Kakkarot stretched, getting ready for morning training. He saw his father come back with the girl when he was in the middle of warming up. He asked "Is she coming here every day?"
"Yes, she is. Do you have a problem with that?"
Kakkarot looked down. "No father...but why do you want to train her? She's a human."
Bardock said "Diari's a human."
Kakkarot said "Yeah, but mother's different."
Bardock said "Son, were you watching when she climbed that tree yesterday?"
Kakkarot said "Anyone can climb a tree."
Bardock frowned. He said "Overconfidence and much arrogance is the downfall of the greatest of soldiers. I will see how you fare under similar circumstances."
Chichi looked back and forth. They were talking in the language that she didn't understand again.
Bardock went into the house and came back out. He put a metal headband on his son and tied his hands behind his back and tied his tail to a loop in his pants. He said "You must get to the top of that tree the same as the girl did, without the use of hands or tail, people or animals."
Kakkarot asked "What is the headband for?"
"It keeps you from using your energy, so you can't fly. It also makes you less strong than you would be normally, so you'll be about the level of a human boy." Kakkarot's eyes widened. He touched the headband. Bardock said "If any of the ties come off or the headband comes off, you get double training. Now, begin."
Kakkarot went up to the tree. 'I can kick footholds into the tree, this'll still be easy.' He ran at the tree and got up a few feet before he fell backwards onto his back. He hadn't made a dent in the tree. How had that happened? He scowled. He would try again.
Bardock watched his son try to take the tree by force and fall down repeatedly. Bardock said "Officers. Begin training now. 1000 pushups and situps then pair off for sparring. I have special training for you afterwards. Go." They started.
Kakkarot growled low. Stupid tree. He aimed to blast it, but nothing happened. He looked down at his hands in surprise. Oh, father had said the headband would do this. How had that human girl done it? He looked at her.
Chichi saw Kakkarot looking at her. She blushed and looked down. She looked up at Bardock. Bardock said "Chichi, 100 pushups."
"Again?"
"Every day. Begin."
Chichi sighed and started. Kakkarot thought 'That's right, I saw her bouncing off the trees...' He ran up a tree a few feet and got onto a low branch on the one beside. He then jumped onto the next branch on the tree that he was climbing, his perch was precarious, however, and without the added balance of his tail...he fell back to the ground again. This time he landed on his front. Kakkarot raised his head and pounded his fist on the ground 'This is harder than I thought'
Chichi had finished her pushups. She sat, panting on the grass, watching Kakkarot try to climb the tree. She yelled "You're doing it wrong! Don't go so far out on the branch! Make it as close to the trunk as you can when you jump!"
Kakkarot turned and looked at her in suprise, then in anger, then he decided to ignore her. Kakkarot thought 'Who does she think she is? Telling me what to do? I can do this on my own.'
All the Saiyans turned to look at the girl. Bardock said "If you have energy enough to shout that loudly, you have energy enough to do 100 more pushups." Chichi groaned. "Start now." She started.
After a few more falls, Kakkarot thought 'She did make it to the top, maybe she knows what she's talking about.' He tried doing what she suggested and made it up a few more branches without falling.
Bardock smiled when he saw the progress of his son. He looked down to a Chichi who had stopped moving. "Chichi."
"Yes..sir?" She panted.
"You haven't finished your 100 pushups."
"No, sir."
"You have 50 more to go. Keep going."
"Yes, sir." She rose up on shaky arms and started again. Kakkarot fell down again, but he had made it 3/4 of the way up the tree. He ran at it again. 'Not using energy is really hard.' He was only a few branches away from the top when he lost balance and fell again. He growled audibly this time. He ran at the tree again and didn't do as well as he had before.
Bardock called "Do not get angry. You will do worse. Clear your head first. Concentrate on balancing and aiming yourself." Kakkarot looked at his father and finally nodded. He tried it again.
Chichi thought 'He's almost got it.' She was exhausted from the pushups, but grateful Bardock wasn't paying her any attention right now. She saw him fall, but get up to start again and yelled impulsively "Go Kakkarot! You can do it! You've almost got it!" He looked at her with a look of surprise, a slight frown, then a smirk.
"I know, and I'll go higher than you!"
Chichi crossed her arms with a hmph. She still watched him though as he finally got to the top of the tree and he jumped up from the last branch and onto the top one. He then jumped off and landed after doing a couple of flips on the ground. He grinned.
Bardock looked at his son with leaves in his hair, his clothes torn, and some scrapes and cuts. He said "Yes, you made it. It wasn't as easy as you thought, was it?"
Kakkarot looked down, humbled "No, sir." Bardock told his son to take off his headband and ties. Kakkarot did, then flexed his hands and shook his hair. He then looked at Chichi. He said "I didn't need your help, you know. I could have done it fine myself."
Chichi said "But..."
Kakkarot turned to Bardock ignoring her "Do I do the rest of my training as well?"
Bardock said "Only 200 pushups and situps. I want to begin on the other lesson soon. Begin." Kakkarot dropped to the ground. Bardock looked at Chichi. She was tired, but not about to pass out yet. He said "Chichi, follow me." She did. Bardock went into the kitchen and took out three knives. He then went outside to a different tree with a knot in it. He dug a line in the ground with his foot. "Hit the knot in the tree with the knives and get it to stick."
"But the knot's so small! It's the size of my hand."
Bardock frowned "That sounded like questioning me."
"No sir."
"Good. Begin. You may go home when you have hit the knot." He walked away to the others.
Chichi held the knives. 'This is ridiculous. The knot is tiny from here!' She suinted and started throwing the knives. All three missed the tree. She sighed and went looking for them. They were heavy, so they hadn't gone far. She picked them up again. She could hear Kakkarot and the others doing some other sort of training. Her eyes watered. Kakkarot had gotten mad at her again, then she got angry. He didn't think she could do it. He thought she'd quit and leave! She'd show him! She'd show them all! She threw the knives again.
Training was done for everyone else and it was time for lunch. Chichi was still working on target practice. She was still throwing knives afterward. Everyone else started back to the building of the houses. Later, when it was starting to get dark... Celeri said "Master Bardock, I haven't heard the sound of knives striking wood and land for several minutes."
Bardock said "You are correct. Finish up what you can before dark. I will investigate." He left. He noticed Kakkarot catch up to him and walk beside. Bardock found Chichi asleep underneath the tree. She had a few minor cuts on her hands, just superficial wounds. He looked for the knives. One was beside her, one was a foot away from the tree and one was on the ouside ring of the knot. Bardock pwked her up. He looked at the knives and where she had been standing. He took up a knife and put the headband back on. He threw the knife then ran up to check on it, it hit the tree, but it was no where near the knot. He looked in the direction of the girl, but his father had already flown off with her. 'Chichi...maybe she's not as bad as I thought...if she could just learn how to fight decent...'
So, what do you guys think? A good chapter? Don't forget to R and R.