Author's Note: I know it's late but, Rest in Peace Akira Toriyama, the one individual I need to thank more than anyone else for creating this piece of media that drove me to want to write fanfiction in the first place. Thank you and Rest in Peace.
Chapter 14
Earthly Greetings
After finishing the checkup on both ships Kakarot confirms that there are no damages. He smiles at the good news and then picks up both pods and relocates them a yard away, hiding them among the trees and bushes. Kakarot was confident the inhabitants couldn't do any lasting damage to the pods however he didn't want to take any chances when his brother's life hangs in the balance. Kakarot then equipped his Scouter and flew high into the sky before he began to scan for power levels, searching for the strongest ones. Kakarot was surprised to find a few power levels clocking over a thousand or simply matching that level.
Kakarot muttered, "There wasn't anyone this strong when Raditz called me. Where the hell did all of these high levels come from?" Kakarot was confused by the presence of such levels, "If they were this high, how'd they ambush my brother." Kakarot grimaced at the possibilities but eventually said, "Even the older models should be able to detect levels this high. The bastards must be able to hide their power until the time is right." Kakarot then said, "Even so, these levels er' much too low to overwhelm Raditz but…" Kakarot stopped himself and began to search around but scowled deeply after a short moment.
Kakarot then said, "Where the hell could you be brother, don't tell me you really…" Kakarot let out an exhausted sigh, shook his head, crossed his arms and said, "Never mind the levels, I need to figure out what to do first." Kakarot began to plan on what to do in his head. Kakarot looked at the highest level and figured that the highest level might have some information on his brother. Kakarot pauses for a moment and second guesses himself. He acknowledges that while these strong individuals could give him information on his brother, there's no guarantee they know anything.
Kakarot weighs the risks of getting into a needless fight with his two-week estimate floating in the back of his mind he hesitates to make a decision. Kakarot shakes his head again and says to himself, "There's no point jumpin' to conclusions. Might as well just locate the closest level to me and question them." Kakarot figures if he can learn some basic information from a local, he can determine what his next move should be. Kakarot also figures that the second a local sees him, their reaction will give him the information he needs. Kakarot smiles at the thought and locates the closest power level to him, "Level… four hundred… and it's on this mountain." Kakarot smirked at his good fortune and descended to the ground.
Kakarot figures that he might as well travel on foot since it's so close by. Kakarot walks through the forest until he reaches a dirt path. He follows it but stops when he discovers a pair of graves to the side of the path. Out of curiosity Kakarot reads the text but finds it impossible to read. He thinks to himself, "This must be one of this planet's written languages. Wonder what it says." Kakarot grimaces at the grave and mutters, "Raditz was much better with this type a' thing." Suddenly Kakarot's Scouter detected something close by, real close.
He jumped backwards narrowly dodging a dropkick separating him from the grave. Kakarot drops into his own combat stance and is surprised to see a human woman standing before him who took her own stance. She was an attractive young woman with black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a blue and red Chinese styled Gi with red pants, red wristbands as well as white and pink shoes. The woman wore a fierce expression clearly indicating she had ill intent. She suddenly yelled at Kakarot with a furious tone, "I'm tired of you bastards doing what you want. I won't hold back!" Kakarot's expression turned serious as he scanned her power level. He thought to himself, "Eight hundred… and that four hundred level has gone missing. I guess I have my answer."
The woman launched a barrage of swift kicks and flat palm strikes. Kakarot blocked a sweeping kick with his right forearm and notes that despite her relatively low level it still held a lot of power. Kakarot quickly evaded two more flat palmed attacks that were thrown like a spear, they were aimed precisely for his neck. Kakarot shifted his neck left and right, effortlessly dodging the attacks one after another. He thought to himself, "What she lacks in strength, she makes up for with technique." Kakarot was mildly impressed but the only thing keeping him from breaking her in half with a single swipe of his hand was the declaration she just made.
Kakarot mentally noted, "She said "You Bastards"... does that mean she's encountered my brother? Why else would she attack me out of nowhere with a declaration like that." While Kakarot evaded and blocked her relentless barrage he began to examine her appearance more closely. Kakarot mentally noted if it wasn't for her clothes and lack of a tail, he really would have thought she was a Saiyan, recalling Raditz's previous comments about their appearance. Kakarot jumped over her attempting to get a look at the back of her outfit. Suddenly she began to growl angrily which caught Kakarot's attention, he froze for a moment.
She suddenly yelled out, "Keep yer' eyes to yourself!" Kakarot took a step back out of surprise, clearly not expecting for his gaze to be misinterpreted in this way. The woman closed the distance between them and launched a flurry of fists, the first of which actually nailed him in the jaw thanks to him losing concentration over her accusation. Kakarot didn't actually take any damage, but it was frustrating, nonetheless. Kakarot grumbles to himself, "Damn… It's not like me to lose focus like that." Kakarot mentally reprimanded himself for the mistake, "It didn't hurt but It shouldn't have happened in the first place…"
Kakarot begins to effortlessly block and deflect her assault and in response a troubled expression forms on the woman's face. "She's probably beginin' to realize she's outmatched." Regardless of this fact Kakarot begins to look troubled. "Even so, she still hasn't relented, is she scared of my counterattack or is she just too stubborn to retreat." Kakarot wonders if Saiyan women were anything like this woman. Kakarot shakes the thought away and says, "Enough of this, I need ta' end this bout but given how weak her attacks are I'm not confident in her defense. I can't interrogate her if I break her."
Kakarot finished his thoughts by saying, "Then my next move should be…" Kakarot dashes to the side, immediately disappearing from sight. The woman quickly looked to her left and her right before squeezing her eyes shut and clearing her mind. Suddenly she twisted her waist to her left, facing behind her and threw a kick in that direction, Kakarot blurted out, "What?" having narrowly dodged the kick which was now just a couple inches from his face. He was leaning back far enough to be even to the ground despite his feet still being planted firmly on the ground. Kakarot was initially surprised by how easily his sneak attack was detected. "How'd she detect me, I was certain I didn't give myself away?"
Kakarot in the matter of nanoseconds switched from bewilderment to being ready to counterattack. With her leg still outstretched Kakarot didn't waste a second and grabbed just below her knee and began to fling her in a circle. She let out a loud yell out of surprise as she was lifted from her feet and swung in a circle. After a full cycle Kakarot pulled her toward him with her back facing him he wrapped his free arm around her neck and began to put her in a choke hold. Simultaneously the woman thrust an elbow backwards nailing Kakarot in the face. Despite this successful counter Kakarot didn't flinch and continued with his next move.
Kakarot quickly let go of her leg and reinforced his hold with his other arm which supported his elbow. She let out a series of grunts out of frustration as she grabbed at his arm in an attempt to wrestle her way out of the choke hold or at least just enough to give breath. When that proved futile, she threw a punch at his face but even though it hit him square in his right cheek he didn't budge, just like earlier. Kakarot mentally noted that she still has a lot of fight in her despite her current position. Kakarot then said, "It's pointless, give up."
Kakarot began squeezing harder but despite this the woman spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't care, I ain't letting you near father and master's graves!" Kakarot's eyes widened in realization, he glanced at the grave which only made her struggle harder. The woman could feel her air supply dwindling and began to feel dizzy and despite the fact she lost strength in her right arm which now dangled to her side. She continued to deliver punch after punch to Kakarot's face but to no effect, she didn't have the strength to put any real power behind her attacks anymore. Right as her vision was beginning to fade to black suddenly, she felt the pressure on her neck disappear. She suddenly jumped forward out of Kakarot's reach and turned toward him while still in a weak looking fighting stance.
She let out a violent coughing fit as air poured into her lungs, her left hand feeling up her throat. She dropped to one knee but used all of her strength to not collapse. "Why'd ya let me go? Ya think sparing me will earn you the fortune?" She let out a series of coughs as she forced her question out. The angry look on her face made it clear she was ready for round two despite the fact she was in no state to go another round with Kakarot. It was clear that Kakarot had willingly let her go so she was curious what his reasoning was. Kakarot dropped his fighting stance and let out a frustrated groan, he then put a hand forward.
"Stop, this is a misunderstanding. I ain't after any grave or "fortune" you speak of." The woman's stance doesn't drop but her expression does change to a more reluctant one. It was clear to Kakarot that she was gauging whether or not she can trust what he's saying. She then asked, "How do I know you're not lying? Others have tried this before." Her fiery expression returned as she continued, "They befriend me, wait till nightfall and then attempt to go after the grave when they think I've fallen asleep." She tightens her stance, standing up as her cough dies down ready for the fight she thinks is coming. Kakarot immediately denies that being his plan, he says, "Don't be a moron, If I wanted the grave that bad then I would of snapped your neck instead of lettin' you go."
He then laid a balled-up fist on his chest and said, "Do I look like a grave robber to you? This is the armor of a warrior; I wouldn't waste my time on dirt and mud." Her expression relaxes and she begins to look uncertain of her assumptions. Kakarot then opened up his palm and laid it on his chest again, "My objective is to find my brother, I've no interest in either graves or money." Kakarot sounded insulted, he paused in order to hear what she had to say to that. Chichi's stance softened but then rehardened over and over again as she began to debate whether or not she could trust him.
After a long moment she held her breath but then exhaled letting out a soft sigh and dropped her fighting stance. She then said, "Alright, I'll believe you for now." She weakly grabbed her right arm as it was still numb from the chokehold she was in. Kakarot was caught off guard by the remorseful expression she held now. Just a minute ago she gave him the look of a warrior but now she looked far more, gentle, vulnerable even. Kakarot noted that a weaker man would take this opportunity to strike at one of her vitals now that she had completely dropped her guard. She then said through a remorseful expression, "If you weren't after father's grave then ya probably didn't have any, I'll intent when ya' examined me during the fight, I apologize."
She suddenly gave him a deep bow which unnerved Kakarot who wasn't expecting an apology. Kakarot took a step back by reflex while scratching the back of his head as he thought of a response. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was staring cause I haven't seen one of your kind before." The woman gave him a confused expression as she rose from her bow. She spoke with an inquisitive tone of voice, "You mean…woman, right?" Realizing his mistake Kakarot let out a simple, "Yeah…" Deciding this was more normal than saying she's the first human he's ever seen. The woman then let out a cheerful chuckle and said, "You mustn't have been out much if I'm the first girl you've ever seen."
Kakarot let out a nervous chuckle as well in an attempt to get past this awkward faze in the conversation. The woman clears her throat and says, "I should have done this from the start but, hello I'm Chichi, what's your name sir?" Chichi was also making an attempt to get past this awkward faze in the conversation, jumping to proper introductions. Kakarot shook his head real quick to refocus and said with a stern voice, "I'm Kakarot. I'm a traveler from a far-off land." Chichi smiled and added, "And you're searching for your brother." Kakarot immediately added, "Yeah, his name's Raditz, I was wondering if someone around here might have seen him."
Chichi then asked, "Should I assume he's wearing the same armor as you?" Kakarot gave her a quick nod which she responded with a frown, "Sorry, yer' the first person I've interacted with recently, not countin the bastards houndin' my master and father's graves." Kakarot figured if she didn't attack him because of his relation to his brother then she most likely won't have any real information but he was hoping he was wrong. Regardless of this being a roadblock in his search for Raditz, this encounter has intrigued Kakarot.
The combination of her unique situation, her being the first local he is meeting and how she was able to detect him at the ladder end of their fight, along with how she snuck up on him despite having his Scouter active keeps Kakarot from vacating the area immediately. Kakarot clears his throat and asks about her situation with the grave robbers. Chichi grimaces as she explains it in full, "My Master died many years ago against a monster and my father followed him soon after. It's only recently that thieves and bastards started hunting for his resting place." Kakarot asked, "Is this because of the fortune ya mentioned?"
Chich nodded and added, "You see, father used to be quite wealthy once upon a time. He would kill anyone who dared try and steal his fortune. Master Gohan and Master Roshi would eventually correct him, and he atoned for it by spending that fortune on the surrounding villages he had wronged." Kakarot figured he knew the rest, he finished for her, "So the thieves are on a wild goose chase, and you're left to keep em' from defiling your guardians graves for false riches." Chichi nervously nodded clearly uncomfortably with the situation she's in. Kakarot thought for a moment, putting a hand on his chin.
He then asked, "Gettin' rid of em would be easy for me but I would like something in return." Chichi hesitantly hears what he has to say, giving him a suspicious look. Kakarot was displeased with whatever assumptions she was making of him. Kakarot shook his hand from side to side as if to physically push those ideas away. He said through a slightly agitated tone, "It ain't nothin' amoral, I just want you to tell me how you spotted me at the end of our fight, and maybe the direction of the nearest city. That's where I'll search for my brother next." Chichi immediately dropped her suspicious look, replacing it with a happy expression. She immediately said, "Oh, that's easy. I just sensed your Ki."
Kakarot raised an eyebrow at the word "Ki", uncertain what it was referring to. Chich sensed his confusion and gave him a wry response, "I'm a little surprised you don't know what it is given how strong you are." Kakarot began to give her an annoyed stare while crossing his arms which signaled her to get to explaining. She cleared her throat and said, "You see Ki is a form of energy which every living thing has. Think of it as your life force, when you die, it disappears as well. I learned how to sense it from my Master's teachings and with a Ki as strong as yours It was hard to miss."
Kakarot had a dumbfounded look on his face. He thought to himself, "Not only have the humans here classified power levels in a different manner than Freeza and my brethren, but mine is difficult to miss… which means…" Kakarot had a startling revelation, she said she learned how to from her Master. Despite him apparently being dead it is likely that others know of this technique. If this is true, then Kakarot is essentially a flashlight in a dark cave. The individuals who attacked Raditz no doubt had this advantage as well which means leaving this vulnerability in his defenses open would be detrimental to him in the long term.
Kakarot took on a serious expression and said, "Let's make a new deal." Kakarot pointed his right thumb at himself and said, "I'll drive these robbers off your mountain if you teach me all about this "Ki"." Chichi was a little surprised by the sudden shift in attitude as well as the fact a stranger who beat her just asked her to teach him all about Ki. She didn't know how to respond at first, Kakarot on the other hand was full of confidence. He knows something like this could take some time however not only is this an advantage he needs to even the playing field with his brothers' attackers, but he also has complete confidence in his ability to learn fast.
Kakarot has always been a fast learner, it's how he's been able to duplicate techniques he's seen only once and counter strategies that worked against him before. Kakarot thinks to himself, "What's more I can get some exercise out of this, I haven't been able to go on a proper rampage since Prune." Chichi thinks it over, uncertain if she's ready to take on the responsibility of a student. However, she sees the eager look on Kakarot's face and smiles at him. She then says, "Alright but you can't complain if you don't get it at first." Kakarot smiled back and said, "That won't be a problem." With the deal concluded the next step of Kakarot's journey begins now.
Author's Note: This chapter took a little longer due to, losing Toriyama, work and wanting to play Sekiro, the new Ronin game as well as me replaying Armored Core 6 again but now we're back on track.