. It spun in place for several revolutions before reaching a slow and steady halt. Ebbed inside and engraved his image, Man slumped down with arms hanging from the corners of the crater formed around him. Steam rose from his fractured armor; chunks were missing from his bracers, cracked helmet, chipped edges, and his jumpsuit was torn at the epicenter of the impact. His head faced the ground. There was no sign of movement as electricity sparked throughout the gashes in his body. It appeared that their fight had reached its end.

[Deleted]

The android soared through the air like a ball off of a professional athlete’s foot. He rocketed through the wall creating what many would interrupt as secondary explosion sending dust flying everywhere. Vespasian landed with a smile on his face as he studied the area for any movement. Seeing none he rose back to a normal standing position. He would turn to the scientists, who no doubt would be in awe of his power, and laugh.

“This is what happens when you send a tin can to train with a gladiator. You can go try and mend your little metal toy robot now. I doubt he is functioning properly any more. That will probably cost you what? Another cool two million zeni or so to properly fix him? Oh well. With a sponsor like Prometheus Zex behind you guys you shouldn’t run into any problem with funds” Vespasian stated confidently.

The hulking mass of the arena master turned and began to walk away. He best go get the wound treated before any infections managed to find its way into his body. The arena was far from the cleanest place. On top of that he was bored with playing with the toy robot. If it was stupid enough to get back up he would make sure it would never walk again.

“Oh by the way. You can cram that instruction from Zex for me to train that piece of junk up your ass. I don’t take orders from sniveling scientists. If he wants to command me to do something he can get his ass down here and tell me himself.” Vespasian shouted as he continued to walk away.

[Man]

"Zero!" Ivan gasped at his creation's inevitable fate. Vespasian was just too strong for the android. Model Zero had done everything he could with the resources he had, he even purged a hole through the gladiator's chest -and that was more than anyone else could ever vouch for. Regardless, these were one of those moments where brawn and might reign over tactics and stratagem. When people reached a certain level of power, there was no going around it. He was too fast to be evaded, too strong to be blocked, and too big to be injured. They could throw everything they had and he would just endure it like it was nothing, take them down, and worry about the damage later. That was the type of fighter Vespasian was; a berserker. One could even slice off his limbs and he'd still move along -and win.

As the gladiator turned away, it seemed all was lost. Ivan's hand dropped beside him, holding Lord Zex's letter loosely before deciding to crumple it up and toss it aside. "I guess that's it then..." he sighed to the air, defeated. But, suddenly, the sound of rubble shuffling around filled the silent background. Ivan's eyes dilated just as the doctor's. They glanced back in disbelief and Ivan uttered, "no way..."

Barely standing at the other side of the arena, was Model Zero -or, what was left of him. It seemed even a tin can like himself had mysterious powers unseen by the naked eye. Ivan looked at him, dumbfounded and mystified by the android's performance. He searched his mind for a logical and scientific explanation for what they were witnessing, but he could not find any in the moment. Half of Zero's body was decimated, liquid oozed from the gashes Vespasian formed on his body and static spurred in sharp currents of electricity. Although, he did not move. The android simply stood with his back slumped down and arms hanging lifelessly towards the ground. His legs shook vigorously, nonetheless, he remained afoot with his eyes slanted on Vespasian's back. His pistol was much too far, but he was not thinking about that. He did not make a single move except gaze with his dull, grayed out eyes.

[Deleted]

The gladiator had to admit he had fully expected the android to be completely torn apart but the scientists had built him with strong enough metals to somehow survive the blast. Such things were rare but not unheard of. So even though the robot was not destroyed completely Vespasian would allow the pathetic scientists to take the scraps of metal back with them. He didn’t need trash littering the arena floor, he got that every once and a while when some fool tried to compete in the arena for the first time. He had more important things to do then to watch a bunch of scientists clean up their toy.

It was when the scientist gasped that Vespasian glanced backwards and was shocked at what he had seen. No one had ever been able to withstand his Dynamite Kick , based on the condition it was hard for the android to be considered able to withstand it, but now this tin can seemed to be moving in a very limited fashion. Its eyes once filled with color were grey and the circuits shot off sparks every few seconds. The gun was much too far out of his grasp to make any kind of attack. Just to be safe though Vespasian threw a ki blast of modest at the gun. Upon contact it would destroy the infernal device and hopefully dash whatever hope the stupid machine may have said.

[Man]

The android did not waver, even after Vespasian blasted his pistol to bits. He was right to assume Man could not attack without his weapons, but Man was not even aware of his pistol's destruction. He was not even aware of himself. Soon enough the gladiator would realize that it was nothing but a waste of ki as the android may have stood but he had no strength to move. His half-open dull eyes gazed at him relentlessly; though he was not really looking at him, only the direction at which he stood. A few moments later, when it seemed as if Model Zero were about to do something, the android simply and solemnly collapsed with his face in the dirt and his golden hair spread across the ground. The scientists, who had been holding their breath unknowingly, sighed deeply. As the doctor ran over to collect the fallen android, Ivan glanced at Vespasian. "Sorry for taking up your time, Arena Master," his gaze shifted to his assistant who was struggling with the ostensibly heavy machine they had built. "I guess Model Zero will just have to do with what he has..." The scientist walked away, and if left uninterrupted, they would make their return to the lab.

[PL + Heavy Weights]