LETTIE
When the Sun reached its highest peak in the skies, we felt them.
The Saiyans have arrived.
We were in an open field, but surrounded by some rock formations here and there, training between the three of us, just... for the sake of it, and because we couldn't stand doing anything, on waiting and in endless anxiety.
Gohan and I were halfway to striking Piccolo when we stopped midair in alert and looked up.
A chill ran down my spine.
Two round Space Pods, just like Raditz's, cut through the clouds, falling and falling, until they disappeared behind the mountains.
Even far away, we felt the surprising strength of their Ki.
Suddenly, a group of birds flew over our heads to the opposite side, probably fleeing from that threat. An almost palpable silence followed, and only the sound of a light breeze rustling some trees in the distance filled that tense atmosphere.
"Aunt Lettie..." whimpered Gohan, clinging to my leg, the same way he had done with his father on Master Roshi's island when I met him. I touched his head to calm him down and noticed how much the poor thing was shaking.
Piccolo stood behind us, his more than two-meter height covering us like a personal guardian angel. I took Gohan's hand and we huddled in his protective shadow. However, when I gazed up at Piccolo's face, I noticed how somber he looked.
"Be strong and courageous," he said in a serious tone. "Don't leave my side."
Piccolo seemed a lot worse since our conversation last night. His dark eyes showed great concern and fear, and all I wanted was to wrap him in a loving hug, but the situation didn't allow me such a luxury.
It's funny to think that a year ago, hugging Piccolo to comfort him would have been at the bottom of my bucket list. In fact, I don't think it would even be on the list.
Looking back, it was a tremendous challenge to stand him in those first two months of Training. I remember thinking that this alliance made between the three of us would cost my physical and mental health, but I never imagined that it would exceed all existing limits.
Piccolo treated us like trash; a merciless executioner, and I didn't agree with his teaching methods at all. However, I ask you, dear reader: what could I do? To drop everything and abandon the mission? What about Earth's future? What about Gohan's future? Should I have abandoned him, without his father to help him, and gone back to my miserable life and pretended nothing had happened? How could I even sleep, even if it was in some dark alley, knowing that I could have done something to save humanity, and I didn't?
Besides, wasn't it me who spent my whole life wanting a Master to train and teach me for free? Well, I got mine.
So yes. Even though I went through that hell at Piccolo's hands, I didn't allow myself to be shaken. Even though I hated such suffering, I would continue to obey him, meekly and peacefully.
I couldn't be any different. That's how I am, and have always been.
However, apparently, acting in accordance with my natural temperament brought me an unexpected result, because, contrary to what I thought, Piccolo did change, a lot.
And I liked that change.
From that day when I felt sick, his behavior towards me and Gohan transformed. Surely he continued with his same irritable and grumpy nature, but he also began to demonstrate a certain… gentleness in his manners and, little by little, he became a patient, tolerant and, above all, good man.
To be honest, like it or not, I already looked up to him with some consideration due to his position as Master towards me and Gohan, and his willingness to train us for an entire year. In addition, it was undeniable how much he had vast knowledge and skills in the art of fighting.
However, it was only when I saw the genuine repentance in his eyes when he brought us soup at the tent and apologized for his actions, that Piccolo gained my true respect and admiration. So, as the months passed by, and his behavior changed for the better, these feelings only grew, until they gave way to other feelings, too; as intense and powerful as my Saiyan strength.
And now, there in that open field after seeing our enemies' Space Pods arrive, all I wanted most was to stay with him, safe in his protective arms with Gohan, even though my nephew and I were already able to survive that wilderness without him.
It was as if… Piccolo had become an essential element to my well-being; a presence I could no longer be without.
However, the ominous feeling of fear soon reached us again, when, behind the mountains where the Saiyan Space Pods had disappeared, a flash emerged, as strong as the Sun, and with it, an intense and powerful shock wave hit us with the energy of a bomb.
Gohan would have gone flying away if I hadn't grabbed him and hugged him when he screamed, already a meter above the ground. We crouched down and Piccolo covered us with his cape, and my heart ached when I felt him spasm as he was hit by some rocks on his back, while he protected us from that strong wind by pressing us against his chest.
The shock wave finally ended, and little by little we looked around and stood up, panting.
"Piccolo!" I put Gohan down. "Are you okay?"
He responded with a grunt of pain, and I turned him around to inspect him. I covered my mouth as I gasped. His back was filled in cuts made by the debris, with blood oozing out and mixing with the white cape and purple fabric of his fighting suit.
"Don't worry." Piccolo gave me a little reassuring smile. "I'm already regenerating. What about you both? Are you okay?"
"I think so… Thank you so much for protecting us."
He nodded, blinking slowly, and Gohan asked, "What was that?!"
The three of us stared at a gigantic cloud of smoke emerging from behind the mountains, and I had a horrifying feeling.
"It looks like it was an explosion…" I said.
"Yes," added Piccolo. "An explosion caused by the Saiyans."
"D-Do you think someone was hurt?" I replied in worry.
Piccolo was silent and swallowed hard. Without taking his eyes off the cloud of smoke, he answered, "That's the East City. It is very likely that it was decimated."
"WHAT?!" Gohan and I exclaimed.
Piccolo didn't say anything else, and I didn't blame him. I myself couldn't utter a word, I just felt intense nausea. But, even against my will, I whispered, "So, this is the power of our enemy…"
"Okay. That's enough." Piccolo crossed his arms, looking seriously at us. "Lettie, I want you to take Gohan and leave. Fly as far away from here as possible. I don't want you involved in this anymore." He then looked up at the cloud of smoke that was growing taller and denser. "The other warriors and I will fight them."
I frowned and gaped my mouth. "Are you crazy?!" I rose on tiptoe to face him. "We trained for a WHOLE YEAR for this moment. Besides, we don't even know if the other warriors will come! Do you want to fight them all by yourself?! No way!" I turned to my nephew. "We're also Saiyans, aren't we, Gohan?!"
"Y-Y-Y-Yes, Aunt Lettie…" He rubbed his little hands in front of his body.
I didn't feel confidence in his answer, but I turned to Piccolo, determined and obstinate, and added, "We're not abandoning you."
We gazed at each other for long seconds. Piccolo snorted, pressing his lips together until they formed a thin line. Finally, he rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Argh! You really are a Saiyan. Just as stubborn!"
"In fact, I learned this attribute from my Master." I narrowed my eyes with an ironic smile. "Have you met him? Green guy, gets annoyed easily and is quite fussy, you know?"
"Oh, really?" Piccolo looked down at me with the same little smile as he took off his cape and turban through his transfiguration power. "He seems like a nice person. You could introduce him to me–WAIT! SOMEONE'S APPROACHING!"
The three of us turned left.
"There's someone coming from there too!" I turned to the right.
"Are there more than two Saiyans?!" asked Gohan.
It was then that a quick shadow appeared on top of a large rock and, in the next second, jumped from it and materialized ahead of us.
"Krillin!" Piccolo and I exclaimed in surprise, breaking our combat position.
"Hey, everyone!" he smiled. "It's been a while!"
"Oh!" gasped Gohan. "Are you a Saiyan?!"
"No, sweetheart. Krillin is your daddy's friend." I stroked his hair. "We saw him on Master Roshi's island."
"Don't worry, Lettie." Krillin waved his hand. "It's been a long time, he must not remember. Wow, you're a lot stronger since the last time I saw you, and Gohan as well. Look how he has grown! He looks just like his father."
"Hey, I remember you now!" Gohan approached him with a big smile. "You're the shorty but strong warrior! My daddy has told me a lot about you! You're going to fight with us against the Saiyans, right?"
"Ugh! There's no need to say that I'm short..." Krillin made a face. "It's just that your father grew a little taller than me, that's all." He then leaned over to whisper in Gohan's ear (which wasn't much, considering his height), "I imagine your Training with Piccolo was pretty difficult, wasn't it?"
"Oh, it was, pretty difficult, indeed! But, Mr. Piccolo is much kinder than I thought. You know, he's very affectionate and gentle to us; he takes us every weekend to play in the Hot Springs, explores nature with me every day, massages Aunt Lettie's feet when she's tired and–"
"ENOUGH OF TALKING!!! THE SAIYANS ARE HERE!!!" Piccolo cut it short, trembling and sweating coldly, red from his neck to the tips of his ears, and I had to hold myself back as much as possible not to laugh at how Gohan was so indiscreetly exposing to a confused Krillin the intimacies of our... uh... how can I say? Of our... "family circle"?
"Come on, Piccolo..." I gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Don't be like that–" A sinister shiver suddenly ran through my entire body and we all looked up.
Two figures were watching us; their bodies silhouettes cut by the sunlight.
Piccolo wasn't lying. They were the Saiyans!
"Th-Their Ki is… it's so powerful…!" I whispered as I felt my muscles clench.
We watched the Saiyans descend slowly and frighteningly, floating until they landed their feet on the ground in front of us. One was the complete opposite of the other. At least, in terms of physical appearance.
The first was almost as short as Krillin, but his thick, spiky black hair gave him more height. The other, standing next to him, was bald, had a horseshoe mustache, and was only second to Piccolo in its vertical size, because horizontally, it was as wide as a double-door wardrobe. Both were wearing the same uniform and armor as Raditz, with their tails wrapped around their waists. The only difference was that the short one decided to wear a royal blue outfit underneath with white gloves, while the other preferred to leave his arms and legs bare.
"So..." said the short one, smiling with his arms crossed and with a sadistic look behind his monocle. "You were already waiting for us. Nice to meet you. I'm Vegeta, and this," he gestured to the other, "is Nappa."
None of us dared to make a peep, but I couldn't help but wonder. "Vegeta"? That name was familiar to me... Oh, right! I remembered! That's our home planet's name!
However, a horrible chill came over me when I felt the eyes of those two staring directly at me.
"Well, well..." said Vegeta. "Apparently, Raditz's story was true. Indeed there are Saiyans living on this planet, and a woman, too! Hahaha! Nappa, I think our problems of getting pure-blood descendants are over." He gave me a malicious grin. "We have fresh meat around here."
I saw Piccolo clench his fists and stiffen, grunting in an angry breath. He was about to do something stupid when I gently touched his arm and told him through my eyes to leave it to me. At first, he didn't like it, but I squeezed him tighter and nodded, meaning that it was not good for us to rush. It could be dangerous. In the end, not at all satisfied, he complied.
I took a deep breath and walked a few steps, head high. If there was one thing I learned from Piccolo during this year of Training, it was that I should never allow myself to be underestimated by my enemy.
"I appreciate the offer, Vegeta, but I'll pass." I crossed my arms, just like him, and scrutinized him from head to toe with disdain. "And there's another detail." I gave a little smile. "I like tall guys."
Vegeta's haughty expression vanished, giving way to such anger that he shuddered. Nappa, however, laughed out loud.
"You said you like tall guys?!" He placed his hands akimbo and puffed out his chest. "So, I think you and I will get along great!"
"Hmm... Yeah..." I placed my hand on my chin, pretending to analyze him. "You're kinda cute. I also like bald men, you know? But…" I shook my head negatively, now feigning disappointment. "I am really sorry. You're too pale, I dunno... It seems like you're missing some... color."
Nappa gaped his mouth wide in disbelief and, just like that, I turned my back to them to return to my companions, hiding a mocking giggle as if I had just told my best friend some gossip. I owe this kind of behavior to Piccolo as well.
"HOW DARE YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON US, YOU NASTY SHREW?" Nappa barked after me as I got back to my spot. On the way, I noticed that Piccolo was staring at me with perplexity, blinking several times, but I couldn't hold his gaze, because I was too busy blushing and feeling a thousand butterflies in my stomach as I positioned myself beside him.
"Nice one, Aunt Lettie!" Gohan whispered, and I replied with a wink.
I heard Piccolo let out a discreet satisfied chuckle, and he replied to the Saiyans, "How dare YOU call a Saiyan warrior a 'nasty shrew'? If you say a single word against this woman, I'll make you swallow your tongue."
The butterflies in my stomach only flew stronger as I witnessed Piccolo defend me so fervently from Nappa's insult. Even Krillin looked at him with surprise, for it was quite likely that the last image he had of the two of us in his head was our face-off when we met on Master Roshi's island.
But something strange happened. Nappa and Vegeta's reaction was not what we expected. On the contrary, they looked at each other with a confused expression, and then turned to Piccolo.
"Hmm..." said Vegeta. "That voice of yours… It's familiar to me… Oh, right! Now I remember! You're the one who killed Raditz, aren't you?"
"What's up with my voice?" replied Piccolo.
"Raditz didn't tell you?" Vegeta pointed to his monocle. "This device is also used to communicate."
I noticed that Nappa was analyzing Piccolo with an intrigued expression, and addressed Vegeta, "He's a Namekian, isn't he?"
"It looks like," answered Vegeta. "That's why it's not strange that Raditz was defeated by him."
Huh? What were they talking about?
Piccolo was a… "Namekian"?
Interesting. Could it be the name of... his race?
"Gee..." Krillin turned to him. "You're an alien too!"
"It makes sense, Mr. Piccolo!" added Gohan.
Piccolo's wide eyes met mine, bright and full of bewilderment and surprise, and I saw transcribed in them all those private talks we had about his true origin.
So, I was right! Piccolo really was an alien, just like me!
"Yeah!" exclaimed Vegeta. "The Namekians have incredible powers and extraordinary abilities. And I've heard that some can do surprising tricks with magic."
Well, that explained why Piccolo had the strange (but very useful) ability to create clothes out of absolutely NOTHING! It was part of his race attributes.
However, as I looked at him to show how happy I was that we discovered his origin, I felt my heart tighten in anguish. The poor thing was not okay. He seemed terribly troubled to find out more about his people. Dang it... I know he had every right to react that way, after all, who wouldn't? But that was not the time nor the ideal moment for him to have another identity crisis.
But Vegeta didn't even give him time to process that information, for he asked, "Were you the one who created the Dragon Balls?"
"What?!" Krillin exclaimed. "Do you know about the Dragon Balls?!"
Oh, no! I remember how Piccolo warned us that it would be pretty dangerous if they took the Dragon Balls. The damage would be too great!
"Of course we know," replied Nappa. "Getting them is our main goal. So it's best to hand them over. Even though you have two Saiyans and a Namekian among you, you're nothing but flies to us!"
His words only made us more nervous and irritated.
"Thank you very much," said Piccolo, scaring me by looking completely recovered from the shock. "Because of you, I understood something about my ancestors. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't create the Dragon Balls, and for your information, my specialty is fighting." He then got into a combat position. "WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME, SO YOU CAN TELL IF I'M A FLY OR NOT?!"
Suddenly we heard a noise; a loud, turbulent noise. When we looked up, we saw about five helicopters, all with emblems of TV stations from around the world, with journalists and reporters hanging from the doors with their cameras pointed at us.
"ARGH!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Nappa launched an energy beam at one of the helicopters, blowing it up instantly. The flash of his blow illuminated us with intensity, which only increased our fear as we saw another sample of the Saiyans' power.
But we didn't let that get us down. As soon as the helicopters moved away, we positioned ourselves next to Piccolo, ready to fight.
"It looks like none of you are going to tell us about the Dragon Balls," said Vegeta.
"Right," concluded Nappa. "I'll force them to speak!" He then pressed a button on the side of his monocle and announced our power levels. For Gohan, he said 981; for me, 1157; for Piccolo, 1220; and for Krillin, 1083.
"What a bunch of idiots!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me they'll attack us with such low power levels?!"
"Listen, Nappa," Vegeta turned to him, "take off your scouter. They frequently change their power level while fighting." He threw his device on the ground. "We can't trust it anymore."
"Okay, you're right." Nappa made a bold expression and also took off his scouter as he glared at us. "The weakling Raditz trusted these numbers and ended up being killed by these bugs."
Piccolo and I exchanged concerned looks. To these Saiyans, Raditz was considered a weakling? The same guy who almost massacred us a year ago?
That news was not encouraging at all.
"Now," continued Vegeta, looking quite satisfied, "let's check your skills! Hey, Nappa, do you still have those seven Saibaiman seeds?"
"Hehehe, you really know how to have fun, huh, Vegeta?"
My companions and I looked at each other. What were those guys talking about?
"S-Saibaiman?" I repeated in confusion.
"What's this?" added Gohan.
"I have an odd feeling it's something unpleasant," expressed Krillin.
"Regardless of what it is," said Piccolo, "don't let your guard down!"
"Don't worry!" Vegeta opened a mocking smile. "As soon as you see the Saibaimen, you'll be eager to tell us everything about the Dragon Balls."
I shared the same feelings as Krillin. Those two Saiyans had literally just arrived from SPACE. Any idea of what they could do against our group was unimaginable and inconceivable.
At that moment, anything could happen.
In an unconscious act of mutual protection, Gohan, Piccolo and I gathered closer together in our formation, and even Krillin also came closer, as we watched Nappa take a tiny bottle full of seeds from his armor's pocket, dig seven holes in the ground, place a seed in each, and cover them with earth. After that, he took another tiny bottle and poured a green, gooey liquid over each area where he had planted a seed.
My body was tense, and I was clenching my teeth while watching Nappa. It was then that a horrible shiver ran down my spine as the earth began to sprout; not a flower, a plant or a fruit tree that I fed myself so much on during a year of living in this place, but rather, seven disgusting green humanoid creatures, about Gohan's height, with hard carcasses covering their chests, claws coming out from their short fingers and large heads covered in protruding veins.
However, what terrified me the most were their eyes; red, bright and somber, glaring at us and translating their single goal: to kill us.