AN: Apologies for the wait on the upload of these chapters to all of you who have been patiently waiting. The delay was due to an unexpected stay in hospital at the beginning of the month due to a kidney infection with added complications (it ruptured a cyst I did not know I had). I am now much better in myself and found myself with some time to finally get around to uploading the next chapter of Chiri's story.
This is a continuation from Young Warrior: Son Chiri's Story. We leap several years into the future!
Enjoy and thank you so much for your patience.
-LilDBZBuddy89
Teen Warrior: Son Chiri's Story
Part III – The Anxieties of Teenagehood
Chapter 01 – A Blessing in Disguise
Her aim was lousy, her rapid-fire energy blasts missing him by metres as he stood, high in the sky, arms crossed. His eyes plugged firmly on her, down below on the ground, waiting patiently but scrutinizing every move she made. So far it was promising. Her aura was calm, her life force strong, her control well-developed. If this had been any other situation, he'd have been concerned about her lack of aim and apparent lack of focus. But she was meant to be missing. This was the entire point of the move and she was covering the weak points well… not as well as he could have but it was certainly an improvement on the last time she'd performed this move.
Chiri roared, pulling her outstretched arms in towards her chest. The energy attacks that had been thrown – at least three dozen – all suddenly shot towards Piccolo at a terrifying speed. With a holler, the Namekian launched a protective barrier around himself. The energy balls stuck to it like magnets, pushing the orb further inwards. Down below, Chiri focused her energy more, a vein popping on her forehead as she concentrated more, teeth bared. The added force started to show; Piccolo's energy shield shrunk further, agonisingly becoming smaller and tighter until finally, it collapsed. It and the Namekian vanished in a thick cloud of dark smoke accompanied by a thunderous roar. The shockwave made the ground below her feet shudder violently for a few seconds, Chiri maintaining her balance, eyes kept on the spot her mentor had last been seen in.
As the dust and light died down, the air revealed nothing remained. The Piccolo that had been there was gone. Chiri's eyes traced down an invisible line until they hit the horizon; in the distance she could just about make out a deformed figure. Concern threatened to eat away at her resolve; instead of running she walked towards the corpse, keeping herself as composed as she could.
The corpse suddenly shone white, lost its shape and was sucked towards her by an invisible force. Chiri side-stepped the light form, turning on her heels to see it become reabsorbed into the Namekian walking towards her.
"Not bad, certainly better than your last attempt," Piccolo spoke. "You left a couple of spots weak to infiltration; you're still making stupid errors. They will cost you dearly in a real life-death situation."
Chiri frowned. Criticism was never easy to take but she'd learnt long ago that it was better to just accept it gracefully and then vent out later when no one was looking. Still, Piccolo had said it was better than last time so that was probably as close to a compliment she would ever get from him.
"That will do for now," The Namekian decided, turning away, cape floating on the breeze. "That move should be used sparingly. It still takes a fair amount out of your stamina. The more we practise, the easier it will become and the less it will sap you of strength."
"So are we taking a break or are we done for today?" Chiri asked.
"Do as you please," Piccolo responded. "… You don't have to go if you'd rather continue." He wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to say this. Perhaps all these years without Goku about as a training partner and the lack of training interest from his son had left Piccolo feeling a need to keep the fighting spirit in one of his former rival's offspring. At least this child showed some interest, though her motivation seemed to have changed for the worst since she'd hit that bizarre age where human kids turned from bearable to downright rude and obnoxious. The last couple of years' worth of training alongside this child had left him more capable of tolerating her attitude.
"Do you think I'd be able to use that move now if I was, you know, randomly attacked by some bad guy?" Chiri asked.
Piccolo contemplated this idea, a wave of nausea hitting him hard in the stomach. It may as well have been Gohan asking him such an absurd question. Had it been Gohan during his youth, Piccolo would have been honest, as brutal as honesty was. However, with this child's recently acquired attitude, he felt it wise to save himself the trouble it would cause. "You'd be better off sticking to the Kamehameha."
Chiri's eyebrows converged. "… So you're saying no then? So much for getting better at this. You can't mess with my expectations like that!"
And this is why he missed Gohan. If given the chance, he'd rather Gohan had the enthusiasm to train but instead, he was stuck childminding Goku's second brat – the one whose attitude seemed to have stemmed from their mother when it came to honest critique. Still, it was good having someone to spar with other than himself. Plus the benefits his clones were able to give him in regards to their experience and added knowledge left him learning from their battles at a faster pace.
"Maybe we should go over it one more time then, if you think I'd do better using Dad's attack," Chiri suggested, the hint of annoyance still in her voice. "You can make another clone right?"
"No, you've practised it three times today," Piccolo refused. "You'd be better off focusing on something else for the rest of the day. You haven't meditated in a while."
"That's because it's boring," Chiri whined. "Come on, the Hellzone Grenade is something I really think I can master. Please let's practise it again?"
Piccolo inwardly sighed. He knew how this would end. He also knew that when she'd set her mind to something…
"Once more." He muttered. "Only this time, I won't use a clone. You're going to attack me – the real me. Don't hold back and remember what I said about the last attempt."
Chiri grinned sensing victory. "Yes!" She threw her fists into the sky. "But are you sure you wanna actually take this head-on considering what I did to your clone?"
"I'll survive," Piccolo slowly rose up into the air leaving her where she stood.
Chiri didn't just stand and watch. Whilst her mentor was making his way into position, she was concentrating on her breathing and her energy. She drew from the flame in the pit of her stomach, pulling energy into her hands and forcing it from her gateways to form an energy ball in each hand. Cautiously she manipulated and shaped the energy, keeping it focused whilst at the same time keeping her eyes on Piccolo, waiting for the signal. It soon came in the form of the Namekian stopping and turning to face her.
She began to throw up her gathered energy, firing several spheres in Piccolo's direction, indifferent to hitting him but making sure she was adequately blocking off any potential escape route. Quickly the mine of energy balls surrounded her target, all the while she had to concentrate on keeping the balls of energy still and in form.
Something broke. Before she knew it, control had been lost. Her control over her body had gone and she was heading face-first towards the ground.
Piccolo knew the rouse was up as soon as the balls of energy closest to him began to flicker and falter, losing their shape and falling from their positon. Within seconds he was darting towards her, teleporting as fast as he could to reach her until finally, his feet slapped hard on the rock. In one fell swoop he leant over her as the explosions started; the energy bolts having lost form and raining down back to the ground, erupting on impact. The force almost knocked him head-over-heels but he remained firm against the shockwaves, all the while making sure she stayed stuck to the ground. When the violent shudders of the ground and air subsided, he rose to full height and took the time to admire the damage caused to the ground behind them. A fair few craters were the only signs of the drama that'd just unfolded.
As he'd anticipated: four was too much for her to handle. What was more worrying was that she hadn't foreseen this, she hadn't sensed or acknowledged her stamina had been pushed too far to have attempted the move again. It was either blindness to her own limits, or a dangerous level of determination and overachievement that had led this to happen. As dangerous as either was, Piccolo hoped it was the latter option.
Stretching out one hand towards her, a strange glow surrounded his palm. Instantly it also surrounded Chiri's unconscious body, pulling her clear from the ground and left floating several feet off the ground. With her safely in tow, he took to the skies and headed east.
"Where's Gohan?"
Chichi turned around, eyes raised. "How're you feeling?"
"That doesn't answer my question," Chiri responded, strolling into the living room. "Yeah, I'm ok… Where is Gohan?"
Chichi shifted herself along the sofa and patted the cushion next to her. Her daughter sat herself down with a light thud as her mother answered: "He's at school."
Chiri looked at her mother baffled. It took a moment for the penny to drop. "Oh! That was today?" 'How annoying, I wanted to ask him something…' She cured internally. "So when will he be back?"
"Well he was due back a little while ago," Chichi frowned. "I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble."
"Trouble? Gohan?" Chiri snorted. "Nah, he's the last person to get himself into trouble. Maybe he's joined up to an after school club?"
The sound of thumping feet on the laminate flooring stopped the conversation dead, Goten sliding on his socks into the living room. "Chiri! Great! Let's go!"
"Let's go?" Chichi repeated.
"Oh yeah, I promised didn't I?" Chiri sighed and rolled her eyes, standing and making her way towards her brother. "Alright then, let's go."
"Yay!" Goten grinned, eagerly following the teen outside.
"Be back for dinner!" Chichi's voice came from behind.
"Will be." Chiri called back. Her brother hopped around her in circles. He wasn't making walking in a straight line any easier. "Will you stop that, you're getting in the way!" Chiri growled.
"Sorry," Goten immediately stopped, instead following behind his sister's heels, not brimming so much with energy now.
The two walked a little ways down the path leading away from the forest and into the open fields. In the distance, the mountains rose imposingly towering over the valleys. It was those they were heading for. As they climbed up a small slope and the house vanished behind them, Chiri broke into a run. Glancing over her shoulder, Goten was still hot on her heels. The two ran, leaping and bouncing off the ground. Within a minute, they had reached the foot of the mountains, the ground sloping up towards the rocky towers. Within metres of one, Chiri ground to a halt, sliding her heels on the gravel. Goten followed suite, stopping a little further past his sister.
"This ought to be good enough," Chiri mumbled glancing the area over. "… Yep, this is as good as any."
"Why'd we come here?" Goten asked.
"I can't exactly teach you this in the forest, can I?" Chiri rhetorically snorted. "This place has plenty of space – and we're gonna need space if you're gonna learn this." Taking a few steps away from the mountains, Chiri found herself tightening her sash for no particular reason. She needed to do something with her hands, she wasn't sure why but she had to do something with them, anything to give them a job to do. Dismissing this bizarre feeling in her stomach, she turned to her younger sibling. "Alright, let's teach you the family move."
"Yay!" Goten grinned, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm gonna learn it! I'm gonna learn it!"
"Not gonna learn it if you talk over me or don't watch," Chiri raised her voice, keeping the calm tone. Her brother regained his focused and sat himself down on the ground. Chiri was about to tell him not to sit when a thought crossed her mind. He could sit for now. "What I'll do is show you the move, then we'll practise. Ok?"
"Yep," Goten nodded. "What's the move called again? Kamekame…"
"Kamehameha," Chiri snorted with a grin. "It means turtle destructive wave. If you call it the kamekameha then it's just turtle turtle wave – and that sounds stupid and will make you look stupid if you say that, so don't say that."
Goten pouted indignantly but didn't say anything.
Why was her heart trying to throw itself clean from her chest via her throat? Chiri shrugged the nerves off and got herself into stance, bending her knees and spreading her lower limbs. "Ok, first you have to stand like this, bending your knees and shrinking down a little."
"Why?" Goten asked.
"Because otherwise you'd fall over," Chiri replied. "If you stand up straight, the force when you release the energy would push you over."
Goten giggled. "Show me!"
"No! I'm not showing you how to do it wrong," Chiri spat. "You can find that out on your own. Ok, next!" She brought her hands mid-way up and cupped her hands, putting her wrists together. "This is how your hands need to look; you're gonna bring the energy out through both hands but you're gonna make one ball of energy, so you'll have to remember to think of both hands as one rather than thinking of each hand separately." 'Dunno if you'll actually be able to do that but we'll see…' She added to herself, bringing her hands to her right hip. "You bring your hands either to the left or the right like this, it doesn't matter what side you do it on. So, this is how you should look as you're charging up the attack."
Goten nodded enthusiastically, brows still furrowed over his eyes.
"Then," Chiri continued. "Then you begin bringing the energy into your hands. Draw it down through your arms from your gut." She began to focus her energy. Within moments, her hands were shimmering as a single blue orb of energy formed, painting the immediate spot of ground a blue hue. "Then as you charge, you say the name: Kamehameha. On the 'ha' part, you throw your hands forward to whatever you're trying to hit and release the energy. I'll show you now." She looked around and spotted a small boulder. That would do. "Alright, I'm not gonna do a very strong one, just one strong enough to break that boulder in half."
"Oh…" Goten sat forward.
"Here goes!" Chiri clenched her leg muscles. "Kamehameha!" On the 'ha' as promised, she threw her cupped hands forward, firing off the orb. As it was released, the orb changed into a beam of light, shooting rapidly towards its target and slicing cleanly through the targeted rock.
"Wow!" Goten exclaimed. "Wow, that's so cool!"
Chiri smiled smug. "And that's the Kamehameha."
Goten got to his feet and rushed over, "And you want me to do that? Yay! I can't wait to try this! Trunks is gonna be so jealous!"
'I doubt it but then again, maybe Vegeta hasn't taught him anything like this yet…' Chiri thought to herself. '… What am I saying? Of course he will have done!'
"So I stand like this?" Goten asked, adjusting his stance and spreading his footing, mimicking exactly how his sister had stood.
"That's right," Chiri nodded approvingly. "Now, bring your wrists together and make your hands look like this," She showed him the arm position again, Goten adjusting his to mimic hers. "That's right. Practise the arm movement first before you go charging up your energy. We don't wanna try it until you're properly ready."
The early-spring sky was turning by the time he arrived home. Chiri was disturbed from the peace and tranquillity of the bathroom, enjoying the warmth of the pool of steamy water she'd settled into, resting her head against the back of the tub. The extension to their home had been long overdue; no longer did she have to bathe outside. She could now enjoy some much-needed privacy, away from prying eyes.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the same when it came to voices. Her mother's shrill tones bounced and forced themselves through the floorboards, albeit muffled. Then her brother's voice was unfortunate enough to pass through walls and ceilings no matter what volume he used it at. Goten's voice registered every-so-often, usually in his stupid, excitable tone. So much for peaceful. Chiri sighed annoyed and pulled herself out from her tranquil world, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her pubescent body, taking extra care to make sure her modesty was intact. Her brothers poked fun at her for enough reasons; her body was one of them. She couldn't help it if she was tall for a thirteen year old!
Leaving the humidity of the bathroom and entering the noticeably cool hallway, she quickly made her way down to the top of the stairs and peered down to see if she could get a better look.
"I wish you'd called," Chichi was sounding worried. "We were beginning to worry when it got to dinner and you still weren't here."
"Sorry, I lost track of time," Gohan's voice responded.
'Kitchen,' Chiri realised, frowning. She couldn't see into there from her position on the stairs but at least it meant they couldn't see her. Her interest fading fast, she headed back to her room and dressed into her pyjamas; it was only a couple of hours until she'd be sent to bed anyway and it wasn't like she'd be training any more today. After having dried her hair a sufficient amount before brushing, Chiri finally made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, listening to every word the two older inhabitants of their home spoke.
"Well as long as you're careful, I don't see why not," Chichi sighed giving in.
"It'll be great," Gohan sounded enthusiastic. "Now no one will know it's me."
Chiri sent over a quizzical look. "What's you?"
Gohan glanced over, "Oh, just something that Bulma's made for me."
"Bulma made something for you?" Chiri snorted. "Why would Bulma make something for you?"
"Because she likes me more than you," Gohan responded turning away and taking a sip of water from his glass.
"Be nice," Chichi warned.
"Yeah, Gohan," Chiri jeered. "Seriously though, why would Bulma need to make you something for you? Was school that bad?"
"Why do you want to know so bad?" Gohan countered.
Chiri groaned. So he was gonna be like this today then? "I'm not being nosey or anything, just curious. It sounds like you beat someone up and got into trouble for it."
Now it was Gohan's turn to snort. "That sounds more like you."
"You're so annoying," Chiri huffed, leaving the room and heading back to her own. Of all the things to say! Why had he been so evasive and defensive over this anyway? 'Brothers are so annoying.' She grumbled, closing her door a little harder than she'd intended and marching over to her cushions. Her room was her sanctuary, littered with cuddly toys given to her by their grandfather, along with a small cluster of cushions next to her bookcase. She liked to snuggle up amongst them and get lost in far-off lands in fairy tales and adventure books, with the occasional teen angst story. Reading was her second love after training and Chiri found herself relying more and more on it to deal with living in a house with a dorky but irritating older brother and stupidly crazy younger one.
If her father were still alive…
Chiri let a long breath of air escape slowly, shoulders deflating. If her father was still with them, her brother wouldn't be so hell-bent on pure study, she was sure of it. If her father was still alive, her younger brother would be joining her in training with him. She would have someone in the house who she could have serious, in-depth conversations with about training and sparring and improving her technique. Piccolo had commented to her the other week that it was the one thing he had wished Goku had stayed around for: the benefit and teaching of the next generation. Piccolo was more than happy to know that she was serious about her training but it pained him a little to see the wasted potential of Gohan and the unguided, wild skills Goten possessed.
Chiri was doing her best with Goten, it was just that training him and keeping him focussed was a lot more trouble than it was worth. Besides, often enough he and Trunks used to play their sparring games so it wasn't a complete hopeless case. At least Trunks had a decent teacher, one that would make sure his skills were up to scratch.
Maybe she ought to bring Goten along with her one day so he could also train under Piccolo's guidance? She'd see what the two of them thought of the idea. 'Ok, plan for tomorrow: see if Goten would like to train with us. He should take the bait.' She grinned to herself mischievously. With any luck, he'd latch onto Piccolo and stop pestering her to train him!