Chapter 17: Sealing the Beast & The Art of Being Lazy
Life at Capsule Corp was usually high-tech and fast-paced, but Friday afternoons were reserved for quiet moments.
In the high-gravity training chamber beneath the main house, Ron stood barefoot on the metallic floor, clad in a simple black fitted shirt and dark trousers. His dark hair fell casually over his brow, framing sharp, striking features and a confident, easygoing smile that had barely aged a day since he married Hazel.
Standing opposite him was twenty-year-old Tony Brief, adjusting the gauntlets of his sleek, white-and-gold Mark IX Nanotech suit, while ten-year-old Gojo Brief sat cross-legged on a hovering anti-gravity pad, spinning a pair of dark sunglasses on his finger.
"Alright, Dad," Tony smirked, his suit's micro-thrusters humming. "You said you were going to demonstrate proper energy containment today. Show us what you've got."
The Art of Total Suppression
Ron took a deep breath, resting his hands in his pockets.
Behind his calm demeanor lay a massive secret. Through years of refining Pluton's gravitational density, Kayden's Force Control, and Lloyd Saloum's compound magic, Ron's raw physical Battle Power had quietly reached a staggering 150,000,000.
He kept this vast pool completely hidden from everyone—including Hazel, his sons, and Goku. To the rest of the world, Ron was just a sharp, talented fighter with a few unusual abilities.
And to keep it that way, he needed a flawless seal.
Goku and the Turtle School martial artists were so effective in combat because they kept their base Ki suppressed to near-zero during daily life. By sealing his energy deep within his core, Ron ensured he could move around seamlessly without giving away even a fraction of his true strength or accidentally breaking a door handle.
If I don't seal this down to absolute zero, Ron thought, a sharp, handsome grin spreading across his face, I'm going to blow my cover before Frieza even sets foot on this planet.
Combining Kayden's Force Control, Gojo's Six Eyes, and Lloyd Saloum's compound magic seals, Ron closed his eyes.
CIRCULATE. COMPRESS. LAYER.
Inside his spirit, invisible multi-layered spell circles formed around his core. His energy signature shrank, folded, and completely vanished, dropping his readable Ki down to that of a perfectly normal, non-combatant human.
FWHOOSH.
A subtle, cool breeze rippled through the gravity chamber as Ron opened his eyes—his gaze clear, brilliant, and completely relaxed.
"There," Ron chuckled, stretching his arms. "Energy sealed tight. Now no one—not even Goku—can pick up a trace of my Ki when I'm walking around the house."
Tony scanned Ron with his Mark IX HUD, blinking in surprise. "Whoa. Dad, my sensors can't pick up anything from you right now. You look like a total civilian."
"That's the point, kiddo," Ron smiled, winking at his eldest. "The best fighters keep their cards hidden until it's time to play the winning hand."
The Lazy Privilege
An hour later, the training session was over, and the warm summer afternoon had settled over the Capsule Corp gardens.
Hazel walked out onto the patio carrying a tray of iced tea and fresh pastries. "Ron, honey! Tea's ready!"
Up on a plush lounge chair in the shade, Ron was lying back with his hands behind his head, looking every bit the tall, remarkably handsome head of the Brief household. He looked over at his wife, giving her a charming, dimpled smile that made Hazel shake her head with a light blush.
"You know, babe," Ron murmured, lazily closing his eyes. "Moving around in human form takes effort. Sometimes a guy just wants to nap without worrying about posture."
POOF!
In a tiny cloud of soft white smoke, the tall, sharp-looking martial artist vanished. In his place on the lounge chair sat a fantastically chubby, oversized orange-and-white cat wearing a neat little black bowtie.
The fat cat let out a long, contented yawn, stretched its round paws into the air, and instantly curled into a furry ball.
Hazel giggled, setting the tray down and gently scratching the fat cat behind his ears. "So you only turn into a cat when you're being completely lazy?"
"Meow... (Precisely, my love)," Ron purred loudly in his mind, his eyes drifting shut as the warm breeze blew through the garden. "Being an exceptionally handsome man is hard work. Being a fat cat in the shade is a lifestyle."
From the balcony above, Tony and Gojo watched their dad instantly transform into a purring orange loaf the second tea was served.
"Unbelievable," Tony chuckled, tapping his nanotech wristband. "He can erase his energy signature entirely, but he uses it just to be a professional couch potato."
"Hey, respect the process, big brother," Gojo smirked, putting his sunglasses back on. "Dad's just saving his energy for when things actually get interesting."