Chapter 6: The Fearsome Demon Piccolo
So first, clearly, I am a filthy liar when it comes to talking about how fast I'll get updates out.
Second, as what is essentially an open-response to the review left by Sokei Kodora (who guest-reviewed and so I can't pm), thank you. When I write these chapters it tends to come out as more of a stream of consciousness-type writing. I don't pay any attention to formatting or the like, and when I read back-through to self-edit, well, it all makes sense to me _. It's just not something I thought about on my own.
"After this next match, we will know who the next finalist is! Shen or Demon Jr.!"
"You're amazing Goku. I couldn't hope to keep up." Goku grinned as they walked back. Yamcha, Krillin, and Chi-Chi all walked over to them.
"That was insane!"
"That was incredible!"
"You were amazing."
"Uh…thanks," Goku said, a little overwhelmed by the praise.
Tien turned to him. "Be honest Goku. How much were you holding back?"
Goku turned red. "Well…uh…" They all stared at him expectantly. "I'm still uh…wearing weighted clothing."
Yamcha's jaw dropped. "You did all that with weights!?"
"How much?" Tien asked in amazement.
"300 pounds. Its 60 per weight."
"If you can do all that…how strong is Kami?"
Goku shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I'm kinda…um…"
"Stronger than me." They turned to see Kami, still as Shen, walk down toward them. "Goku surpassed me during his training. He is the second strongest being currently on this planet."
"Nice of you to realize who the strongest is, Kami." Piccolo emerged behind him, grinning evilly. "I'm surprised you were so objective."
"He wasn't talking about you." Goku said coldly.
"Oh? Then who else was he referring to?" Goku crossed his arms and glared, not answering. Piccolo laughed.
"After what you just saw Piccolo-can you really say for sure you're stronger than Goku? You heard how much he was holding back."
"And I'm supposed to be intimidated? That's nothing. You might think that tail makes you special, Goku, but you aren't anything but another pathetic, weak little human."
Goku's grin was, for once, without humor. "You'd better hope you never see just what kind of special this tail makes me, Piccolo." Piccolo tilted his head, curious, but they were interrupted before they could continue.
"Shen and Demon Jr.? Please come out to the stage!"
"Hmph! Well, Goku, I hope you're ready. After I'm done with him, you're next." Kami and Piccolo walked out to the stage as the others watched them go.
"Goku…are you sure that Kami's going to lose? Is Piccolo that strong?" Krillin was clearly nervous. Goku turned back to him, a more serious expression on his face than they'd ever seen.
"Honestly Krillin? Kami's plenty strong compared to you guys, and Piccolo is stronger than him, but in the grand scheme of things…well, neither of them are that strong."
"WH-what!?" Everyone stared at him in shock, except Chi-Chi, who merely looked concerned.
"How can you say that?" Yamcha exclaimed. "We're stronger than we've ever been-the strongest fighters in the world! And they dwarf us! How can you say they're not very strong?"
It was Tien seemed to put it together first. "Who is it, Goku?" The others looked at him. "The person Kami said was stronger than you. The one who trained you, and told you about all this?" Yamcha's eyes narrowed as he followed Tien's train of thought.
"And…they're the one who taught you about your tail, aren't they? Whoever it is." Chi-Chi and Goku exchanged a look, and Krillin suddenly stepped forward, pointing.
"Does she know!? She knows but not us? What's that about!?" Chi-Chi looked like she had an angry retort ready, but it was Yamcha who spoke next.
"Wait-Bulma knows too, doesn't she?"
"Ah-"
"And you that's where you took Roshi, isn't it! To introduce him!" The three fighters were closing in on Goku, angry at being left out.
The young man held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Look, Bulma's known for a while-and he asked to see Roshi-and I had to show Chi-Chi-but I was told to keep it a secret otherwise!"
"Damn right you had to show me." Chi-Chi grumbled.
"Who is he?" Tien asked again.
"Begin!"
They heard a rush of air, and could see dust and rocks flying from the stadium.
"Later?" Goku asked weakly.
"So long as you just spit it out at the next available opportunity this time," Yamcha said. Goku nodded, and they hurried to their viewing area. Piccolo and Kami were talking in some strange language.
"Any idea what they're saying, Goku?" Tien asked quietly.
He shook his head. "Must be their native language."
"Which is?"
"Kami doesn't know."
Yamcha stared at him. "Kami doesn't know what his native language is?"
"No."
"…That's…dumb."
"Pay attention!" Chi-Chi hissed at him. Yamcha jumped to attention.
"What's this? Shen has placed a small bottle on the ground. It's not a weapon…perhaps it's a good luck charm?"
"What is he..." Goku began, but it was Tien who realized.
"He's not-He's gonna use the Mafuba!" Gasps echoed around the group, except for Chi-Chi, who seemed confused.
Goku just looked mad. "But that's not fair! He said he wouldn't ruin the tournament!" He seemed almost ready to jump out there and stop them, but too late.
"Mafuba!"
They watched as the swirling energy coursed toward Piccolo, surrounding him.
"It's over." Tien said grimly. "I doubt someone like Kami would miss with this." The tall man shook his head, sighing, as he turned to walk away.
"Reverse Mafuba!"
"…What?"
He turned back and they all watched as the Mafuba changed direction, beginning to swallow Kami up. After a moment, they saw the body of Shen drop to the ground as another body materialized, spinning around until he was trapped in the little bottle. They all continued to stare as Shen, apparently free from Kami, awoke after the count and hurried off the stage as the confused referee declared Piccolo the winner. The demon walked over, scooping up the battle and walking over to the viewing area.
Goku slapped a hand to his face. "Oh…for the love of..."
"Despairing? That's the end of your Guardian. Afraid, Goku?"
Goku looked at him blandly. "No." His lack of expression seemed to throw Piccolo off more than anything. "Can I have Kami please?" After a brief pause, Piccolo grinned evilly and threw the bottle into his mouth, swallowing.
"Sure, you can have him back. Just have to kill me to do it."
"But-that'll kill him too!" Goku said, his aura of calm broken.
Piccolo laughed as he strode past them. "Not my problem." Goku let out a sigh of exasperated frustration as he turned to look at the sky above them.
"Oh don't get so grumpy."
Everybody jumped as a man seemed to materialize above them, floating down to join them. "It won't be a problem. You can stop Piccolo without killing him, and I'll make him cough up Kami afterwards."
"But-can he even do that?"
The man shrugged. "Probably. If not, we'll just have some Senzu beans on hands and I'll tear out his stomach. He can survive that."
"Ewwww…"
"Uh…Goku?"
Goku only just now seemed to remember they were there. "Oh, right, sorry. This is my dad."
"Dad!?"
"Nice to see you again." Bardock nodded to Chi-Chi, the woman looking slightly green at the image of Bardock ripping out Piccolo's stomach, but she merely nodded in response. He raised a hand to acknowledge the other three. "Yeah, hi. Anyway, Kakarot." Goku turned back to him. "Don't worry about anything but winning. I'm sure Piccolo will try a lot of dirty tricks-probably try to kill this lot once he realizes he's outmatched," Bardock waved a hand at the groups of humans, who stiffened in fear, "but don't worry about." Bardock grinned wolfishly. "I'll make sure he plays by the rules."
Goku nodded, confident. "Ok!"
"Ah, here you all are." Bardock glanced over his shoulder to see Bulma and Roshi walking over to them. "We thought you had gone inside."
Bardock nodded to them. "Bulma. Roshi."
"What just happened? That was the Mafuba wasn't it? What did he do?"
Tien answered, the most composed of the three fighters. "Piccolo reversed it, and trapped Kami in a bottle. Which he then swallowed."
"He probably thinks he invincible now." Bardock grunted. He eyed Kakarot. "And that means…"
His son smacked his fist into his other hand.
"Beating him up will only be more fun!"
"Exactly!" Bardock patted his son on the shoulder approvingly. Bulma and Chi-Chi giggled, while the men still looked hopelessly confused.
"Erm…right." Roshi said. "Are you sure it's not a problem?"
"I'm sure." Bardock said simply. "But, Kakarot-you should probably take of the weights. Piccolo is still faster than you with them on, and I doubt he'll give you the time to take them off during the fight."
"Oh, ok."
"Do you want your armor, Goku?" Bulma held out a capsule, but he shook his head.
"No, I can't wear armor during the tournament." He grinned as he moved to go back inside to change. "Besides, I won't need it." Bulma shrugged and Kakarot disappeared inside. Chi-Chi walked over to Bulma, a mild suspicion setting in.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Bulma! I'm not sure we ever actually met, or were introduced, at least. I went around with Goku when we were collecting the Dragon Balls!" This hardly seemed to douse Chi-Chi's suspicions.
"So…you've known Goku for a long time then?"
"Oh, relax. I'm stuck with that idiot over there right now." She jerked a thumb over to where Yamcha stood, listening with the others as Bardock briefly introduced himself. "Besides, I'll never be able to not picture Goku as a little kid. He's all yours." Chi-Chi smiled, apparently accepting the explanation, and they walked together over to the group as Goku re-emerged, carrying his weighted clothes in a pile.
"Uh, Bulma, on second thought, open that capsule." Bardock said, glancing at Goku.
"Huh? Okay." She pressed the button and tossed the capsule between them, where it opened in a puff of smoke, revealing the chest plate, gloves, and boots, sitting neatly on top of the folded blue jumpsuit underneath. Bardock gestured for Goku to come over.
"I forgot we'd weighted the shoes. You need a spare pair." Goku only just seemed to notice he feet were bare. Chi-Chi picked up the boots and walked over to him, Bardock watching her with a raised eyebrow. The woman handed Goku the boots. He pulled them on, and as he was bent down to make sure they were tight, she kissed him on the cheek before turning and walking back toward the group. Goku watched her go, surprised, one hand over the spot she had kissed him.
"Ladies and Gentleman! The final match is about to start! Who will be the new champion? Demon Jr. or Son Goku?"
"Like that's a question!" Bulma said confidently, turning to the others. "Goku will floor him, right Bar-" But he was gone. Goku smiled and held a finger to his lips as Piccolo emerged from the waiting area.
"Made peace with you friends, worm?"
Goku just grinned. "It's monkey, actually." Piccolo snorted and kept walking, without saying a word.
"Go kick his butt, Goku!" Chi-Chi suddenly yelled, causing the men near her to jump.
"Right!" Goku said, hurrying to catch up.
They stared after him as he walked out onto the stage. Bulma turned back to the others.
"Ok but seriously, where'd Bardock go?"
"Probably above us." Roshi said, craning his neck to look up, in an attempt to spot him. "But that speed was something else. I didn't know he was moving until he already gone."
"Same here," Tien said in awe. "It's no wonder Goku got so strong."
"They're both unequaled martial artists! We are all witnesses to the fight of the century!"
"Come on, let's go watch!" Chi-Chi said, and she and Bulma hurried off to the viewing platform.
Yamcha turned to Roshi. "Uh…shouldn't you and Bulma be returning to the audience?"
"Oh, like anybody's going to care. Come on you three!" And so saying, Roshi followed after the two women.
"I think it's got a lot more to do with the fact that the only girl left in the audience is Launch, if Bulma and Chi-Chi are back here." Krillin grumbled.
"Oh, let's just go," Yamcha said.
"And here is the final match of the 23rd Budokai World Tournament! Who will emerge victorious?
"Are you ready, clown?"
"Ready to fight?" Goku asked, sliding down into a ready stance as Piccolo discarded his cape. A fierce grin appeared on Goku's face. "I was born ready to fight."
"Begin!"
Goku pushed off, rushing forward faster than Piccolo could react, landing a hard elbow in his stomach, and a harsh uppercut knocking him slightly up from the ring. He jumped back slightly, immediately jumping forward and kicking Piccolo through the air, sending him spinning toward the edge of the ring. Piccolo stopped himself upright, mouth opening to yell something, but Goku had already closed the distance between them, landing a hard right hook across Piccolo's jaw, nearly breaking it, and a knee to Piccolo's stomach, before grabbing his shoulders and turning, sending him sailing the opposite direction he had just gone. Piccolo crashed down into the ring, skidding several feet before righting himself, standing square on his feet, panting and wiping green blood from his chin.
"Sorry Piccolo, but I'm a lot faster without those weights on."
"Y…you…how are you…"
"Someone wanted me to take this seriously," Goku said as he flew over to where Piccolo stood. "So I did."
"You…you want serious? I'll destroy you!" He drew his back and lunged, the arm extending as it flew toward Goku, who merely side-stepped the strike and caught the arm.
"Shouldn't have shown us this trick!" He called as he turned and threw Piccolo over his shoulder. The demon flew overhead, and extended his other arm towards Goku, hoping to catch him off-guard. Goku hopped above the incoming attack, sticking a foot out and landing on the outstretched limb. He leaned back on the throw, stopping Piccolo from crashing in to the arena and turned-his foot now crushing Piccolo's wrist-and began to spin him horizontally, simultaneously releasing his grip on Piccolo's arm and lifting his foot up, so that Piccolo was sent off to the edge of the ring at incredible speeds. He just barely stopped himself from hitting the wall and getting ring out. He turned, roaring with fury as he blasted a Ki wave towards Goku. The young man braced himself, bringing his hands back together, before knocking the wave up into the sky, following it up as he jumped into the air, dodging Piccolo's follow-up strike, and spun, kicking Piccolo in the face and sending him staggering to the side as Goku regained his feet, immediately dodging under a wild swing. Before he could respond, he had to roll backwards to avoid Piccolo's knee, kicking upwards halfway through and forcing Piccolo to take a step back as Goku flipped backwards, out of his roll-to find himself at the ring edge. He staggered for a split-second, looking to regain his balance, and Piccolo took full advantage, firing a large Ki blast at Goku.
If I dodge that it'll hit the audience! Goku pushed backwards, taking off into the air and caught the blast on his bare hands, holding it back.
"You really think you can stop that!?"
"Yes!" Goku began to push back at the same time Piccolo strengthened his attack. Damn it! They were at a standstill for the moment, but his hands were really starting to hurt. Just fire back already! The problem was, if he fired back to strongly, he risked killing Piccolo, or even his friends beyond the ring. Slowly, he built up energy in his hands, creating a slight wall between them. It expanded, blue covering the orange of Piccolo's blast, until it was a solid barrier.
"Hey Piccolo! I think this is yours!" And he fired, his beam sweeping through Piccolo's and hitting the demon head-on. The roar of rage and pain was muffled by the noise of the explosion, as smoke billowed upward from the impact. "Whew!" Goku wiped his brow as he landed back on the ring. "That was close." Wait…I didn't have to do that! Dad said he would-so then that was all- "Ah, darn it. What a waste of energy." Goku crossed his arms, annoyed. "I could've just dodged-woops!" He swayed to the side as Ki blast flew right where his head had been, curving up and away from the crowd. The smoke cleared, and Piccolo was visible. One arm, the one Goku had stomped on earlier, looked entirely useless, hanging at his side and covered in green blood. His shirt had been mostly blown off, and there were burn and smoke marks across his body, along with a fair amount of blood. "Oh, well, maybe not a total waste."
"You…you…how!?" Piccolo bellowed.
"Incredible display by Son Goku! Demon Jr. seems completely outmatche-"
"SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Piccolo yelled, interrupting the announcer.
"Oh, no he won't," Goku said calmly.
Piccolo turned to him, a crazy look in his eyes. "You think I won't!? I'll kill him! I'll kill all of them!" Ki built up in his hands as he gestured toward other fighters. "I came here to kill you! I don't care about this tournament!" Goku dropped his stance and crossed his arms, smirking.
"Go ahead. Try it." Piccolo stared at him, eyes bulging, his face a mask of pure rage.
"Do you really think you're fast enough to stop me!?"
"Probably. But I don't have to do a thing. Play by the rules."
"Rules? RULES!? I AM THE DEMON PICCOLO! I AM THE RIGHTFUL RULER AND DESTROYER OF THIS WORLD!" Screams erupted from the audience in response to the name, but the two fighters ignored them. "I DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR STUPID RULES! SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FRIENDS!" He fired, the massive Ki blast toward the viewing platform. Goku didn't move, and neither did the spectators, though they looked like they wanted to. There a flash, and the blast exploded once it reached the edge of the ring, disappearing in a harmless cloud of smoke. Piccolo stared in shock.
"You shouldn't waste so much energy Piccolo," Goku said. "You entered this tournament. You have to follow the rules."
"How…did you…did you?..."
"Come on, let's finish this." Goku dropped back down into a ready stance, but Piccolo didn't seem to be ready to give up his gambit quite yet. The audience was now about half-strength, those who had still been inside when Piccolo's blast had been foiled. The demon crossed his arms in front of him, and in a moment, power was coursing all along his body.
"Let's you block thisARG!" Goku's kick sent Piccolo sailing across the ring, with follow-up knee sending him into the air, where Goku jumped higher then him, spinning in the air and landing a sharp heel-kick, sending him crashing back down.
"What, did you think I was just gonna sit around and wait for you power-up?" Goku seemed genuinely curious as he flew back down to the ring.
"You know, for a moment there," Krillin said. "I thought that he was just going to wait."
"Not gonna lie, I was thinking the same thing." Yamcha agreed.
"Oh don't be ridiculous, Goku wouldn't put me in danger," Chi-Chi said dismissively. After a short pause, she amended: "Us, I meant. He would never put us in danger." They stared at her. "Mostly me."
"Focus." Roshi hissed, and they turned to see Piccolo staggering back to his feet.
"You are tough!" Goku said approvingly. "Ready to keep going?" Piccolo did not look ready. He was even bloodier than before, covered in sharp rock bits from where he had crashed into the ring.
"I will not accept this! How are you this strong? You can't be!"
Goku smiled. "It's actually pretty simple, Piccolo. I'm not a whole lot stronger than you. Heck, I'm not even twice your strength. But I had some good advice. I went all out from the beginning of the fight. The difference between us is I took you seriously." Piccolo glared at him, panting. "This fight was only one-sided because you were arrogant." Goku said, eyes narrowing. "I was looking forward to a good bout, but you were so sure you were stronger than me that you let yourself get knocked around." Piccolo staggered a little, but stood up fully, meeting Goku's gaze. "Sorry, but I wasn't going to just play until you got serious."
For likely the first time in his life, shame flickered onto Piccolo's face. He clenched his good hand into a fist, which shook slightly. "You say you wanted to kill me to rule the world." Goku walked over to where Piccolo was standing. "But I think you just really wanted to fight me. You're not a villain Piccolo. You're a warrior." Goku grinned, and extended a hand. "So am I." Piccolo stared at the offered hand.
"Is he insane?" Krillin whispered in fright. "There's no way-Piccolo is pure evil!"
"I don't know." Tien muttered. "I was there the last time they fought. Maybe it's just because Goku is so much stronger-but this one isn't an exact copy of his father. Maybe Goku see's something we don't."
"Or maybe he's about to get his arm ripped off." Yamcha muttered darkly. "Ow!" Both Bulma and Chi-Chi had hit him.
"Goku's not the same naïve little kid. You heard him just now." Bulma hissed. "I'm sure he knows Piccolo might attack him." They turned back to watch. Piccolo was still staring at the offered hand, looking like he was struggling with something. He was either a good actor, or his loss to Goku had been truly humbling. Slowly, he extended a hand, which Goku took-and then had to immediately sway to the side to dodge the follow-up kick. Rather than release Piccolo's hand, he tightened his grip, turning and throwing Piccolo over his shoulder, not releasing his hold, slamming him into the arena, causing the rock to break and fly everywhere. He repeated the process, throwing Piccolo over his shoulder again, and again.
"Brutal…" Yamcha said in awe. After the fourth crash, Goku released his hold on Piccolo and planted a foot firmly in his chest.
"If you would've actually shaken my hand, I would've given you a Senzu bean." Goku told his barely conscious opponent. "Your back-stabbing would've gone better at 100%." He looked over expectantly at the ref, who had up to this point, been frozen in shock.
"Oh-oh, right, of course." He cleared his throat and raised his microphone.
"1…2…3…"
"I can't believe how much Goku's grown up over the past 3 years," Roshi said.
"4…5…6…"
"He's really matured as a fighter." Bulma said.
"He's nowhere near as naïve as he was." Tien agreed.
"7…8..."
"There's still Kami to worry about. And what we're supposed to do with Piccolo." Yamcha reminded them.
"9…"
Piccolo jerked upright and fired a powerful Ki blast from his mouth. Goku, unprepared, didn't quite get out the way. Rather than going through his shoulder, as Piccolo had evidently intended, it grazed his chest, parting skin and shirt and sending blood flying. Chi-Chi screamed, but Goku, even with the pain, reacted and stepped back, kicking Piccolo across the face. He staggered back, holding his side and blood flowed freely down his body.
"Oh my goodness! Ah…well, he's still down, and Son Goku, though harmed, remains standing. 10! The count is completed, and Son Goku is the winner!"
Cheers erupted from the remaining watchers as Chi-Chi hurdled over the small barrier between the viewing area and the ring, the others close behind.
"Oh my goodness! Goku, are you alright!?"
"Yeah…anyone got a Senzu?" Krillin searched his pockets hurriedly, but as he took one out, Goku looked up and caught the one Bardock tossed him with his good hand. They all stepped back to make room as Bardock landed in the middle of their group. Goku ate the Senzu. After a second, he flexed, good as new.
"Oh! Those are wonderful!" Chi-Chi said in amazement, as she felt Goku's healed shoulder. "Thank you, Bardock. I'll be right back with a washcloth to clean all that blood up."
"Uh…you don't have…to…" Goku trailed off as Chi-Chi hurried away. He shrugged, and examined his shirt. "Aw, man, it's ruined."
"Not gonna lie, Kakarot." They all looked at Bardock. "You kinda deserved that." Goku turned red, and the others looked at Bardock in shock. "You knew he was awake. You weren't paying attention. You're lucky you didn't get a hole in your shoulder." Goku looked down, embarrassed.
"Sorry…"
Bardock sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "You won, and that's what most important." Goku started to brighten when Bardock's fist came down on top of his head. His expression was thunderous. "Now would you mind explaining what the hell that handshake was!?" Goku began to shrink as Bardock yelled. "Seriously, what were you thinking? Was there something in the whole 'he's evil incarnate' explanation that you missed!? Just when I'm thinking you've finally grown up enough that you're willing to just beat the bad guys and not be preaching at them during the whole fight, you pull this shit!"
"Ah, um, well,"
"Don't well me! There is no good explanation for that! I'd like to know why you took the time to explain to someone-someone who's ONLY goal in coming here, mind, was to kill you-I'd really like to know why you took the time to explain to him that he could, in fact, kill you if he tried harder, and then offer him medicine so he could try again!"
"He didn't take it-"
"I don't care if he didn't take it! You were perfectly ok with giving it to him! The guy who wanted to kill you! You were just going to heal him good as new! Do you have absolutely no caution when it comes to fighting? I thought we were on the same page, but I guess you still like to almost get yourself killed!"
The others watched as Bardock ranted, Goku seeming to shrink more and more as it went on. None of them wanted to intervene, and just stood awkwardly, Krillin still holding the Senzu bean.
"I believe he's his dad." Yamcha said to the others, who all nodded in agreement.
"It's about time he listened to somebody about this stuff." Bulma said.
"He's grown up quite a bit…but offering Piccolo a Senzu bean?" Roshi shook his head. "That's just ridiculous-Krillin!"
Piccolo's extending arm snatched the bean from Krillin, who had been holding it loosely. The bald fighter had to jump back to avoid being struck as Piccolo withdrew it arm and crunched down the bean, jumping to his feet.
"Dammit!" Tien yelled as he grabbed Roshi and jumped backwards, Yamcha following suit with Bulma while Piccolo fired a large Ki blast at the group.
"Oh for the love of-" Bardock threw his arm out and fired a blast that intercepted Piccolo's, carrying it away and curving it above the participant's area into the open air, where it exploded. Its arc carried it right past Chi-Chi, who was hurrying back out with a towel. She stopped herself so abruptly that her feet slipped out from under her and she fell flat out, the towel hitting her face. Piccolo took off from the ring as fast as he could, not looking back.
Bardock let out an exasperated sigh as Piccolo vanished in the distance. "Oh, go on ahead. I'll catch up with Kami." He powered up briefly and was gone in a flash, out of sight in seconds.
There was a short pause as they all stared the direction the other two had gone, before Krillin spoke. "So…that happened. Is he gonna go rip out Piccolo's stomach now?"
Goku shrugged, walking over to Chi-Chi as she joined back up with the group, wincing slightly. "He has Senzu beans so…maybe. We can ask him when he gets back. I'm starving."
"Alright, well, let's go collect the winnings. We'll need them to pay for food," Yamcha said as they all began to walk off the ring.
"I'll probably have to help foot the bill." Bulma sighed. "I doubt Bardock is gonna take that long, and I'm sure he's got an appetite like Goku's" Goku made a noise of agreement as Chi-Chi attempted to wipe the now-dry blood off his shoulder and walk at the same time. "I hope they up the prize money by the next one we enter. This is going to be expensive, even with the winnings."
Piccolo flew as fast he could, not caring about where he was going. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Everything had gone wrong. Strong as he was, Goku had been stronger. Even the other humans had been far stronger than he expected. They couldn't kill him, not if they cared about Kami, but now, even trapping the Guardian might become a disadvantage. They had a reason to hunt him now. And who had that man been? Goku's father? Bardock? Is that who Kami meant when he said Goku was only the second strongest? It didn't matter. All that mattered right now was survival. There was no way any of them could catch him-
He smacked right into Bardock's armored chest. The man didn't even flinch, watching coldly as Piccolo recoiled, clutching a hand to the new bruise on his forehead as he attempted to regain his balance. Suddenly, the demon felt a huge force of wind bear down on him, all but throwing him on the ground. He barely caught himself, landing on all fours as Bardock silently floated down to him. What…was that!? He looked at Bardock-a man who bore a striking resemblance to Goku.
"Give me Kami."
It wasn't a request. It was a command, and that pissed Piccolo off even more. He lunged forward, arms reaching to grab the man to do-he wasn't sure. Something. Something to harm the man who bore such a resemblance to the one who had humiliated him so much. Bardock caught his hands, as if they were grappling. He didn't seem to put forth any effort as he pushed down, while Piccolo fought with all his strength. It felt like his hands were about to tear in half and he dropped to his knees, gasping from the pain.
Bardock looked down at the helpless demon. The third strongest being to walk this planet. Bardock didn't even feel any real resistance. It was getting frustrating. Since arriving on Earth, he'd yet to increase his power at all, all his work needed to just maintain the power level he currently had. His fighting had evolved by leaps and bounds on the planet-energy sensing, better control of his energy and his strength-but his power hadn't changed a bit. Without anyone capable of pushing him, without anything proper to work out in, and with this light gravity, he had no means of becoming stronger. He was Saiyan between battles, just like he had been for years.
Just thinking about it was pissing him off.
"Let me make something clear to Piccolo." Bardock spoke in a quiet, level voice. Through the direct physical contact, he could make Piccolo feel his energy without releasing it for everyone else to sense. Slowly, he began to let more and more of it show to the demon as he spoke. "You. Are. Weak." He tightened his grip, and leaned down closer. "No matter how strong you get-whatever power you obtain-there will always be somebody there, ready to squash you like an insect." About a third of his power was pressuring Piccolo now, who was covered in sweat and panting as it put a strain on his body. "You wanted to know how Kakarot got stronger than you?" There was a flash, and Piccolo was now feeling the bulk of Bardock's power, his body beginning to shake uncontrollably. The demon gasped, attempting to speak, but was unable to form words.
"Weak. Fragile. Nothing. Remember this feeling, Piccolo. It's called fear. Remember who made you feel it, and why." Bardock's face was now inches away from Piccolo's. "Go ahead. Get stronger and prove me wrong. I look forward to a challenge." He released Piccolo's hands and stepped back. The demon slumped to the side, gasping for air, his body covered in sweat and still shaking. Bardock spoke at a normal volume. "If you want a fight, come find us. We'll always be willing to give you a round. But if you start trying to harm other people, if you start killing-well, I won't need to kill you to make you regret it."
Piccolo stared up at him, all animosity buried deep under the senseless, gripping fear.
"Now give me Kami."
There was a pause as Piccolo managed to get back up on all fours, then his neck swelled briefly and he spat out the little bottle. Bardock walked over and pulled the cap off, not touching the bottle itself. There was a flash, a puff of smoke, and Kami was suddenly next to them.
"Huh!? What-where am I?" Kami looked around. "Bardock? And-" He sprung back, bringing an arm back to strike at Piccolo, which Bardock caught.
"Don't bother. He's hardly in fighting shape." Kami stared at Piccolo, who was still on the ground.
"What…did you do?"
Bardock turned away. "I welcomed him to reality. Come on, the others are waiting." And without looking back, he flew away. Kami did look back at Piccolo, still on the ground, panting. He'd only had glimpses of Bardock's more brutal nature-the side of the man that would never quite go away-but clearly, Piccolo had taken the brunt of it. Slowly, he turned and flew after Bardock.
"Why leave him free?" Kami asked. They were flying slow, and the Guardian could tell Bardock had something on his mind.
"He's hardly going to go on a rampage."
"That wasn't the question." Bardock was silent for a moment, thinking.
"Because…because I think Kakarot was onto something during the tournament. This Piccolo isn't an exact copy of his father. He's removed from the pure evil your other half was. I'm not saying he's a good person, but…" He trailed off.
"I suppose…I hadn't thought of that. You're right that he isn't my original evil half. He might carry the core of Piccolo within him-that which ties him to me-but he isn't the same creature. He has room for growth. But that doesn't necessarily answer my question."
"It does. You know it does. I'm not willing to pass up on that kind of potential power."
"For the fight with this Freeza? You haven't even told Goku about him."
"I promised to explain everything to him if he won the tournament," Bardock said quietly. "But Piccolo…there's a difference in training to fight an idea and training to fight a man. He'll be in a slump for a while, but he'll be training harder than ever afterwards." There was another period of silence, unbroken until the city came into sight.
"How long? How long do you think we have?"
"For Freeza himself? Or his higher ranking goons? Maybe forever. But when a monstrously powerful madman decides he wants to conquer the universe, every planet is going to have to deal with him sooner or later. The more scouts that get sent here-the more that don't return-the worse it'll get. That's why we need everyone we can get, and power them up as much as we possibly can."
They came to a stop above the restaurant the others were currently eating at.
"Give my regards to your son and his friends." Kami said. "And extend an invitation to the humans. They are welcome to come and be trained by me, up at the Lookout." Bardock nodded, and Kami took off toward the Lookout. As he floated down toward the restaurant, he could hear laughter and conversation inside.
It was so hard to remember the danger they were in, when everyone else was so…happy.
Mount Paozu was beautiful, nature-filled place. The small house Goku and Chi-Chi were going to live in was next to a small stream, and beyond that, a lush green forest. A ways up the mountain there was a small, cleared lot, with building and housing materials. Bardock had no intention of living in the same house as his son and daughter-in-law, but that didn't mean he had to be far away. Gyumao waved at them as they flew down, Goku carrying Chi-Chi in his arms, Bardock a little behind them. Goku and Chi-Chi were still in their wedding clothes. They exchanged pleasantries, Chi-Chi eager to see the inside of the house. Bardock waved goodbye to them, patting his son on the shoulder and exchanging a polite handshake with Gyumao.
"Are you sure you don't want help Dad?" Goku asked anxiously. Bardock laughed.
"You're free to come up in the next couple of days if you want. But I wouldn't leave your new bride alone for very long, especially today." Goku blushed and turned away, waving as he hurried into the house after Chi-Chi. "That kid is hopeless," Bardock said, shaking his head.
Gyumao clapped him on the shoulder. "At least they're happy." After a moment passed, he looked at Bardock in mild surprise.
"What?"
"Well, most people stagger or fall over when I do that."
Bardock shrugged. "I'm hardly most people" Gyumao nodded agreement with the sentiment.
"Do you want help building that little house up there?"
"No, I can handle it."
"Where did you get the supplies? I didn't pay for them."
"Are you kidding? After all the toys I gave Bulma to play with she owes me way more money than what a little house like that would cost." Gyumao had been brought up to speed about Bardock and Goku's origins. "Between the armor, scouter, and space pod, I'm pretty sure I've jumped Earth's technology forward a few hundred years."
"Space pod?"
"Yeah, I sent her mine and Kakarot's. But that's for later." He yawned. "I need to get some kind of roof up before I fall asleep." They said their goodbyes and Bardock began to walk through the forest. There was a path, of sorts, that had been cleared between Goku and Chi-Chi's house up to where Bardock planned to build his little shack. He could've flown, but the forest and stream cleared his mind. It was good for his head, too. Surprisingly, his headaches hadn't gotten any worse after the tournament. As far as he could guess, it was because things would've ended much the same way without his interference. Kakarot would've won, Kami would've been freed, and Piccolo would've gotten away. It was a welcome relief that they hadn't gotten even worse.
They still hurt like hell though.
When he reached the clearing, he decided he couldn't be bothered to put up even a temporary shelter. He pulled the mattress out from the pile of household items and flopped down on it, not bothering to remove his armor. Everything felt so…removed, up here. No urgency in anything. Peaceful. He had to remind himself it was temporary. That it was a dream. Earth wouldn't be left alone for long. There were two possibilities: either Freeza would send soldiers to seize the planet, or the remaining Saiyans would come looking for Kakarot.
He didn't know which would be worse.
Hooray, I finally finished the chapter! Aside from the scene with Bardock and Piccolo, and the fact that Goku just kinda trashed everyone at the tournament, I wasn't really sure what to do with this chapter, so I hope it came out good.
Oh, and speaking of the tournament, I just want to re-iterate Goku's explanation for wrecking Piccolo so hard. It's the same kind of mentality that I mentioned when Tien fought Goku and Yamcha fought Kami-the trend in DBZ of the heroes and villains consistently underestimating their opponents. I just can't see Bardock encouraging that. After all, Future Trunks doesn't wait around for enemies to power up-he gets shit done, and the world is generally better off for it. So as I saw it, the 'stop waiting for them to get serious' mentality transferred from Bardock to Goku, and to an extent, from Goku to the other Z-Fighters. That being said, Piccolo was a cocky sonofabitch who never managed to accurately gauge Goku's power in the original manga. So yeah, he got beat up. Since his power level at the beginning of DBZ, (around 450 (I think)), is higher than it was in Dragon Ball, his strength during the tournament, as I guessed, was probably somewhere in the low to mid 300's. Goku is roughly the strength he was in the beginning of DBZ, around 500-550. (Bardock is around 25-26,000)
Thanks for reading!
