Chapter 016 - Destination Namek
They were waiting for their check-up outside Goku's ward. They were to be moved into the same room as him once the nurses had finished bandaging him up.
The screams of blue murder coming from the other side of the door terrified Corset to her soul! Was being bandaged up really that painful? It scared her to hear such a strong man screaming his lungs out. If it hurt him then how was she supposed to cope? Of all the times for her mother not to be here...
"You look ridiculous in that mummy suit, Goku!" Krillin sniggered.
"Yeah, I feel ridiculous," Goku laughed. "At least you, Gohan and Corset only have to stay here for a couple of nights; they're saying it'll take ages for me to make a full recovery and I might not even be able to do normal things. It wasn't the news I wanted!"
"Don't worry; in around another month the senzu tree will have new beans grown," Korin smiled. "I'll be sure to bring you them when they've finished growing."
"Thanks Korin," Goku nodded. "That'll be a great help."
"Hey guys!" Bulma burst through the door... or at least someone who looked like Bulma! "Turn on the TV; I've got something to show you."
Corset would have smiled but the new haircut her mother was sporting threw her off, so instead she tilted her head, "... You changed your hair again, Mama. Didn't you like it anymore?"
"I got bored of it so I decided to change it. Come and see this, Corset," Bulma beamed as she switched the television on; the group edging closer to the small screen.
Corset's eyes settled on the screen. A reporter was standing before what looked like a screen; what was behind the screen shocked her.
"The Saiyan's space ship!" Krillin gasped. "Oh that's just great! How are we meant to get it from them now?"
"Easy, silly!" Bulma grinned. "All I have to do is press a couple of these buttons and then the ship will come to us. I spent most of last night trying to figure out how this thing works and I've got it all down to a T! Trust me I know what I'm doing," Bulma pulled the tiny device Krillin had given her from her pocket, Corset making note of the buttons she was pressing. "All I have to do is press these buttons here..." Bulma mumbled as she poked the device, eyes darting back to the screen. "I can't wait to see the look of surprise on their faces."
The ship exploded, shattering the protective steel and making the reporter scream!
"Something's happened! The strange object has suddenly just exploded! Could it have been some kind of bomb? Stay tuned and we'll see what the leading scientists in the centre believe!"
Corset's eyes were wide with disbelief. Something told her that hadn't been the plan.
"NOOOOOO!" Bulma screamed, "I TOLD MYSELF NOT TO PRESS THE SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTON!"
"Now what are we gonna do?" Krillin wailed, falling to the floor in shock. "... It's over... that ship was our last hope…"
Corset was lost in her own thoughts for what felt like forever. The adults – mainly Krillin and Bulma - were arguing over the best course of action and how silly it had been that Bulma had broken the ship. Personally Corset had found the entire situation kinda funny, having replayed the part where the ship'd blown up in her mind several times. She wouldn't have liked to have been that unfortunate reporter!
Bulma's sudden scream made Corset jump, head bolting up as she frantically scanned the room.
"Mr Popo!" Krillin walked towards the window – again Corset jumped when she realised there was a man standing... or floating... doing something on the other side. Was there a ledge there or was he floating? He looked quite strange to her; his skin was as dark as coal and his clothes were unlike anything Corset'd ever seen anyone wear. The turban reminded her a little of Piccolo.
"W-What?" Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi all gasped in unison.
"I'm not sure if it is a ship; someone who knows please come with me and I shall show them," the man on the other side of the window instructed.
"Well you heard him Bulma. I guess if anyone's gonna know what a ship looks like it'll be you!"
"M-Me?" Bulma squawked, taking a quick glance at Mr Popo. "... Doesn't he give any of you the creeps?"
Corset looked the man they were calling Mr Popo up and down. He had very strange eyes and an unusual aura… but he didn't seem mean. Just very awake. She wondered if he'd been drinking that hot drink that her mother liked, the one that stunk and tasted horribly bitter.
"Krillin's right though Bulma; you're the technician here. You'd probably recognise what it is right away," Master Roshi replied.
"... Fine. Alright then." Bulma slowly edged towards the window. "Just so you know, I've never ridden on a magic carpet before... It doesn't look that safe from here."
Corset watched anxious as her mother slowly climbed out the window onto what looked like a floating carpet.
"Ok, I'm not as thick-skulled and strong as those guys in there; I'm a little fragile so be careful and don't fly too fast," Bulma sounded nervous.
"Here we go," Mr Popo nodded.
To everyone's shock, the two completely vanished into thin air!
"How'd they do that?" Master Roshi asked. "More to the point, who was that, Krillin?"
"That was Mr Popo; he helps Kami up on the lookout," Krillin replied, "It's said that he's been there far longer than even Kami has."
"I see," Master Roshi nodded. "Well let's hope what he's found really is a space ship."
Corset nodded. Let's hope they still had a chance to wish everyone back...
"... And it got us all the way to Jupiter in under a minute!" Bulma added. "Based on the calculations I made, it'll get us to Planet Namek in just over a month! Of course the ship is gonna need to be revamped inside but it'll be perfect! I reckon it'll take about five days in total before we can blast off and go to Namek."
Bulma seemed incredibly excited. What Mr Popo had found had turned out to be Kami's ship – Corset still wasn't entirely sure who Kami was apart from being the creator of the Dragonballs. She sat quietly, listening to the adults as they schemed. Eventually it came down to who was going on the mission...
"It looks like you're gonna have to go then, Bulma," Krillin stepped forward; his sentence attracting Corset's attention. "You're the only one who knows anything about mechanics; if something went wrong with the ship you'd be the only one who would have a clue on what to do!"
'Mama's going?' Corset asked herself in her mind beginning to think to herself...
She didn't want her mother to get hurt. Although it made her feel anxious and a little scared thinking about it, there was part of her that wanted to do it for Piccolo, Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Plus she couldn't let anything bad happen to her mother. Piccolo had taught her how to fight, she had learnt how to fight so she could protect her mother.
It was a long-shot, she knew that.
"... Can I come with you, Mama?" Corset asked hopeful but not too confident she'd get the answer she wanted.
Bulma glanced over at her daughter, a mixture of emotions on her face. "I'm not sure if you should sweetie..." Her attention went elsewhere in the room. "You'll come with me won't you Krillin?"
Krillin seemed quite surprised Bulma'd nominated him but didn't look too eager about it. "Well I guess I could go. I was hoping to get some more training done for when the Saiyan returns..."
Corset frowned. Now she felt frustrated.
"P-Please let me go with you."
Corset looked over; Gohan had spoken out.
"G-Gohan, what kind of joke are you making?" Chichi was slowly rising from her seat.
"It's not a joke. I really want to go."
"If Gohan gets to go then why can't I go?" Corset frowned in annoyance.
"Are you kidding me? Two more months... on top of an entire year I've already spent worrying about you and being away from you? Are you trying to say you don't want to spend time with your mother?" Chichi sounded like she was growing angry, Corset wanted to move away a little but couldn't, being bed-ridden and all. Instead she made due with shuffling across her bed as far as she could without falling off.
"N-No, that's not it... I'm sorry Mother but I really have to go. I wanna help gather the Dragonballs so we can wish everyone back to life. Everyone worked so hard to save the Earth and Piccolo even died for me. I have to bring him back to life with my own hands."
Goku smiled, "I see. Good for you, Gohan."
"What kind of nonsense are you two talking about?" Chichi snapped. "Gohan doesn't need to do anything like that! I've already spent an entire year worrying about my little boy's safety and now you want to just shoot off into space straight away? You've already missed out on an entire year's worth of education, young man! You're gonna fall way behind the other kids!"
Corset gulped and slipped along her bed away from the others eyes wide in fear, 'Wow... Gohan's mama is really scary!'
"... Your education is suffering because of all this nonsense!" Chichi continued. "Well I'm putting my foot down. I won't allow it; I absolutely forbid you to go Gohan. All I want is a normal family that does normal things and leads normal lives, is that too much to ask for? You shouldn't care about all this seriousness – you're just a little kid! You should be out playing and learning and being safe! Who cares about Piccolo; you're a kid so just act like one!"
"SHUT UP!" Gohan bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Apparently that had startled everyone in the room. Corset was surprised but strangely impressed he'd dared to do that. She wouldn't dare tell her mother to shut up.
"M-Mum... Now's not the time for being a kid." Gohan stuttered. "I can't afford to be a normal child and not help everyone out. I have to be stronger. Everyone tried their best against the Saiyan; Piccolo even saved my life... I owe it to them. I'm really sorry I yelled at you, Mum, please try to understand. I just have to go to Namek with Bulma and Krillin so I can help bring the others back to life."
"You lost, Chichi. Let Gohan go off into space with your blessing," Gyu Mao consoled his defeated daughter.
Corset turned her attention back to her mother, now pleading silently with her. Bulma caught her eye and looked for a moment...
"Ok, you can come with us as well. It's not like there'll be anything dangerous there. Kaio did say that Namekians were mostly peaceful after all."
Corset's face lit up and she grinned, "Thank you, Mama! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
The big white ship in front of her was huge! It was amazing it fit on Kame House's garden. Corset had been staring at it for so long her neck was beginning to ache, yet she couldn't help it.
"Hey Bulma, are you sure this thing will fly? It doesn't seem to have any engines on it…"
"Shut up. It'll fly; trust me! My dad and I did not spend all that time fixing a spaceship that was designed for going off into space that did not have a working engine."
Corset took her attention away from the ship and back to her new present. Her mother had made a spacesuit for the two of them. Corset had spent the past four days racing around the house in hers, floating about and playing games pretending she was in space. It had taken her mother and grandparents a while to get used to how much the child had changed. Piccolo's influence had run deep in her.
She couldn't help but feel the need to show it off!
"Look Krillin, mama made me a space suit. It's so cool!" She bounced up and down on the spot, catching Krillin by surprise.
"That thing looks pretty heavy," He mumbled. "I'm surprised you can even move in it."
"It feels really light," Corset shook her head, "... How comes you don't have a space suit, Krillin? Didn't you buy one?"
Eventually Gohan arrived; the jet landing on the small island.
It took a while for Gohan to get out the car and for good reason...
Corset and Krillin burst out laughing.
Young Gohan stood glum and bashfully in front of them; school uniform neatly worn and bowl-cut blaringly obvious. A light blush came over his face as he painfully endured the sheer embarrassment.
He had a new haircut; clearly the choice of cut had been his mother's!
"What the heck happened to your head Gohan?" Krillin chuckled in amusement.
"Dad laughed at me too," Gohan mumbled, refusing to make eye-contact out of pure shyness and humiliation.
"You look like you've got a bowl on your head," Corset wiped away a tear, unable to look at him in case she burst out laughing again.
"Ignore them Gohan; I think it makes you look adorable," Chichi muttered in annoyance.
Bulma sighed and stepped forward, "Alright you guys, we're leaving in five minutes," she declared, walking towards the entrance of the ship and climbing onto the lift.
"Hey, how come you have a school uniform on?" Corset asked her friend as the two of them climbed onto the small platform.
"My mother gave it to me," Gohan replied, "You're lucky; you've got a space suit! Did your mother make it for you?"
"Yep," Corset grinned proudly showing off her space suit. "She made one for herself as well. I don't think she made one for you guys."
"Now remember to be on your best behaviour Gohan," Gyu Mao smiled.
"Write to me every day," Chichi added, wiping her tears away. Corset felt a little bad for Chichi now; her son was going away again and clearly she was going to miss him.
She was glad she was going with her mother, although she'd miss her grandparents.
"Bye Mum, bye Grandpa," Gohan smiled.
"Piccolo," Bulma muttered; the platform began to rise up towards the ship.
"Bye bye," Corset waved at the shrinking people below.
"We'll be back soon!" Gohan added.
Corset had been inside the ship yesterday for the first time, so she felt a little special and smug that Gohan and Krillin were amazed by it. She hurriedly rushed past Krillin and sat in the centre seat she'd reserved for herself.
"Hey Bulma, where should we put our luggage?" Krillin asked.
"Anywhere is fine, just hurry up and sit down!" Bulma muttered. "Lift off is in five... four..."
Krillin and Gohan both panicked and frantically ran towards the seats either side of an eager Corset.
"Three... two... one... Ignition!"
The ship violently shook, Corset's fingers clenching the arms of her seat tightly. She was suddenly pushed down into her seat, finding the whole experience quite thrilling! It felt as if her stomach had just been pushed out of her feet and had been left behind! All she could do was clamp her eyes shut and hold on for dear life...
Finally the pushing feeling stopped. She breathed out and smiled.
"We've left Earth's atmosphere so feel free to clean up the mess you guys made!" Bulma snapped, referring to the large pile of clothes and toiletries which had been chucked from their cases amongst the excitement.
"That was fun!" Corset exclaimed, a giant grin plastered across her face, "can we go back to Earth and do it again?"
Bulma made her way over towards the back of the room, opening the door before turning back to glare at the others, in particular at Krillin, "I'm going to get changed." She muttered.
"Changed? Are you going to sleep already?" Krillin asked.
"Mind our own business!" Bulma snapped, slamming the door behind her.
For a couple of moments the trio just stared at the door in confusion;
"... Is your mum alright?" Krillin asked.
Corset frowned, "I don't know. I think she's in a bad mood but I don't know why..."
Krillin folded his arms, "Strange... That's one thing I could never figure out about her! Come to think of it, I forgot to bring pyjamas. So, are you guys gonna be wearing those clothes all the way through the journey?"
Gohan smiled and ran over to one of his bags, "Mother made me wear this but I brought something along with me secretly." He began to rummage around in a back-pack, eventually pulling out an outfit very similar to that of which Piccolo'd given him.
"Wow, you're gonna dress like Piccolo!" Corset smiled. "I brought something like that but mine's like what Piccolo gave me too." She pulled out her own capsule case and threw one capsule out. In a puff of smoke a large wardrobe appeared; Corset opening the doors and pulling out a uniform that closely resembled that of which Piccolo'd given to her.
Krillin seemed quite impressed with the both of them! "You guys must really respect Piccolo."
"Yeah, as much as my dad," Gohan smiled as he began to get changed.
"He trained us for a whole year after all," Corset added, following Gohan's lead.
The door opened, the boys seemed slightly taken back to what Bulma was wearing; they didn't look like any kind of pyjamas any of them had ever seen.
"You're planning to sleep in those?" Krillin asked.
"They look uncomfortable," Gohan mumbled, slipping his shirt over his head and tucking it in.
"They're not pyjamas!" Bulma's brow twitched. "I decided to get changed after you two made me feel like a fool. Here I was getting all prepared for venturing off into space and getting all enthusiastic about it and you two have the nerve to just show up in casual clothes!"
Krillin gulped and turned to Gohan, "were we supposed to buy space suits or something? It's not like they sell them in every single shop now!"