Journey of the Saiyan princess

by WolveHulk

Aiko, the sadistic, bloodthirsty and a lot crazy Princess of the Saiyans, is sent to Earth in order to get stronger and honor her race and her father and mother. But as Frieza destroys her homeworld, Aiko is stuck on Earth, finding new eventual friends and a new destiny to become the strongest Saiyan alive in the universe during her many adventures.

3. King Piccolo saga final part

King Piccolo saga final part

Akio looked at Pilaf's familiar airship with annoyance. "Pilaf and his weak, pathetic imbasiles. Don't they realize that all they really do is get on every single 1 of my nerves, and are just annoying pains in the tail?!"

Mai, who was at the controls, spoke through the speaker. "King Piccolo, we have arrived at our destination."

Akio shook her head and growled in annoyance. "Dumb idiot!"

But Shu, seeing Mai had pressed the wrong button, said nervously. "Wait, Mai, that's the switch for the exterior speaker."

Mai gasped. "Oh no!" She said before informing King Piccolo with the right speaker. "King Piccolo. I'm sorry to disturb you but you asked to be notified as soon as we arrived."

Akio smirked, as these incompetent fools had no idea what true evil was. 'So it was those idiots that found and released Piccolo. They think by helping him, they'll get to rule part of the world when he takes it over. But what they don't know…is that when anyone deals with a devil, the devil always wins.'

Pilaf looked and saw someone on the ground and informed Piccolo. "Look at the ground. There's someone down there. Just give me a moment to land the plane and you can destroy them."

"No, don't bother. It's not necessary." Piccolo told him.

Pilaf looked through the binoculars and once he saw Akio, he was immediately scared and afraid. "Aaahh! It's her! I knew it! It was her!"

"Who is it?!" Piccolo demanded.

"It's that Akio girl. The Saiyan princess. She is possibly just as insane as you are, my lord! She butchered the entire Red Ribbon Army, saving their Commander for last and then I heard he'd been ripped apart!" Pilaf said with a frightened face.

"Really? So she's the 1 who killed Tamborine and Cymbal?" Piccolo asked, laughing before he growled in anger. "Both of them fell in disgrace if that little runt had anything to do with their demise! Bah! I am not so weak that I cannot deal with a little girl!" He said before flying off the ship and landing in front of Akio, who smirked with eagerness.

"So, you're the legendary King Piccolo I've heard so much about." Akio said while looking at him closely. "I can tell by your power level and your looks that you aren't from this backwater planet."

Piccolo put his hands behind his back and answered with a smile. "How kind of you, little Saiyan princess. And I see you have another dragon ball, don't you?"

"Indeed I do." Akio answered before throwing the dragon a few feet away. "And, I'll give you this 1 like I let your spawn Tamborine have the 4 star dragon ball, if you can give me a good test run for when you get your youth back."

"Really? You are unbelievable, little girl. Hahahahahahaha."

"Something funny, demon?" Akio asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, you. I came here looking for a great warrior and now I find that it is you who killed 2 of my greatest soldiers." Piccolo answered.

"Indeed. They may have been stronger than those weakling humans, but relative to me, all that made them were very strong insects!" Akio said with Saiyan pride. "I only hope you won't be a disappointment."

"We'll see about that." Piccolo said as his came blew in the wind. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha. You simpleton. You don't have the slightest clue who I am despite knowing my name, do you? I am the abomination that haunts your nightmares. Soon you will call me master."

"You confuse me for someone else, Piccolo, because you're not the monster of my nightmares." Akio countered. "And I am the lost princess of the planet Vegeta. I have no master but myself. And this planet may have been yours once, but your time is long since over. The Earth belongs to me now, so you are going to have to die in order for it to truly be under my unknown rule."

"Ah, a fellow tyrant after my own black heart. I love that. But you're also a martial artist. And every time I meet 1 of them, I suddenly have the urge to destroy them!" Piccolo said with an impressed smirk, as he could see that this Saiyan was like him in some ways by the look in her eyes.

"I'm not like them, as I have a major advantage they don't: the ability to grow stronger with every battle…by recovering from near death. And to adapt and improve during battle. Or, as my people loved to call it, a Zenkai boost. It's in my blood as a Saiyan, but more importantly, because I'm princess of a powerful royal bloodline that's destined to be part of the Super Elite of not just the Saiyan race, but part of the Super Elite of every race in the universe!" Akio said, saying the words her father had said to her in his 1st and last message as she moved her tail around.

This surprised King Piccolo, as he began thinking. 'The ability to grow stronger by recovering from near death and improving and adapting during combat? If this girl actually has those kinds of abilities and knows how to use them, imagine what I could do with eternal youth combined with such great abilities!'

Akio ran up to him and told him. "Enough thinking to yourself, demon! It's time for my test!" She said with an insane and sadistic look on her face.

King Piccolo was surprised at seeing this girl run at that speed. "She's quick."

Akio ran up to Piccolo and jumped before flipping, surprising him before she punched him 3 times and landed a spin kick to his head, sending him flying back! When she tried to rush him again, Piccolo tried grabbing her but she avoided it and wrapped her tail around his wrist, squeezing hard before she flipped up to his head and tried to punch him but he pushed her off him, avoiding getting hit before she retaliated by jumping back to him and landing a strong kick to his chest that knocked him down while she landed on her feet with a smirk, waving her tail around.

This made Pilaf and his servants terrified, as they thought even King Piccolo was no match for the insane and bloodthirsty Saiyan princess. "Akio's gonna win and she'll more than likely eat us alive for this! It's time to get outta here while we still can!"

"Sure, I don't think she's gonna let us escape this time!" Mai said with fear.

But Piano wasn't the least bit worried. "Calm down."

"We can't calm down. You don't know what that girl's capable of, but we do!" Pilaf countered.

"Did you really think his Majesty would be so easily beaten? He's just warming up." Piano told them, making them look again.

Piccolo sat himself up again and chuckled. "Hahahaha. What you did, Saiyan princess, was unpresented. I had no idea I could be knocked down. You're good. It's obvious you deserve your title as the Saiyan princess. It's very obvious that my minions were completely outmatched against your level of elite skill." He complimented before standing back and beginning to remove his black robe and cape, revealing a dark gi underneath, possibly taking the robe and cape off for a better combat performance. "You are the reason I have exterminated the Martial Arts Society. Anyone with your level of skill deserves to be terminated! And now that I know you have such great strength, I shall do my absolute best to try to keep up."

Akio grinned with insanity. "Oh, I'm counting on that." She said as she got into her fighting stance. "I've been waiting for a chance to fight a stronger opponent that's not a weak sniveling worm like these earthlings."

King Piccolo chuckled before his eyes glowed and he charged up orange energy before shooting it at Akio. "Hahahaha."

Akio knew what this was due to seeing that little white skinned pest do it to her at the last tournament, only this was a bit stronger. "A psychic hold technique. And yours is strong. Impressive, but not surprising."

"Oh, you'll be more than surprised, Saiyan princess. Now, let's try this once more, shall we?" King Piccolo asked with a dark smile before he rushed towards Akio at a greater speed that caught even her off guard before she was kicked hard in the chin by the old demon, making her go into the air before he took off after her and punched her hard into the ground! Piccolo landed and smiled evilly before picking Akio up out of the crater she'd made. "Excellent. You're still alive. I was hoping this would last a good while."

Akio grinned before saying. "My words exactly!" Before the old demon began punching her hard in the face with all his strength 6 times. But then, she bit into King Piccolo's thumb, biting it hard enough to bleed and for him to yell in pain as he tried to get her off him by banging her into a nearby rock, followed by elbowing her hard enough to crack it. But when she still didn't let go, he brought her hard into the ground and began elbowing her hard in her chest multiple times, making her amor, as well as a few of her ribs crack, with a few even braking and despite her very high tolerance for pain, she very reluctantly let him go before he kicked her away from him!

Piccolo chuckled before feeling the pain of his bleeding thumb before sucking up the blood to stop it flowing out of him and to heal it, making him growl in anger. "You'll pay for that, you lousy Saiyan girl!" He vowed before seeing her laugh at the pain while getting up despite struggling to as she coughed out blood, making him grin. "By my estimate, your ribs are cracked and broken. But you clearly have a high pain tolerance, just like me and you tend to laugh and work through it. Excellent, Akio. But your suffering is not over yet!"

Piccolo then charged up his energy and fired a finger beam at Akio, but she avoided it by jumping out of the way. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha. Yes, that's the way, Piccolo!"

"Hahahaha. So you still have some fight left in you despite your injuries. Very good, Saiyan princess." Piccolo said before firing multiple finger beams at Akio, which she easily dodged. "Hahahahahahaha. That's what I call entertainment! What's the matter, have you used up all your energy and the pain has caught up with you?"

"Is that the best you can do, Piccolo? I could dodge those in my sleep if I can do it with broken and cracked ribs." Akio said with a bloodied grin.

"Excellent, because we're just getting started, girl!" Piccolo said with evil excitement. "Your pain will be exquisite!"

Piccolo then charged at the Saiyan princess and attempted to kick her but she dodged and tried to strike back but he jumped into the air before she leaped after him. But when she tried attacking, he teleported above her and overhead smashed her down before landing and kicked her away when she got close to the ground. Then he rushed to her and punched her hard in the head, sending her back before she flipped and rushed to him, trying to land multiple punches that he easily dodged before punching her away again. The 2 warriors rushed at each other and Piccolo landed another hard punch that sent Akio falling to the ground again!

But still, she worked through the pain and got to her feet again. "You're stronger than most beings on this planet. I commend you, Piccolo. But don't let that go to your head, because I'm still going to slaughter you!"

"Hahahaha! Your pride and confidence are very refreshing, Akio." King Piccolo said with enjoyment. "Though I find this very fun, you must know that there's no escape from me!"

"I don't want to escape! I'm having way too much fun!" Aiko countered with her sadistic grin.

"You may regret those words, Akio, because the only choice left is how you will meet your demise." Piccolo warned her.

"Hahahaha. It's not over until 1 of us is dead."

"Well, despite your shortcomings, you are a defiant girl. It's been quite a long time since I've seen that kind of spark in someone's eye, let alone a child with a tail. But unfortunately for you, I'm stronger!" Piccolo said with confidence, causing Akio to growl like an animal. "Yes! Growl, Saiyan! Hahahaha!"

"Let's see…how you enjoy…my ultimate technique." Aiko said before preparing her ultimate blast. "Galick…"

Piccolo's face turned to fear, as he thought that this Saiyan princess was using the Evil Containment Wave. But he saw that the hand pose she was using the 1 for the technique. 'Wait! That's not the Evil Containment Wave.'

"...KAMEHAMEHA!" Akio finished before launching her ultimate blast at Piccolo before it landed a direct hit on him, making her grin insanely. "Ha! Direct hit!" But when the smoke cleared, she saw that Piccolo was completely unharmed, as if the blast had no effect on him at all. "NO! I…couldn't damage him… because of my…injuries!"

"That's too bad. But I think it's about time we say goodbye…Akio." Piccolo said with an evil smirk. "But, at least you have my respect…for being just like me." And as clouds formed in the sky and it started to rain, Piccolo broke her legs and punched Akio hard into a big boulder 2 times, hard enough to break her back. "Hahahaha. I believe we've come to the part where you're supposed to grovel and beg for your pathetic life."

But Akio, having been taught by both her father and Fasha's training program, sat up despite the pain of her injuries catching up with her. "I…am…the princess of all…Saiyans. A…super elite warrior. I…never…beg."

"All right. Then die!" Piccolo said before charging up his energy for his ultimate blast. "Haaaaaa! Let's see if you can live through this with all those other injuries."

"Go…ahead and…do it! I'm…not afraid…to die!" Akio said like a true Saiyan warrior princess as her scouter measured his power level, which went up to 260! After a few more minutes, Piccolo fired his Makosen blast, which Akio jumped up to avoid but as her injuries finally got to her, he fired another 1 at her that landed a direct hit, causing her heart to stop beating as she fell to the ground, motionless.

Piccolo walked up to her and looked at her. "So, this was what she called a Super Elite warrior? How…disappointing, but surprising. Her personality was so very much like my own." He said before checking her pulse. "The girl's heart has stopped. It's over." Then he used his telekinesis power to lift up Akio's dragon ball and bring it to him with a grin. "Hahahaha. Hahahahahahaha."

Piano chuckled. "It's so nice to see him in great spirits again." He said with a smile as Piccolo flew back up to them.

"Wow. He's truly amazing. Even more since he actually beat Akio." Pilaf said with amazement.

"You can say that again." Shu said before Piccolo landed on the airship.

"Good show, your Majesty." Piano praised his master.

"Vengeance is most refreshing. It's what keeps up my youthful appearance." Piccolo said before looking at his acquired dragon ball. "Our competition awaits."

"Yes."

"I think we've given them enough time to collect the rest of our dragon balls." Piccolo said before the glass door opened up and he went inside while laughing evilly.

Pilaf then asked Piano. "Excuse me. Once rejuvenated, will he be stronger?"

"Yes. What you've just witnessed will seem weak by comparison." Piano answered, making Pilaf and his servants afraid of what Piccolo would be like once his youth was restored.

But unknown to them while they left the area, after some minutes, Akio's heart began to beat again and she opened his eyes a few moments later before reaching into her armor and getting out a stored Senzu Bean. And when she ate it, her broken body began to heal nearly instantly before she fully recovered and stood up with a insane smile as she felt her power had grown very high. "My new strength is incredible! So that's what fighting a real opponent feels like. All those battles I fought in the tournament were a little instructive but that helped me grow so much higher. I need to fight Piccolo again. He and I are very much alike. But fighting him now would be pointless…unless he regains his youth and power back. Perfect! He'll use the dragon balls for that, and after he's fully restored, I'll head straight for him." She said with a smirk before sitting with her legs crossed and closing her eyes. 'But 1st, I must train to master my senses. Perhaps there's a way to detect an opponent's power and location without having to resort to gadgets like the now completely outdated scouters. Once I master that technique, if It's possible, I'll no longer have any use for scouters anymore.' She thought to herself.

A bit later, with Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu

The old master and his new students were looking for the 5th dragon ball, having lost it after getting it from a rocky area until it was found by Chiaotzu. "With that 1, we have 5."

"That leaves us with only 2 dragon balls left to find. And we already know where 1 of them is: with King Piccolo." Tien said.

"We had better stay on our guard." Roshi advised them before checking the dragon radar.

"What's the matter, is something wrong?" Tien asked.

"Well, we don't have to worry about finding those 2 balls. According to the radar, they're together and heading straight for us." Roshi answered.

Tien knew what that meant. "That has to be King Piccolo. He means to destroy us!" He said, making Chiaotzu and the old master worried.

A bit later, on Pilaf's air fortress

Pilaf saw on the Earth radar that the rest of the dragon balls were heading right for them. "Your majesty, the other 5 dragon balls are headed straight for us!"

That was good news for Piccolo, who smiled. "How thoughtful of them to deliver my prize." He said while looking at his 2 dragon balls. "This will be a day I will long remember. It's seen the end of the Saiyan princess Akio, and it'll soon see the return of my youth and power, and so much more. Hahahaha. Hahahaha. Perfect! Soon I'll have all 7 dragon balls and eternal youth and much more will be mine! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

Back with Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu

As they flew to another location to make a stand against King Piccolo, they discussed about what to do about King Piccolo, with Roshi suggesting that himself and Tien sneakily take the 2 dragon balls he had and for Chiaotzu to bury them with the others, instructing him to wish for King Piccolo to disappear from the Earth, which they agreed to.

After landing, they capsulized the plane and buried the 5 dragon balls and, minutes later, they saw Pilaf's air fortress and hid while on it, Piccolo, Pilaf and the others came out after the aircraft stopped. "I don't see any movement down there." Pilaf said.

But Piccolo knew why. "That's because they're hiding. So they want to play games, do they? Hahahahaha. They're hoping we come down so they can steal our dragon balls." He said while looking at his 2 dragon balls. "Perhaps I should keep them in a safe place." Before he put them into his mouth and swallowed them, much to Pilaf's and his servants' shock.

Tien, from where he and Roshi were hiding, saw it. "I take it the ugly green guy is King Piccolo. It looks like he just swallowed the dragon balls."

"Maniacal monster! He's smarter than I remember. The only plan now is to pump those balls out of his rotten hide!" Roshi said with a growl.

"We have to fight him head on, master Roshi." Tien said before taking off his shirt to prepare for a fight.

Roshi calmed himself before saying to his new student. "That's what he wants us to believe. No, Tien, you stay out of this."

But Tien insisted on fighting the demon. "No! Master Roshi, I must fight Piccolo!"

Roshi turned around and said. "You won't do anything, Tien Shinhan. That's an order."

"But, master, you can't do this to me! I have to fight him! Don't tie my hands, please."

"I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I've taken steps to protect myself. Including a life sustaining potion." Roshi assured him. And when Tien leaned in and tried to insist on it again, he sprayed him with a knockout agent. "I'm sorry to have to do this Tien. It's better if you sleep through this 1. Too many lives have been lost already." He said before pulling Tien in the rock further so he wouldn't be seen. "Your dedication to our cause is admirable, but I must confess that I never did take a life sustaining potion. Never touched the stuff myself. But if I fail, you'll be the only 1 left who can defeat that monster, but only as a last ditch effort. Your will is strong, but your training is incomplete." And after telling Chiaotzu to remain hidden, he walked out into the open and called out to Piccolo. "If you want the dragon balls, Piccolo, you'll have to come down here!"

Piccolo was amused by this. "Oh. So he knows my name. He's done his homework. I'm at a disadvantage. Though I must say that knowing my identity and still challenging me don't say much for his intelligence." He said before flying down and landing a few feet away from Roshi. "Thank you for the invitation. I look forward to your agony."

Meanwhile, at Kame House

Puar told Bulma that all 7 dragon balls were gathered together before showing only 5. "It's true, I know it. All 7 dragon balls were in the same place."

"I don't see how that could've happened." Bulma said, as it didn't make any logical sense. "I mean, short of them being ingested there's no way they wouldn't show up on my radar. It's just not logical."

But then, blonde Launch had a thought. "Wait. A moment ago, there were 7. So that means the Turtle Hermit and King Piccolo must be in the same location."

That got everyone to have a look of worry and fear on their faces before Bulma went to the radio. "This is Kame House. Come in, master Roshi." But she got no response. "Tien. Chiaotzu. If you can hear me, please come in. Are you there?"

That got Yamcha thinking. 'What if something bad happened to master Roshi? If he's defeated, what chance do any of us have against those monsters?'

Back with Roshi

The old master continued to look at his old enemy, while Tien, who was fighting to stay awake, and Chiaotzu looked on in concern, before he pointed to the place where the dragon balls were buried. "All of the dragon balls I've collected are buried right here. You can dig them up and take them away, if you can defeat me."

Piccolo chuckled and said. "That will be my distinct pleasure. Standing before the might of King Piccolo, you still wish to challenge me?"

"Foolish old man." Piano said with a smirk. "He must really have a death wish to challenge King Piccolo in the open like this."

"He doesn't even have any support." Pilaf said in agreement.

"He could have an army, and he'd still lose." Piano said, making the 3 incompetent clowns laugh.

Piccolo chuckled. "Imbecile. Obviously you have no idea who I am. Otherwise you would see that this path you've chosen is suicidal."

But Roshi countered. "This isn't the 1st time we've met, monster."

"Hahahaha! Then you must realize that soon I will send you to oblivion."

"Yeah, I've heard that 1 before. The only 1 here who's going to take a dirt nap is you. Unless you decide to play it smart and give me your dragon balls."

Piccolo began to get angry. "If that was a joke, I'm still waiting for the punchline. Your humor is wearing thin. But if you want my dragon balls, then here." He said before he brought up the dragon balls from his mouth, holding them in his hand challengingly. "Well, what are you waiting for? They're yours, old man. Take them if you can. Come on, here's your chance. What are you waiting for? Take it. What's wrong, are you too scared? Here!" But when Roshi didn't take the bait, he said with a smirk. "So be it. You have succumbed to fear, old man. But don't feel bad, I have that effect on people." Then he swallowed the dragon balls again before seeing the look in Roshi's eyes as he chuckled, making him more angry. "You're really serious, aren't you? Then by all means…die." Before he hit Roshi with a finger beam that sent him flying back a bit before landing on the ground. But after a few seconds, he got back up, much to Piccolo's amusement. "Well look who wants another dose of pain. Good. Good. I have a lot to dish out. So tell me, old man, before you did: what is it like to be nothing?" He asked, making Roshi chuckle again. "Fool! Why do you still stand in my way?!"

Roshi answered with a joke. "Because with you threatening the world, how am I supposed to enjoy my exercise programs?"

It was at that moment King Piccolo was furious now. "You HUMAN!" And with a swipe of his arms, he sent Roshi flying into a rock, cracking and breaking it. But Piccolo wasn't done. "Get up! Get on your feet! A quick death is too good for you! I'm going to make you suffer beyond your imagination!" He told Roshi, who did just that. "So, you think you're a warrior? Then impress me!"

"What's he doing?" Pilaf wondered.

"He's not nearly as strong as he boasts." Mai said.

"Fight me, warrior, show me the power!" Piccolo told Roshi, wanting the old man to suffer. He then fired his Soumasen technique to destroy the rocks surrounding Roshi, who didn't even budge, making Piccolo growl. "Raaahh! Then allow me!" Before he did it again, but this time, destroying the big rock behind him, making Chiaotzu scream as he took cover, while Roshi had a cut on his left cheek, as 1 of the beams had only hit that area. 'Stupid old man! What does he have to gain by this futile resistance? This is folly!"

Roshi wiped the blood from his cheek and said to the old demon. "I have no interest in fighting you." He said, making Piccolo even more angry. "You're right, I'm no match for you. You possess powers far greater than my own." He admitted. "But, for every obstacle, there is always a solution. I can still defeat you."

"No." Chiaotzu said with worry, knowing what Roshi was planning to do.

Tien, who heard that, knew what his new master meant by that: the Evil Containment Wave! "Master, no! You mustn't!"

"What are you babbling about?" Piccolo demanded.

"You know what I'm talking about, all too well. I told you this isn't the 1st time we've met." Roshi answered. "I was there the day my master stared you down. The day you blinked."

"Go on." Piccolo said, wanting to know more.

"Do you want to know my master's name?" Roshi asked before a wind blew between him and his opponent. "It's Mutaito."

At the mere mention of that name, Piccolo's face had a look of traumatizing fear as he began to sweat heavily and his eyes were as wide as baseballs. "No! Not again!" He said with a gasp as he knew what he was planning to do. *You…you mean…"

"Here you go. This should jog your memory." Roshi said before he uncapsuled…an electronic jar with the sealing charm on it.

"The…the electronic jar!" King Piccolo said with a gasp.

"Home sweet home." Roshi said.

"Not the jar!" Piccolo said with fear as he remembered the day he'd foolishly dropped his guard and underestimated his opponent, which got sealed up for decades because of it. "I can't…believe it! Impossible!"

Tien, who's 3 eyes went wide, called out to his new master. "Master Roshi, you can't! If you use it, you'll die!"

Roshi then told Piccolo as he prepared to use the 1 thing that had defeated him before. "You remember that special day: the day that you were sealed in the electronic jar by master Mutaito! And I'm sure you also remember the special technique that put you there!"

"Why is King Piccolo shaking? Is he cold?" Pilaf wondered, as he could see Piccolo shaking even from this far above.

"It's not windy." Shu said.

But Piano was scared for his master/father. "Oh, poor majesty, he's frightened. Piccolo!"

Piccolo continued to look with fear as Roshi began to gather the energy necessary for the technique while causing the wind to blow and the ground to crack as the old master's body began to glow. And when it stopped, Piccolo, completely frightened, tried to fly up to avoid getting caught in the wave again. But Roshi held his arms towards him and yelled out. "EVIL CONTAINMENT!" Before the technique activated, with a green tornado-like energy catching King Piccolo as he yelled out in terror as he was spinning around and under Roshi's control. The old demon tried to break free but couldn't, as the wave was too strong. But unknown to Roshi, the electronic jar was moving with the heavy winds as its lid began going down.

Tien was shocked at seeing such a technique. 'It's just as master described."

But unfortunately for Roshi, as he tried to seal Piccolo in the jar, its lid came down and he missed at the last second, much to his, Tien's and Chiaotzu's shock. "Ahh! I missed it." He said as Piccolo was sitting on the ground, panting heavily from the experience. "Stupid. That was like an amateur. I…I failed." Roshi said, cursing himself as his life began fading away from using the dangerous technique. But before he died, he said his last words to his old enemy. "You haven't won. Your dark dreams will never come true. Somehow, someone will succeed where I failed. Until that day, live in fear. We're only human, but we will survive."

'Don't give up, master.' Tien thought, not wanting his new and honorable master to die.

'Master Roshi!' Chiaotzu thought with worry for his new master.

"We will…survive." And with those words, he fell to the ground, dead, much to the relief of Piano, Pilaf and his servants.

But none was more happy and glad than King Piccolo, who began laughing as he got to his feet. "Hahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahahahahaha. Yes, he's dead! The fool's dead!" He yelled out as Piano, Pilaf and his servants cheered. "That was too close. I didn't expect he would know about the Evil Containment Wave. The old man was sly, but now he's gone forever! I'm free! Truly free! No 1 on this pathetic planet will harm me ever again! Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed before he calmed himself. "It's time." Before he used his telekinesis power to bring the other 5 buried dragon balls to him and brought the final 2 out of his throat before putting them all on the ground as they glowed with energy. "The 7 dragon balls are mine, and soon, I will claim eternal youth and reclaim my glorious power! But even better, the Saiyan ability of Zenkai boosts will be mine, and with it, I eventually shall become a GOD! HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tien was absolutely horrified. 'Eternal youth and…Zenkai boosts? So that's what he's after! He'll be unstoppable! But…what are Zenkai boosts?"

Piccolo then called forth the creature that would grant him his wish. "Now, dragon. Appear before me!" Before the sky turned black and thunderbolts sparked the sky while everyone watched in anticipation as 1 of the thunderbolts hit the dragon balls, and in a blazing surge of fiery power, the eternal dragon, Shenron appeared and let out a mighty roar, much to the amazement and shock of everyone who had not seen him before. "Magnificent!" Piccolo said with a delightful and amazed look on his face.

Meanwhile, with Akio

The little crazy Saiyan princess was still learning how to sense ki, and due to concentration, she was starting to get the hang of it, 1st by focusing on an energy ball she created and moved 20 feet away from her then sweeping her surroundings, as if she could see with her entire body. And after getting the hang of close range ki sensing, she began to focus more on long range, which she was just beginning to get the hang of, sensing a familiar power far away from her location, making her open her eyes with a grin. "There he is. Piccolo. I can feel his power, even if it is a brief flash. Good. If I keep this up, I'll master ki sensing in no time before getting to work on honing my other 4 senses." She said before noticing that the sky turned black way ahead of nighttime. "Wait. It's not supposed to be nighttime for another few hours." But then, she realized. "Someone's summoned that beast, Shenron. And I bet I know who." She said with a smirk, thinking Piccolo was about to get his wish for his youth and power to be restored. "I think I've got a handle on ki sensing now. I can feel Piccolo's power. Now, demon, I hope you're ready, because it's time to settle our score and for me to fight for my claimed planet!" She said before getting up and with her aura bursting, she took flight for Piccolo's direction.

Back at where the dragon balls were

Tien was horrified at what Piccolo would be able to do with his youth restored and whatever these so-called Zenkai boosts were. 'This can't be happening. If that monster gets his youth back and whatever these Zenkai boosts are, there's no telling what he'll become! Nobody will be able to control him! It'll be the end of the world!'

Meanwhile, at Kame House

"What's going on? There wasn't supposed to be a storm today. Why do we even have weathermen?" Launch complained.

But Bulma, looking at her radar, thought differently. "All 7 dragon balls are now gathered together. Someone must've called upon the eternal dragon."

Yamcha thought that could be the case, for better or worse. "It must've been master Roshi…or King Piccolo. I wonder which one?"

Back with Piccolo

The old demon grinned as he looked at the mighty dragon. "The eternal dragon, you're here! After all this time, my greatest desire will finally come true and even more! Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!"

Tien, starting to lose consciousness, quickly contacted Chiaotzu telepathically. "Chiaotzu! Can you hear me?"

"Tien Shinhan!"

"We have to do something about this! Now I want to listen to me very carefully: I'm losing consciousness because of that…strange medicine master Roshi gave me. This is up to you. Before Piccolo can make his wish, I want you to make your own. Tell the dragon that you wish that King Piccolo would disappear from this world…forever."

Chiaotzu nodded. "Okay."

The mighty dragon then asked the being who summoned him. "I WILL GRANT YOU 1 WISH. TELL ME WHAT IT IS YOU DESIRE."

Piccolo then began to make his wish. "I…I wish for…"

But that was when Chiaotzu came out of his hiding spot and called out to the eternal dragon, getting Piccolo's attention as well as the ones on the airship. "Make King Piccolo…disappear…from this…" Only to have Piccolo launch a Makosen blast that directly hit him, causing him to scream before he hit the ground, dying. "Tien…" He called out to his best friend sadly before his eyes closed signifying that he was now dead.

'CHIAOTZU!' Tien thought as he banged his fists into the ground. 'No! Please no, not him!'

"I despise uninvited guests." Piccolo said with annoyance.

But Shenron, being a neutral creature, only asked. "WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?"

Piccolo then said to Shenron. "This is going to be a 2 part wish, dragon. Can't you grant that kind of wish?"

"I CAN, AS LONG AS IT IS WITHIN MY POWER."

"Then I wish for eternal youth and for the Saiyan ability known as the Zenkai boost with the Super Elite potential of the Saiyan princess Akio. Return to me what time has stolen and give the greatest ability of the extinct Saiyan race! Can you do this?" Piccolo wished.

"YES. IT SHALL BE DONE." Shenron said before his red eyes glowed brighter as he granted the demon's wish.

Piccolo's body glowed with white energy as it began to change back into its peak physical prime, beginning with his chest and arms muscles growing back and his old skin changing to bright green as his wrinkles went away and the patches on his arms turning from their dull orange color to bright pink, making him laugh evilly. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha."

"It's happening. His Majesty is growing young." Piano said with amazement, along with Pilaf and his servants.

After Piccolo's youth and power were restored eternally, Shenron's eyes created a green energy that formed into what looked like the grown up form of Akio for a few seconds before the energy went straight into Piccolo's now youthful body and he began to feel the change inside him already as his body glowed brightly. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha. It worked. I'm eternally young and now I too have what the Saiyan princess did. I am…born anew and even more!" Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

"We won! We won! His youth has returned!" Pilaf said.

"Hurry for King Piccolo." Piano praised.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Mai and Shu said together while raising their arms up as they said it.

Shenron, with his summoner's wish granted, said to him. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW."

But Piccolo wasn't having that, as he didn't want anyone to undo what he'd accomplish once the world was his. "There's 1 more thing you can do for me." He said before launching an energy cannon from his mouth at the dragon, making him roar in pain before he exploded, much to Tien's horror and everyone else's shock before 1 of Shenron's legs landed in front of Piccolo's feet before fading while the sky turned back to normal and the dragon balls, now nothing but ordinary stones fell to the ground, all the while, Piccolo smiled in satisfaction. "They are nothing but stones now. Hahahahahahaha. And the dragon is dead. My enemies, especially Akio, are vanquished. No 1 will ever challenge me again!" He said while Tien finally passed out. "Hahahaha. It is perfect! I have been reborn and then some!"

Mai and Shu looked at their master. "Congratulations, sire, you did it."

"I'm looking forward to the day King Piccolo conquers the world. Then he'll…"

"Be so grateful, he'll give you that swampland you wanted." Shu finished before Pilaf imagined it in his head, making him have the look of a child that had just got everything he wanted.

King Piccolo, on the other hand, felt very delighted, as he'd restored his youth permanently and had been given possibly the greatest gift imaginable. "Hahahahaha. I feel…invisible!"

Meanwhile, at Kame House

Bulma saw on her radar that the signal for the dragon balls was dead. "It just went dead! The signal is gone."

"All right. So what explanations are we lookin' at?" Launch asked.

"The most positive scenario is that master Roshi was able to call forth the eternal dragon before King Piccolo. If that's the case, the monsters are no longer among this world." Yamcha answered.

"I sure hope that's what happened!" Bulma said.

But Puar then asked. "If master Roshi didn't winz and King Piccolo did get the dragon balls, then I wonder what it is he wished for?"

"From what we've been told of him, he probably wished for something diabolical, like the end of the world." Yamcha theorized.

Bulma nodded in agreement. "That's…quite possible."

"Either way, say we go to the last coordinates of the dragon balls and see for ourselves. I'm tired of just sitting here doing nothing." Yamcha said, making everyone nod in agreement.

Meanwhile, aboard Pilaf's air fortress

King Piccolo, fully rejuvenated, chuckled, thinking that the entire Earth would soon be his once again. "It's time to get down to business. This world will soon be mine!"

"Yes. The world will soon be under our control." Pilaf said in agreement.

"Full speed ahead! Take me to the King's castle!" Piccolo ordered.

But Pilaf was afraid of that kind of approach. "I don't think the direct approach is the right way to handle this."

"Hmm? Do my tactics trouble you?" Piccolo asked darkly.

"Of course not, you have great tactics. But this castle we're going to has some impressive weapons, and I thought maybe we should get an…upgrade?" Pilaf suggested nervously before seeing the look on Piccolo's face. "No! Wait, scratch that! We don't need an upgrade. Our current systems should do just fine!"

"Hahahaha. You foolish twerp! Now that King Piccolo has regained his youth, no weapon on this planet can destroy him." Piano told the little fool.

That caused Pilaf to laugh nervously. "Oh, I see. Well, no sense in waiting around here any longer. We've got a castle to conquer." He said, making Piccolo growl, which made the little blue clown and his servants afraid of him.

Meanwhile, with Tien

Once the sleeping spray had finally worn off, The former Crane School student put the bodies of his best friend and new master beside each other, angry at himself. 'Master Roshi! Chiaotzu! I can't believe you're gone. I never should have sent you out there, Chiaotzu. Master told us to stay out of it, but I didn't listen!' He thought before getting angry and speaking out loud. "Piccolo! I'll…never forgive you for this!" And seeing a big rock that he rushed to and punched with all his strength, cracking and breaking it! "I know I can't defeat Piccolo, but I have to avenge my friends. I have to!" He said before looking at the electronic jar that was a few feet beside him, making him remember what happened earlier. "The Wave. If only I could use it."

Meanwhile, with Piccolo

"We'll be arriving at the castle in 10 minutes, my king." Piano informed his master.

"Reports tell me that the present king is nothing more than a bleeding heart peace lover." Piccolo said with amusement. "It's the sentimental ones who are always my favorite to destroy. Don't you agree?"

But before anything else could be said, there was a knock on the glass door, getting everyone's attention before they saw none other than Akio standing there with her arms crossed and an insane smile on her face, making Pilaf absolutely afraid as his servants came up, having put the ship on autopilot. "Is this a private party or can anyone join in the fun?"

A-Akio? She's…alive!" Pilaf said with fear.

"Let her in." Piccolo ordered, making Pilaf and his servants look at him in confusion. "I said let her in, NOW!"

"Yes, sure!" Pilaf said before doing just that, opening the door before the Saiyan princess slowly walked inside like a predator slowly advancing on its prey.

"So, it was you pathetic imbeciles that released Piccolo from his prison. Why am I not surprised?" Akio asked darkly before smiling. "But…if you hadn't, I never would have finally found a worthy opponent who could truly test my power. So, I guess I should also thank you 3."

"Well…you're…very welcome, Akio." Mai said nervously.

Akio then looked at Piccolo and smirked. "Ah, Piccolo, you've been rejuvenated. I'd say congratulations are in order."

Piccolo grinned evilly. "Indeed I have a Saiyan princess. And that means I'm somewhere between invisible and immortal."

"Partly immortal, yes. Invisible, I highly doubt that." Akio said before asking. "But tell me, what did these 3 idiotic clowns, particularly the small blue 1, want in exchange for releasing you? Half the world?"

"Actually, Akio…" Pilaf said, making the Saiyan princess charge up an energy blast at him. "I…I don't wanna get blasted but Piccolo discussed just a swampland, but given our successful coup, I'd actually like to renegotiate for half the world?"

Piccolo laughed. "Hahahaha. Well, as you wish. You can have as much…as much as you can carry on the way down."

Pilaf laughed at that. "You have such a sense of humor, sire. What do you mean on the way down?"

But Akio knew what Piccolo meant. "Isn't it obvious to you, you idiotic fool? You and Piccolo are having a literal falling out."

Pilaf began to get scared as he and his servants began sniveling. "But, your majesty, please! This is a terrible misunderstanding! Don't forget that I was the 1 who freed you! I'm your savior!"

"I'm afraid that Akio here is right about you: you're nothing but a sniveling, idiotic clown surrounded by amateurs! Say goodbye, fool!" Piccolo said with a wicked grin, agreeing with Akio about Pilaf and his servants.

Pilaf then tried to reason with Akio. "A-Akio! Please tell him to give me another chance! Please! Remember: I'm the 1 who freed Piccolo and gave you the challenge you've always wanted! If you're here to join king Piccolo, then you can put in a good word for me! Please! I'm begging you, Akio, please!"

"Spare me this pathetic display of sniveling and scrounge up a little dignity for once in your life before you go overboard, you idiotic little worm!" Akio said with a grin.

As Pilaf and his servants were cowering in fear Piccolo brought them outside as Akio stood back before Pilaf tried 1 more time to renegotiate. "You know, guys, we could share the world, with about…95% for… me and…5%... for you guys?"

That caused Akio to get angry and nearly throw a punch at them, but Piccolo stopped her by holding her back, putting a hand on her left shoulder. "No, dear Saiyan princess, let me." He said before simply blowing the Pilaf gang off their own air fortress as they screamed while going down.

When they landed and got up from their nasty fall, Mai growled at Pilaf and punched him on the head. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING RENEGOTIATING WITH EITHER OF THOSE 2?!"

"That hurt, Mai!" Pilaf said before throwing a temper tantrum like a spoiled rotten child. "AAAAHHH! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME!?"

But Mai had enough of Pilaf. "Ah, shut the fuck up, Pilaf! I am so thinking about a career change! Maybe a career at Capsule Corp wouldn't be so bad." She said seriously considering a change in career.

"Oh, come on, Mai, it wasn't that bad!" Shu said. "At least we're far away from Akio and Piccolo."

Mai flipped Shu off and told him. "Yeah, fucking right!" She said sarcastically.

Meanwhile, with Piccolo and Akio

The now restored demon turned to Akio. "And now that those clowns are no longer with us, there's the matter of you, Saiyan princess."

Akio smirked. "Indeed, Piccolo. But not here. If we're going to settle this little rivalry between us and see who's really worthy to rule this backwater planet, we'll need a more open place to fight." She said before flying up a bit. "Follow me."

Piccolo growled before reluctantly accepting Akio's challenge. "Rraaaahhh! Fine! If you really want to challenge me for control of this world, then so be it!" He said before flying up, allowing Akio to fire a blast that destroyed the airship, with Piano on it in an explosion of power, making the demon even more furious. "Ggggrrrrr! You'll pay for that, Akio! I swear that you will pay!" Before following Akio.

Back with Tien

The 3 eyed warrior was still looking at the bodies of his best friend and new master. "Please forgive me. I wish I were with you right now." He said with regret before remembering how Roshi had almost succeeded in sealing Piccolo away again.

But that was when he heard something and looked up to see an aircraft coming his way, with Bulma, Launch, Yamcha and Puar inside. "This was where the dragon balls were last spotted." Bulma said.

"Hurry up! I wanna check it out." Launch told Yamcha, who was flying the aircraft.

But Yamcha disagreed. "Wait. I wanna circle around the perimeter. There could be enemies lurking we don't know about."

But then Bulma saw Tien down there. "Wait! That's Tien Shinhan!"

But Yamcha also noticed. "And that's master Roshi beside him." He said before they landed. But when they got out Tien told them everything, making them sad about their friends' horrible fate. "Master Roshi."

"How could this have happened to them?" Bulma asked with tears in her eyes.

"Chiaotzu." Puar said sadly.

Yamcha then looked at Tien and said. "Tien Shinhan, we're the only ones left. We have to work together to take down King Piccolo."

But Tien said. "I'm sorry, Yamcha. There's something I must do alone. It's the only way now. I will learn the secret of the Evil Containment Wave."

But Yamcha was against that. "No. It's too dangerous."

"I must destroy that monster, no matter the cost. That's why I was spared."

"You can't go alone. I'll learn it with you."

"No, that's not an option." Tien said before he explained why. "It's impossible for you to learn this wave unless you've witnessed it 1st hand, as I have."

"No, Tien."

"Don't argue with me! My mind is set. I have nothing left to lose." Tien told him as Yamcha looked into his eyes and saw that he couldn't change his mind. Tien then got the plane he, Roshi and Chiaotzu came to that area and flew off with 1 thought. 'Goodbye, my friends.'

While everyone else was worried, Launch only smiled. "What a man."

A few minutes later, Bulma uncapsuled 2 more freezing capsules and they put Roshi's Chiaotzu's bodies in them. "I brought them just in case, but I didn't think we'd actually need them." Bulma said sadly.

"No!" Yamcha said before going into their plane and getting the radio out before contacting Tien. "Tien Shinhan! Tien, this is Yamcha! Do you read me?"

"This is Tien Shinhan." Tien answered.

"Listen! There's no need for you to do this alone. I'll learn the Evil Containment Wave and fight Piccolo with you. Please, just come back!" Yamcha begged, wanting to help.

But Bulma took the radio and said. "Tien, we'll collect the dragon balls again. That way we can wish Roshi, Krillin and Chiaotzu back to life."

But Tien informed them. "That's not an option anymore. Once King Piccolo got what he wanted from the dragon balls…he destroyed the dragon."

The others were shocked to hear that. "Did he just say-"

"Yeah. The dragon's destroyed." Yamcha answered for his ex as the wind blew. "Then there's no choice left but to fight. Tien Shinhan! Did you hear me?"

But Tien broke contact before thinking to himself. 'If anyone else is going to die, it'll be me and only me.'

Meanwhile, with Akio and King Piccolo

As the Saiyan princess was leading the rejuvenated demon to a place of her choosing, Piccolo was deep in thought. This Saiyan princess was so much like himself, being sadistic and bloodthirsty, as well as a very strong desire to rule this earth and fight to the last breath to keep it. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't help but admire Akio, although he wouldn't admit it out loud. If a child from a different world could be just like him but blessed with the gift of growing stronger with each battle, he could only imagine what he, no, a child of his own could do with such a gift, combined with eternal youth. But he'd put that in the back of his mind for now. Maybe there was a chance for the Saiyan princess to join him and avoid another fight, but if not, he'd simply kill her and birth the perfect offspring to continue his legacy in the event a stronger opponent than Akio would succeed in sealing him…or even killing him 1 day.

They landed in a rocky area and stood a few feet from each other before Akio smiled with sadistic eagerness. "So, Piccolo, are you ready to face me in combat to see who truly is worthy of ruling this backwater planet?" She asked while wrapping her tail around her waist.

But Piccolo just stood without getting into a battle stance. "Why should we fight, Akio, when you could just stand down and join me in conquering this world?"

"I will never be a servant to anyone! I am the Saiyan princess. The last of my bloodline. This planet became mine the moment my pod landed on it, and I refuse to have it, or my freedom taken away by a demon who had his chance decades ago!" Akio refused with anger.

"Why do you resist, Akio? It's not like I'll take away your freedom. In fact, you will find that I will encourage your freedom. Every freedom." King Piccolo assured her.

"What are you talking about, Piccolo?" Akio demanded.

Piccolo then explained. "You see, my dear Saiyan princess. By now, you know how powerful I am. But what you may not know is what a loving king I could be. So, my first decree will go out to the ones I love the most... of course that's the criminal element. We can begin by eradicating the police. Those wicked people who would stomp on the criminal element's freedom and put them in chains for merely seeking the lives that they desire. Theft, violence, murder, nothing will be illegal in this grand new world. Us and them could come out from the shadows, for I understand their pain, as I do yours. But what they don't know is that I plan on destroying them all as they suffer for years before the loving embrace of death finally welcomes them."

"You understand nothing of my pain, Piccolo! And your way of ruling this world got you sealed up once and with what you plan to do, it'll get you killed eventually, that is if you survive me this time." Akio said with an eager grin.

Piccolo sighed, as he anticipated that answer. So he shook his head. "So be it, Saiyan princess. I may like you but it won't stop me from holding back and trying to kill you! But before I fight you, let's test you against someone you may find to be a challenge."

"What do you mean?" Aiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a surprise." Piccolo answered before he began to birth another egg, only this time, because of his eternal youth, it was much faster and easier for him and he quickly spat it out.

"I'm guessing that's your means of reproduction, current?" Akio asked.

"Indeed." Piccolo answered before his egg hatched and a large, ogre-ish, frog-like being came out and grew fast. He very much resembled his brother Tambourine in appearance and outfit, with the exception of a more emerald shade of green skin and the lack of wings, as well as being much larger than Tambourine, with his structure being like his other brother Cymbal. "Your name shall be Drum. Teach her a lesson she'll never forget." He ordered his new spawn.

The newly born Drum walked up to Akio while cracking his knuckles before he teleported behind Akio and tried to punch her but, with surprising speed, Akio killed him with 1 strong kick to his head before he fell to the ground, dead, much to Piccolo's surprise before she shot a finger beam that instantly obligated him!

"I want no more of your spawns, Piccolo! I only want to fight…you!" Akio demanded.

"How tanatos of you, Akio. But I see you've clearly gotten stronger since you recovered from the beating I gave you before. Those Zenkai boosts really do wonders for you, as they will me." Piccolo revealed. "As you must know, I made a 2 part wish. As you already know, half of it was eternal youth, and the other…was the ability to have Zenkai boosts with every time I heal them near death. And it's all thanks to you that I have these great gifts. And as my way of saying thank you and farewell to a worthy foe, I will give you a quick demonstration of my new power. I do apologize, dear princess."

Akio smirked as Piccolo tried to chop her with his right hand, but to his shock, she blocked it, making him try to punch her with his left hand but she blocked that blow as well with just her tail before she grabbed his arm and threw them into a rock that crumbled in contact with him and fall. But after a few minutes he burst out and growled at her in anger. "Was the matter, Piccolo? I thought you said this was going to be quick?"

"You insolent girl! Now you've really made me angry!" Piccolo said before firing multiple finger beams that she deflected until he jumped high into the air and flew fast down to her, firing an energy blast that she jumped up to avoid. But he counted on that and fired another blast that made her get into a defensive stance before it hit her, sending Akio flying back before she stopped herself by landing her feet on a rock before gracefully flipping back in front of Piccolo and taking her battle stance. "FILTHY SAIYAN!" Piccolo yelled. "This isn't happening! This can't be true!"

"Can be true and is, Piccolo. I told you, you only made me stronger when you almost killed me." Akio said with a wicked grin.

"You think you can attack me like that again, Akio?! Well guess again! You get 1 lucky shot and suddenly you're a big warrior princess! I haven't even begun to show you my full power!" Piccolo said with overconfidence.

"Never overestimate yourself, Piccolo! It'll cost you dearly!" Akio countered before they both growled at each other, very eager to tear the other apart.

Piccolo looked closely at her eyes, thinking to himself. 'Her eyes. So very much like my own: full of hatred and insanity! We are so very much alike. But she hasn't seen the full extent of my cruelty!'

But that was when Akio teleported in front of him and landed a very hard punch on his face that sent him flying back a few feet into a rock, making her smirk. "And never get too lost in thought, Piccolo. It distracts you and leaves you open for an attack like that! But still, I'll very much enjoy feasting on your flesh." She said while running her tongue over her lips.

Piccolo got up and growled. "Prepare…to die, Akio!"

The 2 warriors then rushed to each other and Piccolo tried punching Akio twice but she dodged both of them and began to move at a fast speed that Piccolo could barely keep track of her until she ran forward and he chased after her, getting beside her while they grinned with insanity at each other before they rushed to each other, with Piccolo trying to land a punch but again, Akio dodged it and kicked him on his right foot, causing him to trip and fall. But when Akio tried to rush for another attack, Piccolo righted himself and counterattacked by kicking the Saiyan princess down but Akio landed on her feet and rushed to her adversary, landing a very hard kick on his chest that caused him pain enough to stubble back! But when Akio rushed at him again, he counterattacked with an overhead smash, followed by kicking her up before she blocked his other leg and retaliated by kicking the back of it, followed by landing several fast punches on his chest until he got free and tried landing several punches and kicks of his own that she easily blocked before they both jumped into the air and Akio landed an elbow to his face, a kick under his chin and finally a kick that sent him to the ground. They started at each other with intense anger before Piccolo tried to kick her but she teleported behind him and landed several more punches on his body, as well as a few kicks on his head and a knee to his face that made his bottom lip bleed!

Aiko stood in front of Piccolo again, wanting for him to recover until he did and wiped the blood from his lip with an insane and sadistic grin before he chuckled. "Something funny, Piccolo?"

Piccolo answered. "It feels good, doesn't it, dear princess? We're no different from each other, you and I. We both love inflicting pain! It's an intoxicating feeling, isn't it?"

Akio laughed with delight. "Hahahaha. Hahahahahahaha. Indeed it is, Piccolo. Inflicting pain on my enemies is extremely intoxicating." Before she demanded. "But I think it's time we stop warming up and show each other our true power, don't you think?"

"My, my, aren't we sharp today? You don't miss a thing, do you, Akio?" Piccolo asked. "But you see, my dear princess, if we were to fight using our full power, neither of us would last as long. However, why save all the fun for later when we can party right now!?"

"My words exactly!" Akio said before they both powered up to their fullest, with the Saiyan princess' purple and ice blue aura burst, as did Piccolo's greenish-yellow aura, causing the ground to crack. "HAAAAAAAA!"

"HAAAAAAAAA!" Piccolo yelled before they both were at their full strength and power. "I hope you're ready to die, Akio!"

"And I, you, Piccolo!" Akio said with a look of insane anger. "You should be asking yourself that question."

"Oh, I am really going to enjoy every single moment of this!" Piccolo said with eagerness.

"So am I!" Akio said back before Piccolo waved his arm and sent a strong wind at her that she stood her ground until it stopped. "Give me everything you've got, Piccolo. If we're really so much alike, you must realize that pain is nothing to me!"

"Be careful with what you wish for, because it may destroy you!" Piccolo countered.

"We'll see about that!" Akio said while preparing for another attack.

Piccolo and the Saiyan princess rushed to each other again and Akio avoided a chop from the demon before jumping into the air. But Piccolo followed and landed a very hard punch that cracked the back of her armor and sent her falling to the ground hard enough to make a crater with a hole in the middle!

Piccolo landed and laughed, thinking he'd won. "Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! It is over! I am the winner! Poor Saiyan princess. If only she'd listened to me. She and I could have done great things together!"

But that was when he heard a familiar voice. "FINAL…" Akio yelled before she burst out of the hole, preparing her ultimate technique.

"Impossible!" Piccolo said, astonished.

"... KAMEHAMEHA!" Akio yelled before firing her blast at Piccolo.

"Nice try, Saiyan princess, but that won't work on me!" Piccolo arrogantly yelled before preparing to block the attack.

"Don't be so sure!" Akio told him before controlling the blast to flip over him and hit him in the back, making him yell in pain and fall on his knees. "HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed before landing. "I couldn't have hurt that badly, Piccolo! Get back on your feet!"

Piccolo did just that before saying with an evil smile. "We really are no different, Akio. We're just 2 monsters fighting for our territory."

"Indeed we are, Piccolo. But this fight doesn't end until either 1 of us or both of us are dead!" Akio told him while getting into her fighting stance.

Piccolo did the same. "Mark my words, dear princess: you won't be so lucky this time."

And after a few minutes of standing the demon king and Saiyan princess rushed to each other and Akio threw several punches that Piccolo blocked before landing a kick between her legs. But Akio retaliated by kicking him on the head, causing Piccolo to do the same by punching her in the face. Akio then flipped back several times as Piccolo chased after her before she stopped and landed a hard kick to his chest! They then jumped back and rushed to each other for another attack, with Piccolo blocking punched from Akio before he countered by kicking her in the midsection, causing her to retaliate by hitting his chest again before he elbowed her in the head before she spin kicked him back, flipped over to him and landed an elbow under his chin before spinning and landing several punches and kicks to his midsection that ended with a drop kick to his chest before they landed several punches and kicks on each other that ended with Akio elbowing him on the chest and sending him falling on his back!

Piccolo sat up and got to his feet as he and Akio began catching their breath. After a few minutes, Piccolo rushed to Akio but she caught him by the arm and threw him into another rocky ledge, making it crumble before she rushed to him. But she got up while holding a rock that he threw at her, making her blast it to pieces but it gave Piccolo the moment he needed to fire his eye beams at Akio, hitting her right leg and rendering it useless!

"Hahahaha! Without the use of that leg, you won't be able to avoid me much longer! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" Piccolo said with overconfidence.

But Akio only grinned with sadistic delight. "Fool! I don't need both legs to kill you!"

"Hahahaha! Oh really?! That I'd like to see!" Piccolo said while rushing in for another chop.

But Akio just turned around and used her ki to fly to him and landed a knee to his head that sent him back. He then wiped the blood from his nose and mouth before growling while Akio grinned. "I told you, Piccolo, I don't need both legs to kill you."

"That may be true, Akio, but I'll…show you!" Piccolo vowed before he got into a stance and his body began to grow a few inches before he fired several finger beams that Akio avoided, but Piccolo counted on that and he yelled out. I HAVE YOU NOOW!" Before firing his ultimate technique: the Demon Explosive Wave, with enough power to destroy the rocky area in an explosion that could be compared to a nuclear missile blast as it sent very strong winds around the entire area! And when it was over and the smoke cleared, the area was all but destroyed and Akio was seemingly taken with it. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahahaha! It is finished! There is now no 1 left to stand against my power!" Piccolo said before sensing something. "Wait. I can feel her spirit. No, it can't be. I know I got her. There was no way she could move! Unless…" He said before looking up and seeing Akio flying in the air.

"I'm afraid you're not getting rid of me so easily, Piccolo. But I admit that blast was impressive. If I'd taken that head on, I really would have been killed." Akio said with admiration for Piccolo's ultimate blast.

But Piccolo was furious. "Gggrrrrraaaaaa! That will not happen again, Saiyan princess! I swear to you! I will take you out of this world!"

Akio landed and began limping up to him, completely ignoring the pain of her crippled leg. "Then come on! I'm ready to continue this little sadistic and bloodthirsty show!"

"Oh, you're so stubborn like me. The attack may not be as powerful as the last 1, but it doesn't matter because it'll still be strong enough to kill you! You should have joined me when I gave you the chance. Now you're going to regret rejecting my offer!"

"Go ahead, Piccolo! This time I'll take your blast head on!" Akio challenged.

"Don't underestimate my Explosive Wave, Akio!" Piccolo warned her before powering up another Demon Explosive Wave.

But Akio saw that Piccolo needed time to charge up the blast and found an opening. "There's my opening!" Akio said with insanity before rushing to Piccolo and landing a very hard punch on his chest that caused him some pain, but not enough for him to stop charging his technique. "I couldn't do it hard enough because of my leg, but I caused you some pain!"

"Which you're now gonna pay for!" Piccolo said with a sadistic grin before firing his attack at Akio, which actually hit her and caused her pain, despite the blast not being as strong as the last. "That should take care of her."

"Not quite, Piccolo!" Akio's voice said from the crater, making him run to it before she slowly flew out of it, with all her armor gone and some of her bodysuit torn as her tail waved around. "It takes more than that to kill the princess of Saiyans!"

Piccolo, while surprised at 1st, grinned with delight. "So, not only is it your strength, but also your durability that is far superior to these insect humans. Your race really did deserve to be called warriors. Especially you, Akio. I can see why your bloodline was of royalty."

"It was much more than that, Piccolo. My father, King Vegeta, alone was intelligent enough to rally and lead my people against the Tuffles in a conflict that raged for ten long years: the Saiyan-Tuffle war. And after the war ended, with my people as the winner thanks to his intelligence and cunning, the planet was renamed Planet Vegeta in his honor." Akio explained with admiration for her late father.

Piccolo also seemed proud as well, as it only gave him more inspiration for creating the perfect son who could take his place if he were to die, which, in his eyes, would still be highly unlikely. "Ah, so it's no wonder you are so smart, dear princess." He said before picking up a rock and blowing it at Akio with enough force to break her left arm. "HAHAHAHA! Well, you won't be able to use that arm anymore. But, given what I've learned about you, it doesn't matter to you, does it? After all, you're so much like me: able to work through and overcome anything, even pain."

"Indeed we are, Piccolo. But I'm still not going to die today, especially not by your hands! I still have an eventual wish to make with the dragon balls." Akio said with an insane grin, as she enjoyed the pain.

But Piccolo thought otherwise. "Haven't you heard? The dragon is dead. I killed him myself."

But upon hearing that, Akio became furious. "YOU…DID WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Hahahahahahaha! Now why would I lie about that? Even the eternal dragon was no match against my power. And who's to say you wouldn't have done the same thing if you had been in my place?" Piccolo asked her before picking up another rock and doing what he did to Akio's other leg, breaking it as well before she fell to the ground. "Well, what will you do now? You don't have a leg to stand on anymore. This has been so very fun for both of us, Akio, but now it's time we finally end this." He said before he began flying into the air. "You can't do anything now! You're completely helpless! This battle will soon be over, and victory will be mine! Hahahahahahaha. Only a fool would dare to challenge the ruler of this future dark world. But I want you to know, Saiyan princess, you have my respect." He said seriously and victoriously before he proceeded to fastly fly down to her to deal the final blow as Akio grinned like an insane animal. "NOW YOU DIE!"

But Akio thought otherwise about that. "WRONG, PICCOLO. BECAUSE I STILL HAVE 1 ARM LEFT TO USE!"

"WHAT!?"

Aiko gathered energy into her remaining limb and when it was enough, she put her hand down and shot it down in a big blast to make herself go up as Piccolo stopped as she prepared a strong punch. "I'M PUTTING EVERYTHING I'VE GOT IN THIS PUNCH, PICCOLO! I HOPE YOU'RE PREPARED TO DIE!"

But Piccolo wasn't afraid and said with arrogance. "GOOD LUCK, AKIO! I'LL BLOCK IT!" As he prepared to block the Saiyan princess' final attack.

And as Akio got closer, she unknowingly called upon the power of her Great Ape form without transforming. "THIS PLANET BELONGS TO ME NOW, AND I WILL KILL ANYONE THAT TRIES TO TAKE WHAT'S MINE! YOU HAD YOUR TIME, BUT NOW IT'S OVER! RRRRRAAAAHHHH!"

This caused Piccolo to be afraid as Akio got to him. And in an explosion of great power, Akio punched right through Piccolo's chest, leaving a massive hole that caused him to yell in pain as Akio quickly stopped herself before she and Piccolo fell to the ground and Akio took out a Senzu Bean from her right glove and ate it, healing her wounds before she grinned crazily and walked up to Piccolo, who looked at her, dying from his fatal wound.

"I don't believe it. You flew right through me." Piccolo asked before chucking as he brought his hand to her cheek, patting it and rubbing it gently, much to her surprise. "I…underestimated your strength, Akio. But…I want you to know that…I admire you, like…a daughter…because of your insanity, your ruthlessness, your cruelty but also your determination to protect the Earth from anyone that would dare to take it from you, even me. But I see now, that I am…insignificant and you were right: my time is over." He said before using the last of his power to spew out 1 last egg, putting everything he had, including his newly acquired eternal youth and Zenkai boosts. "But as my dying wish, I only ask you…to protect and take care…of my final son. He will be…the perfect rival for you…and 1 day, the 1 who will challenge you for control of the world and will take your place, and mine." He vowed before he glanced at the Saiyan princess and his final egg 1 last time before he exploded, finally killing him and forcing Akio to quickly grab the egg and move as far back as she could until it was over.

Akio looked at the egg and thought about Piccolo's dying wish. And even though she thought of destroying the egg as it would 1 day become a threat to her rule of Earth, like its father before it, even she wasn't so heartless or cowardly to do that, as it was against her Saiyan nature. So, she decided to keep the egg and flew back to her house in Mount Paozu.

A few hours later

After taking the egg into her home, she put it carefully on her bed before getting into the shower so she could freshen herself up after all she'd been through. Bulma had long since made improvements to her home after she'd taken over ownership of her father's company, including a bathroom, although she rarely used it due to being used to bathing in rivers. She'd also gotten many copies of her armor built, with bodysuits that she desired be black and have holes big enough to get her tail out, while the yellow part of her armor had been colored red, but without the leg armor, as she didn't really see the point of having it and had gotten rid of it years ago.

After getting out of her shower and putting on a fresh bodysuit and armor, along with her scouter, she was about to leave and inform Bulma that Piccolo had been dealt with, while also visiting Korin to get him to tell her about how to restore the dragon balls. But that was when she heard a crack from behind her and looked at the egg, seeing that it was already hatching and when she looked inside, she saw a baby, vertically identical to Piccolo, who looked at her with an evil grin.

She checked her scouter and saw that this child's power level was 260! "So, you have a power level of 260. That's very impressive. Courtesy of your father, no doubt." She said with a smirk as she picked him up and placed him on the bed.

But surprisingly to Akio, the child began talking. "Indeed, Akio." Making her form a surprised face. "Why so surprised? My father gave me everything he had, and like my deceased siblings, I too have a faster growth rate than these weakling humans, which will take 3 years until I'm at least at adolescent age. And at that time, I'll be strong enough to face you."

Akio formed a smirk. "Really. Well, I hope you're prepared, because I too will be at that physical age as well when that time comes. And I'll be even stronger than I am right now. But 1st, I must find a way to restore those dragon balls."

The now toddler, after conjuring up clothes to wear, complete with symbol of his now deceased father, jumped from the bed and, despite not knowing why, had a deep feeling inside that there was only 1 being that knew how to do that. "I may know exactly who can do that, and help us get stronger for when we face each other in battle…at the next tournament."

Akio thought that was a very great idea. "Well, well. You were literally just born and you're already thinking smart. Another gift from your father, I'm sure. So, who is this being? Another of your kind?"

The child growled with hatred before answering. "You could say that, Akio. But he's also the very being my father hated more than anyone else on this backwater planet! But despite that, deep down, I have a feeling that he's the only being in the world who may have created those dragon balls. But why do you even want them back?"

"Because I still have an eventual wish I want to make." Akio answered. "And there's no doubt in my mind that Bulma and her friends must have them all, considering your father possibly didn't just dispose of them because they were useless anyway."

"You thought right, Akio. But I say we wait for just a few days. My abilities still need time to develop. Not too much, only by a few days at the very least."

"That's fine. In the meantime, I'll take you around the wilderness. That'll give you enough time while also not sitting around here doing nothing." Akio proposed. And when your abilities are developed fully, we head straight for this being your father hated."

"Good enough. But what about this Bulma and her friends?"

"I'll go and tell her that your father is dead, for the sole purpose of calming them down, and to ensure that they don't know about you. Trust me, they'll believe me. Once they feel safe again, I'll tell them I found a way to restore the dragon balls and Shenron. That way they'll be too busy bringing back the people your father killed, they'll never know about you until we want them to know about you. After that, I'll be spending the next few days improving my senses, especially energy sensing." Akio explained her plan.

"Excellent plan. But what am I supposed to do while you inform them and train to master your other senses?" He asked.

"Explore the world for a while. But come back here once I've returned." Akio answered.

"All right. I'll contact you once I'm on my way back."

"Good. Now, what must I call you?"

The child smirked. "Since I'm my father's child, just call me Piccolo."

"With pleasure…Piccolo." Akio said before walking out. "I'll return when I can. Don't cause any trouble that could draw unwanted attention to yourself."

"And you don't keep me waiting for you." Piccolo said as his condition for separating from her temporarily.

"Don't worry, I always keep my word." Aiko said before flying off, leaving the newly born Piccolo behind, who began his journey to explore the world.

A bit later, at Kame House

Bulma, who was sitting outside, sadly looking at the sky while smoking a cigarette, sighed after taking a drag and blowing out the smoke, worried about Tien and how he was mastering the Evil Containment Wave to fight king Piccolo. And she was also sad about never being able to bring back Krillin, Chiaotzu and Roshi due to Piccolo killing the dragon, which she thought was impossible. But she also wondered where Akio could be since leaving the tournament island. 'While I am thankful to have that batshit insane Saiyan out of my hair, I can't help but wonder if she's alive or dead.' She thought to herself with her cigarette in her mouth, taking another drag, inhaling and blowing out the smoke from her nose before taking it out of her mouth and looking at it. 'Well, at least my cigarettes help with the stress of even thinking about her, and every other source of stress in my life.'

But after she put a final drag from her cigarette and blew out the smoke before flicking it into the water, Akio appeared by landing beside her, scaring her as she fell out of her chair. "Hello, Bulma, miss me?" She asked with a smirk.

Bulma then got angry. "Damn it, Akio! Where the fuck have you been?!"

"Quiet, woman! I just came to tell you that King Piccolo is dead. I killed him." Akio informed her.

Bulma was shocked at hearing that. "What?! You…killed King Piccolo?"

"Yes. But not without a few…complications. Let's just say that Piccolo was as strong as that old fool Roshi said. But even so, I still won." Akio said with a satisfied grin.

"And why the hell are you so satisfied with that?! Sure, maybe you did beat Piccolo, but who cares?! He killed Roshi and Chiaotzu, and some of the fighters in the Martial Arts Society! What's worse, we can't bring them back because that insane fucker killed the dragon!"

"I know that, Bulma! But I have found a way to bring him back. And I know you probably have all the dragon balls with you, even though they're useless at the moment. And I know that once they're reactivated, you'll wish those weak fools back to life, but, at the moment, I have a much different goal in mind for the next tournament in 3 years. So, I'm postponing my eventual wish…for now. But know that I'll be gone for the next 3 years, and that nothing has changed. Your company still belongs to me and, as you know, I've helped your company thrive and flourish by 'convincing' some of your rivals to join you to make and design even better machinery and capsules. So, just keep that in mind while I'm gone. Got it?"

"Yes, I do. But you could at least just tell me where you'll be!" Bulma demanded.

"Sorry, Bulma. But that's a private matter I have to handle alone. Just be thankful you and your friends are having 3 year's time without me and that I'm letting you bring them back. But don't worry, you'll see me again in 3 years, and Shenron very soon. But next time, I will have changed…very much." Akio told her. "And also, keep this in mind: you owe me an overdue favor." Before flying away.

"Fuck! Shit! Damn that girl!" Bulma shouted before calming down and telling Yamcha from the window. "Yamcha, let's find Tien and tell him he can stop training for the Evil Containment Wave. Piccolo's dead."

"Let me guess: Akio?" Yamcha asked knowingly.

"Yes. Well, at least that 1 maniac we have to worry about. Trust me, Akio's a lot of things, but a liar isn't 1 of them. She was telling the truth." Bulma said before she uncapsuled her plane and Yamcha, Puar and Launch got in. "You guys go, I'm staying behind. I really need to get some rest." She said with a sigh, making Yamcha nod before he took off to go find Tien. "And I really need another smoke after dealing with Akio again." Bulma said before getting out another cigarette and lighting up before taking a drag and blowing out the smoke.

3 days later

While Piccolo was exploring the world, having developed his abilities and seeing what potential he had, Akio had spent her time mastering her 5 senses and they all had improved greatly. And after 3 days were up, Piccolo and Akio found each other again and King Piccolo's offspring had told her of a being named Kami, who lived just above that cat Korin. And he'd even told her everything about Kami and how he and Kami were once 1 being that, due to the evils of humanity, had a great evil deep in his heart that he needed to rid himself of if he wished to become the guardian of the Earth, which he eventually did, with the evil becoming his father, who escaped to cause disorder and chaos due to it being his nature. After flying to Korin's tower and continuing to go up, with Korin watching, they flew into dark clouds with streaks of lightning hitting them, but being who they were, they were able to work through the pain until they were up on the temple of Kami's Lookout, which Piccolo called it.

And when they landed on the temple, they saw someone Piccolo knew from his father's memories, a black Arabian looking man named Mr. Popo. "Hello, Popo, it's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

"Kami told me that you and the Saiyan princess would be coming…Piccolo." Popo said seriously.

"And now we're here. So, where's the old man? I know he knows Akio and I have arrived here. Those dark clouds and lightning bolts didn't stop us, and you know that you can't either, as our senses have been improved. So why don't you just save yourself the trouble and come off your throne, old man!" Piccolo demanded.

Aiko walked up to the palace and admired it somewhat. "Quite the place you have here, Popo. I can see why you and this Kami live here. But we didn't come here to flatter you and your living space. Where's your master?!"

That was when Kami spoke out. "Here, Saiyan princess." Before he came out, revealing himself to be just like Piccolo when he was in his old age, surprising her.

But young Piccolo walked up beside her and told her. "Don't worry, Akio, this isn't my father, despite him looking just like him." He said before looking at the old guardian. "So, old man, am I currently guessing there's no need explaining why we've come here?"

Kami glared at the offspring of his evil half before answering. "Yes."

"Good. The less explaining we do, the better." Akio said with a smirk. "Now, Kami, I know you are the 1 who created the dragon balls. And I know you know what we both want."

"Yes, Akio, princess of the planet Vegeta: you want me to resurrect Shenron. But I won't!" Kami said defiantly.

"You will, old man!" Akio demanded.

"This is not the Earth, Saiyan princess! Here, I am the one who decides anything! You and he are in my domain!" Kami told them both.

Akio then tried something different. "Maybe you're right, old man. But you should know this: as strong and a bit of an anti-hero as I am, as I have stopped other people from using the dragon balls for their own purposes, provided it suits my goals, there are beings in this universe who are far more evil and leagues stronger than even me. Especially a being whose empire is expanding with each passing year. Eventually, the Earth will fall on their radar and they will come here to either sell it on the galactic market or destroy it if it's of no use or of no value to them. And right now, I sense that you are far too old and too weak to fight even their lackeys. You wouldn't last a second against any of them. Piccolo and I are the only 2 beings with the fastest growing potential on Earth who can even come close to challenging them. You'd be a fool not to train us."

"And how do you think it would look if the great Kami let the people of the planet he's sworn to protect all die because of a decades long grudge against my now deceased father and I, when seeing the evils of this world was what created him in the 1st place?" Young Piccolo added.

"Difficult to admit as it may be, I can't face them alone. And despite the great gift young Piccolo was born with, he can't either. And you know that those other earthling warriors won't even stand a chance against them either, even if you did train them. It'll be a very long time before we're even strong enough to contend with those monsters or their lackeys, and an even longer time for Roshi's students. But, with your aid in training Piccolo and I, as well as the dragon balls to undo the damage they will cause when they inevitably come here, the Earth will have a future, and the most despicable tyrants the universe have ever known…will die."

Kami, listening to them very carefully, as well as reading Akio's mind and seeing her memories, past and present, and the fact that she made even his evil counterpart actually care about someone other than himself, having saw how affectionately he touched Akio's cheek before he died, knew that they were both right. But regardless, he still didn't trust either of them. But, even so, he was still the guardian of Earth and had a sworn duty to protect all living creatures that lived on it. And there was the fact that due to keeping an eye on the Saiyan princess ever since she'd landed on earth as an infant, he'd seen that there were some moments she actually did some good things, with even the human named Bulma seeing that Akio wasn't completely heartless upon seeing those moments. And he wasn't going to let the ones who died by Piccolo and his minions' hands suffer in limbo for eternity when he had a chance to bring them back, as it just wasn't in his nature. But maybe he could come up with a plan of his own for finally getting rid of at least Piccolo during the upcoming tournament, so he'd have to play along for now.

And so, with great reluctance, he sighed. "You…are both right…about everything you said. I…will train you both…and resurrect the dragon. But I'm not doing it for either of you, I'm doing it for those people that young Piccolo's father killed and because I know the suffering these galactic tyrants will cause when and if they come to Earth. And despite the other fighters' great skills and potential, I admit very reluctantly that you and him are quite possibly the only ones that can challenge them. But regardless, the other fighters do have some uses, along with untainted minds and hearts, regardless of their misdeeds. And whatever help they can provide will be worth it."

Akio and Piccolo smirked. "Excellent."

Kami then looked at Popo. "Mr. Popo, fetch the dragon, please."

"Yes, Kami." Popo said before going inside the palace.

"Why are you reluctant to bring back the dragon, Kami? Out of curiosity." Aiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because of people like you and Piccolo, Akio. When I created the dragon balls a long time ago, it was intended to inspire acts of bravery and give the people of Earth a sense of hope. But soon I learned that the hearts of men are easily corrupted. People began killing each other to obtain the power of the dragon balls. Their greed and lust for power turned my once noble and pure endeavor into 1 of evil." Kami explained with anger.

Akio smirked. "You were a fool to create them in the 1st place, old man. But at the same time, you weren't. Almost everything and everyone in this universe is susceptible to corruption. Nothing and no one is completely pure of heart and noble as you believed at the time. Everyone in the universe has evil inside them. Some may rise above it and reform, but others are consumed by it until there's nothing left but pure evil, while others, like myself, have a lot of evil in them, but they can use it for some type of good without letting it control them, if they choose to. Some are born evil, but others turn that way due to time and circumstance. Fate and destiny don't decide who's completely evil and who's not, people choose who and what they want to be. It goes as the earthlings say: you can't have 1 without the other."

As Popo came out of the palace with the dragon model, he sat it down and began to glue it back together as Kami spoke out after listening to Akio's words. "I never thought that someone like you could be so wise, even at your age, Saiyan princess. But it seems you inherited it from your parents."

"Maybe. But know this: I protect this planet not because of the goodness of my heart, I do it because I claimed it as mine the moment I 1st stepped foot on it. And as you saw in my battle with your evil half, I will fight to my very last breath to keep it." Aiko vowed.

Kami believed that, despite it not being a pure motivation for Akio protecting the Earth. "I…believe you. But in 3 years, young Piccolo here will challenge you for that claim."

"There will always be someone to challenge me for Earth, old man, but I will fight every one of them, no matter who or what they are, even if I have to die with them." Akio countered. "That is my deal with you, Kami, and my promise. And I keep my promises."

"Oh, I'm counting on it, Akio." Young Piccolo said with a smirk.

"Then…we have a bargain." Kami accepted reluctantly.

Popo then placed the restored dragon model inside its container and stepped back. "Done."

Kami used his Resurrection finger beam on the model before it glowed with energy and the dragon appeared in the sky before leaving to search for the dragon balls, which young Piccolo knew. "Knowing this Bulma and her friends the way you do, Akio, they'll probably use the dragon balls to bring back everyone my father and siblings killed, right?"

"Indeed, Piccolo. But let them. We have another more important goal to work towards: training to become stronger for the next tournament." Akio said before turning to Kami. "Now, old man, I believe it's time for you to fulfill your other part of our bargain."

"Of course, we'll begin now." Kami said, while secretly coming up with a plan of his own to get rid of at least 1 of the 2 he'd train for the next 3 years due to not trusting either 1 of them.

Meanwhile, at Kame House

After finding Tien and telling him that Akio had killed Piccolo, therefore avenging Roshi, Krillin and Chiaotzu, he went back to Kame House with the others and after a few hours, they saw that the dragon balls had been restored, making Bulma, who was surprised, uncapsule Roshi, Krillin and Chiaotzu before they placed the dragon balls on the ground, which began to glow as they called forth the dragon.

And seconds later, the sky turned black and Shenron appeared. "He's here. I can't believe it, he actually came."

"We thought you'd been destroyed, Mr. Dragon." Bulma said to the eternal dragon.

Shenron then explained why he'd been brought back to life. "KAMI, THOUGH RELUCTANT, SAW THAT AKIO'S PURPOSE, WHILE NOT PURELY NOBLE, HAD VALUE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EARTH IN THE FUTURE AND CHOSE TO RESURRECT ME."

"And where is she?" Bulma wondered, though not concerned about Akio.

"DUE TO CONVINCING KAMI OF OTHER THREATS TO THE EARTH, OUT THERE ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, AKIO IS NOW TRAINING AT THE LOOKOUT. BUT YOU WILL SEE HER AGAIN AT THE NEXT TOURNAMENT. NOW, YOUR WISH." Shenron answered.

"We wish that everyone who was killed by King Piccolo and his monsters were brought back to life." Bulma wished.

"VERY WELL. EVERYONE WHO WAS KILLED BY PICCOLO AND HIS MINIONS WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE NOW." Shenron said before granting the wish, bringing back everyone in the world who'd been killed by Piccolo and his minions, including Roshi, Tien and Chiaotzu, who were joyful to be alive and to see their friends again. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. NOW, I MUST GO." Said the dragon before he went back into the dragon balls before they scattered around the world once more.

"Welcome back, guys." Bulma said with a smile.

After Bulma told Roshi, Krillin and Chiaotzu everything, they couldn't believe it. "So Akio brought back the dragon balls, huh? Most likely just so she could get her own wish."

"More than likely. But I can sense she also defeated Piccolo. What I can't understand is where she is now." Roshi said.

"She didn't say. All she said was she'd be gone for 3 years until the next tournament." Bulma explained.

Roshi then thought. "Wait. I think I know where she is: she's training with Kami. Think about it. The dragon told you that there's other threats to the Earth out in the universe, right? And Akio's very protective of what she makes hers, so she must have convinced Kami to train her to combat those threats, whoever and whatever they may be."

Now that I think about it, Akio's a Saiyan from another planet. And while she's our greatest threat right now due to her insane and bloodthirsty personality, she's also the best defense we have against them. I mean, she did defeat Piccolo, didn't she? And none of us could do that, unless by some miracle we got lucky and managed to seal him away again."

"Which means I'll have to train twice as hard, fast and long for the next 3 years." Tien said with determination to catch up with Akio.

"Yeah, me too." Krillin said.

"Me 3. No way I'm letting that insane Saiyan girl leave me in the dust." Yamcha added.

"Well said." Roshi said with a proud laugh.

And so, for the next 3 years, everyone began their hard and long training for the next tournament, each having different goals in mind for when it took place, but none with more ambition than 2 certain individuals with the same end goal in mind: control of the future of the Earth, for better or worse.

There you go, my dear friends, the king Piccolo saga is complete. Next will be the Piccolo Jr saga, which will be mostly the same but will have a really big plot twist at the end for Bulma and a certain fiery princess, and it's not Akio. But, there'll be another surprise at the beginning that involves Bulma and Akio, so I hope you all enjoy both of them. And be sure to give my dear friend SreznoJIG credit for helping me come up with the surprises for the next chapter. Rate and review and I'll see you all next time, my dear friends.