Chapter 24

LETTIE

The earth shook violently.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Yamcha exclaimed. "WHOSE KI IS THIS???"

"These are the same tremors we felt on Namek!" added Bulma, sprawled on the ground.

"What if it's really my dad?" Gohan gazed at Piccolo and me, holding on to my leg to balance himself. "It's the same Ki as when he transformed into a Super Saiyan! Remember, Mr. Piccolo?"

Before he could answer him, Vegeta spoke up, indignantly, "Another Super Saiyan besides Kakarot?! That's impossible!!!" His voice tone was full of envy and disdain, and his gaze was full of anger. I bet he didn't admit that there could be two Saiyans more powerful than him.

Beside me, Piccolo was not doing well at all. He seemed increasingly anxious in the face of Frieza's evil threat. I would give anything to know what was going on in his head, to know what was bothering him so much.

Oh, how I wished he would open up to me more.

A flash then appeared from behind the hill that separated us from Frieza, and a gigantic explosion echoed.

"Has the fight started?" asked Vegeta.

"Dang it! Let's go!" Krillin began to fly, but Vegeta caught him by the wrist.

"Don't fly! I've already warned you that these guys have scouters! If they find us, it'll be the end of us! If you want to get close, you'll have to walk, UNDERSTAND???" And he slammed Krillin to the ground with violence, who fell with a painful thud.

"Krillin!" I bent down to help him, with Gohan also coming to his aid. I turned my head to Vegeta and snapped, "What's wrong with you?! Why be so rude? What do you get from behaving like this?"

"Don't meddle in my life, you worthless!" he replied. "Do you think you have any morals to talk to me? I AM THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS! You're nothing more than a third-class peasant who wastes time with a useless baby instead of worrying about getting stronger!"

A sequence of incredulous gasps followed his statement. However, before I had time to feel my blood boil, Piccolo flew onto Vegeta's neck and threatened him, through gritted teeth, "Listen to my words, because I'm not going to repeat it: if you want your precious royal lineage not to end right here and right now, I think you'd better swallow your rag tongue and keep your opinions to yourself. You're warned." And he pushed him away.

Surrounded by an awkward silence, Piccolo returned to my side and helped Krillin to his feet. Then he stroked my back to calm me down. It was only when I felt his touch that I realized how much I was shaking, still thinking about what Vegeta said against my little daughter.

"Listen, Lettie and Gohan..." Krillin began to speak, probably to calm the spirits of our group. "Did you really not receive any news from Goku? Do you have any idea what he could be doing?"

"S-Sorry, Krillin..." I did my best not to show the nervousness I still felt. I composed myself and then looked at Vegeta with deep contempt. "The last time I saw my brother was when he asked you to let Vegeta run away."

Everyone turned to the "Prince of all Saiyans".

It seemed like I wasn't the only one there who thought Goku had made a mistake. Even more so among the warriors who fought against Nappa and Vegeta.

"Well, that's really humiliating," said Krillin. "When Goku returns, Earth may not even be here anymore. Dang it!"

There was silence. After hearing what Krillin said, Piccolo affectionately brought me a little closer to him.

"Hey, Vegeta!" called Bulma. "You've already had experience with Frieza's henchmen. Can't you fight them?"

"OH, SHUT UP!" he replied. "If you don't want to die with us, you'd better leave! You've already made it back from Namek. No matter how idiot you are, you must understand the situation we're in now."

"Huh?! Idiot???" Bulma placed her hand on her chest.

Piccolo and I exchanged boring looks. There we go again…

"Vegeta," said Yamcha, "you can't accuse Bulma of being an idiot."

"That's right! Defend me!"

"Bulma is just the biggest rubbernecker on Earth," Yamcha continued, with an amused smile. "Not to mention she's uncontrollable."

"How absurd!" Bulma pulled his ear. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"It's just a joke!" He laughed. "I'm just trying to release our group's morbid mood!"

Apparently, Yamcha's idea worked. Gohan thought the joke was really funny and laughed in his cute, childish voice. His laughter soon affected everyone (except Vegeta, of course).

"Oh, my..." sighed Krillin. "You know, guys... This might be the last time we laugh together..."

His realization made the morbid mood return and Vegeta's mood worsened, as he let out an irritated growl and dashed off running towards the smoke from the explosion that rose heavily into the sky.

Everyone ran after him. As we advanced, we felt other light tremors shake the earth beneath our feet. But there was still a long way to go before we reached the real battlefield.

When we got to the top of a rock formation, we saw, far away, a powerful and gigantic ball of orange light.

Its energy was equivalent to dozens of atomic bombs.

"WHAT IS THAT?!?!?!" I exclaimed, horrified.

"EVERYONE TO THE GROUND!!!" shouted Krillin.

I barely had time to grab Gohan close to me when Piccolo threw us against the ground, protecting us with his body and covering us with his cape.

We heard the energy ball make a strange sound, but it didn't explode. Something else seemed to have hit it, sending a violent shockwave through us all. And then, it vanished. It evaporated as if it had never existed, only leaving a trace of dark smoke, much larger than the previous one.

Piccolo helped me and Gohan up, asking if we were okay. Just like we did in the battle against the Saiyans, the three of us inspected each other. Fortunately, no one was injured.

"Oh!" Gohan pointed to the skies. "What's that?"

We looked up and spotted three figures hovering above. Everyone gasped, startled. One of those figures held a large medieval-style sword, and his hair was shining with an intense yellow glow.

My heart failed for a moment when I contemplated such a vision, even from so far away. So… that was a Super Saiyan?!

Confirming my thoughts, the Super Saiyan moved in a quick strike and cut the figure in front of him into multiple little pieces. He then launched a beam of energy that completely disintegrated his target.

A strong smell of flesh and burning metal filled that region. I didn't even need to look at the others for me to know how everyone was in a complete state of stupefaction.

"If I'm not seeing things," said Vegeta, "the guy who was exterminated was... Frieza!"

A series of murmurs and incredulous exclamations took over our group.

"This Super Saiyan tore the powerful Frieza to pieces in just a few seconds!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Is it true, Piccolo?!" I turned to him, perplexed. "Was that really Frieza?"

"Yes..." His glassy eyes were still staring at the remains, which were slowly falling to the ground. "It was him. His Ki… completely disappeared!"

"There's no doubt that our friend Goku got back much stronger!" said Bulma. "He eliminated that bastard Frieza in the blink of an eye! Aw, how great! The Earth is safe again!"

"Bulma, don't you still get it?" replied Tien. "That man is not Goku! He's definitely a Super Saiyan, but–"

Tien was unable to finish, as Vegeta grunted in impatience, and, contrary to what he recommended just now, he flew off to get closer to the conflict.

"Lettie, Gohan, come quickly!" warned Piccolo, and we followed him. Soon, everyone was flying towards the Super Saiyan, with Bulma squealing in Yamcha's arms.

As we got closer, we got another scare. The Super Saiyan launched a beam of energy right into the middle of the chest of the remaining figure, which I identified as a gigantic purple lizard in black armor. The lizard agonized for a moment on the ground, begging for his life and even offering all the planets from his solar system. But, the mysterious Super Saiyan ignored him and blasted him with another well-aimed blow. He then turned to Frieza's spaceship and destroyed it as well.

"B-But, who's this guy?" I whispered, looking at that Super Saiyan standing on top of a hill.

"H-He..." added Piccolo; his voice as weak as mine. "He's just a boy!"

Piccolo was right. When that Super Saiyan returned to normal, we saw that he was nothing more than a teenager. How was that possible?!

Then, just like that, the boy turned to us with a big smile and said, "Well then! From now on, I'll await Son Goku's arrival. Do you guys want to accompany me?"

"WHAT?!" was the unanimous response.

"H-How do you know my father?" asked Gohan, astonished.

"Come! Follow me here!" The boy pointed in a direction. "In a few hours, Goku will arrive!"

Silence.

"Who is he?" asked Piccolo in a whisper, talking to himself. He was pretty tense, his gaze darker than before.

"Son Goku will arrive in three hours," declared the boy. "Please follow me!"

Even though we were uncertain about his identity, we did what he asked. After all, he had defeated that Frieza guy with a single blow. That had to count for something! Besides, I could feel a good energy emanating from him.

We followed him for a few minutes in that desert landscape until we stopped at a point surrounded by rocks jutting out here and there. Finally, I was able to see that boy up close.

Indeed, he was a teenager. He wore a black outfit, with a short purple jacket and heavy yellow boots. On his back, his great sword was held in an orange scabbard. I looked closely at his face. He had a nervous look, but his blue eyes revealed innocence and kindness. Strands of light purple hair filled the top of his head.

No one dared to make a peep. In silence, the boy looked at us shyly and then took a small box from his jacket pocket, which was opened. From there, he picked up what looked like a cylindrical object and threw it on the ground. Everyone jumped in fright when the cylinder exploded and, in its place, a minibar appeared.

The most futuristic minibar I've ever seen.

Confused, we watched him go to the minibar and grab a can of soda.

"We still have a lot of time until Goku arrives." He smiled. "I have drinks here, and it's pretty hot. Please help yourselves." And he opened his can and took a big gulp.

Piccolo and I exchanged confused looks. Gohan, on the other hand, was super excited at the prospect of drinking something cold in the desert heat.

"Well, I'll have one!" Bulma went to the boy.

"Me too!" Gohan ran after her.

"Hey! Gohan, wait!" I tried to reach him, but he slipped out of my hands. Piccolo was also not happy with his impulsive attitude. But what could we do? Gohan was just a kid with the opportunity to drink a soda that had literally exploded from the ground.

"Well..." I sighed. "I don't think there's any harm in just taking a sip, don't you?" I started to walk, but Piccolo stopped me.

"Hang on. We don't know who this boy is. What if there is something inside these drinks? Something…" His eyes darkened. "Deadly or… I don't know!"

As usual, since returning to Earth, Piccolo seemed to be hiding something he didn't want to tell me. However, I gently touched his hand. "I don't think we're in any danger. I feel kindness in him, and you?"

Reluctantly, Piccolo snorted and finally replied, "Alright, alright! Gee..."

Everyone now surrounded the boy, each with a drink in their hands (Piccolo refused to take one). The soda was very delicious. I've never seen anything like it on the market. It must be some new brand.

"Listen..." Bulma analyzed him carefully. "Have we met anywhere before? You look familiar to me..."

"M-M-Me?!" he exclaimed. "No. We haven't!"

"How do you know my dad?" inquired Gohan.

"Actually, I've never seen your dad." The boy smiled. "But I've heard a lot of stories about him."

"So how do you know my brother will be here in three hours?" I asked.

"I'm sorry." He lowered his head. "But I can't say."

"What do you mean, 'you can't say'?!" Vegeta took a step forward. He also didn't drink anything. "Who are you, anyway??? How did you get your powers???"

When looking at Vegeta, the boy became even more anxious. "I'm really sorry, but I can't tell you."

Piccolo shifted uncomfortably behind me and Gohan; like a guardian angel ready to spring into action at any moment. I thought it would be better to continue talking to ease the tense atmosphere, "When you defeated Frieza, you were in Super Saiyan form, correct?"

"I-I..." He avoided our gazes. "Uh… Yes, that's right."

"What a joke!" Vegeta got angry. "The only Saiyans that exist in the Universe are me, Kakarot (known on Earth as Son Goku), this boy who is his half-breed son, and this female here, his younger sister! Therefore, it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to be a Saiyan!"

Despite the derogatory way Vegeta spoke about Gohan and I (which made Piccolo huff in anger), he had a point. Where did that Saiyan come from? Weren't we extinct?

"But, we all saw how he transformed into a Super Saiyan to defeat Frieza," claimed Gohan. My nephew also had a point.

"It doesn't matter," replied Vegeta. "Besides, Saiyans normally have black hair. Just look at his hair! It looks like he took a lavender bath and that crap came out!"

The boy got pretty embarrassed by Vegeta's comment. It was getting harder and harder to bear him. I was feeling a constant irritation emanating from me and the other warriors. Piccolo glared at him. Yamcha looked like he wanted to bury himself in the ground. Tien deliberately rolled his three eyes in impatience, while Krillin scratched his bald head so much that it turned red. I, on the other hand, wanted to kick him in the nuts and say, "Oops! My bad!"

"Look!" Bulma pointed to a symbol embroidered on the boy's jacket. "It's the logo of my company, Capsule Corporation. Why are you using it? Are you one of our employees?"

"No." He showed a little smile. "I'm not your employee."

"Oh, is that a secret too?" replied Bulma. "So you won't reveal your name or your age to us?"

"I can't say my name, but I'm seventeen years old."

Only seventeen and he has already defeated a guy as powerful as Frieza?! Wow… impressive! I wish I was this strong when I was seventeen. I'm sure I would have won every Clandestine Tournament I've ever participated in.

A buzz began among the warriors about the whole mystery surrounding that boy and the fact that he could not reveal his identity. I confess that, despite everything really being quite suspicious, I felt sorry for him. He was very shy about all that barrage of questions.

"Now, stop bothering him!" said Bulma. "Don't forget that he just saved Earth from Frieza's threat!"

With that said, she winked at the boy, who blushed and looked away. Bulma also seemed to awaken something in him, but what?

To cover it up, he came to me and said, "I see you finished your drink, Ms. Lettie." He gently took my empty can. "Would you accept another one? I have one here, chocolate flavor, very sweet. You like it, don't you?"

A bit stunned, I ended up accepting the new drink (it was really delicious!), but how did he know that I liked very sweet chocolate?

Strange… Very strange…

In any case, there was no point in standing there pressuring him. If he was telling the truth, Goku would only arrive in three hours. Therefore, our group dispersed and each one went to a corner, trapped in their thoughts.

Like every child, Gohan couldn't stand to sit still and wandered from one person to another, starting conversations and playing. Piccolo and I sat on a rock plateau at a distance, back to back to support each other.

"Lettie, are you asleep?" asked Piccolo after several minutes of silence.

"Darling," I said after a yawn, "I work from Monday to Saturday non-stop, I have a baby to raise, a house to take care of and several bills to pay. If I sit in any corner, I fall asleep."

Piccolo chuckled. In fact, I was almost falling asleep. The combination of the sweet drink, the cozy texture of Piccolo's cape and the warm temperature of his back gave me a pleasant feeling of lethargy. However, an annoying mosquito bit me on the neck and the slap I gave myself woke me up.

"Thank you for defending me from what Vegeta said about me and Naíma," I said, since I was awake.

"He's nothing more than a selfish imbecile." Piccolo turned his head to look at me. His tone turned apprehensive, "Were you... Were you offended by what he said to you?"

"No. I don't need to prove myself to anyone." I paused for a moment and lowered my shoulders. "But I confess that he made me think. You know, I don't regret opening my School, much less adopting Naíma, at all! I am deeply proud of all that. However, I cannot deny that I am not able to train as I would like. Teaching children and teenagers is not the same thing as training for real, like we did in our Training. I miss all the action and hard workouts. I miss feeling like a Saiyan warrior. But, I just don't have time, Piccolo! Tell me, where will I find a gap in my routine to train? The only time I have is on the weekends, but I think it's important to dedicate them to spending time with Naíma, Gohan and… with you."

The mood between us became awkward, and we remained silent for a moment. I saw how Piccolo blushed at my statement. Dang it. Should I have said that out loud?

Anyway, he cleared his throat and continued the conversation, "Listen, Lettie, as you said yourself, you now have many responsibilities that you didn't have at the time of our Training. It's normal to feel overwhelmed and not be able to do everything you want." He sat next to me so he could look at me. "Last week, you told me that more and more students are showing up, but you can't create new classes because your schedule is full. Today, when we left Naíma with Chi-chi, you mentioned that you needed a substitute teacher. Isn't it time for you… to expand your business? Hire a teacher to share your classes, this way, you will have more free time and, consequently, you will earn more money with another teacher at your School."

"Do you really think so?"

"Sure. Look. I know you always keep a part of what you earn. I bet you have enough money to build another annex to your house. In a short time, with the new classes, you will recover the money invested in the renovation. And then, you'll have a new teacher to share your classes with and more free time to train at your will."

When Piccolo finished speaking, I found myself gazing with an air of admiration. He always gave me that feeling. I'll never forget when he gave me the idea of ​​becoming a teacher the night Gohan got lost in our Training. No one had ever believed so much in my potential.

Piccolo made me feel like I could do anything in the world.

In response, I smiled at him and squeezed his arm. 

"You're the smartest man in all the galaxies, you know that?" I said with a silly smile.

"I'll pretend I believe that." He smiled back, and our eyes met.

For a moment, just for the tiniest moment, it seemed like there was nothing wrong between us. Oh, how I longed to be taken by his protective arms! How I wished that nothing had changed since his death and now we were a family, with our little daughter waiting for us to return with Uncle Goku.

But then, Piccolo looked away and returned to displaying the same concern he had shown since arriving at Earth. My heart sank in anguish by seeing him like that.

However, I am a very, very patient woman and I decided not to say anything else.

Three hours passed. The boy stood up from where he was sitting and declared, "Okay then!" He consulted a wristwatch. "Goku should be arriving at any moment now."

Everyone jumped up. The moment of truth was coming. Either that boy was a fraud, or my brother would actually show up.

Suddenly we gasp.

"I-I'm feeling Goku's Ki!!!" I exclaimed, unable to contain myself.

Voices stood out from us as each one said how much they could also feel his Ki approaching.

"So…" Bulma looked at the boy, astonished. "He didn't lie to us! How is this possible?! How could you guess that?!"

"IT'S MY DAD!!! IT'S MY DAD!!!" Gohan was shaking in pure excitement next to me. I found myself feeling tears welling up in my eyes at the prospect of meeting my brother again. Would we finally have a chance to get to know each other better? Would we have the opportunity to spend time together? I've never wanted so much to hire a substitute teacher as quickly as possible, so I can have more free time for my family!

I looked at the boy, who was contemplating the skies with a little smile. I knew there was something special about him! It didn't matter who he was, I already liked him.

"HE'S HERE!!!!!!!" Gohan pointed to a bright spot in the sky.

A space pod was descending quickly, cutting through the white clouds, releasing sparks as if it were a shooting star. The space pod flew past our group, causing a wave of wind that made our hair and clothes flap.

And then… BOOM!!! — The space pod landing caused a bang.

There was silence. Brown smoke rose ahead.

Gohan dashed towards the landing site. I was the first to follow him, and the others soon followed behind. An atmosphere of hope hovered over us.

When we stopped at the edge of the crater that the space pod formed, everyone was panting, anxious. The boy stopped right next to me and smiled at me and Piccolo.

Slowly, the space pod opened, and from its inside, he emerged, with that same innocent face that everyone knew:

Goku.