"Veroca!" Veltro jumped from his spot and grabbed Veroca's hand "I measured everyone's power level."
"What were they?" Veroca asked
"Mostly around three thousands." Veltro handed the scouter back to Veroca. Veroca put it back on her ear.
"Cool." Veroca sighed.
"Enjoy yourself." Nail said "you're amongst friends." Nail patted her shoulder and walked away. The Nemekians were laughing and some brought weird objects out that made the coolest sounds Veroca had ever heard. Veltro jumped and moved around weirdly. Veroca just stood there.
"Come on." Veltro grabbed her hands and pulled her back and forth.
"What are you doing?" Veroca cocked her brow at Veltro.
"Dancing, don't you know how to dance?" Veltro laughed.
"No, you look like you're trying to fight but it's not very good." Veroca said Veltro laughed harder
"you're funny." He jumped into the air and spun. Veroca tried to copy his movement but she felt stupid so she just stood there. The little Nemekian children ran around her. Dende was chasing some of the others, he was so tiny. Veroca tried to imagine if this was what she had instead of her saiyan 'comrades'. Veroca couldn't imagine herself with the innocent looked of Veltro's eyes, he was so light maybe that's why I can't fly Veroca thought I'm too heavy in my head.
"Veroca, come here." Veltro swooped in and snatched her up, he nearly flew them right into a house. Veroca squeaked just barley pulling her feet out of the way of the roof.
"Veltro." She snapped.
"Sorry." He laughed and threw her into the air. "You've got to see this, it's so cool." Veltro flew over the houses, away from his home and the party. Veroca watched the smile on Veltro's face.
"I'm glad we're friends." Veltro said "I've never had a friend like you."
"Like me?" Veroca wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
"Yeah, you're different from everyone else here." Veltro lowered them toward the water, Veroca reached her feet out to skim over the it, she was still bootless and armorless. She would have to remember to get those before Raditz came back. The thought of Raditz taking her from this place made Veroca's smile fade. Veltro didn't notice
"Because I'm bad." Veroca supplied.
"What?" Veltro's grip slipped and Veroca plunged into the water.
"Veltro!" Veroca yelled before her head slipped under. Veltro darted back over in time to see Veroca surface.
"Sorry…" Veltro scratched the back of his head. "But why do you think your bad?"
"Because I ma, the people I'm with are bad and I'm bad and that's what's different." Veroca let herself sink lower into the water so that half her face was covered.
"Just because they're bad doesn't mean you have to be." Veltro said offering his hand "if you were bad you would have hurt me."
"I don't have a reason to hurt you." Veroca said ignoring his hand, he should just leave her there, and pretend he never met her.
"Well, you didn't have a reason to save me either." Veltro crossed his legs and hovered just over the water.
"When?" Veroca demanded "I don't save people, I hurt people."
"With the crab, Dronare told me when the crab hit me, instead of running away like a sane person," Veltro tapped her on the head "you stopped the crab from attacking me again."
"Oh…yeah." Veroca had forgotten about that.
"See, a bad person wouldn't save someone else." Veltro splashed her.
"I didn't save you, Dronare did." Veroca argued staring at the water.
"You bought him the time to get there." Veltro splashed her again trying to get a rise out of her. "Stop it." She barked.
"Or what?" Veltro splashed her again.
"Or…or.' Veroca huffed and threw water at him with both arms "or that." She yelled Veltro laughed and grabbed her hands "yeah, now you feel better." He lifted her out and continued on through the sky. Veroca tried to figure out what just happened.
"In here." Veltro dropped them both on the ground in front of a house. "This is really cool." He hurried inside, Veroca trailed after him uncertainly.
"Over here." Veltro came back into the light with a huge orange ball that was as big as him.
"What is that?" Veroca gaped.
"It's a dragon ball, it grants wishes." Veltro set it on the ground in front of Veroca "Guru made them, there's seven of them all together." Veltro explained "there's a certain number of stars in each ball so you know which ones you have. "This is the three star ball." Veltro said pointing to the ball. Veroca looked inside and saw three red stars.
"It's so big." Veroca ran her hands over it.
"You have to travel to each village and pass a test to get each dragon ball. Once you have all seven you get three wishes, anything you can think of!" Veltro threw his hands in the air and let himself fall onto his back. He sat up and smiled at Veroca "so what would you wish for?"
"Me?" Veroca asked, she wondered, she didn't get things she wanted, she wasn't entirely sure she knew how to want.
"I don't have any wishes.' Veroca said.
"Nothing?" Veltro asked surprised, Veroca shook her head "I won't get it so it doesn't make any sense to wish." Veroca reasoned.
"But these are the dragon balls, if you have a wish it happens. A lot of people come looking and they want money or power, some people want to wish someone back to life."
"You can wish people back to life?" Veroca's eyes were wide as dinner plates.
"Yeah." Veltro smiled "I've seen it, a girl came just last year, she was bigger than us, her mom and dad died from saving their planet but their planet still blew up so she wished for her mom and dad and her planet back, then all the people that had escaped came back to their planet."
"They brought back a whole planet?" Veroca said amazed.
"Yeah, Porunga can do anything." Veltro giggled "so what would you wish for?" Veroca shook her head "I don't have any wishes, I don't know how to."
"You don't know how to wish?" Veltro's jaw dropped "they didn't teach you anything." Veltro groaned, Veroca glared at him. "It's okay, I'll teach you." Veltro stood in front of the dragon ball and raised his hands. "Porunga!" he yelled. "Pretend the dragon came out." Veltro stage whispered. "I wish for a huge buffet of food!" Veltro giggled. Veroca just tilted her head.
"Then the dragon's eyes would glow and he'd say your wish has been granted." Veltro laughed using his Porunga voice.
"Now you try, there's two more wishes left." Veltro encouraged, Veroca wondered if this was a game the Nemekians played a lot.
"I wish for…" Veroca wracked her brain then suddenly though of something "I know!" she exclaimed "I wish I could fly like Veltro and the others." For a moment Veroca thought it might come true but then nothing happened "this is stupid." She pouted "nothing happened."
"This is just pretend." Veltro reminded her "you need seven to get the wishes, but..." Veltro smiled brightly "Porunga doesn't need to grant that wish, I can do it."
"Is this another game?" Veroca asked suspiciously. Veltro shook his head "nope, I'll teach you like Nail teaches me." Veltro stood with his legs hip width apart. "You know how to use energy, right?" he asked, Veroca raised her hand and threw a low energy ki blast at him, Veltro easily knocked it aside "like that, right?" Veltro nodded enthusiastically. "Okay so, first you're going to gather less intense amount of energy than that and shift it under your feet." Veltro showed her lifting himself off the ground, he was wobbly on the start but he regulated the energy quick enough. Veroca tried to focus her energy, she shifted it under her but the next second she threw herself across the land and straight into the ocean. Veltro flew after her giggling. Veroca surfaced spitting out water.
"You used too much." Veltro laughed, Veroca frowned at him "clearly." She splashed him with water, he ignored her attack and pulled her out of the water "come on, try again."
Veroca threw herself into the ocean four more times and into a tree six times and flipped herself flat on her face in the dirt ten times.
"You okay?" Veltro asked picking hovering upside down over her.
"Now you're just showing off." Veroca groaned picking herself up she sat back on her legs and sighed "Raditz is right, I'm broken." She laid back on the ground and stared at the single sun in the sky, Veroca figured this was the closest to night that Namek ever saw.
"You're not broken, you're doing better than most." Veltro assured her laying down beside her "I didn't even get my feet off the ground for the first few weeks, I just couldn't get it." Veltro threw his arms and legs into the sky "but Dronare promised I'd get it and now I can fly." Veltro said brightly. Veroca stared at the sky sadly and bit her lip, Veltro looked over hoping he cheered her up but then he saw her face, it wasn't at peace, it was nervous and sad and frustrated.
"What's wrong?" Veltro sat up, how did she go from happy to sad so quickly?
"Why did you tell me about the dragon balls?" Veroca groaned looking at Veltro with her sad eyes.
"Oh, that." Veltro just smiled "because I trust you." Veroca gaped looking at Veltro "how, you've only known me for a day?" Veltro just smiled "I'm not telepathic like the other Nemekians but I'm really good at telling bad from good."
"I think your eyes are broken then." Veroca snapped "because you're wrong about me."
"No." Veltro shook his head "you're wrong about you." Veltro just smiled. Veroca tilted her head at him and twisted her face "you're weird." Veroca meant to sound mean, she wanted him to see that she was bad and mean and he shouldn't have trusted her, especially since now she had to tell Raditz that there were dragon balls here. It didn't matter that everyone here was stronger, once Raditz found that out he would have to get the others and if they couldn't do it… Veroca shuddered thinking of what would come next, something even worse.
"You have to promise you won't tell anyone." Veltro said "Dronare won't be happy that I told anyone about it, at least not before you passed the test."
"Promise?" Veroca asked, Veltro nodded "yeah, you can't tell anyone, you give me your word that you won't tell anyone."
"But… what happens if I do tell?" Veroca asked, Veltro frowned sadly "then you lose my trust."
"Does that mean I lose you"? Veroca asked. Veltro nodded, Veroca frowned "you won't be my friend anymore?"
"Yeah, that's what it means, friends have to trust each other." Veltro said firmly, Veroca hadn't seen this look yet. It was determined but still gentle but still serious. "Friends have to trust each other."
"They do?" Veroca asked.
"Of course." Veltro said "do you trust me?" Veltro asked
"I think so." Veroca considered it.
"Then tell me something." Veltro said.
"I'm a saiyan." Veroca said. Veltro shook his head "no like a secret, something you wouldn't tell just anyone." Veroca had one thought, one thing she could never say, they probably already knew but it was different to say it out loud. Raditz wouldn't kill her if she did, no, he's not nice enough to just kill her. He'd just make her pay for it every day. Veroca looked around and brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them "I hate Raditz and Nappa and Vegeta." Veroca clenched her teeth "I hate them and I wish they were dead." Veltro was taken aback, he hadn't seen this side of Veroca yet, she was so angry it almost scared Veltro but he had an image of her in his head and that wasn't going to be swayed by one outburst. Veltro sat up next to her.
"Dronare says we shouldn't hate things or people, he said it hurts us more than it hurts them." Veltro watched Veroca's expression, it was sad and angry and she looked lonely.
"You don't have to go back with them you know." Veltro said yawning, man he was getting tired. "If you want, you can-you can" Veltro yawned "stay here." Veltro fell back onto the ground "Dronare would protect you and you could live with us and we could train and I could teach you to fly and we could be friends forever." Veltro struggled to stay awake. "And you could train with Nail and be so strong and…" Veltro yawned again "you can…" he drifted off. Veroca turned looked down at Veltro and smiled sadly "I don't think it works like that." Veroca pulled off her scouter and set it next to him before she stood "I want you to be my friend but Raditz knows when I'm lying.' Veroca felt the tears well up, she had no choice, she had to tell him. Before she left she disabled the communicator on her scouter so that he didn't accidently turn it on.
"By Veltro"
Veroca pulled on her boots and slipped her armor over her head. She sighed looking at everyone, Raditz would have put her space pod where he left her. Veroca walked alone through the single sun, everything seemed darker, the others had turned in after the party.
"Where are you going?" Nail hovered over her. Veroca stumbled back and fell "I didn't do anything." She squeaked not yet she added in her own head.
"Veltro will be sad if you go." Nail landed in front of her. Veroca climbed to her feet "he thinks I'm good." Veroca swallowed hard and looked at the ground "but I'm not and he trusts me and he shouldn't."
"Interesting dilemma." Nail mused "you have someone who trusts you and cares about you and sees good in you and you think you don't deserve it."
"I don't, I'm bad and Raditz is going to be here soon and I'm gonna have to tell him." Veroca sniffled trying to stop the tears but they spilled anyway.
"Do you want to tell him about the dragon balls?" Nail asked.
"No, I don't because I don't want him to hurt any of you, you're stronger than him but there are others and beside them there's another and he's so strong no one in the whole universe can beat him and I don't want Veltro to die." Veroca cried finally, she cried so hard her whole body shook and she couldn't breathe and it was so relieving Veroca let herself cry more. Nail patiently waited for her to settle herself down.
"I think you should come with me." Nail offered his hand, Veroca wrung her hands glancing between Nail's eyes and his hand "am I in trouble?" she asked, Nail just smiled "there's someone waiting to meet you." Veroca considered it for a moment, no one had tried to hurt her so far, she took his hand and let him fly her away from her space pod. They passed over Veltro as he slept undisturbed and over the village where the party was and passed places Veroca hadn't yet seen. Nail didn't seem angry as he carried her over the places, he should be, Veroca knew, she was going to have to tell Raditz and then Veltro wouldn't be her friend and then Vegeta and Nappa would come and then people would get hurt.
"Calm yourself." Nail said soothingly "you're not in trouble." Nail landed in front of white ovalish house with spikes sticking out of the top. Nail nudged her toward the door. Veroca looked up at him uncertainly.
"No one here is going to hurt you." Nail promised. Veroca took a few tentative steps with Nail at her back, he wasn't threatening in anyway. Veroca knew a threat when she saw it.
"Come in little one."
Veroca knew the voice, she heard it in her head before, at the party. Veroca peered inside and saw a large Nemekian sitting in an even bigger chair. Veroca looked to Nail and then back to the big Nemekian.
"This is Grand Elder Guru." Nail introduced "Guru this is Veltro's friend, Veroca."
"Yes, I see." Guru held his hand out toward her "come here, child." Veroca felt completely at peace around this Nemekian, he was kind, Veroca wasn't sure she had seen kindness like this before and if she thought Nail was serene then Guru was altogether something else. Veroca didn't even notice her own feet carrying her to him. She never wanted to leave here.
"You are quite strong for a child your age." Guru placed his hand on her head "yes and so much more is there." Guru smiled "tell me, Child, why have you come to Namek?"
"Raditz made me, he wants the Dragon balls, if they're real." Veroca didn't have a single worry in the universe in that room with Guru and Nail. "Dronare said they were fake but Veltro showed me one and said that there were seven and they granted three wishes." Veroca sighed "I wish he didn't though, because now I have to tell Raditz and he'll hurt people."
"I see…" Guru considered the young saiyan. "He would kill our people to get the dragon balls." Guru stated more than asked but Veroca nodded her head anyway, they'd kill each other to get the dragon balls."
"What about you?" Guru asked. Veroca laughed without humor "they'd kill me if they got bored enough."
"Veroca, do you like Veltro?" Guru asked, Veroca nodded "yes, he's nice to me."
"He asked you to keep a secret because he trusts you." Again Guru said it more than asked it but Veroca nodded anyway.
"So, you're going to betray his trust?" Guru asked this time. For the first time since getting there Veroca felt sick to her stomach with worry.
"They'd kill Veltro." Guru said "because you betrayed his trust."
"He was wrong about me!" Veroca yelled at him "he said I was good but a good person wouldn't tell, a good person would keep their promise and I can't because Raditz knows when I'm lying and he'll be mad at me and then I'll get a present." Veroca swallowed hard, she did not want another present.
"You're afraid." Guru smiled at her compassionately. "You're so young." He patted her head "and yet you have to make this grown up decision." Guru sighed "do you know what it is to be brave?"
"When you're not afraid of anything." Veroca said without hesitation.
"No." Guru said gently "Bravery is doing something despite your fear." Guru smiled at her "of course, if you want, you could stay here with us." Guru said "as you've said, you have to tell this Raditz anyway, he'll look for the dragon balls and our warriors will have to fight for peace once again."
"Most of your people are stronger than Raditz, his power level is one thousand three hundred and Nail's is forty thousand." Veroca sighed looking at the ground "But Veltro won't be my friend anymore because I told his secret."
"Veltro will forgive you, especially if you were to stay, he likes your company too much not to." Guru chuckled "but yes, he would be hurt, he's especially sensitive to secrets, they're very precious to him."
"But then I wouldn't want to stay, I don't want Veltro to hate me." Veroca's lips quivered and tears filled her eyes.
"Don't cry little one." Guru soothed, calmness spread over Veroca but there was still a sour taste in her mouth.
"We have to live with our decisions but it's late now, you should get to sleep." Guru said.
"But I don't have a decision, Raditz doesn't let me have one." Veroca sniffled.
"Sometimes decisions are not given to us, sometimes we have to take them." Guru sent her off, now go get some sleep."
"But that doesn't make sense." Veroca whined as Nail lifted her into his arms.
"Sleep well." Guru called as Nail carried her into the sky.
"Do you want me to take you back to Veltro or back where I found you?" Nail asked.
"Where you found me." Veroca didn't hesitate, she knew what she had to do, she just still didn't like it.
"Sleep well, Veroca." Nail waved as he hovered away. Veroca waved to him before she went to find her ship, it was sitting on the edge of land that Raditz had thrown her on. Veroca climbed into her space pod and locked it so she could sleep. She had to forget about Veltro, she had to pretend she never met him.
"I'm sorry, Veltro." Veroca whispered looking at Namek through the glass of her space pod.