09
"More powerful?" Krillin whispered in disbelief. "That can't be true; there can't be beings like that! He was surely lying!"
"Even if it were a lie, we have to assume that those two would be at least as powerful as him," Piccolo stated thoughtfully, looking toward Raditz's corpse. "And we could barely end him, and at great cost. So we can't take any risk."
Those words had no meaning to Chi-Chi, almost as if they had been pronounced in another language. The mere idea that there could be individuals stronger than Goku was practically impossible for her to digest.
But there's no reason to be afraid, she thought, trying to keep calm, at least in her head. Goku will revive and defeat them; I know it.
She was trying to convince herself of it, almost desperately. However, although she was reluctant to accept it, the truth was that she was no longer as sure of that statement as she might have been that very morning.
"You guys take care of reviving Goku," Piccolo repeated firmly, sounding clearly like an order. "Meanwhile, I'll stay with his son."
"What?!" They all exclaimed in astonishment, especially Chi-Chi herself, who had to force herself out of her reverie.
"What have you said?!" Chi-Chi snapped, getting up quickly. She looked directly at Piccolo, though instantly she too looked over her shoulder to the back, where Bulma was still carrying Gohan, unconscious.
Piccolo remained unfazed by her questions.
"That child has an unusual hidden power," he pointed out calmly. "During the fight with the Sayajin, I verified it. It was actually thanks to the fact that he was able to hurt him that we managed to finish him off."
"But what nonsense are you saying?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed furiously, and out of mere instinct, she moved forward, pushing her way between Master Roshi and Krillin. "What hidden power?! He's just a little boy!"
"And yet he has power that surely far exceeds what his father had at his age," Piccolo pointed out. "The enemies that will arrive in a year will be the most fearsome this world has ever known. We will need all the resources that can give us the advantage, and that child could be the key if he learns how to use his powers. And the one best suited to teach him is obviously me."
"What? Do you want to… train him?" Krillin questioned, quite surprised by such a sudden statement. "Are you serious?"
"If what you say is true, then I'll take care of training him," Master Roshi pointed out in a firm voice. "It's what Goku would have preferred."
"There's no time to waste on your absurd kid training," Piccolo muttered bitterly. "We need that child to bring out his full potential in less than a year, and he will only do it with toughness and a firm hand. Besides, none of you are level enough to deal with what we're discussing."
"No way!" Chi-Chi snapped, throwing her arms out to the sides protectively. "I won't let you get even an inch near my son!"
"I'm not asking your permission, Goku's wife," Piccolo cleared his throat irritably. "I'll take him by hook or crook, so step aside."
Without further ado, he began to slowly move towards them, and each step he took caused a spasm of fear in everyone, especially Bulma, who had the child in her arms and on whom that demon had his attention.
But the only one who didn't waver or move an inch from her position was Chi-Chi. Gohan's mother stood her ground in her place, her stern expression on Piccolo's. She had watched helplessly as that Saiyan took her son helplessly; she wouldn't let it happen again.
"I said no!" Chi-Chi exclaimed with even more force and conviction than before. "I am her mother, and I won't let you lay a finger on him! You'll have to kill me first!"
"Chi-Chi! Don't say that...!" Bulma murmured in a shaky voice, knowing full well that monster could do what she asked of.
"Don't waste my time," Piccolo said harshly.
Suddenly, from one blink to another, Piccolo went from being in his original position a few meters ahead to practically materializing right in front of Chi-Chi, so close that her face was almost stuck against his clothes. Chi-Chi started in surprise, but before she could react in any way, she felt Piccolo's huge and strong hand rest on the side of her head and forcefully push her to one side. The woman's body was thrown several meters in that direction, falling sideways to the ground and even rolling on it due to the same impulse.
It had meant nothing to him; he had made it as easy as throwing a rock out of his way to the side.
Chi-Chi got over it as fast as she could and immediately turned back in the direction she had been. She watched as Krillin and Master Roshi stood between Piccolo and Bulma as firmly as possible, which wasn't much. Piccolo didn't need to go through them because suddenly, with just a raised hand, Gohan's body rose from Bulma's arms, towering high above her head. The blue-haired woman, by mere reflex, jumped, trying to catch him in the air, but the boy's body was very high. Gohan then stepped over the others, descending into Piccolo's arms, who just held him.
That horrifying image of her little boy in the arms of that demon, once again awakened an internal fire inside Chi-Chi that banished any pain, weakness, or hesitation from her body. And without waiting a moment longer, she launched herself at full speed against Piccolo.
"Leave my son! Give him back to me!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she approached him.
Being close enough, she rose up and turned her entire body, launching a quick kick into the air toward Piccolo's back. However, that man's figure disappeared from one moment to the next, causing her foot to hit nothing. And in the next instant, before Chi-Chi's feet had even touched the ground, Piccolo materialized again, but this time right behind her, barely visible at the edge of her range of vision.
Carrying Gohan under one arm, Piccolo directed his free hand straight at the nape of Chi-Chi's neck, hitting it hard and accurately with its side. The woman let out a muffled shriek into the air and slowly slumped forward.
"Chi-Chi!" Bulma and the others yelled in dismay, and she was barely able to hear them before everything went black, and her body fell face-first to the ground, totally unconscious…
When Chi-Chi opened her eyes again, her senses first perceived an intense headache that made her unable to react for a few seconds. She forced herself to close her eyes again and breathed slowly, trying to calm down. When she felt ready, she fixed her gaze again, now noticing the ceiling above her and the bed she was on. She looked carefully around her, taking a moment to recognize that space. It was the room on the top floor of Kame House, the same one where Bulma had been healing her earlier.
Chi-Chi turned her gaze to the open window through which the sea breeze filtered. The sky was darkening, and it seemed that at any moment, the sunset would begin.
That made her react enough to sit up quickly on the bed.
"Gohan! How long have I passed out?! No, no, my Gohan!"
She got up in a hurry from the bed, feeling a strong dizziness as soon as she tried and having to sit down again for a few moments. Added to the pain in her side and head was a burning sensation in her nape. The blurry images of what had happened gradually filled her mind with more clarity. Piccolo had her child; she had tried to stop him… and he had attacked her from behind.
That... bastard... Kamisama, please, may my son be well. Don't let that demon hurt him, please, please!
Being a little more careful when getting up and walking, she left the room, practically holding on to the walls so as not to fall again. A scent of freshly prepared food reached her nose; it came from the ground floor. She then headed for the stairs, slowly descending them. Voices of the other house inhabitants took little time to be noticed.
"Are you sure you can repair that thing, Bulma?" She heard Krillin pronounce.
"If you stop interrupting me, I will," Bulma's voice responded sternly. "This must work like this... or maybe like this... What a complex mechanism..."
"I propose that you better leave that for a moment so we can eat something," Master Roshi proposed next. "Come on, beauty, the food is ready."
Chi-Chi descended the last step, and her presence was immediately noted in the room. Bulma was sitting at the center table with a screwdriver in her hand. And on the table, she had scattered various parts of a device, which apparently was what Goku's supposed brother used, if she was correct. Master Roshi was sitting near her, although his attention was more focused on the television, while Krillin, with a pink and flowery apron, apparently served the plates of food at the dining room table.
The three stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to her.
"Chi-Chi, you're awake," Bulma pointed out, standing up quickly. "Are you okay? You must not force yourself."
"How long was I unconscious?" Chi-Chi demanded suddenly, ignoring her comment.
"How long? Well, a few hours, I think," Master Roshi replied. "It's almost dark. You'd better…"
"And Gohan?" Chi-Chi questioned desperately, not caring about anything else they thought to tell her. "Where is Gohan? Where…?"
Chi-Chi looked around, still clinging to the hope that her little one was there somewhere, or even outside, playing in the water or sand or sleeping in one of the other rooms. Whatever it was that told her that what she feared hadn't happened.
"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi," Krillin murmured, embarrassed, taking a few steps towards her. "Piccolo took Gohan with him. We couldn't do anything to stop it."
"No... no... Gohan..." Chi-Chi sobbed with a broken voice. Her legs gave out at that moment, and she fell to her knees without further ado. She immediately raised her hands to her face, clearly beginning to cry with sadness, anger, and frustration.
"Chi-Chi, don't… don't lose your composure," Bulma said worriedly, moving closer. At one point, all three stood around her. "I know it's hard with everything you've been through in just one day, but you must stay strong. If you don't, you'll get sick, and it's the last thing you want right now."
Chi-Chi's cries were calming down, although not completely. After a few moments, she withdrew her hands from her face and began to rub it with some desperation to wipe away the tears as well as possible.
"It's true," she muttered slowly. "I can't let myself down now. Not when my son needs me."
"What are you saying?" Krillin asked, a bit confused by that comment.
While still kneeling on the ground, Chi-Chi raised her pleading gaze at them. Her eyes were still bright from crying, but there was intense determination in them.
"Please, I beg you... help me rescue Gohan from the clutches of that monster! Help me save my son, please!"