Chapter Forty-Four

From this point going forward, May 9th would forever be a day long remembered by the people of Earth. Just as Napoleon Bonaparte had conquered France in 1799 and then Adolf Hitler had once again captured the country 141 years later in 1940, war and encapturement was something that the weaklings of Earth were already very much familiar with. Still, for all of their experience in the topic, they had fallen easily to the much more superior race of demons he was the founder of. For the rest of history, May 9th would be known as Piccolo Day, the day the great Piccolo Daimao began his galactic conquest.

The great demon king, Lord Piccolo as he was known to by his minions and children, flashed a fanged smirk as he stood towering over the field of destruction that had followed behind his arrival on Capital City. Looking up at the pitch black sky in the direction of where he only faintly thought was the Lookout, he only wished that he could see the look on his other half's face as the eternal dragon, Shenron, brought with his appearance a thunderous roar that echoed across the many cities of Earth.

The green overlord watched the serpent stretch across the blank sky with anxiousness turning into excitement. He had spent many centuries in isolated darkness to see his plans take fruition. Many lives had been taken, not that he cared for them. It mattered little now. Looking at the divine dragon's body coil around itself, King Piccolo could finally say that he had won.

"You who have summoned me," The monstrous emerald serpent said with a growl, the seas of blood that were his eyes flashing as they narrowed at the old Namekian warrior before him. Had he not been gifted with millenniums' worth of knowledge, he would have thought this to have been his creator by the look of the demon lord.

"Piccolo Daimao, son of Katas and counterpart to Kami-Sama. Formerly known with him as an entity named Shuzhudi." Shenron added. "Tell me your wish and as a reward for gathering my seven sacred Dragon Balls, I shall use my power to make it reality."

"So, you recognize me?" The great demon snickered as a snarl pulled at his face towards his counterpart's creation. He thanked the Kais that Kami, mentioning him, hadn't put any failsafes against him on the orbs. 'Foolish whelp.' Piccolo thought before continuing aloud. "I wish to be restored to my prime and for the immortality to sustain it, my dear nephew." The overlord barked in anticipation, his nails already digging into his green hand as he yearned for his lost strength to flood into his brittle bones.

"It shall be done," The eternal dragon retorted plainly and with the flash of his red eyes, his magical abilities worked on the demon king. As the sudden brilliance died down, where the olive and frail creature once stood was now a rejuvenated and young Namekian warrior worthy of his title as the Great Demon King.

"Yes, this will do finely," Piccolo said to himself under his breath as he flexed his now noticeably larger muscles and took his younger frame in. Flaring an orange aura around himself, the demon had to admit -he felt as powerful as he had ever been. "Be sure to speak to your cousin, Tambourine, for me." Piccolo barked the next second with a voice full of spite yet somehow very much sophisticated.

Baring his fangs and flaring his energy outwards as he removed the weighted cape that he'd been adorning, the demon king moved quickly to bring forth his energy and launch it at the emerald dragon just before he could dissipate back to the core of the planet and the seven dragon balls could spread across the globe as was their ritual. As the golden beam of ki crashed into Shenron, the serpent's body shattered in a shower of sparks just as the now stone orbs dropped to the ground and a faint hiss bellowed through the now blue sky.

Raditz was currently soaring through the skies at speeds closing in on 300 mph. He felt as the winds viciously pushed back against his small but very compact figure but a clear aura prevented him from being affected very much by the wild breeze. Hoping to make the journey from Kame Island to Capital City in a tenth of the time that it would take any normal Earthling, the Saiyan knew that it had been best to come alone. Not only could he fly as fast as he needed to without feeling like he had to make sure others could keep up but he knew the stakes better than anyone else.

Krillin and Yamcha had both known the stakes.

This was where he, the two-time World Champion, would take a final stand against the world threat that was the demon king, Piccolo. This would be their first time meeting eye-to-eye but both had been responsible for several deaths. While both of them would enter the fight full of life and breath, if Raditz had anything to say about it -only one would leave with either.

Suddenly, the Saiyan nearly tripped over his body as he was knocked from his train of thought to the sound of his scouter buzzing frantically in his ear.

"What's this?" The Saiyan asked himself, somehow finding the finesse to regain his footing on the harsh winds. Doing this, Raditz came to a sudden halt over a large body of water that he'd been crossing and he stepped right to avoid being splashed as his change in momentum pushed some water upwards. 'Whatever it is, it's making this thing go nuts!' He observed.

'850?' Raditz said to himself, almost in disbelief at the sudden burst of a nearby power that had suddenly erupted to life in Capital City. The young warrior could not help but to grimace, knowing better than to believe that the power belonged to a new friend. He still didn't know how many more of these creatures that Piccolo had at his command either after the two he had already slain. 'It can only be him.' The Saiyan grumbled under his breath as he began to wonder just what he was actually getting himself into.

Taking a bean from the small pouch of eight that Korin had given him earlier in the day, the raven haired fighter flared his energy as high as he could without straining himself as he weighed himself against the sudden increase in Piccolo's power.

'725.' Raditz said in his head, scratching through his mane as his aura cackled around him midair. This had been the first time since his match against Tao many years ago that he had been the weaker fighter in a bout. 'I'm still much weaker but Krillin and Yamcha wouldn't sit back and let him win… I can't.' He told himself as he shook his head, thinking of his two fallen comrades and with a sonic boom, Raditz erupted his power outwards and sliced through the air with a newfound speed towards the capital of Earth.

The battle to decide the fate of the Earth was finally growing nearer and though weaker than Piccolo, Raditz with superb Saiyan survivability and the memories of his slain friends still very fresh on his mind, knew that he couldn't allow the demon king to successfully finish his conquest of Earth. This was what his father had meant in his final message to him. Only over his dead corpse would King Piccolo be allowed to begin his reign of terror over Bulma and the remainder of her subordinate race.

First he would meet his end. Then Gero. And then Frieza.

Kami wheezed slightly, nearly falling over had it not been for the wooden cane in his possession as he lifted the hand placed on his student's shoulder. The ritual had taken a far lot out of him than he would have thought, he had been in the other position the last time the guardian ritual had been performed. His student, Kakarot, stood patiently with closed eyes as he shared a clear aura with his mentor. Although not even old enough to buy himself a beer yet, the young fighter was just what the Earth needed in its time of peril.

His much worse half had fully succeeded in winning over the dragon balls and not only had he regained his fighting prowess, Piccolo had also destroyed the essence of Shenron and now, the dragon balls that Kami had created for the betterment of mankind were all but useless when they were needed most. The former guardian sighed at the thought of this, wishing he would have had some sort of failsafe for such an event. All that had happened in the past two days had happened because he had failed as the Guardian of Earth one too many times… now, the Earth had a far more capable defender to protect her and her billions of inhabitants.

All that Piccolo had done since resurfacing was bad, but now it was time for him to turn to the tide of things. He had trained under his master nearly forty years even after purging his wrathful side before being appointed from apprentice to Guardian and even then it took many full moons before he was sure he was doing his job correctly. He had not been expecting for the situation to escalate to where he'd end up giving the boy the title for at least a few more years - at least until he was legal by Earth terms. It couldn't be helped though. Kakarot was already far stronger than he was and Kami knew best that the dreaded demon king was never one that should be kept in a position of power very long.

The once guardian-now subordinate had long debated what approach to take when it came to dealing with the taboo demon and the tornado of mayhem that followed behind him. He debated grabbing the other Saiyan of Earth from below and having him and Kakarot train until he knew they were ready while Piccolo ran rampant over the planet. Since his banishment from the holy lookout, his other half would never be able to find his way up here. Many lives would be lost and it would be hard convincing the emotionally-tied alien warrior to stay put but it would prove to be worth the wait. Still, Earth would once again become Piccolo's playground and he couldn't let that be as a younger and less experienced he had done in desperation of a title he hadn't served fully. He hadn't been Earth's avenger but as her guardian, his final deeds had to be for the security of the Earthlings -even if it meant that he and Piccolo had to take a trip to the dreaded afterlife.

He half debated killing himself and in turn killing the demon king but turned from this just as soon as it had come. The Dragon Balls would no longer be connected to him soon but Piccolo had wished for immortality and he was too old to risk everything on a 50-50 chance of defying magical physics. Piccolo was not getting out of this easily. Kami preferred to have the last laugh and the painless way out.

"And there you have it," The Namekian warrior said as the clear aura he and his pupil had been shrouded in dimmed. Using his magical conjuration skills, Kami made sure to change his student into something more fit for his new title. "You are now Kakarot Kamisama, God of Earth." He added as a new gi reminiscent of his own adorned his Saiyan student.

"I think I'll stick to just Kakarot, I've never really been one for titles." The newly appointed Saiyan said out of respect for the closest thing to a friend he had ever had. "And as for you?" Kakarot said to the green man.

"*I may not be physically complete but I think Shuzhudi will suffice for now.*" Kami said in his native tongue to an oblivious Kakarot, who merely wiped a single bead of sweat from the side of his face. "Maybe the term you know as Masutātīchā is simple enough for you, Kakarot." The Namekian god answered in a washed down version to the meathead alien boy.

"I don't know Kami… are you sure I'm ready to be this place's guardian?" Kakarot countered sheepishly, sighing slightly as he finally began to realize just how serious his new role was. Kami had been a splendid teacher but an even better guardian. At fifteen, he had only been an "Earthling" not even a full three years yet if you wanted to call it that when he had not spent more than a day's worth of time on the actual surface of the planet. "It doesn't even feel like I've earned the right yet."

"That's what growth is, young one." The former Guardian of Earth retorted to the humble Saiyan. In a world filled with spite and wrongful intentions, meek and honorable warriors like Kakarot were much needed. For a child bred for fighting, the young fighter's diplomacy was his best quality.

"Have I not trained you in both the art of war and of peace? Piccolo's uprising may have been the reason I made you guardian… the aftermath of his fall is why the people will need you as their guardian." The Namekian responded and although he was more so teacher than supportive parent to Kakarot, Kami knew that the boy needed support now more than ever.

"You said Piccolo's out there and I'm just supposed to go out there and beat him, right?" His student said the next moment after a brief silence. Scratching at his spiky hair, Kakarot gulped as if debating on the next thing he would say. "What if he's stronger than me? What if I die out there?" The young Saiyan pondered on the upcoming battle, asking his wise mentor for advice.

"My other half may have a brutality and strength that you've never dealt with but a noble heart is the most important factor in a fight." The wise Namekian elder said, hoping to soothe Kakarot's wandering mind. Walking over to the edge of the lookout, Kami did not have to tell the young Saiyan to follow him over and before long the guardian and former guardian both stood watching over the entirety of the planet.

"The entirety of the world is depending on you Kakarot." Kami told his student, glancing over the edge of his palace's lookout. Despite being hundreds of miles above the surface, he and Kakarot were able to focus in on even the smallest of insects from the edge of the lookout. "Let the cry of the innocent motivate you to do what you must."

The two stood in a brief silence, glancing over the edge they stood next to until a faint buzzing shot through the back of the younger Saiyan's skull. Unfamiliar to him, Kakarot shook his head to find the source of the sensation before Kami noticed this and gave off a slight chuckle.

"You feel that, don't you?" The elderly Namekian chuckled as he placed a lifted hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. Seeing the faint clear aura that sparked around Kakarot's body, Kami nodded before continuing. "It appears that the ritual successfully gave you the ability to sense the ki of others. Without being able to sense all that you're protecting, you wouldn't be able to perform your duties as a guardian."

"That energy, it has to be Piccolo's…" Kakarot exclaimed, completely focused on the dreadful sea of energy that he felt radiating in the direction of Capital City. Compared to Kami's calmer and more docile energy signature, this one felt very much tainted and malevolent. Almost demonic.

"It feels like a deep darkness attempting to swallow you, doesn't it?" Kami said to his student. "That's how one's ki feels when their heart is tainted."

Kakarot didn't say anything in response, feeling as beads of sweat began to form under his spiky head of hair. Walking the exterior edge of the lookout, the young Saiyan made sure to take in everything he could feel. Walking about a third of the way around he stopped and glanced outwards. In the far distance, he could feel several large ki supplies gathering amongst the hundreds of smaller ki signatures he felt in between the lookout and Capital City.

"It's sensational," Kakarot finally managed to say. Sensing ki was new but already so intense to him. It was almost astonishing to feel every single energy signature from the lookout to Capital City -it almost felt as if he was right next to every single person he felt. 'What's that?' He said to himself, feeling just one other energy outside of the demon king's large enough to cause concern but yet strangely familiar to him -almost as if it was identical to his own. Both energies sent a buzz down his spine, he was excited to see how he fared.

Kami flashed a smirk and walked over to Kakarot. Putting a green hand on the boy's shoulder, the former guardian was able to read his student's mind and glanced down in the general direction that this new energy source -Son Raditz was in.

"It's the closest thing you've felt to your own ki, isn't it?" Kami said in response, drawing the young wild haired Saiyan from his thoughts. As all humans had a similar feel to their ki, so did the boy's race it had appeared. Both Kakarot and Raditz were radiating fierce and unyielding vaults of energy. "Such is to be expected from your brother. It seems that you Saiyans have a similar feel to your body's natural ki."

"My brother?" The other fighter spat back, confused and taken back by his teacher's statement. This contradicted everything that Kami had told him over the course of two years: that the entirety of his race had been wiped out. "Here on Earth? It can't be." Kakarot said, defusing the situation.

Looking over at his mentor, Kakarot realized that the elderly Namekian hadn't been lying. Focusing on the significant energy signature some more, the young Saiyan's eyebrows flared and his eyes shot open and to life upon realization that this power -whether if Kami was correct on it being his brother or not -was getting dangerously closer to the unsubstantial output of energy that he recognized as Kami's evil counterpart.

"He's heading towards Piccolo," Kakarot said the next moment, glaring daggers at Kami as he felt his own energy flare into a light blue aura. Tensing up he spat out in disbelief. "He can't be that stupid, can he? Piccolo's too strong for him, if he's family I can't sit here and let him get killed!"

"Your brother doesn't stand a chance unless you can back him up. There's no telling how much an eternity in darkness has affected my other half," Kami warned Kakarot, though he couldn't get everything out before the Saiyan had blasted off at the speed of a lightning bolt. "A foe like Raditz could only bring out the fighting prowess that he may have long forgotten of."

Kakarot had already begun his course towards Capital City but his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the name of his supposed brother. 'Raditz.' The Saiyan said to himself in shock of the revelation. Rather than putting them aside, the young warrior made sure to use them as a fuel: ensure that his brother made it out of this conflict with the demon king - not to just have a family reunion but so that the presumed dead warrior could answer every question that Kakarot had about himself and his race.

Power Levels

King Piccolo: 800 (youth restored)

850 (weighted cape removed)

Raditz: 725

Kami: 700

Kakarot: 800