Chapter 7: Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Lychee stared lazily at the homework on her desk. She knew she had to complete it, but it just wasn’t on her mind at the moment.
Just then, the dark night sky lit up with a flash of blue light coming from Mount Paozu. Everyone rushed outside to see the beam careening into the sky.
He’d been practicing for several weeks.
How long’s he gonna practice? She thought. And what’s he gonna do once he’s finished?
That got her thinking about her current situation. She was in her final year of high school and she still has no idea what she wants to do with her dream of being a journalist. She could move to East City and take up a job at a newspaper, but she didn’t have enough money to move. Whatever she planned on, she needed to get out of this town.
As she thought, she started to fall asleep.
                     *                    *           *                   *
The boy screamed as her fist hit him in the head.
“Stop that!” one of the teachers shouted.
“Hold her back!” another yelled.
She was torn away from the boy as he started to cry.
Ten minutes later, she was in the principal’s office.
“He deserved it,” she muttered.
Just then, the door opened and her guardian, Chiikim, was there.
“Uncle Chii…”
He smiled and nodded her over to him.
“Let’s go, slugger,” he said.
A few minutes later, she was riding on his back on the way home. The sun was already orange and setting behind the river they were walking by.
“Now,” he said. “Are you gonna tell me why you hit that boy?”
Lychee was quiet for a minute and then she told him.
“He said I was left at your doorstep because my parents hated me.”
“Now, you and I both know that’s not true,” Chiikim said.
“The kids here just don’t like me,” she whined.
“Well, if the kids don’t like you by the time you grow up,” Chiikim said. “You can leave the town and head out on the open road.”
“The open road?” Lychee asked.
“Yeah,” Chiikim smiled. “The best years of my life were spent on the open road. I rambled all over the world. From the peace of East City to the hustle and bustle of West City, from the snowcapped mountains of North City to the sandy beaches of South City. Course, when I met my wife, I had to settle down here.”
Lychee thought about it for a minute.
“Traveling sounds nice,” she said. “But I wanna write…”
“Well, then you can write a story about your travels.”
Lychee perked up when she heard that.
“I can do that?” she said. “I wanna do that!”
“Well, that can be your dream!” Chiikim smiled. “You better follow it when you grow up!”
“I will~!” Lychee smiled and buried her face in Chiikim’s back.
                     *                    *           *                   *
Just then, the timer’s shrill noise woke her up.
It was the timer for her laundry, so she headed downstairs pick it up. As she was heading back up, she ran into a little old lady.
“Lychee! How have you been?” she asked.
“I’ve been well, Mrs. Casser,” Lychee smiled.
“I haven’t heard about you since that terrifying incident with the bank robber! Where have you been?”
“You know, been studying, going to school, helping out with our town’s new celebrity,” she said.
“Oh, that strong young man in the mountains?” she said. “I heard that a camera crew is trying to find out about him.”
“Really?”
“Of course, since he’s causing such a ruckus up there.”
Matoto… she thought.
“So, if you’re going to be graduating soon, what do you plan on doing?” she asked.
“I’m not really sure…” she said.
“Oh! You want to be a journalist, right? Well, my grandson is one of the editor’s at the Paozu Times. I could put in a good word for you and get you a job there.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not sure that’s for me…” she said.
Then, the landlady chuckled.
“I remember when you were a little girl and you would always tell Mr. Chiikim that you wanted to be just like him and travel.”
“I did didn’t I?” she smiled.
“Oh? Do I see a smile on your dull expression?” she teased.
“Well, maybe you’ve given me an idea…”
“That’s good to know,” Mrs. Casser smiled.
“Well, these clothes won’t fold themselves,” Lychee said.
“Yes, I’ll leave you to it,” she said.
After Lychee headed back to her room and started to fold her clothes, she switched the TV on to the news.
A camera crew was wading through the forest of Mount Paozu. The announcer was a woman in her mid-twenties with a mic.
“This is Jackie Hanabi with Paozu Channel 1,” she said. “And we are finally about to discover what is the cause of the nightly light shows coming from Mount Paozu.”
The shed soon came into view of the camera.
“A man made structure,” Jackie Hanabi said. “That must mean there’s someone living here!”
“Yeah, there is.”
The camera crew spun around and found Matoto standing right behind them.
“W-who are you?!” Jackie Hanabi shouted.
“I’m the martial artist that’s living here,” Matoto answered.
“Really?!” The sound man said.
“W-we came here looking for the reason why that blast keeps coming from the mountains,” the cameraman said.
“Yeah, that was me,” Matoto smirked.
No sooner did he say that then did Jackie Hanabi start asking him questions. Questions like where he came from, what school he trained at, and, of course, how the blast was being created.
“Oh, I can show you how!” Matoto smiled.
“You can?” the sound guy asked.
“Yeah!” Matoto said as he stood up. “You might want to get back, though.”
The news crew stood up and backed away.
“Now…” Matoto said. “Watch that tree.”
Matoto then took the stance and started to power up.
“Kame…” he stretched his hands out.
“Hame…” He brought them back.
“HA!” He thrust them forward.
A smaller version of the Kamehameha wave burst from his hands and struck the tree, breaking it in half.
“Whoa!” the sound guy shouted.
“Tell me you got that!” Jackie shouted to the cameraman.
“I got it, but I don’t believe it!” the cameraman said.
Matoto just grinned at the camera.
“And that’s just the refined one!” Matoto said.
Lychee sighed, walked over and switched off the TV.
“What are you planning, little Saiyan?” she asked herself.
                     *                    *           *                   *
“…And now, without further ado,” their principal said. “You are all Paozu High graduates!”
The entirety of the Paozu graduates threw their caps into the air, cheering loudly.
After the big graduation ceremony, there was a huge party held on the school grounds. Everyone was taking pictures and signing yearbooks and a lot of people were around Lychee and Bind, probing for information on their new friend.
“You saw that news cast, right?” one guy said.
“Yeah! When he blasted that tree in two! It was awesome!” his buddy shouted.
“Oh, please,” a girl groaned. “It was obviously staged!”
“Yeah, just a trick with some light and mirrors,” a guy said.
Just keep telling yourself that, Lychee thought. You just might believe it.
“So, you met this guy, right?” another person asked.
“And can he really do that laser blast thing?” another asked.
“I’m telling you what I saw,” Lychee said. “He fired that blast and sent a guy flying. It was unbelievable.”
“Damn,” a girl said. “Well, I’m glad he’s leaving here soon.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lychee asked.
“During the interview last week, he said he was gonna leave in about nine days,” she said.
“And that was six days ago so…three days?” Lychee estimated.
“That’s about it,” Bind responded.
“That’s good to hear,” someone said. “I was afraid that he’d blast the entire town.”
“Whether he will or not, I’m getting out of here,” another guy said. “I’m heading to East City to start my acting career.”
“West City or bust for me!” a girl said. “I’m gonna work for Capsule Corp!”
“What about you, Bind?” another girl asked.
“I’m going into the Army at Central City!” he said proudly. “What about you, Lychee?”
Lychee smiled, looking into her punch.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe I’ll skip town and follow that martial artist.”
“What?!” Bind shouted, surprised.
“Why would you do that?” someone asked.
“I find him interesting,” she smiled.
“You’re gonna get yourself killed, you idiot!” another person said.
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” she said. “He’s incredibly strong.”
“Yeah, we know,” someone muttered.
Bind just stared, concerned, at her.
                     *                    *           *                   *
Matoto ran through the forest as the Paozusaurus chased after him.
“C’mon, ya big galoot!” he shouted back. “Come and get this monkey steak~!”
The Paozusarus roared in response.
“That’s right, just keep chasing me,” Matoto grinned.
Soon, they reached the pond where Matoto liked to eat.
“Now!” Matoto shouted as he spun around.
“Kamehameha !” he shouted, thrusting his hands forward.
The ki blast flew straight from his hands and straight through the Paozusaurus’ skull. As the extinct dinosaur fell to the ground, it was ready to be barbecued.
“Awesome~! Dino ribs tonight~!” Matoto cheered.
Matoto licked his lips as the saurian meat roasted over a spit. It had been three days since his television interview.
“Now, I’ve refined the Kamehameha wave into a controllable attack!” he said proudly.
He began to poke the meat with a stick.
“Hmmm…” he thought. “What should I do now?”
He actually hadn’t gotten this far in the plan.
“Well, since I can’t figure out what to do next,” he said. “I think I’ll just wander some more!”
And so, it was settled that night. However, as he started to pack, he noticed something distressing.
“Ah, damn!” he cursed. “I’m almost outta money. I can survive off the land pretty well, but sometimes a meal made for you tastes better.”
In frustration, he punched the wall of the shack. This caused something to roll from out of the self above and hit him right on the head.
“Owch! What the-?!”
He looked at what landed in his hand and saw that it was a small jewel.
“Oh, neat!” he said. “I can sell this for money for food!”
                     *                    *           *                   *
The next morning, Lychee had packed everything she had into capsules. That just made it easier to transport. Each case was in her backpack.
She stood in her empty apartment and waited for ten minutes, saying goodbye to her home. She then sighed, left her home and locked the door. The landlady was waiting for her outside the door.
“Mrs. Casser?”
“I just came by to get your key,” she said.
“I-I’ll give it to you soon,” Lychee said. “I just want to say goodbye to Chiikim first.”
“Aw, well how about I go with you?” the landlady said. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“I’d like that,” Lychee smiled.
As they walked up the way to Chiikim, Lychee told her what she had decided.
“So, you’re going to follow that young man where ever he goes?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think I know what I want to do with my life,” Lychee said.
“Well, I won’t pry anymore,” the landlady said. “Because, we’re here.”
Lychee looked at Chiikim.
“Hello, Uncle Chii,” she smiled. “It’s been a while. I just came to tell you that I’ve graduated. Also, I’m going to say goodbye because I’m finally fulfilling my dream. There’s this guy I met. He’s a martial artist. Like the ones you told me stories about. He’s incredibly strong and he’s leaving the town soon. If I go with him, I can have all kinds of adventures I can write about.”
She stroked the top of his headstone.
“I just, wish you could see me now,” she said, tearing up a bit and thinking back. “It seems like only yesterday you were so healthy. It’s been four years since you were in the hospital. Ever since then, Mrs. Casser has taken good care of me.”
Mrs. Casser nodded to the headstone of Chiikim.
“Now, don’t worry,” She said. “I’ll be safe because he’s a good person. Also, I’ll have you to watch over me. I won’t be back, so I wanted to tell you goodbye before I left.”
She leaned down and kissed the headstone.
“Goodbye, Uncle Chiikim,” she said. “I’ll always remember you.”
                     *                    *           *                   *
Matoto stood outside of the shack with his belongings in his bag and a new walking stick in his hand.
“It’s been an honor to stay here, great warrior,” Matoto said. “I hope you don’t mind if I take a couple of things to help aid my journey. I promise to follow your example in my life.”
After a quick prayer, he started on his journey down the mountain.
On the way, he stopped by the bear thieves den.
“So, once again,” he said. “I’m sorry you guys had to take those blows for me.”
“Heh! It’d take more than that to kill us!” Doboroguma grinned, covered in bandages.
“For beating that assassin for us, we decided to give you this,” Medved said, offering him a capsule.
Matoto took the capsule.
“It’s a pack jeep,” Medved said. “It’ll help you get where you’re going.”
The bear thief in the back growled.
“I don’t see why we have to give that monkey anything,” he growled.
Matoto smiled.
“Thank you very much, guys!” he said. “This’ll help me a lot!”
“Hey! Wait up!”
Matoto turned around to see Lychee walking up to them.
“L-Lychee?” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m gonna leave with you,” she said.
“What? No, you’re not!” he said.
“Do you expect me to let you leave town without you giving me a new car?” she asked.
“Are you serious? You’re still on about that?” he groaned. “Fine then.”
He hit the button on the capsule and threw it a yard away from them. The capsule detonated and a jeep for four was sitting in its place.
“There. New car.” he said.
“That’s not gonna do at all,” she said.
“What?!”
“My new addition to the contract,” she said. “You have to give me a new car and take me on your journeys with you.”
“Contract?! Whaddya mean; ‘contract’?!” Matoto shouted. “I didn’t sign no contract!”
“No, but you still owe me for helping you figure out the Kamehameha Wave!” she said.
Matoto groaned. She had a point.
“Alright, fine!” Matoto growled.
“Awesome~!” Lychee cheered.
“Wait! I’m coming too!”
Both Lychee and Matoto looked to see Bind standing there, wearing his army helmet, a backpack, and a rifle slung over his shoulder.
“Bind! I thought you were going to join the Army,” Lychee said.
“Lychee, I’m the only friend you have and you’re the only friend I have,” he said. “I’m concerned for your safety, so I’m coming with you!”
“And of what use would you be?” Matoto asked.
“I’m a crack shot!” he said.
“You’re a gun-nut, Bind,” Lychee said.
“I can hit an apple from 40 kilometers away!” Bind continued.
“And I can shoot lasers out of my hands,” Matoto rebuked.
“But, that means I’m still of value!” Bind said. “Besides, the military will be more willing to hire me if I say I have some experience.”
Lychee smiled.
“Come on, let’s take him with us,” she said to Matoto.
Matoto groaned.
“Alright, fine!”
“Yes~!” Bind cheered.
Lychee got in the driver’s seat of the jeep.
“Wait, why are you driving?” Matoto asked.
“Because I know how to drive,” she said.
Matoto groaned. She was right again.
Bind got in the passenger seat while Matoto got in the back seat as Lychee started the engine.
“Goodbye, everyone!” he said to the bear thief clan. “Thank you for all your help!”
“Goodbye, great warrior!” the bear thief clan said.
“Bye!” Lychee and Bind said as they started to drive off.
After driving for about 30 minutes, Matoto stood up.
“Lychee, stop,” he said.
“Huh?” Lychee said as she brought the car to a halt. “What? Did you forget something?”
“No, it’s just that…If we go any further, we’ll finally leave the borders of Mount Paozu and…I want to say something before we leave…”
Lychee smiled at him.
“Sure, go ahead,” she said as she parked the car.
That softie, she thought. He’s still attached to this place. He wants to honor Goku’s memory by saying his dream.
“Great Warrior Goku,” he said. “I want to thank you for allowing me to use your own home as a shelter and a dojo. I have heard the stories of you and your allies since I was a child. Since then, I’ve been inspired to follow my dream with your confidence, bravery, and strength.”
Bind started to smile as Matoto got passionate about his speech.
I’ve chosen well, Lychee thought.
“And that dream is…”
I will follow this hero around the world and write about our adventures: tales of heroism, truth, justice and good versus evil.
“To rule the world!”
SAY WHAT?!
“Yeah~!” Bind cheered, caught up in the moment.
“With my new minions by my side,” he said. “I shall bring back the pride of the Saiyans and rule this planet with my strength and power! No opponent can stand in my way!”
Y-you’ve got to be kidding! You mean all this training and power was so he could become an evil overlord?!
“Mwahahahaha~!” Matoto laughed.
Dear, God! Lychee thought as she buried her face in her hands. He even has an evil laugh!
“Onward, minions!” Matoto shouted, pointing forward. “Towards world domination~!”
“Yes, my liege!” Bind cackled.
“What have I done?” Lychee groaned as she started the engine.