Chapter 08

PICCOLO

In the fourth month of Training, Lettie and Gohan had completely changed.

I also made some changes: my teaching methods, and it was the best decision I could ever have made.

Honestly, seeing the result of that, I realized how differently I should have acted with them from the beginning. It would have saved us a lot of trouble, and spared me the sadness and guilt that still took over my heart from time to time when I remembered everything I did to them.

Truly, the reason Lettie got so ill on that occasion was due to the amount of intense exercises and simulations I put her through. Even though she was a Saiyan, her menstrual cycle turned into a mess with so many sudden changes; physical, emotional, and impacts on her body, which, when her period finally came, was too much for her to handle.

And my kick to her stomach was the trigger for it all.

Over time and with my, let's say, "new coexistence" with Lettie and Gohan, I came up with ideas of what I could adapt so that our Training would be comfortable for a woman and a child, and they wouldn't succumb to exhaustion and fatigue.

The first thing I stopped doing was waking them up suddenly in the middle of the night. I planned a sleep routine that was practical and efficient, and the results were promising. They woke up more energetic and performed much more throughout the day, which made their Ki and combat techniques also improve.

By the way, I was true to my word and taught Lettie how to channel her Ki to help with the cramps. With that, plus a balanced diet and the changes in our Training, her menstrual cycle got back to normal and became so healthy to the point that she almost no longer felt so much discomfort during her periods.

I also realized that even though Lettie and I had practically started our relationship from scratch that day, with all the shame and embarrassment that such an event could cause, I felt that a barrier between us had… disappeared.

I do not deny that, at first, Lettie still behaved with insecurity around me, because I naturally had a grumpy face and I still had to fight against my urges to respond to them with harsh words. However, as the days went by, I noticed how she, little by little and cautiously, allowed herself to open up to me. Lettie stopped being that quiet, apathetic woman and returned to normal. Like Gohan, she had a gentle temperament, but joy and vivacity got back to her spirit.

I finally understood the meaning of being a Master.

Speaking of Gohan, he also benefited from all the changes I made. In fact, I was surprised at how his performance improved by having a lighter and less traumatic routine.

He became a... normal child (ignoring his Saiyan nature, of course). But he no longer looked as depressed as I had seen him during those first two intense months. On the contrary, he was a happy boy, excited about the prospect of fighting alongside his father in the future against the Saiyans, and, above all, with such absurd energy that, I confess, sometimes it left me exhausted at the end of the day.

The three of us were still figuring out how to deal with each other, however, gradually, a different feeling began to surround our coexistence: peace.

It was true that Gohan still cried for missing his mom and dad, but it became rare, and I believe that Lettie's presence filled that emptiness. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a woman with as much vocation for motherhood as her.

Lettie knew Gohan's needs just by looking at him. She knew how he felt, what he needed, and even what he thought, which scared me, and I strongly suspected that she had telepathic abilities and didn't inform me.

Both remained inseparable, in a connection that only blood bonds could explain such a phenomenon. As part of the Saiyan race, it was clear that Lettie was more liberal in allowing Gohan to freely venture into fights and exercises, as she herself had a strong inclination towards these activities. However, she never stopped being affectionate and helpful towards her nephew, and, due to that natural way of hers, it ended up that all that care was also directed… at me.

It was so strange and, I repeat, embarrassing to me how good and nice she became towards me, despite everything I had done and was still doing when I failed to contain my angry impulses. But it was as if Lettie actually saw and recognized that, even though I was failing, I was trying to be better.

When I met her for the first time on Master Roshi's island and she asked me why I didn't help her when she was kidnapped by Raditz, I thought she was an arrogant and conceited woman. But when I stopped to analyze it, I saw that her reaction to me on that island was quite plausible and realistic, because she was just... scared and confused by the sudden turn her life took.

And now, there, living in the reality of everyday life with her, Lettie has shown herself to be the kindest person I have ever met, and I strongly suspect that, in the end, Gohan took after his aunt, not his father or mother in personality, as he was a miniature boy version of her. It was fascinating to watch them, so similar they were.

It was clear how both Lettie and Gohan loved fighting. That was a specific attribute of their race. However, I realized that they… uh... how can I say? They brought a meaning to that.

They weren't fighting just because they enjoyed the adrenaline that fights caused; as a mere pleasurable activity or to see who was the strongest among the warriors of this world, no.

Lettie and Gohan were fighting for a cause, and it was that virtue that, one day, also made me question why I was fighting, and for whom.

We were about to start the fifth month of Training, and I was teaching them levitation techniques, before we actually started flying, in an open area around three in the afternoon.

With arms and legs crossed, I was sitting on the sandy, desert ground, with Gohan copying me at my side, while Lettie stood in front of us, with her eyes closed, her fists clenched and her expression focused as she concentrated to be able to execute the levitation.

"Go, Aunt Lettie!" Gohan raised his arms, still smiling from ear to ear after having managed to levitate in his turn, minutes ago. "You can do it!"

"Oh..." she whimpered, shaking her body to relax. "Why is it easier for children, huh?"

"Because they have fewer worries on their minds," I replied with a chuckle.

Lettie closed her eyes as she chuckled with me, adjusting her posture again to concentrate. A minute of silence passed, and we heard a loud growl coming from her stomach.

"Aw, I'm so hungry!" She frowned, still with her eyes closed, and then raised her eyebrows and moistened her lips. "I think I'll eat a square of my chocolate bar after dinner today. Yummy!"

"Think better about it," I said. "I won't go out to buy another one during your PMS."

She grumbled like a grumpy old lady.

(Yes, I did buy her a big sweet chocolate bar, but I still had a reputation to maintain.)

"Focus," I ordered in a firm tone. "Stop thinking about food and concentrate properly."

"Alright..." She puffed her cheeks and let out the air. "Come on, Lettie… For the future of the Earth… For the future of the galaxies and… For the future of your stomach!!!"

I felt her Ki increase, and the sand moved around her, dancing with the soft swirl that surrounded her, making her short hair float.

"She's... She's making it!" exclaimed Gohan happily.

"Shhh! Be quiet! Or you'll distract her!"

"Sorry!"

The strength of the swirl intensified.

Gohan and I covered our eyes against the sand.

Lettie's feet rose and... lifted off the ground.

She did it! She levitated!

KABOOOOOMM!!!!!!!!! — The rumble of a thunder echoed in the distance, and she lost her focus, her balance, and fell to the sand with a thud.

An indignant Lettie, Gohan, and I looked in the direction of that noise and spotted gigantic black clouds.

A storm was approaching, and fast.

Five minutes later, the three of us were running through that vast area, soaking wet. I glanced at Lettie and Gohan, covering their faces beside me against the freezing wind that was punishing us. We were kilometers away from the Camp and, if we continued at that pace, they would catch one of those colds, and that would disrupt the Training.

I had no other choice.

"Lettie!" I raised my voice above the sound of the rain. "Pick Gohan up, quickly!"

"Right!" She promptly obeyed.

I took her in my arms and flew off (Gohan squealed with delight, for he apparently found the situation super fun). He curled up on his aunt's chest, and she on mine, to protect themselves from the strong rain and wind that hit us mercilessly in the air. Lettie then found a way to manage to grab my cape, bring it forward and cover them, now both of them giggling under it while I was left screwing myself up in that storm to our Camp.

When we got there, I put them down. Luckily, the tent I bought was relatively large, and I soon changed my clothes to take off that massive thing I called cape, and we sneaked into the tent.

I was the last to enter, and Lettie sat cross-legged in a corner, her hair wet and face flushed from the effort. When I sat down in front of her, I saw a little something huddling under the blankets between us.

"BOO!!!" Gohan jumped out of the blankets, raising his little arms. That got a genuine laugh from me and Lettie, but I quickly frowned, as I needed to maintain my pose as a tough and mysterious man.

Then, we watched the storm through the tent entrance.

"Humph..." I snorted. "I think that's enough Training for today."

"YAYYYYY!" They both celebrated.

"Day off!" Gohan clapped his hands. "Thank you, rain!"

"Don't get used to it," I replied. "It's just for today and... Hey! Lettie, what are you doing?"

She was covering me with one of the blankets. "You've exposed yourself to the cold." She smiled, adjusting it over my shoulders. "You need to wrap up warmly."

I made a sullen grimace, but inside, I felt grateful and embarrassed for her care. Lettie also wanted to cover Gohan and told him to take the opportunity and take a nice nap, but, apparently, like any normal child, he replied that sleep is for the weak, and he wanted to play!, and refused the blanket, jumping on the mattress at his maximum peak of energy.

Lettie and I exchanged that typical look between two tired adults, and she turned to her nephew, "Hey, boy, listen here... This way, we're going to need another kid to be able to keep up with all that excitement of yours. Don't you have any friends who also want to join us in Training against the Saiyans?"

"Don't you start, Lettie," I said. "I have no mental health to train another brat."

Gohan, however, stopped jumping and sat down on the mattress with a look of deep sadness, and declared, "I... I don't have any friends."

Lettie and I looked at each other, frowning.

"How come?" she asked. "Didn't you tell me you went to school?"

"Yes, I did."

"So, I bet you have friends there, don't you?"

"Nah, Mom doesn't like that I play..." Gohan sighed. "She thinks it's a waste of time and prefers that I study."

Lettie sought my gaze with a look of astonishment.

"But you don't play even in your school recess?" I asked.

He shook his head and replied, "The other kids make fun of me because of my tail, and I feel embawassed, so I stay alone in the classroom instead of going to the playground."

Lettie opened her mouth in silent indignation, and I confess that I also felt bad for Gohan.

"But what about your neighbors?" she questioned. "Isn't there any couples with children nearby?"

"My family lives in the countryside. Our closest neighbors live in the mountains."

"And what do you do when you're at home, then?" I asked.

"I study."

Silence.

"You study and...?" began Lettie.

"That's all," completed Gohan. "I study."

"And nothing else?" I raised my eyebrow.

"No. Mom's very strict about it and makes me study about eight hours a day."

Lettie was in complete shock. "B-But you're only four! How come you already study eight hours a day?" She looked up at me. "Not even a teenager in High School does that, right?"

"Dunno," I replied. "I've never had the misfortune of getting close to one."

She rolled her eyes and turned to her nephew, "But, Gohan, sweetheart, what do you do in your free time?"

"Hmm..." He placed his hand on this chin, thoughtfully. "Sometimes I twain with Daddy. But other than that, I just study, study, and study."

I noticed that Lettie unconsciously gripped the fabric of her pants tightly, looking pretty disturbed, with the rain outside being the only sound in an uncomfortable silence that surrounded us.

Look, Chi-chi might have her reasons, and I was no expert when it came to raising children, but at that moment, as I watched Gohan vent about his miserable academic life, I had an immense desire to give his mother a piece of her mind, and when I glanced at Lettie, she seemed to be thinking the same.

"Well... Uh..." She scratched the back of her head and tried to sound more optimistic. "But, tell me... What would you do if you had free time to do whatever you wanted?"

"Oh, I'd like to explore!" Gohan responded promptly, his face lighting up.

"Explore what, exactly?" I asked.

"The nature, the insects, the animals..." He opened his arms. "I want to be a gweat scholar when I grow up!"

"Oh, so you like Science, huh?" Lettie seemed more relieved to see her nephew's sudden excitement.

"A lot! It's my favorite school subject! I have many books at home about animals and plants and..." He then stopped and gazed at us with a huge smile. "Oh, I had an idea!!! Aunt Lettie, after we defeat the Saiyans, why don't you and Mr. Piccolo get married and give me a little cousin? I'm sure that, if it's family, Mommy will let me play explorer with them in the woods near our house!"

Lettie laughed out loud, clearly amused by his suggestion, while I stiffened so hard that my muscles ached.

"Oh, Gohan... You're one of a kind..." She wiped away a tear, still laughing. "But, I don't know if I'm Mr. Piccolo's type." She gave me a playful wink, and I held my breath.

"Look!" Gohan pointed at me. "Mr. Piccolo is blushing!" And they both covered their mouths to giggle like two idiots exchanging confidences and gossip.

"ARGH!" I grunted impatiently and left the tent. "That's enough!"

"Hahah-huh? Where are you going?" Lettie raised her voice to be heard above the sound of the rain at the tent's entrance as I stomped my feet in irritation to the edge of the Camp, splashing water with each step.

"Anywhere away from this nonsense!" I replied and flew off, leaving those two alone with their folly.

I flew without even knowing where I was going to, feeling my veins throbbing in my temples.

Me and Lettie? Get married and give Gohan a little cousin?! Can you believe such an idea?!

It was simply pathetic!

"Yada yada, I don't know if I'm Mr. Piccolo's type." Ugh! What a waste of time! With a global threat approaching, and they are thinking about that?! Honestly, the only reason I didn't force them to train in the rain was because I was already too far from the Camp. Just because of that.

How absurd! Me and Lettie, a couple?!

Ridiculous!

Ridiculous…

***

When I returned to the Camp at night, I found her preparing dinner. In silence and watching her with a surly face, I sat in my usual spot next to the fire.

"Where's Gohan?" My voice echoed, harshly.

"I managed to get him to sleep after you left." Lettie looked up at me with a little smile as she stirred in the cauldron.

"Humph!" I grumbled. "If he sleeps too much now, he won't sleep after dinner."

"Just ask him to run fifty laps around the Camp, and he'll soon get tired again." She made a mischievous expression. "Have you calmed down?"

"And who said I'm angry???" I replied.

Lettie laughed and replied, "Don't take what Gohan said so seriously. He's just a kid daydreaming about someone to play with."

I wrinkled my nose and didn't know what to say. Lettie then took a spoon from the kitchen utensils, filled it with soup, and offered it to me.

"Here, try it. See if it is as good as the other days. It will calm you down."

"I'VE ALREADY SAID I'M FINE!" I lied but accepted that shameful moment of her spooning soup into my mouth. I analyzed the flavor, cleared my throat, and made a disdainful face. "Put some in a bowl. I couldn't feel anything with just this ridiculous amount."

Lettie straightened up in excitement, then handed me a bowl full of soup. I ate a spoonful and another, and another, and another…

Finally, I concluded, "Yeah... It's just okay. You'll get there, someday."

She chuckled and thanked me. However, her expression hardened and she said, "Let me ask you something… about what we talked about earlier in the tent."

I choked on the soup. She wouldn't dare go into that subject again, would she?

Lettie sat cross-legged and rubbed her hands. "Remember that Gohan said that, when he was at home, he would just study, study, and study?"

Oh, that was it then?

Phew...

"Yes, I remember," I replied. "What's up with that?"

"It's just..." Lettie bit the inside of her mouth, a little nervous. "I thought about it for a while and... I came to the conclusion that he's living the same thing here, with us. But instead of just study, study, and study, all he does is train, train, and train."

"So what? It's necessary for our mission. What else did you want him to do? Explore nature?" I laughed with indifference.

Lettie turned and gazed deeply at me. "Exactly."

She said that with such seriousness that I straightened my back.

"I don't get it," I replied.

"What I'm saying is..." she sighed. "We're in the perfect place for him to do this kind of exploration and unleash his imagination and creativity." She then laughed. "To be honest, to this day I have no idea where you have brought us to, but I cannot deny that it's a beautiful place. There are a lot of interesting things to do here. If we could take a little time out of our day to do these activities and–"

"Oh, no, no, and no!" I cut it short. "No way, Lettie! I won't allow Gohan to be distracted by this foolishness. Forget about it."

"But it's not foolishness. It will do good for someone so small as him to relax a little after Training." She pointed to the tent and lowered her voice. "This boy has no fun other than fighting and training all day! You and I do this without any problems because we're adults and we know our responsibilities. But even you can see how Gohan is getting quite restless. He needs to spend this energy on something he actually enjoys doing. He needs to be a child!"

"But he likes fighting." I shrugged.

"Yes, but it's not his favorite activity, and you know that."

I remained silent, looking at her, thoughtful and pondering the questions she had raised.

I hated to admit it, but Lettie was right.

If Gohan continued to have all that child energy growing inside him without being discharged properly, it would be the two of us who would bear the consequences, and the incident with Lettie's period taught me enough about how it was not wise to neglect such matters.

She touched my arm. "Don't worry about our Training. What I ask is that you dismiss us half an hour earlier, so we can explore the region and play for a while."

"Half an hour?!" I repeated in a loud tone, but soon lowered my voice as we looked at the tent, and I turned to Lettie. "That's too much. No way. Fifteen minutes is enough."

"Twenty!" she replied and gazed at me in a sweet and pleading way. "Please..."

Something about those bright blue eyes made me uncomfortable and I had to look away.

Damn it.

"Alright, alright!" I snorted. "Twenty minutes after Training and nothing more. And I want a weekly report on the discoveries he made." I grunted in impatience. "At least he'll train his brain muscles."

"Have I ever told you that you are amazing?" Lettie smiled, taking my now empty bowl and adding more soup. "Here. In gratitude, eat more. I'll soon call Gohan to come and join us."

"And have I ever told you that you bother me?" I accepted the soup, not without giving another grumble of irritation, and went back to eating while she laughed at her victory.

"Well, now I'm curious." Lettie narrowed her eyes at me. "Since Gohan said he wants to be a great scholar when he grows up, tell me... What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your… biggest dream?"

"I've already told you. World domination."

"Oh, right." She nodded with a smile. "I forgot about it, sorry."

We remained silent for a while. Gee, the soup was excellent. It even had small pieces of fish.

"So..." Lettie spoke again. "After you dominate the world, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"What are you going to do, exactly? What is the routine of a World Dominator? You wake up, sit on a fancy throne and… what happens next?"

What... happens... next?

She and I looked at each other for long seconds, and I reflected on her question.

What happens next…?

I… never got to that part. I would conquer the entire Earth and… that was it. This was my goal since my father, the great Piccolo Daimaoh, brought me into the world.

What happens next?

I… I… I don't know!

"Master?" She called me. "Are you okay? It looks like you're having an existential crisis."

And I... And I was, indeed!

"Did I say something wrong?" she added.

"No!" I replied, dryly. "Forget it, it was nothing. I-I… Uh…" I shook my head to compose myself. So, I paused and took a deep breath, normalizing my intonation and eager to stop being the protagonist of that conversation as quickly as possible. "You tell me, Lettie. What is your dream?"

She gazed at the fire and got a contemplative expression, her eyes gleaming from the crackling flames, and gave me a shy smile. "I'll tell you if you don't get angry at me."

"And why would I be angry at you?"

"It's because... my dream is..." She looked pretty anxious, hiding her hands between her crossed legs. "Is exactly what Gohan said in the tent." She turned to me. "Get married and have children." She shrugged. "Anyway... have a family."

I felt a hundred butterflies in my stomach and I shivered. Not that topic again?!?!

I faked a mixture of a cough and a disdainful laugh. "HA!" And you say that my dream is cliché."

"Oh, stop it, will you?" She laughed, giving me a little playful slap. "Don't mock me."

I couldn't help but smile back. Lettie was like that. She had the gift of making any conversation lighter, no matter how embarrassing it was.

"And there wasn't anything more interesting for you to dream about?" I questioned, feeling more relaxed.

"Oh... It's just..." She sighed and suddenly acquired a sad expression. "I think that when you're found in an open field as a baby, you skip from one shelter to another because they think you're a weirdo, and you grow up all by yourself, you end up having these types of silly dreams."

Silence.

Lettie also had the gift of making me feel uncomfortable.

However, as if nothing had happened, she smiled at me again and asked, "Can I just ask you one thing?"

"Go on."

"If when you dominate the world I already have my family, could you please spare them?"

I froze, and she remained there, gazing at me with a sweet face and smiling in her typical playful way, while my soup fell from the spoon halfway to my mouth and dirtied my clothes. I shook my head, a little disturbed by that moment of dispersion, and replied, "I-I'll think about it."

"Thanks." She stood up and stretched her numb muscles. "I knew you were a good person. I think you may even have a heart."

"Be careful with what you say..." I filled my bowl with soup for the third time. "Or I'll make you run around this Camp fifty times with Gohan."

Lettie snorted with a chuckle and started walking towards the tent, but then she stopped and turned to me, "You know... I think that, deep down, we have a lot in common. In the end, you and I are just two people who have lived alone for a long time. I understand you, and I know it's not easy."

I gaped my mouth slightly.

That took me by surprise, and touched me deeply.

Despite Lettie's observation, for the first time in my life, I felt that I was no longer alone.

She gave me a nod, blinking and smiling kindly, and headed to the tent to call Gohan. Bathed in the light of the stars and the Moon that Kami-sama had placed back in the sky, I watched her walk away for much longer than I should have, and with a single conclusion haunting my thoughts:

Just when I thought I already had all the answers to my life, Lettie came and changed all my questions.