King Piccolo saga part 1
4 years had passed since Akio had encountered Bulma and forced her to let her travel with her to search for the remaining dragon balls, and it had been the hardest 4 years of Bulma's life, as it was extremely hard to deal with having a sadistic, bloodthirsty and crazy alien girl with her. The 1st night with her was hard, as the Saiyan princess had taken over the portable capsule house that she'd brought and, due to her being constantly watched by Akio, she was afraid she'd snap at any given moment, just like she did on that dino bird.
During the 1st year, they encountered someone named Mai and a anthropomorphic dog named Shu, who got on Akio's nerves but Bulma, having seen what happened to someone who crossed her, warned them not to ever mess with her because of her personality and powers. She even showed them video images of the Saiyan princess hunting for food, especially what she did to predators and how she ate them, with some even kept alive for as long as possible when she ate them, which disgusted both of them so much, especially Shu, who thought she would do the same thing to him and they quickly ran as far away from Akio as possible.
After that little encounter, Akio found a giant talking turtle that was looking for the sea to get to his master named Roshi, and thanks to the dragon radar, the Saiyan princess learned that the 3 star dragon ball was at Roshi's house that was on a small island in the middle of the ocean. So, Akio flew the turtle to his master's home before dropping him close enough to shore and breaking into Roshi's house and taking the dragon ball, deciding to leave the old man be, but beating him to within an inch of his life when he said he'd give her the dragon ball in exchange for bringing him a hot girl to take on a date, disguised by the old man's pervertedness, but not without Bulma giving him a medicine that would heal him in just a few days, despite her also disgusted before they both left to head for the next dragon ball.
Days after that, they got to the location of the 5th dragon ball in a remote village that was being terrorized by a shape shifting pig named Oolong, who Akio, due to her personality, as well as being hungry at the time, killed by frying him slowly with a ki blast, making him scream in agonizing pain until he was within an inch of his life and eaten, much to Bulma's, as well as the entire village's, who took the children away sonthey wouldn't have to see or hear the horrible event, shock and disgust before the crazy and ruthless Saiyan princess forcefully took the dragon ball, with Bulma having no choice but to reluctantly follow her, as she was in possession of the other dragon balls and because of Akio's threat to her life.
Their journey took them to the desert, where they encountered a shape shifting cat named Puar and her owner: a desert bandit named Yamcha, who tried to ambush them, but even with his sword and Wolf Fang Fist attack, he was no match for Akio, who easily broke his limbs and was very close to killing Puar. But Bulma begged the Saiyan princess to spare them, as she'd already made her point clear. And Akio, finding the 2 weak and not worth the effort, let them live before they continued on.
And some time after that encounter, Akio and Bulma arrived at a place called Fire Mountain. There, they met the Ox King, who lived in a castle on Fire Mountain. And, seeing the 7th dragon ball in his possession, Akio tried taking it but the Ox King, after Bulma told him what the crazy Saiyan princess was capable of, made a deal with Akio: in exchange for his daughter Chi-Chi's safe return alive and unharmed, he'd willingly give her the dragon ball and Akio, still having some honor in her, agreed and found Chi-Chi at Roshi's island, where she'd heard about an object called the Bansho Fan that could put out the fire. But, not 1 for wasting time, dragged Chi-Chi back to Fire Mountain, followed slowly by Roshi, who agreed to put out the fire himself by using a technique he called the Kamehameha wave, which was just like Akio's Galick Gun, put out the fire but blew up the castle in the process, not that it mattered to Akio, as she had fulfilled her part of the bargain and the Ox King gave her the dragon ball. But as a little farewell, Akio, to Roshi's surprise and shock, fired a Kamehameha wave of her own in the air, only hers was green in color and much bigger and told them that the technique was hers now.
Their next stop was at a city for food where someone named Monster Carrot had turned Bulma into a carrot when she slapped him, which made Akio mad before she killed 1 of his henchmen as an example and threatened to do the same thing to him unless she changed Bulma back, which he did in exchange for being spared and he even began making treats for the city's children, which they were grateful to Akio for due to not seeing what went down, which caused even Bulma to smile, as at that moment, she could tell the the crazy Saiyan princess wasn't completely heartless before they left towards the final dragon ball's location.
And on the way, they encountered Mai and Shu, this time with Pilaf himself, who Akio forced to reveal the final dragon ball's location, which he did after being told by his servants, as well and Bulma and Yamcha, who'd been following them but had kept out of sight out of fear of Akio. But unknown to them, Akio knew all along due to her scouter and had let them follow for her own amusement. After forcing them to lead her to the last dragon ball, by showing Pilaf what she could do, he did so before being ordered to summon the dragon, which he did.
But before Akio could make a wish for herself, Bulma, seeing an opportunity, wished for Oolong to be brought back to life where he died, having put on hold her wish for a boyfriend when Akio killed the pig, as he didn't seem all that bad. And when Shenron granted the wish, he went back into the dragon balls before they scattered around the Earth until they could be used again in 1 year's time. Akio, so furious at having her chance at getting a wish, went mad with rage and destroyed Pilaf's castle in retaliation, which caused the small cowardly fool and his servants to flee the area as fast as they could.
When her rampage was over, Yamcha, Puar and Bulma decided to head to West City, Bulma's home, together, but not without Akio tagging along, as she still had use for Bulma's genius mind and the technology her parents' company, Capsule Corp, had to offer her. While at West City, her parents, mainly her father, were introduced to Akio, who wasn't interested in socializing with him, only in what his company's technology could build for her, which he told her could be anything she desired, but only when the technology had advanced enough for it, which she surprisingly didn't mind, as she had all the time in the world to wait, but told him and Bulma that Capsule Corp, as well as their lives, belonged to her now, to which they reluctantly accepted as long as she wouldn't harm anyone who didn't really deserve it and to let Bulma, her parents, as well as their employees still at least have freedom to socialize with friends and family whenever they wished, while the rest of their time would be spent working on whatever projects that the Saiyan princess desired, as long as they weren't rushed and made to perfection, which she accepted, as well as working on other projects for the world that they could sell for billions of zeni to keep the company going for generations to come, and Akio offering them total protection from any rival companies around the globe, which sealed the deal for Bulma, her father and their employees.
During the next few weeks, Bulma, her father and Capsule Corp followed up on their end of the deal with Akio and had made the agreement with her official and on paper that the Saiyan princess owned the company, which was a big surprise to everyone around the globe, some of which laughed and joked about it, only for Akio to 'put them in their places' before everyone took her seriously and to fall in line with her.
During the next 3 years, Akio went on more adventures throughout the world, seeking the dragon balls whenever they could be used. But her travels did have some complications along the way, beginning with something called a martial arts tournament, which sparked the crazy Saiyan princess' interest so much when she learned it was a place where only the strongest fighters could compete for the title for Strongest fighter on Earth, that she had decided to sign up for it, but was informed by Bulma that there was absolutely no killing opponents during the event, which would cause disqualification. She'd also met a girl named Launch, who could change from a blue-haired gentle girl, to a machine gun wielding blonde criminal with just a sneeze, which Akio found odd but decided to let her go about her business.
And so, after signing up for the tournament and easily making it past the competing rounds, Akio easily defeated all her opponents, using a basic martial art technique she'd invented herself due to being inspired by seeing other martial artists around the world, including Giran, Nam and a fighter named Jackie Chun, who had beaten a little bold human named Krillin, who'd become a student of Roshi, beating them all very brutally but not killing them as promised. But Akio was easily able to figure out that Jackie Chun was Rishi in disguise and warned him to never deceive her that way again.
After the tournament was over, Akio spent the prize money on a feast she'd eaten. And weeks later, she told Bulma to go with her on another dragon ball hunt, which the genius girl reluctantly did, but for the reason of getting her own wish this time. And on the hunt, they encountered Pilaf, Mai, and Shu again, this time in a flying fortress, as well as a mysterious military force called the Red Ribbon Army. And after too many interferences, Akio, bringing Bulma along with her, found and wiped out the entire Red Ribbon Army, and seemingly killed a killer named Tao by blasting him with his own grenade, ending with its top general, Black and its Commander, Red, the latter getting butchered alive slowly by Akio when she forcefully made him reveal that he wanted to use the dragon balls to make himself taller rather than use them for world domination, which annoyed Akio and made her extremely furious enough to make him suffer before finally killing him, which Bulma only saw the aftermath of before Yamcha and Puar comforted her.
That little adventure even led the Saiyan princess to a place called Korin's tower, which she climbed up to make it more challenging for her before she met Korin himself, who was a talking cat that had a special healing item called Senzu Beans, which could heal any wound instantly, but not natural illnesses, fascinating Akio to the point where she demanded Korin to teach her to grow them, which he reluctantly did under the threat of being eaten alive and she'd even taken all his already grown beans by storing them all in a capsule before telling the talking Cat that he worked for her now, which he reluctantly accepted after she threatened to destroy the tower before she took her leave.
After encountering a fortune teller named Baba, who offered Akio the chance to tell the Saiyan princess her fortune while continuing her search for the remaining dragon balls, she declined due to not wanting to know, as it did not interest her. And after finding the remaining dragon balls, Akio, very reluctantly, chose to use the wish to revive an Indian boy's father, whom was killed by Tao, which again showed Bulma and the others that she did have a heart under her crazy and ruthless, bloodthirsty personality.
But the extreme stress of Akio being around her for 3 years had caused Bulma to start smoking to cope with the stress and she'd been doing it for months and finding that it did help a bit, so she kept it up, while also dating Yamcha, despite their fights and his pursuing other girls, which caused them to break up at times, not that it mattered to Akio, as she could care less about it, despite feeling that Bulma did deserve someone who would mate with her and be committed to only her for life.
After the next martial arts tournament, which ended up with Akio, who'd prepared herself using different training techniques to counter mental attacks, as well as paralysis, winning against a 3 eyed man called Tien, who'd broken Yamcha's leg for the sake of cruelty, which Akio had enjoyed seeing, and his much smaller and physically weaker but psychically more powerful friend Chiaotzu, who was helping him by trying to freeze the young Saiyan princess' movements, but was forced to stop by Tien, wanting to beat Akio in a fair fight. Seeing the error in Shen's teachings, Tien refused to kill Akio, causing an angry Shen to tell Chiaotzu to paralyze Tien and Akio to kill them, but he refused, causing Shen to try to kill him, but Master Roshi hit him with a Kamehameha wave, blasting him out of the arena before Akio then attacked Tien with incredible force before finally knocking him out of the ring, winning the tournament, but with Tien and Chiaotzu renouncing Shen and joining Akio and the other humans before Krillin, who'd forgotten the 4 star dragon ball, which Akio valued for her own reasons, went get it while Bulma went outside to smoke as the Saiyan princess was almost finished with her part of a feast bought with prize money by Tien and Chiaotzu as a way to make up for their actions.
Outside, Bulma, who took a drag from her cigarette and blew out the smoke, heard a yell that caused her to drop her cigarette. "What the fuck?" Before she saw Akio running to where the scream had come from and followed her, along with the others, with Akio not concerned about Krillin, who she considered a weak little pest like Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu, but about her dragon ball.
But when they got to the place where Akio's dragon ball was at, they only saw Krillin, laying on the floor, dead. "What…what happened?" Yamcha asked with shock.
"Impossible!" Roshi said with equal shock before he checked Krillin's pulse. "No. Poor Krillin. He's…dead." Shocking everyone but Akio, despite being a little surprised.
"It can't be true. It can't." Yamcha said.
But Akio only asked. "Where…is…my DRAGON BALL!?"
Bulma looked at Akio with a bit of anger, despite not being surprised that Akio would only care about the dragon ball and not Krillin due to being around her for years. "Seriously, Akio?! How the fuck can you only think about the damn dragon ball when 1 of our friends is DEAD?!"
"Your friend, Bulma, not mine." Akio corrected.
Tien ignored that and helped the Tournament Announcer, who explained what happened. "It was a monster! A hideous monster. He took a strange ball covered with stars and a list of the Martial Arts Society!"
"A dragon ball and names?" Yamcha asked.
"A monster?" Roshi asked.
"Krillin. He tried to stop the beast, but it was too strong. That boy fought with everything he had." The Announcer explained further with sadness for the brave Krillin.
"Krillin's gone." Bulma said with sadness, while everyone else but Akio looked sad as well.
Akio looked around, searching for any signs of another presence that was there, only finding a piece of paper with a symbol on it that wasn't here before, making her conclude that this 'monster' must have intentionally left it behind. She picked it up with her tail, got it in her hand and showed it to Roshi as she demanded. "Old man, explain this symbol to me now!"
Roshi immediately recognized that symbol and a look of pure horror grew on his face as he dropped his walking stick and took the symbol and looked at it before saying. "No! It's impossible! It can't be true!"
"What's the matter?" Bulma asked.
"Master, what does that mean?" Yamcha wanted to know.
Turtle, who came up to his master, asked with concern. "Master Roshi?"
This is…this is the crest of King Piccolo." Roshi revealed.
"King Piccolo?" Bulma and Yamcha asked at the same time.
"Piccolo? Someone actually admits to having that name?" Blonde Launch asked. The blonde and sometimes blue haired girl had been part of their group, except in Akio's, for some time now ever since she'd encountered the young Saiyan princess.
But Tien seemed to have heard that name. "I know that name. It's the name of a legendary creature that was said to have plunged the world into the depths of chaos, ages ago."
"It's true." Roshi confirmed before telling the entire story. "His name may sound funny, but I assure you that there's nothing humorous about that savage beast. With him came darkness and chaos. His minions of terror wrecked havic upon the land, destroying all in their path with indiscriminate fury. And despite the defense of soldiers, no bullets or tanks could even scratch them. No 1 knew what they wanted or why they had come, but they were here, laughing as our world crumbled around them. Piccolo and his minions destroyed 1 city after another with little opposition, except for 1 temple. It was there that the beasts faced a school of merger but determined school of martial artists. As the horde invaded the temple, the young fighters banded together for a final assault. Though hopelessly outmatched, they stood their ground and with their combined strength they offered a formidable defense. Many demons fell that day, and alongside them, even more great men. When the battle was over, only 2 of the warriors were left standing: myself and Crane Hermit. Unfortunately, the scrummage had barely made a dent in Piccolo's forces. Desperate and out of time, we concentrated our remaining energy into a shield that absorbed the enemy fire and, with a breath of luck, reflected it right back at the. 1 bright light. That's all I remember. But somehow, it worked. The horde was no more. It was finally over, or so we thought. The demons were just an opening act for King Piccolo himself. We barely got a glimpse of his ugly mug before he dismissed us with a wave of his hand. Against his might, we were but Ragdolls caught in a storm. Shen and I were young and in our prime. We gave everything we had and still King Piccolo prevailed. All those lives lost and we didn't even lay a scratch on him. He was immune to everyone, even Mutaito."
"Who's Mutaito?" Bulma asked.
"He was my master." Roshi answered with sadness as he remembered that day very well.
Flashback, many years ago
Master Mutaito stood bravely against the mysterious monster, king Piccolo and demanded. "Why have you attacked? This massacre was completely senseless!"
But King Piccolo laughed before he answered with delight. "Do you really want the truth, that it was mere amusement or perhaps fate?"
"But we pose no threat. We are seekers of peace." Mutaito tried to reason with the demon.
"And you shall find it…in death!" King Piccolo said.
"I tried to be nice, now we'll do it the hard way." Mutaito said before getting into his fighting stance.
"Foolish." King Piccolo said before blasting Mutaito, much to his delight and young Roshi's and Shen's shock before Mutaito tried to attack him. "You want more?" He asked before blasting at him multiple times, making it look like a dance to him. "Very good. When did you learn to dance?"
When Piccolo landed hits on Mutaito, his remaining students were shocked. "Master Mutaito is completely under his control."
But Shen couldn't believe it. "No! It's not true!"
"Hahahaha. What's so hard to believe about that?" King Piccolo asked, as he had heard the young warrior.
"Master, no!" Roshi yelled out as Mutaito got up again, only for Piccolo to blast him 1 last time, defeating him in front of his remaining students before the demon left, satisfied with his work.
Flashback end
"Thanks to a strong immune system, and my extraordinary bedside manner, master Mutaito made a full recovery. However, exterior sounds heal much faster than the ones we keep inside. For my master, the shame of being dishonored in front of his students and the loss of the ones he couldn't protect, was more than he could bear. Unable to continue his teaching, he left, hoping time could mend what his heart could not." Roshi said.
But the only thing on Akio's mind was King Piccolo and how strong this pathetic old man said this 'demon' was. 'Ha! This king Piccolo sounds more alien than demon, if he's as strong as he says he is. But I should hear the rest of the story before I go off to fight him.'
"It's hard to picture you and Crane Hermit as friends." Yamcha said gently. "What you went through, I had no idea."
"Neither did I. Crane Hermit never spoke of his past. Not to us." Tien revealed while holding Krillin's body.
"Something changed in Shen that day, I could see it in his eyes. It was as if goodness itself had betrayed him. Whether it was our master's leaving or just the alluring power of evil, who knows? The man I knew, my friend, was gone." Roshi said with sadness in his voice.
"If you were so weak against this 'Piccolo', old man, how'd you even defeat him?" Akio asked with a prideful grin.
"I didn't!" Roshi informed her. "King Piccolo continued his rampage. And myself, unable to defeat him, I had to flee."
"So you ran away? Worthless coward." Akio said. "Fleeing when you should have stayed and accepted your fate like a true warrior."
"Obviously, Akio, you've never faced a titan! If flesh and blood were as strong as your arrogant pride, then we'd all be invincible!" Roshi yelled, which Akio wasn't afraid of, as she knew she far surpassed him. "Fortunately, I found refuge in the mountains and continued my training as best I could. But as the years passed, I began to lose hope and felt the weight of my solitude. But 1 day, that hope returned. My master Mutaito had spent his time away strengthening his abilities and in search of a means to get rid of King Piccolo, and found it."
Flashback
As young Roshi hid behind debris, Mutaito put an electronic jar in front of him as he demanded. "Cease fire and surrender, Piccolo! Or face the consequences!"
But King Piccolo, arrogant because of how easily he defeated this pest years ago, only laughed. "Hahahaha! I'd prefer to watch you dance." He said as Mutaito held his hands out, preparing the Evil Containment Wave. "Enjoy." Piccolo said before firing a finger beam that, to his shock, didn't hurt him. "What?" He said in surprise before trying a stronger beam, which got the same result.
Mutaito then fired the Evil Containment Wave at King Piccolo, catching him in the green spinning energy. "Open the jar!" He ordered Roshi, who did just that before the old master brought the energy into the jar until it, as well as Piccolo was inside it. "Close it! Close it now!" He said before Roshi closed the jar, sealing the demon away.
Flashback end
"The Evil Containment Wave successfully trapped King Piccolo. The electronic jar my master had acquired was specifically designed to hold and contain evil. Piccolo's fate was sealed, but at a heavy price: having used up all of his energy, master Mutaito could not endor the effects of the battle. He gave his life to save others. And in doing so, regained his honor. And as for Piccolo: I obeyed my master's last command and threw the jar into the sea. No 1 has ever seen or heard from King Piccolo since…until today. "Roshi said, ending his tragic story.
That got Chiaotzu to suggest. "Oh no! What if Crane found the jar and opened it again?"
But Roshi knew otherwise. "No! Shen, more than anyone, understands the danger of releasing King Piccolo from his prison."
"But, Master, the note and the description suggests that it could be 1 of Piccolo's minions." Yamcha suggested.
"But what's he after? I understand wanting to get the dragon balls, but why would he want a list of names of the Martial Arts Society?" Roshi asked with confusion.
But Akio could answer, in her personal, prideful way. "Oh, come on, old man. Why don't you use what's left of your brain?" She asked with a glare. "That magic trick your pathetic master used. This 'Piccolo' wants the list of names so he, or his minions can find and kill everyone that can use it!"
"Hey! Show some respect, Akio!" Tien told the Saiyan princess.
But Akio ignored him and used her scouter to track the power level of the minion Piccolo had sent. "Power level of 135 heading that way. Excellent." She said with sadistic eagerness. "My 1st chance to test my power on a real opponent!"
But Roshi would not have that and got in her way. "Aiko, no! You have no idea what you're getting into!"
Aiko growled and used a shockwave to get him out of her way. "Rrrraaahh! Silence!" Before turning to Bulma and forcefully getting the dragon radar out of her pocket. "Give me that! Looks as though I'll be needing this too, Bulma!" He said before running out and flying off at fast speed as her purple and ice blue aura burst. "All right, 'King' Piccolo, I'm coming for you! They belong to me! Those dragon balls are mine, especially the 1 with 4 stars on it!"
Bulma helped Roshi up as she said with anger. "What were you thinking trying to stop Akio? We all should know by now that there's absolutely no stopping her from seeking out a fight! And frankly, I for 1 do not wanna get in her way when she goes batshit insane!"
"Oh, that girl has no regard for danger at all. All she's ever cared about is the thrill of fighting, regardless of the threat to her own life." Roshi said with disappointment.
"Well, what'd you expect, she is the princess of the Saiyan race. She showed me her pod a few years ago when she took over my dad's company, which, I will admit, was very impressive and more advanced than anything on Earth. Frankly I was surprised that she even let me and my dad keep it for study so we could adapt it to Earth needs and even make massive improvements to it, mostly for her needs, though."
"I can only hope her love of battle doesn't get her killed." Tien said with contempt for Akio's love of fighting.
Roshiexamined Krillin's body and knew what killed him. "1 kick to the frontal lobe. That's what killed him."
The others were shocked at hearing that. "You're kidding! Someone of Krillin's strength killed with 1 kick?" Yamcha asked. "But…only Akio would be the only one capable of that!"
"I'm afraid she's not the only one of that caliber anymore." Roshi said with regret.
Meanwhile, on Pilaf's air fortress
The now released and elderly King Piccolo was sitting in a chair of his own making with skulls on it and next to him was his son/attendant Piano, who Piccolo had created after his release to help him with tasks. And Pilaf, who along with his servants, had found and released him after they'd heard about Piccolo's legend, had just told the demon about the dragon balls and their power. "7 for 1 wish. I like the sound of that." He said with a chuckle.
Pilaf chuckled as well. "It is marvelous. Born leaders like us only need 1 wish to rule the world.
But King Piccolo chuckled at this incompetent fool's small thinking. "I don't need magic balls to rule this earth. It has fallen at my feet once already."
"Then what do you want?" Shu asked.
"The greatest prize of all: eternal youth." King Piccolo answered, making them surprised at him before he explained. "Just think. With eternal youth, I could master time itself. Why would I want to rule this planet for a lifetime when I could rule it for all time?"
"Yes, I agree." Pilaf said. "By the way, there's something I'd like to run past you. If you recall it was I who plucked you from the cold sea, brought you here to my air palace to recuperate in lavish style. Did you get those grapes I sent you? I even briefed you on the dragon balls."
"Get to the point, Pilaf!" Piccolo said, beginning to get impatient.
Pilaf and his servants, like the cowardly clowns they were, trembled. "I know you have a busy schedule. But, lord Piccolo, when the Earth does fall under your eternal control…"
"Yes?"
"Well I was wondering if you wouldn't mind that I keep, say, half of it?" Pilaf requested, getting a look from King Piccolo that made them tremble more. "Wait! I don't need that much space! A 3rd of the world would be just fine. I'm your guy, right? Who told you about the tournament?" This made Piccolo growl as Pilaf continued. "Did I say a 3rd? I meant a quarter. I'm horrible with fractions! Anything! A country you don't want. I know of some swampland."
"I'll think about it." Was Piccolo's only answer. "Where is Tamborine?"
"Mai!" Pilaf told his female servant.
"Right." Mai said as she went to the control panel for the Earth tracking system and operated it, bringing down a globe of the Earth and showing Piccolo where Tamborine was. "Sensors indicate he's headed this way, sir."
Pilaf smiled as he looked at Piccolo. "Here he comes. Wait till you see a dragon ball. They're so nice and shiny. But what I can't figure out is why you need a list of members of the Martial Arts Society. I'm telling you those people are dull."
But that only caused Piccolo to get a bit angry as he thought about the day he was imprisoned. "Martial Artists." He said as he looked at the jar that was once his prison. "It was 1 of their ilk that sealed me in that cursed jar. The arrogance!" He said before destroying the jar with a flick of his eyes, making Pilaf and his servants afraid. "The world's strongest fighters are on that list. They will all be destroyed! All of them!"
"No fighters here!" Pilaf said with fear.
Meanwhile, with Akio
The Saiyan princess picked up on her scouter that she was very close to Piccolo's minion. "There!" She said with sadistic excitement before flying up the clouds and seeing him. So, she increased her speed and called out. "Hey! Stop right there!" Getting his attention and making him slow down as he looked at her.
They both stopped and Tamborine said. "A little girl? Explain."
"So it was you who stole my dragon ball." Akio said after her eyes landed on her dragon ball.
"Your point?"
"My point is, you stole something that belongs to me. Not that I care about the little pest you killed in order to get it and that list of other worthless weaklings." Akio cleared up.
"Ah, yes. I had never seen anyone so bald act so brave." Tamborine said as he remembered killing Krillin.
Flashback
Krillin and the scared Tournament Announcer were seeing Tamborine standing upside down on the ceiling. "There's a big green monster hanging from the ceiling. Oh, manz this is the last time I pull a double shift."
Tamborine made the dragon ball drop in his hand from the bag, making Krillin afraid of what Akio would do to him if he failed to bring it to her. The demon then spread his wings and flew down to kick him but he avoided the blow and tried to land multiple punches and kicks that missed every time until he stopped to catch his breath for a bit.
'Whatever that thing is, it's fast.' Krillin thought to himself.
Tamborine walked up to Krillin and threw the dragon ball up 3 times while saying. "That's it? Pathetic."
"You're not taking that ball! That thing belongs to someone who me and my friends are very afraid of, as she is sadistically insane!" Krillin told him before running to attack him again but he teleported away. "Where'd he go?"
"Up here." Tamborine answered, making Krillin look to see he was standing on the ceiling again before flying up to him and kicking him in the head, landing soon after.
"Ahh. Somebody help me." The Tournament Announcer called out before Krillin fell to the floor, dead from the deadly blow to his head!
Flashback end
"Dead. Thanks for the update. He was human, so I did him a favor." Tamborine said with a smirk. "1 thing I find tolerable about your species, barely, is the sounds you make when you die."
"Perhaps. But let me tell you: I'm not of humankind, and I'm not as weak as they are, I am a Saiyan of royal blood. The last of my kind. And on my shoulders rests the glory of an extinct warrior race." Akio said with the Saiyan pride she was born with.
Tamborine seemed interested and amused by that. "Well then, sweet princess, let's test that warrior pride, shall we?" He asked before trying to punch Akio, but due to eating before she chased after him, easily caught it, shocking him. "What?"
"Was that it, demon? Your strength may be far superior to these weak earthlings, but not to the might of a Saiyan." Akio said with her sadistic and insane grin. "Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!" She laughed insanely before throwing him down to the ground and landing on his chest hard, making him cough up spit. But as Akio prepared a ki blast, which was the color of her aura, she thought for a few minutes and turned her blast on a rock before destroying it, looking Tamborine in the eyes. "I could kill you like the insect you are, but I'm offering you a chance to live for a while longer. Tell your master, Piccolo, this: the Saiyan princess, Akio, wants to fight him, at his absolute strongest, because, thanks to his imprisonment, he's obviously very old now and way past his prime. But as a test, tell him to come to Mount Paozu, 58N 018, 439 in the East District, to be specific, or send you or any other minions that he has there, where I will be waiting, with another dragon ball. You can take that 1 to your master, and the list, as I think I know exactly what he wants with them." She instructed before picking him up. "And tell him to not keep me waiting for too long, as I tend to get very violent when that happens." She warned before throwing Tamborine up.
Tamborine stopped himself and flapped his wings, looking at the Saiyan princess in anger. "Mark my words, princess: king Piccolo will hear about this and kill you!"
"I'm counting on it!" Akio said before flying away while Tambourine flew to his destination.
A bit later after dark
As the others were waiting for Akio to come back, Bulma, who was smoking a cigarette, took a final drag and blew out the smoke before flicking it away. "I'm tired of waiting for Akio! Let's just get outta here and figure out what to do."
"Yeah, we definitely should, cause that list has my name on it too, and I'm not gonna just stand around and wait for him to find me." Yamcha said in agreement.
"I agree. We need to return to the island to bury Krillin. The rest can wait." Roshi added with sadness. "But you must know that no 1 is safe. King Piccolo's ambition does not allow for bystanders. Should he gain dominion over our world, all will be lost. What his dark and evil flames don't scorch, his demon minions will devour. There will be no haven, no order, only complete genocide."
Tien had a thought and walked up to Roshi. "So, this old Evil Containment Wave your old master used to trap King Piccolo the 1st time around? Why don't we use it now?"
Roshi's eyes went wide when Tien suggested that, as he knew that using the Evil Containment Wave came at the price of one's own life. So he came up with a believable lie. "Master Mutaito died before he had a chance to teach it to me."
Tien seemed to believe that. "Oh, I see. Well, we'd like to come with you, if that's all right?"
"Don't be silly. Of course you can come. We'd appreciate your help." Roshi approved.
Blonde Launch picked up Krillin's body and shed a tear, showing that despite her blonde state being her evil side, she did care about the group. "I took it for granted he'd always be here." She said sadly before Bulma comforted her.
Meanwhile
Piccolo, Piano, Pilaf and his servants watched as Tamborine came in, with the dragon ball and the list. The former of which he gave to his father/master. "Tiny. You're sure it's a dragon ball?"
"Yes. It was exactly where they said it would be." Tambourine answered while looking at Pilaf and his servants.
"Yes. I was right, you see? Don't I offer invaluable counsel?"
Piccolo smiled as he eyed the dragon ball. "You've done well, Pilaf. Once I have all 7 of these little trinkets, eternal youth will be mine. And I shall once again be invincible."
"Right. And your looks will improve as well." Pilaf said, causing Piccolo to look at them with a hint of anger, making them fearful. "Which will be hard to imagine considering how good you look now."
"You look great." Shu said.
"Model of beauty." Mai added.
Tamborine then showed Piccolo the list. "There's more. Here's a list of names for participants of the Martial Arts tournament. By all accounts, it should hold an accurate record of every fighter over the past 10 years."
"Good. Post them on the wall." Piccolo said with a smile.
And as Tamborine was doing just that, he saw Krillin's picture, making him chuckle. "Hahahaha. I don't believe it. He was 1 of their great fighters?"
"You know that 1?" Piccolo asked with a raised eye.
"Yes. But we won't be needing his picture any longer. I killed him during the mission." Tamborine answered while crushing the paper.
Mai then saw a picture that shocked her. "Uh, emperor, I think you better take a look at this.
Pilaf took the picture and was shocked as well, as it was a picture of Akio, the crazy and ruthless Saiyan princess. "No! No way! No wonder she's been so difficult to defeat. She's been the martial arts champion of the last tournament and the 1 before that. I can't believe that they'd actually let that sadistic, bloodthirsty girl fight in there or the fact that she'd even let them keep a record of her."
Tamborine saw the picture as well and informed his father/master. "Lord Piccolo, I encountered her as well while I was coming back here. And there's something you need to know about her. She's powerful, possibly even stronger than you in your current state. I tried to kill her but she was just too powerful for me. And she has powers similar to us. Flight, and energy attacks. The only reason that I'm even here with the dragon ball and the list is because she let me go, only to give you a message from her. She told me to tell you this: the Saiyan princess, Akio, wants to fight you at your absolute strongest, because she knows that you're past your prime due to your imprisonment. She said to come to Mount Paozu or send either or any other minions that you have there, where she says she'll be waiting, with another dragon ball."
Piccolo thought about what Tamborine had said and took that as a challenge. "If it's a fight this Saiyan princess wants, it's a fight she'll get! But let her find at least 1 of the dragon balls for us, and she'll be dealt with them. In the meantime, you will hunt down the rest of the fighters on that list. Leave not 1 of them standing. Nothing fancy, just get the job done. Once they're all sent to oblivion and I've gotten the other 5, this Akio will have the challenge she desires with me and I'll pry the dragon ball she finds from her lifeless fingers!"
"Of course." Tamborine said with a smirk.
While this was happening, Pilaf was having a talk with his servants, with Mai voicing her concerns. "Emperor, I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of this alliance. He seems as unstable as that Akio girl."
"Yeah. With her and him, no matter how much swampland he gives us, if he survives that girl with the tail, I don't think it's worth it." Shu added.
And so, Tambourine went on to carry out his mission to kill all the members of the Martial Arts Society, beginning with King Chappa and his disciples, then a kickboxing champion, followed by a smelly alleyway man before moving on to the next.
While this was happening, Mai brought King Piccolo a drink. "I brought your melon soda, O Great king Piccolo." She said before Piccolo slurped the drink by breathing in and making the liquid come into his mouth, which freaked Pilaf and his servants out a bit before he was finished.
Piano then spoke. "Back to the matter at hand, Piccolo. There's still the matter of finding the other 5 dragon balls."
Piccolo knew that with Tambourine occupied with killing any fighter in the Martial Arts Society, he'd need another minion to search for the other dragon balls, despite the effect it had on his aging process, especially at the old age he was at now. "I have no choice. I must make another warrior."
Pilaf and his servants knew what that meant, as they'd seen it for themselves when he created Piano and Tamborine. "Yuck. He's not gonna do that weird thing again, is he?" Shu asked his emperor.
"Afraid so. There goes my lunch." Pilaf answered with reluctance, as he really didn't want to see Piccolo create another warrior again.
But Piano told his master. "Piccolo, you know that when you lay eggs, it speeds up your aging process. At the rate you're going, you'll die before being able to take over the world."
But Piccolo thought otherwise. "Once I obtain all 7 dragon balls, aging won't be a problem anymore. When I've made my wish, I will be eternally young. And now, to create my new warrior, whose sole purpose must be the collecting of dragon balls." He said before preparing to birth another egg, holding on to his chair as his eyes glowed, saying 7 times. "Raise and form to serve your master. Raise and form to serve your master. Raise and form to serve your master. Raise and form to serve your master. Raise and form to serve your master! Raise and form to serve your master! Raise and form to serve your master! Raise and form to serve your master!" Before it looked like he was choking as an egg slowly came up his throat and out of his mouth, which almost caused Mai to throw up in disgust before the egg fell on the floor gently.
"Congratulations. So. Does it have a name?" Piano asked.
Piccolo composed himself before answering. "His name is Cymbal, my child of darkness." Before the egg began to hatch and a dark green creature wider and bigger than Tamborine came out, growing inches and wings before Cymbal was fully developed. "Who do you serve, child?"
"I serve my lord. I serve Piccolo." The newly born Cymbal answered inna very menencing voice.
Piccolo then showed his new child the dragon ball. "And, Cymbal, do you live only to search for the dragon balls?"
"Pilaf! Now would be a good time to point out the nearest dragon ball!" King Piccolo said to Pilaf.
Pilaf looked at the global radar and quickly found the nearest dragon ball. "Yeah. That would have to be the closest 1." He said as Cymbal walked up to them. "Would you like us to take Cymbal along?"
"Alone." Cymbal told him.
Pilaf, being the coward he was, accepted and opened the hatch. "Yes. I guess you know best." He said before Cymbal flew out and began his mission.
And as Piano was fanning his master/father, Shu spoke to Pilaf. "Pilaf, may I have a word with you?" Making Pilaf and his gang have a huddle. "Shouldn't we be the ones giving out the orders? I mean, who revived who here? He should be serving us."
But Pilaf, not wanting Piccolo to hear that, told him. "Shhh…quiet. He hears everything. I'm sure that when lord Piccolo takes over the world, he'll give us half of it out of gratitude, right?" He asked while looking at Piccolo, who growled at them, making them afraid.
Meanwhile, at Kame House
Roshi was telling Tien and Chiaotzu about the dragon balls and their power. "Dragon balls, huh?" Chiaotzu asked.
"And if you collect all 7 together, any wish you desire comes true?"
"Yes. But you only get 1 wish. So obviously we need to use that wish to bring Krillin back to life." Bulma, who was sitting next to an open window smoking a cigarette, confirmed before taking a drag and blowing out the smoke.
But before anything else could be said, the news came on and reported the martial arts fighters who'd already been killed. "Master, all the fighters are in danger. We've got to warn them!" Yamcha said to Roshi.
"It wouldn't do any good without the list. Some of them use aliases." Roshi countered. "But we cannot stay here. We're sitting ducks on this island. Bulma, how long before you can construct another dragon radar?"
"If I hurry, half a day at the most." Bulma answered, taking a final drag from her cigarette and blowing out the smoke from her nose and putting it out.
"Good. The sooner it's done, the better. We'll leave as soon as you're finished." Roshi said, making Bulma nod. And a while later, after Bulma was finished making another dragon radar, they capsuled Roshi's house and quickly left the island in an aircraft before getting to another place to hide, with Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu leaving soon after to find the rest of the dragon balls before King Piccolo did.
Meanwhile, with Akio
The Saiyan princess was flying through the woods to get back to Mount Paozu for her rendezvous with King Piccolo, while also on the trail for another dragon ball using the radar she took from Bulma when she smelled something cooking, making her fly towards the location of the smell before she saw a big fried fish over a fire. "Now that will be an excellent lunch." She said with an insane smile before putting out the fire and eating the fish at an inhumanly fast pace until only the head and tail were left. Before she got out the dragon radar from her armor, seeing that a dragon ball was very close to her position.
That was when she saw a rock flying towards her, making her glare before she easily blasted it and blew it up! Then she saw someone in an orange gi who had a katana sword, and a Dragon Ball around his neck. "That fish was my dinner and you ate it!" He said, only to get blasted through the middle, killing him before he fell to the ground dead.
Akio walked up to the dead man and took the dragon ball. "Thanks for unknowingly getting this dragon ball and my lunch, earthling, but I don't take kindly to any worthless coward who tries to blindside me. And the fact that I despise uninvited guests in my territory."
But then, after a few minutes, the Saiyan princess saw a creature flying towards her before it landed and spoke to her. "How long you live depends on your answer to my question: I seek a little orange ball with stars on it. Do you know where I can find it?"
Aiko smirked, knowing that this was another of King Piccolo's demons and showed him the dragon ball. "You mean this?"
"Yes. Give it to me…or die." Cymbal threatened her.
But Akio didn't like that and fired multiple finger beams right through his arteries, making him fall in pain before Akio walked up to him, wrapped her tail around his neck and looked him in the eyes with her usual insane and sadistic, bloodthirsty face. "Threatening me was your 1st and last mistake, demon. Now…you die." She said with delight before frying Cymbal alive and eating him until there was nothing left but his bones before heading to Mount Paozu to wait for King Piccolo or his other minions.
Meanwhile, with King Piccolo
The once tyrant and ruler of the Earth felt something wrong that made him wake from his nap, which Piano noticed. "Piccolo, what's wrong? You look ill."
Cymbal has…failed me." Piccolo answered before he tried to contact his minion/child telepathically. "Cymbal! Cymbal, answer me! Cymbal, I command you to hear my call and respond! Cymbal, where are you?!" But it didn't work and only confirmed what he'd just felt. "It's over. Cymbal is no more. He's dead."
Pilaf then spoke to him. "I sympathize with your loss."
"He seemed like such a nice beast." Mai added.
But Piccolo got angry at that. "Silence, you fools!" Making them afraid. "How could your feeble, inadequate brains possibly comprehend how I feel?! He was of my scales and blood! Rraahhh! I gave him life, watched him hatch and spit his 1st slime!"
Pilaf and his servants were really afraid now as they laughed nervously. "You're right I couldn't possibly understand."
"Cymbal means nothing to us." Mai added before the 3 laughed nervously again, causing Piccolo to growl even louder in fury, which made them scared. And minutes later, Piccolo looked at the Earth radar and saw the location of the dragon ball Cymbal went for. "This is the dragon ball my precious Cymbal was seeking before he disappeared. That means the 1 who possesses it is responsible for his destruction. I want them to pay, and pay dearly for this insult!"
But Piano thought differently. "But, lord Piccolo, while it is true that Cymbal's whereabouts are unknown, it's impossible that he was destroyed by anyone inhabiting this world. Here, we are invincible."
Pilaf agreed with that. "Yes. He's probably just taking in the sights and he lost track of time. You know how kids are." He said with a nervous smile.
"That's right." Mai said in agreement.
But Piccolo became angry at his incompetence. "Oh, that's right! Perhaps I was just dreaming when I sensed his life slipping away!" He said, making them afraid. "I am telepathically linked with all of my children! I sensed his death! Whoever ruined my creation will suffer!" Then, he contacted Tamborine, who had found Yamcha and was just about to kill him. "Tamborine! Tamborine!"
"Master, everything is proceeding as planned. I've finished with 7 fighters already and am working on the 8th." Tamborine reported.
"That's good news. I wish I had the same but unfortunately, we have a problem: Cymbal was on his way to retrieve a dragon ball but on the way, he was destroyed."
"Destroyed?!" Tamborine said with disbelief that his brother could be destroyed.
"Our response to this crime must be swift and severe! You are to abandon your current assignment and find his killer. I want an example made of him or her. Do It slowly!"
"I will."
"Stay alert and proceed to coordinates WSC2933."
"I'm on my way, my lord. I will not rest until this vermin is brought to justice!" Tamborine vowed before leaving his current job and going to look for his brother's killer, who unknown to him, was about to be his killer as well.
Meanwhile
While this was happening, Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu were on the hunt for the dragon balls using Bulma's new dragon radar, finding 1 in an iceberg and another 1 in the hands of a pirate captain, who surrendered after they easily defeated his crew.
But the 3rd was located in a small town and in the home of a fighter who Tien remembered, as he had permanently broken his leg during a fighting competition 2 years prior, making him have to walk with a cane. Tien tried to plead with the man but he refused to listen and his wife had even called the police, who attempted to arrest Tien, believing he was responsible for the martial artists killings, not knowing about King Piccolo. But Roshi interfered and explained that Tien was innocent, making the police stand down after realizing who Roshi was. And when Tien requested the dragon ball again, the man refused, even holding a shotgun on the 3 eyed warrior. So Tien got to his knees and pleaded with the man, even allowing him to take his revenge if he wanted. But, to Tien's shock, the man actually forgave Tien, letting go of his grudge and gave the dragon ball to him after his baby boy, leaving soon after, with a weight being lifted from Tien.
The 4th dragon ball was located in a cave with crows, who'd taken it because of their attraction to shiny objects. But they managed to get it, thanks to Chiaotzu before they began flying towards the 5th dragon ball, while talking about how to deal with King Piccolo, with Tien suggesting that they use the Evil Containment Wave on him again, but Roshi was still against it, which got Tien asking himself why.
Meanwhile, with Piccolo
The old demon was looking at the Earth sensor and saw that the dragon ball had stopped moving before contacting Tamborine. "Tamborine, the dragon ball has stopped moving at coordinates 58N 018, 439 in the East District of Mount Paozu."
"Majesty, that's the place that little Saiyan girl told me she was located." Tamborine reported.
"Then go there. She has the dragon ball your brother was seeking before he was destroyed. If that's true, she's the 1 who killed him! Hunt her down. And do not rest until she is dead!"
"It shall be done, my lord." Tamborine said with determination as he began to head to Mount Paozu. And this time, he wouldn't lose to her again, as he'd get her to lower her guard enough so that he could strike.
Meanwhile, with Akio
The young Saiyan princess was waiting for either Piccolo or 1 of his minions to get here, eager for a chance to have someone that could actually challenge her power and skills. And after 30 minutes of waiting, she saw someone coming, making her smirk. "At last." She said before Tamborine landed. "Ah, you again."
Tamborine was angry but saw the dragon ball in her hand. "So it was you who killed my brother."
Akio smirked. "So, that ugly freak was your brother? Too bad, because to me, he was nothing more than my next meal. But don't worry, fool. I'm not going to eat you, I'm just going to kill you, as a test for when I face your master."
"Last time, I held back because I thought you were just another weak human, but your power made me see that you're clearly not. So I'll use my full power and end you!" Tamborine vowed.
"As much as I'd like to believe that, I believe that you're bluffing, demon." Akio said before forming an insane smile. "Allow me to show you!" She said before running at a fast speed that even Tamborine had trouble following until she surprised him with an elbow to his face, followed by multiple fast punches to his gut as she squeezed his neck with her tail, choking him before she had enough and punched a hole right through his chest before ripping him in half lengthwise. Tamborine then fell to the ground, still alive while watching in agonizing pain as Akio licked his blood off her hand, finding it tasting sweet before she picked his torn in half body up and threw him in the air, preparing her ultimate blast. "GALICK KAMEHAMEHA!" She shouted before launching her indigo colored blast at Tamborine, which vaporized him completely when it hit. "That should definitely draw out this 'King Piccolo', no question or doubt about it." Akio said with an insane and eager grin in anticipation.
Meanwhile, with Piccolo
The old demon felt another pain in his head like before as he held it, making Pilaf and his servants whimper in fear and Piano to ask with concern. "Your majesty, what's wrong?"
"A headache?" Pilaf thought.
"Sire?" Piano asked, ignoring Pilaf.
"He's…he's gone. Tamborine is dead. What's going on out there? This shouldn't be happening!" Piccolo said in anger.
"No! Tamborine!" Piano said with sadness over the loss of his brother.
"What kind of creature is out there that could do this?" Pilaf wondered with fear.
"Who do you think? That Saiyan princess Akio! She's gotta be the 1! Who else in the world would be strong and crazy enough to kill a demon spawn?!" Mai answered for him, knowing that it was more than likely Akio.
That's when Piccolo demanded. "Listen! Take me to Mount Paozu, now! This Akio wanted to fight me, and that's exactly what she's going to get! I'll be happy to put her in the ground…PERSONALLY! I WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO FURTHER INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS!" And while Mai was doing as Piccolo said, the old demon was still very angry. "Rraahhh! 2 of my finest warriors killed like they were nothing but mere insects! I don't know who this Akio Saiyan thinks she is, but I will personally see that her skin is hanging on the wall for this!"
Pilaf then began to think. "Wait. The dragon ball we've been chasing has moved in odd patterns, more than likely because of Akio. But I wonder…" He said before bringing down the earth radar and seeing 4 dragon balls moving towards a 5th. "It's as I feared: 4 dragon balls have already been collected and are moving toward a 5th."
"So does that mean we have some competition?" King Piccolo asked.
"Afraid so. What now?" Pilaf asked with fear, wondering what Piccolo's next move would be.
"Calm down! They can gather all the dragon balls they want!" Piccolo told him, looking at Akio's 4 star dragon ball. "They can't use their power without all 7. Let's not interrupt their work. Let them hunt down the remaining 6. Saves us the trouble. Then when they gather them all, we'll take them in 1 fell swoop."
"Good idea." Pilaf agreed, as it was a good plan.
"In the meantime, we'll turn our immediate attention to this Saiyan princess, Akio. I'm going to enjoy this." Piccolo said with delight and anticipation for his confrontation with the Saiyan princess.
Meanwhile, back with Akio
The Saiyan princess looked at the dragon radar, seeing another dragon ball in her position before she looked up and saw Pilaf's familiar air fortress. She pressed the button on her scouter and saw a power level of 100, being equal to her own. "So that's king Piccolo? Excellent! He's very strong, for an old demon. And a perfect test for my own skill and power. I can hardly wait!" She said with eagerness to test her power and skills on a real opponent.
There you go, my dear friends, the 1st part of the King Piccolo saga is complete. I know I didn't go into details with the human fighters and their friends, but I did it before on my other Dbz story and I didn't want to bore you with reading the same things all over again, plus everyone who's seen the show, including me, knows what happened. Anyway, part 2 will be coming very soon, which will have some plot twists that'll take place mainly when King Piccolo makes his wish. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, my dear friends. Especially what I did to Bulma's character and why she smokes cigarettes a lot sooner than she did in the anime, as anyone might do that to cops with the stress of being around someone like Akio for years, which she will be doing a lot because of the Saiyan princess and her personality, I'm sorry to say. I do have a great plan for her involving Chi Chi, which I'll leave as a spoiler free surprise. Rate and review and I'll see you all soon, my dear friends.