Chapter 14

PICCOLO

I wrapped my arms around Lettie and Gohan to comfort them, kissing them on the top of their heads.

Do not think it was easy for me to make such a public display of affection, with Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu undoubtedly watching us.

But war does that to people. Even with the most resilient hearts like mine.

I've made a mistake. A terrible and huge mistake.

What was I thinking when I wanted to train Lettie and Gohan to fight against such merciless enemies?

Even though they were now formally trained Saiyans, that battle was becoming too much for them to bear.

Too much for me to bear.

Yamcha's sudden death affected me more than I allowed to show, because with it, I realized how one step away I was from, at any moment, also losing them. 

I should have never trained them. I should've left them at the place where Goku died after our fight against Raditz, to go on with their lives, and I alone should've trained for this moment. I should have never placed such a burden and responsibility on their shoulders.

But on the other hand, if I had not trained them, I would never have met them, and I would never have changed.

The way the situation was progressing, the end of the inhabitants of this planet was closer than I imagined, and the only thing my soul wanted was to run away and find those Saiyans' Space Pods to put Lettie and Gohan inside and send them away. Out into the Universe, with a slim chance of them being able to survive all this destruction, the same way Lettie's mother did when she was a baby.

Would it be a selfish desire on my part? Perhaps.

But that was the price I was paying for allowing myself to become attached to them; for allowing a feeling, more powerful than any other, to get into my heart during the year we spent together.

I will not dwell on the details of the misfortune that befell our group after I saved Lettie and Gohan from the clutches of that Saibaiman. I don't have the guts for it, much less the patience to remember the worst day of my life so far.

Even with Krillin's powerful blow against the Saibaimen, the Saiyans were unharmed, and that scoundrel Nappa decided to attack us with his own hands, causing an earthquake so intense that dark clouds formed above our heads, full of lightning and thunder, and the ground split in half.

Nappa looked like an insane maniac, with bloodshot eyes, thirsty to attack us. When setting Tien as his next target, such was the violence of his blow against him, that it cut off half of his left arm.

The battlefield then turned into a living hell.

Krillin, overcome by anger at seeing his injured friend, wanted to interfere, which only made Nappa shoot a beam of energy that caused a gigantic explosion, making the rupture in the earth of his earthquake to increase until a crater was formed so deep, it looked more like an abyss.

It was Chiaotzu's turn to avenge his friend. He clung to Nappa's back, who couldn't reach him due to his small size. After countless attempts to get him off his back, we watched, in complete shock, that little man's body emit a very bright light and, in the next second, self-explode.

We had lost Chiaotzu.

But, worst of all, Nappa had survived the attack, and even laughed in disdain at Chiaotzu's (useless) sacrifice.

His death affected our group a lot, especially Tien and Krillin. Apparently, he had already been resurrected once by the Dragon Balls, and now, there was no going back.

Even Lettie and Gohan, whom I didn't allow to leave my side for even a second during all this time, were shaken upon witnessing that barbarity, at the sight of a livid Tien with half his arm severed mourning the definitive death of his best friend, and Nappa and Vegeta looking at us with sadistic smiles on their faces.

Gohan was terrified to extreme levels, which only increased Lettie's concern, and consequently, mine. Like every woman with a strong maternal instinct, her attention was focused on her nephew; and I, as the responsible and leader of that family circle that we unintentionally formed during the time we spent together, needed to ensure that no harm came to them.

Even Krillin joined us when Tien, in an act of fury over the death of his best friend, threw himself into fighting Nappa, even in his deplorable condition.

The battle between them was so intense that strong gales hit us, accompanied by hundreds of shattered boulders that flew toward us.

Krillin wanted to go help Tien, but I said that it would be better to wait for Nappa to let his guard down, so we could attack together. Lettie also wanted to join in the plan, claiming she would hide Gohan behind a large rock, so he would be safe while we attacked. At first, I didn't like the idea of her accompanying us, but I couldn't deny that her strength would be very useful against our opponent.

After Lettie hid Gohan in a safe place, the three of us witnessed Nappa knock a weak Tien to the ground, and then float up to the sky to give him the final blow.

That was our cue!

"Let's go!" I ordered.

Krillin and I rushed towards Nappa and, with a left hook, I punched him in the cheeks towards Krillin, who countered with a double punch to the top of his head.

Nappa began to fall.

"LETTIE!" I exclaimed. "GO!!!"

From the ground, she extended her arms in front of her body, opening her hands parallel to each other. "TENKOCHI!!!"

From her ten fingers, ten energy balls formed.

Lettie directed them like homing missiles at Nappa.

But the bastard was faster.

Only three energy balls hit him, and he dodged the other seven, which ended up falling into the rock formations around us, causing more impacts and merciless gales. Covering my eyes, the only thing I could hear was Gohan's frightened screams from his hiding place.

When the smoke cleared, Nappa was floating in front of us in the distance. His face was bleeding from two large cuts caused by Lettie's attack.

Even though it was not the time or the moment for this, I couldn't help but feel a wave of pride for my girl— I mean, for my student.

However, those injuries on his face didn't make Nappa happy at all.

I looked at Lettie and Krillin, and they both nodded with a worried but determined nod.

We had no choice but to attack Nappa with full force.

We flew at him, all at once. Our movements were so fast, it seemed like each of us had tripled. Lettie and Krillin were doing pretty well, tiring him out with their sharp blows.

However, just as we were tiring Nappa, he was doing the same to us. He was very powerful, and his defenses were faster than our attacks.

At one point, he knocked Krillin down with a punch and then Lettie with a knee to the stomach. I was so stunned to see her fall to the ground with a thud that I let my guard down and was also hit with a kick under the chin.

When I fell on my back next to her, I lost the air in my lungs and couldn't breathe.

"P-Piccolo!" Lettie crawled over to me, panting, and leaned over my body. The pain I felt at seeing her face bruised hurt more than Nappa's blow.

"I-I'm fine..." I forced myself to get up with her help.

For a moment, we turned in a certain direction and spotted Gohan, still half-covered in his hiding place. His eyes wide with terror at seeing us in that state gave me the strength to go on.

"C-Come on!" I told Lettie. "We cannot stop now!"

However, before we flew off with Krillin again, we felt the presence of a Ki nearby. A distance away from us, Tien was standing, trembling as he concentrated all his energy on his single arm.

"THIS..." he declared, with veins bulging on his head. "THIS WILL BE… MY LAST BLOW!!! FOR CHIAOTZU!!!" He then raised his hand, aimed at Nappa and shouted, "KIKOHO!!!!!!!!"

A great beam of energy came out of him, covering the entire region in a yellow flash so intense that I only had time to lean over Lettie to protect her from any impact and hope that Gohan had also hidden.

When the flash faded away, Nappa was unharmed.

I was so distraught to see him intact, hovering there in the sky, with just a bit of dirt covering his uniform and body, that I strongly suspected he was immortal. He could only be!

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Vegeta laughing disdainfully in the distance, and when I turned to look at Tien, I understood why.

All of his Ki was gone.

Tien was prostrate on the ground, dead.

Lettie shuddered, still clinging to me, as she witnessed yet another member of our team lose his life in such a cruel way.

There were only four of us left; me, her, Gohan and Krillin.

Krillin was astonished by Tien's death to such an extent that he fell to his knees and screamed to the skies, "GOKU!!!!!! COME QUICKLY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Upon seeing his reaction, Lettie and I exchanged looks, exhausted and filled with concern and fear. If we continued at that rate, we would be decimated in a very short time.

My fear almost came true when Nappa, in a rush of vainglory over Tien's death, dived towards us. "DIE!!!" he shouted, ready to strike.

"NAPPA, WAIT! DON'T DO THAT!" ordered Vegeta.

Nappa froze in the air, half bent, still in an attack position. "Huh?" he asked. "What's wrong? Why did you make me stop?!"

"Don't be so impatient," replied Vegeta. "I have something important to ask them. This 'Goku' you've called, is he the one known as Kakarot?"

"It's him!" Lettie took a step forward and hit her chest. "He's my brother! What's the matter with that?!"

Vegeta then laughed out loud. "Well, well... does that mean your last hope is Kakarot? He's so weak that he was easily defeated by Raditz. Even if he arrives here, how can he help you?"

"He has changed a lot!" replied Krillin, as determined as Lettie. "He became much stronger!"

"Don't underestimate Son Goku!" I added. "He's a great warrior!"

Lettie gazed at me, as if she couldn't believe that I had finally declared out loud my admiration and respect for her brother.

It was Nappa's turn to laugh in disdain. "If he really is a great warrior, why is he taking so long? Surely that coward decided to abandon you all!"

"HEY! YOU!" It was Gohan, coming out of his hiding place, red with anger. "MY DADDY WILL COME, I'M SURE! AND IT WON'T TAKE LONG AND HE WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

Lettie hurried to catch an enraged Gohan while Vegeta responded, "You have a lot of confidence in this Kakarot. That's interesting. If so, then let's wait until he arrives."

"But, sir!" retorted Nappa. "This is absurd! We must finish them off right now!"

"Let's give them three hours," said Vegeta. "Three hours and nothing more for Kakarot to arrive."

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Nappa gritted his teeth. "I WANT TO KEEP FIGHTING THEM RIGHT NOW!" And he dived towards us once again.

"NAPPA!" shouted Vegeta. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME???"

For the second time, Nappa froze in midair, a meter from my head.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, s-sir!" he pleaded. "I-I was anxious and…"

"It doesn't matter," Vegeta cut it short. "I'm allowing them to live a little longer. Be grateful, you worms." And they both retreated to sit on some rocks in the distance, leaving us there, still in a fighting position and sweating cold.

However, what caught my attention the most about all that dialogue was realizing how much Nappa was subordinate to Vegeta. Would that mean Vegeta was even more powerful than him?

Would that mean… there were only three hours left until the end of the world?

Just like the Saiyans, our group took a distance. Lettie also sat on a rock, with Gohan on her lap to calm him against the insults he had heard from his father.

I crouched down in front of them and asked, "Lettie, how are you doing?"

She let out a sigh, her face all bruised and exhausted. "I'm surviving..."

I pressed my lips together and lowered my head, finally noticing that her uniform was torn apart, with tears and stains of blood and dirt from top to bottom. As I raised my hand, I remade her uniform to make it new, and she thanked me with a little, tired smile while Gohan lay on her chest with a haggard expression.

"Wow!" Krillin was surprised beside us. "I didn't know you had that kind of power, Piccolo. Could you fix my clothes, too?"

"No."

Lettie raised her eyebrows at me, giving me the same disapproving look as when I did something she didn't like, and I was forced to obey her and redo Krillin's clothes, who was very grateful for.

A minute of silence passed. I remained crouched in front of Lettie and Gohan, until she looked up at me and confirmed what I had thought a moment ago, "Piccolo, we made a mistake in bringing him…" She nodded to her nephew, still quiet, gripping his aunt's new clothes.

"I know..." I replied, softly and with regret.

"Would it... be possible for him to sneak out and fly back to the Camp?" she questioned.

"I think it's impossible," I answered. "I can feel these Saiyans staring at me without even having to look at them."

"Listen, Lettie..." said Krillin. "I confess that I also want to run away. But I bet they would destroy us in one blow if we tried. Our only hope is that Goku will arrive during the next three hours."

"Did you guys manage to resurrect my daddy?" Gohan turned his head to him.

"Yes. Bulma gathered all the Dragon Balls during the last year and made the wish. But... I don't deny it's taking him a long time to come back."

We remained silent for a while longer, until I saw Lettie put her hand on Gohan's forehead. "He's feverish..." Her eyes watered and she looked around. "It's... It's this place! It's this horrible environment!"

After also checking Gohan's temperature, I followed her gaze, and there was nothing left for me to do but agree with what she had said. We could still see the bodies of Yamcha and Tien lying on the ground in the distance.

That was definitely not a sight a five-year-old should see.

I let out a shaky breath and looked back at her. "It's all my fault... I'm the one who put you in this position. And now, if something happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Hey…" Lettie cupped my face with her free hand. "I also agreed to join the Training and this fight." She then pulled away to snuggle Gohan in her arms. "Either way, if these Saiyans defeat us, no living being on this planet will survive."

Her morbid but realistic observation made the mood of our group even more gloomy and depressed.

A short time later, Krillin addressed me, "Piccolo, can I talk to you for a minute?"

My attention was so focused on Lettie and Gohan, that I forgot he was still there beside us. I got up and we left her still checking her nephew's health status, and we walked a few meters, not leaving the Saiyans' field of vision.

"What do you want?" I asked sharply.

"Piccolo, I, uh… sorry to ask, but…" Krillin scratched the back of his bald head. "How can I say this?" He then took a deep breath, as if mustering up courage, and asked, "Did something happen to you during this Training with Lettie and Gohan?"

Lots of butterflies flew in my stomach at the same time.

"Why are you saying this?" I retorted.

"P-Please, d-don't get me wrong! It's just… you... you seem... different."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, which made him continue, "You don't seem like the guy I knew a year ago anymore." Krillin paused and gave me an awkward half-smile. "What happened to Piccolo Junior, son of the great and terrible Piccolo Daimaoh?"

When I least realized it, I took a step forward and leaned over him to face him in the eyes. "Do not call me that," I said through gritted teeth. "I no longer carry this abominable name. Now, it's just Piccolo."

Even though he was frightened by my proximity, Krillin's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "Ohhh! So, something REALLY happened during the Training." He curved his lips in a pretentious little smile. "Tell me the truth, did you and Lettie start dating? Wow, who knew, huh? Goku's biggest enemy in a relationship with his sister?"

I believe my face lost all its color, but I didn't allow him to notice, because I soon straightened up, making the hardest face I could, and replied, harshly, "Have you seriously called me here to vomit a bunch of nonsense?!" I clicked my tongue and turned away. "I'm going back, I have more to do!"

"Wait, Piccolo!"

"What is it now?" I stopped, closing my eyes to gather all my patience.

"W-Well... Since you dissociated yourself from your father, does that mean... you won't try to dominate the world anymore?"

I was quiet for a moment. "No."

"What are you going to do then?" he asked.

"I don't know yet." I watched Lettie and Gohan meters ahead of me, and concluded, "For now, my only goal is to ensure that two people come out of this battle alive." And I walked towards them, leaving Krillin with his stupid questions, but still feeling my muscles tense as I thought about them.

We waited for Goku for three hours.

In the meantime, upon seeing that Gohan's fever had gone down, Lettie wanted to pick up Yamcha and Tien's bodies so as not to leave them lying around in that moribund state they were in, but when we headed to go to them, Vegeta shot a ball of energy, scaring us by destroying a rock wall nearby, claiming that we were prohibited from leaving our spot.

That Vegeta was messing with my nerves at stratospheric levels.

Due to my enhanced hearing, I had the displeasure of hearing him tell Nappa how much Goku and Lettie must suffer for betraying their Saiyan race and deciding to help planet Earth, and I don't deny it when I say that I almost flew into his neck to kill him when I heard his intentions with Lettie after defeating us.

Goku, come quickly!

But he didn't come. Three hours passed, and nothing.

"It is time!" Vegeta announced, standing up and throwing his scouter aside. "Just as I imagined... Kakarot is a coward. He had abandoned you all."

"MY FATHER IS NOT A COWA–" Gohan furiously exclaimed, but Lettie managed to cover his mouth and drag him closer to me. The mood of our group was already greatly altered. If Gohan teased the Saiyans, our chances could completely disappear.

Krillin was about to have a panic attack at Goku's delay; Lettie was pale, with her eyes always in an expression of great fear; as for me, I was in a cold sweat with the biggest wave of anxiety I had ever felt in my life.

"It's time to play with you." Nappa then took off all his armor, leaving just a ridiculous and tacky black shorts, his boots and wristbands, and he walked towards us, snapping his fingers. "Apparently, we can't count on Kakarot!"

He was getting closer.

"I think there's just one way to beat him," I said, not taking my eyes off him. "We have only one chance. Listen, Krillin. You'll have to distract him for as long as possible. Then, I'll wait for him to let his guard down, and then I'll grab his tail, which is his weak point. Lettie, the moment Nappa becomes immobile and powerless, you'll attack him to knock him out. Did you understand?"

"Alright!" They both agreed.

"Mr. Piccolo," called Gohan. "I want to fight too!"

"Sweetheart..." began Lettie. "I don't think it's wise–"

"But I'm ready, Aunt!" he replied. "I want to show my dad how strong I have become with Mr. Piccolo's Training!" He turned to me with a pleading look. "Please! Let me fight!"

I exchanged worried expressions with Lettie, who seemed pretty uncertain about the idea. But I couldn't deny the obvious. His help would be of great value at that moment.

"Alright, Gohan," I replied with a sigh. "You can fight. I want you to attack Nappa with your aunt as soon as I immobilize him, okay?"

"And you're forbidden from leaving my side, you hear me?" she added.

"Got it!" Gohan clenched his fists. "I won't disappoint you!"

Lettie and I now exchanged a nod with a little more confidence, and even Krillin seemed confident with that plan.

The four of us turned to face Nappa.

"Gohan... Lettie... don't be afraid!" I told them, each one positioned next to me. "One day, you'll be much more powerful than me. I'm sure of it."

As a last act before starting the fight, the three of us looked at each other with a little smile of mutual complicity.

"Right! Let's begin!" declared Krillin, and he ran towards Nappa at full speed. When he was about two meters away from him, he aimed both hands at the ground and fired a beam of energy that lifted him into the sky like a rocket.

Nappa stopped in place, stunned by his sudden movement.

That was my cue!

I ran so fast that, in a matter of a second, I was behind him, and I grabbed his tail.

"Wh-What?!" exclaimed Nappa, even more perplexed. "Why, you…!!!"

"LETTIE! GOHAN!" I called them. "NOW!!!"

Like two bolts of lightning in sync, they rushed toward us, and for an instant, a flame of hope that our plan would work lit up in my chest.

But the flame soon faded away when Nappa turned to me with a sadistic smile and said, "You insolent! Did you really believe that our tails remain our weak spot?" And he elbowed me on the top of the head with the force of an anvil.

I heard a bone break, and I'm sure it was my skull.

The last thing I saw before my vision went dark was Lettie and Gohan freezing halfway to us, staring at me with wide eyes full of horror.

"NO!!!" she shouted.

"MR. PICCOLO!!!"

And then, I fainted.

Nappa's blow must have damaged some part of my brain, which caused me to faint. However, I still felt and heard everything that they said.

"Don't die yet, Namekian." Nappa lifted me by the collar of my fighting jumpsuit. "Even though I defeated you, the strongest man on this planet, with a single blow, you still need to tell us what you know about the Dragon Balls. Go get some rest."

My body was thrown forward until I fell face down on the ground like a bag of trash, and then I felt the familiar warmth of Lettie and Gohan's hands on my back, until they turned me around.

"Piccolo! Oh, no!" Lettie cried as she ran her fingers down my face. "Hang in there, okay?"

"Wake up, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan shook me in despair. "Please!"

I wanted to tell them that I was fine and conscious; that I had just fainted, but I was channeling all my Ki to speed up my regeneration process, however, I couldn't open my eyes or move.

Due to all the energy I was using to heal myself, my hearing was no longer able to properly capture what was happening around me, and everything then sounded as if it were a distant dream.

All I know is that a buzz settled on that battlefield.

The first thing I heard was Lettie rushing towards Nappa with a fury so clear that even I could feel it. She fought with much bravery. Krillin soon joined her, while Gohan remained with me, trying to wake me up, certainly without all that confidence in seeing his trainer being shot down so easily.

And I couldn't blame him. It was too cruel to demand so much cold blood from a child.

Lettie and Krillin fought Nappa for a long time. At one point, I heard their "Tenkochi" and "Kienzan" attacks being launched, but it seemed like they didn't hit their target.

"Mr. Piccolo!" cried Gohan, still shaking me. "Come on, wake up, please! They're losing!"

Hold up, Gohan! I'm almost there...

I heard Krillin scream in pain and the sound of his body falling to the ground.

Just a little bit longer!!!

It was then that I heard her scream.

"AUNT LETTIE!!!" exclaimed Gohan.

I opened my eyes wide, sitting up so suddenly that Gohan startled, and saw Lettie, also now beaten down next to Krillin.

No...

Still in a lot of pain, I forced myself to get up, with Gohan grabbing my pants and crying with emotion at seeing that I was still alive.

"THIS WILL BE THE END OF YOU!!!" Nappa created a ball of energy in his hand, ready to throw it at them.

"Nobody. Touches. Lettie!" I declared to myself, panting, and extended my hand, shooting a beam of energy right at Nappa's bare back.

My blow gave him a nasty burn, and it was his turn to scream in pain.

My knees gave way and I needed Gohan's support. Then, for a split second, I saw Lettie lift her head from where she was, and our eyes met.

The smile she opened when she spotted me lit up her entire wounded face.

I turned to Nappa, with a mix of anger at that Saiyan and relief at seeing that nothing serious had happened to Lettie, and I shouted, "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE OUR POWER, YOU BASTARD!"

"You've made me lose my patience, Namekian!" raged Nappa. "Now, I'll destroy you, so hurry and tell me everything you know about the Dragon Balls!"

"I won't tell you absolutely NOTHI–" Suddenly, I stiffened when I felt the presence of a very powerful Ki coming from far away.

The effect of that Ki was instantaneous on everyone. Each of us looked around in search of that great force that appeared, including Lettie and Krillin still laid down.

Gohan then started to cry, but this time, it was out of happiness, "Oh!!! It's a very impressive Ki and it's from someone I know..."

Exhausted, Lettie managed to sit down and crawl over to Krillin to help him.

"I-It could only be him…" I heard him say with difficulty to her through my super hearing.

"Yes… I recognize it too…" Lettie opened another tired smile. "Even though I stayed with him for only a short time…"

"Huh?!" Nappa turned to me. "What are you talking about? Whose Ki is this?! SAY IT!!!"

"This Ki belongs to Son Goku!" I announced with a bold smile at him and Vegeta. "He made us wait too long, but he finally showed up!"

"YES!!!" Gohan was thrilling. "It's my daddy! I knew he wouldn't abandon us!"

"Better late than never, brother…" whispered Lettie, gazing at the skies, which seemed to become bluer with our renewed hopes.

"H-Hurry up, Goku…" said Krillin.

"So, this is Kakarot?!" asked Nappa. "Where is he, huh? Where is he???"

At a distance, Vegeta picked up his scouter lying on the ground and placed it on his left eye again.

"Hmmm, is it really Kakarot?" Vegeta made a serious expression as he activated his scouter. After a few seconds, he gasped in astonishment. "OH! I don't know if it's Kakarot or not, but... it's someone with a fighting level of five thousand."

"Five thousand?!" replied Nappa. "Th-That's impossible! This scouter must be broken."

I laughed heartily at his incredulity. "What's wrong?" I smiled at him. "Are you scared? Don't forget that we can increase and decrease our fighting levels, so consider five thousand as Goku's MINIMUM power."

"Nappa, listen to me!" ordered Vegeta. "You have my permission to kill them, once and for all! If these four plus Kakarot join to fight, we could be at a disadvantage. We've already shown that low-class Saiyan woman over there what we're capable of, and now, we need to show that to Kakarot, too!"

Wait, that wasn't in the plan!

"But, sir, who will we ask about the Dragon Balls if we kill the green guy here?" asked Nappa.

"It doesn't matter! I have an idea," said Vegeta. "If we go to the Namekians' home planet, we'll certainly find other Dragon Balls even more powerful than the ones on Earth. I thought it was a stupid rumor, but if Kakarot was indeed resurrected, then the legend is true."

If I hadn't been in the situation I was in, I would certainly have been very interested in knowing more about my home planet and my people. I hadn't even fully digested the whole revelation about me being from a race called Namekians yet. But I had to refocus when Nappa agreed with Vegeta's idea and turned to me with a sinister look.

"Very well then!" he declared. "I'll start with you!"

A chill ran down my spine.

"MR. PICCOLO!" Gohan suddenly exclaimed a few meters away from me. His face displayed an angry and determined expression. "Take Aunt Lettie and run! I'll fight until my daddy arrives!"

I couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of courage he showed at that moment.

"It's just..." Gohan then looked at me full of sadness. "If you die, Kami-sama will also die, and the Dragon Balls will disappear!"

What? Does it mean that... Gohan had heard my conversation with Lettie last night?

My heart hurt, deeply.

"No, Gohan!" I replied. "Stay where you are! Don't come any closer!"

Nappa, however, seemed very excited about the idea of beating Kakarot's son.

"Did I hear you right?" He turned to Gohan with a sinister face. "Do you want to fight me? HAHAHA! Don't make me laugh, you ignorant little boy!" And he dashed towards him.

I only had time to see Lettie leave Krillin and, like me, also run to Gohan. However, before I or she could even do anything, we froze in place as we saw him propel himself forward, turn his body and kick Nappa in the cheek, throwing him meters away. I even had to dodge so that giant Saiyan wouldn't fall on top of me.

Nappa hit a rock formation, collapsing it instantly.

"Wow…! Incredible…!" gasped Krillin.

Perplexed, Lettie and I stared at each other as we turned to a panting Gohan, still glaring furiously at his downed enemy in the middle of the pile of rocks.

I believe that, at that moment, I felt something quite similar to what a father would feel when being proud of his own son. And Lettie looked no different.

That feeling was interrupted when Nappa emerged from the rocks in a jump and landed between the three of us.

His body was destroyed; full of cuts and wounds oozing blood.

"YOU… YOU… BRAT!!!" He glared at Gohan with bloodshot eyes. "YOU HAVEN'T DEFEATED ME YET!!!"

The ground began to shake, with sand and rocks forming a whirlpool around him. Nappa then created a big ball of energy in his hand, more powerful than any he had ever made.

"DIE!!!!!!!!!" And he threw it directly at Gohan.

A white flash covered that battlefield, and everything became slow motion for me.

Lettie screamed Gohan's name and jumped at him, hugging him tightly and cowering on the ground to protect him from the attack.

No... No...! No!!!

They would both be hit, and it would be… deadly!!!

NO! I won't lose them! They... They're all I have!

I started running, quickly and desperately, towards them two.

With each step, images from a movie played in my head, of everything I've experienced over the last year.

I saw Lettie and Gohan staring at me in the lake when they were kidnapped by me, I saw them being attacked by the lionesses and me saving them, I saw them facing the T-Rex on the first day of Training, I saw them learning to climb the Camp's rock formation, I saw them starve, I saw them suffer for two months by my merciless hands, I saw Lettie bleeding in the Hot Springs, I saw Gohan with his black eye...

I was almost there...

I also saw myself; asking forgiveness for both of them on that cloudy day in the tent, I saw myself learning to control my angry impulses, I saw myself teaching them to levitate, fly and fight, I saw myself taking care of Lettie when Gohan got lost, I saw myself welcoming him with a hug when he returned to us, I saw myself finally being defeated by their attacks...

Hang in there…!

I saw Gohan, with his vivacity and innocence, soften this cold, hard and resentful heart, teaching me that watching the birth of a tiny bird in its nest could bring more joy to the spirit than learning a new fighting technique.

I'm coming...!

I saw Lettie, with her kindness and affection, touch, not only physically but emotionally, the depths of a soul as bitter and hopeless as mine, awakening in me feelings and emotions that I never imagined I was capable of, much less worthy of experiencing.

Just one more step…

And, above all, I saw the three of us; sharing countless meals around the campfire, playing in the Hot Springs, exploring nature, flying through the skies and racing, laughing at some silly joke we told, spending time together lying on the grass and watching the stars in cozy silence, eating pizza on our last day of Training…

"NO!!!!!!!" I placed myself in front of them, with my arms and legs wide open.

Nappa's attack hit me with an explosion; with no mercy, piercing every inch of my being.

There was silence, and the dust settled.

Still with my arms and legs open, I looked down at my body.

I was torn apart. My clothes were ripped on my arms, chest, and knees, and blood ran from countless deep cuts in my skin and muscles. Around me, a crater formed from the impact of the blow.

"P-P-P-Piccolo…" I heard Lettie stutter, and I looked back.

She and Gohan were still hugging each other on the ground, trembling and with disheveled hair, staring at me with white faces in perplexity.

Good… They hadn't been hurt… They were okay... They were...

My body couldn't take it anymore and gave way, falling face down on the sand.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Nappa laughed at his pride. "The idiot Namekian wanted to die before these traitorous Saiyans, but it doesn't matter! You can stay there, crying as much as you want!"

"PICCOLO!!!" Lettie came to me.

"MR. PICCOLO!!!"

For the second time, they both turned me around, and I looked at Lettie as she lay me in her arms, with her hand running over my face and chest, showing a look full of terror as she contemplated my miserable condition.

"Wh-Why did you do that???" She cried as she held my face, letting a tear run down her cheek.

"I-I told you..." I coughed up blood. "I-I told you I... would protect... you..."

"Aunt Lettie!" whimpered Gohan, squeezing my arm with both hands. "We need to save him! What do we do?!"

Lettie desperately looked around, as if she could find some miracle medicine somewhere there to give it to me.

"I've got an idea!" She panted and placed her palm on my chest. "I'll transfer half of my energy to you! Gohan, come, do the same!"

"N-No!" I replied, not without having another coughing fit. "Don't do that… It won't… help… It will only… weaken… y-you…"

"It will work!" she shrieked, her voice choked with crying.

"Lettie..." I placed my hand above hers on my chest. "My body… is broken… d-destroyed inside…" I choked on my own blood. "Th-There's... There's nothing... to be done..."

"Regenerate yourself, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan grabbed what was left of my clothes on my shoulder.

"I-I..." I coughed again. "I c-can't..."

"Mr. Piccolo…" Gohan laid his head on me and cried.

"NO! I won't allow you to die!" Lettie brought me closer to her, cuddling me the same way she did with Gohan. "You said you would take me to my job interviews at Martial Arts Schools, remember? You need to keep that promise, too." She touched my face and stroked me with her thumb and cried, softly, "You... didn't even have the chance to think about a new dream..."

I opened my mouth to answer her, but it was blood, not words, that came out of it.

"Piccolo…" Lettie continued in a whisper. "Please... Don't abandon me..."

A desperate feeling came over me, stronger and more intense than the overwhelming pain in my body.

If the Dragon Balls are gone with me and Kami-sama, we won't be able to resurrect...

And Lettie… Lettie will be alone. Again.

As she has been all her life.

No… I couldn't do that!

I couldn't abandon her!!!

"Lettie..." I couldn't breathe anymore, and my voice was weak. It was impossible to hide the terrifying feeling that screamed in my chest as I stared deeply into her eyes. "I-I… I don't want to die…!"

The last thing I saw was her turning pale at my words.

"NO!!!" she shouted. "PICCOLO!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! NO!!!!!!!!!"

My eyes then darkened, and the breath of life left me.