~The Victor~
As Piccolo regressed back to his normal size, the entire group sighed in relief, some more so than the others, especially Lucia, Hanon and Rina, along with Krillin and Yamcha.
"Man what a relief, he shrunk back to normal." Hanon smiled.
"That's the confusing part. Does that mean he is giving up?" Lucia asked curiously with innocent expression.
"Not even close." Master Roshi said seriously, drawing their attention. "Piccolo understood the fact that his giant form is ineffective against Goku's speed and tactics. He had no choice but to return to his normal size and fight him on even ground." He said as Goku was stretching out his legs and arms. "And aside from that, it was the perfect opportunity for Goku to rescue Kami without physically harming Piccolo."
"So you're saying it was a blessing in disguise. If he didn't increase his size when he did, Goku would have to rip his guts out to get the bottle, right?" Gaito said seriously. Some in the group groaned slightly in disgust at his statement, slightly shivering at the thought of that brutal scenery.
"That's exactly right." Master Roshi nodded, not flinching from Gaito's gory statement.
"What are you waiting for? I'm ready when you are." Goku smirked as he took his fighting position.
Piccolo growled as he charged at him. Goku also charged forward, but before their fists would collide, they both disappeared. After a few moments, a complete silence followed as they disappeared from sight.
"They're gone! Now even I can see them!" Kami exclaimed in shock. Is it possible that they have grown so powerful that not even he, the Guardian of the Earth with all of his power, can't even track them? Several moments passed and silence still permeated the ruined city, without a single word spoken or sound made.
"Where… where did they go?" Lucia asked curiously.
"They completely vanished, amazing." Rina frowned slightly. Soon enough, faint sounds of dashes, punches and kicks can be heard in seemingly every direction.
"Do you hear that?" Tien said as he looked left and right.
"Yeah, I hear it too." Krillin said as he too can hear eerie sounds of combat, followed by Gaito, Master Roshi, Yamcha and Kami. Then soon enough, sparks of light struck in one spot, only slightly revealing the two fighters as they clashed at each other before they disappeared again.
"There they are. Man, that's fast." Yamcha said, his eyes and senses barely keeping up with their speed.
"Yeah. They keep popping in one place before they instantly appear in the other spot." Krillin said, struggling just as much as Yamcha.
Then suddenly, a loud, crashing noise can be heard far away from the group. A skyscraper crumbled to ruins as something rushed through it like a comet. When the smoke cleared, it was Goku and Piccolo as Goku threw a punch which Piccolo blocked. Then the two fighters continued with their relentless flurry of punches and kicks, but this time occasional attacks break through their defenses as fatigue is slowly starting to take hold. Goku delivered a right hook, followed by Piccolo retaliating with right uppercut, and Goku delivered a left punch to the gut. Then Piccolo threw a left elbow hook and grabbed Goku's leg, spinning him around at fast speed, but Goku immediately retaliated as he used his other leg to kick him in the face, sending his opponent flying back. Goku then charged at him again while Piccolo regained his composure and started to fire a volley of energy attacks while flying back, but Goku nimbly dodged his blasts and charged straight towards his opponent. Piccolo stopped in his assault and threw a punch that Goku dodged and he immediately delivered a knee to the stomach, followed by a double axe handle that sent Piccolo flying towards the ground. Piccolo growled in seething fury as he immediately bounced from the ground and charged at blinding speed towards Goku, delivering a headbutt that stunned Goku. He then let out a loud battle cry as he started to pummel Goku with flurry of punches and kicks before he threw with a left punch to the jaw, followed by kick to Goku's face, sending him flying before Piccolo disappeared and reappeared in the direction where Goku was knocked back. Just as Piccolo was about to punch him again, Goku ducked below and kicked Piccolo with both of his feet, launching him upwards. Goku soon after disappeared and reappeared, trying to punch Piccolo, but the villain also disappeared again and reappeared behind Goku. Each of the fighters kept disappearing and reappearing as they dodged each other's attacks: Piccolo's double axe handle, Goku's punch, Piccolo's punch, Goku's kick before they both disappeared. Then they both reappeared and extended their hands towards one another.
"HYAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku roared.
"HAAAAAAAAAAH!" Piccolo roared.
Goku and Piccolo fired a powerful energy blasts from point blank range at the same time, creating a giant dome of energy before immediately exploding, sending hurricane winds, with dust and debris picking up fast towards the group. Everyone shielded themselves from the strong winds, with the weaker spectators trying their best not to be blown away by the winds. Soon enough, after the dust settled down, Goku was the only one hovering in the air.
In that moment, Goku lost his momentum for only a second, which was more than what Piccolo needed to send a hard kick to Goku's face, making him gag in pain and spitting out a bit of blood while flying downwards.
Lucia gasped loudly in shock as Goku was plummeting down like a comet. However, Goku wasn't done yet.
"Kamehame…" Goku then spun forward repeatedly and…
"HAAAAAA!" He fired a Kamehameha wave using his feet, much to everyone's surprise. Piccolo was caught by surprise as well as Goku propelled himself like a rocket and delivered a crushing double punch right on Piccolo's face.
"Whoah! Did you see that?!" Karen exclaimed in surprise.
"Amazing!" Coco said in bewilderment.
"He actually used his feet for the wave!" Tien said in equal amazement.
"An extraordinary maneuver that only the most disciplined warriors can handle. But worth the effort, as it frees one's hands for combat." Master Roshi said.
Even though Piccolo was stunned after that crushing attack, he recovered and returned the favor by using his antennas, firing a beam of electricity at his opponent. Goku was taken by complete surprise as the beam struck him, stunning him with as much force as Goku did with Piccolo, sending him crashing into the ground. Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he was slowly getting up.
"Man, what a guy. He just won't stop attacking." Goku chuckled a bit in pain, but his eyes shot wide as Piccolo didn't waste a second and charged at Goku at fast speed, his fist ready to end this fight.
"Diiiieeee!" Piccolo shouted as he was charging forward.
"NOOO!" Lucia screamed in shock and sorrow. She then closed her eyes, unable to watch as Piccolo was about to deal a finishing blow on her beloved. Most of the group gawked in awe and shock as something had followed that none of them expected. Lucia slowly opened her eyes and she too was surprised that Kami suddenly intervened and blocked Piccolo's punch, with the guardian himself having enough of standing by and watching this atrocity unfold any further.
"You are too old and too weak to defeat me! You should've stayed in that bottle!" Piccolo growled in seething fury as he reluctantly stayed rooted in place, now finding himself in extremely unpleasant situation.
"You forget your place, Piccolo! Goku, join me, together we will stop this fool!" Kami frowned in determination as he shielded the young warrior in order for him to recover.
"What do you think you're doing Kami? Don't interfere!" Goku demanded, much to everyone's great surprise yet again, including Piccolo and Kami.
"What are you saying? I'm here to help you." Kami said in slight confusion.
"No, Piccolo is mine to handle, alone." Goku frowned slightly.
"Seriously?! Again with this?!" Hanon exclaimed in frustration and outrage.
"Will you just swallow your selfish pride and let us help you for once?!" Karen shouted in outrage.
"Yes, at the rate you are going, you will die before you regret your decision!" Rina shouted in anger and worry.
"That's enough girls." Master Roshi suddenly said in a serious tone, drawing the attention of the mermaid princesses. "This shouldn't be a surprise, Goku has always been like this. He would rather lose the fight rather than let someone help him beat his opponent."
"But Master Roshi, you do realize that the entire planet is at stake if Goku doesn't beat Piccolo?" Krillin said in worried voice.
"Yes, it's something that we try to get through that thick of skull of his for quite some time." Coco frowned slightly.
"Well, that's Goku for you. It would seem that the fate of the world isn't particularly important in his eyes. Fighting opponents that are strong enough to excite him is all he wants." Master Roshi said, much to the slight shock of the mermaid princesses, Gaito, Hippo and Yuri.
"So all those times he fought was just to challenge himself?" Lucia frowned sadly, now having a slightly low opinion on Goku after Master Roshi's words.
"Yes." Master Roshi nodded.
"Man, I had no idea he was such a barbarian." Yuri said with folded arms.
The mermaid princesses couldn't help but second her remark after hearing Master Roshi's words. Lucia was the only one who didn't think ill of Goku. She still loves him, but her heart ached in disappointment. This whole time she thought that Goku was fighting for her and his friends, but all that fighting against the Dark Lovers, Black Beauty Sisters and even Gaito was all just to challenge his abilities, not caring how the world would end up? It would make almost anyone turn his back on Goku and portray him as nothing but a singleminded brute with the only thing he is good at is punching people.
"Well, you are not wrong Master Roshi." Goku suddenly said with a smile, gaining the attention of the entire group. "About the part of me challenging myself. It's true, fighting strong opponents always excited me to no end. And even now, I'm having an incredible rush fighting Piccolo. "He then looked at Master Roshi." I honestly never considered myself to be a big shot super hero or anything like that. Like you said, fighting strong opponents is all I ever wanted." Goku smiled before he turned towards Piccolo again with a serious look on his face. "But, that doesn't mean that I'm going to let cold-blooded freaks like him kill innocent people and destroy the world. That is something I simply won't and can't tolerate." Goku said as Piccolo had a wicked grin on his face. Then Goku closed his eyes and smiled soothingly, yet again surprising everyone, including Piccolo and Kami by his unusual behavior at the situation at hand.
"Besides, after spending all those months in South City, I learned a lot of things. Guess I have to thank Lucia and her friends for that." Goku smiled as he turned towards Lucia now, with the pink mermaid princess having a red blush on her face as she looked at Goku innocently. "It really opened my eyes in certain areas, I have experienced feelings that I never knew I had within me. I learned from certain someone that when you fight for those you care about, no force on the planet can stop you. That was the fact I proved in my last battle before I came to this tournament and that is something that I'm going to prove in this fight too." Goku smiled, clenching his fist as he looked at the group, specifically at blushing Lucia.
"So he is indeed fighting for us. For me." Lucia thought as she smiled lovingly, her eyes glossy a bit as she placed her hand on her chest and clenched it a bit, silently nodding to her Goku in support. As for Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Launch, Oolong, Puar and to lesser extent Bulma and Master Roshi, they never knew how much Goku changed in the last three years. Hearing his words, it's almost as if he has a far greater purpose in mind rather than simply indulge himself in the heat of battle. Even the part when he introduced Lucia as his girlfriend was a major twist. Then they all deduced that now he fights for her with an even greater determination and ferocity than ever before. Master Roshi and Bulma silently nodded in support and smiled at their longtime friend. Him taking a liking, or dare say falling in love with Lucia made Goku change drastically for the better.
"I still don't follow your reasoning for fighting alone Goku. Why are you so insistent in that decision? There will be no second chance if we don't stop him together." Kami asked.
"I appreciate your concern Kami, but I've already made up my mind. Like I said, I will defeat Piccolo. Both to challenge myself and to save my friends from him. And I guess I'm being so stubborn cause it probably has something to do with pride of being a martial artist." Goku smiled, while Kami had no idea how to get through to Goku and finally convince him to fight by his side.
"Kami!" Tien suddenly called out. "I know you mean well, but Goku is an accomplished fighter. Let him fight alone. After all, he has already saved this world more than once."
"That's right. And if things get tough, we will charge in and defeat Piccolo together." Krillin smiled confidently, while Piccolo laughed slightly in amusement.
"Good one, your friends are so loyal." Piccolo grinned wickedly as he looked to the group before he returned to Goku. "And foolish. A bunch of inept weakling coming to the rescue of their idol, I'd pay a zeni to see that." Piccolo laughed arrogantly.
"I'll show you inept!" Yamcha said angrily as he was about to charge at Piccolo.
"Yamcha, don't!" Bulma pleaded as she held him in place. In the end, Yamcha reluctantly remained in place. Gaito was on very edge to charge at Piccolo, but Sara held his hand with a serious look on her face and shook her head, silently telling him not to do anything reckless, so he too begrudgingly stood down.
"You're way out of your league pretty boy and you know it." Piccolo taunted. Tien couldn't help but growl angrily, fully realizing the truth in Piccolo's words.
"We can take care of him, right?" Krillin asked Master Roshi.
"I hate to admit it, but Piccolo is correct. Goku is the only one among us who can keep up with his tremendous speed." Master Roshi frowned seriously.
"You idiots! It took you this long for you to realize my supremacy?!" Piccolo laughed arrogantly before he soon calmed down after his bravado settled a little.
"Listen Goku. I still think you're making the wrong decision, fighting Piccolo by yourself is folly. But if you insist, do not stop until he's exterminated. I will fall as well, but you can resurrect me using the Dragon Balls." Kami said.
"I won't fail. Thanks for the vote of confidence Kami." Goku smiled. Kami nodded as he walked back towards the group spectating the fight.
"As for you, I owe you a free punch." Goku frowned slightly.
"A free punch?" Piccolo said in slight surprise.
"Yeah. Hit me the make up for the punch that Kami blocked." Goku said. Piccolo said nothing as he was quite confused by his statement, believing it to be some sort of deception.
"What are you waiting for? Hit me, so we can continue the fight!" Goku protested. Seeing that Goku wasn stupidly serious, he happily obliged as he clenched his fist.
"If you insist on it!" Piccolo grinned wickedly. Then he mustered his strength and punched Goku hard in the face, sending him flying and crashing into a small ruined wall. Lucia gasped loudly as she placed her hands on her mouth in worry. As Lucia was about to go towards Goku, Yamcha placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head silently.
"I'm sure glad they put a wall here." Goku smiled in pain as he stood up.
"Come on, was that really necessary?" Noel said, raising her eyebrow in utter confusion.
"It's official. He's a complete moron." Rina sweat-dropped, her right eye twitching a bit by Goku's sheer stupidity. Pure hearted as he is, he's not normal.
"Can't help but agree." Gaito said with folded arms.
"He's nothing if not honest." Master Roshi said while Goku panted a bit as he rubbed his cheek. Piccolo laughed slightly as that punch satisfied him immensely. Unfortunately, he will only be truly satisfied when he puts Goku in his coffin.
"Shall we take a time out so you can catch your breath?" Piccolo grinned wickedly.
"No, but feel free if you're tired. It… it looks like your antennas are drooping." Goku retorted. Piccolo grunted angrily a bit as Goku continues to mock him, even after that kind of punch. "And now that we are fair and square, I am now going to beat you and win this fight." He smirked confidently.
"Goku. What a truly extraordinary young man. His strength is unfathomable, he seems to be getting stronger and stronger every time he fights. His power has increased to such a degree that he's even surpassed me. I didn't notice it until now. If he is to become a warrior I know he can be, I have to give him the room to grow. He must face Piccolo alone." Kami thought as he glanced to Lucia before he returned his attention to Goku. He too noticed a significant change in Goku's resolve to fight for more than just testing his might in combat.
"Your arrogance is astounding, you really believe you can beat me?! Beat me?!" Piccolo growled as anger and rage boiled in his entire being, his head covered in several veins.
"Yes." Goku said confidently.
"You fool! Are you simply so moronic that you can't comprehend the impossible odds before you?! I am infinitely stronger than I was three years ago!" Piccolo shouted in fury.
"Three years is a long time and you're the fool if you think I haven't changed as well." Goku said confidently, deliberately pissing off Piccolo so that his anger would make him do rash decisions that Goku can easily use to his advantage.
"BE QUIET!" Piccolo let out a battle cry as he unleashed a Chasing Bullet attack.
"Can't you come up with anything new?!" Goku said, completely unimpressed as he leapt out of the way of the blast. However, his mistake almost costed him his life as he saw the blast coming right back at him, jumping high in the air to evade it again. Goku yelped slightly in panic as the blast wouldn't stop chasing him and dodged in the air multiple times.
"There's no use running, it will follow you wherever you go!" Piccolo laughed sadistically.
"Is that so? That gives me an idea." Goku smirked as he suddenly landed on the ground, waiting for the blast to come close enough. Then using his speed, he stopped right in front of Piccolo's face with childish grin before he smirked confidently and disappeared. The horrified demon king noticed his own blast going straight at him at almost point blank range, having no time to avoid it. The blast made contact and exploded violently, yet again sending strong winds for short duration. After the winds settled, an area where the blast set off was covered in smoke, but was slowly dissipating.
"Where's Goku?!" Lucia asked worryingly.
"He's alright." Master Roshi said as smoke revealed that Goku was completely unharmed, which made Lucia sigh in relief, along with the rest of the group, excluding Gaito, Sara and Master Roshi as they knew Goku would be alright.
However, the same could not be said for Piccolo as the villain was breathing heavily, his left hand shattered and covered in blood, already making a tiny pool of blood under it.
"Look, he managed to shatter one of Piccolo's arms." Krillin said in awe.
"He came up with that plan right on the spot?" Yamcha said in surprise.
"Amazing." Tien said.
"Excellent. With his arm out of commission, Goku's victory is assured." Gaito smirked.
"Maybe." Sara said, having a bad feeling that the obvious won't come to pass.
"Give up Piccolo. You're wounded, you can't fight like that." Goku said seriously.
But Piccolo was far from over as he has something rather sickening in mind. What came next would cause even the most insane of minds to gawk in horror as in brutal abandon, Piccolo actually gripped his left arm and viciously ripped his own arm clean off of its socket as if it wasn't his own, much to the absolute horror and disgust of everyone present, even Goku. Some of the mermaid princesses were on the verge of vomiting, notably Lucia, Hanon, Noel and Coco at the gory sight before them. Kami was the only one who was unfazed as he knew what was coming next.
As if that wasn't enough, Piccolo clenched his fist and started to scream in agony and fury. Horrors and surprises just keep lining up all the more as Piccolo actually managed to instantly regenerate his lost arm as if he never lost it in the first place, but he was breathing hard as he took a good amount of energy to restore his lost limb.
"Girls, I wanna go home. I don't feel so good." Hanon said in nauseous and trembling voice, her face slightly blue as she grabbed her stomach.
"You and me both." Lucia said as she was in similar condition like Hanon, never in their lives did they had to bear witness to insane amounts of blood and gore before them. This wasn't the first time to witness such acts of bloody combat, but this one is the most brutal of all the fights they had seen so far.
"Disgusting." Sara cringed slightly in disgust.
"What is he, some kind of lizard?" Gaito raised his eyebrow in mixture of disgust and curiosity.
"You will pay for that!" Piccolo growled in furious and outraged voice. "I had enough, I will destroy you all! YOU WILL ALL DIE!" He shouted in fury as he grabbed his arms and started to channel an enormous amount of energy, continuing to rise even more as he started to glow with orange aura. Veins started to pop across his entire body and his faint aura increased in size and shaped itself like fire. Pebbles on the ground started to shoot upward as Piccolo continued to increase his energy to charge up his attack in a last ditch effort to beat his opponent.
"I've never seen so much power summoned at one time! He must be really getting desperate to go to such extremes." Goku thought in surprise. With that amount of power, Lucia and the others could be easily wiped out if Piccolo were to unleash all that energy at once.
"What are you all doing?! You have to leave right now! Hurry!" Goku shouted in demand.
"But Goku, what about you?!" Lucia shouted in worry.
"Now is not the time to argue Lucia! You have to get off this island and run away as far as you can!" Goku shouted seriously.
"I am not leaving without you Goku!" Lucia shouted in worry as her eyes started to get glossy.
"Just go! I'll hold him off!" Goku shouted as he braced himself for Piccolo's attack.
"But Goku…" Suddenly Lucia was interrupted as large patches of land started to rip themselves from the ground and hover in the air. The land around them started to crack and shatter and whirlwind started to form around Piccolo. Then strong winds picked up for short duration as it blew everything in it's path. After it settled down, Piccolo was completely covered in intense orange aura, ready to unleash his final attack.
"Not good, it looks like he's ready to unleash that attack on us!" Yamcha said.
"There is no escape now." Gaito growled slightly.
"I have to save my friends!" Tien exclaimed as she quickly hovered in the air. "Tri beam HA!" He fired his attack with just enough force to create a large square hole. "Everyone! Take a shelter in this hole right now! It won't do Goku any good if we all die!" He shouted in demand.
"Right! Let's go!" Master Roshi said as he immediately ran towards the hole, with Krillin and the others quickly following suit.
"Wait! What about Goku?!" Lucia suddenly stopped before she looked at Goku in extreme worry.
"Lucia, come on, we have to go! Goku can take care of himself, move!" Yamcha said as he dragged Lucia quickly to the hole.
"Goku, get out of there right now!" Krillin shouted.
"No! Now stop arguing and take cover!" Goku shouted seriously.
"Come on old man, get a move on!" Launch said as she dragged Kami comically and kicked him in the hole.
"Mr. Kami, can you form a barrier above this hole?" Hippo asked in hurry. Kami was confused for the moment, but he quickly picked up on his intentions.
"Yes, I can." Kami nodded.
"Then let's do it, both of us." Hippo said as he extended his Sealed Key into a sword-like staff and aimed it above his head. Kami raised his hands above him and they combined their powers to form a protective barrier around the hole to shield themselves.
"Fool! You can't fathom the power you're up against. If you had any brains you'd be on your knees, begging for mercy." Piccolo grinned wickedly.
"Get ready to lose, Piccolo!" Goku smirked confidently.
"Conceded punk! I'll enjoy breaking you." Piccolo said. Then after it was all said and done, he finally unleashed his attack, while Goku braced himself as he crossed his arms in front of him. Piccolo unleashed a Hyper Explosive Demon Wave, a giant dome of energy that engulfed the entire island and beyond, destroying everything in its path. Then the dome set off in titanic beam that shot through the clouds.
After a few moments, the beam quickly dissipated and a cloud of smoke started to dissipate, revealing the entire island, or what's left of it was now flattened, reduced to barren wasteland with no signs of any survivors. Within the hole that Tien made, Kami and Hippo used most of their energy to maintain the shield, but they were not nearly as worn out as they should have been. But behind them, surprisingly even Gaito decided to lend a hand by reinforcing their barrier.
"Mr. Gaito?" Hippo said in surprise.
"Don't get the wrong idea, kid. With that amount of power unleashed, I am not taking any chances." Gaito frowned seriously as the three of them cancelled the barrier above them.
"Goku? Goku!" Lucia exclaimed in worry as she immediately darted up to see if he was alright.
"Lucia, wait!" Hanon exclaimed as he went after her, along with Rina. After Lucia climbed up and looked around the barren wasteland…
"GOKU!" Lucia shouted in pure joy, happy that Goku was alive and well.
"What?!" Piccolo shouter in utter shock and horror, looking in front of him as Goku was indeed alive. His shirt was the only thing that suffered from that blast, but as for the man himself, he was relatively alright.
"Surprised to see me? You are going to have to do a lot better than that Piccolo." Goku smirked confidently as he lowered his arms.
"What… you're still alive? But that's impossible, you should be dust!" Piccolo said in horrified voice.
"Alright Goku, way to go buddy!" Krillin cheered after he too climbed up. "He's alive! Goku's alive!" Krillin said to the entire group in the hole. After those words, they all climbed out of there.
"Unreal. He actually made it." Gaito said in amazement. Everyone from the group, excluding Sara, Gaito and Kami, cheered Goku loudly in immense relief.
"Get over here if you're ready for more!" Goku said confidently as he clenched his fist.
"Amazing. He took that blast head on and yet he doesn't look even singed, unbelievable." Tien smiled in amazement while Lucia stood not too far from Tien and sighed deeply in relief.
"Go get him Goku! After we get home I'll make a big victory feast for you!" Lucia shouted cheerfully. Goku looked at Lucia with confident smirk and nodded before he returned his attention to the horrified Piccolo.
"You used every dirty trick in the book. And now with your energy severely drained, victory is mine!" Goku said as he clenched his fist in front of him. "Okay, it's time to finish this!" He then clenched both of his fists to his sides and started to scream, increasing his energy to its very maximum. It was a very short power up as he stopped screaming and immediately locked his stern gaze at Piccolo.
"Uh-oh. I really think this is gonna hurt." Piccolo said in increased fear. With his energy drained severely after that massive explosive wave, all he can do now is brace for the impact with no way to avoid Goku's wrath.
"Alot." Goku said as he bent down to sprinting pose, with his arms spread wide and on the ground and his right leg pulled back. Then Goku charged at blinding speed before Piccolo could even react and delivered a crushing elbow strike on his face, followed by flurry of kicks across Piccolo's body. Then after he was done, Goku let out a battle cry as he delivered a devastating punch to the gut that lifted Piccolo in the air from the sheer force behind that punch. Everyone from the group, excluding Sara, Gaito and Kami, cheered him loudly again as Goku's victory is now assured.
Then after Goku's crushing attack and Piccolo's paralyzed body fell down on the ground, Goku jumped high in the air and went for the finishing move.
"Kaaa… Meee… Haaa… Meee…" Goku chanted as he charged his ultimate technique in mid-air.
"Incoming!" Krillin shouted.
"Hit the deck!" Yamcha said as they ducked to shield themselves from Goku's incoming aftershock of his attack.
"HAAAAAAA!" Goku shouted as he unleashed his attack. Piccolo screamed in terror as the attack made contact, yet again sending strong winds and blinding light in the every direction. After both died down, Goku was spinning forward as he was falling down, landing gracefully and sighing deeply as the fight was finally over. He then looked at his beaten opponent in the large crater, with his battered body half buried in dirt, his mouth wide open, a clear sign that this time he was beaten.
"It's over." Goku said to himself.
"Woohoo! He did it!" Hanon cheered happily.
"Yaaay, Goku, he won!" Krillin cheered.
"Alright Goku!" Yamcha cheered, along with the rest of the group, except Kami, Sara and Gaito, who smiled now that the threat was finally defeated. Now that Lucia knew that the fight was over, she ran towards Goku with a bright smile on her face and teary eyes.
"Goku!" Lucia said cheerfully as she lunged at Goku. Goku caught her in a hug and spun around once before he put her down. "I knew you could do it Goku, I'm so proud of you." Lucia leaned her head on Goku's chest for a few moments before she looked into his beautiful onyx eyes.
"Thanks Lucia." Goku smiled before he frowned seriously as he looked at Piccolo, with Lucia following his gaze at the same time.
"Goku? Is he…"
"No. He's down for the count, but he's still alive." Goku said seriously.
"Yes. I'm still alive, so that means that Piccolo is still breathing." He said grimly, making Goku and Lucia look towards the guardian.
Little did Goku and the entire group knew that Piccolo was paralyzed for a few moments after the blast, but he was very much still conscious. With that single moment of distraction, Piccolo's eyes shot open as he immediately attacked with a mouth blast. But in a slow motion, Goku glanced towards Piccolo and instinctively shoved Lucia out of harm's way a fair enough distance from him. However, he didn't had a second to dodge the blast as it pierced his right shoulder at almost instantaneous speed, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. The entire group, especially Lucia, gasped in shock and horror as Piccolo in his sneak attack inflicted a severe injury to the Earth's hero as he choked out blood from his mouth and screamed in agony, holding onto his right shoulder in unimaginable pain.
"GOKUU!"Lucia screamed out sadly at the top of her lungs with tears starting to form in her eyes and soon enough flow down her cheeks, with both of her hands soon after placed on her mouth. Her fears tremendously grew as Piccolo was slowly standing up and limping his way towards incapacitated Goku, laughing out loud sadistically.
"Your time is up, end of game. You made a good run event, but now it's over." Piccolo grinned wickedly. Everyone was left paralyzed in place, helpless to do anything to help their friend as all of them knew what came next, especially Lucia.
"For the crimes committed against King Piccolo, it's my honor to serve justice!" Piccolo shouted as he started to stomp hard on Goku's shoulder wound while laughing like a maniac, making Goku scream even louder than he already did. Lucia's heart broke in million pieces hearing her beloved Goku scream helplessly in pain and agony she can't even imagine.
"Please… stop it..." Lucia said in almost a whisper as tears continued to flow from her eyes, her ears unable to stand Goku's incessant screams and yells of pain and Piccolo's ceaseless, sadistic laughters echoing in her mind.
"Stop. Stop it!" Lucia said a little louder as she closed her eyes and frowned a little, almost reaching her breaking point as Piccolo just won't stop torturing Goku.
"I SAID STOOOOP!" Lucia screamed at the top of her lungs in fury, her ears unable to listen to this anymore. Her shouting draw Piccolo's attention, along with Goku's and the entire group. Lucia' entire body trembled in fear and terror, but despite the immense horror that filled her entire being, she stood up and clenched her fists in anger.
"Leave my Goku alone… or you will pay dearly!" Lucia gritted her teeth in utterly scared, yet hopelessly determined voice, while Piccolo laughed off her ridiculous, hollow threat as he turned towards the pink mermaid.
"Lucia! Run away!" Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he looked at Lucia, who won't even budge from her spot.
"Leave them alone, you monster!" Krillin shouted as he charged at Piccolo, along with Tien and Yamcha.
"Back off!" Piccolo shouted as he charged up his attack and waved his hand in a horizontal arc, creating a large, seemingly bottomless hole where the attack was struck. "Come any closer and you will be the first to die!" He grinned wickedly.
"Damn him! Even after all that, he still has some power left!" Tien growled angrily, rooted in place along with Krillin and Yamcha. After that little satisfaction, he paid no heed to Lucia whatsoever as he turned towards Goku again with that same sadistic grin.
"I admit, my aim was a little off. But now I can effortlessly aim at your heart." Piccolo grinned wickedly as he pointed his finger towards Goku's heart area. "Die!"
Before Piccolo could fire his finishing move, someone hit him with a large rock behind his head, making his head tilt slightly in surprise. He didn't even need to turn around as he knew well who it was, that annoying blonde brat Lucia. As for the mermaid herself, she frowned in mixture of terror and anger, her eyes and cheeks stained with tears, but gritting her teeth as she had enough of this pointless torture. She knew she was an ant compared to Piccolo, but she didn't care as she charged towards him, her fists ready.
"Lucia, no!" Goku shouted hopelessly, but it was too late. In a swift motion, Piccolo grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air, much to even greater shock and horror of her friends, especially Goku's.
"LUCIA!" Hanon and Rina shouted in utter worry, with tears starting to form in Hanon's eyes as Lucia's life was now in mortal danger.
"You are persistent little girl, aren't you? If you wish to join Goku in the afterlife, I'll be happy to oblige." Piccolo grinned wickedly as Lucia struggled to get some air, with Piccolo's iron grip pressed around her neck.
"Piccolo! Leave her alone, your fight is with me!" Goku shouted angrily, but Piccolo instantly laughed from that statement.
"You are very amusing when you are near death, Goku." Then Piccolo's malicious grin spread wider. "It will be even greater pleasure to see your spirit shattered before I break your body."
"I had enough of this!" Tien gritted his teeth in fury as he placed his hands in front of him in triangular form. Krillin and Yamcha cupped their hands together and prepared to unleash a Kamehameha Wave. Piccolo glanced at the trio, noticing their intention before he waved Lucia between himself and the three warriors.
"You were up to something dramatic? Then here's your target before you get to me." Piccolo grinned sadistically.
"That heartless monster!" Karen frowned angrily.
"He has no honor whatsoever." Noel frowned angrily, along with Coco, Rina, Sara and Gaito.
"If any of you take a single step, then I will snap this girl's neck like a twig!" Piccolo now said in serious voice. Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were growling loudly in fury, but now all of them found themselves in hopeless situation. All of them knew that Piccolo wasn't bluffing, the poor girl's life was in Piccolo's hands and he can easily take it away in a single motion of his hand. Lucia looked at Goku with her face stained in tears while struggling for her breath at the same time. Goku's heart sank as if a thousand knives pierced his heart while his anger was steadily rising.
"I said let her go Piccolo! Stop acting like a coward and fight me!" Goku shouted angrily. Piccolo silently glanced at Goku before he kicked him in the face, making him roll once.
"Even with your body crippled, your spirit remains strong. Let's change that, shall we?" Piccolo grinned as he had that look that practically screamed death. Goku's eyes went wide as Piccolo now looked at poor Lucia who can't do anything to free herself from Piccolo's iron grip, while the villain clenched his right fist, ready to deliver pain to Lucia as well.
"NOOOO!" Goku shouted hopelessly as Piccolo delivered a crushing punch on Lucia's stomach, making the mermaid gag and cough out a large amount of blood, her ribs completely shattered before she was knocked unconscious. Piccolo was not finished as he threw Lucia's paralyzed body in the air. For the final touch, he fired his mouth blast straight towards Lucia, but to Piccolo's surprise, she disappeared in a blur. Then a figure landed on the ground and it was revealed to be Kami who saved Lucia from her inevitable demise.
"I had enough of your madness Piccolo! It is time to put an end to these sick tortures you placed on these poor souls!" Kami shouted angrily, but Piccolo laughed slightly in amusement.
"Come at me, old man! If you dare!" Piccolo taunted.
Goku's eyes were fixed widely in disbelief as he looked at unconscious Lucia, her mouth stained in blood and her neck covered with visible bruises from Piccolo's hold. Goku had enough. He had 110% enough of everything that Piccolo did to his friends. And now that he harmed Lucia to the brink of death, that was his breaking point. His anger and rage skyrocketed, gritting his teeth in seething fury that would freeze even the hottest of volcanoes to shame, clenching his left fist so hard that blood started to flow from his palm.
He was then slowly standing up with his head bowed down, his face covered by his hair, his rage so great that he didn't even cared about the shoulder wound, even managing to clench his right fist in his fury. Piccolo looked at Goku in utter horror as he was standing up. Then Goku locked his piercing and furious look at Piccolo's, who was left completely perplexed at Goku's unreal resistance to pain.
"Just die already!" Piccolo shouted as he charged at Goku. But Piccolo was horrified even more as for a split second, he froze in place as Goku's eyes for only a moment went… greenish-blue as Goku let out a bloodcurdling roar and delivered a devastating punch that went right through Piccolo's chest, with his fist sticking out of Piccolo's back. Goku had that merciless look on his face as his eyes went black again, but the rage didn't dissipate even slightly. Piccolo gagged and coughed out blood in disbelief and shock as Goku managed to severely wound him.
However, Goku was far from over as he let out a furious roar yet again and attacked Piccolo again. The shot was replayed three times as Goku delivered another devastating blow right on Piccolo's face, completely shattering and breaking his jaw and snapping his neck at the same time. But it is after Goku delivered that blow that he finally felt his rage dissipating and all of his energy depleting as his limp body struck the ground, with not an ounce of energy to spare.
After several moments of silent shock by the entire group, Yamcha and Krillin suddenly got a hold of themselves.
"Krillin! Move fast and give Goku a Senzu bean! I'll go and give one to Lucia!" Yamcha urged.
"Right!" Krillin nodded as he quickly went to give a bean to Goku, while Yamcha darted to help Lucia.
"Hey there buddy. Man, you look like a total wreck." Krillin smiled slightly as he pulled out a bean.
"Yup… I guess you can say that." Goku gave Krillin a faint smile as he struggled to stay conscious before his face went serious. "Please… help… Lucia first."
"Don't worry, Yamcha got it covered. Now hurry and chew this up." Krillin smiled as he fed the bean to Goku. After Goku swallowed it, all of his injuries were gone and his energy was fully restored, immediately hopping on both of his feet.
"Alright!" Goku said cheerfully before his face went blank and then serious as he looked at Lucia, who for some reason was still down for the count. Not wasting a second he darted towards her.
"Lucia!" Goku shouted as he knelt next to her. "Yamcha, what's going on?"
"I don't know, she can't swallow a Senzu Bean!" Yamcha said worryingly before Goku placed his left hand behind her head and grabbed her waist with his right hand.
"Lucia! Lucia, wake up! Lucia! Come on, I know you can pull through! You're stronger than this! Lucia!" Goku said in worry as he shook her a bit. Everyone looked at Lucia, hoping against hope that she will indeed pull through, judging by the brutal beating she received from Piccolo. But unfortunately, she is not budging even an inch. And just when everyone assumed the worst, they were surprised when her eyelids and mouth started to twitch and quiver a bit. Goku and Yamcha were first to notice as they smiled brightly, taking it as a sign that Lucia was not out of reach. Though Lucia was hanging in there by a thread, it was all that Goku needed to give Lucia a chance to survive.
"Hang in there Lucia, just a little longer." Goku said to himself as Yamcha gave Goku his Senzu Bean. It was fortunate that Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were given three beans each as they had no idea that they would be of tremendous help in situations like this.
Although Lucia was still unconscious, Goku managed to slowly feed her the bean. Eventually after Lucia managed to subconsciously chew on the bean and swallow it, she managed to recover completely as her wounds were healed and her energy was restored, her eyes shooting wide as she regained consciousness, much to everyone's joy.
"Thank goodness." Hanon sighed in relief while wiping the tears from her eyes. Rina also smiled in relief, smiling sadly as only moments ago, her best friend was crippled at the inch of her life. She couldn't help but form a few tears of her own, but she wiped them away when Lucia recovered.
"Goku?" Lucia said innocently as she looked at her beloved.
"Easy there, you've had a really rough time." Goku smiled brightly. Realizing that he fed her the Senzu Bean again, she smiled lovingly at the goofy warrior.
"Thank you Goku." Lucia smiled before she kissed him on the cheek. "You really are my hero." She said, but Goku knew that wasn't the case as he frowned seriously. What kind of hero would allow his friends to be brutally beaten, especially his girlfriend?
But before either Lucia or Goku could say any further, the group's attention turned towards the Guardian of the Earth himself, who was breathing hard as he fell on his knees.
"Kami!" Goku exclaimed in worry as he ran next to him. "Kami, are you okay? What's happening to you?" He asked urgently, noticing that Kami's body was slowly fading.
"Piccolo's life force is slipping away. And with his death, I will die as well." Kami said as he panted heavily.
"What?!" Goku shouted in shock.
"Don't worry Goku. I accept my fate that I will share with Piccolo in the Otherworld. This planet will forever be rid of that evil once and for all." Kami said as he smiled faintly.
"Well I am not going tp allow that to happen." Goku said seriously before he looked at the former desert bandit. "Yamcha, throw me another Senzu Bean!"
"Got it." Yamcha nodded as he threw the bean to Goku. Even though he hesitated for a second, he ran towards Piccolo.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Master Roshi asked.
"Is he going to do what I think he will do?" Bulma asked in trembling voice.
When Goku arrived near Piccolo, he reluctantly knelt down and grabbed the limp head of his defeated opponent.
"You don't deserve my help after what you have done. But, I am only doing this for Kami." Goku said sternly before he reluctantly fed the bean to Piccolo. After a few moments, Piccolo's eyes shot open and hovered backwards instantly as he too was restored. Even though the entire group was left completely stunned after what Goku had done, they understood the reason after Kami' short explanation about him and Piccolo sharing the same fate. Then again, this was also explained by Goku before his fight with Piccolo began, so they couldn't really complain against it.
As for Piccolo, he was left completely confused at to why would his mortal enemy help him heal up as he stood silently with an angry frown.
"Don't get the wrong idea Piccolo. The only reason I helped you is because Kami was dying as well and I couldn't allow that." Goku said sternly before he frowned further. "Now get out of here before I regret my mercy!" Goku said angrily, still ticked off after what Piccolo did to Lucia.
"You arrogant punk! I'll kill you one day, just you wait!" Piccolo growled angrily as he departed, flying high in the sky as far as the eye was able to see.
"That's what they all say." Goku said to himself before he departed towards the group. In truth, the other reason he decided to save Piccolo is without a rival to fight, he would be really bored and wouldn't have someone to push himself beyond his limitations and get stronger in the process.
"Goku? Are you okay?" Lucia asked worryingly, noticing that was still pretty fumed after he recovered. But Goku then took a deep breath and sighed, his body now relaxed as he returned to his usual, cheerful personality.
"Yeah, of course. My whole body was just filled with anger after what Piccolo did to you. I'm sorry if I worried you." Goku smiled, having an apologetic look on his face as he rubbed his head.
"Well that's good, cause I got used to seeing your adorable, cheerful face every day." Lucia smiled cutely as she playfully tapped his nose, making Goku giggle childishly with a wide toothy grin in response while rubbing the back of his head.
"Why did you do it Goku?!" Kami suddenly shouted in outrage, startling Goku and Lucia a bit and surprising the rest of the group. "Why didn't you let Piccolo die? You know of the danger that he poses, yet you still helped him recover!" Kami said angrily.
"What are you talking about? If he were to die, then you would die with him! You know that Kami!" Goku said seriously.
"My death would matter little, you know that you can ask the Eternal Dragon to bring me back to life." Kami said.
"Are you guardians capable of telling a lie?" Goku asked bluntly.
"Say what?" Kami said in surprise.
"You were the one who created the Dragon Balls and the Eternal Dragon. If you were to die, then the Dragon Balls would turn to stone to good, right?" Goku said in serious tone.
"What's that?!" Tien exclaimed in surprise.
It was then that Kami was left practically speechless as Goku hit the mark. He caught him in a lie as looked down in utter shame, contemplating on his selfishness that caused a near eradication of humankind, all for the purpose of being the next Guardian of the Earth. He walked away a few paces before he looked up in the sky.
"Sometimes, even I will make a mistake." Kami said as he sighed in shame. "I created this monster, yet he's become so powerful that he surpassed even me, plunging the world into chaos." He then bowed his head down and closed his eyes. "I've lost more than power, I lost my perspective. I no longer deserve to govern this or any world."
"How can you say such things when it was you who brought our world peace again? If not for your training, Goku would have never attained the level of skill he has now and Piccolo would have won. And if the Dragon Balls have never been forged, none of these young warriors would have ever met. And I can't begin to count the number of people who owe their lives to these kids." Master Roshi said in serious tone, reminiscing the past moments where the Dragon Balls were the factor of their meeting. "When their quest began they were just children, but they soon grew into heroes. When the world needed saving, these kids answered the call."
Master Roshi had no idea how right he was. It indeed all happened with the four star Dragon Ball that Goku had in his possession, which led to multitude of events as they were hunting the rest of the Dragon Balls, starting off with only Goku and Bulma. Soon enough, Master Roshi himself went into the mix, along with Krillin, Launch, Yamcha and Puar, and the recent teammates like Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu. Goku have also met Korin and Yajirobe along the way, with each of Goku's friends playing a vital role in respective moments and they all put a stop to the worldwide threats, each more lethal than the last: Pilaf gang, The Red Ribbon Army, Mercenary Tao and King Piccolo.
As for Goku, the biggest and most unexpected event that ever happened in his life was his meeting with a little mermaid known as Lucia, smiling at the thought as he looked at the pink mermaid princess. Lucia smiled back as she looked at Goku lovingly, leaning her head on his shoulder while Goku grabbed her by the waist. In more ways than one, Goku managed to completely flip the mermaids' lives upside down. Not only did the young warrior give them hope against Gaito and his forces, which ultimately lead to his defeat with their powers united, perhaps the most drastic change in Lucia's life was Goku himself. She didn't thought of it until now, but she never knew that little orange sphere could lead to their fated meeting and eventually their relationship which she wouldn't replace for anything in existence.
"One ball. That's how it all began." Master Roshi finished, with the entire group, even Gaito smiling as his words were true. Though he still was a little iffy about Goku beating him, it still lead to him and Sara being together and in a way, he was grateful to Goku for that.
"Goku, you are fortunate to have such an excellent teacher." Kami smiled gratefully.
"Yup. No one is more wise or as goofy." Goku said cheerfully, making Tien, Krillin and Yamcha laugh at Roshi's expense, with the old master blushing slightly in embarrassment and humbleness.
"No no, really I just taught him a few basic skills. I couldn't raise them into such fine warriors without the aid of you and Master Korin." Master Roshi said bashfully. Everyone except Gaito laughed at Roshi's embarrassed expression, but their laughters ceased when Kami suddenly walked in front of Goku and extended his hand before it started to glow. Lucia backed away from Goku a bit as he started to glow as well, with his pants starting to glitter. But Goku smiled as Kami restored his pants first, followed by his wristbands, undershirt, boots and finally his orange Turtle School shirt.
"Wear the symbol of the turtle with pride, never forget where you came from." Kami smiled proudly.
"Thank you." Goku smiled.
"Thank goodness everything is back to normal. Now what do you say we make a big party in celebration of Goku's victory as the World Martial Arts Champion?!" Bulma shouted cheerfully. The entire group raised their hands cheerfully, with the exception of Gaito and Sara.
"No." Gaito suddenly said with folded arms, drawing the attention of the group. "Not us."
"What? Why not, what's the matter?" Krillin asked curiously.
"Goku, Lucia, may we speak with you in private?" Sara asked in serious tone while Goku and Lucia looked at them with innocent expressions, although they knew what they were gonna say.
"Sure." Goku nodded as he went with Lucia. The rest of the group, except for Kami, Master Roshi, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar, Bulma and Launch knew that they are leaving, most notably Coco.
"Sara." Coco frowned sadly as she knew this was a goodbye. Sara didn't call for Coco to come since she knew that she did a tremendous damage to her kingdom as well, so the only thing she could do is walk away with silent goodbye, hoping that Coco would one day forgive her for what she had done.
After a good distance, Goku and Lucia stopped while Gaito and Sara stopped in front of them.
"So, what's this all about?" Goku asked curiously.
"Why ask the question which you already know the answer?" Gaito smirked with folded arms as he turned towards Goku and Lucia, with Sara doing the same. "I told you that we will go into exile when Piccolo has been dealt with. And now the time has come for us to do it."
"So you're leaving? For good?" Lucia asked curiously.
"Indeed Lucia. Because of my selfish actions and transgressions I committed against the mermaid princesses, I decided to go with Gaito. That way I will be of no harm to anyone." Sara frowned seriously.
"But both of you are the good guys now. Can you just stay at least until the party is over?" Goku smiled light-heartedly, making Gaito chuckle slightly at his stupid remark.
"Don't be ridiculous Goku. I was never a good guy, otherwise the kingdoms of the mermaid princesses wouldn't have been reduced to rubble. The reason why Sara went bad is because her heart was sundered by Taro Mitsuki's actions. She is the only one who can actually redeem herself." Gaito said seriously.
"I've made my decision Gaito, so don't try to spare me of my own sins." Sara said as she closed her eyes before she frowned sadly, looking down on the ground. "I was the one who set you free in the first place and brought so much suffering on my fellow mermaid princesses. I am just as much to be blamed as you Gaito." She said before she looked at the pink mermaid. "Lucia. The reason why I called you here with Goku is because I know I can trust my orange pearl to you. You possess a kind and honest heart full of true love, which is something what the next heiress of my kingdom will need to learn off when the time comes." Sara smiled as she opened her seashell pendant and gave it to Lucia. Lucia hesitantly took the pearl and it glowed for a bit before the glow quickly dissipated. "Until the day comes when a new heiress to the throne is born, I want you to guard that pearl. I know you will keep it safe."
"And as for you Goku, you now have the task to protect that which is most important to you. And that person is standing right next to you." Gaito smirked with folded arms.
"You mean Lucia?" Goku asked curiously as he looked at Lucia innocently before he looked back at Gaito.
"Of course. You better not fail in your task, unless your brain really is only meant for punching people." Gaito smirked.
"Hey, that's not true!" Goku whined childishly, making Lucia giggle cutely from Goku's reaction.
"Well, it is time for us to go. Farewell Lucia, Goku." Sara smiled.
"Knowing you, this is not a goodbye. But I am going to say... until our paths cross again." Gaito smirked as he turned around and departed, followed by Sara.
"So long Gaito!" Goku smiled.
"Bye Sara, take care!" Lucia smiled.
"Bye!" Goku waved goodbye. After they made some distance, Lucia frowned sadly, much to Goku's confusion.
"What's wrong Lucia?" Goku asked curiously.
"Nothing. It's just… I know what they did was wrong, but now it's the entire world against those two." Lucia said in slightly sad and worried tone.
"Don't worry, they can handle themselves. You've seen for yourself what Gaito is capable of, so they'll be fine." Goku smiled to ease her worries.
"You're right." Lucia smiled as she nodding in agreement.
"Well, let's go back to the others so we can head back home, I'm starving." Goku smiled brightly.
"And when are you not starving?" Lucia smirked slightly in tease, while Goku snickered childishly with a wide toothy grin in response. It didn't take long for them to go back to the group.
"What was that all about, Goku?" Yamcha asked curiously.
"They are not coming with us?" Bulma asked.
"Yeah, it would seem so. They told us they had some unfinished business or something like that." Goku said. Hippo, Yuri and the mermaid princesses didn't buy it since they knew better, but it was enough to convince the other members of the group.
"Tien Shinhan, aren't you expecting a visitor?" Kami suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Tien said curiously, but as he looked at the sky, he smiled widely as he noticed a very familiar person.
"Tien!" a small person hovered towards the fighter.
"Chiaotzu, you're alive!" Tien smiled brightly before hugging his best friend. Coco smiled gently by their reunion, along with Goku, Lucia and the others.
"Goku." Kami said, drawing Goku's and Lucia's attention. "You have proved yourself worthy, in fact I'd like to offer you my job."
"What? Me, are you serious?" Goku asked in surprise, but not really in a good way while Kami nodded in reply.
"I have the utmost confidence in you. It could be the greatest adventure." Kami said in serious tone, but Goku was now getting nervous, knowing how utterly boring it was during that time when he was training at the Lookout.
"No no no no no, I couldn't. I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but that's not the adventure I'm looking for! It's your job, keep it!" Goku said in quick and nervous tone as he was backing away with Lucia. As for the pink mermaid, she had no idea why he was so nervous about Kami offering his position. It sounds great in her mind, but apparently not for Goku.
"Don't be hasty, think of all the good you could do with that power. You're the only one I can trust to succeed me. What do you say?" Kami said in serious tone. But Goku would have none of it as he pulled his eyelid and stuck his tongue out in childish manner, much to Kami's surprise. Then Goku turned around and looked upward.
"FLYING NIMBUS!" Goku called out to his cloud. As soon as it was called, it landed near Goku and the warrior immediately jumped on it, grabbing Lucia's hand as they flew into the sky, while Lucia laughed cheerfully like she was on the roller coaster.
"Sorry Kami, but it doesn't get any better than this!" Goku shouted cheerfully as he flew higher in the sky, with Lucia continuing to laugh as Goku held her hand, with the pink mermaid having a feeling like she was actually flying. It was truly an incredible feeling, even though she knew that Goku was still holding her hand. Goku and Lucia flew on Nimbus cloud higher and higher until they passed through the clouds.
"There they go." Bulma smiled.
"Don't tell me they won't be coming to the party." Hanon said in slight annoyance.
"They will, but don't let Kami know about it." Bulma whispered in Hanon's ear.
"Ohh okay, will do." Hanon smiled.
And so it was that Goku finally won against his most dangerous adversary and was titled the champion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, since technically Piccolo landed out of the ring first before Goku, which gave the group another reason to celebrate. With the entire group on the way to leave the island, Kami was the only one left in the deserted area. In a way he kinda expected for Goku to refuse his offer, but it was still worth a try. It was then that he too decided to leave and return to the Lookout and back to his daily duties.
The night soon fell and the entire gang gathered in the Pearl Hotel where indeed a big party was made. All of Goku's friends were present: Bulma, Launch, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar, Master Roshi, Hippo, Yuri and the mermaid princesses, along with Nicole and Madame Taki. Surprisingly, they stumbled upon Yajirobe, who claimed comically that he rushed to help them beat Piccolo, but they didn't believe him one bit. Still, he was also invited to the party, due to being a great help in the past, where he was mostly gorging on the food. Since Bulma was around, that wasn't the problem because there was a food in abundance.
Everyone had a great time during the party: Bulma and Launch had a conversation with Hanon, Rina and Nicole, Hippo and Yuri were hanging out with Oolong, Chiaotzu and Puar, Coco with Tien, which Launch did not take kindly as she frowned angrily while taking a glass of juice, since they didn't bother to bring alcohol. And Krillin and Yamcha were hanging out, soon joined by Noel and Karen, with the dark blue mermaid taking the opportunity to get to know Krillin more. Surprisingly, Master Roshi was hanging out with Madame Taki and was actually having a good time, with his lecherous tendencies nowhere to be seen during their conversation. Krillin and Yamcha noticed this and they were surprised that this Master Roshi is nowhere near as perverted as he should be, as he tends to do often around women.
However, the only ones who were missing were Lucia and Goku.
"Hey, have you seen Goku anywhere?" Krillin asked curiously.
"Now that you mentioned it, Lucia went missing too." Noel said.
"I wonder where could they have gone?" Karen said curiously.
Outside of the hotel, Goku and Lucia went to his training spot on the beach.
"Goku, why did you bring me here? Are you not happy with the party?" Lucia asked innocently.
"Of course I am, but I thought you wanted to do this again." Goku said innocently.
"Do what?" Lucia asked curiously.
"You know, with the full moon and everything. You told me you like it the night before the tournament, so I thought you wanted to do it again." Goku smiled. It was then that Lucia realized what he meant as she blushed a little, but couldn't help but smile. He remembered that she told him how she loves to be all alone with Goku beneath the moonlight and that warmed her heart immensely.
"You actually remembered. That's so sweet of you." Lucia said in slightly embarrassed, but loving voice as she looked down. Goku remembered to bring a large blanket for both of them like the last time. And like before, they both sat down and Lucia leaned her head on his shoulder, this time with Goku wrapping his arm on Lucia's shoulder in a hug.
"Honestly, this was something I never would have expected from you, considering we have a party going on with tons of food. Knowing you, you would probably stuff yourself instead of coming here." Lucia smiled.
"Don't worry, I made sure to come here with a full stomach." Goku smiled casually.
"You did? Since when?" Lucia asked in slight surprise as she looked at Goku, but the spiky-haired fighter only snickered childishly with a wide toothy grin and closed eyes.
Back at the hotel…
"What?! What do you mean there's no food? I bought a ton of it before the party!" Bulma said in slight outrage as she went with Nicole to the kitchen, followed by Hanon and Rina.
"See for yourself if you don't believe me." Nicole said in annoyance and frustration, mostly cause the entire kitchen was ransacked.
"Great, Goku just had to pig out and eat everything in sight." Rina frowned in frustration.
"Seriously, has he ever heard of moderation?" Hanon said in frustration. As for Bulma, she started to growl angrily and clenched her fists.
"GOKUUU!" She shouted angrily at the top of her lungs, loud enough to be even heard outside of the hotel.
While Goku was lying down blissfully on the sand, with Lucia resting her head on his chest and wrapped in blanket, Goku suddenly yelped in slight panic as his eyes shot open, which made Lucia slightly worried that something didn't happen.
"What is it?" Lucia asked curiously.
"Nothing, everything's okay." Goku laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head. Lucia looked at him innocently for a few moments before she smiled and scooted up to kiss Goku on the lips.
=Play Music: Dragon Ball Sekushii Gyaru Buruma (1:54 to 2:45)=
Goku was caught off guard yet again, Lucia really tends to do that whenever she leans in to kiss him, but in all honesty he started to like kissing Lucia as he reciprocated the kiss. Then after another seemingly eternal embrace, Lucia broke the kiss and smiled lovingly.
"Feeling better?" Lucia smiled as she tapped his nose, while Goku couldn't help but giggle a bit.
"Yup. Thanks Lucia." Goku smiled. Lucia didn't need to say anything else as she leaned her head on his chest again and smiled, closing her eyes and blissfully relaxing in his soothing embrace. Goku smiled brightly as he hugged Lucia with his right arm and placed his left hand behind his head.
Goku felt completely at peace as he looked at the full moon. His life was truly blessed: He met amazing and loyal friends, fought incredibly strong opponents and much to his own surprise, he now has a mermaid princess as his girlfriend. In truth, that random meeting with Lucia changed his life drastically as she managed to awaken emotions he never thought he had. Looking back then and now, he wouldn't change any of it for the world. Now that his destined rematch with Piccolo was over, he was looking forward for days to come. He may not know what tomorrow will bring, but with Lucia by his side, it would seem that every day will be an adventure for him, something that he is eagerly looking forward to.
~To be continued~