Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act IV

Chapter 56: Youth

Kami:

This was something far more terrible than he imagined he could ever see. From the edge of the lookout, his eyes peered over the edge as he felt his frail, but stern grip on his staff tighten with every passing moment. For a brief moment, he almost expected to disappear as Piccolo's body plunged into the sea. He felt his life force on the edge of existence. He almost collapsed to one knee, but it held firm.

Hold on, Piccolo.

Piccolo, Raditz, and Goku's powers had all disappeared in a matter of seconds. But he was still here. That meant there was hope. But there was something worse in all of this. It was something he couldn't imagine in the slightest, nor did he fully understand how it could have happened in any respect… but he could sense the Evil he'd once cast out from himself. It felt like it'd been simmering under the surface of the Earth for years now, something off about the events that were transpiring… but now he knew it.

Even as he'd looked down at the battle unfolding at Son Goku's house, he sensed it. It wasn't even a lost piece of his soul. No, it was something else. Sweat formed on his brow as he tried to decipher how any of this was happening.

"You always were an old fool, Kami," an all too familiar voice emerged from behind him.

Something grim shivered up his spine. Turning his head to see the source, he internally already knew what to expect. It didn't stop it from being all too surprising to see.

King Piccolo. But how? Piccolo contains his soul, and I am attached to Piccolo. What is this creature?

The grin on the monster's face told his eyes and soul though, that this was very much the evil he'd expelled centuries ago. His hand never left his staff as he felt his fingers dig into the wood.

"Are you surprised to see me, Kami?"

"Mister Popo, you must leave now. Get to Korin's tower and procure supplies. This place is no longer safe, Kin-"

"How right you are, my old friend," Piccolo's voice intervened in his head.

"You know, it'll make no difference," King Piccolo remarked, looking after Popo for several moments as he brandished the four-star dragon ball in his hand. "Even if my allies betray me, they'll not stay long. This world will be mine, Kami. And my revenge has already been delivered. And soon, Kami, you will come to see the error of your ways. I've waited for so long… My dear other half… finally I will have my REVENGE!"

Laughter cackled from his counterpart before he calmed himself, beginning to step forward.

"Now then, my better half… I think it's time we took a journey together."

Vegeta and Turles.

Kami breathed evenly as he tried to keep his thoughts concealed, not risking broadcasting them at all. They were going to be vital in all of this, especially with Son Goku missing. Whatever monsters this thing had unleashed… they would be stopped.

"Piccolo is my other half," Kami announced simply. "Whatever you are, you aren't apart of me, or Piccolo. Not anymore."

The grin this creature gave him was unsettling as a black hole appeared behind him, making Kami's heart stop in its place.

What… is he doing?

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Lord Slug:

Three.

Three of his elite warriors, three of his clan, had been savaged in the two battles waged on the surface of this miserable rock. This planet had created an army of abominations, hadn't it? In all of the universe, only Frieza and his family could have posed any real threat not only to him, but to his children. Now they come to a world only to find Frieza's killer, and an assortment of warriors who were able to fight at parity with his own, or even overcome them. Achatin proved himself far and above them, outside of the Super Saiyan, but his other 'children' had been nearly killed. Only one should have come so close to an end, given he was fighting, from what Slug could tell, another Namekian.

The six Dragon Balls lay in a circle in front of him as he paced.

They'd failed to find him his last Dragon Ball. It was ridiculous that was the case. He'd spent more time than he'd ever wanted to, and exerted his strength on this world… and now… now he was left holding six of the objects he needed, without the seventh. And there was no sign of King Piccolo any longer.

I may just destroy this backwater of a planet for this insult.

Staff walked to his side, looking up at him with tired eyes.

"What would you have us do while we wait for the last Dragon Ball, my Lord?"

Frustration almost caused him to turn around and snap Staff's neck just for being in his presence without the Dragon Ball he was supposed to gather.

"Find, and kill the Saiyan response for this," he wheezed furiously. "And then begin destroying the civilization on this planet. And GET ME my DRAGON BALL!"

The other Namekian shrunk in the view of him. He could see the genuine fear in his eyes. With a supreme level of disappointment, Slug cast his hand at him, banishing his failed minion back. When Staff began to turn to go, there was a shift in the air around them as an orb of blackness appeared in front of his ship. Narrowing his eyes on it, Slug sensed several energy sources within as he narrowed his eyes. What was surprising was who emerged from it. Walking through the inky darkness was an all too familiar figure.

"King" Piccolo.

So, the coward revealed himself after tucking tail and fleeing, leaving his lieutenants to be broken by the Saiyan that had attacked them near the location of the final Dragon Ball. This being had begun to outlive its usefulness. He was almost tempted to kill him on the spot for his transgression. Failure was not something he accepted. Even Shell and Staff only avoided death by virtue of Achatin asking that they be spared.

And Achatin was successful in his duty. Success was rewarded, and failure was not.

"Forgive me, Lord Slug," his voice was laced with false humility, as always. "I thought it important to ensure that the last Dragon Ball was secured, for your great purpose."

The last of the stones was placed with the other globes, leaving Slug in almost disbelief. His near toothless smile emerged as he looked at the other, younger Namekian with approval. So, he'd realized the Saiyan was too much, and secured the Dragon Ball in their moment of need. This was more than acceptable. He could see the look of disdain from Staff towards the Namekian in front of him, but so long as he held his tongue, he'd accept it.

The balls all began to glow and pulse together as Slug felt his breathing sharpen. This was it. This was his moment. This was the return of his youth, and a level of strength he'd not experienced in centuries. It would cement his existence in this galaxy indefinitely. His wealth… his power… they would grow indefinitely. He would oversee the rebuilding of his species, and he would be venerated as the God he would become over the plebians of this existence.

As if on instinct, Achatin, Shell, and Colchico all slowly began to gather around them, sensing the Dragon Balls themselves as they began to pulse with the potential and power within.

Raising his hands in the air, Slug made his pronouncement.

"Arise now Dragon! I call on you to grant my wish!"

The skies turned black as the powerful glow of the seven balls became more intense, before light burst forth from the very ground in front of them. A titanic beam of light blasted straight into the air, beginning to take on solid form of its own as it coiled and shifted in the air itself. The light bathed him as it began taking shape. Golden light took shape into its serpentine form. Flesh took form as its tail continued to wind out of the void beneath it.

The looming head of the dragon faced towards him, its thundering voice boomed out over the glaciers around them.

"Why have you summoned me? Tell me your wish."

Almost stunned with joy, Slug was speechless for only the briefest of moments.

"Great Dragon! There is one thing that my wealth cannot buy. I want to be young again and never grow old! I want, ETERNAL YOUTH!"

"IT SHALL BE DONE!"

The Dragon's eyes shone red

Something strange began to happen. Looking into the palms of his bare hands, Slug saw old lines of fading life tighten together. The patchy, dying skin which once defined his hands deepened in colour and vitality. In his mouth, he could feel his teeth growing back into place. The skin on his face, he could feel tightening back into place. The sensations of being old, with fatigue, joints, his lungs losing their capacity… all of it seemed reversed in a matter of seconds. It was replaced with the power and strength of being young. No longer did he feel exhausted… as if he must rest at all moments. Youth.

Youth had been restored to him. With every passing second of this revitalization, Slug's laughter echoed out seemingly over the entirety of the world, his voice becoming stronger, and younger, with every passing moment.

Spinning to face his clan, Slug laughed.

"Stupendous! The almighty Lord Slug has been reborn! Unbelievable, it's like I just woke up from a dream!"

Yes! I'm young again! I feel incredible! The power! It's everything I imagined!

"It has been done."

The Dragon's form glowed brightly before the Dragon Balls themselves scattered to the four corners of this world.

"Bow before me, for I am reborn!" Slug announced.

The army itself dropped to its knees, as his clan members all fell to their knees as well. The "King" amongst them dropped to one knee as well. This was the most significant change in his life. This moment was what the last 500 years had been building up to. The wish from the Eternal Dragon, the destruction of Planet Namek, this new world. A world with Dragon Balls, and ample resources. Perhaps they would need to renegotiate the agreement with this King Piccolo.

Though his immediate plans to kill him had been put on hold for the time being, given that it was this Piccolo that provided the final Dragon Ball for him, salvaging what his clan had failed in.

"All hail Lord Slug!"

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King Piccolo:

Everything was coming together. Slug had cleared away most of his adversaries. Though he wasn't foolish enough to believe that Turles and Vegeta would be easily done away with. The fact Kami still lived also informed him Piccolo had survived. But nowhere had Son Goku, or Raditz's powers been detected on the surface of the Earth. With Slug as powerful as he was now, his youth revitalized, he could have perhaps even fought himself, if he were fully restored with the essence of both Kami and Piccolo.

His minions may fall, but Slug had become an immovable mountain for any fool left on this Earth. And he would be something that he would deal with himself, in due time. The main point was to keep himself in his service, and his good graces, until the other Nameks were slowly brought out of the way. In fact, Turles, Vegeta, and Piccolo may help trim the fat… The next time there was a battle, before Slug himself deemed to intervene, he knew he'd want Colchico and Staff out of the way.

Achatin and Shell's more violent natures made them person subjects for manipulation, or perhaps if they were lucky and survived their masters inevitable decline, they could make excellent subjects… for him. Yes, this was going to be all too easy. Even if this failed, he knew as long as he kept his options to escape open… The Deadzone was certainly a safe place. Kami would be an important key to his plans, and that fool had been adequately dealt with, for the moment.

And I know the survivors from Goku's house will have access to the healing medicine of the Senzu Bean. This will be interesting to watch unfold. I'll need to be sure I watch when Son Goku's son is killed.

Everything relating to Son Goku was his business. He could still remember when he'd recruited that oaf Raditz to begin his revenge by informing him of the battle to come. Incompetent played a role in him failing to keep him dead, or finish the rest of his friends. He could have lived with just knowing Son Goku was dead, dead and gone forever. But then they had to start making more deals, with more dangerous people, and Garlic had to be used as the point of contact for obvious reasons.

But soon my revenge will be complete. One more death, Goku. You owe me one more death, and the deaths of everyone you love. Then I can return to this world as its ruler. Perhaps I can even go on to rule the universe itself!

Grand schemes had humble beginnings. For now, he wasn't of the belief he could, or would, conquer the Universe, knowing what he knew about it… But there were designs far beyond his previous, narrowed gaze of reality.

When his feet stepped into the room aboard the ship that they'd assigned to him, he stared up at the halo above his head. A reminder that he was still an echo… But that too would be resolved soon. The Dragon couldn't restore him to life, as he didn't have a soul. But there would be a way around that very soon.

Strange to imagine… to not have a soul, but to be what I am. I am hatred.

The door behind him slid open as his two black eyes stared back at the figure in the doorway. One of Slug's men… Staff…

Stepping in without permission, the other fighter stared at him with a contempt that King Piccolo relished in. A creature like Staff was a good soldier. He could see the other Namekian wanted to kill him, and that was something which gave him real pleasure. The hatred… he could taste it in the air. It was amongst the most satisfactory things in this life, or his previous one. All the fear and hatred the denizens of this planet held for him at one time was even more deeply satisfying. And it would be again, once he returned to his full glory, and beyond.

"I know what you're doing," Staff told him coldly and sternly. "You are manipulating Lord Slug for your own purposes."

"Oh? How very observant of you, Staff, I was beginning to worry that no one would figure out my nefarious plans. To what end do you think I am manipulating your master? He is a thousand times my strength, perhaps more. What do I stand to gain from such a thing?" King Piccolo asked bluntly, lifting his arms casually, shirking off the remark.

Closing his eyes arrogantly, he tilted his head to one side as he let his smile flourish.

"I've done nothing but help him. I restored him to his youthful vigor… It was I who captured the Last Dragon Ball. Had it not been for me, he would have only found six of them. If anything, I have given up my own interests in favour of your glorious and just father. I only hope to reclaim this world as my own… Once its more powerful entities are dealt with for me. A small price to pay for the keys to eternal youth, wouldn't you say?"

Peeking open one eye, King Piccolo caught the stare of someone unimpressed, and unmoved by his words.

Good. You'll do fine with this. Continue to bleed that mistrust of me. It'll make things all the more glorious when my plan comes into effect.

"You know Lord Slug will take this planet for his own, now that he knows about the Dragon Balls. You are a fool if you believe you'll be aloud to control this world," Staff snapped. "You may be so lucky as to be allowed to live on this new Namekian paradise. And I know your kind… you'll not be satisfied with just that. You will use your knowledge to try and destroy Lord Slug."

"Me? I've been nothing but loyal. And as I mentioned the difference in our powers before, I sincerely doubt I could contribute to such a fight. You have it all wrong, Staff," he said with an air of caution. "Now, I have meditation to undergo. If you'd be so kind?"

Pointing his hand graciously towards the door, King Piccolo gave a knowing smile, having deliberately answered the questions before him in ways to only build more suspicion. He knew if Staff struck him down, as he clearly wanted to, that his own life would be forfeit. But better yet, the ones like Staff were just too loyal. He would want Lord Slug to see him for the vile creature he was.

It was ironic, because Slug and he shared a great deal in common. This creature was just concerned that his master was being duped. Slug in fact, had killed many billions more than he ever could have so far.

But I will have an eternity to catch up.

Standing there unmoving, Staff remained motionless for several moments while King Piccolo knelt down on the floor, beginning to assume his meditative stance. Closing his eyes, he began to regulate his breathing. Yes, this would be excellent…

"Or you could join me in my meditations," he chuckled. "I'm sure you can glean much from them. I have more time in this world than you can imagine."

"You are almost as old as Slug himself," Staff remarked coolly. "You used the Dragon yourself to wish for eternal youth, didn't you?"

Piccolo's eyes opened as he stared ahead. The room became so quiet even his Namekian ears couldn't hear anything in the silence beyond their mutual breathing.

More observant than I gave him credit for.

"And you are concealing your true power," the Namekian added. "Do you really think me so foolish as to not notice? You are too young to know the things you do about this world. You are also far more likely to be connected to the Dragon Balls here in some way."

"And what gives you the idea that I am so old?" King Piccolo asked, turning his head.

"Colchico fought another Namekian here, whose power was like your own. It was too close, he was likely your offspring," Staff remarked. "I have found that this world has a host of information products on it as well. After we linked you to this other Namekian, also named Piccolo… All we needed to do was a simple search through what we could find. The common language here describes King Piccolo as an ancient threat who destroyed hundreds of cities and killed millions. A great treacherous demon of a bygone era."

Oh, you are annoying, aren't you?

It would appear that his meditation would be cut short today. Rising back to his feet, King Piccolo turned and stared back at the other Namekian as the room almost seemed to chill.

"You are quite right. I am the same Piccolo you have described," he admitted. "But I am far from as powerful as anyone here. If I was so strong, I would have killed these creatures myself, rather than invite your master here. I never claimed to hide any of these things. That is all in your imagination, Staff," he eased the tension down as best he could. "And yes, my son did fight you. My son, who has disgraced me by turning away from me and my designs to help the pitiful creatures who infest this planet."

"My intentions have been very honest," Piccolo assured… falsely, but there was perhaps enough sincerity in his words that left Staff, still suspicious of him, sated for the moment.

The other Namekian turned about on a heel, storming out of the room as the door shut.

"Remember you fool, you're not immortal," Garlic's voice whispered in his ear. "And you aren't grounded in Heaven or Hell with a soul. If they kill you, you'll evaporate into nothingness."

"Is that a shred of concern for my well-being, Garlic?"

"No, you idiot. That's a concern for years worth of work, and watching you throw it all away on a gamble to achieve our goals early may jeopardize everything!"

It was almost amusing. He knew Garlic, and his father. Finding his way into the voids between space… into the pocket dimension of the Dead Zone, when he'd reconstituted himself, had been a fortune he could have never asked for. The creature was the closest thing to a true ally he possessed. If only because they could destroy one another, once their mutual revenge had been achieved.

"Trust me Garlic. Look at how far I've taken us so far. We will achieve our revenge, together… Even if this plan fails, I will survive it. It's all apart of the plan, don't worry."

Though honestly, at this point, he failed to see how this could fail. Son Goku had been no match for Slug in his old body… let alone his new one.

Kneeling back down, King Piccolo closed his eyes and breathed easy.

He'd already won. Everyone else had simply walked into his hands…

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Author's Notes:

I hope everyone's still enjoying the trip. I've noticed more people reading, but less people giving feedback, which inherently scares me, lol.

One thing I do want to point out, is that The Catalyst is written in a bit of a shorter form than The Long Road. TLR tends to dwell more on the character's thoughts and actions, where as TC tends to be a bit more streamlined (though some would still argue, long winded I'm sure, lol). This is done on purpose. A single line can sometimes just be left unexamined, and its effect is meant to be a bit more ambiguous. This is also done because the cast is too gigantic, lol.

Posting this one day early, as I may not be around tomorrow at the usual time for posting.

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Reviewers:

Perfect Carnage: Answered by PM.

Blades of Fury: Answered by PM.

Luke: Yea, Yamcha being someone's last hope has never worked out, lol.

KagariAsuha: Gohan's role gets bigger as we move into the Android and Cell Sagas. But his role is already really gigantic. Gohan's the glue that holds everyone together. Turles, Raditz, Piccolo, and Goku all care about Gohan and his future, and all want to pull him in their directions. Turles is probably the most cerebral about it, but Piccolo and Raditz have major influences too. They're all ideologically fighting over him, because they all care about the future. Even if things don't go their way, Gohan represents a kind of hope for all of them.

Super Mystic Gohan: I absolutely loved how frustrated Turles was when Chi-Chi complimented him, lmao.

Thomas-The-TMC: Answered by PM.

Guest1: Turles and Goku get a lot of spotlight this Saga, though Raditz, Vegeta, and Piccolo are far from forgotten. The Next Saga is all about the tragedy that is Vegeta and Raditz… lol

DarkFalconZ: Answered by PM.

Anonymous: I didn't say he was half as strong as merged Piccolo. I in fact, said he was slightly weaker than merged Piccolo in my author's notes last chapter. Even being "older", he's still way stronger than Goku. Part of the fight going the way it did too, is you'll notice Goku realized Raditz and Piccolo were down, he backed out early, but knew he was going to lose if he kept things up anyway. I'm really proud of the Slug fight this Saga has when it comes. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did. I'd planned it literally for years, lol.

TheSeacat: Answered by PM.

Guest2: Achatin is basically Movie Slug in strength and stature, which is well past anyone save Goku. I didn't get to flesh out all the Super Nameks as much as I wanted, but you can definitely see the different characters they have are there. Slug gets fleshed out a lot more in his battle chapters, and King Piccolo fleshes out some of his lieutenants through interactions, as seen above. Also, Vegeta has one of my favourite moments in the entire Saga. Watch for it. 😉

Karina: Turles HATES being mistaken for Kakarot.

Chi-Chi is a character who is meant to love Goku. But that in and of itself is an interesting concept to follow. The Catalyst does deal more with relationships than The Long Road does. Chi-Chi will always love Goku more than anyone, but that's not necessarily boring. There are plans for some interesting storylines, I assure you.

Jason9000: Yea, I really wanted nefarious Namekians of some threat. I really felt evil Namekians never really got a full fair shake at the right time in the story.

Felon GT: I never hold strict to the power levels of movie villains. They're rebuilt to enter the franchise. Slug's weaker than merged Piccolo, but definitely stronger than a Super Saiyan.