_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Really, Aunt Gine, you don't have to be so nervous. Even if you mess it up, it's fine. Once I finish all these modifications, I'll teach you and Celari a way to control your energy—your ki. Once you master it, you'll not only become stronger, but you'll also be able to sense others' energy, lock onto their presence, and even tell how strong or dangerous they are."
Still tweaking Celari's scouter, Harry's calm explanation left Gine momentarily stunned.
"Harry, where on earth did you learn all this? You can rebuild a scouter, and you have these strange techniques too… even Bardock doesn't know them."
Harry nodded slightly. There was no point in hiding anymore.
He took a deep breath, then let a faint shimmer of energy pulse around him—his control over ki on full display.
"Actually, I've been holding back this whole time. But now, I'll show you my true power. Aunt Gine, try checking my reading again."
As soon as he said it, his aura changed. It wasn't just stronger—it was completely different, dense and calm at the same time. Gine's fingers trembled as she activated her scouter.
Beep—beep—beep—beep—!
[Power Level: 1200]
The number blinked on the display. Gine's eyes widened in disbelief.
"1200?! That's your real power level? And you can hide it completely, even from a scouter? That's… that's incredible! Does Bardock know about this?" she asked in rapid succession, struggling to process what she'd just seen.
For a Saiyan, this kind of ability was beyond imagination. They could control the intensity of their strength, sure—but a scouter would still read their actual power. Hiding it entirely was thought to be impossible.
"Uncle Bardock doesn't know," Harry admitted softly. "And… I owe you both an apology. I've been keeping this secret from you for a long time."
He paused, his voice dropping.
"I also knew for a while now… that Frieza might be planning something against the Saiyans. And that King Vegeta's been watching us. That's why I've kept my training and my power hidden."
As he spoke, he avoided Gine's eyes, pretending to focus on the disassembled scouter before him. His hands moved, but his thoughts were scattered. This secret had weighed on him for so long—it felt like a knot in his chest finally loosening.
Gine blinked, stunned into silence.
She hadn't expected a child—barely five years old—to think this deeply, to know this much. Compared to him, she felt ignorant, almost naïve. Harry seemed more like an adult—a young Bardock—carrying burdens far too heavy for his age.
The room fell completely silent. Neither of them spoke for a long while.
Then, just as Harry was about to say something else, he felt warmth against his back.
Gine had wrapped her arms around him.
The embrace was soft, familiar, but this time it carried something more—understanding, and quiet sorrow.
"Harry," she said gently, "I've always thought of you as just a child. But now I see how much you've been carrying alone. I should've noticed sooner… maybe then you wouldn't have had to go through all this by yourself. I think Bardock saw it too—that's why he told me to follow your lead."
Her voice was warm and kind, and the tension in Harry's chest began to ease.
"So Bardock knew…" he murmured. "No wonder he looked at me like that before we left. I should've realized."
Gine held him tighter. "You don't have to carry everything by yourself, Harry. Whatever it is, you can talk to me. In my eyes, you're no different from Raditz or Kakarot—you're like a son to me."
Her words made him tremble.
Even across two lives, Gine's kindness and motherly warmth never failed to reach him.
"I know, Aunt Gine. And that's why… there's something I need to tell you. Once I finish fixing these scouters, I'm going to upgrade the ship's systems next. Only then will we really be safe."
With his heart finally unburdened, Harry's focus returned.
Gine stayed by his side, smiling softly as she watched him work. His openness had changed something between them—brought them closer.
Two hours passed. Harry's hands moved deftly as he finished modifying Celari's scouter and several spares. One by one, he tested them—all worked perfectly.
Just then, a sleepy voice broke the quiet.
"Harry… Aunt Gine… you two didn't rest at all?"
Celari stepped out of the rest chamber, rubbing her eyes and yawning so wide her words nearly slurred.
Space travel had lost its novelty for her. What was left was boredom—days filled with eating, sleeping, and the occasional light training in the cramped cabin.
Entertainment? Almost none—except for the few simple games Harry had recreated from memory: cards, board games, and such.
"You've gotten lazy these past two days, Celari," Harry teased, smiling. "You've been asleep for almost twenty hours."
Celari's cheeks flushed bright red. "I—I was just catching up on rest! I didn't sleep well before, that's all!"
"Yeah? Is that so?"
"Of course!" she huffed, crossing her arms.
Gine laughed softly. "Alright, that's enough teasing. Celari's a girl, Harry—show her some mercy."
Relieved, Celari huffed again but smiled faintly, then curiously peeked at the workbench. "Wait, did you take apart all the scouters?"
Harry nodded and briefly explained—just enough to reassure her it was for safety reasons, to prevent anyone from tracking or monitoring them.
He didn't realize that his calm confidence only made Celari look at him with even more admiration.
Gine caught the look and smiled knowingly. It reminded her so much of herself when she first met Bardock—awkward, nervous, yet drawn in.
Back then, it had taken her ages to get close to him, to break through that wall around his heart.
Harry was brilliant and strong, but when it came to feelings… Gine thought he might be even slower than Bardock had been.
"So that means your real power level is 1200?" Celari asked, her eyes sparkling like stars. "That's amazing, Harry!"
He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "It's not that impressive. I just improved faster once I learned how to train my ki properly, that's all."
Celari didn't seem convinced—but to her, he looked more incredible than ever.
"..."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________