Piccolo felt the back of his neck prickle as he felt her energy.
She was getting closer, and stronger, too. He cast his gaze uneasily to the south, briefly considering relocating with Gohan once again. He dashed the thought. There was still a ways to go, and even if he could sense Chi-Chi's energy even from such a distance, that didn't mean she was stronger than him.
"Mr. Piccolo? Are you okay?"
Piccolo turned his attention back to the youth sitting across the fire from him, one eye swollen shut, covered head-to-toe in cuts, bruises, and scrapes, but nonetheless as chipper as a bird. "You look worried, I mean. Specifically in that direction. Is someone coming?" Gohan asked.
"Forget about it, kid," snapped Piccolo.
Gohan frowned slightly at Piccolo's tone. Piccolo sighed and relented despite himself. "Yes, someone is coming. But I doubt they'll make it and they certainly won't be able to beat me even if they do, so quit worrying about it," Piccolo insisted.
Gohan grinned. "I'm not worried about it, Mr. Piccolo. I was just saying that you looked worried about it, and if you wanted to talk through your feelings-"
"I am going to break both of your ankles," Piccolo said firmly.
"I need those," Gohan objected, but he dropped the subject.
Soon, Gohan curled up by the dying fire and fell fast asleep, as only children can, and Piccolo was left alone with his thoughts and the knowledge that Chi-Chi may very well be there to take Gohan back any day.
He cast his gaze down to the child snoring beside him, and felt a strange lurching sensation in his chest.
I don't want to say goodbye to you, Piccolo realized, and his stomach bottomed out.
Because then I won't be able to train you, and we'll be unprepared for the Saiyan menace, and the entire Earth and everyone on it will be destroyed, Piccolo added mentally, if only so that he could rest comfortably with the knowledge that he hadn't gone soft since taking on Gohan as his pupil.
Seven months.
Seven months since Goku's death and Gohan's abduction.
Seven months spent traversing the wastelands, slaughtering wild beasts to stay alive, and sleeping on rocks and under makeshift blankets of branches.
The only thing that kept Chi-Chi from phoning Bulma and tearfully begging for a ride home was her ability to sense energy that she'd developed since her journey began, which confirmed that Piccolo did seem to be where he claimed. Besides, travelling on foot had gotten quite a bit more manageable after she'd learned to use her ki. It had opened up possibilities Chi-Chi hadn't even considered possible before, and she found herself mostly travelling by massive leaps and bounds from plateau to plateau. It came in handy, too, as she'd long since lost the capsule with the car in it, which made vehicular travel a no-go.
Note to self: you owe Dad a new car, Chi-Chi thought as she made a fifty-foot jump from one ridge to the next. Maybe I'll get him something sporty - no durable, he does weigh quite a bit…
A scream derailed her train of thought and distracted Chi-Chi long enough that she messed up her touch-down and wound up landing flat on her face. The same scream sounded again, and when Chi-Chi listened, she realized it was accompanied by a series of cruel laughter and revving engines.
I guess I'm doing this now, she thought, dusting off her skirt before jumping down from the ridge into the canyon below.
A girl with cropped red hair was backed up against the canyon wall with six men on studded black-and-violet dirtbikes around her in a semicircle. The skinniest and shortest of the six - the leader if the decorations on his bike were any indication - leaned towards her with a sly grin that showed off crooked, yellowed teeth.
"What's the matter, Baby?" he jeered at the red-haired girl. "What, Teenie over there gets handsy for two minutes, and suddenly you don't wanna hang out with us no mo-"
His sentence turned into a scream as Chi-Chi dropped into the scene inches from his face. He recoiled instinctively, falling backwards off his bike. He pulled some lever or pushed some button on the way down, and the vehicle shot out from under him and zig-zagged around the rocky terrain before crashing into a boulder.
Chi-Chi started walking towards him, face dark and fists balled and ready for action. He kept scuttling back in the dirt, trying to stammer out some threat or jeer that would help him reclaim control of the situation.
"You feral bitch, where the hell did you come from?" he managed at length.
"Fire Mountain, though I've spent the last couple of years in the Paozu Region," Chi-Chi said, a mockery of amicability. "What about you, though? I love your cadence, dear. What is that, a North City accent? It's so quaint."
The man picked himself up off the dirt, glaring at Chi-Chi over his sunglasses. "Quit your bullshittin', mama," he snapped. He drew a stiletto switchblade out of his jacket pocket, exposing the blade with a flick of his wrist so that it glinted menacingly in the sun. "Stabbin' Kid and the Boys ain't here to play games."
Chi-Chi raised her eyebrows. "Did you say 'Stabbin' Kid and the Boys'?" she asked, incredulous.
The leader grinned, then spat in the dirt, twirling the knife around in his hand still. "S'right, sister. You just got yourself involved with the most notorious gang this side of the-"
"You call yourself 'Stabbin' Kid and the Boys'?" Chi-Chi demanded, her serious facade crumbling to reveal stark exasperation. "That's the dumbest name for anything I've heard in my life. Who's in charge? Who decides what your gang is called? 'Stabbin' Kid and the Boys', you've got to be joking."
The leader, who by the pink cast to his skin seemed to be Stabbin' Kid himself and the one responsible for naming the Boys as well, grit his teeth and raised his knife to Chi-Chi menacingly. "What's it matter to you, grandma? You're gonna be dead in a sec anyway so-"
Stabbin' Kid's sentence was cut short by a fist in his gut, which landed so forcefully that he spat blood onto Chi-Chi's shirt. Stabbin' Kid was lifted off the ground on Chi-Chi's uppercut, and he stayed balanced on her fist for a moment before she allowed him to slide off into the dirt. He'd lost his switchblade somewhere in the process, not that it mattered to Chi-Chi.
"The - fuck?" gasped Kid, clutching his abdomen.
"I swear to god, the next person to call me 'grandma' is going to be drop-kicked all the way to West City," Chi-Chi said, flashing her eyes at the other five gangsters. They each recoiled under her gaze, too paralyzed to attack or run away or even talk shit at that point.
With no small amount of difficulty, Kid picked himself up off the ground and stumbled over to one of his lackies. "What are you waiting for, you fucking mouth-breather?" Kid demanded as he hopped onto the back of one of their dirtbikes. "Step on it!"
"You have two minutes to get out of my sight before I decide to get physical with you boys," Chi-Chi said evenly, which was all the encouragement Stabbin' Kid and the Boys needed.
They revved their engines and turned tail, speeding off the in the opposite direction and kicking up no small amount of dirt and dust in the process. By the time the air cleared, they were nowhere to be seen.
Chi-Chi was just turning to go when a pair of hands gripped her bicep.
Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten about her, Chi-Chi thought, looking down at the young red-haired woman at her side.
"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.
"My name is Chi-Chi. I've been travelling through the wastelands for a while," Chi-Chi said. "And you are?"
The girl blushed and stood back, clasping her hands behind her back so that she wouldn't be tempted to grab at Chi-Chi again. "Me? My name's Baby. Or at least, that's what it's been since I joined up with the Boys," she said. She added in a much more somber tone, "I guess I can go back to usin' my old name now. God, what am I gonna do?"
"Do you have anywhere to go?" asked Chi-Chi. "Or any way of getting there?"
Baby choked back a sob, averting her eyes. "No on both accounts," she admitted. "I left camp on a bike, but Kid chased me into a ditch a couple miles back and the thing is trashed. I don't know what I was thinking, it's not like I've got anywhere to go. I just - I just had to get away from 'em."
Baby looked to be on the verge of hysterics, so Chi-Chi pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that helped to keep her grounded. "Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help," Chi-Chi said.
This is a distraction. I don't have time for this. What if Piccolo is cooking Gohan over a low flame this very moment?
While Baby struggled to regain her composure, Chi-Chi focused on the massive power level still a great distance to the north. Beside it, there was a smaller one - no doubt Gohan's - that didn't seem to be getting any weaker. It would be fine for a while, Chi-Chi decided.
"I joined Stabbin' Kid because I thought it'd be a hoot," Baby said into Chi-Chi's shoulder. "You know, just me and some friends cruising the wastelands on bikes. It's illegal, some of the stuff we do, but it ain't like they were killers or anything. It sure as hell beat being out of a job at the time, anyway. All the guys were cool and all I had to do to pull my weight was fix up whatever they plopped down in front of me. But I guess, after a while, their demands got a bit too…" Chi-Chi felt Baby shudder in her arms, "... intimate."
"Really?" Chi-Chi prompted, her voice dangerously soft.
Baby sniffed again, and Chi-Chi let her step back and rub her eyes with her palms. "Anyway, I told 'em I wasn't interested in that sort of thing. Guys couldn't keep their hands or their comments to themselves up in Youthtown, either. That's part of the reason why I left in the first place. They didn't take it so well, said that they can get a mechanic anywhere and that if I wanted to stay I'd have to pull my weight different ways," Baby said, her voice taking on a hateful edge. "I told 'em to go get a new mechanic, then. But they wouldn't let me leave. They chased me. God, I should of known better. What makes guys in the wasteland any better than guys at the goddamn hardware store?"
Baby spat into the dirt and sat down with her arms folded, her expression dark and her eyes red with stress and tears.
Chi-Chi turned in the direction that the rest of the gang had fled in, furrowing her brow as she focused on the cluster of ki in the distance, too weak and far away to be distinguishable but doubtlessly Stabbin' Kid and the Boys.
"How far away is your camp?" asked Chi-Chi, running her thumb over the hilt of her sword.
Baby looked up. "N-not too far, I guess. Maybe a four or five hour drive if you head straight for it, no stopping," Baby said. "Why?"
"We're gonna race 'em to it," Chi-Chi said evenly.
The sun was starting to set as Kid and the Boys came upon the cluster of mismatched and modified capsule houses they called home. "God, finally," sighed Kid as the camp appeared over the top of a ridge. Teenie, who Kid had been gripping onto for dear life since they ran from the crazy lady, maneuvered carefully around the terrain so as not to jostle Kid or the bike too badly. After all, they'd lost their best mechanic, and if the bike was busted, it was done for.
Bitch. Thinks she can just take off with no repercussions, thought Kid bitterly.
Five bikes pulled up to camp and were put away in their capsules one by one, before being handed off to Todd - the most responsible of the Boys - for safekeeping.
"What do we do now, boss?" asked Growner as the gang dispersed.
Making his way to the kitchen capsule for a snack, Kid shrugged. "Whatever - we'll head into Youthtown tomorrow and hire a new mechanic. Maybe we'll find a girl with a goddamn sense of adventure while we're at it," Kid said. "Then we'll head back into the wasteland, and teach Baby a lesson she isn't gonna forget."
"Oh? And what lesson is that, exactly?"
Kid and Growner both jumped, looking around wildly for the source of the voice.
"Up here, genius."
Kid looked up and his mouth fell open - in shock, in horror, or both, it was hard to tell - at the sight of the same feral bitch from before. Specifically, she was hovering thirty feet up in the air with her hands on her hips.
"She can fly?" gaped Growner from behind Kid.
Shock quickly turned into panic, and then to rage. "What are you waiting for, you baboon? Shoot her!" snapped Kid. "Boys! All of you, get out here!" Teenie, Todd, Mr. Middler, and Kid Sr. all came out of the respective capsule rooms, only Todd thinking to bring a weapon.
Dutifully, Todd took aim at the intruder and unloaded a magazine in her direction. However, before Kid's very eyes, she vanished into thin air, and Todd's bullets were wasted.
"What the-" started Kid, his words cut off by a sickening crunch behind him.
He whirled around in time to see Todd and Mr. Middler collapse into motionless heaps. The woman was nowhere to be seen.
Kid Sr. let out a groan of pain, and Kid spun to see him curl up into a ball, clutching his abdomen. Then Teenie let out a cry, but before Kid could even hope to assess that facet of the situation, Growner was snatched up before his eyes, disappearing completely along with his assailant.
Rage cooled back into panic, and Kid struggled to keep his balance and hold his bladder at the same time.
Suddenly, Growner reappeared and fell to a heap at Kid's feet.
Well, I won't have to worry about holding my bladder anymore, was Kid's last coherent thought before she appeared again right in front of him with, shoulders squared and fists up.
"This is one of Capsule Corp.'s newest models. I don't think it's even hit the market yet, but some guy we mugged a while back - I think he was famous for sports or whatever - he had it on him," Baby said as she deftly punched buttons on the vehicle's computer. "It's entirely self-piloting. You just punch in coordinates and the computer takes care of the rest. It's a got a million sensors and cameras on it - it can travel any terrain and navigate any situation. Plus, I've modified it so it doesn't have a set top speed."
Baby turned her head to the back seat of the vehicle, where Stabbin' Kid and the Boys were tied up, gagged, and plain terrified if they weren't unconscious. "You guys will be at the Youthtown Police Station in no time flat," she finished. She punched in one or two more things on the computer, before sliding out of the car and slamming the door.
Chi-Chi watched lights blink on the vehicle as it rose from the ground and oriented itself towards Youthtown. It took off at alarming speed, and Chi-Chi could have sworn she heard a shriek from inside the vehicle.
Baby laughed as the vehicle disappeared from sight, and turned to Chi-Chi. "I can't thank you enough," she said. "When they had me cornered in the wastelands there, I thought I was a goner. But you-"
Chi-Chi raised her hand. "It's nothing, Baby," Chi-Chi insisted. "I did what anyone with any honor would have done. I can't stand men like them, and the fewer there are out and about, the better."
Baby smiled and laughed. It was the first time Chi-Chi had seen her at ease, and it warmed her heart. "You do seem like the type of person who would say that," Baby said, absently kicking rocks.
Chi-Chi agreed to stay the night with Baby in the capsule camp. After all, how could she turn down a real kitchen with a stove and electric lights and a spice rack (albeit one that didn't seem to get much use)? Baby never asked for Chi-Chi to cook anything, but nevertheless she found herself in the kitchen capsule putting together a proper meal for the first time in months.
"You're a good cook," Baby said, genuinely in awe as she watched Chi-Chi work. "Damn. Didn't think there was much demand for a professional chef out in the wastelands."
Chi-Chi laughed. "Don't be so silly. I just cook a lot at home - far more than the average person, too. My husband's a bottomless pit and so is my little boy, with every growth spurt he hits. It's a miracle we can even afford to feed them," she said.
Baby didn't respond for a minute. "Back up," she said at length, earning a curious look from Chi-Chi. "You have a house? You're married? With a kid?"
Chi-Chi frowned. "Yes. Why? Is that strange?" she asked.
Baby shook her head, hands on her hips. "No, it's just - I kinda figured you must live out here. What with the sword and the pelts and all," Baby said. "Plus with the fighting, I'd guessed you were some kind of nomad or folk hero or something. Throttling a gang of criminals didn't exactly communicate 'married woman' to me."
Despite herself, Chi-Chi laughed. "Well, these past few months have been a very challenging time for me. But hopefully, it'll all be over soon, and I can go back home with my family and just have normalcy again," Chi-Chi said. A timer pinged and she rushed to get something out of the oven. "Speaking of, Baby, what are your plans for the future?"
The sudden change of subject made Baby squirm. "Oh, me? I… I dunno," she admitted. "I guess I could go to a new town, try to get another job as a mechanic. I wouldn't know where to start, though. I could always stay out here and keep looting tourists, but I'm not so sure this life is for me…"
Chi-Chi hummed, reading the thermometer she'd stuck into the roast duck. "You could always try Capsule Corp., you know. West City's the best place in the world to be a mechanic, thanks to them," Chi-Chi said.
Behind her, Baby laughed bitterly. "Me? At Capsule Corp.? Yeah right. You kinda need connections to get a job there. Too many people try it," Baby explained.
"Well, it's a good thing you have connections then, isn't it?" Chi-Chi commented. She frowned at the thermometer and decided the duck needed more time.
"What are you talking about?" asked Baby. "I don't know anybody, let alone anyone worth their weight in salt at the Capsule Corporation."
Chi-Chi smiled knowingly. "You may not, but I certainly do," she said. Seeing the confused look on Baby's face, Chi-Chi explained, "You see, my husband has been best friends with Bulma Briefs since they were children. He must have saved her life a hundred times, at least. Dr. Briefs sends us all kinds of books on physics and engineering for our son's studies, and his wife and I trade quilts at least twice a year." Chi-Chi winked. "I can put in a good word for you."
Baby stared at her, gape-jawed. "Who are you?" she asked, entirely floored.
They saw each other off the next morning.
"Here: I know you can fly, but maybe you'd like to just put your feet up and let modern advancements in transportation carry you for a bit," Baby said, placing a capsule in Chi-Chi's open palm. "It's an older model, but I souped it up a lot while I've been here. She's kinda my baby, but I want you to have her."
Chi-Chi held the capsule to her chest. "Thank you so much," she said earnestly.
Baby shook her head. "No, thank you. You saved my life and gave me another chance," Baby said, waving the scrap of paper with Chi-Chi's information scribbled on it. "I never thought I'd even have a shot at working in West City, and at Capsule Corp. too. It's amazing."
They hugged each other tight, and Chi-Chi promised to catch up with her in West City soon. Baby hopped into her own vehicle, still waving to Chi-Chi even as she fired up the engines and took off over the horizon.
"Good luck!" Chi-Chi called as Baby gradually disappeared from sight.
Chi-Chi placed the capsule inside her shirt for safekeeping, then focused on Piccolo's ki with her brow furrowed. Having found him, she turned on her heel and launched herself into the sky, covering over a hundred feet in a single bound.
No more distractions, she thought, landing with enough force to rattle rocks and taking off at top speed in the direction of Piccolo and Gohan's ki.
They were so close, she could practically smell them. Nothing in the world could stop her now.