Dragon Realm Meloverse - The Last Tuffle

OCs made by their respective owners (Enoki, Orack and Enigma)

 Parent names made by HalusaTwin.

DB originally owned by Akira Toryiama. No copyright intended.

= = =< O  O >= = =

I

“Mr. Endo-san and Mrs. Kinoko-san, I am proud to confirm that your child is a boy.”

The doctor was wearing a white lab coat, with a name tag on the left side that read “Dr. Banan”. Round dark rimmed glasses framed his green eyes. His hair was short and black, with a yellow streak down the middle. He stopped by a large window and turned to look at the new parents. The mother, Kinoko, had long red hair that was currently tied back. Although she looked tired laying on a stretcher bed, she was still chipper enough at the opportunity to see her newborn son. “That’s wonderful!” she said in a voice that sounded slightly fatigued. 

After giving birth, Kinoko had briefly gotten to hold her son, who was crying in her arms. All too soon, he was taken by several nurses for testing and additional nurturance. Kinoko did not know exactly what went on behind the closed hospital doors, but she heard it involved strengthening DNA to protect against future diseases. After all, it was always better to make children healthier early on. When a concerned friend told her that microchips were inserted into the feet of the infants to keep them “safe,” she pretended not to hear her. Indeed, it was second nature for Tuffles to be observed, even before birth. The hard labor of childbirth was an event that the poor and working class Tuffles got to experience. Only the elite gave birth using technological means to keep the genetic lines “pure” in their families. Creating perfect “designer” babies was obviously very expensive.

Kinoko peered through the large window at the babies in their small beds enclosed by glass coverings. “Where’s our son?” asked a gruff voice from behind her. A tall man moved beside her, also peering through the window. He was a tan muscular man in dark jeans, a band T-shirt, and athletic shoes. With his clothes and black spiky hair, he looked like an average teenager. However, the essence of a natural born warrior was reflected in his black eyes. He looked strangely uncomfortable in his outfit, as if the clothes were too formal for his tastes. Strangely enough, his black hair had remained the same all his life, sticking out like a fan of cannabis leaves.

 “Oh I think I see him. Right there,” Kinoko said, pointing at a baby sleeping in a bed to the right. He was curled up in a ball under a blue blanket. Several small strands of black hair had started to poke from his bald head.

“Aww, he’s perfect!” Kinoko cooed from her bed.

The father stared at the baby and his eyes narrowed. “No tail? How disappointing.”

“What did you expect, Endo?” asked Kinoko. “He’s not a Saiyan like you.”

“It is better that way,” Banan added, in a clinical tone. “We would have removed his tail anyway.”

“You would have what?!” Endo bellowed, suddenly. His muscles tensed and he got ready to launch himself at the doctor. “Argh!” he yelped in pain as electric shocks spread through his hands. Endo clenched his hands in brief pain, not fast enough to stop a robot security guard from putting his hands together behind his back. “Where did you come from?” he asked in anger. Soon, his hands were held together by handcuffs. “Get these stupid things off of me!” He struggled in vain to get his hands free.

“Are those really necessary?” asked Kinoko with a glare at Banan.

“At the moment, yes,” replied Banan. “They are made from the strongest metal on this planet. They can come off when you all go outside.” Then he added, “It’s for precautionary measures.”

“Now do you see why I don’t like to go out in public all the time?” Endo asked his wife. “The way they treat us in these places is ridiculous!” Kinoko knew what he meant when he said “us.” He was referring to the warrior people of his race, the Saiyans.

“Let’s just calm down and focus on our son,” said Kinoko, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“No one touches our son,” Endo muttered under his breath.

 “Speaking of which, are his tests done?” Kinoko asked the doctor.

“The nurse is finishing up,” the doctor answered. Banan looked to where a nurse was injecting with a light blue liquid. “What is that stuff?” asked Endo, distaste lacing his words. “It’s a calming serum,” Banan explained. “The liquid goes to the brain and lasts for several years. It’s to try and help him control himself as he gets older. Usually the other babies don’t have to worry about getting it but…”

Kinoko looked at her scowling husband and knew the reason. Though their son did not have a tail, there was no doubt he had Saiyan DNA from his father. Endo had argued against having a child, but a pregnant Kinoko was persistent. He suggested that she get an abortion, but she had declined. It was her body and she had the power to choose what happened to it. The debate of birth and abortion rights had been settled by the Tuffles decades ago.

“Did I really have to come here?” Endo had complained to his wife earlier. “I could have used this time to beat my weightlifting record in my natural form.”

“Yes,” she answered with a glare. “He is our son and you have responsibilities as much as I do.” Endo sighed in defeat.  Now as he looked longer at the sleeping baby, Endo felt parental instincts kick in that he didn’t know he had. No one except Kinoko knew this about him, but deep down, he did have a soft spot for children to a certain degree. Endo had an urge to protect his son from the detached Tuffle way of life. Of course, that would mean that he would eventually have to learn how to fight.

“Looks like the tests are done,” Banan stated, a moment later. Both parents sighed in relief. Just then, the baby boy started to cry. “Oh poor thing,” said Kinoko. “What the?” asked Endo. He was pointing to the glass covering over the baby’s bed. A large crack had formed at the top. One of the nurses reached in and carefully picked up the baby. She looked suspiciously at the crack and then carried him to the door.  The door opened and soon, the baby was in his mother’s arms.

“Oh, my sweet baby,” said Kinoko, holding him close to her chest. The crying subsided and was replaced by a coo and a yawn. Eventually closed his eyes and was fast asleep. Endo smiled genuinely for a moment at the scene. 

“Kinoko should be feeling better in a couple of days,” said Dr. Banan in a kinder tone. “Then all of you should be good to go.” 

“Thank you,” said Kinoko. Endo only nodded.

After several days of rest, Kinoko was back up and walking.  The couple walked through the moving double-doors and made their way to their hover car in the parking lot. Their baby was currently in the arms of a nurse. Kinoko placed her fingerprint on a small blue square on Endo’s handcuffs and spoke a series of numbers. After a beep, the handcuffs snapped open and Kinoko placed them into a nearby gray bin to be transported back to the hospital. A pair of android guards watched them closely.

“Thank goodness,” said Endo, stretching his hands and fingers. The nurse handed the baby to Kinoko and wished her farewell. “Lularachi” she waved. Kinoko was stunned for a second, as they continued walking. “I haven’t heard that word mentioned in ages.”

“What exactly does it mean?” asked Endo.

“It’s old Tuffle. It means “farewell,” wishing the person to have all the benefits of knowledge to guide them.”

“That’s complicated. In Saiyan, we just say “aranosay.”

“That’s a weird word,” Kinoko said.

“I was taught Old Saiyan before I arrived on this planet. Some of my people still speak it, but I fear it may be lost soon.”

“The Tuffles lost the old language a while ago,” Kinoko explained. “Only a few speak it today. I learned it from my grandmother.”

“As interesting as this is, I have something to say,” said Endo, changing the topic. “I’m going to mention this again, but this is why I don’t like going out in public. You could have at least made more of an effort to get me free!”

 “I would have gotten in trouble if I had talked back to the doctor,” mentioned Kinoko. “They are one of the most respected members of our society. I wasn’t pleased about it either, but they said it was for a good reason.”

“Yeah right” spat Endo. “Good reasons to subordinate my race like we’re vicious animals!” “I said nothing of the sort and you know that,” countered Kinoko.

The baby’s sudden crying interrupted their arguing.

“Is he hungry?” Endo asked.

“Probably,” answered Kinoko. “Check the bag. There is a bottle in there somewhere.”

Endo rummaged through the black carry-on bag hanging from Kinoko’s right shoulder. Finally, his fingers grabbed hold of the bottle. He picked it out of the bag and handed it to her. “Thank you,” she said to him, putting the bottle in the baby’s mouth and holding it. The baby soon relaxed and enjoyed the milk.

As they reached the door of the car, Kinoko placed her pointer finger on the small screen by the car door. The screen flashed green and an unlocking click was heard. The parents got in and soon drove on the road, hovering over the solar panels that were built in. They were silent until they arrived at their home.

The house where they lived was just like any other suburban house, with a front yard, green grass, and a small cherry tree positioned to greet them. The differences between this house and a house on Earth included the solar panels built into the roof and a finger scanner that was used to unlock the front door. Kinoko unlocked the door with her finger and walked inside. Endo followed her, slouching his shoulders. The large glass windows allowed for a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding buildings. It was not super exquisite like the king’s modern palace or the huge labs that many of the scientists owned, but it was immaculate for the most part. The kitchen consisted of a circular diorite countertop to the left with two shiny gray stools to sit on. Upon their entrance, all the lights turned on. With a voice command from Kinoko, a circular robot silently vacuumed the rugs and the hardwood floor. A large glowing holographic screen in the living room blinked on, complete with access to the news, email, games, and videos all in one. Comfortable light blue couches sat in the living room, one in which Endo promptly crashed down on. ‘How can he feel refreshed after training, but exhausted after a simple walk and drive?’ thought Kinoko.

“Before you rest, honey, we should think of a name for our son” she called from another room. Endo stood up right away and walked toward the direction of her voice. In an empty room with white walls, both of them looked at their baby, who was rolling around happily in his new crib. A monitor read the baby’s heart rate and moods based on his newly forming brain waves.

Endo cleared his throat. “I have thought of a name worthy of a Saiyan that I think would fit him well.”

 “But he’s not a Saiyan,” Kinoko reminded him.

“He’s not fully a Tuffle either,” he countered. “Remember how his cries cracked the glass covering in his hospital bed?”

Kinoko thought back to the moment, and then vaguely remembered.

“That’s because it was loud and the glass wasn’t thick enough,” explained Kinoko.

“Exactly!” said Endo. “He didn’t look like much to me at first, but when I saw the glass crack before they tested him again, I knew that no Tuffle could naturally have that kind of power.”

“We Tuffles are still powerful,” Kinoko protested.

“Clearly not physically,” Endo remarked.

“Just in a different way,” added Kinoko. “Which is why we should give him a common Tuffle name to not arise suspicion.”

Endo rolled his eyes. “Common Tuffle name? Oh please,” he scoffed. “I’m not raising my son to be a lazy docile person incapable of a single punch!”

“Oh sure, another violent person is just what we need for this peaceful society!” yelled Kinoko sarcastically. “Now are we going to name our son or not?”  Endo flinched back and held out his hands. “Whatever you say, darling.”

Satisfied, Kinoko cleared her throat. “Names should be chosen with great care. It says so in Ginro’s infant handbook, 12^th edition.” She moved her hand in the air and an image of a book with baby blocks on the cover appeared. Endo waved his hand and the image vanished.

“Like I was about to say,” said Endo, “Retasu is the perfect name for our son.”

“No it’s not,” argued Kinoko. “I’d much prefer Perguu.”

“That is a pathetic name!” Endo shouted.

“Perhaps Kobacha would work?” suggested Kinoko.

“Still not satisfied,” stated Endo. “Let me see…Retasu or Cantalo. Your choice.” “I’m not choosing either one!” Kinoko growled and stomped her foot as he smirked playfully.

After a moment of composure, Kinoko took a deep breath and looked through her bag. Her silver and ruby earrings shined as she bent her head down to look. She pulled out a handful of stuffed soft toys. “I had almost forgotten about these.” She placed the toys one by one in the crib. She took a second look at the stuffed carrot, pickle, mushroom, and pizza toys.

“Seriously?” Kinoko asked her husband after rolling her eyes. “I was waiting in line to buy a teddy bear for him a week ago! Is food all you ever think about?”

“Food, training, among other things,” Endo admitted. “Come on, at least I made an effort to get some necessary baby things.”

After a moment, Kinoko sighed heavily. “Honey, can we just agree on a name and get some sleep while we can before our son decides to wake us up tonight?”

“Good idea,” said Endo. “I will name him Courgette and that’s final.”

“Not so fast. We need to settle this somehow.”

“Rock, paper, scissors?” suggested Endo.

“That could work. Best two out of three.”

“Wait a minute, honey. You haven’t decided on a name yet.”

Kinoko observed her son in the crib. The baby was holding the stuffed mushroom and was sucking on the top part of it. He had opened his yellow eyes and was staring at the solar system mobile hanging from the top part of the crib.

“I’ve got it! I’ll name him Enoki!”

Endo stifled a laugh. “What kind of a name is that?”

“It’s a different kind of name, neither Saiyan, nor Tuffle. My mother decided to break the stereotype of naming children common names like Fragrasia, or Citrus for instance.”

“I’m still sticking with the name I choose,” Endo stated.

“Very well,” said Kinoko. “I accept your decision. I should warn you though that it would be a good time to give away those barbells and weights down in the basement soon.”

“Are you really going to give away my training equipment?!” Endo asked in shock.

“I don’t see why not. It will help us get some more money and will help you get more socially involved.”

Endo looked around at the nice room and the large size of the house they were currently in. Did she really need more money to keep for herself?

“But I need to keep training! It’s part of my nature!”

“Then let me name our son.”

“I will blast all your techno devices apart,” he threatened.

“Then I can find someone to fix them as well as myself,” she countered. “You could also get fined for destroying our belongings.”

Endo sighed in defeat at his wife’s glare. “Fine.”

Kinoko smiled in delight as she picked up her son. “Welcome Enoki…”

“Halusa” Endo added.

Kinoko paused. Then she continued, “Welcome, Enoki Halusa, to your new home!”

II

The sound of a baby’s wails disrupted the peacefulness of sleep. Endo and Kinoko were lying together in their master bedroom when they heard Enoki’s cries. Kinoko turned to her husband and looked at him through half-opened eyes. “Honey, I believe it’s your turn to check on him.”

“I thought I did it last time,” he grumbled.

“I was the one who checked last time,” she said. “You do know I have to go to work in the morning to help sell the newest scouter models, don’t you?”

“At least you don’t have to get up early to do construction work. Apparently my strength is a “valuable asset” for their company.” 

It was not uncommon for Saiyans to partake in janitorial work, garbage collecting and other menial jobs. He considered joining the military at first, but then learned that the focus was more on upgrading assault weapons than physical hand to hand combat. The fact that the strongest Saiyan fighters were put into the lower ranks disgusted him even further. Endo figured that with enough training, he could take out dozens of those weak soldiers single-handedly. Endo was thankful that he was not working in factories and treated like a slave like some unlucky lower-class Saiyans.

“Hello, Planet Plant to Endo,” Kinoko said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Enoki’s still crying.” Apparently he still was, and it was starting to get on his nerves at this point. Endo could tell from the look in her eyes that she was not going to budge. Although Kinoko’s views about life were markedly different from his, her strong stubborn streak was a quality that he liked about her.

Knowing that this battle late at night was one he was destined to lose, he groggily rose out of bed and made his way down the hall. He turned on the light and saw his son crying in his crib.

“It’s alright, my son,” said Endo. He picked him up and gently bounced him up and down in his arms. The crying continued. “What in the world do you want?” asked Endo. His only answer was more crying. Endo stared for a moment at the white diaper that Enoki was wearing and suddenly felt a twinge of dread. He lay Enoki down on the changing table, opened up his diaper and…holy Yamoshi!

Holding his nose and stifling a gag, Endo hurried to the nearby closet. Inside were stacks of diapers, bottles, baby wipes and other necessary items. Endo mentally gave props to his wife for being so organized and punctual. He quickly grabbed a clean diaper and hurried back into the room to finish the job. When all that was done, Endo found a blue pacifier and put it in the baby’s mouth. Enoki sucked on it happily and was finally starting to calm down.

To help Enoki get to sleep, Endo moved his finger across a nearby screen that displayed playlists of lullabies and calming sounds. Endo made his choice and pressed the “play” button. The sounds of thunderstorms and flooding rain played through the speakers. Both the weather and gravity were stronger and harsher than on Earth. Endo remembered one news report about a thunderstorm so powerful, it caused a mini earthquake under a dark red cloudy sky. Had it not been the weather, Endo would have guessed it was his Saiyan brethren duking it out in the badlands.

Just thinking of the Saiyans made Endo feel sad and guilty. He decided to tell Enoki his story, despite the fact that he could not understand much yet. Endo sighed and began.

Along with the Saiyans, Endo had arrived to Planet Plant after barely escaping the war that destroyed their home planet, Salada. It was rumored that one of the tribe members, Vegeta had defeated the ruthless chief in a high-stakes battle, risen through the ranks and became the new king after he and his men escaped. Endo lived among his kind, fighting with other tribes over land, food and goods. One day, he and his friends were fighting a rival tribe a little too close to the Tuffle border.  The guards told them to move back, though Endo’s friends refused. They threatened to shoot his friends after a five second countdown. Endo’s friends were clearly starving, despite having naturally strong muscles. Being hungry was a great weakness and a bad situation for any Saiyan to be in. Without thinking, Endo offered to have him and his friends be a part of Tuffle society, if they would leave his friends alone. They agreed, but instead of inviting all of them in, a group of heavily armed soldiers came and took Endo instead. Even though it was tempting, Endo did not fight back. He turned his head to look back at his friends, who were now starting to retreat. He had a desperate look in his black eyes that said, ‘I will come back for you, I promise. I will work from the inside and be one of many to free us from oppression.’  So, he worked at a variety of menial jobs, trying to get by. He would spread valuable information about Tuffle bases to the few Saiyans who were nearby, trying not to get caught. Endo was destined to live a homeless, shabby life. 

That is until he met Kinoko.

From the moment he saw her, Endo could not take his eyes off of her beautifully formed hips, her slender legs, and soft red curly hair. She was often seen wearing dresses, pearl necklaces and earrings, having a good status as a middle-class citizen. Unlike many Tuffles, Kinoko was more willing to be accepting of those of a different race than herself. Kinoko wanted peace between the races, so much so that she once participated in a small protest, carrying her pistol blaster just in case. Nonetheless, the Tuffle government would not listen to their claims. Endo knew to be careful when Kinoko was practicing with her gun outside.

Kinoko was incredibly smart, having graduated from college and landing her first job as a teacher of anthropology, Tuffleology and Saiyan studies. (She wasn’t paid well when she taught the third subject). Eventually, she decided to take a more traditional job of helping to manufacture scouters, laptops, and various beauty products. Having a Saiyan friend was a major change to her ordinary life, an exciting one at that. Over time they got to know each other more and more, Endo appreciating her strength and Kinoko enjoying his sense of humor and laid-back personality. Endo was thankful that he had found the love of his life, especially one who could also cook amazing food. When Endo gradually replaced his brown animal skins for slender, formal Tuffle clothing, Kinoki was proud of him. 

After many tests and negotiations, (including a wild wedding), Endo was fully included into Tuffle society (though “included” might be an overstatement.). His mouth was watering at the sight of Kinoko’s sushi, beef, and rice dishes she made in celebration of Endo’s new status. Endo pronounced that it was the best meal he had ever had, only for Kinoko to reply that he had always said that. The couple shared a passionate kiss and made their way upstairs after dinner. They climbed into bed and, well, the rest is history.

“So that leads us to today,” said Endo, finishing the story. “One day, you will grow up to be a proud warrior and maybe someday, you’ll get to meet the Saiyans too.” ‘If I am ever accepted back into the tribe,’ he thought. Enoki was sound asleep at this point. “Yes I will be sure to train you well,” he whispered. “Be warned, I won’t go easy on you.”

“Are you done in there, honey?” asked Kinoko. “Yes,” said Endo, trying not to be too loud. He stood up to turn off the light and climbed back into bed. He and his wife embraced then fell back to sleep. Ten minutes later, a crying sound woke them up. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” growled Endo.

III

Time passed fairly quickly for the young Tuffle boy. His early childhood consisted of going to school, spending time with his family, and playing with his friends. Like many Tuffles, Enoki enjoyed learning about science, technology, and the environment. 

During his time at school, Enoki first learned how to be kind and courteous to his teachers and his fellow classmates. One of the daily tasks was for him and his peers to help clean up the classrooms and the hallways between class periods. This was done to encourage responsibility, early teamwork, and getting rid of germs as quickly as possible. When mopping the floors or wiping the desks got too mundane, Enoki hummed songs out loud to help pass the time.

As Enoki got older, he enjoyed his classes more and more. For art class, he learned how to make both physical and 3D models of clay pots to help inspire volunteers who came to the school who worked at the local art museum. Mathematics was easy for the most part, though he never liked to spend too long on a single math problem. English, Japanese, and Tsfrujin classes were mostly long and tedious. He didn’t know how he was supposed to learn three different languages at once. “At least you don’t have to learn how to speak Saiyan,” his teacher had mentioned. “That language is too hard for most people to learn.” This led him to wonder if the teacher had ever interacted with other Saiyans, since it was rare to find them around, except in the poorer areas of the city.  However, when Enoki had asked him that, the teacher waved him off to his next class.

History class was interesting in and of itself. A friendly man with dark orange hair and glasses was teaching the class, and he was more vibrant than his previous teachers. He spoke with excitement when talking about historical events, as if he were telling a story and not doing a lecture.

“Long ago, our planet used to be a hot, lifeless place. Pools of lava and molten rock poured across the land. Rumbling earthquakes occurred at every moment. Over time, the planet cooled and oceans flooded what was left of the land. Due to movement beneath the earth, the land rose up from beneath the water and the first signs of life began to appear.”

Enoki was busy making a paper airplane, trying to finish before his friend, Cherren, who sat next to him.

The teacher continued. “Animals with scales and hard-plated bodies evolved to survive the harsh hot summers and the dangerous summer thunderstorms. Only the strongest flora and fauna managed to stay alive for many more years. Eventually, the first race of sapient being came to be: the Plantians.”

Now this part was getting more interesting. Enoki forced his hands to stop folding the crumbled paper. An image, similar to a PowerPoint presentation appeared behind the teacher, showing a group of aliens with round heads, gathered around a campfire and several round mud huts.

“Plantians were a tribe of people, with oval shaped purple heads, all looking very much the same. They had lived here for hundreds of years, mainly in caves. Others lived in simple huts in the desert. They used their ki to heal each other from diseases, in addition to herbal medicine for other conditions.”

The teacher walked over and picked up another textbook. He flipped through the pages, looking confused. “Let’s see…it says here that the first Super Saiyan by the name of Bardock saved the Plantians from Emperor Chilled and his alien race thousands of years ago…wait, that can’t be right.”

Some of the students raised their hands and started blurting out questions.

“What’s a Super Saiyan?”

“Were there any Tuffles around during that time?”

“Is Bardock a time traveler?”

“Can that event be made into a movie or a TV show?”

 “All right, all right, one question at a time,” said the teacher.

He looked at the book again and decided to stick with his original resource. “That topic is for another time,” he stated, ignoring the audible groan from the students.

“Anyway, the Plantians lived their lives for a while, but eventually went extinct. Scientists are not completely sure what caused their disappearance. Some claim that they were killed due to a short term Ice Age that occurred. Others theorize that they were killed by Chilled’s soldiers many years later. The most recent theory, however, is that the unfortunate race were unprepared for…the Saiyan epidemic.”

A monstrous sounding ringtone came from a student’s phone nearby, startling Enoki and several other students. The teacher sighed. “Kiwi, I told you that you are not allowed to have your phone and scouter on in class.” “Sorry, Mister,” said a lanky boy with straight brown hair. The teacher held out his hand. “You may have them after class.” The student lowered his head, walked over and placed the items in the teacher’s hands. The teacher put the items by his desk as the boy went back to his seat.

“The Saiyan epidemic,” the teacher continued, this time with an image of dark figures with spiky hair standing in front of crashed space pods. “It is theorized by previous researchers that when the Saiyans arrived to this planet to escape their war-torn homeland, they brought with them new diseases that they had acquired on their planet. Despite their healing powers, the Plantians were not immune to the new diseases and eventually went extinct.”

There were some hushed whispers among the students.

“Now here comes the interesting part,” said the teacher. “During that time, there lived a group of furry hominids who lived in caves, and learned how to use tools. They were quite similar to the Saiyans for a while in terms of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and bipedalism. There were several key differences, however. First, instead of fighting each other, like the Saiyans, these people discovered that by working together as a group, they could increase their chances of survival. There was said to be two genetic mutations that occurred over time. The first allowed these people to do certain tasks such as learning how to make fire and telling stories that separated them from other animals. The second mutation allowed them to progress at an abnormally fast rate. Due to this, they learned how to grow food, domesticate animals and eventually build technology. These people were, as you might have guessed, our Tuffle ancestors.”

There were several awes and sounds of approval from the students. The teacher continued. “Had our ancestors not adapted to this planet as fast as they did, they would have been wiped out long ago. Unless they had strong builds and alien powers like the Saiyans.” The slide behind the teacher shifted from pictures of monkey-like beings, to small human-like people working on farms, building the first vehicles, then observing a blueprint for a city design.  “This brings us to our glorious civilization today,” said the teacher. An image of the current Tuffle city under a clear pink sky coming into view. “Thanks to the brilliant inventors, rulers, and scientists of years past that have brought us here,” he added.

The slides shifted to images of the Tuffle king in his prime, a large man with a black beard, and deep set eyes, sitting on his throne, alert. Dr. Rachi, another man with white hair, a beard and a mustache was shown working in his lab, still fairly young in his 80s. The average life expectancy for Tuffles was around 150 on average, much longer than for humans. Fragrasia, a woman with reddish blonde hair who was a famed anthropologist and one of the makers of the first scouter, appeared next on the screen. These people had been great role models in Enoki’s mind for a long time and still were in the moment. He tossed his paper airplane to his friend, who grinned and caught it. If he could be like those people and make a difference of some kind, he would make his mother proud for sure.

With his father however…

“Enoki, you can’t believe those stupid lessons that those schools are teaching you, nowadays.”

“Father, why is that?” asked Enoki, who was sitting on the couch in the living room. His father was facing him, sitting in a smaller chair that seemed to strain under his weight.

“You know it is mostly propaganda and scare tactics to foster negative opinions about our mighty race. You know that the Plantians died because many of them were too weak to overcome the harsh summers in the badlands right?”

“From what I heard, it was the Saiyans whom contributed to that,” mentioned Kinoko, who was busy preparing white rice noodles in a pot on the stove.

“Well, you must have heard wrong, because their demise was a result of unfortunate circumstances. But the important part is that the Saiyans managed to survive, and even today, they still find ways to adapt to their surroundings. Just like you will soon.”

Enoki inwardly groaned. Endo had hinted that Enoki and his father would begin hand to hand combat training outside for the first time. Before, they had been practicing push-ups, long distance runs, weight-lifting, and other exercises every morning before school and on the weekends. The thought of physically hurting someone made Enoki very uncomfortable. 

“I’m just glad you registered him at a school for diversity. Many of them around here will only accept Tuffles through their doors. The so called places of education for my people I saw the other day were a little more than shacks in need of repair.”

Kinoko looked at Endo with a look of annoyance. It was a look that said that Ebdo was going off topic. Endo sensed what she was implying and cleared his throat.

 “Remember that there has been a recent war going on between the Saiyans and the Tuffles. Started recently around Age 720. You will have to learn how to protect yourself in case the war comes to us.”

“Endo, stop scaring our son like that!”  Kinoko reprimanded, looking over at the two men. “War or not, the border has been set up with every defense system imaginable, stopping intruders from going through, over, or under with electricity. It is highly unlikely that those Saiyans can manage to break through the boarder and our strong military force.”

Endo whispered to Enoki, “Emphasis on ‘unlikely’” and Enoki shivered. Kinoko walked over. “Enoki, why don’t you work on some homework and talk to your father later.” Without hesitation, Enoki got up and walked up the stairs to his room.

A moment later, Kinoko called, “I don’t want to hear you playing video games before getting started on your work! You don’t want to eat Brussel sprouts and do extra chores this weekend do you?” From up above, there was a sound of a device being turned off and a loud groan of frustration.  

“That’s what I thought,” she finished.

IV

“Enoki san. It’s time to get up!”

Enoki, who was now fourteen years old, was peering through half-closed eyes at the scared face of his father. He blinked and shook his head. Sure enough, the black eyes in front of him were already critiquing him. “What are you waiting for? Go get dressed and let’s begin our training,” he said. Endo was already geared up in brown armor that a Saiyan friend had made for him in exchange for money and food. The clock beside Enoki bed read 6:30am. School wouldn’t start until 9:30.  Endo soon left the room. With a sigh, Enoki rolled out of bed and walked over to the closet. With a voice command, a holographic screen appeared, displaying shirts, pants, socks, and uniforms in different sections. He moved his finger to one of the choices displayed. The screen disappeared and the closet door opened with a small beep. The space looked like any other closet, with clothing hanging in rows on hangers. However, ordinary closets did not have robotic hangers that lifted the desired pieces of clothing and carried them to the owner.

Enoki took off his workout attire from the hovering hanger in front of him and made his way to the bathroom. The hanger flew back to its place in the closet.  He heard his father’s voice from the hallway. “As soon as we go out front, I want you to do thirty pushups for a warm-up. Got it?” Enoki suppressed a groan. Why did his father insist on training him so much? It was known that fighting was second nature to Saiyans, but he imagined them only training with other Saiyans.

 Finally, Enoki emerged from his room, fully dressed in a light blue shirt with dark blue gi over it. Black and white tennis shoes covered his feet. A white sash was worn around his waist. Endo examined it and muttered almost to himself, “Not black yet, but we’ll get there.” 

Reluctantly, Enoki followed his father downstairs. He was tempted to tell his mother about the early morning training sessions but he was afraid of how upset his father would be with him. Also, he didn’t want to be rude and wake her up. Enoki went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He squinted his eyes and reached for a bottle of water. He shut the door and followed his father toward the front door.

Endo opened the front door with a voice command and they stepped outside. The sun was just beginning to rise from the horizon, a glint of gold reaching toward a dark blue sky. Enoki could glimpse at a few stars and the two white moons not too far apart from each other. “Ready for your thirty push-ups?” asked his father, snapping him back into focus. Enoki nodded, anxious to get this session over with. “Go!”

Enoki dropped down to the ground, palms in the cool grass and begin. Around the tenth pushup, his muscles started straining. He could feel the blood rushing through his head. 

“Keep going!” said his father. Enoki moved faster, trying to ignore his shaking legs and sore chest. He finally did his thirtieth pushup and collapsed on the ground in relief.

“Nice job,” Endo praised.

It was those uncommon compliments that encouraged Enoki to push himself further each morning. Enoki lifted himself up and faced his father.

The lessons always started with a warm-up and then progressed to hand to hand combat. Endo taught Enoki how to block punches using his arms, how to kick at an opponent’s legs, and how to dodge attacks. “Your elbows can also be good weapons,” Endo mentioned. “The groin, stomach, and neck are some of the sensitive areas to aim for. Just know that many opponents will keep those areas guarded well, so you’ll keep fighting while looking for an opening.”

After some practice rounds, both men took deep breaths and faced each other in a stare down. Enoki guessed that his father would make the first move. His instincts proved correct when a fist flew toward his face. He moved his head to the left just in time. Another fist managed to make contact with his left shoulder. He grimaced in pain and tried to focus on the oncoming attacks. Enoki thrust his foot out for a kick and managed to hit his father’s lower leg. An arm slammed into Enoki’s chest and he gasped for breath. He then ran forward and head-butted his father in the abdomen.

“Not bad,” Endo remarked as he pushed his son’s head back. Enoki threw several fast punches, all of which his father easily blocked. He picked up Enoki and threw him backwards. He landed with a hard thud on the grass, which was thankfully soft. He saw his father jump in the air, fist raised. Wasting no time, Enoki rolled over to the side, his father landing on one knee where he was a moment before. Enoki gave Endo a hard kick in his butt and he fell to the ground with a yelp.

Wiping his forehead and brushing off his clothes, Enoki breathed a sigh of relief. Before he knew it, Endo gripped his legs, using his strength to pull him down. Enoki felt Endo stretching his arms back so they were parallel to his head. “Ow!” Enoki yelped. With Enoki defenseless, Endo positioned his fingers in a downward motion, aiming at Enoki’s chest. Enoki flinched, but only felt his father’s fingers gently touching his chest. He looked up at him with confusion. “Number one rule,” said his father, “Never let your guard down. Always make sure your opponent is down and out.” He helped his son off the ground. “If I were an enemy using my powers, you would have died from being stabbed.” Enoki gulped and gave a small fearful nod. “I-I understand.” 

“Good,” he said.

Enoki relaxed, certain that his lesson was over. Then Endo said “Let’s go again. This time we work on attacks in the air, now that it is getting lighter outside.”

After several more rounds, Enoki was exhausted and fairly beaten up. Instead of mastering flips in the air like Endo was demonstrating, he only got dizzy when he landed haphazardly on the ground. It wasn’t the first time he had gotten several bruises but he had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be the last. He found himself staring off into space when his father explained the various tactics he had used in previous battles. He only heard the part when his father said “We will get you suited with weights when you get older. It shouldn’t be a big problem, especially in Saiyan form. Speaking of which…”

‘Here we go’ Enoki thought. It was one of the last parts of training, and perhaps the most frustrating part. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get himself to go Super Saiyan. It was even worse when his father decided to throw insults at him to try and trigger it. “Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked. “I mastered this several years younger than you are right now!” 

Enoki clenched his fists and tensed. He tried to feel any sort of power, heat, or even a trace of energy. Not even a spark.

“After sparring with me, this should be easy for you. Have you gone soft so soon?” called his father. Enoki drowned out his words with yells that echoed in the night. He was worried that he would wake his neighbors.

“Perhaps you are just an idiot,” Endo remarked. Standing there and screaming, Enoki certainly felt like one in that moment.

 Enoki gasped for breath before speaking. “My mom… said that based on research, some Saiyans experience a tingly… feeling in their backs before powering up. It spreads through their bodies and then…”

 “That’s nonsense,” his father interrupted. “Saiyans get their power by experiencing intense emotions. Simple as that. It could be from sadness, but it’s more often from anger.”

“Okay,” said Enoki. Enoki yelled again and got into position. He pictured himself as a furious dragon about to blow the strands of grass to bits below him. “And it doesn’t work by faking it!” Endo called, almost reading his thoughts.

“This is hopeless,” muttered Enoki, who was anxious to get back inside from the cold air. 

“You’re hopeless,” replied his father. “We are going to stand out here until you have mastered it!” 

“You said that last time,” Enoki said through clenched teeth. “This time I mean it!” his father replied.

‘I just have to wait until mom wakes up,’ thought Enoki. ‘Then I can relax from this madness.’

“I’m waiting,” said Endo, making a show of tapping his foot. “This is getting boring to be honest.”

 “Can we please do something else?” Enoki pleaded.

“Sure,” said Endo. “We can practice instant transmission, after you achieve the Saiyan form.”

This time, Enoki was getting frustrated. Why was he forced to do this when it never worked in the first place? He was not a natural warrior like the Saiyans. He was a Tuffle who thrived in the world of knowledge, science, and helping those in his community. Also, why did his mother have to choose a person who was so different? She had said she had fallen in love with him and wanted to continue the relationship to encourage peace among the two races. In his child-like mind, he hoped that she was right. 

“I’m…tired…of…doing…this!” Enoki panted. As frustration built up in his head, he felt his body grow hot. He thought he felt a blast of hot wind in his hair, but he hardly noticed ti as he screamed. The one thing he did notice was his father’s eyes go wide for a moment. Was he going to exhaust himself to death? Enoki took several deep breaths and the hot feeling faded away. Endo stared at him for a moment and then gave a small grin.

“What is it?” asked Enoki.

“I saw you go Super Saiyan for a moment there,” his father explained. “Your hair turned golden and then it went back to black. Pretty impressive.”

Enoki stared back in confusion. He had not been aware that he had briefly transformed. “Still, you will have to keep that form longer in serious battles,” Endo explained. “Now let’s finish off with instant transmission.”

“Yes!” said Enoki excitedly. This was his favorite part of the lesson, even more so because sometimes they would fight for so long and not have time to practice the move.

Endo began, “You may have remembered when I taught you this, but it’s been a while, so let’s review again. You place your pointer and middle finger to the center of your forehead, at your crown chakra.” He demonstrated the gesture and Enoki mirrored his movements. “Then, you picture in your mind, the destination that you want to go to. Your mind has to be incredibly focused, or else it won’t work. This can be hard, especially in battle. However, it can make or break a fight more often than not.”

“I think, I’ve got it,” said Enoki after a moment. 

“All right, stand over there,” Endo instructed.

Enoki moved into position, several feet across from his father. “The easiest way to start is to think of an area that is close by. Try teleporting to that tree over there.” He pointed to a thick tree that stood toward the far right of the front yard. Enoki placed his fingers to his forehead and closed his eyes. He pictured the tree in his mind as best as he could, trying to dispel other thoughts that emerged. He blinked and stumbled forward, right into the tree. He fell backwards on the grass with a thud. “You don’t want to get that close to it,” Endo mentioned, adding insult to injury. “I get it,” Enoki sighed, picking himself up and rubbing his head.

He blinked and his father had disappeared. Soon, he felt fingers poking his back hard. Enoki yelped and turned around. “Remember what I said about not letting your guard down,” Endo reminded him. “Instant transmission is useful to you, but it is also perfect for enemies who want to sneak behind you to attack.” Enoki thrust his right foot toward Endo’s groin, but he grabbed hold of his foot and pushed it back. During the fast exchanges of punches, Enoki blocked most of them, mostly because he felt too tired to go on the offensive.

When he felt ready, Enoki was able to land a punch to his father’s cheek, only to fall down when Endo’s knee made contact with his stomach. Enoki slowly got up, and prepared himself for another hit. Endo looked at the digital clock that was set beside the front door screen pad. “It’s 7:30. Your mother will be up soon. It would be best for you to change and get ready.” Enoki agreed. One of his eyes felt swollen and his legs felt as strong as mushed up fruit.

Endo held him back with a hand on his shoulder. “Before you go, eat this.” He walked over and placed something small in Enoki’s hand. Enoki looked and saw a green bean. “Is this supposed to be my breakfast?”

Endo chuckled. “No son. This senzu bean is used for healing and restoring energy. I planted some in Kinoko’s garden and I also have a bag of them somewhere hidden. Use them wisely, they are hard to access.” He spoke as if the senzu beans were some kind of magical drug…in which case, it was, in a sense.

Enoki popped the bean in his mouth and swallowed. A warm feeling spread through his body and the pounding in his head ceased. Even his eye felt less swollen when he put his finger to it. Enoki also did not feel tired anymore.‘How incredible!’ he thought. Enoki imagined sick and elderly Tuffles benefiting from the beans. ‘How many homeless individuals could be saved because of them?’ he wondered. Those in poverty could not afford prescriptions of small microbots like the middle class and wealthy. There were many kinds, suited to fight viruses in the body, repair DNA, and enhance the growth of cells, slowing down aging. Of course, only those in the king’s court and the pharmacists could possibly afford all of them.

“Mom says that the microbots we have can always heal me,” Enoki mentioned. “Why not let me use those?”

Endo sighed. “It’s up to you to decide, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Those things may work, but they can be unpredictable and expensive, based on your mother’s experiences. Senzu beans are just there and they work naturally. Quite simple. They have been used to heal wounded warriors for many years.”

Enoki got interested and was about to say something. “…and that is their only purpose,” said Endo, “to be used by Saiyans for Saiyans, nothing more.” Enoki looked downcast. It was obvious that both his parents were too set in their traditions to change their ways. Many times throughout his childhood, Enoki felt torn between pleasing his mother and father at different moments. He did have to admit that it was much easier for him to make his mother happy. To hear a single praise from his father was an accomplishment in itself.

His thoughts were broken when Endo said, “You’re mother should be up any moment. Best to get moving.” Feeling rejuvenated from the energy bean’s effects, Enoki moved to the front door. Before he went inside, he mentioned, “My mom doesn’t believe in powers and magic. Only science.” 

“That is true,” Endo stated. Enoki shut the door and disappeared inside. Endo stared off in the distance, muttering “She better believe in them, soon.”

Enoki walked upstairs, back to his room. He failed to notice his tired mother walking out from her bedroom. She caught a glimpse of her son’s back just before he pushed the door shut. She narrowed her eyes and walked downstairs to the living room. Enoki was soon washed up and changed. He wore his school uniform, consisting of study black boots, long black pants, a small red tie, and a white shirt with the school’s crest on the left.

Enoki looked around his bedroom, which was slightly messy. His bedroom walls were painted a creamy-yellow color and anime posters were displayed at every angle. One of the posters showed him and his band members posing against a dark background. The band name “Fired Earth” was shown in Japanese with a red tint.

From his bedside table, Enoki picked up a round picture of his best female friend Guava. She was smiling at the camera, eyes almost closed in happiness. Her hair was brown with several streaks of magenta from the sides.

Seeing Guava and his friends was what he looked forward to at school…studying not so much. He did enjoy science like other Tuffles did, but many of the lectures and college preparation readings were almost as bad as training. It seemed like the days were going by faster, blurring into each other more and more. ‘At least the Saiyans and the Tuffles have one thing in common,’ he thought. ‘Both of them have to learn and grow up fast.’ After moving his finger affectionately along the picture, he placed it back on the table.

Just then, he heard muffled sounds coming from downstairs. He slowly opened his door and crept forward. As he got closer, he discovered that the sound had come from his parents, who were eating in the dining room. At least, they had been eating before. Now they were arguing. Enoki walked to the top of the stairs and made his way down.

“So, honey, how is our son doing?” asked Kinoko.

“He’s doing great. He seems to be ready to go this morning.”

“Is that so?” she asked.

Endo nodded.

“Do you think he would feel better if he were allowed to sleep a little longer?”

“Maybe?” asked Endo, seeing no excuses to grab hold of.

“You were training with him weren’t you?”

“Why would you say that?”

“I saw Enoki wearing workout attire when he went to his room. You should know by now that I do not allow violence in or out of this house.”

“It is good for him, though,” Endo argued.

“Good for him or good for you?” asked Kinoko. “Enoki needs to prepare himself for the world out there! Academic and career competitions are getting intense.”

“Not as intense as an upcoming war,” Endo countered. “You saw the Saiyan uprisings in the news. Enoki needs to be prepared in case an attack comes up again.”

“Yes I did,” said Kinoko. “Yet every time they attack, our military manages to push them back. Our son will not be involved in a dangerous situation like that!”

“When enemies come invade our city, don’t expect science and statistics to save his life!”

“What do you mean by ‘when they invade?’ The Saiyans might never come back to our city.”

Before Endo could explain, the floor creaked when Enoki quietly stepped forward. “Hello sweetheart,” said his mother, forcing a grin on her face. Endo was focused intently on the food in front of him, not noticing his son at all.

“What were you fighting about?” Enoki asked. The question caught Kinoko off guard, but she came up with an answer. “Just figuring out what time would be best for you to wake up.” Enoki could see past her façade and asked his question again.

Kinoko sighed. “I am upset that your father was training you so early in the morning. That is not the ideal way of life for us Tuffles.” At her words, Endo grunted in protest with his mouth full of toast, but said nothing more. This time, Enoki knew her words were true, but he felt like she was still hiding something. “Anything else going on?” he asked. Kinoko dismissed his question and said “Go eat your cereal, sweetheart. We will talk more later on.” 

With the conversation finished, Enoki retrieved milk from the fridge and a cereal box from a nearby cabinet. Back at the table, Enoki poured milk and a box of cereal in his bowl. The box read “Rupu Furutsu” and showed a happy brown squirrel eating cereal from a spoon. His parents were silent after the argument, making the situation awkward and uncomfortable for the young boy. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of chewing and swallowing. As always, Endo was the first to finish eating and Kinoko was the last. Enoki finished his breakfast, anxious to start his day. After packing his notebooks and school supplies, he was ready to go.

As he walked back to the kitchen, he found that the table was empty. There were no sign of his parents around. Enoki heard muffled voices coming from down the hall. He quietly walked forward and saw a light shining from under the bathroom door. The door was almost closed, making it hard for Enoki to see what was going on. Based on the two different voices that he heard, he knew that his parents were in there. He first heard the calm rational voice of his mother.

“Honey, you need to take your meds before going to work. You know hard it is for you to focus.”

“For the millionth time, I do not need to take those things! Having to rely on a substance like that is pathetic!” His father’s voice was all too familiar.

“I’m trying to make things easier for us,” added Kinoko. “Like it or not, you need to add your share of responsibility.”

Endo then spoke calmly, “I understand, honey. I’m doing the best I can.”

A pause. Then Endo continued, “I love you and Enoki very much. When I was living nearly poverty-stricken on my own, you were the one who lifted me out of that mess. Your kindness was far more genuine than the false sympathies from the other Tuffles I had encountered. Yes, I want peace for this family as much as you do. I would do anything to keep all of us safe every day. So can I prove to you that I can do my share of work and support?”

“That…was beautiful about what you said to me,” Kinoko said. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Of course you can prove yourself.”

Enoki thought he saw them hug through the crack in the door. He felt tremendous relief in that moment. ‘Mom and Dad are finally getting along,’ he thought, happy tears forming in his eyes. He started to walk away when Kinoko spoke again. “In fact, you can prove that you truly support this family by taking these pills right now.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Endo spoke in a raised voice. “Even after all these years, you still can’t trust me!”

 “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Kinoko stated. Endo finished her words: “You don’t trust my race like before.”

Enoki stood still in shock. Then a bang from Endo’s fist against the sink struck the air, “Curse you!” The door was pulled completely closed and shoving noises were heard. 

“Get me out of here right now!” Endo yelled, “Or I’ll break this door down instead!”

“Don’t make me do this,” said Kinoko in a low voice. Several minutes of grunts followed. Enoki then heard his father’s yelps mixed with the sound of crackling electricity. Endo groaned in pain and made his way to the door. Electricity crackled once again, followed by another scream. Enoki held his arms to his chest protectively, not daring to open the door. What was going on?

When he thought he could bear the silent tension no longer, Enoki heard a different sound, the sound of water running from the sink. It was soon quiet once again. As the doorknob started to turn, Enoki raced to the front door. From the corner of his eye, he saw his father walk out of the bathroom and go toward the kitchen. His walk was slightly off center and a slight fatigue took hold of him. He caught sight of Enoki and smiled genuinely. “Have a great day at school, buddy!” He waved at him before walking to the kitchen. ‘Buddy?’ Enoki was pleasantly surprised at the gesture, but he quickly became concerned. Endo rarely behaved like that around him for no reason. Fueled by fear, Enoki made is way outside to the hover bus stop.

V

Enoki sat down at his usual spot on the bench in sadness and disbelief.  Just when he thought his parents could get along, they found something else to argue about. What was Kinoko making Endo do that led him to be so…odd? Surely both of them would want to have an honest talk with their son about their issues? Enoki felt a flare of anger at being treated like a child, at the fact that adults felt like they could still hide stuff from him, even though he was in 10^th grade, starting high school. Enoki took a deep breath to calm himself down. This was a brand new school year and a fresh start. He would have to put his problems behind and focus. The metallic hover bus glided to a stop, hovering above a row of solar panels on the street. The doors opened and Enoki stepped inside. “Hey dude!” his friend called out. 

“Cherren! Long time no see!” Enoki replied back. 

They sat next to each other toward the middle, with Cherren getting the window seat. They talked about girls and science for several minutes, taking the advantage of talking while they could, since talking in class was frowned upon.

“How’s your band coming along?” he asked.

“So far so good,” said Enoki. “My friends and I have been practicing for a while and we should be ready to perform in a couple of weeks.”

“Well, I am looking forward to it!” Cherren added.

“Thanks, man,” said Enoki.

Enoki made a mental note to contact his three band members for Fired Earth after class.  The first member was a Tuffle with short dark blue hair wearing a red jacket. The second member wore a green jacket and had black spiky hair like a Saiyan. (No one knew if he was fully a Saiyan, since he preferred not to discuss the matter.) The last one was another Tuffle with pink hair and a blue jacket. Enoki had invented an electronic sound system that allowed Enoki to play his music and his friends to play along from afar. They would appear as digital avatars beside Enoki with white eyes and usernames of their own. They would send Enoki records of their music and videos of themselves playing the instruments. Enoki would organize the parts together on his new device and make it appear as if he were playing with an actual band. This was an efficient method since one was often busy at work, the second was forced to babysit, and the third had terrible stage fright. Enoki hoped that they could create something new that more people would enjoy.

Just then, the bus stopped by the city park. The doors opened and a handful of teenagers got on and took their seats. Enoki’s heart fluttered in his chest when he saw…her.

Guava walked down the aisle, in her school uniform: a long black skirt, leggings, nice black shoes and a white buttoned shirt. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, with the magenta streaks still showing. She smiled at him with her pink irises and Enoki could feel his cheeks go red. Cherren elbowed him in the side, grinning. “What are you sitting here for? Go over and sit with her.” Enoki stared at her as she sat down, refusing to budge. Enoki felt a hand push him forward. He stumbled forward on his legs and saved himself from falling by grabbing onto a nearby seat. Several students giggled at him, including Guava who had looked back at him. Feeling embarrassed, Enoki slowly sat down in the seat next to her, his backpack still on his back. 

“S-sorry about that,” he mumbled. “It’s alright,” Guava said. Enoki looked at Cherren who winked at him. Enoki rolled his eyes in response and turned back to Guava. There was a moment of awkward silence. “So…how are things going?” asked Enoki, his cheeks still pink. “Busy as usual,” she replied. “My parents are being strict again. I have been working on this project to show to the local committee. It is a formula to potentially help cure some diseases in the future. Specifically arthritis and osteoporosis in the elderly.”

 “That’s incredible,” said Enoki, amazed.

Guava smiled. “Yeah, I still need to get it tested and approved, first by my parents, then by the various health organizations, but hopefully it will turn out alright. Those over age 110 deserve some relief as well as everyone else.”  “I agree,” said Enoki. Enoki then thought of the senzu beans that Endo had showed him earlier. He was worried that Guava would scoff at the idea of using alternative medicine. If not Guava, than her parents for sure. Guava accidentally brushed her hand against Enoki’s arms and Enoki almost jumped.

Finally, the bus came to a stop in front of the school. The doors opened and the students stepped out into the sunlight. The school was in pristine condition as it usually was. The grass was still green from the summer and the leaves were starting to turn yellow in the trees. Hanging proudly on a flagpole, the white Tuffle flag blew in the wind, displaying a light blue gear with electricity meeting at the center. The class walked inside, single file, feeling slightly tired, but anxious to start their day.

Enoki’s mind was slipping into boredom after staring at the chemistry formula for more than an hour. He was supposed to be working with a group on an assignment in order to present next week. The problem was, Cherren and Guava were not in his group. In fact they had been assigned to work together with two other students. Everyone was wearing white lab coats and safety goggles. Enoki was left with two chatterbox boys and an older guy with spiky dark hair. 

When Enoki tried to get the two boys focused on measuring the liquids in the beakers, they would briefly do it and then get off topic, talking about sports and spicy food. “Dude, do not try raw blue peppers from outside" one of them said. “My dad planted some in his garden and I decided to try one. Biggest mistake of my life! I ended up drinking milk for several hours afterwards!” The other guy chimed in. “There was one time, where I took a raw blue pepper, chopped it up, made it into an intense juice. My brother and I had a dare of who could drink it in one shot without making a face…”

Enoki drowned out the rest of their conversations and looked at the older guy. His school uniform looked too tight on him, and muscles pressed against his clothing as if trying to break free from the fabric barriers. He scanned the room with disinterested black eyes. “What are you staring at?” he asked Enoki suddenly. 

Enoki averted his eyes from him and focused on the task at hand. It was obvious that he was a Saiyan, probably one of the few that went to school. “I asked you a question, buddy,” he said again. The way he said “buddy” made it seem like a threat. 

"Nothing” Enoki said, still not looking at him. 

“Well are you guys done with this project yet?” Onyon asked.  "I’ve been in this room for far too long already. If it weren’t for my parents who were saying ‘You must go to school, Onyon’ I would have been free by now.”

“It is getting done,” said Enoki. “But you have to pitch in and help.”

“Who said so?” he asked.

“The school system, the teacher, and I just now,” Enoki replied.

“Give me one reason why I should listen to you.”

Enoki’s mind was whirling. Did this guy wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?

“Well for one thing, your grades will suffer if you don’t…” Enoki started, but Onyon interrupted. “Who cares about that? Grades are just numbers used to rank students against each other. Real talent is determined by physical skill and common sense.”

‘Does this guy actually have any?’ Enoki wondered.

“Besides,” he continued. “The top three students get rewards at the end of each semester, while the rest of us get nothing. Both the teachers and students get blamed for their mistakes. You think sitting on your butt for twelve years will help you be prepared for what’s out there in the world?” Enoki was reminded of his father.

Enoki looked to see the two students in the group still talking. “Can we work on the project now?” he asked them impatiently. The two boys stopped and looked at him. “Sorry, got carried away again,” one of them admitted. They started reading the instructions, very slowly. Enoki sighed. It was going to be a long day.

After another painstaking thirty minutes, the projects were finally finished. The beakers held liquids of green, blue, red, and clear liquids at each table. The first group stood up from their chairs and presented their findings. It was obvious that Cherren and Guava’s group had everything together perfectly. The teacher gave them a perfect score when they were done and went back to working on his computer. “Nice job” said Enoki to Cherren, trying to hide his disappointment. “Thanks,” he said. Enoki looked glum until Guava decided to sit next to him. “We should hang out sometime,” said Guava in almost a whisper. “Yes, yes we should,” said Enoki, who beamed at her. As the second group stood up to do their presentation, Enoki heard footsteps behind him.

“Aww the two Tuffles plan to get together? So cute. Why not kiss right here and now.”

Enoki turned around and saw Onyon mocking them. Guava then turned, stood up and said “He’s just my friend, idiot. No need to butt in like that.”

Speaking of butts…” said Onyon with a smirk. He moved behind Guava and grabbed her butt with both hands. “You little creep!” she yelped. Whirling around, Enoki slapped Onyon hard in the face. His smirk was replaced with a grimace and then a scowl.

“Did you just hit a proud Saiyan warrior?” he asked in anger. Enoki just stared defiantly at him, not saying a word. The group stopped their presentation and looked over at them. The teacher soon noticed and called security on his scouter.

“I might as well teach you a lesson, midget,” Onyon added. He took off his glasses and his lab coat, revealing a grey T-shirt and black jeans.

Onyon threw his fist at Enoki, who blocked it with his right hand. He was able to keep hold of it as well. “You leave my good friend and my classmates alone,” stated Enoki, who also took off the goggles.

“Nobody tells me what to do,” he argued.

“I just did, filthy monkey.”

“What did you just call me?!” bellowed Onyon. 

The bully yelled with a burst of force, the blast sending many of the students and the tables back several feet. Using the available space, the two teenagers exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks. A sharp pain exploded in Enoki’s groin from Onyon’s kick and he screamed. He received another punch in the face and was knocked to the ground. Guava covered her mouth in fear. Enoki barely dodged another punch, but was able to protect the rest of his face with his crossed arms in front of him. Enoki kicked Onyon in the stomach, sending him backwards for a moment. He used this time to slowly pick himself up. Onyon’s hair was now the golden yellow of a Super Saiyan. 

Facing a Saiyan and seeing the surrounding students, Enoki suddenly felt trapped. Onyon formed a golden ki blast in his hand and was aiming it toward the other students. Enoki had to save them…fast. Taking a deep breath, he placed his fingers to his forehead and closed his eyes. Onyon has released the blast and was laughing like crazy. In seconds, Enoki appeared in front of the students and swatted the blast away through a window. Shards of glass shattered onto the floor and tables nearby. Guava looked at him admiringly and Enoki felt a sense of heroic pride. Pride that was then ruined by Onyon’s stabbing words.

“Did your father teach you how to be this weak?” he mocked. The students knew everyone’s parents due to online profiles and readily available information. “He has more power than you ever will,” Enoki replied. “Your system will crumble one of these days, Tuffle,” he declared. “It’s only a matter of time!” 

Enoki had enough with Onyon and his crazy conspiracy theories. Onyon reached for Guava again, but Enoki wasn’t having it. “You leave her alone right now!” He drew out the word “now” that mixed into an ongoing scream. He felt his body grow hot as he had felt it during training. Sparks danced around his body and yellow light energy surrounded him like faint flames. The force of the transformation shattered the remaining beakers, spilling the liquid through the room like paint. The students were now huddled against a wall further back. Onyon was momentarily stunned at seeing Enoki go Super Saiyan, his hair now blonde. Enoki charged forward and landed a strong uppercut on him that would have killed him if he had been human. Onyon grunted and stared back at him. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one surprised to see Enoki so different. 

Enoki smiled at Guava, expecting her to be admiring him the way she did before. Now, however, her face was full of shock and terror, as if she were looking at a supernatural stranger. Her reaction caused Enoki to feel a burst of pain that had nothing to do with the fight. He hardly noticed the android security guards silently enter the classroom. Onyon powered up further and fired blasts at the androids, which had minimal effect. Although Onyon was powerful, he was soon outnumbered by the guards, and restrained. Enoki soon found himself restrained as well, after a taser attack that shocked him out of the Super Saiyan form. Enoki forced himself to remain calm as this was part of the rules that the school had used for dealing with trouble-making Saiyans. He never would have imagined that he would be taken away like that and sent home as punishment for several days. He only hoped that he would not be forced to do manual labor like other Saiyans. Nearby, the teacher was evacuating the students through a back door. Enoki and Onyon were taken away, out of the room. Enoki looked back at Guava with pleading eyes. If there were ever a time to help him, now would be the moment. Either she did not want to get in trouble, or she was still in disbelief, but whatever the reason, she just stared back and remained silent. Enoki felt bad for the teacher, who would get negative feedback for the rest of the year, due to the fight between him and Onyon.

Enoki soon recovered and was being walked down the hall flanked by an android on either side of him. They stared straight ahead through metallic eyes set into gray faces. They had no eyebrows and their heads were completely bald. They even wore outfits similar to bulletproof vests. Enoki could imagine his father’s voice in his head. ‘I’m proud of you son, for standing up like that, but if you had powered up more, the taser would not have an effect on you…’  He didn’t want to think about what his mother would say to him. He looked toward Onyon, who only glared at him, as if trying to burn his insides with his look.

Peering around the android to his left, he saw Onyon being led down a set of stairs, with an overhead light peering from the low ceiling. The passageway looked dark and dim. Enoki once heard a group of students call it the “ally of doom.” They claimed that those who are led down there, never go to school again. The deviant students were fed some calming pills, forced to write apologetic sentences (even though many Saiyans could not write well) and were eventually sent to work at labor camps if they misbehaved again. Onyon and the guards surrounding him had disappeared into the darkness. The feeling of dread faded away when Enoki was lead outside by the guards to their nearby cruiser car. Like other vehicles, it was opened with a fingerprint, except there was another slot built for androids on the front door. Enoki was seated in the back next to one of the guards and the other guard sat in the front. The car started and moved with a voice command. Enoki felt like he had been arrested. The androids had already called Enoki’s parents to tell them what had happened.

Eventually, the car pulled up to his house. It was disturbing for a moment that the android knew where he lived, but then again, the information of all the students in each district were kept on hand for teachers and staff to know. It was only after Enoki had gotten out of the car and the androids had driven away that he came to an upsetting realization. If Enoki had been a pure Tuffle, than he would he merely been sent to detention or a “break room,” not sent home and treated like some kind of terrorist.

 Enoki looked at his hands in disgust. He wished he could control his Saiyan powers and have calmer lives like his Tuffle friends did. Being a Saiyan was the part of him that disrupted the otherwise ordinary parts of his life. Tuffles thrived on logic, peace, and familiarity, while the Saiyans were the antithesis of those values. ‘If I am born from two different races,’ Enoki thought, ‘then who am I really?’

Up above, there were dark clouds that were gradually arriving from the west. The sky, with half of it stormy gray and half of it a magenta shade, seemed to taunt him and his conflicting feelings. Enoki used his finger to open the front door and was met with the disapproving face of his mother. “Explain,” she stated, arms crossed.

With a gulp, Enoki went inside, set his backpack down and lowered himself on the living room couch. “Mom I can explain. There was this Saiyan bully who was being rude and gross toward my girlfriend…um, good friend. I defended her and slapped him in the face…”

“And you didn’t talk it through like you were supposed to?” she asked.

“He wouldn’t listen to a word I said! How else was I supposed to deal with him?”

“You could have ignored him,” his mother suggested.

“Or you could have fought him just like you did,” called his father, who had just arrived into the room.

“Endo that is ridiculous!” said Kinoko. “Fighting is never allowed in public like that. Our son could have gotten expelled for doing that.”

“Sometimes, you have to fight for what’s right and choose your battles carefully,” Endo countered. “It is understandable why you chose that course of action.”

‘Wait…is my father…proud of me?' Enoki asked himself. 

“Though I do believe that fighting another Saiyan is a bad idea, given that you don’t have much experience behind you yet.”

‘Or maybe not.’

“Who cares about any of that!” yelled Kinoko. “The fact is that Enoki got into some serious trouble and needs to learn his lesson.”

“In what way?” asked Enoki.

“You’re grounded for several days and you are required to do extra studying in the meantime, as well as write a letter of apology.”

“To the teachers?” asked Enoki.

“And to the student that you hurt.”

“No way!” Enoki protested.

“That is what will happen, young man and don’t question it.”

“Mom, please…”

Kinoko shook her head. “Get started, now!”

Enoki stomped to his room in frustration.

“Don’t listen to your mother, son,” called Endo. “Some more training will help clear things up! What’d you say?” The reply was a loud slam of the bedroom door from upstairs.

Enoki finished his apology letters, well most of them, save for the one for Onyon. Although he briefly felt sorry for the Saiyan, it was obvious that Onyon had dug himself into a deep hole, or rather, made himself one with his fists. Enoki took another look at the picture of Guava. He stared at her long brown hair, her pink eyes filled with joy, frozen in time. He thought back to when she had looked at him in fear. Why did she do that? He had done what he could to protect her from that jerk. Enoki thought some more, then remembered. She had feared him when he turned into a Saiyan. She must have seen him as a monster.

Or maybe, she was only surprised and stressed out by the situation? That could also be a possibility. In a couple of days, he could return to school and then try and reason with her. Maybe then, they could finally be able to hang out, discuss science, music, sharing kisses by sunset…

‘Get a hold of yourself, Enoki!’ he thought, shaking his head. Even if he were able to go back and see her soon, would she still trust him to be his friend? They had been friends since junior high and they had told each other their secrets. Well, Enoki hid the fact that his father was a Saiyan, until she had found out about it in grade eight. However, Enoki assured her that he could not go Super Saiyan, thus he was a Tuffle at heart. Guava believed him and they had maintained their bond for many months. And now…

‘Look where that ended up,’ he sighed.  

A flash of light startled Enoki for a second. Moments later, he heard a loud rumble that briefly shock the building. Enoki got up from his desk and looked outside the window. Lightning danced across the sky and thunder followed with booming beats. The sounds of the storm relaxed Enoki, but also made him tense for some odd reason. Feeling bored and restless, Enoki needed something to do. Then an idea popped into his head. He could still practice his music in the garage. He was sure that his friends would still be online, and he needed a good break from all the stressful moments in his life. He slowly cracked opened his bedroom door and snuck down stairs. Not surprisingly, he could hear the last couple of arguments and insults from his parents. ‘Can’t Mom and Dad just work out their differences for once?’ Enoki groaned to himself. 

Then just as fast as the arguments started, the room went silent. Not a sound was heard, save for the news reporter discussing how the Tuffle army had managed to push the Saiyans back once again. Endo turned off the hologram and the room went dark. The lights came on with Kinoko’s voice command. “Did you finish your letters, Enoki?” Kinoko asked. Enoki handed them to her. She looked through them, satisfied. “I hope you have learned your lesson,” she said. Enoki nodded. 

Enoki walked toward the garage when Kinoko called, “Now wait just a second.” Enoki turned around. “Where is the letter to Onyon?” “I didn’t do it,” he replied. Kinoko was about to scold him, when Endo called, “Just give the kid a break!”  

For once, Enoki could agree on something with his father. “You know the students are supposed to be polite and…” 

“I don’t care,” spat Endo. “I’m getting tired of your rules and you bossing me and Enoki around all the time!

“Me bossing you around? Hmph,” scoffed Kinoko. She continued. “Says the lazy one who can’t even tie his shoelaces properly. Says the one who cares more about training than our son’s wellbeing!”

“He has learned nothing from you other than how to sit around and be a prisoner in his own head!” Endo countered. “You’ve been filling his head with propaganda and nonsense!”

“It’s always about violence, isn’t it?” asked Kinoko, who rolled her eyes. “Are you really stupid enough to believe that fighting will solve every problem you don’t want to deal with?”

Endo scowled and crossed his arms over his armored chest. “And what about the societal problems that you don’t want to deal with? If we had not fallen in love, you would have turned your back on me like all the other Tuffles would!”

“How dare you assume such a thing?! Do you even know me?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Where is the flexible accepting Tuffle lady I used to know?”

“Obviously, the loyal Saiyan I know is disappearing before my eyes!”

Enoki yelled at the top of his voice, “Enough, both of you!”

The parents stopped to look at him. Regret met both of their faces. “Enoki-san” began his father, but Enoki held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear another word from either of you until both of you are calm enough to talk reasonably and solve this mess!” Both parents were silent as they watched their son. His yellow eyes were becoming shiny with liquid in the light.  

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” said Kinoko. “We don’t mean to make you upset or force you to choose sides…” Enoki narrowed his eyes, not believing her words. “Speaking of settling down, I think it’s time for Endo to go wash up in the bathroom.”

Endo knew what that meant. “Oh and I suppose you want Enoki to take them, too?”

“That’s actually a good idea,” she said.

“Father, no!” said Enoki, putting the dots together. “I don’t want to take some “calming” pills anyway.”

“I don’t want to either, but I think it’s for the best,” Endo frowned. “We don’t want your mother more upset than she already is.”

“Fine!” Enoki yelled. “I might as well be “calm” enough to not have to listen to you fight anymore.”

Endo and Enoki went into the bathroom, with Kinoko following close behind. Endo took a bottle from the cabinet above the sink and grabbed it. He twisted the lid open and poured two blue arch-shaped pills in his hands. He popped one in his mouth, noticing Kinoko watching through the reflection in the mirror. “Your turn, son,” he mentioned. Enoki stared at the pill. There was something familiar about it that he could not put his finger on. He slowly put it in his mouth and swallowed it with a gulp of water from the sink. Satisfied, Kinoko left their view. Enoki was expecting to feel numb inside, or perhaps brain dead at the most. But he felt nothing. Nothing at all…except a familiar warm, energizing feeling spread through his body. “Wait a minute, this feels exactly like…” Endo put his finger to his lips, indicating for him to be quiet. “Follow me,” he said in a low voice. “I want to show you something. Enoki followed him quietly toward the front door. After looking around, Endo opened the front door, leading Enoki outside. “What’s going on?” asked Enoki in a louder voice. 

Enoki noticed another Saiyan watching them from a distance. Enoki tensed up, but Endo put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. That is my friend that I told you about. The one who made my armor for me. I was worried that a rival Saiyan may have broken into our house and tried to poison the pills I was taking. I threw the old ones out and replaced them with senzu beans to not have your mother suspicious.” Enoki could sense that he was spurting out half-truths. "Why don’t you show my friend here how to do instant transmission? I know you have a lot of potential…” Then he added, “For a novice.” 

Enoki sighed and agreed. 

“So you put your two fingers up to your forehead like this…” Endo demonstrated the move. "Then you close your eyes and visualize the place you want to go to.” Enoki closed his eyes and focused on the cherry tree. Moments later, he had appeared next to it.

“Nice job,” said Endo. “Now try going to your friend’s house.” 

“Cherrin’s or Guava’s?”

“Either one.”

Enoki sighed in relief. Sure it may have been late, but now, he would get a chance to talk to Guava and clear up the misunderstanding. He closed his eyes and focused. A pair of fingers suddenly pinched his throat hard, cutting off his air. Before he could go Super Saiyan, the world faded to black.

VI

The world slowly came back into focus. Enoki stared at the sky, which was now completely gray with storm clouds. He noticed that the part of the sky was surrounded by dark planks of wood that had once been a complete roof. Shaking his head, he observed his surroundings. He seemed to be on the outskirts of the Tuffle city, in an abandoned building that may have been a warehouse. Indeed, there was a large hole in the roof toward the center. Enoki looked to see that he was lying on an old mattress with a straw-filled bag for a pillow. To his right and left, there were rows of people lying on mattresses and some on blankets. Some were treated for their wounds by other people standing around them.  Suddenly, a burning sharp pain was throbbing under his right foot. Enoki looked down and gasped in horror. His foot had been bandaged tight with brown cloth, a spot of dark red still visible. He rose up fast, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Easy there son, you need to regain your strength a little more.”

“Dad?” he asked in shock. Sure enough, it was Endo, and this time, he was wearing light brown clothing that reminded Enoki of animal pelts from cavemen. In fact, all of the people nearby wore similar clothing. Men and women alike were handing out cans of soup to the side. A woman with long black hair was helping her husband walk. A group of four younger men were busy fighting near one corner. Strangely enough, they seemed to be enjoying it. Enoki noticed that they were all enormous in height and had long curvy brown tails…

“Saiyans?!” Enoki gasped out loud, earning several glares. He was surprised that none of them came over to break his face in half. “What…What are we doing here? What’s going on?”

“Calm down, I will explain soon enough,” Endo replied. “In the meantime, eat this.” He placed a senzu bean in his hand, which was a natural green. Enoki popped it into his mouth and swallowed. Almost immediately, the throbbing in his foot ceased and he could feel himself waking up. He looked down at the floor and saw pieces of bloodstained metal that had one been in a square shape. Endo came back with a tin can of regular beans. He opened it and handed it to his son. “I suggest you eat up,” he said. Enoki looked at the beans in disgust. “It’s all we have,” said another voice. Endo’s friend whom Enoki had seen earlier came toward them. He had long spiky black hair, a large fat build, and a black beard and mustache.  “This is Collibro,” said Endo. 

Collibro greeted Enoki with a playful punch to his right shoulder. Enoki grimaced more in shock than pain. “You sure he’s strong enough for this?” he asked Endo with concern. “He looks weaker than a starving Saiyan boy, and that’s ‘saiyan’ something!” He giggled at his own joke, but nobody else laughed. Endo cleared his throat, and Collibro went silent. “I assure you that he is capable of handling his own, even without proper experience.” 

Collibro stretched and perked up. “Well, he is going to get experience first-hand soon because of…”

 “I know,” Endo interrupted abruptly. “He doesn’t need to know right now.” 

“Know about what?” Enoki asked. 

Endo sighed and glared at his friend. Taking the hint, Collibro slouched off and joined a group of men doing arm wrestling at an old table.

Endo knelt down next to Enoki so they were at eye level. Endo briefly stared at the ground and then looked at him. “First, I have to apologize for what happened earlier. You may be wondering where we are and I will tell you. We are at a Saiyan refugee place, just in front of the border between the Tuffle city and the badlands. I have been helping fellow Saiyans who resided in the city and needed a place to go. I could have ended up here had I not met your mother earlier.”

“Did you…” Enoki started to ask.

“Yes, son. I knocked you out. It was easier for me to bring you here that way. If you were awake, you would have resisted eventually. My friend and I brought you here while trying not to get caught by the patrolling drones and androids. At one time we did, but thanks to Collibro’s blasts and punches, we managed to make it here.”

“But my foot…”

“Oh that reminds me…”

Endo reached down and carefully removed the bloodstained cloth from around his foot. A red scar was all that was left. “When you were knocked out, I cut the tracking chip out of your foot and then I stomped on it.” He briefly mentioned to the metal scraps that were on the ground. “That was to ensure that our location could not be tracked.”

“But how will mom find us?” Enoki asked with worry. 

“That’s the thing,” Endo said, with sadness in his eyes. “I don’t want her too.”

Enoki only stared with his mouth agape.

“Why Dad? Why did you kidnap me like that?”

“I was only doing it for your own safety.”

“What?! You honestly think I need to be watched all the time like a little kid? I’m getting tired of you and mom getting in my space like that.”

Endo grabbed his shoulders, hard. “This is serious son! There is a reason that I have trained you for all these years. A reason why your mother insists that you study and learn Tuffle mannerisms every day. The reason why your mother and all the Tuffles make us Saiyans take “calming pills” around the clock. And it’s one of the reasons why this family has been getting more and more unstable.”

“It’s the discrimination and the ongoing war isn’t it?”

Endo nodded, no longer able to hide the harsh fact from his son. “It is true indeed.” Endo explained. “The Saiyans beyond the border walls have fought against the Tuffles for a decade now. They manage to break through, but they are always pushed back into the badlands. Out there, they live in stone-like dwellings, hunting for food and gathering what they can. The Saiyans here act as messengers. We provide refugee for Saiyans in poverty in the city, and we also give information to the Saiyans outside. We are not allowed to join the other Saiyans since they don’t trust the “soft” Saiyans who live among the Tuffles. That includes me, of course.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” Enoki asked.

“I want to keep you safe here, free from the likes of them.”

“Who? The outside Saiyans or the Tuffles?”

“Both.”

“Now, you are just confusing me.”

“With your smarts and ever increasing strength, you could be a great asset to our side. You know the ins and outs of the city and how the Tuffles act. Taken together, you can, and will be, a powerful warrior.”

“But what about mom?”

“I hate to say this, but we have to leave her behind. Due to her being a Tuffle, the Saiyans here would kill her on sight if provoked enough. Also, now that you are at a secret location, you cannot leave.”

“But all this time, you’ve said that I wasn’t capable enough to fight!” Enoki protested.

Some of the Saiyans around them were whispering behind their backs. 

“Endo must be stupid to bring his half-breed weakling son to a place like this.”

“Being around Tuffles makes a Saiyan pathetic and soft. He’s a prime example of that.”

A more rational Saiyan added,

“He should have come back to us and gotten permission to go meet the Saiyan tribes.”

“Take your chit-chat elsewhere,” said Collibro, clenching his fist in defense of his friend. The whispers stopped and the Saiyans moved away, but the damage had been done. Endo had heard everything.

Endo focused on his son again.  “If I truly felt that way, I wouldn’t have bothered to train you in the first place. I know you have the potential in you, Enoki-san. And now, more than ever, I need you to find it and use it!”

“I can’t just become some Saiyan spy like you and fight against my own people! I know you and mom have been fighting, but if you wanted a divorce, you could have just told me!”

Endo slapped Enoki across the cheek. “This isn’t about that!” he yelled. “This is about saving my race from being oppressed by the Tuffles. I need you to man up and put all this talk behind. Do you understand?”

Enoki stared back in fear.

“I said do you understand?!”

“Yes, sir,” whimpered Enoki.

“Good. Now eat your beans and get some rest. You’ll have work to do soon.” By “work” Enoki meant fighting practice. 

Tears started to fall from his eyes. “And no crying. Saiyans don’t cry,” added Endo with a glare. He turned and walked away toward the stand of food, earning nods of approval from the other Saiyans. ‘What have I done?’ he asked himself, the pleasure of peer acceptance quickly turning into guilt. He grabbed a can of meat and red berry soup and leaned against a wooden pillar to eat.

Collibro walked over and stood beside Endo. “Feel bad, yet?” He was referring to what Endo said about his son.

Endo scoffed. “You know we Saiyans aren’t supposed to talk about feelings.”

Collibro rolled his eyes. “I don’t give a fudge. To be honest, you were being a little too hard on him.”

Endo looked away.

“Deny it all you want. I know you wanted to get approval from them, but you’ve been away from us too long. I’m surprised you weren’t lecturing him on math equations.”

“I can’t do math to save my life. I only fight.”

“I can understand,” Collibro grinned. “How did you manage to stay in the city for so long and manage to come back here on occasion? Don’t you find it weird that the Tuffles would accept a Saiyan so quickly?” Endo sensed some envy in his friend’s voice.

“Perhaps,” he answered. “But it was also due to luck. “I found myself a wife, I had a son, taught him how to fight and life was good for a while. I was lucky to not be banished or forced to work in intense labor.”

“Or die of excruciating anxiety and boredom at a refugee center and a place with a family in the badlands.” Collibro added, only partially messing around.

“Yeah, that too,” said Endo, slightly embarrassed.

“So how is the plan?” Endo asked in a low voice.

“Still in motion,” Collibro replied. “His Majesty King Vegeta has had enough negotiating with the Tuffle king for so many years. He wants our people to live the luxurious lives that the Tuffles have kept from us. Instead of finding a way in, Vegeta ordered his men to wait for a while. It made many of the Saiyans impatient, but there is a method to his madness. In two nights, there will be, for the first time in a hundred years, a full moon. You know what that means right?”

Endo nodded, a breath escaping his lips. When a Saiyan looked at the full moon, it triggered an intense transformation. The Saiyan would turn into a Great Ape, and his power would increase tenfold. However, they would have no control over their power. As a result, they would give in to their primal rage, destroying everything in their path.

“The Tuffles won’t expect the surprise attack from us!” said Collibro. “We will move forward once King Vegeta gives the signal. Once we are Great Apes, the Tuffles won’t stand a chance. We’ll wipe them out and claim the land as ours!”

“That’s brilliant, and quite a miracle!” said Endo.

“Indeed it is.”

One of the older warriors, Pinach, marched to them, having heard the conversation. “Those two Tuffles must not know about the plan. If they do, the Tuffles will call for back up. They may be smaller, but they still outnumber us greatly. Also, they can still kill us with their technology.” Pinach turned to Endo. “Under no circumstance are you to reveal the plan to those Tuffles.” Endo felt a growl escape his lips. “In fact, we should eliminate both of them as soon as possible. I’ll leave that up to you. Unless you feel so inclined to visit the other world.”

Pinach walked away, leaving a worried Collibro and a tense Endo. “I’ll talk to him about it,” he offered, but as a Saiyan of higher rank, Pinach would not be accepting of his words. In addition, trying to fight Pinach, who was a skilled warrior with a higher power level, would be reckless for Endo to do. Collibro soon left Endo to his thoughts.

Endo tried to make himself go back to his son, to apologize, try to fix what he did. But his legs wouldn’t move. His mind had held them in place. He wasn’t sure if his nerves would allow him to wait for the Saiyans to clear out before talking to him. A tear crawled out from his eye, but he quickly wiped it away. To distract himself, he drank the soup clean in several gulps. It was cold, with little flavor remaining, but it was still food. Taking a deep breath, he walked from his spot with his head held high. When he got to Enoki’s bed, it was empty. 

Endo scanned the room and saw Enoki almost at the door. “Where do you think you're going?” he called. 

“I’m running away from you!” Enoki yelled back. “I’m not here to be your tool for this war. You fight it yourself. I’m going to find mom!”

Several figures appeared in front of them. “You don’t have to, son.” Enoki yelped and stepped back. Kinoko had arrived, surrounded by a force of androids. They wielded metallic clubs and had blasters with enough taser power to shock a fully grown Saiyan. Endo appeared next to them and lowered his fingers from his forehead. “What are you doing here?” Endo and Enoki said at the same time. 

“Oh I’d thought I’d just stroll around and smell the cherry blossoms,” Kinoko said sarcastically. “Obviously to make sure you two were alright!” An android was already scanning the warehouse that had previously been unknown, or at least hadn’t been considered. “How did you find us?” Endo asked.

“It was due to Enoki’s tracking chip,” Kinoko explained. “The light from his chip showed up on my scouter and then it disappeared. I called the police the moment you two were gone. We were still able to find the location because it was close by.”

Endo turned red in the face, realizing his careless mistake.

Kinoko glared at him, suspiciously. “So you were hiding stuff from me this entire time? I had a bad feeling about that, but now it’s been confirmed.”

Caught in the act, Endo spilled out the truth. “I brought Enoki here to prepare him for an upcoming war. It’s supposed to occur…”

“In several weeks,” Collibro finished, winking at Endo.

“Exactly.”

“You refused to tell me?!” she screeched. 

Endo flinched, as well as several other Saiyans. She leaned in, hands on her hips. “How could you be so stupid and careless? I told you that Enoki would have no part in this war, and I especially don’t want him anywhere near those Saiyans!” One of the Saiyans clenched his fists and stomped over to her, but Endo help up a hand.

“I am only doing what is best for my son, and for the sake of my race,” said Endo.

“What’s best for him? You don’t know what is best for him! You think he’s going to turn into a hero and fight a war for you? It doesn’t work like that.”

“Your people are the ones who are truly dangerous. If you truly believe in peace for both races, why don’t you take a stand and be more considerate of my people?”

“Your people?” Kinoko asked. “You were hardly with them most of the time. You and Enoki are Tuffle citizens as much as I am.”

“Don’t try and sugarcoat things,” spat Endo. “I know what I have been through. I know what I have felt. Tuffles look at me and see nothing but a hairy creature that has escaped from some zoo. There is hatred and disgust in their calculating eyes. If you hadn’t been around, I would have lost my mind long ago.”

“Well, you seem to be losing it, right now,” she replied. “Can we all just go home and return to our lives like normal?”

“It’s too late for that,” Endo stated.  “Enoki and I are a part of this war now.”

“No, I won’t.”

Enoki stepped up and faced his father. “I don’t care what you do, but mom and I are going back home.”

Kinoko held her son close. Enoki looked over at a group of Saiyans sitting around a map. “Hey, what’s that?” he asked. He appeared in front of the three men and noticed the chart. It was a blue-print like diagram of the border and the city. There were arrows pointing to openings in the border and other areas. Endo appeared behind him and held him back. In his struggle to break free, Enoki saw the drawing of a long tail, but the rest of the image was obscured by a large Saiyan hand. “You saw nothing boy,” one of them said.

‘I didn’t see everything. But my scouter did,’ Enoki thought. As if reading his thoughts, Endo loosened his hold on his son and grabbed Enoki’s green scouter. “Dad what are you doing?” he yelled. Enoki tried to pry his father’s hands off, but it was no use. Endo stopped for a moment, then used his hands to crush the scouter. Metal and green pieces of glass fell to the floor. Both Endo’s and Enoki’s hands were slightly burned. The Saiyans sighed in relief at not having visual evidence used against them. “Good thinking,” said Collibro. Enoki stared at his father in disbelief. When did he become traitorous so quickly? One thing was certain in his mind; he had to protect himself and his mother, and escape.

Kinoko walked over to the group, hands on her hips. “I’d suggest all of you Saiyans leave before the androids arrest you.”

“Big deal,” one of them muttered. In reply, one of the androids shot a beam of blue and purple electricity, knocking the yelping Saiyan to the ground. The android was soon blasted into bits from a ball of energy from another Saiyan. Chaos soon filled the area. The sounds of blasts, grunts, and battle screams echoed throughout the building. The human-shaped androids hovered forward, firing blasts of electricity from their guns. Many of the Saiyans dodged the blasts and blasted their metallic heads clean off. Those who were hit, were lying stiff on the ground, temporarily paralyzed. “All Saiyans, you are ordered to surrender immediately or face the consequences,” stated an android in a mechanical voice. “All Saiyans, you are ordered…”

“Shut your metal mouth!” a slender woman replied, cutting the android in half with a slice of blue energy. She then proceeded to use one hand to blast the android to nothing, and the other hand to shoot a laser of lavender light. Her aim was true; the important plans that were on the ground, burst into flames. “What in Vegeta’s name was that for?” asked Collibro, annoyed. Kanta scoffed. “Obviously, we don’t want those Tuffles to know exactly what’s going on,” she answered. ‘Smart move’ thought Endo. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead.

Then an angry Pinach appeared behind Endo. “Kill those Tuffles now if you want to survive and be one of us,” he seethed. His right hand was glowing with green energy and Endo could feel the heat on his back. With his eyes closed, Endo fired a circle of golden energy at Kinoko. She gasped in shock. Fortunately, she dodged the blast, easily. “Was that your best aim?” Pinach yelled, his form briefly turning black by the flash of lighting. “Don’t miss this time, or else I most certainly won’t!”

As Ebdo was about to fire another blast, Enoki stepped in front of his mother. “Leave her alone!”

“Step out of the way, kid,” Pinach ordered. “You either die with her or join the Saiyans with your father.”

“I said leave her alone!”

A rising scream came out of Enoki’s mouth as he powered up. Sparks of energy flew around him and the force knocked back nearby Saiyans and androids. Pinach leaped and raised a fist at Enoki’s face. It made contact with his nose, but Enoki didn’t feel anything. In fact, the force of the Saiyan energy knocked the warrior back. “How could my punch have no effect on him?!” he asked. “He’s not even a pure Saiyan.”

 “You underestimate me,” said Enoki. “Being cocky can be huge flaw.” 

“Shut up!” Pinach yelled, powering up to Super Saiyan 2. “Let’s see how you like this!” He cupped his hands together in a circle.

“ka…me…”

A circle of white and blue light appeared in his hands.

“Enoki get out of there!” cried Kinoko.

“ha…me…”

Enoki ignored Pinach and decided to stand his ground, certain that his father would step in to help. He didn’t. Instead, Endo fired a blast of his own, a smaller version of a kamehameha energy beam. 

"Dad? What are you doing?!" yelled Enoki in disbelief.

"I have to protect my people as well as my life. I have no other choice. My loyalty was always to my Saiyan brethren first."

"You coward! How could you?!"

He wasn’t sure whether it was his new Saiyan instincts, or whether he was fueled by emotion, but whatever the case, Enoki felt strangely calm and confident. He thrust out his hands and yelled his attack: “Sonic Beam Blast!” A jet of red light shot from his hands and met with Endo’s golden light beam. The two men faced each other, each trying to push the ball of energy onto the other. Enoki got the upper hand, until… 

“Ha!” yelled Pinach. 

Pinach’s kamehameha joined with Endo’s and pushed the ball of energy toward Enoki. When he felt a burning heat close to his body, he started to lose hope. “Almost there!” said Pinach in a triumphant voice. Enoki’s face strained and his hands started shaking. Enoki tried not to look at his mother, who had started to sob in the distance. “Father, you have to stop this madness!” Enoki screamed.

“What other choice do I have?!” Endo yelled. “I can’t afford the possibility of you Tuffles, turning us in and ruining our plan!”

Enoki feigned innocence. “What are you talking about?” 

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he said. “I won’t tell you anymore.”

“Whether it’s some kind of uprising or not,” Enoki said, “You have to put your family first!”

“My race is my family,” Endo stated. “Something that you Tuffles will never understand!”

“You will never understand how to live in harmony and care for other people!” argued Enoki.

“You will never understand what living in an oppressed class is like!” Endo fired back.

“Um…you lived with us for much of your life,” Enoki mentioned.

“That’s not the point!” Endo quickly stuttered.

Endo let out a long scream and the ball of energy inched close to Enoki’s face. Even stepping backwards did nothing. Enoki closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. He opened them and saw the energy ball not moving closer, but farther away.  He felt new energy coursing through his body and easing his fear. But where was the energy coming from if he wasn’t having a senzu bean? Enoki turned his head and saw Collibro, hand out, transferring his energy to him. “What?” asked Endo in shock. 

Enoki was stunned as well. “You got some spirit and strength in you, kid,” Collibro mentioned. “I can’t stand to see a father kill his own son. No matter what you decide to do…be sure it’s for the greater good. Make the Saiyans proud.” He gasped and coughed as a blade of light shot through his heart. After several  coughs of blood, he went down to the ground and became still. The fatal blow had come from Kanta.

The energy ball was now moving steadily toward Endo and Pinach. ‘No, no no,’ Enoki thought, trying to slow down his powers. But it was no good. Pinach managed to disappear at the last minute before the ball of energy hit Endo. His clothes and skin burned and his screams were deafening. After the light from his attack faded, Endo fell on his knees, gasping for air. “Dad!” Enoki cried. He was already twitching on the ground by the time Enoki arrived beside him. Tears were already falling from Enoki’s eyes. To his horror, Enoki noticed no senzu beans in sight. “Dad, how could you…you let him boss you around like a coward…you never cared for the Tuffles at all!” Endo took several fast breaths. “Remember… your Saiyan heritage. Never… forget it.” “Dad, I’ll always be a Tuffle. Can’t you understand that?” Endo grabbed hold of his right wrist. “You won… this battle, son. You will always… be a Saiyan inside.” He grinned and laughed, blood splashing from his mouth. Enoki felt Endo’s hand release his wrist. He took on last breath and then went still, his lifeless black eyes staring at the ceiling.

“Dad! Dad! Noooo!” Enoki yelled. He buried his face into his father’s chest and sobbed. He lifted his head when a voice spoke.

“You little brat!” yelled Pinach at Enoki, who had watched the battle after defeating the rest of the androids. He charged at Enoki, but was stopped in his tracks by loud gunshots. His body twitched in different directions from the static. He was knocked out of Super Saiyan form by a blast that blew his brown tail off. “Filthy Tuffle woman! You dare…” He was silenced by a blast to the head from Kinoko. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell forward onto the ground. Enoki looked at his mother in shock. “How did you…” he asked, but couldn’t finish his sentence. “Let’s go!” called one of the Saiyans at the approach of incoming androids. “Why can’t we fight them?” asked Kanta. “Stick to the plan,” the Saiyan reminded her. They looked at the sullen Tuffles and grinned. “They’ll meet their demise soon enough.” Together, the Saiyans ran off and disappeared out a back door. Some flew right through the hole in the roof.

Kinoko put the safety on and placed the gun safely on the ground. She ran over to Enoki, who was sitting by his father’s body and embraced him. Rain had started to fall in heavy wet drops through the hole in the building. Enoki could feel his hair getting damp. “W-What have I done? I-I didn’t mean to…” 

“I know, sweetheart,” said his mother, who was also crying a river of tears. “It’s not your fault. It was in self-defense. I never expected him to go crazy like that…”

An android hovered over and spoke to Enoki. “You have demonstrated your strength, courage and determination. With your decision, I invite you to join the ranks as soon as possible.” 

Enoki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Apparently, he was being drafted into the Tuffle army. “Training will be provided, free of charge. We would normally require a longer process with more paperwork, but due to certain circumstances…” Enoki looked at the fallen bodies on the ground. “We need all the help we can get.” Enoki looked to his mother, who nodded in approval. Enoki gave a salute. “I accept your offer.” 

“Excellent,” said the android. “Get some rest and be ready to get to work tomorrow morning.” Enoki hugged his mother and the two of them headed for home.

Enoki had spent much of that night packing, eating, and staring sadly into space. Dawn soon arrived and the two family members stood by the front door. ‘You’re really letting me do this?” Enoki asked. “As much as I don’t want you to go…I know it’s for the best. If it’s something that you want to do and are willing to do…”

“Yes,” Enoki answered right away.

“Then I will let you be on your way.”

Th-thank you,” stuttered Enoki. They shared a long hug and several kisses. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again,” said Enoki. “I hope that you can,” said Kinoko. 

“Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t finished high school yet. Here I was worrying about impressing Guava earlier. And now look at me.”

Kinoko rubbed his black hair affectionately. “At least she will see you as a Tuffle hero in the future. You can add “fighting for my nation” in your resume.”

“If I ever come back,” Enoki added, his eyes downcast.

“I know you can do it,” she encouraged, gently lifting his chin up.  “You are incredibly smart and a fast learner. And dare I say it, you have Saiyan instincts in your blood.”

“But I can’t kill any more people than I already did…” 

“Just take deep breaths and pay attention to your instructors and the commander. None of us are perfect as we Tuffles like to believe. We may be dependent on technology, but deep down, we rely on each other more.” Enoki couldn’t argue with that.

“Here, I just bought this for you online,” said his mother. She handed Enoki a new blue scouter, an upgraded model from the previous green one that had been destroyed. “Thank you, mom,” he said. He took it and fitted it to his left ear. He pressed a button and a series of white shapes appeared on the lens. “It works!” 

“Wow, a Tuffle is amazed that it works. I never would have known,”Kinoko joked. Both of them laughed long and hard. Enoki couldn’t remember the last time he had felt happy like this. Realizing the situation at hand, both of them calmed down and shared a long hug one last time.

“I’ll keep in touch with you before bed,” Enoki said. “Unless I’m on late night duty.”

 “Do it when you can,” she replied. “I’m proud of you, Enoki-san, Tuffle, Saiyan, and all.”

Enoki gathered his suitcase and the rest of his belongings. The front door opened with the touch of his finger and he stepped outside. “Lularachi,” Kinoko said as she waved goodbye. Hearing her say “farewell” made his heart heavier than before.

As he walked, Enoki couldn’t figure out in his tired mind how to pronounce the Tuffle word for “farewell.” He tried in his head and said it out loud as he walked forward. “Lu…a…chi… no that’s not it. Su…la…matchi…no…” At last, he figured it out and said the word out loud, “subarashi!” He turned toward the house to say it, but his mother had already went inside. ‘I said it wrong again,’ he thought. Then he looked at the time shown on his scouter and made a run for it.

VII

6:00AM: morning routine. Have all beds made, wash up, and get dressed. Males and females sleep in separate quarters but all take the same tests. Messing around, or having sexual contact is prohibited. Anyone who is pregnant or has severe disabilities are banned from entering the military.

6:45AM: Be ready for inspection and head down for breakfast. The most common meals include eggs rich with protein, bacon strips, and milk.

7:20AM: Lectures for newbies, meet ups with staff. New members quickly learn manners and proper behavior. An important rule is addressing authority and the commander by “sir,” “ma’am” or “samma.” Those who don’t follow the rules are forced to do extra chores during breaks, run a second mile, or are expelled altogether. Arguments between members are quickly cut off by authority. Working together and strategy on the battlefield and off is a must.

8:00AM morning drills begin. Push-ups, and mile runs to start

8:05AM morning group begins their patrol shift

10:30AM obstacle courses (including how to dodge lasers and attacks that mimic Saiyan ki blasts)

11:45AM lunch in the mess hall     

                                                          

12:05PM Afternoon group begins their shift. Target practice and weapon instruction begins for everyone else. Members learn how to properly use guns, blasters, and other weapons. Scouters are used for members to communicate with each other and to read power levels of the enemy. Members are constantly observed by the staff, so they have to perform at their best at all times.

3:00PM Harsh weather test/survival skills (includes how to stay hydrated in deserts, stay warm in snowstorms, and the rare moments when one must camp without the assistance of technology.)

6:00PM: Dinner with assigned groups and break (bathroom breaks are most often 5 minutes or less during the day)

8:30PM: Wash up and get ready for bed.

9:00PM: Lights out. Everyone who is not on night duty must be in their rooms and bunkers at this time. Those on night duty patrol the area until 7:00AM.

Enoki never would have imagined being thankful for the training that his father had given him. Yet here he was, pushing his muscles and his mind past previous limits. When Enoki found himself going Super Saiyan, the exercises became much easier. He ignored the envious looks of his fellow Tuffles as he sped past them during the mile runs. The officers were not too pleased to find out about his advantage. They blindfolded him and then announced that he would practice hand to hand combat with an opponent. With the blindfold off, Enoki could see his new opponent: a scared, buff Saiyan with messy black hair. Enoki quickly went Super Saiyan and charged, but his punch got blocked by the warrior using just his left hand. Enoki punched and kicked at the speed of sound, but they had no effect. As a last resort, he used instant transmission, but the older warrior saw it coming. He punched Enoki hard in the gut the moment he appeared behind him and kicked him so hard, he fell backward on the asphalt ground. Many of the Tuffle warriors were pleased at the outcome. The warrior just grunted in disapproval as he was led away by the Tuffle guards. Enoki never went Super Saiyan during his tests after that.

Target practice was easy, whether he was Super Saiyan or not. His mother had taught him how to safely operate her pistols outside when he was younger. It was similar here, except slightly more complicated. Enoki was easily able to maneuver the obstacle course, dodging lasers, crawling through tires, and practicing his quick footwork. He did fairly well on the survival skills test, but got lower scores for trying to use technology in a simulated forest environment. Apparently, it was common for Tuffles to do poorly on that section.

Feeling like an outcast, Enoki sat at a table and ate dinner by himself. The Tuffles around him either admired him or feared him. Many were suspicious of him. They would gossip among themselves, low enough so the staff wouldn’t hear.

“Did he really defeat a gang of Saiyans and his own father?”

“Why would he murder his own family?”

“Defeating a ruthless Saiyan like that. That is quite the achievement!”

“I wonder why his parents gave him such a strange name. I can hardly pronounce it.”

Enoki tried to shut the conversations out, but they kept repeating themselves in his head. He pushed his meat and mashed potatoes in a messy circle. For obvious reasons, he missed his mother dearly, even though it had only been a couple of days. He wished that his father were here to encourage him to push himself harder. His criticism would be preferable to the looks he was receiving at the moment.

Enoki finished dinner early and walked down the hall toward the bathrooms. They were the only rooms where there were no security camera installed. Pushing the door open, Enoki walked inside and found the bathroom empty. He frantically pushed buttons and knobs on his scouter, trying to find his mother’s name and number. Nothing. 

Enoki cursed under his breath. He should have known that it was protocol for new members to have their scouters altered so that they could not contact anyone from outside. The only exceptions were emergencies after war, and that would not be an ideal situation to make a call. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. Looking back at him was a teenage boy with messy black hair, thick eyebrows and dark bags under his golden eyes. Enoki was no longer the curious young boy who studied endlessly in his comfort zone. There was a new steely determination that had started to appear in his eyes and face. The one good thing was that he didn’t have any wrinkles…yet. Even with technology to enhance beauty and youth, Tuffles still aged like every other race in the universe.

Heaving a deep sigh, Enoki headed back to his quarters. He washed up in the small bathroom nearby. It was now 8:55PM. Before Enoki could get to sleep, he heard footsteps approaching. Two Tuffle officers arrived at his door, wearing metallic armor and blue scouters. “Enoki Halusa,” one of them stated. Enoki got up from his bed, walked forward and saluted. “That is me, sir.” “At ease,” the Tuffle said and Enoki relaxed. “We have come to inform you of a change in your schedule. The commander has reviewed your progress and is pleased with your results. You will now be assigned to night patrol. Be ready in five minutes.”

Right. Right. Left. Right. Left. Scan to the left, then right, then left again. Repeat the process around the perimeter. Enoki repeated the steps so much, he could memorize it in his sleep if he had to. The scouters also had a feature for night vision and additional lens for people who were partially blind. The squad consisted of Tuffles of various backgrounds; old and young, men and women. Age, gender, and race did not matter, as long has one had the necessary qualifications and experience.

This was the seventh night patrol that Enoki had been on, and he still was not used to the change in his schedule. When he yawned, he had to snap himself back into focus. There were too many things that even an expert Tuffle could miss in the night…and that could spell disaster for innocent civilians. “Keep your eyes peeled for any sign of movement,” stated the Tuffle in charge, a man with short black hair. “Stun them first in case they are a civilian. Only aim to kill when you are certain that the enemy is a Saiyan.”

The groups were spread out to cover different sections of the city. Enoki and his group were positioned by circular buildings, while another group was stationed by factories that were still operating; smoke swirling from the power plants. The second group was dressed in uniform; light blue shirts, white pants, black belts and dark colored boots. They carried their double barrel guns with white gloved hands. Enoki and his group wore beige colored jackets, dark pants, and dark gloves.

Throughout the city, the Tuffles were busy doing night jobs, going to clubs, or working on late-night gadgets in their homes. Enoki noticed a family of five smiling together, while eating at an out-door sushi restaurant. One of the young boys at the table had put a pair of chopsticks up his nostrils, causing his sister to giggle hysterically.

“Beri, that’s not funny,” their mother mentioned. “Take the chopsticks out, Pinapp.”

The boy removed the chopsticks and moved them up and down. Exaggerated laser sounds came from his mouth. 

This time, even the mother found herself cracking a smile. The father gave his son an affectionate pat on the head. “You’re going to be quite the guy when you grow up.”

“Oh, he’s never going to grow up,” remarked Beri with a grin. Pinapp stuck out his tongue in response.

“Enoki-san. Let’s move.”

A voice from his companion snapped him back to the present. He took one last glance at the happy family and continued on his way.

Up above, the sky was a clear dark blue with billions of stars visible. A hint of pink signaled the approach of dawn. The full moon shone brightly in the sky. It was a rare occasion to see a full moon on Planet Plant, unlike very month on Earth. “Once in a blue moon” was very applicable, literally. Enoki looked up at it for a moment in wonder. Then he remembered his father talking about a full moon by himself and he began to worry. A sharp pain in his chest caused him to double over. “Argh!” He clutched his stomach with both hands and took deep shaking breaths.

His brown-haired companion, Lemonin turned around. “Enoki-san! What’s wrong?”

Enoki’s answers were grunts of pain. Just as quickly, the sharp pain went away. He slowly stood up. “Sorry about that. Stomach cramp came out of nowhere,” he gasped. “Stay focused or they’ll send you back,” Lemonin reminded him. The last thing Enoki wanted to deal with was reprimands from the officers and double the chores over the week, so he decided to stick with it. “I understand. Let’s be on our way.” Enoki followed him down the street.

During the past nights on duty, Enoki had helped his group catch a bank robber who had tried to break into the city bank. There were no Saiyans to be seen. Another night, he caught a group of drug dealers in an ally red handed, saving a young Tuffle woman from getting mugged. No Saiyans in sight. There were several more quiet nights and still no Saiyans to be seen. This night was eerily quiet. “Where could they have gone to?” asked Enoki. “Maybe they decided to stay in the badlands,” suggested Lemonin. 

“It’s not like them to go weeks without fighting us. I have a bad feeling about this,” said Enoki with a shiver. He couldn’t explain where the strange new feeling was coming from. “Remember to stay calm and focused, yes?” asked Lemonin. Enoki nodded quietly. They continued on their way through the city.

Enoki thought he saw something move up ahead. He checked his scouter, but nothing came up. A sound of running footsteps came from not too far behind. “What, what was that?” Enoki asked quietly. There was nobody behind them except Tuffle citizens going about their night. “I don’t see anyone,” Lemonin stated, peering into the dark. 

Enoki looked to the far left and saw a figure concealed in shadow leaning against the wall. “What the?” he asked himself. Then he notice something that made his heart stop for a moment. A curvy silhouette of a tail was moving in the dim light. “T-that figure had a t-tail,” he stuttered. “Did you see that?”

Of course, Lemonin had not. “That’s it, I’m taking you back to headquarters. You are being way too jumpy tonight, Enoki-san.”

“I swear I’m not making this up! I know what I saw.” Enoki pulled back his arm when Lemonin grabbed hold of it.

“I’m not going back.”

“Do you want to get into trouble?”

“I’ve gotten into many situations. This one can’t be that bad.”

A loud explosion in the distance caught them off guard.

Enoki looked at Lemonin and he answered before Enoki could speak. “Yes, Enoki-san, I did hear that one.”

The two Tuffles ran toward the sound and leaned themselves against a nearby building. Several citizens were yelling in panic and coughing from the smoke. Apparently a large truck had been turned over and had caught on fire. “Was that a bomb?” asked Lemonin, scanning the area with his scouter for a closer look. Enoki peered through the black smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing a leering face of a male Saiyan. His triangular white eyes looked demonic in the dark. Large sounds of footsteps made the ground rumble. “Um…Lemonin…I think we should run.”

“We have to protect our people from this guy…” Lemonin started to say. Then his eyes grew wide as several more giants came to join them. The Saiyans wore tattered brown caveman-like clothing held together with rope and furry brown boots. They towered above the Tuffles like large children about to smash their new toys for the fun of it. Their brown tails waved in anticipation. “Yes, let’s run,” gulped Lemonin in terror.

Soon, the Tuffles ran for their lives from the giant Saiyans. One of them tried to grab a Tuffle with his large meaty hands. Two more Saiyans with dark beards came around the corner, blocking the way. Bits of stone and debris fell from the roof. A crashing sound was soon heard as another Saiyan kicked a car into another citizen.

Back by the factory, the Tuffle army stood at attention, having spotted three Saiyans. The Tuffles held their guns at the ready and one of them operated a large tank. A Tuffle with black hair read the power levels of the three Saiyan men. The levels were steadily increasing. “Now!” he yelled. The Tuffles fired their weapons in sync. The Saiyans moved their arms in front of their faces to protect themselves. The Tuffle operating the tank fired two long shots at the same time. The blasts blew craters into the ground, black smoke rising and covering the scene. The Tuffles waited cautiously. The smoke cleared and the Tuffles looked up in horror. One of the Tuffles dropped his gun in fear. The Saiyans were standing in the exact same spot, completely unscathed. The Saiyans looked at each other and grinned.

Meanwhile, Enoki and Lemonin were evacuating the area as fast as their legs could carry them.

“There were so many of them,” Enoki said between breaths. “They were huge and appeared out of nowhere!”

“So it was a surprise attack all along,” Lemonin stated. They stopped to catch their breath. 

“Find somewhere safe,” said Lemonin. “I’ll see if I can hold them off.”

“Are you crazy?” asked Enoki. “They’ll crush you to bits if you go back there.”

“It’s my duty to protect our city and its people,” he replied. “Why don’t you go fight them? You’re part Saiyan and all.”

For one, Enoki was downright terrified at the unexpected invasion. Second of all, he felt strangely uncomfortable with the thought of killing members of part of his heritage. Although Enoki did attack Endo and Pinach, but only out of self-defense. He tried to focus on feeling angry but all he got was fear. Fear that only grew when he saw a sudden blue blast fly toward them. “Look out!” he cried, jumping to the side. Lemonin turned around with fearful eyes. The blast hit the ground with a large bang. After a moment, Enoki pushed himself up, coughing from the smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing a small crater…and the charred remains of Lemonin.

 “No!” he yelled, tears falling down his face. He heard loud laughter from the distance and saw two Saiyans. The one who had attacked was a man with shoulder-length black hair and a long scar down his right cheek. The other was a Saiyan woman wearing a brown dress and holding a silver dagger in her mouth. Knowing that his gun would be useless, Enoki threw it down and ran for his life. The Saiyans ran after him, enjoying themselves in a cat and mouse game of death.

Enoki sprinted as fast as he could, jumping over metal scraps, poles, and on occasion, a fallen Tuffle. Tears fell from his eyes and he didn’t bother to wipe them away. He moved to the right, and then to the left, trying to throw them off, but they always followed close behind. At last, Enoki reached a dead end. The Saiyans chuckled evilly as Enoki found himself backed up into a corner. Their shadows rose against the beige wall. 

“Looks like it’s game over for you, little midget,” said the man, clenching his meaty fists. “

Shall we fry him with a ki blast?” asked the woman. 

“I’d like to see him squirm as I crush him in my hands,” the man smirked. Enoki tried instant transmission, but his fear clouded his concentration. He closed his eyes, the Saiyan’s large hand inches from his face…

A series of gunshots made Enoki open his eyes. Electricity made contact with the Saiyan and he twitched. The female Saiyan turned, but was met with the base of a gun hitting her hard in the nose. “What the…” she yelped. Standing before the enemy was…

“Mom?” he asked. 

Kinoko was there, holding her gun and staring defiantly at the Saiyans. 

“Get out of here, Enoki-san!” she called. 

Then to the Saiyans she yelled, “Over here you vile apes!” 

Usually the insult would fly Saiyans into a rage, but the Saiyans just grinned widely and went after her. Enoki gathered his energy and powered up to Super Saiyan. The male turned around in surprise. Before he could say anything, Enoki blasted him backwards, with Kinoko moving out of the way just in time. He crashed into a nearby wall and then picked himself up. The female glared at them and rushed to help her ally. 

Wasting no time, Kinoko and Enoki made a run for it. “Don’t worry,” she said. “There are androids up ahead that can drive is to a safer place. I called the whole brigade ahead of time. They were worried about you when they learned that you joined the army.”  ‘I guess raising an exceptional son has its perks,’ Enoki thought.  

ThemTuffles arrived to the hover car and the androids…or what was left of them. Smoking bits of metal and an android head littered the ground. They got into the car and drove off.

“I missed you so much, Mom,” said Enoki. “I did too,” she replied, squeezing his shoulder warmly. “I’m just glad you are alright. I packed several things for you in the trunk.” She pressed a button that showed a hologram of items that were stored in the trunk. 

Enoki's eyes widened. “My music set! My language books! And are those…” “Childhood pictures,” she giggled. “I had to.”

Enoki rolled his eyes and his cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “But what about your things?”

“Your belongings are more important. I want to make sure that you stay safe and have all the things you need.” Then she added, “But I do know that you can take care of yourself. You are the bravest Tuffle, and perhaps the smartest Saiyan I know. I shouldn’t have been so overprotective of you…”

“It’s okay,” Enoki answered, no longer caring about having his parents invading his personal space. In fact, he wanted to be as close as possible to the family he had left.

Enoki peered through the window and saw no commotion going on outside. The only things that were different were the burned buildings and craters in the street. The Tuffles still standing were screaming and some were holding each other, sobbing. There were other Tuffles who were now corpses, sprawled on the ground, empty eyes seeing nothing. The still fresh blood flowing from their heads made Enoki sick. Many of the glass windows had been broken and shards decorated the ground. One of the tires suddenly hit a smoking hole in the road and the car leaned forward slightly. Both of them yelped. The air bags inflated from every direction.

 “Are you okay, mom?”

“Yes, I’m okay. Let’s hop on out.”

Enoki and Kinoko opened the car doors and walked to the front to inspect the damage. Sure enough, one of the tires had deflated and the car had gotten stuck. “Don’t the androids have hover cars?” Enoki asked.

“All of them were destroyed in the fires,” she replied solemnly. This car was one of the few left.”

“Well we can still fix this one…”

“We don’t have time. We need to get to a safe place, or a space ship.”

Enoki scanned the area and noticed a crooked sign pointing to where the underground science labs were located. “Let’s hope that the labs are still in one piece.”

“I think they are,” Kinoko said. “Let’s go.”

Meanwhile, the Saiyans were looking up at the full moon. Their moment of victory was here at last after many years. A Saiyan with thick black hair yelled loudly as the transformation began. He grew razor sharp fangs and his eyes glowed red. The other Saiyans yelled in pain as their muscles grew in size and their clothes burst free. Soon, all of them were brown Great Apes, with large snouts and red eyes. One Great Ape fired a pink blast from his mouth, obliterating several buildings. Another group of Tuffles were shooting bullets at a Great Ape, but the blasts had no effect. Grinning, the Great Ape lifted his large foot and crushed the fleeing Tuffles like they were ants.

Enoki looked up at the moon and sharp pains raced through him again. “Enoki!” cried his mother. 

Enoki felt his muscles grow slightly bigger. It felt like all his nerves were on fire. He felt a pricking on his skin and saw brown hair grow coarse on his arms and legs. Feelings of rage flooded his brain. He wanted to destroy all the people that did him harm; the Saiyans, his father, the bullies. His mother’s face appeared in his view. 

“Calm down, Enoki! Look at me!” 

Enoki looked into her eyes and saw fear and desperation there. The dire situation came back to him and fear took over his thoughts. The sharp pains went away and he gasped. “What was that?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Kinoko said. “You were turning into some kind of monster. I saw your eyes go red for a second.” 

Enoki looked at his hands which were larger and hairier than before. He then realized that had almost became one of them. A Great Ape. His mother’s warm embrace, melted his bitter feelings at himself away. “I’ll always love you, for who you are, no matter what form.”

“But weren’t you scared?”

“I was, I’ll admit. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.”

A loud roar caused them to look up. One of the Great Apes had found them. Kinoko fired several fast rounds from her gun, which bounced harmlessly off of the Great Ape’s body. 

“Mom, run!” yelled Enoki. 

Before she could flee, the Great Ape picked her up with his large paw. “Let her go!” Enoki yelled, going Super Saiyan again. 

“Save yourself, Enoki!” she cried. 

Enoki refused to budge. He fired sonic beams faster than he ever thought possible. The Great Ape just roared with laughter…literally. A blast from his left hand knocked Enoki onto the ground. Large fingers slowly closed around Kinoko. She gasped in pain, her eyes closed. “No!” he cried, standing back up. She opened her mouth to say something to Enoki and managed to croak out a word; “lu…la…ra…chi.” Enoki heard a scream and a crunching sound and looked away. He looked back up just in time to see a large foot above Enoki’s head. Enoki took a deep breath and put his fingers to his forehead. He disappeared before the Great Ape stomped his foot into the spot where he was moments before.

Enoki appeared in another area, and caught his breath. Sensing no one else around, he slumped against a nearby wall and sobbed at his loss. What was he supposed to do now? A series of earth-shaking stomps put his senses on high alert. Enoki scanned the area…and his scouter exploded at the high rise of power. He took off the remains of his scouter from his left ear and put it aside, confused as to why it broke so suddenly. He looked up…and then realized why. He soon found himself staring into the dark maw of a Great Ape. An ear-splitting roar knocked him off his feet. He got up and sprinted in the opposite direction, only to almost run into another Great Ape, who had turned to face him. Beams of light shot from his fingers, Enoki narrowing dodging all of them. More beams hit an old building to the right. With one swipe of a paw, the first Great Ape broke through the stone and cement of the wall. Large chunks of debris fell to the ground. Enoki covered his head and his eyes. The second Ape shot a blast of light from his mouth and blew up most of the wall and the structures nearby. The force of the blast knocked him forward and his head rammed into a large piece of metal that used to be part of a car. Enoki’s head was throbbing and he thought he felt something hot and wet flow from it. The stars above turned into thousands of moving white dots. The last things that Enoki saw and felt, was a pile of debris falling from nearby buildings and onto him.

VIII

Dawn had soon arrived. Across the land, debris and rubble was all that was left of the once grand Tuffle city. Having reverted to their normal forms, the Saiyans had celebrated for the remainder of the night. They searched the ruins for any valuables they could find. Several things they gathered were food, smaller devices, and scouters. Thanks to the Tuffles’ technology, the Saiyans could use their resources to build a kingdom and expand upon it. After stealing the scouters from the dead Tuffles, the Saiyans burned the bodies with a cruel satisfaction.

Out of the Saiyans’ eyesight, a large droid by the name of Shitake silently observed the area in the shadows. It had the appearance of a large beige robot, with claws for hands and two dark green holds on each foot. The droid’s face consisted of a large camera with a blue dot in the center. The camera head could move in any direction and see the surroundings 270 degrees, similar to an owl. As silent as a rather large mouse, the droid walked across the rubble-littered ground.

Approximately six and a half hours since the end of the battle.

The words appeared on the blue screen in the droid’s view.

Enemy Saiyans now moving northwest.

Sure enough, the rest of the Saiyans were either flying off into the distance, or getting into their space crafts, presumably to conquer more planets. The droid had remained hidden due to the Saiyan’s inability to sense the power level of droids and androids. With no one else around, the droid moved from behind the ruins of a building.

The area had been picked clean of most of the objects and of course, the former inhabitants. The ruins of the buildings as well as scattered bits of metal and wire, were the only pieces of evidence to show that the Tuffles had ever existed. To the casual observer, it would feel like exploring the archeological ruins of an ancient society. To the droid, however, it was more comparable to walking among a graveyard. 

It felt strange whenever Shitake would get occasional bursts of what people called emotions.

Shitake was viewed as slightly more “masculine” in terms of gender. Which kind of made sense. Enoki’s maternal grandfather had created him many years ago and had portions of his DNA transferred into Shitake’s mechanical mind. Perhaps that was the source of the occasional emotions that the droid experienced. After Kinoko’s father died and Endo had arrived into her life, Shitake thought it would be best to do outside research to potentially find more resources for the Tuffles. He had based his reasons off of a sense of duty to the community; taking a mushroom-shaped ship called the Portabello with him for shelter from the harsh weather.

However, there would be moments where he would feel empty and distracted from his routine tasks. Conjuring up pictures of Enoki’s grandfather, Kinoko, and Endo in his mind activated a sense of…abandonment. Shitake had been created to help with chores at Kinoko’s household and heal injured Tuffles at workplaces nearby. He was one of the few droids who could be a source of comfort for those in need of it. Not an empathetic being capable of giving lots of hugs…but a supportive one in his own way. At night, he helped the police force catch troublemakers, thanks to the movable high definition camera used for his head.

Shitake had warned Kinoko not to trust the Saiyan, but she would not listen. She had claimed that it would bring peace between the two races in time. Judging by the state of the land in the present, her wishes had not worked in her favor. Shitake had lost a sense of purpose over the years. For one, Kinoko did not have a use for him once Endo arrived to keep her company. In addition, newer models were made every month by other Tuffles to assist in mundane urban tasks. Longing to find a new purpose, Shitake set off for the nicer, less dry area of the badlands.

Shitake searched for any signs of life. All the Tuffles had been killed, their bodies burned to ashes. One of his sensors allowed him to see several feet underneath the ground. No signs of life, save for weeds and bugs roaming through the dirt. He used his claw-like hands to lift up rocks and heavy boulders. Guns that had been bent up in the fight, lay on the ground next to a pile of used bullets. Shitake had decided that the best course of action would be to leave the planet and search for a new home. He did not want to be around once the Saiyans decided to return.

On his radar, he noticed a faint yellow light flashing slightly to the west. Shitake matched in the direction of the light. Further up north, another set of lights revealed a set of flora. Shitake arrived at the remains of what used to be a garden in a yard. The brown pots had been smashed to pieces and the brick planter was beyond repair, even for Tuffles. After scanning the garden, it was revealed that the garden had once belonged to a Tuffle family and used by an individual called Endo. But where were the plants? Dirt was the only material that the droid could see at the moment.

The green lights were shown on the radar as being underneath the ground. Shitake dug up the dirt in neat strokes with his hands. His hands felt something small and slightly round. He scooped it up and observed it. It was a small green bean. He dug with his other hand and lifted up one more bean. After scanning the object, words appeared in front of him.

Senzu bean: a magical plant with incredible healing powers. Has the ability to heal wounds and restore a person’s energy.

He was not sure if they would ever be needed but decided to keep some just in case. A small square compartment opened up in his chest. He placed the beans in the holders and shut it back safely inside.

Shitake continued to scan the area, searching for any signs of life apart from the green dots that represented insects and plants. However, there was nothing except for a large pile of rocks and metal beams. Shitake inched forward, standing right at the spot where the light was fading off and on. The ki of this nearby being was equivalent to small candlelight that was nearing burnout.

Deciding to investigate, the droid carefully stepped up the hill of debris and lifted a gray rock with his clawed hands. The smaller stones rolled down the small hill at the release of the larger rock. The droid set the rock to the side and began lifting other rocks. After breaking apart some nearby bricks, he then focused his attention on the large metal beam. Using both appendages, Shitake maneuvered the heavy beam over to the side. A small dark hole was revealed where the beam had covered it. 

A beam of white light shined from the droid’s main camera. From inside the hole, the light revealed a limp white hand and arm. Sensations of dread began to fill Shitake’s head. He figured that this was probably another lifeless body. Perhaps the sensing radar had a glitch? To confirm what it was, the droid lifted more rocks one by one. The figure was then revealed: an unconscious teenage boy with jet black hair. Shitake used a mechanism similar to an x-ray to scan the boy. A small part of his skull had been damaged by debris, cracks visible. A sharp beam had impaled the boy, breaking a rib but thankfully, it had not reached his heart. Both of his ankles had been dislocated. Shitake examined the flashing light again in confusion. Could this boy still be alive?

Shitake gently lifted the boy in his arms like a wounded child. He briefly considered examining this boy further to confirm his identity. Then he pushed that idea aside. Right now, he needed to get this boy the necessary medical attention. Since there were no hospitals remaining, there was only one place to go.

The droid stepped down from the hill and made his way back to the Portabello. It was a mushroom-shaped ship of brown, green, and gray. Like Shitake, the ship was also built by Enoki’s grandfather back when he would travel to distant places for research. In the blink of an eye, an alert sounded from the radar in the droid’s view.

Foreign individuals approaching from the northwest. Power levels: moderate to severe. Estimated time of arrival: 3 minutes.

The figures were shown in red on the radar and were slowly approaching his location. Sure enough, three Saiyans were flying in the air in his direction. All of them were wearing brown Saiyan armor.

“What is that up ahead?” a large male asked.

“I think it’s an android,” his companion answered. “One of the ones the Tuffles made.”

“Well, don’t keep waiting. Destroy it!” called a Saiyan woman.

Shitake ran as fast as his long metal legs could carry him. He frantically maneuvered around blasts of light that the Saiyans were firing from above.

“Hey get back here!” they yelled. One of the blasts hit the remains of a building and it exploded on impact. Shitake felt a chunk of metal fall of his back. A blast hit another spot on his leg, but the droid kept moving. He held the boy close to him. The woman Saiyan sent a blast of blue flames that spread not too far away in the distance. They were right in the way of the droid’s path. He glanced at the Saiyans closing in from the sides and behind him.

“Ready to give up?” one of them called. The droid ignored him. He picked up his speed and lifted his legs for a jump. He was leaping over the flames, the heat nearly reaching his feet. He landed and ran some more. The Saiyans were momentarily stunned but soon flew after him. The Portabello was parked not too far away. At last, Shitake was getting close. 

A Saiyan appeared in front of him in the air. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked with a smirk. The other Saiyans had caught up.

“Why is it carrying a body?” asked the woman, noticing the still form of the boy.

“Maybe it wants to grieve over its fallen citizen,” the thinner Saiyan laughed.

“Or maybe the boy’s still alive,” the large man guessed.

If Shitake were human, fear would have been apparent on his face. He lowered the boy and dropped him by his feet. A Saiyan fired a red blast and the droid caught it in both hands. He was glad that his creator had equipped him with defenses against the enemy. His mechanical muscles strained against the moving blast. With a final push, the droid lifted the blast back toward the Saiyan who dodged it in the nick of time.

“So the droid can fight, huh?” said the woman. “Who knew that such a weak race could conjure up such an invention?”

“It’s still no match for us,” stated the large man.

Shitake formed a green energy shield just as the three Saiyans fired a flurry of yellow ki blasts. Cracks slowly crept around the energy bubble. Even a droid could not hold the barrier forever. Using one shaking hand to hold the shield, he lowered his left hand and scooped up the boy. He placed him over his left shoulder and held up the shield. “That is one strange droid,” the woman remarked as he ran.

“A powerful attack should do the trick,” grinned the large Saiyan leader. “Big Bang Attack!”

A powerful beam of blue light shot from his hands. It exploded the green shield on impact, almost knocking the droid to the ground.

"Shield system deactivated. High probability of system failure."

“He’s defenseless, finish him!” called the Saiyan.

The droid spoke a voice command and pushed a button on a remote from another compartment in his chest. Orange-yellow flames spewed from the holes below the ship. He had made it to the ramp just as the ship lifted off the ground. He jumped and grabbed hold of the ramp in the air. 

The Saiyans were blowing smoking holes into the sides of the ship. The strong flexible glass of a window had already been broken. The droid used his right hand to hold onto the ramp and his feet to crawl up. Another blast blew a part of the ramp apart, inches away from his right arm. As a last resort, he used his other hand to toss the boy inside and maneuver his way up the rest of the ramp. Shitake stood in the ramp doorway, taking more blows until the door had closed. He briefly glanced at the boy and then rushed to the front of the ship. He pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever down. The ship picked up speed and rose higher into the air. Looking out the window, Shitake could see the three Saiyans standing together with their hands cupped in circles.

Not good.

“Ka…me…”

The ship stopped in place and the droid held a button down.

“ha…”

Accelerate speed and engine power.

“me…”

Shitake feared the worst for several seconds. Then the ship finally moved again and flew straight ahead to the east.

“…ha!”

Three blue blasts of light were flying toward the ship at lightning speed. They appeared on the radar screen, showing where the ship was and where the blasts were coming from. The droid steered the ship left and then to a hard right. The first blast missed. The second blast ripped apart the ship’s surface on the left side, but otherwise, the structure remained intact. He heard a rumbling explosion from down below.

Engine 2 detonated. Estimated landing time: 3 minutes.

Now he knew where the third blast had hit. The ship slowly started to fall.

No, no, no, no.

He couldn’t see the Saiyans anymore, but that did not matter at the moment. His mechanisms turned at the sensation of their decent. Shitake frantically pressed all the controls to no avail.

Crash landing protections and airbags in place. Landing in T minus 2 minutes.

Shitake found a door to the right of the controls that was sealed shut. With a swift kick, the door was broken down and fell with a crash. There was a broiler-like device that was labeled “Emergency backup generator.” There was a small blue screen slightly to the right. The droid pushed a red button nearby. The screen read “Family thumb fingerprint scan required.” Shitake made a mechanical grumbling noise. There were no humans around and droids did not have finger prints.

Landing in T minus 1 minute.

Shitake had to act fast. There were no family members left as far as he knew. His creator, his family, and all the other Tuffles were long gone.

Unless…

Shitake glanced over at the boy who was lying in a heap on the metal floor.

T minus 10 seconds…

Shitake hurried over and picked the boy up.

9…8…

He carefully carried him into the room and took hold of his right thumb.

7…6…

 He placed his thumb on the screen.

5…

He waited.

4…

The screen beeped and loaded. Shitake braced for impact.

3…2…

“Match found” read the screen.

“Backup engines activated.”

The ship came to a stop, inches from the ground. A burst of rocket power emerged from the remaining holes below. The ship rose like a rocket, heading quickly toward space. Shitake easily managed the rest of the controls, getting the ship past the planet’s atmosphere and flying around chunks of floating asteroids. He checked the radar; there were no Saiyans or incoming blasts. Shitake felt a sensation of relief.

Shitake set the ship on autopilot and walked back into the small room. He carefully picked up the boy and took him to a lower level of the ship. He spoke a six number code and the metal door in front of him slid open. The room inside was small and circular with white walls and bubble-shaped windows. A metal operating table was placed in the center of the room. Two beds to the left and right were positioned to the sides of the room. Fake plants in pots stood nearby in an ineffective attempt to give the room a more natural feel. To the right of the table, there was a wooden cabinet that was stocked with medical supplies: first aid equipment, oxygen masks, surgical tools, and needles. The fast healing microbots were, sadly, not included.

Shitake grabbed an oxygen mask and a defibrillator device used to revive a person’s heart. He walked over to the boy and placed the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He then placed the white sticky tabs in the proper places on the boy’s bare chest, careful to avoid any wounds. He pressed a button and stood back. A shock was administered and the boy’s body twitched for a second. The sound of flowing oxygen rushed through the tubes. The droid pressed a switch and stepped back. Another shock was administered to his heart, but nothing happened. He then gave thirty chest compressions and a couple of rescue breaths. After several more cycles, he checked the oxygen levels and repeated the shocking process.  

Just when he was about to give up, Shitake noticed the boy’s chest slowly rising up and then down. His breathing slowly became regular. He took the mask off and put a clear breathing tube under his nose. Shitake removed the pads from the boy’s chest and quickly got to work cleaning and disinfecting the wounds. When that was done, Shitake stuck a needle in the boy’s shoulder and received a blood sample. The blood was poured down a clear tube that was close to a large screen. The computer analyzed the blood and DNA that was provided.

"It can’t be. Is he really…"

Sure enough, Enoki Halusa’s name, picture, and health information had appeared on the screen. His date of birth, occupation, and his parent’s names were also listed.

"So he is indeed my creator’s grandson. The son of Endo and Kinoko. A Saiyan-Tuffle hybrid."

He would be crying a river of tears had he been a human. He had just saved the life of the last surviving Tuffle, while risking his own.

The droid walked back to Enoki. He noticed the beam of metal still protruding from his chest. Shitake carefully removed the beam and tossed the bloodstained piece of metal aside. An agonizing scream and gasping breaths from Enoki rang throughout the room.

"Enoki-san, calm down, it’s okay."

Enoki didn’t hear the droid. He only screamed some more. His hair flickered between blonde and black. Below him, black cracks began to appear in the floor.

"You’ll destroy this ship if you don’t settle down!"

Consumed by pain, Enoki ignored him. At times Shitake wished that he could experience the emotions and even the pains of organic beings. He certainly could not imagine how excruciating it was for the Tuffle in front of him. The hole in his chest had started to bleed profusely and the area on his head had started to swell. He needed healing or he would die in minutes. Shitake frantically scanned the room for any kind of healing technology that could work. Nothing.

Shitake stared at his metal chest and came up with a solution. He opened the square compartment in his chest and took out one of the senzu beans.

"Eat this. It’ll heal you."

Shitake placed the bean into Enoki’s screaming mouth. Enoki moved the bean in his closed mouth and swallowed. He screamed for another minute and then sighed in relief. His rib had been repaired and the throbbing in his head subsided.

“Where am I…what, what’s going on?!”

Enoki was hyperventilating at his new surroundings. He had never seen the android before. For all he knew, the Saiyans had used this droid to capture him and was now their new subject in a death experiment. Furthermore, the memory of the rubble falling down on him plagued his thoughts. Judging by the Tuffle’s current mental state, Shitake concluded that Enoki was not in a condition for a rational talk. His yellow eyes darted back and forth in fear. A single thought appeared in Shitake’s artificial mind.

"Enoki-san needs to rest."

Shitake went over to the cabinet and opened the small doors. He scanned the objects that were left and found what he was looking for. He came back to Enoki and rubbed some alcohol on his right shoulder. Enoki saw the needles in his hand and freaked out.

“No! No! Get them away from me!”

He thrashed and tried to free himself from Shitake’s steel grip.

“I won’t die by your lethal injections, Saiyans!”

"That’s enough, Enoki-san."

“You monster! How do you know my name?!”

His eyes briefly glowed white and his hair had turned blonde. Saiyan power started to flow through his veins. A sharp pain entered his shoulder and he yelped. His hair shifted from black to blonde and then stayed black. Another sharp pain spread through his shoulder as the second needle was inserted. Though his tears, Enoki slurred, “Subarashi, world.” The sedative soon took hold and Enoki’s head slumped to the side.

Shitake took the needles out and safely disposed of them. Walking back, he gently grabbed one of Enoki’s dislocated ankles. In a quick twist, the bones were snapped back into place. After he relocated the bones in Enoki’s other ankle, he was glad that Enoki was not awake to witness that. Shitake wondered for a moment why the senzu bean had not healed his ankles. "Perhaps the beans take longer to work on a person near death" he figured.

After cleaning the area, he picked Enoki up and carried him to the lowest level of the ship. Shitake stepped into a larger room, with pipes that spread across the ceiling. To the right was a rectangular door that housed the ship’s engines, air conditioning, and other mechanisms. To the left, there were several empty rejuvenation tanks.

Shitake gently placed Enoki down in a sitting position and filled up one of the tanks with water. Once the water was at the right temperature and all the mechanisms were properly functioned, Shitake got the oxygen mask ready. He carried Enoki toward the tank and placed the oxygen mask securely over his mouth and nose. Enoki was gently lifted to the top and lowered into the tank. His black hair moved slowly from side to side in the water and his eyes were closed. Nutrients were transferred to him via a hidden tube into his stomach. The waste was filtered out through another tube toward the back.

As Enoki slept and recovered, Shitake wandered toward a storage closet. Opening up a steel box that he pulled from the closet, the droid was met with a folder, containing blue prints of unfinished projects from Enoki’s grandfather. One was a design for a purple oyster shaped droid. The second one was for a dark pink android named Porchini, which could have the power to possess any sapient being. Other projects were listed, but some of the designs that were shown had faded with time.

Eventually, Enoki was healed enough to get out of the tank. It had been several days and during that time, Shitake paced back and forth, figuring out how to talk to him about the events that had happened. Shitake helped Enoki from the tank, his hair and chest dripping wet. Fortunately, there were spare white clothes in drawers in the small clinic. It seemed that the Tuffles were prepared for anything…except their own defeat.

“What…what happened?” Enoki asked, shaking his head. He sounded much calmer than he did in the operating room but still quite fearful and confused.

"Take it easy. Everything is going to be alright."

“Who are you?” Enoki asked, staring at the droid in disbelief. He was used to seeing droids all over the Tuffle city doing service and manual labor. However, Enoki never got the chance to really interact with them. They had just been programed to do their jobs. He never imagined that he would be talking to an android face to face. Shitake spoke.

"I am called droid Shitake. I was the one who rescued you from the debris and brought you here. Your grandfather, Kinoko's father, was the one who created me."

“My grandfather made you?” Enoki asked.

"That is correct. He put me together and created me similar to any other droid. I followed my programmed instructions on how to do chores and help the community. The only difference was that your grandfather transferred some of his DNA into my artificial brain. Perhaps due to that, I occasionally experience what you Tuffles call “emotions.” They are complex, but quite interesting when they do come up."

“Why didn’t my mom and dad tell me about that?” he asked.

The camera that was the droid’s face pointed to the floor, slightly downcast.

"Kinoko became busy and distracted once she and Endo got together. Your father scared me to be honest."

Enoki couldn’t argue with that.

"I stayed away from Endo, the Saiyan who said threats to me every time he looked at me. Back then, I was only concerned with doing my job and making your family happy. When it seemed like they didn’t want me around anymore, I decided to find my purpose elsewhere. I had left before you were born.  I did research out in the badlands to search for potential underground resources to expand our civilization. That is until the Saiyans invaded. I would have been exterminated if I were a living thing that they could sense the ki of."

Enoki started to feel sorry for this strange droid, despite the fact that he was not human.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Enoki said. “Where are we anyway?”

"We are currently on the Portabello spaceship, heading away from Planet Plant. I am searching for a new habitable place that is safe for us to land to."

Memories of the Saiyan invaders came back to haunt Enoki’s mind. “Wait! Can’t we go back? There might be more survivors down there. We could help them!”

"Negative."

“What?!”

Shitake shifted his words.

"I am sorry to say this, but we cannot go back."

“We can’t just run away and flee like cowards!” Enoki emphasized. “Now that I have recovered, we can go back and find other individuals to help us.”

"I already said we can’t go back."

“Why not?”

The droid went silent. Under normal circumstances, he would have stated the fact, plain and simple. It was his nature to do so. In this moment however…there was something within him that was holding him back. His artificial brain could not form the words.

“Is there something you are hiding from me?”

"Yes."

“Tell me what it is, then!”

There was a moment of somber silence.

"All the Tuffles that were on the planet are now…gone."

Trying to deny what he had just heard, Enoki’s mind came up with something else. “G-Gone as in…escaped from the planet like us?”

"No. The Saiyans…they slaughtered every last one of them. They have taken over the planet and claimed it as their own."

Enoki’s eyes grew wide and his breathing hitched. “No…no…That can’t be true. It can’t!” He dug his fingers into his hair. “I must be dreaming right now,” he told himself. “I’m still in a coma and I will wake up back where I was…”

"It’s true Enoki-san. There’s nothing that can be done."

“There’s got to be! We can’t give up.”

"Enoki-san…"

“If you won’t go back, than I will! I have to do something!”

He placed his fingers to his forehead and concentrated on the pink sky, the sights and sounds of his home. The thoughts were interrupted by a clawed hand forcefully pulling his right arm back from in front of him.

“Let me go right now!” he yelled, struggling to break free to no avail.

"Stop this at once, Enoki-san!"

Now for the first time, the droid sounded angry.

A flash of fear crossed Enoki’s face, but he scrunched his face in anger again. “Why are you doing this?”

"I risked my life to save yours! I did not know if you would even survive. A group of Saiyans started to attack me and the ship almost crash landed because of them."

Enoki paused and listened in shock. “I…I had no idea…” He felt the grip of the droid loosen.

"I had to tell you the truth. Although I suppose you would have eventually found out…"

Enoki knelt down to the ground and let out a piercing scream of devastation. Shitake had let go of him and was now standing close by. Enoki’s screams grew louder and his hair started to change to blonde.

"Power levels increasing at a faster than average rate."

Shitake stepped back and looked at Enoki. He would have had a shocked expression on his face if he were an organism. Instead of Enoki’s usual golden hair, the Tuffle’s hair had turned a bright red color...and then briefly shifted to a light purple. “What…what is this power?” he asked, admiring the electricity surging harmlessly through his fingers.

"It’s a hybrid Saiyan-Tuffle form: Super Tsfrujin 3. It went to STJ 4 for a second…"

There was no way that Enoki could have gotten that powerful just after waking up without training. Then Shitake realized that zenkai boosts were earned when Saiyans were close to death, resulting in an increase in their power. Enoki had gotten a zenkai boost just now.

Enoki’s Super Saiyan form abruptly ended and his hair turned black once more. He curled up into a ball and sobbed until his eyes and cheeks were red. Shitake retracted his claw-like fingers and awkwardly rubbed his back with his metal hand. Enoki didn’t try to escape this time.

After being emotionally worn out, Enoki sat quietly on a nearby seat, staring off into space. Literal black space just outside the window.

A new planet had appeared in the distance, sometime later. It looked very different from his home planet. It had vast blue oceans and green continents. White clouds blanketed parts of the planet.

"Planet Earth. Suitable for life." The words appeared in the droid’s vision.

It wasn’t long before Shitake found a safe place to land. It was in the outskirts of a place called Conton City. Enoki and Shitake stepped down the ramp and onto the green grass.

Enoki observed the blue sky above him. “Why is the sky such a strange color?” 

Shitake provided explanations involving the reflection of oxygen molecules but Enoki was too curious about the strange habitat to pay much attention.

As he walked, Enoki also felt strangely lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The droid provided an explanation.

"The gravity on this planet is weaker than the gravity on Planet Plant."

After five minutes, Shitake had gotten information about the lifeforms of the new planet. There were various flora and fauna, similar to those on Planet Plant but on a much more diverse scale. There were beings very similar to Tuffles, with the main differences being that they were taller and less technologically advanced. They were referred to as Earthlings or humans. When Shitake revealed that there were Saiyans who had survived and lived on Earth, Enoki could barely breathe.

“There are Saiyan’s here? How is that possible?”

"There may have been some kind of disaster that forced them to escape Planet Plant."

It was messed up enough that Enoki’s entire race was dead. Now it seemed that the universe had decided to mock him, sending Saiyans and bad karma wherever he went. The uncontrollable situations, and especially the Saiyan’s themselves, had stirred a heat of hatred that he had not felt before. It was different than the hatred he had toward his father. Back then, he hated Endo for turning against his family and forcing him to make a life or death choice between two races that were both a part of him. However, he did still love him, and he knew that he did not betray him willingly.

With the Saiyans as a whole, on the other hand…they were ruthless, careless barbarians who only cared for themselves, bloodshed and material greed. They had ruined Enoki’s life and they could ruin the lives of other living things in an instant.

The young Tuffle could not let that happen. 

If he could take on a new role in this world, perhaps as a bounty hunter, then he could feel a sense of purpose, as Shitake had mentioned before. Enoki was somewhat curious about the lifestyle of humans. How did they survive if harsh weather ever came in? Shitake stated that the weather on Earth was not as bad as on Planet Plant. As he observed the humans, he felt like he had gone back in time to when his ancestors had lived more than 200 years ago.

Enoki’s curiosity was soon replaced by his ever-increasing hatred for the Saiyans. Enoki had made his decision. He would become a bounty hunter and exterminate the remaining Saiyans as payback for what they did to his people. It would be much easier with the help of Shitake and the other new androids that he planned to build. It was satisfying to conjure up images of traps for the Saiyans, using piles of food as bait. Even Saiyans had their weaknesses, and food was one of them.

Enoki put on his new yellow jacket and set his new red scouter to his left ear.

"Enoki-san, I managed to retrieve parts of your music set. Your digital band recordings have been saved on a flash drive."

Shitake pulled out a pile of smashed parts of a keyboard, wires and busted speakers. Enoki felt sad that he wouldn’t be able to contact his friends anymore. Especially Guava. If only she could see him how and how much he had been through. The good news was that those parts could easily be fixed in time.

“Thanks, Shitake,” he replied, thankful to have a companion of some sort so he was not truly alone.

Enoki looked to the unfamiliar Earth horizon and grinned. It was time to enact his fruitful revenge against the Saiyans. “Subarashi,” he chuckled. His hunting mission had begun.

= = =< O O >= = =

Over the next few days, the young Tuffle was trying to get accustomed to the new world around him. The Tuffles had placed technology, intellect, and efficiency high on their cultural pedestal. With the emphasis on logic came a detachment to strong emotions. Sure, they had accepted the fact that all of them could feel happiness, despair, and anger to great extremes at times. Yet, to let their emotions impair their productive abilities was strongly discouraged in their society. A person would especially be reprimanded in pubic if he or she were to have an outburst in the middle of working on an important task. The progress of society and their influence on the world was prioritized over the complex feelings of its individuals.

None of that mattered to Enoki in the moment. He soon gave up being frustrated at the fact that he could not go back to his home planet to try and save his people. Grief held him down to his single bed on the ship like a large block of ice. Enoki was, indeed, thankful to be alive, but at the same time, was he really alive? With his family, friends, and everyone he knew, gone, he felt like a part of himself, his very soul, had gone with them. He might as well be a walking shell, programmed to eat, sleep, and stare off into space.

A rush of heat through his body and his mind interrupted the melancholy silence. Enoki knew it was his Saiyan instincts, gnawing at him, telling him to move and fight. The images of the Saiyans’ smirking faces in the light of the engulfing flames created feelings of fear and contempt. His hatred for what they did to him and his race was enough to snap him out of his sadness. He lifted himself out of bed and walked to a desk where a series of blueprints lay neatly in the center. There was planning to be done.

Several hours later, Enoki had a miniature design of one of his projects: a square cage made out of a resistant dark gray metal. It was designed to withstand the strength of Saiyans and could detain them in their base form. Enoki tested the metal and gripped a bar with all his strength. It didn’t budge. Enoki let go and thought for a moment. Would it be enough for a super Saiyan?

Electricity danced around his hands and arms as he powered up. He gripped the bar again and squeezed as hard as he could. This time, the bar crumpled into pieces on the table, taking parts of the structure with it. Enoki powered down and grunted in disappointment. What point was there in continuing this potential trap if the Saiyans could blast right through the bars? He would have to think of something else. He ran his hands through his short black hair. 

Taking a break from his work, the young Tuffle stood up and looked at himself in a nearby mirror. His reflection stared back at him with dark circles under glassy yellow eyes. New scars had appeared on his check, neck, and arms ever since his near encounter with death at the hands of the transformed Saiyans. Ironically, it may have been the very Saiyan powers within him that had saved his life. He cursed under his breath at the thought.

"Are your thought processes optimal, Enoki-san?"

Enoki turned around to the familiar mechanical voice of his droid, Shitake. The cream colored robot was standing to the side of the doorway. Enoki was slightly surprised. Shitake had not visited him ever since they had first landed on Earth. The sounds of banging and clanking from up above and from outside indicated that Shitake had been making repairs to the ship during the last few days. In the back of his mind, Enoki had wanted to contribute and help out, but the negative emotions held him down. Usually, Shitake would be outside patrolling the perimeters. Why had he decided to visit him?

“Um, could you repeat the question?” Enoki asked in confusion.

"I was asking if your thought processes were optimal."

An awkward silence followed.

The droid paused. "Let me rephrase that. I was wondering if you…were doing okay."

Recognition appeared on Enoki’s face. “I guess I’m doing alright.”

"Based on your facial features and tone of voice, it appears that you are still in the process of recovering."

“Oh, wow, who would have guessed?” Enoki asked.

"It is not a guess. It is a fact."

So much for being sarcastic around a literal-thinking robot. “Sorry,” he added. “I wasn’t expecting you to check up on me. After explaining what had happened, you just left afterwards.”

"Psychology shows that some people need time to be by themselves to recover after losses or stressful situations."

“Well that’s good and all, but isn’t there someone I can go to for additional comfort?”

"Like who?"

“I don’t know, maybe my mom, or my girlfriend. Any other Tuffle that’s out there?!”

Shitake was not fazed at his sudden outburst. "I’m afraid, Enoki-san, that all the other Tuffles are…"

“I already know that!” he yelled. “Tell me something I don’t know. Will this planet soon become under the control of the Saiyans as well? What could possibly be worse?”

"Very well. There is a company in Conton City that is looking for new employees to help with mechanics and education. Would you be interested?"

“That certainly could.” he muttered.

"Would you mind clarifying your statement, Enoki-san?"

Enoki face-palmed in frustration. “Shitake, out of all the things you could come up with, you want me to apply for a job for humans?”

"It would provide you with the means of surviving among the Earthlings, as you currently have no money and little space food left."

“Obviously,” he muttered, crossing his arms.

"In addition, it would help direct your mental capacities into the external world instead of internally."

Enoki gave him a blank look.

"In other words…being productive could help distract you from the thoughts that are troubling you."

“I see,” he replied. “That might not be such a bad idea. But how am I supposed to integrate myself into their society? I’ll need to know their language.”

"Based on the sounds and nearby voices that were recorded, it appears that the Earthlings speak a variety of language, most commonly, Japanese and English."

“Well that’s good to hear,” Enoki said, pleased to have learned both languages somewhat fluently at school. “Wait…you were spying on them, right?”

"More or less."

The droid then displayed a hologram of Conton City and to the side, a large number revealed the approximate population of Earthlings, divided into humans,  sentient animal beings and extraterrestrials, including Saiyans.

Enoki breathed a soft sigh of amazement. “What would I do without you?”

"Well…"

Enoki help up a hand. “That was a rhetorical question.”

Shitake then recited various definitions of rhetorical questions that Enoki ignored.

Enoki paced back and forth. “I have no resume, no money, no passport…how did the Saiyans manage to get into the city?” he asked himself. He thought deeply some more. “Maybe some got lucky and found someone who could take them in and raise them. I suppose I could pretend to be an orphan…no, I don’t have any background information that officials could use. Not to mention that I am outnumbered based on how many Saiyans there are…”

Back on Planet Plant, the Tuffles managed to stand on an equal footing with the Saiyans due to their numbers and technology, despite their lack of strength. Now Enoki had the technology…just not the numbers.

“Heck if I even encountered one Saiyan, I wouldn’t stand a chance. I need to find a way to master my new power.”

= = = = < O > = = = =

“Enoki-san,” said the robotic voice of Shitake. “Our ship has been repaired and is now fully operational. I suggest we plan our next move before we are discovered by the Earthlings.”

Enoki lifted his head from a brown wooden desk in front of him. The table was cluttered with diagrams of notes and contraptions that had failed. A small pile of tools lay haphazardly by a white toolbox to the far right corner of the table.

“Shitake, I’m not ready for any jobs on this planet…” Enoki mumbled, eyes half closed.

For the past several days, Enoki had been working on more plans, but none had come into action yet.

“Though finding a job would be beneficial, I am more concerned about your current state,” replied the robot.

“There is nothing to worry about,” said Enoki.

“I disagree with that statement,” he said. “Judging by my calculations, you haven’t eaten quality food, nor had sufficient amount of sleep.”

Shitake was right. There were dark circles under Enoki’s yellow eyes and growling could be heard from his stomach. The supply of frozen meals was almost finished. Senzu beans were still around, but Enoki wanted to use them only for emergencies.

Every time Enoki tried to step outside, or even when he looked out the window, something inside him held him back. It was a gut-wrenching pain that stayed with him even after several deep breaths. Nightmares plagued Enoki’s head, visions of burning buildings, Great Apes with mouths open wide, the terrified look on his mother’s face during her last moment…

Shitake then said something that Enoki had dreaded to hear, yet knew it was the only way forward: “You need to go outside and check out the area for enemies.”

“You’re right,” said Enoki with a sigh. “We landed here on this planet, so there is no point in leaving just yet. If it’s true that there are Saiyans out there, I have to defeat them.”

“Unlock your previous power and get back into shape.”

“So now you’re a gym coach and a career adviser?” asked Enoki. “What’s next, a psychologist?”

“As a droid, I do not fully comprehend the dynamics of the human mind and emotions.”

“Just keep working on it,” said Enoki, with a dismissive hand. He walked over to a large square door that was the same metal as the walls around it. He typed in a code and the door slid open. He took several deep breathes and stepped outside.

The sunlight was blinding for a moment and Enoki squinted as he walked. When his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he looked around. The grass was a vivid lime green and was faintly blowing in the breeze. The sky was a stunning light blue, a color that Enoki was still not used to seeing. Conton city was behind the Portabello ship; round white buildings towering over the land.

Enoki concentrated on his inner ki and lifted himself off the ground. He flew a distance from the ship with no effort. He looked down and found himself higher in the air than he normally would have been on Planet Plant. Enoki had almost forgotten that the gravity on Earth was lower than it was on his home planet. Previously, flying had taken lots of effort, like traveling with weights on his legs. On Earth, it was more like an easy stroll.

Enoki clenched his fists and shook his head to wake himself up. He pushed aside thoughts of sleep and instead focused on the rage hidden in his mind and heart. He and his family would still be together, if only the Saiyans weren’t so selfish and barbaric. If only they had left the Tuffles alone and fought somewhere else…

Black spots danced across his vision and sharp pains invaded his chest and head. Almost without knowing it, Enoki heard himself scream as his black hair turned blonde. Power surged within him and his thirst for battle was reawakened. After transforming into his second form, he reverted back to his base form, descending to the ground. He fell on his knees, exhausted. Shitake was beside him in a minute.

“Drink this,” said Shitake, holding out a bottle of water. The lid was already loose. Without saying a word, Enoki took the bottle, screwed off the lid and took several big gulps. He sighed in relief when he was done.

“Enoki-san, your hair…”

“What about it?” he asked.

Enoki walked over to a nearby pond and looked at his reflection. Instead of his usual black color, his hair was now a bright red.

“That’s strange,” he breathed, moving his fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He opened them and his hair was still red.

“Why…why won’t it change back?” he asked himself out loud. “It always turns black when I go back to my base form.”

“Your power must be stabilizing,” answered the droid.

Shitake was right once again. It was like the energy inside Enoki wanted to be released…like it had a life of its own. His new hair was a reminder of how much he had changed. No longer was he an eager scholar comfortable in his safe haven in the Tuffle city. Now…he was a warrior, out on his own, on an unfamiliar planet that would never truly be home to him, no matter how long he stayed.

Enoki knew that there was no turning back this time. He turned back to Shitake. “We better get moving. I need food and a way to blend into this place. Plus I’ve got some Saiyans to hunt.”

Shitake gave a small approving nod and followed the Tuffle toward the city.

Out of Enoki’s line of sight, a Saiyan with a Majin symbol on his forehead and spiky blue hair waited in the shadows, eyes glowing red…

“Holy Fruitan” breathed Enoki, referring to a long forgotten Tuffle king. “I have never seen a place like this.”

Enoki and Shitake were standing on a brown cobblestone path with giant palm trees lining the sides. A vast futuristic city stood before them (though not as advanced as Enoki’s home world). Enoki marveled at the palm trees, green grass, and clear blue water that was pouring into a round fountain in the center. Ironically, back on Planet Plant, the harsher conditions did not allow for many plants to flourish. Here, however, one could mistake this place for a tropical island. However, typical islands would not have round white metallic buildings of different sizes scattered throughout the area. Or a long winding staircase with an elaborate Japanese archway of white and purple. Dirt paths weaved over grassy hills and ended at several mountain peaks, which appeared to be floating in midair. Enoki looked around and saw not only humans who looked similar to himself, but also bipedal animals who were shopping, talking, and relaxing completely at ease with the humans. Enoki’s heart raced when he saw several green-skinned aliens with pointed ears meditating in a flower garden. One of them with their eyes closed shot a beam absentmindedly from their long green finger. It burst through a pink rosebush and sailed over Enoki’s head. Enoki had ducked just in time. He heard a faint beeping sound and jumped.

“It’s only me, Enoki-san,” said a familiar voice.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that in transparent mode,” he muttered while taking a calming breath.

“My apologies,” Shitake replied. “I deduced it would be best to take precautions and blend in.”

Enoki peered at the invisible space that his robotic companion occupied. Using a black wristband on his left arm allowed him to track Shitake’s location. Obviously, he had forgotten to check it earlier.

“You talk about blending in, and you do it too well. What about me?”

“You look just like the Earthling humans,” Shitake replied. “I’m sure you can find somewhere to stay and work for a while.”

“And hunt down every last remaining Saiyan along the way,” Enoki muttered.

“Not until you gain physical and mental security,” Shitake advised.

Enoki stared at him blankly, and not just because he couldn’t see him with his eyes.

“I mean, find a place to reside, get your emotions in order, make some friends.”

“Make some friends,” Enoki said with a forced giggle. Then his voice was tinged with anger. “I bet you didn’t notice already: I have no friends left!”

His yell caused several onlookers to stare in confusion. A woman with the face and limbs of a gray cat pointed at him, and whispered to her feline friend. “Who’s that boy talking to?” asked a girl with orange hair to a brown-haired woman in jogging attire.

Her mother responded, “He’s probably drunk. Let’s keep going.”

Enoki’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

“Keep it down, Enoki-san,” warned Shitake. “You have to make a good first impression in this new place.”

“You’re right,” said Enoki with a sigh. “Let’s look around for a bit.”

The two companions walked down the path and observed the area. To the left was a giant white building with thick glass windows and a white dome. The logo consisted of two yellow Cs, one outside and a smaller one inside.

“Capsule Corporation” read Enoki from the dark blue words etched onto the building.

“Only the finest company to produce the latest gadgets and technology,” said a voice.

Enoki turned around to find a teenage girl with long dark purple hair, wearing a blue dress. “Of course you knew that, right?”

Enoki stayed quiet a moment too long.

“Oh, are you new here?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“That’s cool. It’s nice to encounter newcomers on occasion. My name is Sleeve Harris. What’s yours?”

“These people have strange names,” Enoki thought. He came up with an Earthling sounding name on the spot.

“My name is…Steve Xiaong. I come from a remote village nearby.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand. Her blue-green eyes lit up. “How neat that we have similar sounding names!”

“Yeah, neat,” replied Enoki. He felt heat come up to his cheeks as he gazed at her beautiful face.

“So anyway, I might as well tell you about Capsule Corp,” Sweater said.

“Oh right, please do,” Enoki said. “Do you work there?”

“I wish, but I’m not qualified enough as of yet. You see, that place belongs to the wealthy Briefs family: Dr. Briefs, his daughter Bulma and her son Trunks.”

“Who names their children after undergarments?” thought a bewildered Enoki.

“So Dr. Briefs invented a popular gadget called Hoi-Poi capsules. They are pill-like objects that allow the user to fit anything into them.”

“Anything?” asked Enoki.

“Yes. Clothing, hovercars, food, houses, you name it.”

“That’s incredible!” he marveled.

“I know,” she replied.

Indeed, Enoki was truly amazed at this invention. Not even the Tuffles could figure out how to make the capsules. He fought the urge to sneak in and steal some.

“I wish I could work at Capsule Corporation,” Sleeve explained. “But I can’t pass the physics test and several other qualifications that come with a position. Additionally, I work for a much smaller gadget company: Retro Electro.”

“What do you make there?” Enoki asked curiously.

“Mostly hovercars, vehicles, cell phones. We are known for recreating technology form past eras to use for parties and museums.”

“That’s cool,” said Enoki. “I wish I had a place to stay though. My house got struck by lightning and my family…left me behind.” He lowered his head slightly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Sleeve. “I have a spare room in my basement that you can sleep in.”

“Much appreciated,” said Enoki.

“But,” she said. “If you want to get a job at the company I work at, you will need to go through some formal training. Tell me, how much do you know about the mechanics of plasma TV’s and air skis?”

Enoki smiled as they walked toward Electro Retro. Compared to Capsule Corp, this building was a mere shack. In reality, it looked more like a typical garage and mechanic store. Parts of cars were positioned on high racks close to the gray ceiling. Hammers, nails, screwdrivers, and metallic devices were positioned on hooks against a large board with holes.

By sheer luck, and after three weeks of training, Enoki had managed to get a position at the company, albeit a lower one than most. His responsibilities included changing tires on cars, repairing circuits and testing tablets. The majority of his work was janitorial work, since he was the newest person. It wasn’t as engaging as scientific research but it was good enough. It did take several days for Enoki to figure out how to use Earthling technology, as he was used to using his own. A couple of people were impressed when Enoki showed his colleagues how his scouter worked.

“No one knows about scouters except the Briefs and aliens that recently visited this planet,” remarked a red-haired woman, who was busy putting a car engine into place from above. “I don’t know where you got your fast learning skills from, but we are glad to have you here.”

“Thank you,” said Enoki.

Enoki could feel redness creep up to his cheeks and quickly turned back to his work. 

"Name New Order: a Planetary Government squad from Planet Name..."

Enoki scratched his head in confusion at the poster that stood out from the regular news articles at the Galactic Patrol station. It was just like any other day: Enoki rolling out of bed, sending messages to Shitake on his device around his wrist, then making his way to the mechanics shop. Since the concept of Earthling money was still new to him, the young man decided it would be best to read what was already posted outside. (Though to be honest, so many individuals where using phones and their computers to read the news, that it was a surprised when anyone read what was on the board for more than several minutes.) 

Enoki walked toward the board and found the recruitment poster that caught his eye. "Planet Name" was written in bold golden letters in front of a magenta planet surrounded by a starry background. Enoki looked a little closer and for a moment, it looked like Planet Plant. Below was another smaller image of a logo of two dark red F's encircling each other with white outlines. A harsh black X was slashed over the image.

Enoki read further down.

"Calling all Earthling soldiers, the infamous Frieza Force has annexed dozens of planets and enslaved countless races. Hundreds of thousands of warriors now fight for Frieza, Glacin, and the army in their names, with no regard to the people they have colonized. One planet, by the name of Planet Vegeta (pictured above) was one of the unlucky locations to be destroyed. With our GPS system and spaceships, we have managed to track the Frieza Force across the universe...really far away, we might add, thanks to our trade with the Tsfrujins in the year 718."

Enoki's heart skipped a beat. His people had interacted with the people on that unknown planet. How did they manage to survive this mysterious Force's threats? Enoki seethed with rage. The Saiyans had to be working for the Frieza Force. To think that those human-looking beasts would wipe out his race, then destroy their own planet for a tyrant emperor?

Enoki wondered if he was missing something some crucial information. After all, he had not witnessed the Saiyan’s fate at the hands of Freiza.

The Tuffle sighed and continued to read.

 "Our science organization, "Research in our Name..."

"Why do I keep pronouncing that wrong?" Enoki asked in mid-read. "It's "Nee-me, not name."

She shook his head and continued.

 "...fears that Earth may be in danger of the Frieza Force next. Call at this number to register..."

Enoki's mind was racing. So his race had traded with this civilization that didn't appear to exist beforehand. This could be his chance to eliminate more enemy Saiyans who were out there! 

But his job...and Shitake...

He had other duties to attend to as well. How would he manage to tell his company about a better offer? Okay, so maybe this poster advertised some shady ninja business that may not be the best to get involved in. Yet at the same time, Enoki felt a peculiar urge to charge out into the world and blast his battle-driven enemies away.

Also, Shitake couldn't bear it if Enoki were to travel all by himself to another foreign place he didn't know. Although slightly annoyed at his companion’s overprotective nature, Enoki knew he had good reasons for being so. 

His rational mind was telling him to stop thinking about the poster and the potentially dangerous message that it implied. He had only been on Earth for several months...how could he trust anyone or anything that caught his attention? 

Enoki stared at the image of the planet again. 

"Could that be Planet Name?" he thought.

"Wait...that definitely looks like Planet Plant. I've seen the planet dozens of times in my textbooks...But why are they calling it Planet Vegeta?"

He heard a beeping sound from behind him and whirled around, fists raised.

"Enoki-san, it's only me." 

Enoki took a deep tensed breath. "Shitake, stop sneaking behind me like that!"

"What are you reading?" the robot asked.

Enoki covered the poster with his hand. "Nothing."

But Shitake had already scanned the poster he had been reading and was storing it in his mechanical database. 

'At least he can determine whether this advertisement is genuine or not,' he thought. 

"This is, indeed, real' "said Shitake. "This government was formed several years before you were born. With technology and luck, they managed to avoid the threats of the Frieza Force."

'Looks like I'll have to become...let's see...'

Enoki glanced at the positions listed:

Mechanic

Scientist

File organizer

Customer Service

General

Data Collector

Bounty Hunter

'Okay then, bounty hunter it is,' thought Enoki, mentally kicking himself for making such a rash decision.

To be continued…

To be continued…