Training partner
A/N
Pie pie seems to be fondly remembered, much more than I had originally anticipated.
Who knew a character that appeared for around one panel would leave such a deep impression.
I wonder what the reason might be, must be her ability to ride the nimbus, not many can do that.
Anyway, good work folks, trivia time's over, now onto the story!
---------
Raditz had closed off all his senses and was simply floating in the deep ocean.
No ki sense, no wandering mind, only pure stillness, so when he abruptly felt a pair of eyes staring at him closely, his eyes snapped open.
" Fuc- ! "
* Glug *
Raditz swiftly closed his mouth with his face turning blue and ran for the surface, leaving the owner of the curious eyes startled.
Watching the man that should be drowning leave for the surface swiftly, the creature hesitated a bit then followed behind.
* Blurrrb *
* Splash! *
" Cough cough, shit, I almost drowned, that got me..! "
Coughing violently to remove the water that had started filling his lungs, Raditz somehow floated above the surface in a sitting posture.
As he was trying to get his breath back, the water before him started bubbling and attracted Raditz's attention.
* Splash *
With a bit of water splashing on him, a head full of purple hair emerged from the water, it's owner being a human girl.
Well, almost human, the barely visible fishtail flipping under her broke the immersion immediately.
And Raditz meanwhile was pissed off, he almost drowned because she sneaked up on him quietly.
" What the hell! I could have died you know! A reminder would have been great! "
" Aah! I thought you were drowning, I wanted to help.. sorry.. "
The startled mermaid gave an apologetic smile to Raditz, who by now had noticed her red shirt, more specifically what was written on it.
' Pie pie? She's the mermaid Goku found back then. Did she settle in these waters or was she always here, Goku just asked her to follow him? '
Understanding who he was talking to got Raditz to relax a bit, Pie pie was one of the very few who could ride the flying nimbus.
A pure of heart gentle creature, for reference, Bulma can't ride the flying nimbus, no matter how much she insists it's the nimbus who's at fault.
" ..Fine, name's Raditz. "
" I am Pie pie, I am sorry for before. "
Again apologising, Pie pie showed her pure Goku like nature completely, even though Raditz let it go, she herself felt bad.
Hearing her name Raditz nodded curiously.
" Oo? Pie? "
" As in the food? Pie? I see, I'll remember you. "
Pie pie sweatdropped and gave an embarrassed smile, while this was a weird way to remember someone's name, this wasn't the first time she had encountered this.
A kid with a fluffy brown tail had said the same to her a few years ago-
" Wait.. we have met before..? I remember you, we visited that island together, do you still have that cloud? I would love to sit on it again. "
Pie pei spoke a lot after she remembered where she had seen him before, his tail being a dead giveaway for her.
But this caused Raditz to tilt his head.
" Huh? You can't know me, I just arrived here, maybe it's my brother that you saw. "
This had Pie pie visibly confused for a bit, then she somehow agreed, though she still felt that not many with such fluffy brown tail exist.
" Oh.. Do you have your brother's cloud then? Can you take me for a ride like before? "
Raditz was at a loss, while he wouldn't have minded taking her for a ride, he didn't know where the nimbus was at.
And even if he got one of his own, he wasn't sure he could qualify it's heart purity test, well, he might be able to cheat using nature ki.
" Umm, I am not sure where brother kept it, I can't ask him either as he is dead you see, he was killed by m-. "
" Aah! "
Opening her eyes wide Pie pie looked visibly startled and saddened.
" That's awful.. I am sorry.. "
Waving his hands Raditz said without much care.
" It's fine, I will pull his soul out of otherworld soon enough, don't worry about it. "
Pie pie looked a bit ashamed at reminding Raditz of such a bad news, and she felt worse at Raditz's comforting words.
How can someone revive the dead, he was just trying to look onto false hope, she can't let him live in delusions like this.
Swimming upto Raditz, Pie pie held his hands in her own and said with seriousness.
" It's okay, your brother is gone, whoever killed your brother is an awful person! But we must look forward, dead can't come back Raditz..! "
Barely maintaining a shaky smile Raditz looked at her a bit weirdly, he wasn't that awful..
As for Dragonball revival, she didn't know that was pretty normal, she was barely, barely a member of the main cast that hung around kame house.
Meanwhile Pie pie found Raditz seemed okay enough and smiled happily, letting his hands go she circled around him like an enthusiastic fish.
" How are you sitting on water? "
Looking down at the rippling water, Raditz said in a matter of fact way.
" Oh this? I am not sitting, I am flying. "
* Wooo *
* Splash *
Pushing himself a bit more distance from the surface Raditz floated above the water, making Pie pie open her eyes with wonder.
" That's amazing! You can fly! Take me! Take me as well please! "
Giving her hands forward Pie pie looked like she just found a mountain of gold.
And Raditz by now realised she had a substantial desire to fly, she was stuck in water all her life after all, land and air was something she longed to see.
But while Raditz didn't mind taking her for a ride, he was in the middle of training.
" Well, I would, but I am in the middle of my training you see. "
Putting her hands down with disappointment, Pie pie asked Raditz.
" What training? "
Pointing towards the deep sea, Raditz told what he wanted to do.
" I am going to practice swimming in the deep water, it's a kind of strength training, It would have worked best with a shark for me to chase, but alas, I gotta make do with holding my breath for now. "
Hearing that Pie pie brought her purple hair behind the ears, she then said with a mischievous look in her eyes.
" I can be your shark! I am very fast underwater, I have lived here all my life "
" But in exchange, how about you take me to fly afterwards?? "
Seeing Pie pie looking at him like she found a solution to all their problems, Raditz smiled as well.
" I suppose, as long as I don't use my ki I should be able to get all the exercise I need. Fine, Pie pie from now on you are my shark. "
" Okay! you shall be my cloud! "
After a moment of silence Raditz laughed boisterously, and agreed to be a nimbus substitute for Pie pie.
" Alright, I think I have rested enough, now back to training, are you ready? "
Nodding her head, Pie pie swiftly put her head in the sea and swam away, her speed was indeed fast.
" She's fast, I expect nothing less from a mermaid, this is a way better workout plan than the original. "
* Splash *
Diving in himself Raditz followed behind Pie pie, using just his muscle power he swam.
And so began a chase down at the ocean floor, a chase full of laughter, making Raditz realise this abyss wasn't so bad after all.