Soba (KidVegeta)

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Soba
ソバ, Soba
Detailed Information:
Appearances:	Across the Universe Leap (mentioned)
Species:	Yardrat
Gender:	Male
Birthplace:	Yachebo, Planet Yardrat
Birthdate:	May 4, 731 Age
Birth Power Level:	114
Maximum Power Level:	E- Tier
Height:	6'1"
Weight:	152.1 lbs.
Hair Color:	None
Eye Color:	Black
Rank:	Venyi acolyte
Organizations:	Venyi Academy (Age 749 - Age 758)
Favorite Food:	Space ramen
Hobbies:	Exploring uncharted planets
Family:	Somen (son) Udon (best friend)

Soba (ソバ, Soba) is a Yardrat. He is the protagonist of Across the Universe.

Overview

Appearance

Soba is a tall, green-skinned Yardrat. He is the taller type of Yardrat with a bulbous, squid-like head. He tends to wear the standard Yardrat attire while adventuring, though while sparring, he wears only black training pants. His aura is light blue.

Personality

Soba is an adventurous Yardrat. He enjoys visiting new worlds, being the first alien a species comes across, and being the first one to discover a new place. He despises the materialism of his species. He looks up to his friend, Udon a lot, even though Udon disrespects him constantly. Soba has relatively low self-esteem at the start of Across the Universe, though he gains confidence over the course of the story. Soba is a well-meaning person, and he will feel extremely guilty about errors he makes, to the point of fixating on the guilt for weeks, months, and even years. He is not a very courageous Yardrat, though he has been known to have moments of courage, despite how he feels about the situation, if only to avenge or protect someone dear to him. Soba thinks he is a pro at sniraak, though it's debatable if he's even mediocre.

During his time at the Venyi Academy, Soba's self-esteem plummets, for he considers himself to be the worst student in the school. He uses his fusions with Anso as a crutch, allowing the Metamoran to probe his feelings and comfort him in their fused state. Despite that, he was never attracted to Anso, and he mistreated her somewhat by giving her no attention whatsoever. He was wholly fixated upon Audacci, though he never told the other girl about that. He is capable and self-reliant and overall a down-to-earth kind of guy.

History

Across the Universe

In the first scene of chapter 1, Soba, having just been granted a lesson to learn Instant Transmission, prepared to leave his homeworld of Yardrat for the very first time. He was happy to leave his emotionless caregivers (who provided him and his peers with food, but otherwise didn't engage the children) behind. He met up with his older friend, Udon. They exchanged a few words, with Udon making snobbish remarks before teleporting away. As he did, Soba noticed a pair of Yardratian women teleport nearby, giggling to themselves before teleporting away again. A moment later, Udon returned with a male five-tailed Malevion in his hand. It was a rare bird, and was owned by Udon. He crushed it in his fist a moment later, after growing bored of it. He told Soba that he was also bored of their homeworld and once more teleported away.

Afterwards, Soba went to see the Yardratian elders. They instructed him on how to use Instant Transmission. The group asked him to teleport to the planet's moon, retrieve a beacon emitting an energy signal, and return it to them. They noted that his father and his father's father had done this same exercise years prior. He closed his eyes and began to sense for the beacon's signal. It did not take Soba long to find it. He asked the elders how to make the jump through space, and they told him that it was no different than breathing - he could naturally do it. He didn't need to think about it. He needed to act. So he did. Soba found himself suddenly on the moon, standing a few feet away from the buzzing beacon, and his eyes moved towards Planet Yardrat in the distance. The boy recognized how small he and his people were in the grand scheme of things.

In the second scene, Udon visited the resort world of Alo-Alo. He procured a wonderful bottle of perfume before returning to Yardrat, thinking to himself that Soba would be impressed by it. Soba was not, however. He found the odor odious. Udon began rambling about Alo-Alo's beauty, stating that the only reason to live was to immerse oneself in beauty, which he had done on that world. He mentioned that some of the greatest Yardratian philosophers - Muka the Elder, Ramei Fingerbones, and Deacon Gorgoro, amongst others - believed in beauty for beauty's sake. He decided against ever looking at ugly things again, for he was too refined for that.

Soba hardly believed it. He mentioned that since Udon's father had run the most successful space lemonade stand in the universe, Udon was rich beyond comprehension and would not be able to blow through his inheritance in a thousand lifetimes. Udon sharply rebuked him for spoiling the mood. He once more babbled on about how his life's purpose would be to experience as much beauty as possible. He thought to himself that Soba clung to his every word, so he had to play it up a bit in front of the younger boy.

Afterwards, they returned to Udon's apartment in Yudori. Soba told Udon that he had found the beacon and could now Instant Transmit at will. Once inside, Soba asked his friend if he had any maps of planets that Soba could visit. Udon took one out and showed Soba all of the open worlds they could travel to, mentioning that Alo-Alo was his guilty pleasure. Soba asked if those were all the inhabited worlds in the universe. Udon said they were not. The open worlds were merely the worlds Yardrats were allowed to travel to, as per a governmental decree. Soba asked why that was. Udon replied that the dark worlds were dangerous or uninhabitable. There were no secret worlds they could go to. Udon implored him not to go to a dark world and get himself killed.

Frustrated, Soba knew the older man was right. They decided to go to a government-approved planet. Soba picked a small tropical world to explore, as he knew it would interest Udon. They made the jump together. As soon as they arrived, Udon caught a fish in the water near the beach. He threw the fish at Soba, but the younger Yardrat didn't manage to catch it. Udon caught another fish, but it didn't interest him, so he threw it back into the water. Udon remarked that he had seemingly already caught all of the species of fish on that planet, so, growing bored, he teleported away to a new planet. Soba threw the first fish back into the water before chasing after him.

As he chased, he felt a presence accosting him, causing Soba to lose focus and crash-land on a planet he had not intended to. He noticed the planet was inhabited by indigo-furred creatures with four eyes and bowed legs, who tail-less and had wrinkled, grey faces. Soon after he arrived, fireworks went off in the sky. He flew into the air and noticed they were coming from a coliseum further off in the forest. He teleported over to it to see what was going on there. There were many more aliens there, these ones more lively and muscled, and Soba realized that they were preparing for a tournament. He felt suddenly excited about the prospect of fighting and decided to enter the tournament himself.

The man running the thing from behind a counter seemed to enter Soba into the contest after he asked, but the Yardrat wasn't sure. He walked into the arena. The doors opened for him, bringing him out into the fighting pits where a large quadruped alien awaited him. It had eaten all of the other contestants so far. Some of their remains were scattered around the ring. Soba realized that he was not a fighter and had made a horrible mistake.

The coliseum was packed with onlookers who cheered and jeered noisily. Scared though he was, he went to face the creature. It charged at him. Instinctively, Soba used Instant Transmission to dodge the beast, causing it to run into a wall. While it was dazed, he hit it with ki blasts. He continued doing this, much to the crowd's pleasure. until the creature's speed increased, allowing it to slash him across the chest before he could get away. Soba managed to use Instant Transmission, but the damage had been done. He fell to his knees, bleeding and tired.

The beast came at him once more when suddenly Udon appeared in a blaze of light in front of Soba. He demanded to know why Soba hadn't followed him to the planet he had gone to. The beast charged at them both, but Udon casually side-stepped it and paralyzed it with his ki. He remarked to Soba that this creature would be an excellent specimen for his menagerie, and congratulated him for finding it. The crowd roared in pleasure at Udon's skill. Udon placed his hand on the paralyzed beast's chest and teleported away. Soba followed him.

Once back on Udon's menagerie planet, the gentlemanly Yardrat coaxed the beast into a zoosphere by spitting blood (he had bit his finger) into the pen. The creature ran in after the blood and was locked inside, much to its displeasure. As it attacked the entrance door, Udon made pink mist rise from the sands inside the zoosphere that quickly knocked the beast out. Udon explained that he charged aliens money to view the creatures in his zoospheres and demanded Soba pay up, too. When Soba reminded him that he didn't have any money, Udon said that his previous statement had been a joke.

Then, he offered to take Soba to view the aquatic creatures living in his reef. Off they went. Udon showed Soba one of his pet sea monsters by throwing meat into the water. The thing that came to feed was a gargantuan, hideous beast. Udon then teleported away, for he had forgotten something, leaving Soba on the boat alone. He noticed the predator was swimming underneath the boat still, and he felt anxious. He created a small ki blast in case he needed to fend off the creature. In a panic, he threw the ball at it, but it dodged the attack, so he threw three more. When those too were dodged, Soba created a much larger ki ball and threw it into the water.

Udon returned, the scent of Alo-Alo Verde coating his body. Soba alerted him to the fact the sea monster was hunting them. Suddenly, the reef exploded, sending Soba into the water. Udon sprung into the air. Soba noticed the reef was on fire underwater and did not understand how that had happened. From above, Udon said something indistinct before teleporting away. Feeling guilty and perplexed, Soba followed Udon, once more feeling something pulling at him in the pocket dimension Yardrats used to Instant Transmit.

In the first scene of chapter 2, Soba awoke on a barren world. He sensed Udon nearby and walked over to him. When he approached his friend, Udon vomited all over him. Soba tried to apologize for the reef, but Udon interjected, asking him if he knew where they were. Soba did not. He explained that they had teleported to a world that had once been a refueling depot for space pirates. Two years ago, the Planet Trade Organization had glassed the planet. Soba asked who the Planet Trade Organization were, so Udon gave him a short history lesson about the intergalactic empire. Udon mentioned that he had used to visit the planet to inspect its wildlife, though the pirates never knew he had been around.

Soba asked him how far they were from home. Udon wasn't sure, but knew they were very far away, perhaps in a different galaxy altogether. That made Soba feel anxious. He tried once more to apologize for blowing up the reef. Udon acknowledged his apology but did not forgive him. That enraged the younger Yardrat. They exchanged some heated words before Udon mentioned that he could sense an energy signature on a nearby planet. He wanted to investigate it, so the two flew off. Soba contemplated trying to apologize again to Udon on the flight over, but thought better of it.

The Yardrats reached the swampy, foggy world. They approached the energy signal. Udon thought that it was a very big animal, perhaps on par with a Khorul Dragon. They didn't speak for some time, for they didn't want to spook it. Eventually, a small animal let out a cry as it was devoured by the thing, and Udon caught a glimpse of it through the mist, confirming that it was a huge animal. He excitedly told Soba about it.

Just then, a black blur knocked the two to the mud. A female alien appeared. She asked the two to remain quiet, as she had been hunting this Nidrazi scourge for a fortnight. She asked them to stay back, though they could watch if they remained quiet. Then, she introduced herself as Linessi, asking the two if they had heard of her before. Soba had not. Udon was busy moaning about getting mud all over him. She walked off, pursuing the beast. Udon sat up and mentioned that Linessi had once been a gladiator in the Galactrix Arena. He had seen her on space television before. Udon thought they should follow her.

Soba closed his eyes, sensing for the Nidrazi's energy signal. When he did so, he felt a presence in the Teleportation Zone pulling at him. He fell over, his vision blurring. Udon asked him what was wrong. Soba told him that he couldn't use his Instant Transmission, as there was something in the Teleportation Zone affecting him when he tried. Udon didn't believe him, blaming it on the humidity.

They followed Linessi into the mist. As they went, Soba asked his friend what a Nidrazi was. Udon explained that it was a large, winged creature, typically hunted for sport. They were one of the few non-sapient beings capable of producing ki attacks, and were extremely dangerous. He mentioned it was rumored that Lord Frieza himself had one as a personal pet. They came to a clearing in the forest where a great lake was situated. Above it, the Nidrazi flew. It dove into the lake. Soba sensed that Linessi was far above them, in the clouds, descending at great speed. Udon complimented her as she drew close to the beast. The animal noticed her and attacked her with mouth beams and bites, but she dodged all of them, which impressed Soba greatly. He wanted to become as good as her one day. Udon was impressed as well.

Linessi took down the beast with a series of Electroparalysis energy balls. Afterwards, she landed in front of the Yardrats, her catch whimpering in the electricity field on the ground behind her. Soba congratulated her, making somewhat of a fool of himself in the process. He asked her how she had learned all those techniques. The woman said she had mostly taught herself at a young age. Soba admitted that he and Udon were lost in this region of space and asked Linessi if there were any outposts nearby. She told them about one, a small rest stop for smugglers and scientists, that had a cartographer they could likely use. They thanked her and departed for it. Linessi released the Nidrazi, vowing to hunt it again sometime soon.

As they approached the space station, which was in orbit around the swampy world, Udon and Soba could hear the cartographer's voice, prompting Soba to make a joke about him not being a silent cartographer. The cartographer was raving about Pukco, a fighter, taking on other fighters during a Galactrix Arena match. A fair amount of smugglers and travelers were inside the station, some playing card games, some brawling, some enjoying meals.

They made their way through, eventually meeting up with the cartographer, who was still raving about Pukco (who had just smashed his competition, winning another fight). They found him in a room, watching old Galactrix Arena re-runs. He seemed embarrassed to be discovered doing his commentary in there. Soba asked if he was the cartographer, and the robot admitted he was. He gave them a starmap, which allowed Udon to orient himself in relation to Planet Yardrat's position. He and Soba were in the far eastern quadrant of the universe.

As Udon prepared to make the jump back to their homeworld, he entered the Teleportation Zone. Something was inside there, trying to get out. Udon attempted to close the zone, but some part of the entity was able to escape nonetheless. It immediately found a host alien, a smuggler, and possessed the body. Then, the possessed alien attacked those around him, killing all in sight. Udon wanted to flee, but Soba thought they should try to kill the beast and save the other aliens. Udon asked him if he could take the monster. Soba didn't know.

Just then, the cartographer, uttering a mechanical battle-cry, rushed the alien. He grabbed the smuggler's arms, pinning them to his sides and began to squeeze him to death. The smuggler head-butted the robot repeatedly, but soon, his spine snapped, and he fell over, dead. The robot collapsed afterwards, critically damaged as well. He proclaimed that though he had spent his life idolizing Pukco, now he had finally performed a courageous act himself, becoming a man on par with his hero. The robot powered down moments later. Udon and Soba pretty much ignored that, deciding to return to Yardrat the slow way instead of letting that presence out of the Teleportation Zone. They resolved to visit the nearest spaceport and purchase a ship.

In the second scene, Soba and Udon were flying through space. Suddenly, they were pulled down onto a planet with tremendous gravity. Udon went face-first into the dirt. Soba tried to pull him out, though it was difficult to move in the high gravity. He sang "My Momma Was An Only Son", Udon kicking his feet to the rhythm, and psyched himself up enough to finally pull Udon out. Udon landed nearby, finishing the last verse of the song, and then said that he thought they weren't alone, though they couldn't see anyone.

He noticed that there were two-dimensional creatures below them, so he hastily moved (as he was standing on one). They introduced themselves as the pannies, having evolved two-dimensionally to survive the planet's extreme gravity. Udon asked them how he and Soba could escape the planet's gravity. The pannies directed the two to visit the palace of their leader, Torilla the Hun, on the northern side of the planet. They walked over there, trying their best not to step on any pannies. Udon introduced himself to Torilla, who was a huge panny. He asked the king if he knew of a way to get the Yardrats off the planet. Torilla did, and after consulting with his consorts, agreed to help the aliens. They stepped onto his body at his request. He mentioned that he alone of his species could expand into three dimensions, though it would kill him. Udon told him he didn't have to, but Torilla didn't listen. He expanded his body, killing himself in the process, and flinging the Yardrats off the planet.

In the third scene, Soba and Udon arrived at Boson Station, a massive spaceport. Soba wanted to get some food, but Udon denied him that request. They had to get on a ship back to Yardrat before they thought of eating. They approached a station agent, Moko the Ligilius, and asked him to book them passage back to their homeworld. He would only do so if they paid the fare, but neither Yardrat had any money on them, so Moko refused to let them board a ship. Udon wanted to use Instant Transmission, but Soba was afraid of letting something out of the Teleportation Zone again. Udon shrugged, noting that nobody on Boson Station cared about them, so why should he extend any empathy back at them? Soba asked Moko if he knew of anywhere they could make some quick money, but he growled at the two, frightening them.

They ran off to a restaurant, where they sat down in a booth and began discussing their options. They knew there had to be some way to make money in as big a spaceport as Boson Station. Just then, an alien approached them. He had overheard their conversation. He offered to pay them enough money for a space ship and a little extra if they went to the surface of a nearby planet to collect soil and water samples. The planet had been orbitally bombarded by space pirates recently and nobody had been to the surface since then. The man, an astrobiologist, wanted to know if there was any life still on the planet. Udon and Soba agreed to help him.

In the fourth scene, Udon and Soba visited the planet and began taking samples for Kage. Soba noticed something on the wind. Udon thought he was mad and paid him no mind. Udon found a sea creature and cut it open, spilling its blood into the ocean, before placing the next vial in the water. Soba noticed a frail-looking person watching them from a far-off hillock. He walked over to the man. Udon grew annoyed until he too spotted the alien.

The mysterious man asked them to come closer. When they did, he ripped open a pocket dimension in front of them, asked them to follow, and jumped in. They did so without a second thought. Inside was a tea room. He offered them some. Udon wanted Green Liani, but the man didn't have any of that flavor. They drank a cup apiece before the man gave them refills.

Then, he told them that he was Master Xutol, the traveling ambassador of the Venyi Academy. He offered Soba admission into the school. The man said that he would help Soba unlock his true potential, to unleash the power that resided within him. After being properly nurtured, he could become a great warrior or scientist or artist. Udon threw his tea cup into the wall, declaring the man a charlatan and a scam artist. Soba asked him if the training would be dangerous, ignoring Udon. Xutol replied that it may very well be, but he wouldn't say much more than that, as the first test for prospective students was to see if they would risk much for more - if they would let their intuition guide them in either accepting or declining the invitation. He promised that if Soba joined, he would visit dozens or perhaps hundreds of worlds.

Soba asked the man why he had chosen him. Xutol replied that recently, Soba had shown his true quality. Though the young Yardrat could not remember what he had done that could have possibly impressed Xutol, he agreed to join the school, thinking to himself that he wanted to be just like Linessi. Xutol was most pleased. He told Soba that he would be the fourth active student, which was unusual, as the Venyi Academy usually only had one or two students at any given time.

Udon, feeling betrayed, teleported away, though Soba promised that he would fix or replace his reef at some point. Afterwards, Xutol ordered Soba to use Instant Transmission to go to the school. The young Yardrat was briefly worried about that entity in the Teleportation Zone being set free, but Xutol's strength soothed those fears. Soba didn't know where the school was located until Xutol placed a hand on his shoulder and he felt a rush of energy surge through his body. Then, he knew, and the two made the jump.

In the first scene of chapter 3, Soba and Xutol reached the planet the Venyi Academy was located on. Xutol wanted to introduce Soba to the other three students immediately. Soba agreed, though he still felt guilty about leaving Udon behind. Xutol led Soba into a small chamber where Audacci, Rakae, and Anso were lounging.

The three students sized him before the teacher asked Audacci to spar with him. She promised not to hold back. The Hera hit him with a two-footed flying kick, sending him into the wall, shattering several of Soba's ribs. He couldn't get to his feet. As she approached him once more, Anso teleported over to Audacci and advised her to stop the fight. Audacci was offended that someone so weak had been granted admission into the academy. Master Xutol stepped forward, shooting ki ropes at Audacci that wrapped around her body and mouth. Though the girl struggled to break free, she could not. He reminded her that everyone at the academy was a family, that they were not in competition with one another, and that they should not be hostile towards one another.

Anso offered to treat Soba's wounds. Xutol nodded, releasing Audacci from the energy bindings. Soba passed out, waking up some time later as Anso was finishing applying his bandages. She told him he shouldn't fight for a while. She also told him that since Audacci's parents had been space pirates, that was why she acted so wild. Anso promised that both Rakae and herself were much more welcoming towards a new recruit. He got to his feet, preparing to rejoin his classmates, and thanked her for helping him. Anso cautioned him against it, but he said he was fine.

They returned to the sparring chamber. Soba requested a fight with Rakae, who was taken aback, due to the other boy's condition. Xutol let them fight, however, after Soba pressed the issue. Rakae used a dull sparring blade during their fight. He struck Soba in the shoulder with the blade. The Yardrat retaliated with a ki ball that the Konatsian deflected. As he went to swing his blade once more, Soba used Instant Transmission to appear behind him. He punched Rakae in the back of the head. The other boy was impressed by Soba's technique. He increased his speed and attacked again, this time overwhelming Soba with sword strikes. When the Yardrat fell to his knees, Rakae placed the sword's tip against his throat and declared himself the winner.

While Xutol admonished him for being boastful, he nevertheless agreed that Rakae had come out on top. Xutol declared Soba's sparring time over. He asked Rakae to direct the Yardrat to Master Levion's location. Rakae was not pleased, as he had wanted to fight Audacci, but Xutol told him that that was Anso's task. The two departed.

Rakae asked Soba what Xutol had told him about the other students. Soba admitted that he hadn't said much of anything. Rakae said that was because Xutol was deliberately cryptic, which he found to be irritating. Soba told him that Xutol had mentioned intuition as being a very important attribute at the school, but Rakae considered that to be an overrated opinion. He thought instinct was more important than intuition, though he cautioned Soba that all of the masters thought intuition was more important.

Soon, they came upon Master Levion. He asked Soba how the sparring session with Audacci had gone. Soba said that he had been thoroughly outclassed. Levion tried to lift his spirits by noting that Audacci had trained with the Venyi Academy for years. Soba, being a new recruit, had not been afforded that luxury yet. Even so, Soba doubted that he could ever reach her level. Levion told him that the most important trait was one's internal drive to be great, to be the best they could be.

Next, he instructed the two watch him. Rakae grew haughty, for he had mastered Levion's teachings years ago. The master asked him to step forward, in that case. Levion materialized a sliver of ki in his palm. Moments later, it fractured into pieces and disappeared. Rakae tensed up. Just then, the ki reappeared around his body, coating him, but remaining about an inch away from his flesh. He knew if he moved a muscle, he'd touch the energy and it would explode. Rakae complained to his master that he had never materialized it that close to his body before. He tried to use his sword to cut his way out, but that caused the ki to explode. Rakae was none too pleased by the result. Levion hinted that he had missed his opportunity to get out of it unscathed.

He asked Soba to step forward. Since Soba was wounded, Levion wanted him to perform an offensive test. He asked the Yardrat to fire the strongest ki blast he could at him. Soba did so. The instructor was impressed at its strength, given the fact that Soba had no combat training. He then asked the Yardrat to use Instant Transmission to teleport a ki blast at Levion. Soba didn't know how to do it, but after Levion explained that ki was just an extension of one's body, meaning that it was no different to teleport that than it was to teleport himself, Soba was able to do it.

Impressed, Levion stated that he could see why Xutol had chosen Soba to join the academy. He dismissed the two for the night, asking them to get some rest. On the walk back to their rooms, Rakae told Soba that Levion had gone easy on him because Audacci had cracked his ribs, but come tomorrow, his training would get very intense. Soba wondered how that would be possible, as bones do not heal that quickly. Rakae mentioned that Master Hotal, the resident healer, would work on him that night.

In the second scene, the acolytes were sleeping in their dormitory. Anso rolled onto Soba's bed and began to rub her hands against his skin. Nervously, Soba got up and noticed that Audacci's bed was empty. His attention turning fully towards her, and sensing her ki signature, he teleported over to her. She was standing on a bridge, looking out over some trees and a creek. The Hera was not in the mood to talk to Soba, though he talked to her nonetheless.

He admitted that he had come to the Venyi Academy so that he could get strong enough that the entire universe would know his name. She rolled her eyes, calling him another moronic idealist. Soba asked her why she was at the school. She told him that she had come to learn Master Jabo's technique. Jabo was the leader of the Venyi Academy. One could only study under him after mastering the teachings of the other six instructors. She said that she had only completed one master's teachings (Xutol's). Though she had been training at the academy for six years (which was longer than Anso or Rakae had been there), and had quadrupled her strength in that time, she was mastering the arts slowly, much to her shame.

Soba tried to comfort her, but all he did was make a fool of himself. She walked away, eating an isaki fruit. Audacci told Soba that she had once been engaged to wed the crown prince of the Faerin Empire, had once served on Nuan Tal's pirate crew (before killing him and taking the fleet for herself), and had killed Cerraxin, Scar-Artist, with her bare hands even after he had transformed into his unleashed form. It was that final victory that had gotten Xutol interested enough in her to offer her a place in the academy.

The only thing she desired was power, and Soba was not powerful, so she did not desire him. He called her gorgeous, so she teleported over to him, slapped him, and threatened to kill him if he didn't back down. Audacci teleported back to their sleeping quarters before the Yardrat could respond. His cheek stinging, Soba grew briefly jealous of Audacci, as it appeared she could use Instant Transmission too, before teleporting back to the dormitory as well. He did not like that Anso was still in his bed. He fell onto his pillow face-first, his cheek throbbing, and pushed the Metamoran back onto her bed before falling asleep.

In the third scene, Soba continued his training over the next few months. His fighting stance and power improved, and he mastered the ability to conjure and teleport ki blasts. He noticed, however, that he was still far behind his peers, for Rakae and Anso held back when sparring with him and Audacci had been forbidden from fighting him. He grew disheartened at his lack of progress.

In the fourth scene, Soba awoke in the middle of the night. He walked up a flight of stairs to a balcony, where he gazed upon the stars. He fired a ki blast into the sky, thinking of Udon. He wondered if Udon still hated him. Briefly, he considered teleporting back to Yardrat to find him before thinking better of it. Anso appeared behind him just then. She told him that he should get back to sleep if he wanted to have a good training session in the morning. Soba didn't know why he should bother, as he wasn't getting strong enough to contend with the other acolytes.

They sat down. Anso told Soba about Metamoran culture, about how they sought to unify with their peers. A lone Metamoran was useless, for they could not fuse with anyone in that case. Anso admitted that she had left her homeworld and come to Venyi after her boyfriend had gone off with another girl, leaving her as an incomplete half. She said she had sensed the same forlorn feeling in Soba when he had come to the academy, and thus she had tried to look out for him because of that. She told him she loved him. Then, she stood and demonstrated the Fusion Dance to him, noting that if they performed it, their fused form could train harder, which would make Soba's power level rise much faster than before. The Yardrat got to his feet and performed the dance with her. The two fused into a being known as Ansoba.

Then, they teleported to a far-distant planet, a desolate world with high gravity, and began training there in earnest. While they trained, he felt Anso prodding at his memories. He held her back, sensing that she was also hiding some deep, dark secret (not that he wanted to look into it). Soba hid his feelings towards Audacci from Anso, as well as what he had done to Udon. Once they finished their training, they defused and Soba teleported them back to the academy.

In the fifth scene, Soba found Rakae cleaning his sword under an old, gnarled tree. He told the Konatsian that he had just finished sparring with Anso. She had really done a number on him, which made Rakae laugh. He told Soba that Anso had joined after he and Audacci had, so they were stronger than her. She also hadn't mastered any of the masters' teachings yet. Rakae had mastered Levion's school. He didn't much like Levion, for Levion always made him clean up after the old man, as if he were the guy's butler.

Soba tried to reassure him, as mastering any school was no small feat. Rakae dismissed his words, for Levion's school was the easiest to master in the whole academy. It did not begin to compare to Master Qono's in difficulty. He complained that he had been training under Qono to learn Instant Transmission for six months and had yet to get anywhere in his training. Soba was surprised that Rakae was having such a difficult time with that technique. The Konatsian shook his head. Yardrats could master that technique far easier than any other species. Soba briefly thought of the Yardratian elders, of the mission to retrieve the beacon from the moon. He asked Rakae if his ability to use Instant Transmission meant he had already mastered the teachings of Qono's school. Rakae didn't believe so. Soba thought he was a bit of a whiner and his memory once more turned back to when he had accidentally detonated the reef.

Rakae took Soba to Master Qono's training grounds (Soba had never been there before). As they descended in through a door towards an underground chamber, Soba sensed Qono's energy coming from ahead. He grabbed Rakae's arm and teleported them over to the master, startling the Konatsian bad. Nevertheless, Rakae bowed when he spotted Qono standing on the far side of the room. They greeted one another. Qono noticed that Soba was a Yardrat. Soba didn't know if he had mastered Instant Transmission to the level Qono had, so he asked the master to test his abilities. Rakae whined that he had wanted to continue his training. Qono ordered him to meditate instead.

Then, he asked Soba to follow him for as long as he could. Soba followed him across the universe, from Typhon to Viziri to Thekar to Atjoh. Once they reached the final planet, Qono asked Soba if he could sense every living being across the sprawling world. Soba believed he could. Qono asked him to demonstrate that ability. Soba did so, teleporting in quick succession to various people across the world Qono followed him. After he made several jumps, the master confirmed that Soba was gifted with Instant Transmission and that he had mastered the arts of his first school.

In the sixth scene, Audacci thought to herself that it had taken her four years to master her first school - Xutol's. She believed that his school was the easiest to master. She noted that neither Rakae, nor Anso, nor Soba had trained at that school yet. After learning of Soba's mastering of Qono's school, she had raised a petition to dismiss that certification, but the seven masters had rejected her concerns. She had been training with Master Caktir when she had heard of it, but switched over to Qono, for she believed that anything Soba could master, she could too. She considered Rakae to be her only threat (though she was far stronger than any of them) due to him mastering two schools, while the others had only mastered one in that time.

In the seventh scene, Soba sensed Rakae's death and also sensed that it had been Audacci who had killed him. He teleported to the location of the incident. Audacci asked him not to say anything to the masters. The lie she came up with was that Rakae, having grown weary of the masters' authority, had decided to leave the school. Knowing she could kill him if he refused, he agreed to back her up if the masters asked about Rakae. She asked him to repeat the alibi to her, and he did so. Then, she dismissed him.

Soba walked back to the dorms. He was deeply saddened by Rakae's death. He found Anso in the dormitory. She asked him what was the matter. He wanted to fuse into Ansoba so that he wouldn't be preoccupied by his thoughts any longer. They did so. Ansoba fell onto the floor. Inside their mind, Anso and Soba began going over Soba's newfound emotions of guilt and sorrow. While in Ansoba, Soba realized that Anso loved him because he was a broken being. He thought that she would fall out of love with him the moment he was no longer broken or the moment someone more broken came along. Anso perceived that Soba had accessed that part of her mind.

They defused. Anso explained that that was how Metamorans loved. She thought that Soba loved in the same way, and he knew she was right. At that moment, he remembered a lecture Udon had given him many years ago about Metamorans being parasites (sentient beings though they were) who fed off their host's emotions, placated them when they could, and received placation in return sometimes. The host usually became emotionally dependent upon the Metamoran. That is one reason why Metamorans fused with members of their own species for the most part. Udon had wanted to give Soba the book, "An Exploration of Sapience and Parasitism" by Xeva Rul, which had touched on the matter, though Soba had not taken it.

Soba realized that Anso was manipulating him. He had grown sick of being manipulated. He realized he needed to go see Udon again and make amends. He apologized and said farewell to Anso. Before he teleported away, he told her that Audacci had killed Rakae. He implored her to tell the masters and avoid confronting Audacci if she wanted to live. Soba sensed for Udon and found him far away from Yardrat. He teleported to his old friend immediately.

In the eighth scene, Audacci lamented the fact that Soba had told Anso of Rakae's death, for now Anso would have to die. She told Anso that she should have gone with Soba.

At the end of the first scene of chapter 4, Soba teleported to Udon's location on the edge of Universe 7.

At the start of the second scene, Soba greeted Udon. He was confused as to why Udon had come to a world on the edge of the universe. Udon asked him to leave. Soba did not. He apologized profusely for abandoning Udon in the past. Udon attacked him with energy of destruction. Soba dodged, but the blast sailed into a mountainside, vaporizing it as well as a three-jawed native. Soba was shocked by what Udon had become. Nevertheless, he fell into a defensive stance. Udon once more attacked him with the purple energy. Soba dodged around him, trying to get in close to deal a knockout blow. Udon was moving incredibly fast, so Soba had to try his hardest not to get hit. As he was dodging Udon's attacks, he thought back to Master Qono and the others, thinking of how ashamed he felt at not completing any of the masters' schools sans Qono's.

Realizing that the other Yardrat was attacking him with extreme power and prejudice, he decided to wear Udon out, for maybe a tired Udon would listen to him. The two battled fiercely, teleporting around the planet, exchanging blows and ki. Udon began wearing Soba out as the day turned to night. Soba managed to hold him off, but was unable to break through his defenses. As the night turned to morning, Soba began getting the better of Udon as he used some of the Academy's techniques. He thought that Udon didn't hit half as hard as Audacci.

Udon rose into the sky, creating a massive energy ball. He flung it at the planet. As the ball slowly descended towards the surface, the two once more engaged in a fast-paced battle, hitting each other numerous times. Soba was even able to land a teleported finger beam. They continued their struggle until Udon hit Soba with an unexpected ki explosion that sent him flying up towards the huge energy ball. Soba caught Udon off-guard when he managed to stop his momentum and shoot himself backwards with a flying kick. Just as Udon appeared behind the other Yardrat, Soba hit him in the chest (feeling some bones break) and flung Udon into the ball of ki. He flew off, sensing Udon's power level fade.

But it did not disappear. As Soba collapsed in exhaustion, Udon appeared again. He remarked that he had grown acclimated to fighting in his body now. Soba knew something was wrong. That wasn't Udon speaking. The being inside Udon remarked that Udon himself was likely dead. Appalled, Soba swore that he would avenge Udon by killing the parasite that had taken over his body. The being inside Udon, Xiros, stated that what he was attempting to do would benefit all of mortal kind. He did not want to fight Soba, but if Soba pressed the issue, he would kill him. With righteous fury, Soba attacked again, this time dealing devastating damage to Xiros with a number of punches to the face. He used techniques that he had learned from Master Caktir to dominate Xiros. The precision blows caused the organs in Udon's body to rupture and explode, which distressed Soba even though he knew it wasn't his friend who stood before him.

Xiros was impressed at Soba's strength and skill, but he told the Yardrat that Udon's body did not need to survive this battle. He could survive without it. He attacked Soba once more, flinging him away at first in a ball of purple energy. The ball crashed into some rocks, dazing Soba. Xiros came at him then, but Soba was able to dodge his attacks. Annoyed, Xiros hit him with an explosive wave of ki, which hurt Soba a lot. Then, he threw numerous ki balls at the Yardrat. Soba closed his eyes, preparing to use Instant Transmission to teleport over to Xiros, but he found he couldn't lock onto the man's energy (for he was now using God Ki). Unable to dodge the blasts in time, he threw out his hands and expended a large amount of energy to slow the balls down (a technique Qono had taught him). Xiros was stunned by that move.

In the third scene, Soba remembered a lecture Qono had given him on the three layers of space. The first layer was space itself, while the second layer was the Teleportation Zone, where everything was compressed. The third layer was a zone where everything was spread out quite far apart. He was researching a way to explore that layer without needing to move at great speeds to cover small distances. He told Soba that he was developing a technique to send an opponent to that zone, in essence freezing them in that vast area. He asked the Yardrat if he wanted to learn it.

In the fourth scene, Xiros and Soba continued their duel. Xiros realized that Soba had slowed down his projectiles by moving them into another plane (the third layer of reality). He decided to physically attack the Yardrat so that that wouldn't happen again. Soba was unable to defend himself against Xiros' blows. The alien gleefully declared the fight over, noting that the longer it went on, the stronger he would get. He attacked Soba again, pushing him to the ground. As he rained blows upon the Yardrat, Xiros mocked him for being ignorant while also commending Udon for being a heroic sacrifice. He followed that up with a massive ki blast that left Soba paralyzed, his body smoking. Xiros apologized for not killing the Yardrat sooner and conjured up more energy of destruction to finish him off.

In the fifth scene, a desperate Soba teleported some of the energy forming the barrier between Universes 6 and 7 in front of Xiros, but the man was able to easily dodge the attack. Soba didn't know what else to do. Out of energy and ideas, he prepared for his inevitable death.

In the sixth scene, as Xiros prepared to kill Soba, suddenly, Udon's energy signal came back in full force, overwhelming his body briefly. Soba realized that Udon was not yet dead. He apologized to his friend for what he was about to do. He locked onto Xiros' energy signal and then teleported the two of them into the third layer of reality. The distance between them spread out massively. He teleported some energy from the Universal Wall over to Xiros and released it. The blast overwhelmed Xiros, who was unable to move quickly in the third layer of reality. His body disintegrated. Soba returned the energy to the Universal Wall, left the third layer, and teleported to a nearby planet with life on it, collapsing in exhaustion in a field of flowers.

In the seventh scene, Xiros swore he would kill Soba if he ever came across him again.

In the eighth scene, Soba awoke. He felt awful about what had happened to Udon. Not knowing what to do, he decided to go home. As he prepared to make the jump, an artificial signal caught his attention. Soba teleported to its location. He found himself in the deep void, neither planets nor space stations nearby. A small floating box was broadcasting the signal.

When Soba approached it, it revealed that it was the memory core of the cartographer he had met on the space station all those years ago. It remembered Soba. Soba was surprised the device was still operational, for the alien that Xiros had possessed years prior had badly damaged the cartographer. Soba promised to return the memory core to Yardrat. Someone on his homeworld had to be able to re-activate the robot. The cartographer asked him what had happened to Udon. Soba told him that Udon had perished.

Feeling bad, Soba vented his feelings of regret and guilt about leaving Udon behind to the cartographer. He wished he could turn back time and see his friend again. Afterwards, the cartographer created a holographic projection of the universe. He mentioned that since life was so rare, it was a miracle that Soba had even found someone he cared about deep enough to call his friend. Soba thanked the robot for his words.

In the ninth scene, Soba visited Udon's apartment. He noticed a Yardrat outside the building before he teleported into the room. The place was very dirty and was covered in a layer of dust. Soba was surprised to find it in that condition. He found no records or memories of Udon, just his gentlemanly paintings and furniture. He knew he would have to notify someone about the apartment. He found a globe of Fubon (Udon's menagerie planet) in the other Yardrat's study and remembered that he would have to find someone to buy that planet, too.

In the tenth scene, three days later, Soba met with a buyer for Fubon. He had already met with several space pirates who had wanted to mine the oceans of resources, but he was unwilling to sell the planet to anyone who would not take care of Udon's animals. The buyer who met with him that morning was Linessi. The two recognized each other. Soba asked her what she was going to do with Udon's animals. She promised to keep them on the planet, as they had been in captivity for too long to be returned to the wild. She asked him why he was selling it, but Soba refused to tell her the truth. Nevertheless, Linessi realized that Soba would sell the planet for practically anything. He wanted to sell it for ₩100,000,000. She offered him ₩2 as a joke, which greatly flustered the young Yardrat. Laughing, the bounty hunter then tossed him a bag full of ₩100,000 chips. He didn't count the precise number of chips, but was satisfied. The two exchanged a few more words before Soba left Fubon for good.

In chapter 5, Soba and his son Somen teleported to the moon of Yardrat. Staring down at the planet, Soba told his son that soon he would learn Instant Transmission and be able to venture about the universe. Somen knew that. He did not like it when his father said that he wouldn't be around forever, though. Soba's point was that whenever that occurred, he wanted his son to be able to care for himself. He told his son he loved him and mentioned that he regretted not telling that to Udon before departing for the Venyi Academy. They stared up at the stars, talking amongst themselves about what lay out there deep in the void.

Leap

In the first scene of this story, instead of washing dishes, Somen decided to explore some nearby planets for a few hours, as he was bored. His father was out buying a new neck warmer, so he wouldn't be back for a while.

In the fourth scene, Somen realized that Jimizu had taken him back to his home on Planet Yardrat in Universe 2. Jimizu noted that if not for him coincidentally being in Universe 7 at the time, Somen would have died on Melirion. The boy apologized and asked the other Yardrat to take him home. Jimizu couldn't, as inter-universal Instant Transmission jumps took so much stamina to perform that he would not be able to do another one for several days. Somen freaked out, for he knew that his father would find out that he had left their house. Jimizu wasn't swayed by his panic; Somen had indeed left the planet and deserved to suffer the consequences of his disobedience.

He asked Jimizu to teach him how to make a inter-universal jump. Jimizu was surprised that Soba hadn't taught Somen that technique. He noted that the Yardrats of Universe 7 didn't seem to know how to do that without being taught by Yardrats from other universes, so it may have been lost knowledge. Somen begged the man to teach him how to do it. Jimizu promised he would if Somen delivered a package to Doctor Zarbuto. Jimizu mentioned that he was already indebted to Soba for saving Universe 2's Planet Yardrat from some evil force in the past, so he wouldn't require Somen to do anything serious to repay him.

In the fifth scene, Somen threatened to send his father to kill both Jimizu and Zarbuto for making him transport Jatli (a type of creature that could permanently remove a Yardrat's ability to use Instant Transmission if they bit a Yardrat). Somen did not realize at the time that the Jatli he had transported had been fakes to teach him a lesson.

Techniques

Non-combative Moves

• Flight
• Wild Sense
• Afterimage
• Instant Transmission

Offensive Moves

• Ki Blast
• Energy Ball
• Finger Beam
• Mouth Beam
• Explosive Wave
• Continuous Energy Bullet
• Darkness Eye Beam
• Energy Beam
• Energy Sword
• Ki Explosion
• Energy Disc
• Energy Sphere

Trivia

• Soba is allegedly the same character who appears in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Sagas.