Dragon Ball: Escaping from Planet Vegeta

"Aunt Gine, you don't need to be so nervous. Even if it breaks, it's fine. After I finish all the modifications, I'll teach you and Salari a method to control your aura and power. Once you learn it, not only can you become stronger, but you'll also be able to lock onto a target by sensing their aura. You'll know how strong they are and whether they're a threat to you."

As Talot continued to modify Salari's scouter, his words left Gine feeling astonished.

"Little Talot, where did you learn these skills? Not only can you modify a scouter, but you also have this kind of ability. Even Bardock doesn't know how to do that," Gine asked.

Talot nodded, realizing there was no need to hide or keep secrets anymore.

He then demonstrated his ability to control his Ki.

"Actually, I've been hiding my true strength. Now, I'll reveal all of my power. Aunt Gine, you can check my power level with the scouter again."

Startled by Talot's words and the sudden shift in his aura, Gine quickly pressed the button on the scouter.

*Beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep...*

[Power level: 1200]

When the scouter displayed Talot's power level, Gine was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth.

"A power level of 1200... Is this the method you mentioned to control your aura and power? You can even hide it from the scouter? Does Bardock know?" Gine kept asking.

After all, for a Saiyan who doesn't understand this at all, such ability is simply unbelievable.

Even though they could control the strength of their power, the scouter should still be able to detect their true level, just as it does with other beings.

But Talot was able to completely hide it.

"Uncle Bardock doesn't know. In fact, I owe you all an apology because I've been deceiving you in this regard.

"Also, I've known for a long time that Frieza might target the Saiyan race. I even knew that King Vegeta was monitoring us, so I've been secretly training and hiding my strength."

As Talot spoke, he didn't dare to look at Gine. He looked like he was immersed in disassembling the scouter, but his heart was actually in turmoil.

This matter had always gnawed at his mind, something he had kept hidden deep inside.

Now, taking this opportunity to speak out, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Gine was stunned by what she heard.

She never imagined Talot to be so mature, that he had considered so much, and knew so much.

Compared to her, who knew nothing, five-year-old Talot seemed more like an adult, carrying all the burdens just like Bardock.

After a long silence, neither Talot nor Gine spoke.

The atmosphere became very quiet.

Just as Talot made up his mind and was about to say something else, he suddenly felt the warmth of Gine's body.

She had hugged him from behind.

This feeling was warm and familiar, yet different from previous embraces.

"Talot, Aunt Gine always thought you were still a child. Now I realize how hard you've been working all this time. I should have noticed earlier, so you wouldn't have to bear it alone. I think Bardock noticed this, which is why he told me to follow your lead," Gine's gentle words calmed Talot's anxious heart.

Bardock had noticed so many details and told Gine to follow his lead.

"Sure enough, Uncle Bardock's gaze was different when we said goodbye. I should have realized it sooner," Talot took a deep breath.

Gine held Talot for a long time. "You don't have to work so hard. You can always talk to Aunt Gine if you're feeling pressured. To me, you're like a son to me, just like Raditz and Kakarot."

These heartfelt words caused Talot to tremble slightly.

Throughout his past life and this one, Gine has truly given him enough motherly love. 

"I know, which is why I need to tell you something now, Aunt Gine. Once I finish modifying the scouter, I also need to modify some of the spaceship's equipment. Only then will we truly be safe." With the weight off his chest, Talot was no longer hesitant.

Gine stayed by Talot's side, her face full of motherly love, unable to hide her smile.

It seemed that Talot had truly opened up to her, making her feel that their relationship had grown even closer.

Less than two hours passed, and with skillful work, Talot finished modifying Salari's as well as all the spare scouters.

After he tested each one to ensure the detection function still worked, Salari came out of the rest area, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Brother Talot, Aunt Gine, didn't you guys rest?"

The excitement of space travel had worn off, leaving only boredom.

Besides eating and sleeping, the only other activity was simple training in the limited space of the spaceship.

There was almost no entertainment.

Well, maybe there was some. Talot had used his memories of his previous life to create some simple games, like cards and board games.

"You've been getting lazier lately, Salari. You slept for almost twenty hours," Talot couldn't help but tease her.

Salari blushed at the teasing, knowing she'd been called out for sleeping so long. "I... I just didn't sleep well before, so I was extra tired, hmph."

"Is that so?"

"Of course it is."

"Hehe~! Alright, alright, Salari is a girl, Talot, you should be more considerate," Gine interrupted, easing Salari's embarrassment.

Salari moved closer to the workbench, noticing the pile of parts and fragments on the table, along with the scouters, and looked a bit puzzled.

"Brother Talot, did you take apart all the scouters?"

Hearing this, Talot nodded and explained the situation to Salari.

Of course, he didn't go into too much detail, only mentioning that it was to ensure their safety and avoid being monitored.

Talot didn't expect that his simple explanation would make Salari like him even more.

Gine, watching Salari openly move closer to Talot, couldn't help but smile.

She thought back to her own experience with Bardock, which was similar to what was happening now between Salari and Talot.

Back then, she had to put in a lot of effort to get close to Bardock and eventually melt his heart, which knew nothing about love.

In Gine's eyes, Talot was excellent and very smart, but when it came to emotions, she felt that Talot was even more clueless than Bardock had been.

"So, Brother Talot's true power level is 1200. That's amazing," Salari said, her eyes sparkling.

Talot didn't pay much attention to the praise, as he knew his own limitations.

"I'm not really that great. I just advanced quickly after learning the method of training Ki," Talot humbly attributed his success to his Ki training.