The Last Tuffle: Chapter 1

“Mr. Endo-san and Mrs. Kinoko-san, I am proud to confirm that your child is a boy.”

The doctor was wearing a white lab coat, with a name tag on the left side that read “Dr. Banan”. Round dark rimmed glasses framed his green eyes. His hair was short and black, with a yellow streak down the middle. He stopped by a large window and turned to look at the new parents. The mother, Kinoko, had long red hair that was currently tied back. Although she looked tired laying on a stretcher bed, she was still chipper enough at the opportunity to see her newborn son. “That’s wonderful!” she said in a voice that sounded slightly fatigued.

After giving birth, Kinoko had briefly gotten to hold her son, who was crying in her arms. All too soon, he was taken by several nurses for testing and additional nurturance. Kinoko did not know exactly what went on behind the closed hospital doors, but she heard it involved strengthening DNA to protect against future diseases. After all, it was always better to make children healthier early on. When a concerned friend told her that microchips were inserted into the feet of the infants to keep them “safe,” she pretended not to hear her. Indeed, it was second nature for Tuffles to be observed, even before birth. The hard labor of childbirth was an event that the poor and working class Tuffles got to experience. Only the elite gave birth using technological means to keep the genetic lines “pure” in their families. Creating perfect “designer” babies was obviously very expensive.

Kinoko peered through the large window at the babies in their small beds enclosed by glass coverings. “Where’s our son?” asked a gruff voice from behind her. A tall man moved beside her, also peering through the window. He was a tan muscular man in dark jeans, a band T-shirt, and athletic shoes. With his clothes and black spiky hair, he looked like an average teenager. However, the essence of a natural born warrior was reflected in his black eyes. He looked strangely uncomfortable in his outfit, as if the clothes were too formal for his tastes. Strangely enough, his black hair had remained the same all his life, sticking out like a fan of cannabis leaves.

“Oh I think I see him. Right there,” Kinoko said, pointing at a baby sleeping in a bed to the right. He was curled up in a ball under a blue blanket. Several small strands of black hair had started to poke from his bald head.

“Aww, he’s perfect!” Kinoko cooed from her bed.

The father stared at the baby and his eyes narrowed. “No tail? How disappointing.”

“What did you expect, Endo?” asked Kinoko. “He’s not a Saiyan like you.”

“It is better that way,” Banan added, in a clinical tone. “We would have removed his tail anyway.”

“You would have what?!” Endo bellowed, suddenly. His muscles tensed and he got ready to launch himself at the doctor. “Argh!” he yelped in pain as electric shocks spread through his hands. Endo clenched his hands in brief pain, not fast enough to stop a robot security guard from putting his hands together behind his back. “Where did you come from?” he asked in anger. Soon, his hands were held together by handcuffs. “Get these stupid things off of me!” He struggled in vain to get his hands free.

“Are those really necessary?” asked Kinoko with a glare at Banan.

“At the moment, yes,” replied Banan. “They are made from the strongest metal on this planet. They can come off when you all go outside.” Then he added, “It’s for precautionary measures.”

“Now do you see why I don’t like to go out in public all the time?” Endo asked his wife. “The way they treat us in these places is ridiculous!” Kinoko knew what he meant when he said “us.” He was referring to the warrior people of his race, the Saiyans.

“Let’s just calm down and focus on our son,” said Kinoko, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“No one touches our son,” Endo muttered under his breath.

“Speaking of which, are his tests done?” Kinoko asked the doctor.

“The nurse is finishing up,” the doctor answered. Banan looked to where a nurse was injecting with a light blue liquid. “What is that stuff?” asked Endo, distaste lacing his words. “It’s a calming serum,” Banan explained. “The liquid goes to the brain and lasts for several years. It’s to try and help him control himself as he gets older. Usually the other babies don’t have to worry about getting it but…”

Kinoko looked at her scowling husband and knew the reason. Though their son did not have a tail, there was no doubt he had Saiyan DNA from his father. Endo had argued against having a child, but a pregnant Kinoko was persistent. He suggested that she get an abortion, but she had declined. It was her body and she had the power to choose what happened to it. The debate of birth and abortion rights had been settled by the Tuffles decades ago.

“Did I really have to come here?” Endo had complained to his wife earlier. “I could have used this time to beat my weightlifting record in my natural form.”

“Yes,” she answered with a glare. “He is our son and you have responsibilities as much as I do.” Endo sighed in defeat. Now as he looked longer at the sleeping baby, Endo felt parental instincts kick in that he didn’t know he had. No one except Kinoko knew this about him, but deep down, he did have a soft spot for children to a certain degree. Endo had an urge to protect his son from the detached Tuffle way of life. Of course, that would mean that he would eventually have to learn how to fight.

“Looks like the tests are done,” Banan stated, a moment later. Both parents sighed in relief. Just then, the baby boy started to cry. “Oh poor thing,” said Kinoko. “What the?” asked Endo. He was pointing to the glass covering over the baby’s bed. A large crack had formed at the top. One of the nurses reached in and carefully picked up the baby. She looked suspiciously at the crack and then carried him to the door. The door opened and soon, the baby was in his mother’s arms.

“Oh, my sweet baby,” said Kinoko, holding him close to her chest. The crying subsided and was replaced by a coo and a yawn. Eventually closed his eyes and was fast asleep. Endo smiled genuinely for a moment at the scene.

“Kinoko should be feeling better in a couple of days,” said Dr. Banan in a kinder tone. “Then all of you should be good to go.”

“Thank you,” said Kinoko. Endo only nodded.

After several days of rest, Kinoko was back up and walking. The couple walked through the moving double-doors and made their way to their hover car in the parking lot. Their baby was currently in the arms of a nurse. Kinoko placed her fingerprint on a small blue square on Endo’s handcuffs and spoke a series of numbers. After a beep, the handcuffs snapped open and Kinoko placed them into a nearby gray bin to be transported back to the hospital. A pair of android guards watched them closely.

“Thank goodness,” said Endo, stretching his hands and fingers. The nurse handed the baby to Kinoko and wished her farewell. “Lularachi” she waved. Kinoko was stunned for a second, as they continued walking. “I haven’t heard that word mentioned in ages.”

“What exactly does it mean?” asked Endo.

“It’s old Tuffle. It means “farewell,” wishing the person to have all the benefits of knowledge to guide them.”

“That’s complicated. In Saiyan, we just say “aranosay.”

“That’s a weird word,” Kinoko said.

“I was taught Old Saiyan before I arrived on this planet. Some of my people still speak it, but I fear it may be lost soon.”

“The Tuffles lost the old language a while ago,” Kinoko explained. “Only a few speak it today. I learned it from my grandmother.”

“As interesting as this is, I have something to say,” said Endo, changing the topic. “I’m going to mention this again, but this is why I don’t like going out in public. You could have at least made more of an effort to get me free!”

“I would have gotten in trouble if I had talked back to the doctor,” mentioned Kinoko. “They are one of the most respected members of our society. I wasn’t pleased about it either, but they said it was for a good reason.”

“Yeah right” spat Endo. “Good reasons to subordinate my race like we’re vicious animals!” “I said nothing of the sort and you know that,” countered Kinoko.

The baby’s sudden crying interrupted their arguing.

“Is he hungry?” Endo asked.

“Probably,” answered Kinoko. “Check the bag. There is a bottle in there somewhere.”

Endo rummaged through the black carry-on bag hanging from Kinoko’s right shoulder. Finally, his fingers grabbed hold of the bottle. He picked it out of the bag and handed it to her. “Thank you,” she said to him, putting the bottle in the baby’s mouth and holding it. The baby soon relaxed and enjoyed the milk.

As they reached the door of the car, Kinoko placed her pointer finger on the small screen by the car door. The screen flashed green and an unlocking click was heard. The parents got in and soon drove on the road, hovering over the solar panels that were built in. They were silent until they arrived at their home.

The house where they lived was just like any other suburban house, with a front yard, green grass, and a small cherry tree positioned to greet them. The differences between this house and a house on Earth included the solar panels built into the roof and a finger scanner that was used to unlock the front door. Kinoko unlocked the door with her finger and walked inside. Endo followed her, slouching his shoulders. The large glass windows allowed for a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding buildings. It was not super exquisite like the king’s modern palace or the huge labs that many of the scientists owned, but it was immaculate for the most part. The kitchen consisted of a circular diorite countertop to the left with two shiny gray stools to sit on. Upon their entrance, all the lights turned on. With a voice command from Kinoko, a circular robot silently vacuumed the rugs and the hardwood floor. A large glowing holographic screen in the living room blinked on, complete with access to the news, email, games, and videos all in one. Comfortable light blue couches sat in the living room, one in which Endo promptly crashed down on. ''“How can he feel refreshed after training, but exhausted after a simple walk and drive?”'' thought Kinoko.

“Before you rest, honey, we should think of a name for our son” she called from another room. Endo stood up right away and walked toward the direction of her voice. In an empty room with white walls, both of them looked at their baby, who was rolling around happily in his new crib. A monitor read the baby’s heart rate and moods based on his newly forming brain waves.

Endo cleared his throat. “I have thought of a name worthy of a Saiyan that I think would fit him well.”

“But he’s not a Saiyan,” Kinoko reminded him.

“He’s not fully a Tuffle either,” he countered. “Remember how his cries cracked the glass covering in his hospital bed?”

Kinoko thought back to the moment, and then vaguely remembered.

“That’s because it was loud and the glass wasn’t thick enough,” explained Kinoko.

“Exactly!” said Endo. “He didn’t look like much to me at first, but when I saw the glass crack before they tested him again, I knew that no Tuffle could naturally have that kind of power.”

“We Tuffles are still powerful,” Kinoko protested.

“Clearly not physically,” Endo remarked.

“Just in a different way,” added Kinoko. “Which is why we should give him a common Tuffle name to not arise suspicion.”

Endo rolled his eyes. “Common Tuffle name? Oh please,” he scoffed. “I’m not raising my son to be a lazy docile person incapable of a single punch!”

“Oh sure, another violent person is just what we need for this peaceful society!” yelled Kinoko sarcastically. “Now are we going to name our son or not?”  Endo flinched back and held out his hands. “Whatever you say, darling.”

Satisfied, Kinoko cleared her throat. “Names should be chosen with great care. It says so in Ginro’s infant handbook, 12th edition.” She moved her hand in the air and an image of a book with baby blocks on the cover appeared. Endo waved his hand and the image vanished.

“Like I was about to say,” said Endo, “Retasu is the perfect name for our son.”

“No it’s not,” argued Kinoko. “I’d much prefer Perguu.”

“That is a pathetic name!” Endo shouted.

“Perhaps Kobacha would work?” suggested Kinoko.

“Still not satisfied,” stated Endo. “Let me see…Retasu or Cantalo. Your choice.” “I’m not choosing either one!” Kinoko growled and stomped her foot as he smirked playfully.

After a moment of composure, Kinoko took a deep breath and looked through her bag. Her silver and ruby earrings shined as she bent her head down to look. She pulled out a handful of stuffed soft toys. “I had almost forgotten about these.” She placed the toys one by one in the crib. She took a second look at the stuffed carrot, pickle, mushroom, and pizza toys.

“Seriously?” Kinoko asked her husband after rolling her eyes. “I was waiting in line to buy a teddy bear for him a week ago! Is food all you ever think about?”

“Food, training, among other things,” Endo admitted. “Come on, at least I made an effort to get some necessary baby things.”

After a moment, Kinoko sighed heavily. “Honey, can we just agree on a name and get some sleep while we can before our son decides to wake us up tonight?”

“Good idea,” said Endo. “I will name him Courgette and that’s final.”

“Not so fast. We need to settle this somehow.”

“Rock, paper, scissors?” suggested Endo.

“That could work. Best two out of three.”

“Wait a minute, honey. You haven’t decided on a name yet.”

Kinoko observed her son in the crib. The baby was holding the stuffed mushroom and was sucking on the top part of it. He had opened his yellow eyes and was staring at the solar system mobile hanging from the top part of the crib.

“I’ve got it! I’ll name him Enoki!”

Endo stifled a laugh. “What kind of a name is that?”

“It’s a different kind of name, neither Saiyan, nor Tuffle. My mother decided to break the stereotype of naming children common names like Fragrasia, or Citrus for instance.”

“I’m still sticking with the name I choose,” Endo stated.

“Very well,” said Kinoko. “I accept your decision. I should warn you though that it would be a good time to give away those barbells and weights down in the basement soon.”

“Are you really going to give away my training equipment?!” Endo asked in shock.

“I don’t see why not. It will help us get some more money and will help you get more socially involved.”

Endo looked around at the nice room and the large size of the house they were currently in. Did she really need more money to keep for herself?

“But I need to keep training! It’s part of my nature!”

“Then let me name our son.”

“I will blast all your techno devices apart,” he threatened.

“Then I can find someone to fix them as well as myself,” she countered. “You could also get fined for destroying our belongings.”

Endo sighed in defeat at his wife’s glare. “Fine.”

Kinoko smiled in delight as she picked up her son. “Welcome Enoki…”

“Halusa” Endo added.

Kinoko paused. Then she said with a smile, “Welcome, Enoki Halusa, to your new home!”