[Chapter Six]

"So how do you plan on giving me hair?" Piccolo asked as he was lead down one of the many corridors of Capsule Corp. "I mean, it's not like you could just get out a bottle of Rogaine. Nameks don't have the hair follicles in the first place."

"Aha, but I know that!" Bulma waggled her finger. "And that's why we're heading down to Lab 239."

Piccolo frowned, but continued to follow.

"Mrs Briefs." A grey haired scientist nodded at his boss as she passed.

"Hi Jerry." Bulma greeted with a wave.

Jerry just stared at Piccolo. The green man wasn't such a rare sight at Capsule Corp. Besides, the last guy who made any kind of comment ended up with a broken arm, three broken ribs, broken leg and a pink slip in with his paycheque.

Eventually, Bulma stopped outside the large steel door labelled "LAB 239" in large red lettering. Three young scientists wearing white coats were standing outside holding mugs of coffee.

"Hey Mrs Briefs." One of them smiled. "Lab's empty, just like you asked. You mind if I ask why?"

"It's a secret." Bulma winked, and then jerked her thumb in Piccolo's direction.

"Oh!" Another chuckled. "I see."

Bulma pushed open the door, and Piccolo followed her in. The first thing that struck Piccolo about this room was that it was pink. Pink walls, pink carpet, pink equipment.

"This is our Cosmetics lab." Bulma explained, and sat down at a computer. "My Mom made it, and she was the director of this division for a while."

"Why is that rat in here?" Piccolo asked, anger slightly tinting his voice.

"I don't know." Bulma frowned, and turned to the door. "Who's rat?"

One of the scientists poked her head in the door. "Oh! Mr Squiggles! I completely forgot. Sorry, Mrs Briefs. He's my pet, I brought him in."

"Okay then, Josie." Bulma handed over the cage.

"Thanks." Josie disappeared.

Bulma spotted Piccolo's disapproving look.

"No animal testing in Capsule Corp." She assured him. "Unless, of course, the product has been designed for animal use and it's been completely passed as safe by about a billion vets. Like a new flea powder."

Bulma pressed a key combination on her computer and a chair, much like a dentist's chair, appeared from the floor. A pink one.

"Sit." She instructed.

Piccolo sat, very reluctantly.

"Hat off." Bulma said, and began typing furiously at her computer.

Piccolo removed his turban. His nerves were demanding a quick departure again.

"Do those antennae of yours have any vital use?" Bulma asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Telekinetic, yes." Piccolo wiggled his antennae.

"They've gotta go." Bulma hummed, clicked the mouse and rolled over on her chair.

"This isn't going to hurt." She smiled. "Of course, you're not going to get hair straight away, it's going to grow. I'm going to bandage it up afterwards, so nothing nasty happens while the effects take hold. When you're actually getting fuzzy up top you can take it off, okay?"

Piccolo nodded.

"Okay then!" Bulma grabbed the controls for the chair.

The chair lay back, and Piccolo's head was covered by a large device like the perm dryers at the hairdressers.

"Just relax."

That was the last thing Piccolo felt like doing.

I'm taking full advantage of my creative streak!! Anyway, my brother keeps calling Piccolo's antennae 'antlers'. He even drew Piccolo with antlers. That picture is now known as Piccolo the Red Nosed Namek.