12
Chi-Chi spent three days following the trail, using as a guide the few flashes of ki that she managed to capture, which helped her chart a possible course. Although, at the beginning, it seemed that she was going practically blind, there was a moment when the presence began to become more tangible, and she could perceive it for a longer time.
I'm getting close, she concluded confidently, motivating her to keep moving forward.
On her way, she passed through a couple of towns, where she took the opportunity to eat and rest. That helped her recover a little from her injuries and regain strength. She also asked people if they had seen a green-skinned man and a little boy with black hair around, but no one could give her any information. That was expected. Piccolo Daimao had gone five years without being seen by anyone, so he must have stayed away from cities and towns. But if that was the case, where did Gohan get food from? Or was that monster even feeding him?
With each day that passed, the anguish for her son increased more and more.
On the morning of the third day, after a fitful night's sleep under the stars, Chi-Chi set out early on her journey. Trying to focus on re-feeling the presence she had been following up to that moment, she was surprised to perceive it much more clearly than before. It still felt far away, but it was there and didn't fade after a while.
Is he! It is very close!
Motivated by that thought, she began the journey on the Flying Nimbus at full speed in the direction that that presence marked her. She did not stop all day; she just kept going straight and without a detour. Halfway down the path, the presence came and went, but it didn't matter. The course was already clearly marked in her head like a map.
When she was close, Chi-Chi began to consider the possibility that what she had been following all those days was not Piccolo. On the one hand, she was quite a presence, as much as Goku's, and no other warrior on Earth could match him in that way. Master Roshi had mentioned it the other day; both were the strongest warriors in the world.
However, already having her presence so constant in front of her, she could tell that she did not feel fear or unease as she expected would feel when sensing an evil ki. She remembered Goku mentioning that term on occasion: "evil ki." But if such a thing existed, she wasn't sure what she felt fit that description.
If it wasn't for Piccolo, she would have been following the wrong lead all this time, and the worst part was that she would have no idea where to go next. But it was better that she no longer thought about it. She would soon find out if it was him or not.
Just when the evening of the third day began, Chi-Chi and the Flying Nimbus arrived at the exact point where she had perceived that presence the last time. It seemed to be a semi-desert valley, with high cliffs around it, but overall, it seemed to be a great flat land, with only sporadic displays of green. The place also seemed lonely; from the heights, she did not see a single person at all, not even an animal.
And what bothered her the most was that the presence she had been following up there had strangely abruptly disappeared from her senses a couple of minutes before she arrived, as if a light bulb had suddenly been turned off and left her in the dark.
Her first thought was that it had moved to another site, but she thought that it must not have gone very far. She then began to focus again, inspecting the environment around her in search of that presence... but found nothing. All that space seemed overwhelmingly empty.
"Where was he?" Chi-Chi questioned with frustration and anger. It couldn't be that she had utterly lost him like that. He had to be there; she had to...
"So it's you, Goku's Wife," she heard someone say behind her back, taking her by surprise.
Chi-Chi was startled and quickly turned around with everything and the Flying Nimbus, immediately seeing to her amazement the silhouette of just the person she was looking for, levitating in the air less than a meter from her, with his turban and cape, the latter being slightly agitated by the air. That green-skinned being was staring at her with a bored expression as if he would see a simple vermin on the ground.
Chi-Chi thought she was more than ready to face him, but as soon as she saw him in front of her… she felt her whole body paralyzed.
"I felt some insignificant power approaching, albeit swiftly," Piccolo pointed out seriously. "I figured it was one of Goku's stupid friends coming to give me trouble. But I didn't think it was you."
"Did you feel me approaching?" Chi-Chi thought in surprise, though she instantly chided herself silently. Of course, he had felt her approaching; he could also feel ki like Goku, so it was logical that he would sense her when she got close. How had she been so careless?
"Why did you come?" Piccolo demanded brusquely, crossing his arms. "I don't have time to waste on trash like you. Shouldn't you be searching the Dragon Balls?"
Chi-Chi swallowed, took a deep breath, and forced herself to regain her composure as much as possible. She stood firm on the Flying Nimbus and tried to keep her gaze fixed on that green demon.
"I am here… for my son!" She yelled loudly, trying to sound firm, but her voice trembled slightly. "Tell me where Gohan is. I came to take him home with me!"
Piccolo gave a sly little laugh.
"Don't make me laugh. Wasn't it clear what I told you the other day? I will train him to make him a much stronger fighter, even than his worthless father. So don't bother me with that anymore. You will see your son in a year after we finish off the Saiyans."
"My son will not fight with those individuals!" exclaimed Chi-Chi flatly. "And especially, he won't train with a monster like you. I won't allow it!"
"You won't allow it?" Piccolo muttered derisively. "And how exactly will you do that?"
Chi-Chi was silent for a few moments. She felt a drop of sweat run down her forehead and slide down the side of her head. Then, she raised her arms, adopting a defensive position, and fixed her gaze directly on him. Piccolo seemed a bit puzzled to see this but rather seemed incredulous that she was actually doing what she seemed to be doing.
"Come on, Flying Nimbus!" Chi-Chi yelled loudly, and the cloud surged forward straight at Piccolo. She hoped that her speed could take him by surprise and she could attack him. Of course, that plan didn't work.
Not only did Piccolo manage to dodge her with great ease, but he also managed to reach his arm towards her and grab firmly by her clothes. So as the Flying Nimbus moved on, its occupant stayed behind, Piccolo holding her firmly aloft with one hand and Chi-Chi's feet dangling in the air with nothing but air between her and the ground below.
Chi-Chi exclaimed in fright upon noticing this, and by mere instinct, she clung to Piccolo's arm with both hands, this being her only support to keep from falling.
"I don't know what's got into you, Goku's Wife," Piccolo muttered slightly angrily. "But like I said, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense. Return to where you came from, and don't bother me again. Was I clear?"
"I won't do that!" Chi-Chi exclaimed loudly, and still in that position, she managed to raise her leg high enough to kick Piccolo direct in the face. The demon's head jerked back slightly, holding the sole of Chi-Chi's shoe against his face. "There's no way I'm leaving my son with you," Chi-Chi added firmly. "I'd rather die than know he's alone with you!"
"As you like!" Piccolo snapped, fixing his annoyed eyes on her.
Before Chi-Chi could react, Piccolo began rapidly descending, still holding onto her shirt firmly. In a matter of seconds, they had already fallen to the ground, with which Piccolo did not hesitate to crash her hard. Chi-Chi felt a long wave of pain running through her body as she felt how she crashed against the hard floor of Earth and rock. And once Piccolo released her, she lay on her back for a few seconds, sore and dazed.
Piccolo stood firm by her side.
"Have you had enough with that?" he asked dryly. "Now, don't bother me anymore."
Chi-Chi forced her body to overcome the pain and slowly began to rise up. At Piccolo's somewhat incredulous look, the woman stood up again and quickly assumed her defensive stance.
"I said I won't leave my son with you," Chi-Chi whispered slowly between sighs. "If I have to die to protect him from you, so be it!
Without further ado, she launched herself fully against him, beginning to throw him without the slightest hesitation, quick and accurate kicks and punches, doing everything her training allowed her to do. However, it was overwhelmingly insufficient. Piccolo managed to dodge and cover each of her attacks with great ease without her face changing one bit.
"But how stubborn you are, Goku's Wife," he muttered with annoyance, and after giving her a few seconds to continue attacking at her leisure, he caught her fist with one hand, squeezing it with just enough force to cause her pain.
Chi-Chi yelled out loud as she felt how the bones of her fist creaked slightly under the pressure of those powerful fingers. She fell to her knees and unsuccessfully tried to jerk her arm out of the deadly grip.
"I was able to clearly see your skills at the tournament five years ago," Piccolo pointed out nonchalantly, "and I wasn't impressed at all. Your level is too low to face someone like me. You're just pathetic."
He released her fist in that instant, but before Chi-Chi could feel even a little relief from this, Piccolo drove his right foot straight at her, kicking her on the chin. Chi-Chi was pushed back, falling backward to the ground. That blow had knocked her almost unconscious, but she was still awake enough.
"Let that serve as a lesson to you," Piccolo declared sternly. "Now go back to your house, and don't try something stupid like this again."
He turned around at that moment and began to rise into the air. His feet had barely lifted a few inches off the ground when he felt a slight downward pull that stopped him. When he turned around, to his surprise, he could see Chi-Chi's hand, with her fingers tightly clinging to his cape. The woman, kneeling on the floor, was looking at him with half-closed and slightly dull eyes.
"I won't… I won't!" Chi-Chi yelled at him with all the strength she had. "Even if I have to chase you day and night for the rest of my life, I will... until I save my son. You will never get rid of me! I swear!"
"You are so stupid!" Piccolo snapped, by now clearly fed up with all of this.
He then turned quickly, pulling his cloak out of Chi-Chi's fingers, and with the same twist, he stretched his leg towards her to kick her again. Chi-Chi managed to get back enough to avoid that first kick but not enough for the second one that hit her square in the side of the head. This time, her entire body rolled sideways across the ground for several meters.
Chi-Chi's clothes and hair were covered in dust, and some of it even entered her nose and mouth, making her cough desperately.
"If you're going to insist on bothering me so much, I'd better get rid of you once and for all," Piccolo mentioned, raising his right hand, palm wide open, in her direction. Chi-Chi weakly raised her gaze to him and could see how a sphere of energy with a golden and purple glow formed in Piccolo's palm, as bright as the sun itself. "So that you don't upset me anymore, and your friends could revive you along with Goku. So goodbye, Goku's Wife..."
And without further ado, the energy sphere shot out of Piccolo's hand and headed straight for Chi-Chi. She remained motionless, seeing how that embracing glow got closer and closer, so much so that she managed to perceive its heat and feel surrounded by its light.
Knowing it would be impossible for her to dodge, she just closed her eyes and waited. A tear slipped from her eye, running down her cheek.
"Gohan... Goku..."