Chapter 2198: Snooping
"That could have gone better..."
Amused by Vahn's utterance, a soft chuckle emanated from Sarina's throat before she replied, "I don't know. I feel like things went surprisingly well. This version of Chi-Chi is a lot kinder than her adult counterpart."
Giving the raven-haired woman a questionable look, Vahn was surprised to find a genuine smile on Sarina's face. She didn't even seem remotely bothered by this development. Rather, undoubtedly as a result of her desire to alter the course of events to her liking, she seemed to be looking forward to the prospect of having Chi-Chi as a younger 'sister'.
Noticing the look Vahn had directed her way, the smile on Sarina's face became marginally more prominent as she teased, "Don't give me that look. Besides, wasn't she a lot cuter than either of us expected? I don't remember her being that tall."
As the Chi-Chi from the anime was only a half-head taller than the 124cm Goku, Sarina was more than a little surprised to see the scantily-clad Princess appearing just a few centimeters shorter than her. She didn't know her exact height but Chi-Chi had to be around 156-158cm tall. If she and Goku had been standing side-by-side, the latter wouldn't even reach her shoulders. A 32-34cm difference in height was 'very' noticeable.
Understanding Sarina's confusion, Vahn explained, "When it comes to anime, there are a number of inconsistencies in the characters and art style. It's not easy to fit large characters on screen without making them take up the entire scene, so, more often than not, they're drawn to appear smaller or as a fixture in the background. As for Chi-Chi...I believe her height discrepancies are entirely related to Goku. I believe the series creator wanted them to be around the same height but got too used to drawing Goku a certain way. I mean, he barely even changes between the start of the series and the start of his training with Kami. A full three years passes in that time, yet, despite being a race that is supposed to mature quickly, he stays the same height for nearly five years..."
Though her knowledge of the timeline couldn't compete with Vahn's, Sarina could recall most of the major events in the series. This included Goku's training with Master Roshi, his conquest of the Red Ribbon Army, the revival of King Piccolo, and his subsequent training with Kami. These events transpired over the course of several years, but, just as Vahn had stated, Goku's appearance didn't change in the slightest until the time skip leading up to the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament...
Staring at the inordinately petite youth flying around and performing tricks on his Flying Nimbus, a thoughtful expression appeared on Sarina's face as she inquired, "Are you going to attempt to pair him with Chi-Chi?"
Surprised by the sudden question, Vahn's brows perked up as he asked, "Oh? What makes you say that...?"
Snorting through her nose, Sarina adopted a playfully pouty expression as she looked up at Vahn and asked, "Do you think so little of me? I'm not an idiot, Vahn. I may have been oblivious to it at the time but you were clearly trying to set me up with Jin. You did the same thing with Nono and I'm pretty sure you're the only reason Lily even bothered to give Jin a chance..."
As he had always expected Sarina to eventually catch on to his 'scheme', Vahn wasn't too surprised by her accusations. He also wasn't ashamed of his actions, as, both then and now, he had only ever wanted them to be happy. He just doesn't want to be the lynchpin for everyone's happiness.
Answering Sarina's previous question, Vahn explained, "As you pointed out, Chi-Chi is too ignorant of the world abroad. Even in the canon I'm most familiar with, she was notably intolerant and even hostile towards the people living in cities. While I do intend to try and get her to open up to Goku, my primary goal is to educate her and broaden her horizons. It's the only way to prevent her from becoming as close-minded as she was in the original series..."
Nodding her head in approval, Sarina attempted to imagine a version of Chi-Chi who wasn't always shouting and trying to boss people around. It was...surprisingly difficult. Fortunately, Vahn could do just about anything, so, even if his plan to set her up with Goku was doomed to failure, Chi-Chi was bound to be a much better person in this timeline than the original.
With that in mind, Sarina's thoughts briefly shifted to the other girls she imagined falling for Vahn. People like Videl, her favorite character from Z, were undoubtedly off the table but there were still girls like Lazuli, Caulifla, Kale, and Cheelai. The former might be a little difficult to secure unless she allowed Dr. Gero to survive but the latter three were relatively easy to acquire. Caulifla, in particular, would probably pursue Vahn on her own after a good fight...
Thinking of the trio of girls, Sarina surprised Vahn quite a bit by asking, "Why don't you teleport over to Planet Vampa and pick up Broly? He would be much happier growing up on Earth and it would prevent a scenario where you're the only guy around the house. If you still want to pair him with Cheelai, you can pick her up as well. I remember her stating she was an orphan in the spinoff series. "
Resisting the urge to point out it wasn't a healthy mentality to simply 'pair' people together, Vahn briefly considered Sarina's proposal. At the same time, his intent shifted to Planet Vampa, a lush yet inhospitable world with wild animals that would fodder most planets. There, seated atop the head of a monstrous, bear-like serpent, a teenage Broly could be seen staring off into space with a wistful expression that didn't suit his youthful appearance...
Directing his intent to Cheelai in turn, Vahn was somewhat surprised she appeared nearly identical to her counterpart in Super. The only notable difference was that she was currently lacking the skin-tight uniform of a Frieza Force member. Instead, she was curled up in the alleyway of a futuristic yet extremely polluted city, her green-skinned body noticeably emaciated and covered in dark purple bruises...
"Hmm..."
Though he knew they would survive even without his interference, Vahn would be lying if he said he didn't sympathize with the duo's current circumstances. There was also a remarkably high likelihood they would never meet, as, the moment Frieza's path crossed his own, Vahn intended to 'delete' the monstrous tyrant from existence. At the very least, there was no way in hell he was letting him come back to life...
After a moment of deliberation, Vahn composed a letter in his mind before dropping a satchel next to the shivering Cheelai. This surprised the green-skinned woman quite a bit, but, after cautiously checking her surroundings, she eventually picked it up to investigate the interior. When she found a pocketbook and a change of clothes inside, her confusion increased by several orders of magnitude until she finally noticed the message scrawled on a piece of paper.
Since Cheelai was very clearly an adult, Vahn wasn't going to just whisk her away from her world without notice. He also couldn't just tell her she was 'fated' to be with an alien man she had never met. Instead, he asked if she was willing to work as a caretaker in the estate he was intended to construct. Either way, she was allowed to keep the money, clothes, and accessories contained within the satchel. They were more than enough to turn her life around, and, so long as she didn't become a despot, the pendant and bangle he placed inside would literally increase her luck.
To Vahn's surprise, Cheelai didn't even hesitate to use the pen he provided to scrawl out a response. The shivering of her body made her handwriting near-illegible, but, even then, Vahn could make out the words, 'I accept. Please get me off this shitstain of a planet' as tears began to swell at the edges of Cheelai's rose-pink eyes.
As he wasn't yet ready to bring Cheelai to Earth, a conflicted expression developed across Vahn's face until Sarina asked, "What's wrong? You suddenly went all silent on me."
Explaining the situation in detail, Vahn was fairly surprised when Sarina suddenly palmed her head in exasperation and said, "You know, I wasn't telling check in on them and see what they were up to when I mentioned bringing them to Earth. You should have at least waited until we got situated in our new home. You know you can't help wanting to help people..."
Unable to refute the buxom beauty's words, Vahn just adopted a wry smile as he looked toward the sky and contemplated solutions. There were actually quite a few, so, instead of overthinking things, he promptly manifested a Japanese style manor atop a plateau located to the West of West City. He had always been most comfortable in traditional Japanese housing, so, in preparation for the future training of Sarina, Goku, Chi-Chi, and now Broly, Vahn made sure the manor had everything from a bathhouse to a dojo.
Though there was still a lot of work to be done, specifically related to the underground Workshop he was intending to build, Vahn wrapped things up by sending a follow-up message to the fretful-looking Cheelai. When she nodded her head almost violently in affirmation, he promptly teleported her away from Frieza Planet 297 before depositing her in the room that would serve as her home for the foreseeable future. She was a little dazed by the sudden and instantaneous transition, but, after a brief survey of her surroundings, a profoundly relieved expression appeared on her face as she plopped down like a marionette with its strings cut.
Resisting the temptation to peer into Cheelai's past, Vahn sent the green-skinned woman one last message detailing her current situation and the facilities she had access to.
Instead of immediately reacting to the piece of paper that manifested near the center of the room, Cheelai appeared to be gauging his response by staring at it for the better part of twenty minutes. When nothing happened, she tentatively made her way over before perusing the map and reading the information provided on the back...
Discovering that there was a bath located a relatively short distance away from her room, an excited smile developed across Cheelai's face. It had been a long time since she was able to relax in a tub or take a shower so she couldn't help looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, the notion that someone was currently watching her made Cheelai more than a little apprehensive. She had gone to great lengths to avoid having to whore herself out after fleeing the orphanage and setting out on her own. As much as she appreciated being given an out, she would rather die than become someone's pet or plaything.
Though she had failed to find any cameras during her preliminary search, the appearance of a third piece of paper made it pretty obvious she was still being watched. To make matters even worse, the person who was watching her clearly possessed special abilities. She had absolutely no idea where Earth was located but it sure as hell wasn't anywhere near Frieza Planet 297...
Suppressing her growing anxiety, Cheelai tried to look on the bright side. As scary as the notion of someone possessing the ability to teleport her across the Galaxy was, it was also convenient. If she played her cards right, she could travel virtually anywhere in the Galaxy whenever she wanted. She had also been given a choice whether or not to accept her mysterious employer's invitation, so, as frightening as his powers were, he was a hell of a lot more reasonable than the twisted goons that had beaten her after she refused to whore herself out at their behest.
"Screw it..."
Deciding that there were worse things than being seen naked by the person who may as well have saved her life, Cheelai promptly stripped out of her clothes before walking toward the bathroom in the buff. The letter informed her that she was the only person living in the manor at the present, so, even if she was being watched, she intended to make the most of it. It beat freezing to death in an alleyway...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Toriyama's art style changed drastically throughout the series...','Sarina is the type of person who self-inserts into a fiction and gives herself all the most powerful abilities in the first ten chapters xD...','Vahn's powers are objectively terrifying...')