18
"I don't…?" Chi-Chi mumbled slowly, her voice brimming with disbelief. However, that feeling quickly turned into anger, which soon appeared all over her face. "Why not?!" she exclaimed out loud. "I climbed the tower on my own, without help, just like everyone else."
"That's one thing, and this is another thing," Master Korin responded simply, only succeeding in irritating Chi-Chi even more.
"Master Korin," Krillin intervened in a cautious voice. "Couldn't you...?"
"You guys should leave now," Korin cut him off abruptly, turning quickly to Krillin and the others. "Don't keep Kamisama waiting any longer. Remember that we have less than a year, so come on." He pointed hastily with his cane toward a door that led outside. "Don't just stand there. Kamisama's Lookout is located just above this tower. For this occasion, you will be allowed to reach it by flying, so do it straight from the tip, and you will surely find it without fail."
They all looked at each other for a few seconds, somewhat hesitant about what to do. As expected, Tenshinhan and Chaoz were the first to move, exiting the door and rising into the air towards the top of the tower. Krillin and Yamcha were the ones who waited the longest, perhaps wondering if they could say anything in favor of Chi-Chi, but Master Korin's decision seemed firm. So once he hurried them away again, both had no choice but to follow their two companions.
"Hey, have you forgotten I don't know how to fly?" Yajirobe exclaimed with annoyance, crossing his arms.
Korin snorted in annoyance in response to his comment.
"Always so useless, Yajirobe. Krillin, would you mind taking this fat guy with you?"
"Oh yes... of course," Krillin answered doubtfully, although his attention again turned to Chi-Chi momentarily. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye for a moment and then turned away angrily. It wasn't clear if she was angry with them or not, but Krillin hoped it was clear that there wasn't much they could do.
"Come on, Krillin," Yamcha told him, urging him on, so the young warrior hurried to catch up with the others.
As Master Korin had requested, Yajirobe climbed onto Krillin's back, and Krillin rose, carrying him. Given their differences in size, it seemed difficult to believe that Krillin could lift him so easily, but certainly, in his arduous training, he had had to carry much heavier things on his back.
"Don't even think about letting me fall!" Yajirobe shouted at him, clinging to him tighter with his thick arms.
"Don't squeeze me so much!" Krillin exclaimed with annoyance.
A second later, Chi-Chi saw how Krillin, Yamcha, and Yajirobe also disappeared from her sight, floating toward where they had been indicated.
Once it was just her, Chi-Chi took a deep breath through her nose, trying to calm herself as much as possible before speaking again. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding in all of that. Chi-Chi was aware that she had joined the group at the last minute without exactly being invited, and perhaps that had come across as a little rude. But if Master Korin was as wise a hermit as everyone said, she was confident that he would understand her situation if she spoke to him in a civilized manner.
"Master..." she began to speak in a calmer voice, but she didn't manage to say much more before that catman interrupted her.
"Still here?" Korin commented with some surprise, turning back to her. "You'd better go home once and for all, don't you think? You have nothing else to do here."
With that, he walked calmly towards the stairs that led to the top.
"Wait!" Chi-Chi pronounced in a hurry, walking quickly behind him. "You don't understand, I seriously need to train with Kamisama and get stronger as soon as possible. My son, Gohan, he…"
"I know what happened to your son," Korin said calmly as they walked up the stairs. "I know everything."
Chi-Chi was entirely off guard, leaving her speechless for a few moments.
"You know? How do you…?"
They both finished climbing to the top of the tower, which was almost like an extensive circular terrace without walls, just the columns that supported the roof and a low railing. From there, all Chi-Chi could see was the blue sky and clouds, and a cold, strong breeze was blowing, almost shaking Chi-Chi as soon as she set foot there. Unlike the lower chamber, which had more things such as vessels, cabinets, and even a bathtub, there was almost nothing in that space, except for a ceremonial column in the center on which was a curious small statue of some elephants raising their trunks.
"From up here, I have my methods to see what happens down there," Korin suddenly commented, drawing Chi-Chi's attention again. The cat had positioned itself in front of the railing, leaning forward a little to look up at the clouds. "I know you don't want to become stronger to fight the invaders that are coming but to save your son, who was kidnapped by Piccolo. It is not like that?"
"Yes, that's right," Chi-Chi replied solemnly. "That's why I need you to allow me to go up and train with Kamisama like the others."
"That will be impossible, impossible," Korin stated forcefully.
"But why?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed out loud, breaking a little the serenity she had forced herself to maintain until that moment.
"I thought it would be more than obvious," the old hermit murmured.
He slowly moved away from the railing and turned toward his guest. And despite his seemingly closed eyes, Chi-Chi vividly felt his intense gaze on her. This caused her a feeling of unease that she could only relate to what her father caused when he scolded her when she was very young."
"Only the most capable and strongest warriors have the privilege of seeing Kamisama, and you are not one," Korin explained harshly. "Your current level is too low. In fact, it is far, far below Krillin and the others. If I allow you to go up with them, you would only be a nuisance."
"A… nuisance?" Chi-Chi whispered, clearly impressed to hear that. However, after thinking about it for a few seconds, it seemed pretty logical.
If Krillin and the others had been summoned to the Sacred Temple to train with Kamisama, it was because, although they were not as strong as Goku, they were all capable warriors who had already fought in several life or death combats, even against Piccolo Daimao. If she compared herself to them, it was clear that there was a big gap of difference. Just seeing how they managed to climb the tower so easily compared to her should be proof enough.
And that log… that damned log that was still lying outside her house and that she had not even been able to move from its place yet. Surely, any of them could have cared for it with great ease. Surely, no one would have allowed Piccolo Daimao to take their son as she had done...
Korin continued speaking with the same solemn tone while Chi-Chi reflected on all this.
"And in the pressing situation we find ourselves in, with the dangerous enemy approaching, there is no way we can take that risk. So, like I said, you better come home."
Chi-Chi lowered her head and remained silent for a while longer. A thousand things were going through her mind, including especially those harsh words that fell on her shoulders. But despite all this, the same conviction that had motivated her to climb the tower until she reached that place, the same one that prevented her from turning back and surrendering, the same one that prevented her from leaving as the old hermit insisted.
She had let her little one be snatched from her arms twice. Leaving that moment after getting there would be like doing it a third time.
"There's no way I'm going back to my house!" she shouted with conviction, raising her face again towards him. Her fists clenched, and her jaw tensed. "Not when my son is in danger. If you think I'm going to sit back and do nothing like you insist, you are all very wrong!"
Korin remained unmoved by that outburst. At most, he let out a slight guttural sound, which Chi-Chi couldn't identify if it was some kind of mocking laugh. And after a few seconds of reflective silence, he murmured slowly:
"If I assure you that your son will be fine and that he is not in any danger with Piccolo, would you still insist on going ahead with this desire to train with Kamisama?"
Chi-Chi stared, quite confused, thinking for a moment that perhaps she had heard wrong.
"My Gohan... isn't in danger with Piccolo?" she whispered slowly, hoping that saying it aloud would give some meaning to that sentence. It did not. "What crazy thing are you saying?! Piccolo is a demon, a monster that just a few days ago was about to kill me…."
"But he didn't," Korin interrupted abruptly.
"What?"
"I mean, Piccolo had many opportunities to kill you like you say, but he didn't," Korin clarified without breaking her perpetual calm.
Did that mean that in addition to knowing that Piccolo had taken her son, he also knew about the meeting between him and her a few days ago? How did he know so much? Could he really see what was happening down there from there?
Whatever it was, it didn't matter. If he had really seen what happened that day, then he must have known well that what he said was not that way.
"He didn't do it just because Krillin intervened to save me," Chi-Chi stated firmly. "The truth is that if it hadn't been for him, I would be dead right now."
And instead of thanking him, I yelled at him and reprimanded him, she thought sadly right after. Now, looking back, she could accept that her actions had not been correct, and she was ashamed of them. If she saw him again soon, as she still hoped she might, she would apologize to him.
"That's true," Korin mentioned, nodding. "But I meant before that," he suddenly clarified, taking Chi-Chi off guard. "When you first met him that day, Piccolo could have killed you from the first moment, but he didn't. Do you remember he gave you several opportunities to leave him alone?"
Chi-Chi remained silent, and in her mind, she tried to review what had happened that day, or at least how she remembered it. Had he really refrained from killing her in the first place? She supposed that was one way of interpreting it, although she didn't entirely agree that that was her intention.
Korin continued speaking.
"Or even when he took your son, if he were the terrible monster you think he is, he could have killed you right there when you tried to stop him. Have you ever wondered why he didn't do it?"
"I have no idea," Chi-Chi replied gruffly. "What are you trying to tell me? Maybe Piccolo Daimao isn't really that bad? Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Korin let a slight sound of reflection escape his throat and lowered his gaze. Although he had been firm and convinced of everything he said until that moment, even for Chi-Chi, his doubt was palpable at that instant.
"Piccolo's actions have us a little baffled," the hermit cat said in a reserved voice. "We don't fully understand his intentions and if he truly wants to fulfill his father's ambitions as he preaches. Still, it seems to me that he is sincere in his desire to protect this planet from the invaders and in the importance that your son will play in it. So, he will most likely protect and train him just as he claimed. And, as I said, the situation we face is the most difficult the Earth has ever experienced, so the help of a warrior with as much potential as your son could be vital..."
"Enough!" Chi-Chi snapped sharply.
Korin was a little startled by this. As he raised his gaze again to the young woman in front of him, he was a little surprised to perceive on her face a very vivid feeling of frustration, anger, and rage. But even more so was the feeling that welled up in her heart. It wasn't precisely anger that she felt overwhelming her chest, but rather pain.
"Don't say anymore," Chi-Chi demanded in a sharp voice. Small tears were beginning to appear from the lower margin of her eyelids. "I'm tired of continuing to hear the same thing. That my son has great potential, that my son can be a great warrior, that my son could defeat those Saiyans... He's just a four-year-old boy! Four!" She shouted loudly, and even though there were no walls in that place, her voice reverberated like a great echo. "What's wrong with all of you? Gohan is a good and gentle child, studious and intelligent, sensitive and with a beautiful and pure heart, who should be playing and studying, not being exposed to any of this. But you all don't seem to care about that. You only see how strong he could be because of who his father is, without thinking about how much this could hurt him. None of you care about Gohan in the slightest. But I am his mother, and he is the most important thing in the world to me. And if I have to go against you, against Piccolo Daimao or whoever it is to protect him, I'm going to do it!"
That oath resounded powerfully like thunder, resounding from the depths of her being. Korin remained silent, apparently unmoved by the woman's words, but this was not entirely the case deep down. Chi-Chi's gaze reflected absolute conviction, and her posture was firm and confident. But the most important thing was once again what her heart was transmitting to him. There were no lies; every word she spoke was sincere, and her inner conviction was as firm as her words.
What a pure and honest heart, Korin thought, fascinated. I had rarely met someone like that in the past.
After a while, Chi-Chi took a deep breath through her nose and slowly let her body and mind relax. She had said what she had to say, and she didn't regret it at all.
"If you are not going to allow me to go up to see the Kamisama, then I will find a way to make myself stronger," she declared calmly. She then walked firmly towards the railing step. She stood in front of it and looked at the sky, more than ready to call the Flying Nimbus and get out of there.
"There may be a way," Korin spoke out loud first, drawing the young woman's attention back to him. "I mean a way to allow you to go up and train with Kamisama as you wish."
"Really?" Chi-Chi asked excitedly, turning back to him. "Which way?"
"As I told you, your current level is very low," the old hermit explained. "However, perhaps that can change... if you drink the Sacred Water."
As he said that, he raised his cane and pointed it towards the central column of that terrace. Chi-Chi looked in the same direction and contemplated the column and the statue of the elephants in greater detail. But mainly, she realized for the first time that there was something else on top of the latter: a vase of blue and gold colors, or at least that it seemed.
Chi-Chi blinked a few times, somewhat lost.
"If I drink… what?"