I apologize for the mistake. I swear I thought I had sent the chapter in English.
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On top of a curiously flat mountain, resembling a rudimentary arena, a shirtless boy, his body gleaming with sweat, was doing push-ups. A heavy metal backpack was strapped to his back, mimicking Master Roshi's turtle shell, and with every effort, the rock beneath him groaned, threatening to crack under the immense weight.
"Two hundred ninety-seven, two hundred ninety-eight, two hundred ninety-nine, three hundred!" Leekon strained. A month had passed since his fight with the Saibaman, and his full recovery had caused his power level to skyrocket to 1239, putting him on par with Raditz. Daily, his mother, Vanie, rigorously trained him. He had mastered flight and honed his energy attacks. She even provided him with special goggles that created a virtual copy of himself for sparring, but he hadn't faced a real opponent since that first Saibaman.
Through these simulations, Leekon was confident that he could quickly dispatch his former "self." Every night, he incorporated physical exercises, using weighted equipment he had asked his mother for – like the backpack, which served as an imitation of Master Roshi's turtle shell. This regimen, he believed, had further amplified his strength since a month ago.
"Four hundred six, four hundred seven…."
"Leekon, that's enough, come here." His mother's voice cut through his counting. He walked towards her, the heavy backpack still firmly on his back. "Yes, mother, what is it?"
"I've talked to the engineers and found one willing to teach you how to build a spaceship."
"SERIOUSLY?! THANK YOU SO MUCH, MOM!" Leekon's face lit up. Vanie chuckled, playfully ruffling his hair. "I don't know why you want to learn that as a warrior, but alright." Leekon just smiled. Their bond had deepened significantly over the past month, and it had taken all that time to convince her to arrange the lessons. Her diligent care had cultivated a deep affection in him, and he now truly loved her as his mother.
"I have my reasons for learning how to build a spaceship, but I assure you it's important." She nodded in acceptance, still not fully understanding his motives, but proving to be more understanding than most parents on Earth. 'If I know how to assemble one, I'll know how to remove a scouter, if there is one. Besides, it's a great skill to have, and I plan, right after two years of training, to go to Namek to make a wish to save some Saiyans and get something for my own strength or more convenient abilities.'
Since recovering and gaining strength, Leekon had considered intentionally fighting other Saibamen to get another Zenkai boost upon healing, but his mother vehemently refused. He even tried to convince her to beat him to within an inch of his life, or so she understood when he asked to fight her, to trigger a power boost, but she didn't give in once. He still didn't know the full extent of her power, though a powerful sense of danger emanated from her, confirming she was much stronger than him, although by how much was still a mystery, but apparently he won't find out anytime soon.
Breaking out of his thoughts, he heard Vanie's voice again: "He will start teaching you next week, once every Saturday. Until then, you will have less time to train; in other words, during the time you do have, the training will be heavier."
"With pleasure, mother." Leekon readily agreed to the intensified training, understanding its purpose. They spent the next few minutes chatting between his exercise sets.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of another Saiyan, bald and remarkably thin, as if perpetually hungry. Leekon recognized him as a Saiyan only by the tail wrapped around his waist. The man bowed. "Miss Vanie, King Vegeta is calling for you." Vanie nodded, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face at the interruption.
Her gaze hardened, and the thin Saiyan began to sweat, clearly a low-class messenger. She turned to Leekon. "Leekon, go home by yourself later; I'll prepare dinner, okay?" She ruffled his hair again.
"Okay, mom, see you later." She nodded goodbye and, with a smile, shot into the sky at high speed. Stunned, Leekon heard the thin Saiyan mutter quietly, "Damn it." The messenger barely began to follow her before Vanie was a mere distant speck in sight. Before he could fly too far, Leekon had an idea. He threw his heavy backpack to the ground; the impact cracked the rock. In a flash of pure speed, he appeared behind the Saiyan.
Shush!
The Saiyan only felt a gust of wind. Leekon grabbed him by the tail, instantly paralyzing him, and dragged him back to the ground.
"W-What the hell, my tail!"
"What is it, brat?" The Saiyan was surprised and clearly annoyed.
"Well, bald guy, I need your help since my mother left." No, he wouldn't ask for a Zenkai; his mother would surely kill the poor fellow. Instead, Leekon planned to train his ki perception. His experience showed that better perception would improve his combat skills. If he had been able to sense the Saibaman underground, he would never have been caught off guard in the last fight.
"I'm going to sit here, and you just need to keep launching energy attacks at me until you get tired."
The Saiyan stared at him as if he were a lunatic. "My name is Bonnes, not Bald Guy, brat, and why would you want that? Besides, I have to go back to the palace; maybe the king needs me for something else." Leekon knew Bonnes wasn't essential, as he could train with his mother, but with her absent, he decided to use Bonnes's attacks for practice.
"Well, if you don't help me, I'm going to tell my mother that you started a fight with me and luckily I managed to defeat you, this older, evil Saiyan," Leekon says, feigning a crying face, a clearly innocent little Saiyan.
Bonnes's pride was clearly wounded. He glared at him, momentarily forgetting Vanie's presence. "Be careful what you say. I may not be a warrior, but I'm still an adult Saiyan. I can't be weaker than an arrogant brat." Leekon smiled. "You know any other high-class Saiyan would have killed you for saying something like that, but I'm a nice guy, come on, man, help me, it won't take long anyway." Bonnes looked away upon hearing this.
Leekon shook his head and walked to a table where his mother kept training supplies and picked up a scouter. He measured Bonnes's power: "370." He tossed it to him. Bonnes asked: "What am I going to use this for, kid?"
"To measure my power, isn't it obvious?" Leekon says with a smile.
Tch!
"How strong can you be?"
Bonnes put on the scouter, and his face instantly paled as if he had seen a ghost. When the number settled at 1452, he staggered two steps back, trembling with shock. "O-ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO??????"
'My training is paying off. At this rate, I'll soon surpass 9000!' Leekon smiled. "So, bald guy, what are you going to do, accept or get beaten up?"
"I accept," Bonnes said, not correcting him about his name this time, with a defeated look on his face.
"See, it wasn't that hard," Leekon replied. He sat on the ground in a meditative position. Bonnes stared at him. "Go ahead, you can start, but attack slowly with varying amounts of energy, if you can."
Bonnes nodded. "Yes, sir…." He paused, asking Leekon for his name.
"Leekon, my name is Leekon."
"Sir Leekon," Bonnes said, no longer contradicting him. Such was Saiyan society: the weak respected the strong, and the strong asserted their rights.
"Attack, bald guy."
Bonnes sent the first attack. Leekon felt nothing but the impact. "Again." Still nothing. "Again." Nothing. "Aga—"
They continued for the next thirty minutes until:
"YES! I DID IT!"
Leekon finally managed to sense Bonnes's ki and the ki of the approaching attack. Bonnes was drenched in sweat, panting as if he had run a marathon.
"Well, Sir Bonner, thank you very much for the training," Leekon said, thrilled to have acquired one of the most crucial abilities in the anime. He shot off at high speed towards home without waiting for a reply, hunger gnawing at him.
Ugh!
"Bonner, seriously?"
Alone on the training ground, Bonnes muttered quietly: "My name is Bonnes, damn it, it's not that hard, but… he thanked me. That's rare coming from strong Saiyans." He then flew back to the palace, not thinking much about the encounter, believing that this had only happened today because he was born weak as a low-class Saiyan, unlike Sir Leekon or Miss Vanie.
Little did he know that one of the strongest Saiyans of the future would be a mere low-class, a Saiyan who reached the level of gods.
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I wanted to show the protagonist growing rapidly in strength, but I also don't want to overdo it. Imagine him tying with a Saibaman and immediately defeating Frieza with a slap – that would be very incoherent. So, I hope you don't find the Zenkai boost too small. I also want him to know how to remove a tracker so he doesn't have to ask anyone to do it, avoiding unnecessary drama.
I've been thinking until now about whether I should give him a Viltrumite mustache. I personally think it looks cool, but tell me what you guys think.
If possible, please comment. I like reading your comments, and see you next time.
Should I do what other authors do to increase the word count, or just keep posting normally until I reach 15,000 words?