Chapter 004 – Abandoned in the Wild
It dawned on her she was cold. Wherever she was she was cold and breathless. She couldn't breathe! It was almost as if she were underwater…
Corset bolted to a standing position frantically, gasping and breaking the surface of the water she'd been laying in. So she had been submerged after all! She breathed deeply and frequently as if every breath counted, confused as to where the water had come from. Corset began to rub the water out of her eyes and off her face, looking around to see where she was now. A sudden scream had reached her ears as she'd broken the surface. She thought it had been Gohan she'd heard scream but she wasn't too sure.
Where was she now? Wherever it was it definitely wasn't that small and cramped spaceship she and Gohan had been imprisoned in.
"Who are you? Where's my daddy?"
That certainly was Gohan's voice and he sounded scared, making Corset herself feel scared. Was it that scary man again? She opened her eyes and looked around, spotting Gohan.
"Hey, you're here too?" She asked.
Gohan looked at her in confusion. "Do you know where we are?"
Corset shook her head and turned around to view her surroundings. Her eyes fell upon a tall green man, making her scream and stumble back by a few steps, tripping on a submerged rock or something similar and falling backwards into the lake! She frantically moved to a sitting position desperate not to drown, eyes wide in shock, "Who is that?"
This man did not look human, but he looked almost as scary as the other violent one! Who was he?
Gohan began to cry beside her. "Daddy! Daddy, where are you? I'm scared!"
"Where's my mama?" Corset asked out of concern, remembering what had happened earlier on during the day. The emotions began to overwhelm her and she too began to cry, fearing for her mother's life but also for her own. This green man did not look friendly in the least.
"Shut up!" Piccolo yelled loudly, startling the two children further. "Shut up or I'll slit your throats!"
The two children immediately tried to calm themselves down with a considerable amount of effort.
"Good... Now get out of the water; I have something to tell you both." Piccolo ordered.
Both Gohan and Corset were a little sceptical about the whole thing but neither wanted to make the green man angry again in case he did end up slitting their throats. Obediently the duo made their way out of the lake, doing their best to rinse the water out of their saturated clothes. The tall green warrior followed them out and stood before the two, towering over them.
"Now listen to me." Piccolo ordered as he folded his arms. "Boy – your father is dead."
Gohan gasped in horror; Corset instantly feeling sympathetic towards him... not that she was aware of the concept of sympathy and what it was! His daddy had died? That nice man who'd tried to help them earlier was dead?
"He sacrificed his life to help kill the man who kidnapped you both," Piccolo continued, apparently unfazed by the news and indifferent to their feelings. "That's not the end of the story though. Although we defeated the man who kidnapped you, two more of his comrades are on their way; both more powerful than the one we barely managed to defeat. They will arrive in a year's time. We need both of your powers in order to defend the Earth. I shall be the one training you both to use your powers effectively."
Corset raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side. "Powers?" She repeated. "What powers?" She looked over at Gohan and frowned; he was trying his best not to cry but was failing miserably at it.
"I'm only guessing that you have the same powers, girl," Piccolo muttered, "whilst we were fighting that man, the boy here showed an extraordinary ability to suddenly unleash a furious bound of energy; if it weren't for him then I'm almost certain none of us would be here right now..."
"Did you do that?" Corset asked Gohan. "I don't remember seeing you do that."
"... I did what?" Gohan sniffed, wiping away a tear with his sleeve. "Y-You're lying. I don't have any powers."
Piccolo smiled sadistically. "You want proof?"
Both Gohan and Corset gasped as the green warrior leaned towards them, grabbing Gohan by his head and pulling him clean off his feet. Gohan howled in pain and began to flail his arms and legs about, Corset quivering in shock and fear; this man didn't seem any nicer than the one who'd hurt everyone earlier. Her legs had turned to jelly, she couldn't move even if she wanted to.
"Let go! That hurts!" Gohan wailed, striking Piccolo's wrist with his small fists.
With little effort, Piccolo threw Gohan ahead of him, sending the boy straight towards a large boulder.
Gohan's screams sent chills down Corset's spine as she watched in pure horror. Surely it would only be a matter of time before this green monster killed them both and ate them?
A peculiar glow suddenly surrounded the boy, catching both Piccolo and Corset's attention. It looked as if there was a flash of light being shot forwards by the boy as he travelled inevitably towards the solid surface of the boulder.
There was a brilliant explosion of bright light and strong wind as the area suddenly exploded! Corset found herself being pushed backwards off her feet, crashing onto the ground and rolling across it as the wind pushed her along. She finally stopped and kept herself on the ground, bracing the terrific force the sudden and unexpected blast had caused, terrified the Earth was exploding around her.
The wind died down and the blinding light died down until it was normal daylight once more. Corset realised she was able to sit up and did so.
The sight ahead of her made her gasp as the breath in her throat stopped itself from moving momentarily.
The large boulder she'd seen there just seconds ago was completely gone! Instead, there was an indent in the ground, smoke and dust rising off the scorched ground. In front of it and at the centre of the line sat a baffled and bewildered Gohan.
It took a while for any thought to register in her mind.
"... Wow..." she managed to speak out, incredibly fearful of this boy all of a sudden. If he was capable of doing such things as the green man claimed then she wasn't sure if she wanted to be his friend in case he used that power against her.
Piccolo approached Gohan. "It begins to become clear to you, doesn't it boy? My training will mean you will be able to control that kind of power at will. It'll be far tougher than anything you would have ever faced but you have no choice; the Saiyans are due in one year so you'll be starting right away. Your father will be joining us when the others decide to wish him back to life with the use of the Dragonballs. I'm sure your father has told you of them..."
Gohan got to his feet and wiped the dust off his clothes as best as he could. "... But I don't wanna be a fighter." He frowned. "I wanna be a great scholar."
"Be whatever you want- after the Saiyans are taken care of," Piccolo barked back.
"What about her?" Gohan asked. "Does she have powers too?"
Corset had gotten to her feet and was beginning to walk over towards the other two, still bewildered and stunned that Gohan had managed to make the mess he'd made. That boulder had completely vanished and he'd made an impact on the ground as if he'd taken a massive spade and dug a section of the surface out! She had no idea what Piccolo and Gohan were talking about due to the proximity between them.
Piccolo glanced over towards Corset briefly, answering Gohan's question. "Although I have not seen them, there is logic to believe she does. According to the man you kidnapped you both, you two are half human and half Saiyan- he revealed your father to be a Saiyan and it would appear normal humans do not have tails. Judging by the similarities between the two of you and the fact you both have tails, which seem to be a trait of those with Saiyan blood, going by your strange abilities I would imagine she too possesses them. Now that's enough talk."
Corset had heard most of this answer – not that she'd understood it - and by the time it had been finished, she'd arrived by their side. "Wow Gohan, you're really strong. I don't think I've ever done anything like that before." She gawked in awe. "I can't do anything like that."
"I said that's enough talk!" Piccolo barked, scaring the two children. "Your training with me will commence as of now!"
"Wait... Can't I be trained by my daddy when he comes back?" Gohan asked.
"I don't wanna be trained by you; you threw Gohan!" Corset quivered. "You're scary... and I don't wanna fight."
Piccolo sneered at the two children before him, "Shut up! I don't care if you don't agree with my methods of training – You've got no choice so get used to it! You two are just a pair of pampered babies too scared and fragile to be of any use to anyone! Only I seem to be suitable to break that nasty little habit of yours. You're being trained by me because it's the only way!"
Both Gohan and Corset frowned in defeat.
She didn't want to fight! Corset hated things like this. She didn't like getting hurt, she didn't want to be in pain. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be at home.
"First, your training will consist of nothing but surviving here in this harsh wilderness," Piccolo explained. "If after six months I find both of you – or just one of you – still alive then I shall train you in martial arts!"
"S-Survive?" Gohan repeated. "Out here, in the cold?"
"That's not fair!" Corset whined. "There are no houses here. It's cold out here, there's no bed, no bath, no food and no toys!"
"Stop acting like such spoilt brats!" Piccolo snapped. "Do you want me to kill you both now? Just get used to it and live for six months. If when I return I find you both still alive then I shall train you."
With that he turned on his heels and began to walk off.
"No!" Corset wailed as she went to follow him; a menacing glare from Piccolo made her stop rather abruptly as she and Gohan cowered.
"... That reminds me," Piccolo added. "Don't even bother trying to escape this place; it's surrounded by nothing but desert. It makes this place look like paradise." His feet left the ground as he began to ascend up into the sky.
"Wait - don't leave us here!" Gohan pleaded. "Please don't go; we'll die!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears as Piccolo shot into the distance.
Desperately Gohan and Corset ran after him as fast as they could, continuing to run even when they lost sight of his silouette. Eventually it dawned on them it was no use and both came to a slow stop.
"... He left us," She couldn't believe it. Corset's lip began to quiver. Gohan began to cry and covered his face with his hands.
What were either of them supposed to do? Neither would live through this; they both knew this! It was too much for either of them to handle!
"This is the worst day in my life!" Corset cried. "I wanna go home! I wanna play with my toys! I wanna see my mama! I wanna see grandpa and nana! I don't wanna be here!"
"I want my mummy and my daddy!" Gohan hiccupped.
It dawned on Corset that Gohan's father was dead. This made her feel even more helpless; Gohan no longer had his daddy. That strong man wasn't there to come and find them. He was something Gohan definitely wasn't going to be getting back.
Would her mama look for them? How would she know where to look? According to stories from her mama and grandparents, the world was a huge place.
The thought brought tears to her eyes. Defeated and tired she squatted down and began to cry. What else was a child of their age meant to do?
A couple of hours had passed and still the two children sat in the same spot crying their eyes out. It wasn't fair; neither of them were confident they would live through this. Their wails echoed through the canyons and off the tall rock pillars that dotted the area. The sun was beginning to set on the wilderness; soon night would fall and the nocturnal hunters would be out.
A violent shudder of the ground made Corset stop to wipe her tears, adrenaline bolting through her small body. She turned to spot something gigantic before her and Gohan. Her entire body went cold as the hairs on her back rose. "Guh-Gohan... l-l-look!"
There was a rather large dinosaur eyeing the two up!
With a mighty roar it lunged its head towards them; both Gohan and Corset screamed and bolted onto their feet, the dinosaur missing them with its first attempt and chasing them as they ran away.
"Someone help us!" Gohan screamed as the dinosaur tried again, once again lunging forwards and missing Gohan's tail by inches! The adrenaline was what kept them alive and stopped them from freezing up but both knew they would eventually be caught by this monster, both knew they would be eaten alive by this thing, both knew they would die.
Without warning Gohan stumbled on a rock and fell flat on his face; the dinosaur diving in to snag the boy in its jaws...
Gohan was gone.
The dinosaur had shovelled nothing but rocks into its mouth. Confused it looked around – spotting Corset.
Corset'd stopped to see where Gohan was; she feared he'd been eaten and she was next!
The dinosaur roared and charged at the paralysed girl; Corset too terrified to move. This was it. She had no real concept of time as the few hours they'd been here had felt like an entire day. She was dead.
Something snapped.
Corset screamed out loudly and turned, bolting up at the dinosaur and head-butting it in the chin. She was no longer aware of what was going on around her, lost in a blur of adrenaline and instinct. The dinosaur fell onto its back with a rather large thud, making the ground shudder slightly from the impact. After struggling it managed to roll onto its front and got onto its hind legs, looking around for the small girl. It couldn't understand how they'd both vanished completely!
There was a large cliff bluff reaching up to the sky beside the large dinosaur. High, high above it, at the top of this large cliff, Corset opened one eye bravely, taken back when she realised her perspective of the area around her had changed. She had no idea where she was but she was alone. Gohan hadn't stood a chance. Knowing he'd been eaten terrified her and brought tears to her eyes. Scared and now alone, she began to cry.
A small wail almost made her scream as she turned around; Gohan! He was alive! He hadn't been eaten by the dinosaur and was currently beside her on his hands and knees trying to catch his breath back.
"You're not eaten!" Corset cheered happily, hugging the startled boy. "I thought you'd been eaten by the dinosaur."
"No... I don't know how I didn't get eaten though," Gohan mumbled.
The two calmed themselves down and caught their breath back from the shock.
"Where'd the dinosaur go?" Corset asked quietly.
"I don't know..." Gohan answered. He bravely crawled over to the edge of the cliff and peered down, gasping and cowering back as he realised just how high up they were! "W-We're stuck... We're stuck!" He began to bawl his eyes out once again.
"We are?" Corset gasped, cautiously making her way over to the edge of the cliff. She looked over the edge and gulped; her instincts screamed at her to stay away from the edge and she hurriedly made her way back over to Gohan. "How are we g-gonna get d-down?" She asked tearfully. "It's too h-high up!"
The night had long since crept across the heavens above. The stars twinkled in the cloudless skies providing little light to illuminate the ground. The moon was the brightest object in the sky. Down below on a small protruding piece of rock, a wolf howled out across the valley below. The sound of distant footsteps indicated a dinosaur was roaming the night, possibly looking for food or just trying to find a safe place to sleep for the night. High above the ground, the two children had managed to cry themselves to sleep. Feeling lonely and uncertain, the two had practically slept back-to-back with one another in an attempt to subdue the lonely feeling and also, as Gohan had suggested, to stay as warm as possible.
Unbeknownst to the two children, Piccolo hovered in the air nearby for two reasons. One was to meditate and train himself. The other reason: to see how the two would fare when the odds were against them. He would watch and see how they dealt with the harsh reality they were faced with, whether they would be able to conquer their fear and learn to survive was another matter. All he could do was to have faith in his judgement and believe they could do it.
It was going to be a long but interesting six months.