Even though Goten had told her otherwise, Melody couldn't shake the heavy feeling that she was entirely at fault.
She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, but the crushing weight of guilt pressed down on her like a physical force. Every vanished ki signature—Yamcha's, Pocari's—felt like a personal failure written in blood.
Goten could tell just by the way her fists were clenched white, by how rigidly she flew beside him through the clouds… she was blaming herself for every lost second.
He didn't offer any more words. Talk wouldn't fix the lingering pain right now. But once they secured those beans and surged onto the field? She would see exactly why they were needed—and what their combined strength could do to turn this disaster around.
Master Korin was already standing at the red railing of the sanctuary lookout. The moment Goten and Melody cut through the air toward the tower, the old cat effortlessly tossed a small brown cloth pouch straight toward them, as if he had anticipated their exact arrival line.
Goten caught the pouch cleanly mid-air.
Goten: "Thank you!" *he called back as they banked hard toward the horizon, banking straight toward the distant smoke.*
Korin didn't bother replying—he simply waved a small white paw dismissively before turning back into the shade of his tower. He knew what was happening down below. Of course he did.
The pouch was small, but heavy with the weight of Korin's miracle Senzu Beans—their concentrated restoration energy practically humming through the coarse fabric. Goten clutched it tightly against his gi, pure adrenaline surging through his veins as the far edge of the battlefield finally broke into view.
Thick black smoke. Roaring flames. Violent energy explosions lighting up the sky like a nightmare. The war had been raging without them… but now? They were about to rewrite the outcome.
Goten: *He momentarily turned his head toward Melody, his dark eyes fierce with emotion.* "Hey Mel... I love you. So whatever we face down there, don't you dare die on me."
Melody's heart clenched at his words—raw, direct, and laced with a quiet fear he'd never reveal to anyone else. For a single beat, the lingering guilt vanished from her mind. The only thing that mattered was the boy flying beside her.
Melody: *She reached across the rushing wind and grabbed his hand, squeezing it with absolute warmth.* "I love you too, Son Goten," *she whispered softly.* "And I'm not dying today."
Their eyes locked—just for a fleeting heartbeat—before they both turned back toward the burning wasteland... ready to crash into hell itself.