The Daimao Clan
"The Daimao Clan: A look at Namek's Greatest Soldiers"
By Neru 1017
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
Chapter Two
Nail is floating on his back in the middle of a large lake letting his large white pants billow out around him. Only his nose and barefeet are above the water. He is relaxed and letting all the tension in his muscles drain out. His chest rises and falls calmly as he breaths the sweet afternoon air. He slowly opens his eyes as his slim Namekian ears pick up the sound of someone calling his name, muffled by the water plugging his ears. Breaking his concentration, he lifts his head out of the water to see Marron floating in the air above him.
"Nail, I've been looking for you! What have you been doing?!" she yells exhasperated.
"Enjoying Piccolo's absence," jokes Nail, "actually I was just going for a swim it's good excersise."
Nail sees Marron is very upset about something and he looks at himself on the surface of the water guiltily.
"I'm sorry... did I do something wrong?" Nail mutters.
"Oh Nail! I'm not mad! It's just something's about to go down and I need to know where Piccolo is! I've got something important to tell you!" Marron explains.
"Oh. Well he went with Trunks and Goten to see Trent fight in a martial arts tournament in the city," Nail answers perking his ears up.
"Piccolo? In the city? Ohhh boy...come on Nail don't stare at me like that! We have to go get him! I'll tell you what's happened on the way," Marron says.
"I can't go like this," says Nail lifting his arms above the water for emphasis, "not around humans anyway."
"Oh, right," Marron says, "Hmm. I guess you'll have to go dressed like a human."
"What?! No way! Piccolo's gonna be enough of a freakfest for them much less me!" Nail says ducking his head under the water.
"Nail! Stop being a baby! This is important!" Marron yells shaking her finger at him. Marron stares at Nail who stays perfectly still under water with no signs changing his mind.
"You have to come up for air some time!" yells Marron.
'Can't you just go alone? Why do I have to come?' mouths Nail. Several bubbles fly up around his face. Marron lowers herself close to the surface of the water mischieviously.
"Well Nail it's because..." Marron mutters slowly making sure he is looking away waiting for an answer. With lighting reflexes she drops her hand into the water and grabs Nail by his antaneas, "If you don't I'll rip these right out of your head!"
Marron pulls Nail out of the water and he's busy struggling to get her to release him.
"Ahhh...ah," mutters Nail keeping his head tucked down close to his chest to releive stress on his antenaes, "Lemme go! Please."
"You promise to come?' Marron asks giving him a jerk.
"Yaah! Yes I promise!" Nail says.
"Good," says Marron releasing him with a smile, "I knew I could count on you! And just in case you give me trouble I can still tell Piccolo I managed to slip you up and you don't want that blow to you pride now do you?"
"Ok, ok," Nail says. He clasps his fist across his chest and powers up a little. In a flash his white Namekian pants and shoes disappear replaced by human garments.
"Great! Let's go!" Marron says.
"Good luck," says Trunks as he pats his son Trent on the shoulder. Trent looks around the crowding tournament hall nervously. His eyes land on Goten and Piccolo sitting in the stands. Goten smiles and gives an enthusicastic thumbs up.
"I'll try to do my best," Trent says looking at his dad.
"You'll be great," says Trunks as he drops to a knee to look his son full in the face.
"I don't know...look at all the fighters I have to compete against," Trent says tugging anxiously at his gi belt.
"Well don't-", Trunks begins but is cut off by a voice on the intercom saying the tournament will soon begin. Trent walks to his seat to wait for his turn and Trunks heads to the stands.
"Feeling a bit unsure of himself?" asks Piccolo as Trunks sits down in the row in front of Piccolo next to Goten.
"Yeah," says Trunks sighing.
"I don't blame him. If I was that puny or that slow I'd be upset about going against all these fighters too," Piccolo pauses with a grin for emphasis, "in fact I'd be embarassed."
"Well why don't you train him then?! I've done the best I can!" yells Trunks begining to get upset.
"I can't train him if there's nothing in him. Face it Trunks, your kid can't fight. He doesn't want to," says Piccolo. Trunks keeps his eyes focused ahead of him angrily.
"We have to keep fighters in the family," he says through clenched teeth, "and you know you could at least encourage him."
"I came out here didn't I?" says Piccolo in an equally angry manner.
"Hey guys! Stop! Trunks, Piccolo knows what he's talking about, and I agree," says Goten attempting to act as a mediator, "Trent fights because you make him. His heart's not in it."
"He will fight!" says Trunks whirling around to face Piccolo in the stand behind him.
"We'll see," says Piccolo calmly putting his hands into his blue jean pockets, "If he takes a place, third or better, and that's stretching it, then I'll teach him what I can. If he doesn't, I label him a lost cause and I won't waste my time."
"Deal," says Trunks turning back around to face the fighting floor.
They watch the competetors battle it out against on another until finally Trent is up. Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo look on intently. Trent overpowers his first opponent, but only out of sheer size and not skill as the other boy was even smaller than Trent. Trunks winks at Trent who looks into the stand for his father's approval. Trunks laughs casually and gives Piccolo a stare. Piccolo pretends not to notice and picks at a peice of lint on his flannel jacket.
As Trent looks back to his next opponent, he laughs haughtily. The judges signal to begin and Trent charges at his opponent who quickly side-steps his attack and kicks Trent hard in the back. Trent hurries to get back up off the ground only to find another blow awaiting him as his opponent drops to the ground and makes spin-kcik knocking Trent's feet out from under him.
"That's it," says Piccolo expertly, "It's over. He's to slow."
"Wait! You haven't even given him a chance!" yells Trunks.
"I don't have too," says Piccolo averting his eyes back to the floor, "Your boy's down and out."
Trunks looks back at the arena also and gasps a little as he sees Trent lying on the grounded defeated and twitching in pain. Goten grits his teeth just waiting for Trunk's verbal attack on Piccolo.
"You just have to give up on people if they don't meet your standards don't you?!" yells Trunks, "Well forget it! We don't need you!"
Trunks walks out of the stands to help his son and Piccolo walks to the nearest exit with Goten following behind him. Piccolo's eye-ridges are knit together and his nose is turned up revealing his anger, but Piccolo is to self-disciplined to let it show further. Piccolo opens the door to head outside the tournament hall and is almost run over by another person entering.
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
