This story is set just after the events of the Cell games. Goku is still dead and the other Z-warriors are faced with a new threat that threatens to overwhelm the galaxy. I have tried to keep all the characters in character as much as possible. Several things have been added to the DBZ universe to make this story work but most of you should recognise most of it.
Enjoy and leave reviews.
The planet Earth continued its spin around sol, rotating itself in a dance so large that the choreography was beyond any normal comprehension. Once again at peace the inhabitants of Earth had finally seen the defeat of Cell at the hands of Hercule and where basking in the glow of another victory. The Z fighters had left Hercule to take the credit, content to know about the real battle and to be left alone once more. As darkness descended across the eastern towns they gave up on their training for the night retiring to bed.
Far out into the wilderness sat the lone form of Piccolo. Once more deep in meditation he floated beneath a waterfall, using its sound to blanket his thoughts. The air around him was still, the night life had since left the area as Piccolo continued his training. He floated unmoving as the universe continued its intricate dance around him.
Piccolo awoke suddenly, his body covered in sweat. Breathing deeply he looked around his surroundings. The waterfall was still there roaring into the night with its ever-present power. Piccolo looked up into the sky, searching for what he knew wasn't there. Breathing deeper still, nearly into panic, his mind threatened to overwhelm him. His restrain failing him now he let lose the scream in his head.
The power of a thousand Nameks shattered the night time air as Piccolo shouted into the air, his power blowing up around him sending the water back up the waterfall. Blue trails of energy screamed and whirled around him their voices echoing in the scream, distorting the harmonics of space. The scream echoed across the planet. Travelling around the world it slammed into Dende, sending him to his knees in tears.
The lookout beneath Dende quaked and rocked as the energy swirled around. Lighting strikes slammed into the white marble gouging out large chunks as an ethereal wind whipped up around it. A large blast slammed into Korin's tower, the power earthing itself down the length of the pole. Slowly the pole began to crack, its structure weakening under the strain of millennia.
The pole buckled as gravity returned to the lookout, each section blew out in turn. A huge chain of explosions rocked the landscape as the lookout plummeted downwards towards the earth. The last section blew out as the lookout slammed hard into the ground, burying half of the mighty structure into the rock. Shockwaves travelled outwards through the ground sending up waves of dust. Ripples flowed and cracked the land around it as Dende tried to control the destruction. He won out eventually as the power dissipated into the air as silence once again descended over the planet.
Chapter 1
Dawn arrived as usual upon the surface of Earth, the soft light of the morning spreading its warming blanket across the planet. The plants stirred, turning their leaves towards the rising sun. Animals changed shifts as the day awoke them; the cities began to grow anew as the warming energy spread throughout the population. It dawned a new day almost alike any other, almost.
Gohan awoke once more, his night troubled by strange dreams of destruction. Cell kept coming back to haunt him. His eyes piercing into him as again and again he fought him with his Kamehameha. Tonight however, was different. Tonight it wasn't cell that he was fighting, but his mentor and friend Piccolo. Gohan looked at the clock, 6.30am, and decided to get up, getting back to sleep now would be to much trouble. Getting up slowly he stretched his aching muscles.
'Maybe I shouldn't be training quite so hard at the moment.'
He dressed slowly and quietly, trying not to awaken his mother as he slipped out of the house and off into the forest, thankful that she was still asleep as he blasted off into the sky to try and find Piccolo. Flying high above up above the clouds he tired to find the signature of his mentor among the millions of life forms on the planet. Speeding across the planet he could find no trace of Piccolo. With a burst of speed he headed off to Kame's island.
Far out in the ocean, surrounded by almost perpetual sunshine, Master Roshi sat out on the beach. Fast asleep with his head once again buried in his latest magazine. Krillen stood out in the shallows practising his Kamehameha wave upon the ocean. Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu where sparring together on the other side of the island kicking up spray as they battled. All was normal around the island as Gohan flew towards it.
"Kame… Hame… HA" Screamed Krillen as the blast left his hands, heading outwards into the ocean. Krillen poured his energy into the blast, increasing its radius and strength as he stood his ground. Water swirled up around his feet, splitting apart as his beam cut across the ocean. Far out Krillen suddenly felt his beam split into two. A force pushed against the other end of his blast, slicing it apart like butter. He pushed more power into it, trying to stop the intruder from breaking through his blast. He might as well have tried to move the sun.
A figure materialised at the edge of the split, cutting its way through the beam as the energy washed over him. As it neared Krillen suddenly stopped the beam, his jaw dropping as Gohan flew up next to him.
"Nice job Krillen." Said Gohan as his hair returned to its usual black. "If I wasn't super Saiyan I would have been toast. Krillen stood there his mouth still open as Gohan walked up to master Roshi.
"Master Roshi. Master Roshi."
Gohan prodded the sleeping master awake.
"What. Huh. Don't worry girls; there is enough of me to go around."
"Master Roshi it is me Gohan."
"Huh Gohan? What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if you knew where Piccolo was?"
"The Namek, hmm. Nope I haven't seen him in ages. Why don't you go and ask Dende if he has seen him."
"Can't you help?"
"I have important work to do here. Where would these misguided souls be without my training?"
Gohan looked around the island. Krillen was only just coming to his senses after his flagrant show of power. Tien and Yamcha where still sparring above the island. Roshi was nearly back asleep already.
Gohan gave up on the perverted Roshi and walked back over to Krillen.
"Hey bro. That wasn't too nice you know sneaking up on a guy like that."
"Sorry Krillen. I haven't had a descent test of strength in months. Anyway, can I borrow you?"
"Sure what for?"
"I want to go and find Piccolo. I can sense him anywhere."
"P...p...iccolo." Stammered Krillen, "Why do you want to go and find him?"
"Because I think something is up with him. I had this strange dream about him, but I can't find him. I am going to go see Dende to see if he knows where he is."
"Ok then. Master Roshi isn't exactly teaching me much here." He said looking over at the sleeping masters form.
Blasting off into the air they both left the small island behind and headed for Kami's lookout.
"You sure that we haven't gone to the wrong place?"
"Krillen, you know that this is the right place. It is just that the lookout isn't here."
"So what happened to it then?"
'Gohan, Krillen? Is that you?'
"Dende? Where are you?"
'Come down, something terrible has happened.'
"Down… what does he mean…? Down?"
Gohan and Krillen looked down towards the ground. Between the clouds they saw the remains of the lookout. Its once beautiful features mired in layers of earth, its structures cracked and broken. Both mute in shock they flew down to find Dende.
Entering the main structure on the lookout Gohan and Krillen where both shocked that it still was in one piece, despite the many cracks and broken structures. Following directions from Dende they made there way deeper into the chambers. Coming upon the chamber where Dende sat they entered slowly.
The room was small, especially for this place and lit with only a dim glow emanating from the ceiling. The centre of the room contained a single raised platform upon which rested the form of Piccolo, though rest was hardly the right word to describe him. His body was racked with small spasms that sent his limbs jittering across the stone surface. His eyes where tightly closed but he was babbling incoherently at a phenomenal rate.
"Piccolo!" shouted Gohan, rushing over to his former mentor. "Piccolo, what happened? Who did this?"
"Oh man. He looks in bad shape. What happened Dende?"
"I do not fully know."
Vegeta stood leaning against a pillar half shrouded by the darkness in the wings.
"I found this gibbering wreck out in the wilderness. Laying half drowned next a waterfall. He was speaking this nonsense then to."
"It is not nonsense Vegeta. He is speaking in Namekian. But there seem to be many voices in what he is saying."
"Whatever. I couldn't sense anyone nearby when I found him. Probably ran away at sensing a true fighting power approach."
"Can you understand any of it? Any idea what caused this?"
"I am afraid not Krillen, he is speaking to rapidly, to many thoughts to make sense of the puzzle. Physically he is as fine as I can work out. I healed his minor injuries but there doesn't seem to have been much of a struggle."
Gohan, Krillen and Dende all stood looking at the convulsing form of Piccolo on the slab, their minds wandering what had happened. Vegeta just stood staring into space, thinking that any enemy that could reduce Piccolo to what he saw before him would be a worthy enemy for the prince of the Saiyans.
Darkness settled over the ruins of the lookout. Trunks had been summoned from Capsule Corp and came quickly after learning of Piccolo's fate. Bulma had arrived soon afterwards and set about trying to bring Piccolo out of whatever he was in. By dawn she had retired defeated.
"I don't know Trunks. As Dende said, physically he is fine. But I never could understand his mind before. I have only seen him something like this once before, and that was soon after he fused with Nail."
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Ok version B of chapter one. Thanks a lot to Kieri for the review; I probably should get some beta readers to make sure that my writing is good. Any more reviews, good or bad are always welcome.