17: The Plan To Get Valese
Basil skipped out of the capsule house with her hair freshly brushed and pulled into a tilted and sloppy ponytail. She had exchanged her nightgown for a blue tank-top and shorts, which had also been at her disposal in the dresser located in her spacious bedroom. She decided against shoes, enjoying all too much the feel of the Earth underneath her bare feet. Back on Planet Vegeta, it wasn't nearly as safe to walk barefoot as it was on Earth. The soft dirt and the cool grass made her feel at peace in her new home. The gentle wind was also a help at making her feel relaxed and at ease.
The water sparkled like a thousand diamonds and rippled just as beautifully. She marveled at how the fluffy white clouds and the brilliant sun became warped in the reflection the water created. Underneath the blue oasis, she spotted several of the large fish that Piccolo had pointed were indeed very huge, to the point where the tops of their spiked fins broke the surface of the water like a shark. Basil crouched down by the bank of the pond and tapped the top of the water, giggling when it rippled under her touch.
Piccolo came up beside her, silently approving her outfit of choice before launching into his lesson of fishing. "Alright, Basil. Basic survival instincts are important. You need to know how to catch food on your own, so you're not dependent on others."
"Goku said that I needed to be dependent on him and Vegeta." Basil replied, standing up. "He said I had to learn how to fight before I was in charge of myself."
"While that's true, you need the skills needed to provide food for yourself in dire situations." Piccolo said.
"What's dire mean?" Basil scratched the back of her neck.
Piccolo shook his head. "Never mind that. Follow me." He stepped around her and headed towards a dip in the bank. The dirt became soft and squishy here, and little tadpoles called it their home. Large stocks of cat tail plants sprouted from the waters edge, waving delicately in the wind. Basil hurried alongside the Namekian with eager anticipation. She didn't know what 'fishing' was, but she was interested in learning about it.
Piccolo stopped just before the tips of his shoes made contact with the water and crossed his arms. "Okay. You see your tail?"
Basil blinked at him, then looked at her tail curled around her waist. "Yeah, what for?"
"I want you to put the tip of your tail into the water and simply wait for a fish to grab onto it."
Basil raised an eyebrow. "But...it hurts when my tail gets touched."
Piccolo nodded. "Yes, I know. But this won't hurt. Once the fish grabs on, I want you to flick it into the air and knock it onto the grass."
Basil looked behind her at the open space, perfect for the large fish to be thrown onto. Then she looked back to Piccolo. "But won't the fish be angry?"
Piccolo looked down at her with a frown. "What does that matter? It's a fish."
"I know, but I don't want to make the fish angry with me." Basil bounded in front of the Namekian, her tail wagging. "They won't be mad, right?"
Piccolo stared at her before chuckling. "No, they won't be angry with you, Basil."
"Okay!" She flipped around and positioned herself so that her back was to the pond. She gently unfurled her tail and placed the tip a few inches under the water's surface. Her bare feet sunk into the mud and she giggled at the strange feeling it brought. She bent over and placed her hands on her knees, looking over her shoulder at the silhouettes of the fish in the blue. The water warped at the sudden intrusion to its calmness, causing the tiny fish by her feet to scatter in all directions.
"Now, wiggle your tail a little." Piccolo instructed, and Basil followed his orders. She flicked her tail gently, and the water rippled. It caught the attention of two large fish, and they slowly made their way to what they took as food.
"How did you know to fish with a tail?" Basil asked. "You don't have a tail."
"Goku used to fish this way." Piccolo explained. "Back when he was younger. It's a more effective way than using a rod and bait."
"Did you teach Goku?" Basil asked, turning her attention from the water to the Namekian before her.
"Not exactly, no. For the most part, he taught himself." Piccolo recalled his memories of when the powerful Saiyan was only a mere young adult. He was strong back then, but it was truly impressive knowing how far he had come, and how much he had gained. He now had a family, and friends and had battled a living God and survived. Piccolo had to admit that Goku was far beyond that of a simple Saiyan. Taking into account the many forms he had gathered, as well as the many battles he had been in, it was safe to say that Goku was God level, maybe even more than that. Sure, he was still fairly stupid, but when it came to protecting his planet and friends, Goku was truly one to admire. Piccolo had been watching the Saiyan from the sidelines for many years and was beyond impressed, though he still had much to learn. There was never an ending to knowledge. There was always something new to learn in the universe. And Goku had only scratched the surface of that knowledge.
Piccolo was pulled harshly from his thoughts upon hearing a loud scream of glee and the thunderous thump of something heavy hitting the ground. He whipped around and saw Basil standing triumphantly on top of a fish the size of his house, maybe even bigger. She smiled wide and hopped off the top, skipping over to Piccolo with a laugh. "Look! I got one! You should have seen him latch onto my tail. It felt weird at first, but you said it wouldn't hurt, so I didn't mind. I threw him up with my tail and he landed right over there. He's sleeping now, I think. I don't really know fish, so I can't say for sure. What do we do with it now?"
Piccolo blinked, then looked from her to the fish. "Well...we cook it."
"Oh, really? Are we gonna eat the whole thing?" Basil asked excitedly.
Piccolo stepped around her and walked over to the fish, grabbing it by a fin and dragging it across the grass. "I have a feeling you won't have any trouble eating this whole thing by yourself."
Basil shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say, Mister Piccolo."
...
The cafeteria was as crowded as it ever was, with the shuffling of feet and the shouts of energized teenagers being all that one heard. The occasional apple found itself flying across the room every now and then. The girls all made their way to the back so they could sit away from the boys and gossip or do whatever it was that girls did when in a bundle. The loud boys all clambered along the food line, and quite kids got their food and hurried elsewhere, and then there was Goten and Trunks, who stood at the doors of the cafeteria like unmovable statues. It was common for many students to possess a fear of the school cafeteria. Not only was the food always terrible, but it was a hotspot for bullies to easily spot their prey.
Goten adjusted the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, and looked over at Trunks. "Well? What's the move?"
"The move is you go over to that table to talk to Valese." Trunks pointed to a table shrouded in girls, and among them was Valese, the girl of Goten's dreams. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, and her brown hair beautifully brushed over her shoulder. Goten felt his face heat up, and he quickly flipped around to face the other way.
"I can't! She's too perfect for me!" Goten said, burying his face in his hands.
"Oh, come on! You can't back out now! Did Gohan back down when he realized he liked Videl?" Trunks bent down to look into Goten's eyes with a warm smile.
Goten thought for a moment, then shrugged. "How should I know? I wasn't born yet at that time."
Trunks sighed and grabbed Goten by the shoulders, turning him around to face the girls' table. "Just man up and get over there!" He gave a forceful push, which succeeded in sending Goten stumbling over to the table that was claimed by the girls and forbidden for the boys. He tried to steady himself by pinwheeling his arms, but to no avail as he ended up catching himself on the edge of the table, which caught the attention of every girl within a ten-foot radius. His face was as red as a ripe strawberry as he quickly stood straight, pinning his arms to his sides.
Valese smiled at Goten, though it was only a mere smile of sympathy for him having flat-out embarrassed himself. "Are...you okay?"
"Yep, totally fine!" Goten said quickly, then glared at Trunks over his shoulder. "I...just tripped."
"Well, can you 'just trip' somewhere else?" A blonde girl asked as she loudly chewed a wad of gum. "We're busy."
"Yeah, of course! I don't wanna interrupt, since you guys are clearly-" Goten began as he started backing away, but a throat cleared from behind him. He turned to see Trunks motioning for him to stay. Goten mouthed There's no way I can do this! in response, which made Trunks sigh and hurry over.
"Hello, ladies. I'm Trunks, and this here is my good buddy Goten." Trunks said with a flourish, wrapping an arm around Goten's shoulder. "You may not know him, but he's a real catch. Trust me. Sure, he may not play football or soccer or...any sport, actually, but he's cute...like a puppy. And everybody loves puppies, an I right?"
Goten face-palmed, his face an even darker shade of red than one would think possible.
The girls were silent for a moment, then they burst into laughter. Goten and Trunks stared at them as they laughed harder than they'd ever seen anyone laugh. Others from several tables away looked in their direction, adding onto the embarrassment factor for Goten. He fell even deeper into his pit of despair when he noticed Valese was laughing as well.
Trunks blinked a few times, then slowly looked over at Goten. "I think this is going well."
"I hate you." Goten said quietly. He turned on his heel and walked off towards the double doors leading to the hallway of sticker-coated lockers.
Trunks hurried after him. "Hey, I tried! Girls are complicated."
"You literally could not have made that any worse." Goten groaned.
"Actually, I could have, but, on a lighter note, Mom says girls like guys who make them laugh." Trunks smiled.
"Yeah, when it's on purpose! All those girls probably think I'm a loser." Goten huffed, kicking a locker.
"Hey, don't take it out on the poor locker." Trunks said, earning a punch to the arm.
The door to the cafeteria opened up, and both Trunks and Goten were surprised to see Valese. She smiled warmly, her hands clasped in front of her. "That was a really funny skit thing you guys did."
Goten and Trunks exchanged a look, then Trunks broke into a smile. "O-oh, yeah! Thanks! We spent a whole week planning it."
"Really?" Valese chuckled. "I liked it. Most guys just try to flirt with humor, and that gets old." She turned to Goten and struck out her hand. "I'm Valese."
"Goten." Goten shakingly took her hand. "You...liked what we did?"
"Yeah. It was refreshing from the same old thing that happens all the time." Valese said with a smile.
Trunks rested his arm of Goten's shoulder with a sly smile. "Still hate me?"
Goten shrugged Trunks off of him and took Valese by the arm, heading down the hallway. "Well, if you liked that, I can do a whole lot more clumsy stuff guaranteed to make you laugh. One time, a bunch of bees chased me, and I tried to run away but ended up tripping over a chair."
Valese laughed. "Bees can be pretty mean."
"Sure can. Oh, and one time when I was little I swallowed a penny and ended up in the hospital for three days."
"Really?"
"Yeah! My Mom said it was a scary time for her. My Dad said it was kinda funny, though."
"Well, I'm glad that was taken care of."
"Me, too. If I still had that penny in my throat, I would probably have a high-pitched voice."
Trunks watched them laugh all the way down the hall with his hands in his pockets. "Mission accomplished, buddy."
