LETTIE
"WAKE UP, YOU PIECES OF LAZY TRASH!!!!!!!!!!"
I got up with a fright when Piccolo woke us up with a flood of water from the river, and I had the impression that, one day, that man would end up drowning us.
Shivering, Gohan and I stood in front of him, practically making a salute, and Piccolo did glare at us with a true grimace of a war General.
"You couple of incompetent sleepyheads!" he shouted, with his arms crossed (for a change) as he scrutinized us from top to bottom. "How do you expect to have any results if the only thing you do is sleep?!"
My nephew and I were still recovering from the shock, in that typical confused daze and discomfort when we're woken up so suddenly. I almost gave Piccolo a piece of his mind, but then I remembered everything that happened the day before; of how he saved our lives from the lionesses and that he was now our official trainer.
"G-Good morning, Master!" I tried my best to sound confident.
"Good morning, Mr. Piccolo," added Gohan, bowing and almost tripping forward.
"GOOD MORNING, MY FOOT!" he snapped, harshly. Then he curbed himself; his nostrils flaring as he controlled his breathing. "Today, we'll begin our Training, with the goal of fighting against the Saiyans who will arrive to Earth within a year. I expect discipline, order, and obedience. And if these rules are not followed, you'll pay the price."
"Yes sir!" we promptly responded. Why did I have the impression that it looked like a Military Training?
Confirming my thoughts, Piccolo said, "Your first task of the Training is... Introduce yourselves! Say something about you that impresses me. Let's see if what you have in terms of strength, you also have in terms of creative potential. If I don't like what you say, you'll pay me five hundred push-ups, here and now!"
"B-But, we didn't even have breakfast!" replied a desperate Gohan. I thought the same, but I didn't have the guts to say it.
"That's your problem, not mine, brat! In fact, I don't want any demands regarding your food. I've had enough of the useless stuff you've asked me for yesterday." He gave me a disapproving look. "You'll eat what I choose, and when I decide."
We swallowed hard, and our stomachs growled loudly to complete our humiliating situation.
"Aunt Lettie…" he whispered, his eyes teary at me. "Can you go first?"
I got to thinking. What on earth did Piccolo want us to say as an introduction?! Would he like us to tell him about any great things we've done? I could talk about my victories in the clandestine arenas... But, what about Gohan? Would he say how many A's he got on his practice exams in his studies with Chi-chi?
That's when I remembered the slap I gave Piccolo in the face the day before.
Yes! I should surprise him, just like I did with that slap!
I needed to say something so absurd about myself that it would leave him in a state of confusion, and then maybe, he could finally give us a decent breakfast!
I straightened up, acquired a serious expression and declared at the top of my lungs like a true soldier, "I AM LETTIE, FUTURE BEST SAIYAN WARRIOR THIS UNIVERSE HAS EVER SEEN. I CROSSED THE OCEAN FIVE TIMES ON DOGGY PADDLE AND KILLED THREE SHARKS BY DROWNING THEM. I'M THE ONE WHO DOESN'T PAY PUSH-UPS, BUT PUSHES THE EARTH DOWN! EVERYTHING FOR THE MISSIOOOOON!!!!"
My nephew was smart enough to realize what I did, and went on, "MY NAME IS SON GOHAN, SON OF THE STWONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD, SON GOKU, THE UNDIEABLE! I AM THE ONE WHO SLAPPED THE EARTH, AND IT IS SPINNING TO THIS DAY. MEMBER OF THE MOST RANDOM TEAM IN THE GALAXIES AND NUMBER ONE FAN OF MOM'S SUSHIS! LET'S GOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
When we were done, Piccolo was stunned, with his mouth open.
We did it?? Did it work?? Would we have breakfast??
Piccolo analyzed us for a while until his gaze laid on me, and I felt a slight wave of nausea. Did I mess up?
"Lettie, your presentation was okay, but you've passed." He then turned to Gohan with a sadistic smile, which made him turn pale. "Now, you, you spoiled brat, how dare you say that your father is the strongest man in the world? I AM THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!"
With that said, he lifted Gohan by the collar of his new fighting suit and dashed to a large open area beyond the clump of trees. I didn't even have time to think, I just ran after them, tripping over my feet due to the weight of my new uniform and calling out to them like crazy as I witnessed my nephew swing his little legs in despair almost two meters off the ground.
"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, MR. PICCOLO?!?!" he asked in tears.
"I want to see if you really are Goku's son."
"Wait!" I panted when I reached them. "Master, please! Don't do anything you'll regret later!"
"Regret?!" Piccolo laughed out loud. "This will be fun!" He looked seriously at Gohan. "See that rocky wall over there? Well, I'm going to throw you there and I want you to destroy it with your hidden power. Ready?"
"What?!" Gohan said.
"What?!" I said.
"GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" And Piccolo threw him like a ball from a dodgeball game.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Gohan shouted.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" I shouted.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Piccolo laughed.
I fell to my knees on the ground, tearing my hair out as I screamed my nephew's name as he flew through the air toward certain death.
Chi-chi would kill me!!! Forget about the two Saiyans!!! My death would come at the hands of my sister-in-law after that!
I jumped up and started slapping Piccolo. No punches, kicks or calculated blows like I did with Raditz. I slapped him like a hysterical little woman and, in response, he laughed louder and louder.
"YOU'RE INSANE!!! YOU IDIOT!!!" I slapped him on the arm, back, and neck. "HE'S JUST A CHILD! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"Ouch! HAHAHAHA!" Piccolo dodged me as if I were an inconvenient fly. "Ouch, Lettie! HAHAHAHA!" He then restrained my arms and pointed at Gohan. "Would you just stop it?! Look at him, pay attention!"
Livid, I was forced to look at my nephew, who was still screaming on the way to the rocky wall.
However, something very strange happened, and I froze.
A bright aura surrounded Gohan. He stretched his arms forward, and a strong ray of blue light shot out from him.
BOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!! — An explosion occurred, shattering the rock into pieces.
Piccolo and I had to shrink and close our eyes with the amount of light that flooded us. A gale with the force of a hurricane hit us and I didn't fly away just because he caught me by the foot.
When we opened our eyes, we both gasped in astonishment.
Gohan was sitting on the grass a few meters away, intact. In front of him, there was a gigantic trail of destruction from what had once been the rocky wall, and was now the most complete... nothingness.
"GOHAN!!!" I went over to the boy, kneeling down next to him and inspecting him from top to bottom, afraid of finding a broken bone or something worse and asking if he was okay.
But my nephew was in perfect condition; just with his new clothes a bit dusty, and a bit confused, as if not even he understood what had happened to him.
"I-I..." he stuttered, staring ahead. "I-I did this?"
"I think I already have proof that you really are Goku's son." Piccolo approached us, looking satisfied. "I admit I'm surprised, Gohan. I never imagined such power coming from someone so small." He looked at me, still on the ground. "Your turn, Lettie. Choose a rocky wall for me to throw you at too."
"NO WAY!" I stood up, taking a distance (not without pulling Gohan with me). "I-I think that's enough strength tests for today!"
"Alright, you spoilsport..." Piccolo clicked his tongue with impatience. "At least I was able to prove my theory. Gohan can bring out all of his hidden power when he expresses his emotions to the fullest. But, he only does that for a few seconds. This way, he won't defeat the Saiyans."
My nephew and I exchanged distressed and discouraged looks. However, even though I was still shocked, I couldn't help but agree with Piccolo's words. How powerful Gohan was! But, indeed, he would need to learn to control his emotions to use his strength wisely and efficiently.
Which made me wonder: did I also have a hidden power?
Only time and Piccolo's Training would answer me that.
Gohan and I felt that we could now approach him again without the threat of being thrown into a nearby wall.
"Well! Enough with the chit-chat!" Piccolo looked at us sternly, and we lined up in front of him like two soldiers as we did minutes ago. "See that other rock formation up there? NO, I'm not going to throw you there, stop making a scene! Silence, I'm speaking! Very well... There, at the top of that formation, is our Camp. And, up there, I prepared a nice feast for both of you." He opened a smirk when he saw us celebrate in joy. "Your second task on this Training is to... CLIMB THAT FORMATION!"
It was as if Gohan and I were hit by a wave of icy water.
"B-But that formation is about eight-meters-height!" I replied. "How do you think that a four-year-old and I are going to make it up there?!"
Piccolo approached me and leaned over until he was face-to-face with me. "Look around and observe, little Lettie. I know there must be some trace of intelligence left in you."
I made a grumpy face, but kept my eyes on him, who was still smiling. Now that he was so close to me, I noticed that Piccolo had a woody and earthy aroma, with light herbal notes and a sweet touch, well suited to the landscape around us. As incredible as it may be, it was quite pleasant, for a guy who lived isolated from society in the middle of nowhere.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I remembered that, now, my position on that team was that of a mere… student. If I continued with too many demands, we would risk Piccolo abandoning us for good.
"Yes, Master," I finally replied, feeling, once again, the weight of the wristbands, belt, and boots of my new uniform. I turned to my nephew in a conceited posture. "But there's a big but. Gohan, please tell Mr. Piccolo that I'm not thaaat little. I'm the same height as your father and–
Piccolo was gone.
He disappeared without leaving a trace.
And there was Gohan and I again, alone in the middle of the wild.
We had a TERRIBLE day, thank you very much. Before we explored the rock formation that would be our Camp, I thought it best to feed my nephew something; anything we could find in that place. Gohan was already looking haggard from being so hungry, and I was also a bit irritable, because that typical stomach pain we get when we're hungry was awakening memories from my past that weren't any pleasant.
We first decided to go back to the river to hydrate, as the day was hot and with not much breeze. However, when we got there, we almost ran into a pack of wolves drinking water with their cubs, and we dashed off behind some bushes to hide until they were done and left. Luckily they didn't see us and we managed to get to the river safely.
Afterwards, we walked through the trees that surrounded that area to see if we could find any fruits. If Piccolo had given us two of them the night before, then it only meant that there were fruit trees in the area.
Imagine our happiness when we found a beautiful apple tree at a certain point. However, it was a quite tall tree and difficult to climb, so we came up with the idea of putting Gohan on my shoulders and having him reach them for us.
The moment he touched one of the apples, a snake of at least one meter long slithered through the branches, directly through his arms, until it fell in the middle of my face with its cold texture.
I screamed so loud that birds took flight from the trees, Gohan fell with a thud on the ground, and the snake crawled out to a hole among some dry leaves.
No joke, I spent more than ten minutes shaking and panting, lying in a fetal position, still shivering after feeling the snake on my face, with Gohan comforting me and ensuring that it was already gone.
In the end, we managed to get the apples. They were all wormy and sour.
Devastated, we walked to the foot of the rock formation where our Camp would be, and I felt as if the weight of those rocks fell on my back in the shape of discouragement and desolation.
"Look around and observe, little Lettie."
Well, we did look around, in the vain hope that, who knows, Piccolo hadn't had an ounce of compassion and left a rappelling kit lying at some spot, but no. We were, as we had been since we got there, surrounded by the absolute nothingness.
We would have to climb those rocks using raw strength.
That was insane... It could only be!
The sun was already rising above, punishing with its heat, when Gohan and I gave up on climbing that thing. Our hands were bleeding from the futile attempts to climb the rocks, our muscles were screaming for a rest, especially with the weight of our uniforms, and, to top it off, our stomachs were already shriveling up.
I sat on the ground, with my back against the rocks and Gohan lying on my lap with a vague and distant look as I stroked his hair. He soon fell asleep, and I won't deny that my eyes were also heavy.
"Master..." I mumbled like a drunkard in the gutter. "Why are you doing this to us?"
Silence. No answer.
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused my hearing on the sounds of nature around me. I heard the sound of the water running in the river in the distance, the rustling of tree leaves, some insects in the bushes around…
Until I heard a chip sound near me. When I opened my tired eyes, I spotted a squirrel there next to the formation, sniffing the grass with its cheeks full of food. I smiled to myself, because it was a really cute squirrel, and I almost woke Gohan up for him to see it too, but he was sleeping so soundly that I didn't do it.
I watched the squirrel and, suddenly, I got a fright. Like a furry little brown lightning bolt, he scaled the rock formation with astonishing speed and ease. It didn't take a minute and he arrived at the top of what was our Camp. Perhaps he had smelled the feast Piccolo had prepared up there.
I analyzed the path taken by the squirrel for a few minutes. It seemed to have selected some specific rocks to climb up; less dangerous and slippery rocks, and I concluded that a squirrel was smarter than an adult Saiyan and a half-Saiyan-child combined.
I narrowed and covered my eyes to see the upper part of the rock formation, protecting them from the scorching sun. However, from one second to the next, a large shadow covered us. It was strange, since there were no clouds in the sky.
Then, something slimy fell on my shoulder, and for a moment, I thought it was the snake again. But when I lifted my head to check the origin of that disgusting thing, my stomach sunk.
A T-Rex dinosaur was glaring at us, half hidden behind the rock formation.
Every hair on my body stood up and my limbs tingled, such terror I felt as I stared at that creature with wide eyes. And, if we hadn't been in mortal danger at that time, I would certainly have had a huge existential crisis, because I could have sworn that dinosaurs were already extinct, but, apparently, they still existed and one of them was about to eat us.
"G-G-G-Gohan…" I called him in whispers, shaking him. "S-Stand up... S-Slowly…"
"Huh?" He woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes. "What's up, Aunt Lettie?"
I didn't need to answer him. The guttural growl that came from the back of the T-Rex's throat made Gohan raise his head and also stare at it with a pale face. The dinosaur then opened its mouth wide and let out a roar so loud that my ears clogged.
To sum it up (because I don't like to remember that event), Gohan and I ran away from there, screaming madly, and we were chased by the T-Rex until nightfall, when we finally shook it off, or it simply got tired of hunting us. The only thing worth mentioning was that, throughout the whole chase, I kept wondering where ON EARTH Piccolo had brought us to, to have so many random and dangerous animals. Oh! I'm also pretty sure I heard him laughing in the distance, having fun with our misfortune as we ran like maniacs through that region in an attempt to avoid being devoured.
When we got back to the foot of the rock formation at our Camp, Gohan and I were exhausted to the bones! I leaned back against the wall and fell until I sat on the ground with a thud, shaking from head to toe, all sweaty and with streams of tears I had shed during the chase drawn across my filthy face. Gohan jumped into my arms, shaking as much as I was, and we hugged each other, tightly, seeking in one another for the comfort and protection that we so desperately craved at that moment, with only the big Full Moon and the stars illuminating us.
"Aunt Lettie…" he cried into my neck. "I wanna go home... I want my mommy... I'm hungwy, scared, and so tired..."
I sighed, stroking his back as I watched the darkness around us, afraid that the lionesses, the wolves, or even worse, the T-Rex would return. By that time, even the sound of crickets and cicadas of the night was scaring me.
Just like Gohan, I also felt a deep sadness and bitterness. However, unlike him, I didn't have a mother waiting for me at home with fresh food and a comfortable bed.
I kissed the top of his head and closed my eyes, unable to respond.
Where was Piccolo? Much better than us, for sure. Wouldn't he help us? Would Gohan and I stay here, at the savage hands of that wild place? Was there not a trace of mercy in his heart?
I admit that a mix of feelings came over me; I wished he was there to protect us from danger, just like last night, but at the same time, I was angry at him for leaving us in such precarious and, I dare say, deadly conditions.
I always imagined that, when I finally had a real teacher to train me, we would develop a healthy relationship of mutual companionship, complicity and, above all, respect.
But now, the only feelings I had for Piccolo were frustration and disappointment.
"Master... Why did you abandon us?" It was the unfortunate conclusion I came to, and the sadness and bitterness only increased within me.
The worst of all was knowing that I had agreed to that; I had agreed to the terms of that Training…
And I had no choice of leaving it behind and give up.
"Aunt Lettie..." Gohan raised his head and gazed at the Full Moon with a nostalgic and melancholy expression. "Do you think my daddy will come back?"
I stroked his face, wiping the dirt from his cheeks, and forced a little, optimistic smile. "We have to hope that Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi will find the Dragon Balls and make the wish to Shenron and... Gohan?"
My nephew was staring at the Full Moon with glassy eyes.
"Gohan?" I called him again. "What's wrong?"
I waved my hand in front of his face to get his attention, but he didn't reply. He seemed in a trance, and his pupils turned into a strange reddish hue color.
"Gohan?!" I called for the third time; tense and worried.
He then began to tremble fiercely in my lap, with his tail moving non-stop, and he bared his teeth at the Full Moon, which became frighteningly sharp, like those of a wild animal. Then he jumped forward, raising his arms high, and his muscles expanded so much that his new uniform tore completely apart.
With my heart racing in my chest, I watched my nephew transform before my eyes, growing in size and acquiring brown fur until he finally became a… GIANT MONKEY!
Unable to move a muscle, so paralyzed and in shock I was, I watched Gohan run wildly from one side to the other in that vast open area, punching and kicking everything he found ahead, such as trees, rocks and other walls, in a state of euphoria bordering insanity. He was even shooting red rays of light from his mouth! My, he was destroying the Earth before the Saiyans were here!
"GOHAN!" I dashed to the middle of that area to call him. "GOHAN!!!"
He continued to destroy everything around him with the strength of a gorilla, and screaming like one. Was he listening to me? Was he even aware of what was happening to him?!
"What do I do?! What do I do?!" I asked myself, grasping my head, as I watched my nephew destroy another rock formation as if it were a little castle of wooden blocks.
It was then that I remembered something; something quite important that Raditz had said to me and Goku when we discovered we were brothers, "We, the Saiyans, can fight with our full strength when we see the Full Moon! We transform into giant monkeys and acquire unbeatable destructive power!"
That was it! It was because of the Full Moon that Gohan had transformed!
But why didn't I transform, too?
When analyzing Gohan, now beating his chest, with his back to me, I saw his long tail hitting the trees below, and I finally understood why I hadn't transformed either.
I decided to approach him and call him once more. Maybe if he heard my voice, he would recognize me.
"GOHAN!" I waved my arms to get his attention. "LISTEN TO ME! IT'S YOUR AUNT LETTIE!"
He flailed in fury and jumped in place. Then, in a quick movement, he lifted one of his feet. In the space of just a second, I felt a chill as I saw that he would end up stepping on me. I had nowhere to run, I wouldn't have time!
I would be crushed to death by my own crazy monkey-nephew.
During that one second, I confirmed the theory that our lives passed before our eyes in the face of death, and I saw it heading toward the end.
The only thing I could do with my reflexes was to raise my arms up high, in an attempt to prevent myself from being crushed by Gohan's colossal foot.
I closed my eyes, awaiting the terrible impact.
Then, I felt a sudden combustion of energy explode within my soul, and a powerful force overtook me, surrounding me with a luminous aura.
The impact of Gohan's foot came, but it didn't crush me.
I dared to open my eyes, and I couldn't believe what I saw.
With my hands still raised high, I was stopping tons of pounds from crushing me by restraining Gohan's foot above my head.
How was I doing that?!
It was then that three words crossed my mind: my hidden power.
I was a Saiyan. Just like Gohan, I also had a power hidden within me, which now emerged right at the moment of my certain death.
Still in disbelief at my own behavior, that same powerful force emerged once again and, with a scream, I pushed myself upwards, throwing Gohan's foot to free me from him.
Just as my hidden power had suddenly come, it was gone. An intense weakness took over every inch of my being, and I felt dizzy, falling to my knees on the ground without any energy.
However, Gohan had lost his balance when his foot was thrown by me and staggered in my direction. Through my blurred vision, I saw that the demonstration of my hidden power resulted in nothing.
Gohan would fall on me again, and this time, I would be crushed to death by the full weight of his gigantic body on top of mine.
"Master..." It was the only word I could utter.
Gohan began to fall. His gorilla form hid everything before me.
I closed my eyes, awaiting the terrible impact.
But this time, the impact didn't come.
I felt my feet float and the wind hit my face. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the ground, but in Piccolo's arms.
He was flying through the air, carrying me away from a now fallen Gohan down below.
"Master...!" I awaken due to the sudden surprise of his presence.
He looked down at me and curled his lips in a little smile. "Did you really think I would abandon you two?"
My only response was to smile back with relief.
"Apparently, you also have a hidden power, Lettie." He placed me on the ground, next to a group of bushes. "But it wasn't enough to stop him."
"Yes..." I replied, upset and still weak. "But I've figured it out! Gohan transformed due to the Full Moon!"
"Huh? The Full Moon?" He frowned, alternating between looking at me and at Gohan, who writhed on the ground in the distance and shot another ray of light in fury to the sky.
I confirmed, reminding him of Raditz's words. Piccolo agreed, remembering having heard that information when he was spying on the events on Master Roshi's island, and gazed at the Full Moon with a serious expression.
"Yeah..." he muttered to himself. "There's no other choice." And he flew away.
"Hey!" I reached out my hand, but Piccolo was already far up.
What was he going to do?!
Narrowing my eyes to see better, I watched a ray of light grow from his hands and then, just like that, he shot it towards the Moon and blew it up.
Piccolo blew up the Moon.
He. Blew up. The Moon.
HE BLEW UP THE MOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who knows how I didn't faint right there when I witnessed such an act. All I know is that I opened my mouth to scream in bewilderment, but nothing came out. My voice had disappeared.
I saw Piccolo turn to me from above and say, "Don't worry about the Moon! Kami-sama will make another one tomorrow!"
Oh, of course! Wow, how did I not think of that before?! "Kami-sama will make another one tomorrow!" HAHAHA! Forget all the calamities in our ecosystem! The Moon blew up, what a shame, life goes on!
However, I had to remind myself of all the nonsense that had happened in my life since yesterday (including the appearance of a T-Rex dinosaur!) and I couldn't believe it when I reflected that the phrase "Don't worry about the Moon! Kami-sama will make another one tomorrow!" didn't seem so crazy anymore.
Either way, the effect of the Moon's destruction was instantaneous on Gohan. Just as he had transformed into a giant monkey in the blink of an eye, he returned to his little boy form, shrinking in size and losing his fur until he fell to the ground.
I plucked up strength from where I didn't have it to run to him. The poor thing was naked, passed out on the grass. As I sat down on the ground, I took him in my arms, cuddling him to my chest as if he were my own child, making sure he hadn't been hurt.
Piccolo landed next to us. "He shouldn't keep his tail. It'll only bring us more problems."
"And what do you suggest?" I replied. "We cut it off?"
"Yes."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You cannot be serious."
"Look at Gohan. He won't feel a thing."
"But won't it hurt?" I unconsciously touched the end of my spine as I remembered the chronic pain I had felt throughout my life, which had been cured by the Sacred Water.
"He'll get over it." Piccolo shrugged and crouched down beside me.
Gently, I laid Gohan face down on the ground and turned my face away, closing my eyes so he could do it, feeling a dark distress when I heard the sound of the tail being ripped from my nephew's body.
When I opened my eyes, Piccolo had already dressed Gohan in a new uniform, and I picked him up again, watching him with a look of deep concern and brushing the hair off his sleeping chubby face.
"You don't have to be so corny with the boy." Piccolo looked at me with his typical bored attitude. "The way I removed his tail, he won't feel pain." He took a deep breath. "Very well then. Goodnight." And he walked away.
"No!!!" I stretched out my arm. "Please wait!"
Piccolo stopped, grunted in irritation, and turned around. "What is it, now?"
I opened and closed my mouth several times, looking around fearfully. "W-Where are you going?"
"It's none of your business."
"Don't leave us alone here again," I begged, with Gohan still in my arms. "We're exhausted, in pain, hungry... Please take us to the Camp."
"No way! This is part of the Training. Find a way to get up there."
I spotted the rock formation of our Camp a few meters away, and my lips trembled, feeling a big lump in my throat. I didn't want to cry in front of Piccolo, in front of my teacher, but I was about to give in. So I made one last plea, my voice cracking and my eyes watering. "Master, please..."
Silence.
Piccolo scrutinized us for about ten seconds, showing a grim expression. Then he closed his eyes, sighed, and ran his hand over his face.
"Alright," he said, and I smiled, which made him hold up a finger in warning. "BUT! Just tonight, and tonight only. Tomorrow, we start over, and I don't want any failures."
"Y-Yes! Okay!" I widened my smile and allowed my tears to fall, because now, they were of happiness and relief.
I saw that Piccolo looked away by seeing me so happy, and clicked his tongue in impatience, but I didn't care. He would help us!
Thirty seconds later, we finally arrived at the Camp, and I couldn't believe my eyes.
Despite the darkness due to the absence of the Moon, the light from the stars was enough to illuminate that area at the top of the rock formation, which must have been around ten meters in diameter. In a corner, I spotted the packaging of a tent, a simple rolled-up mattress, and two blankets. Next to it, there were some grocery bags. Then, right in the center of it all, there was a circle of stones surrounding a pile of sticks and, on a wooden support just above it, a small cauldron swayed with the gentle night breeze that caressed us up there.
What made me the happiest, though, was seeing a pile of vegetables next to the stones, with some kitchen utensils.
That's what I call a professional campfire!
Standing at the edge of the Camp with Gohan in my arms, I turned to Piccolo and gazed at him in bewilderment and surprise.
"I said I would provide the food," he said in a cold tone as he crossed his arms. "Not that I would cook."
"It's... It's..." I whispered, my eyes gleaming. "It's perfect!"
"Really?" He turned to me, looking quite confused. Then, he raised his eyebrows and curled his lips downwards. "I thought you would be angry."
"Not at all. I love cooking!" I went to the fire ring, placed Gohan on the ground (who was still fainted), and began separating the vegetables to make a soup or something.
By some miracle, I convinced Piccolo to light the fire for me and fetch water from the river down below. Maybe he pitied us, which was pretty unlikely. I bet he was too lazy to upset me after such a long and tiring day.
While the vegetables were cooking in the cauldron, I thought about setting up the tent (I doubt Piccolo would volunteer to help), however, Gohan woke up, crying as he claimed he had a nightmare about turning into a giant monkey. Piccolo and I exchanged glances as I comforted him in my arms, and without saying a word, we nodded in agreement to never bring up the subject with my nephew about what had happened to him that night.
But when Gohan tried to stand up, he lost his balance and fell, and he was shocked when he finally realized that his tail was gone. Luckily, he was still young enough to believe my story that, "W-Wow, Gohan, how strange! It must have fallen while you were asleep and a bunny picked it up to use it as a blanket!"
When the soup was ready, I served some to Gohan in one of the bowls that was among the kitchen utensils. Out of politeness, I offered it to Piccolo, who refused, sitting with his legs and arms crossed beside us.
"Oh, come on..." I smiled shyly, offering him the soup again. "It shouldn't be that bad..."
"It is bad, Aunt Lettie..." Gohan grimaced as he ate a spoonful. "Sorry... I think you need some cooking lessons from Mommy."
Piccolo laughed as my world fell apart.
"Oh..." I whimpered, devastated as I contemplated my (apparently) inedible soup. "Sorry..." I decided to spare them from complaining that my poor financial conditions prevented me from developing my cooking skills, so I straightened up and said, confidently, "Okay. Noted, Gohan. You'll see that your aunt will become an expert in vegetable soup from now on." We exchanged smiles and my nephew was kind enough to continue eating, even though he didn't like it. I turned to Piccolo. "Are you sure you don't want to eat? You're not hungry?"
"I don't have to."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.
"You don't eat, Mr. Piccolo?" added Gohan.
"My body and biology are essentially the same as that of a male human," he replied. "But for some reason, I can sustain myself with just water."
"But you can eat, right?" I replied.
"I can. But I don't want to." He made a face at my soup.
"Alright..." I mumbled in response and ate in a depressive silence.
What a nice feast...
After that, Gohan helped me set up our tent, which was hard since we couldn't really see what was written in the manual, and in the end, we had to announce the instructions to each other, with Gohan reading it out loud by fire due its light, and I remained on the other side assembling the rods and fabric and arranging the mattress and blankets inside of it.
It was in the early hours when I left the tent after putting Gohan to sleep (I had to stroke his hair after he begged me with his big and cute eyes) and headed to the grocery bags to check what was there.
"You bought my sanitary pads! Thank you," I happily whispered to Piccolo, who had his eyes closed, still in the same position next to the almost extinguished fire. "Oh, but it's not the overnight pads I asked."
"They didn't have these," he replied, without opening his eyes and making a sullen face, probably remembering the "terrible" embarrassment he went through to buy them. "They only had the regular ones or elderly diapers. Make do with it."
I chuckled, exploring the other bags and finding some of my belongings from my former room in an old backpack of mine. My smile widened when I looked at Piccolo again, still quiet and introspective near the fire, because, in the last bag, I found a wad of money with all my savings, meticulously rolled up, and a bar of dark chocolate, which was, with no doubt, as bitter as the guy who bought it.