Once Goku regained most of the control of his legs, Chi-Chi led the party out of the ruins through, sure enough, a back entrance. Piccolo ignored Goku's smug look of "I told you so". It was already night by the time they left the ruins, so they set up a capsule house in a nearby forest. They ate the rest of the leftover dinosaur meat from the night before, and they were all ready to go to bed. Piccolo had slept on the couch, the night before, as both of the rooms were already occupied – one by Goku and Chi-Chi, and the other by Gohan. He didn't complain: he had slept in much worse conditions, before.
Piccolo was woken up in the middle of the night when the light from the fridge shined in his face. He blinked his eyes open, ready to yell at Goku for getting a midnight snack. Except when his vision cleared, he saw Chi-Chi taking out a jug of milk. She poured herself a small glass of it, before sticking the jug back into the fridge. She sighed, and leaned against the island countertop.
She looked up, and nearly choked on her drink, when she saw that Piccolo was awake. She set the glass down. "Did I wake you up," she whispered.
"No," he lied, sitting up on the couch.
She sighed. "You can't sleep, either?" She stood up straight and took a seat in a chair adjacent to the couch, running a hand down her face. "I am not used to this kind of excitement. I haven't experienced anything like this, in years."
Something had been poking the back of his mind, ever since he met Chi-Chi's father. He figured now was the best time to ask. "So your father is the Ox King."
She nodded. "At least, was. He doesn't do any of that old pillaging nonsense, anymore."
He figured that was the case, but it didn't answer his question. "Why aren't you with him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your family is legendary and powerful. You're never thought to continue that legacy?"
She looked shocked that he'd even suggest that. "No, never. I'm happy with where I am. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful baby boy. What more could a woman ask for? Besides – my father and I aren't really proud of that legacy. Ever since Goku came along, he's tried hard to reverse all of the damage that his fathers caused. And, personally, I think he's succeeding."
That was a feeling Piccolo knew all too well. He thought back to the cheerful and welcoming man he had met, just a few days ago. If he could redeem himself that much, maybe there was still hope for him.
"And you said Goku made him change?"
She lifted her hand to her cheek, and looked off in the distance, as a small blush tinted her cheeks. "Oh, yes. It was how he and I met…"
Chi-Chi went into the story in great detail. The Ox King's castle was engulfed in powerful flames, so he and Chi-Chi could not go into their home. He had sent her off to go find his old martial arts teacher Master Roshi, for he was the only one who could put them out. She got lost along the way. Meanwhile, back at the mountain, Goku had arrived with his three accomplices and a pig named Oolong. When Ox King had realized that this was Son Gohan's grandson, he sent him out to go looking for her and take her to Master Roshi, as well.
They found each other quickly, and on their trek, they ran into a lost turtle. Out of the kindness of their hearts, they delivered him back to his friend – an old man who lived on his own with a turtle shell on his back. Chi-Chi quickly recognized him to be Master Roshi and told him that the Ox King needed his help. As repayment for returning his companion, he gave Goku Flying Nimbus and his Dragon Ball, and followed them back to the mountain.
Roshi gave his old student a stern talking-down-to, over continuing in his father's footsteps. He put out the flames using a powerful energy blast, allowing for Goku's traveling companions to retrieve the Dragon Ball that was located there. From that day on, the Ox King promised to abandon his family's traditions and live his life anew.
She sighed, wistfully. "He was so charming, even then. After he left, my father told me that I should marry that boy. It was such a long time ago, but I still remembered it like it was yesterday."
Her sentence ended with a yawn. "I guess I should be heading back to bed. Sorry, if I kept you up." She quickly got up, and set her empty glass in the sink. "Good night, Piccolo," she yawned, as she entered her room, again.
Piccolo woke up the next morning to a scream. His eyes opened and he sat up. From the hallway, the door to the bedroom slammed open, and Goku went running into the other room. Piccolo quickly got up, and followed them there.
"Chi-Chi, what's wrong?"
Chi-Chi was on her knees, holding her hair. "Gohan," she sobbed. "No, not my baby!"
Goku knelt down beside her, and held her shoulders. "What's happening? Is Gohan okay?"
She could barely speak, through her tears. "He… he's gone!"
Goku and Piccolo both looked up at the crib against the wall. Goku stood up and ran to the crib, to see, first hand. When he saw the empty cradle, his hands gripped the side of the bed, tightly. His eyes went wide with fear, and his face went pale. He ran out the door, desperately calling his name.
Strangely, Piccolo felt something sparking in him, as well. He never cared for the brat – he was an annoying nuisance and far too clingy, in his eyes. Despite this, he never wished harm upon the tiny infant. Seeing Chi-Chi's anguish and Goku's panic only made whatever he was feeling stronger. He still wasn't sure what it was.
He took a breath to calm himself, and walked into the room, carefully stepping around Chi-Chi. He looked around the room, hoping to find any clues to Gohan's whereabouts. Nothing was in the crib – only the stuffed monkey and a baby blanket. He looked out the window – there was no sign of a forced entry, and it was still locked.
Then, something caught his eye – there was something sticking out of the toy chest. He knelt down, and carefully removed it without damaging it. The mysterious object was a small piece of paper. He could see text peaking through, from the inside.
He walked out of the room, and up to the front door. "Goku," he yelled. Goku was still looking around the forest. When he heard his name called, he went back to the house. He was breathing heavily, and looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
"Did you find something," he asked, with urgency.
Piccolo handed him the small note. "It was sticking out from inside the chest."
Chi-Chi slowly stood up, wiping away her tears. "What is it," she said, hoarsely, as she came up, next to them.
Goku opened the note, and let them all read it. The text was written in a neat and fine manuscript. There was even a small ensign in the bottom corner of the paper. That did little to soften the blow of what the text actually red.
I have your son. Give us your Dragon Balls, and we'll let you have him back. We are in an old bunker, to the west of here. You better not keep us waiting!
After everything he had seen while being stuck in the Dragon Ball, one would think that Piccolo would have been used to things like this. This might have not been the lowest of lows, but it was a different kind of low. None of his masters ever resorted to kidnapping infants to gain what they wanted (though he was sure that a few of them were willing to do so). In this moment, he was grateful that they were still kept in secrecy.
The paper began to tear and crumple, in Goku's hands. He was shaking with a fury he didn't even think he was capable of having. His teeth were clenched tightly, and he looked as if he was ready to explode at any moment.
He looked up at the sky. "NIMBUS!"
Flying Nimbus flew down seconds later, stopping right in front of them. Goku immediately jumped on-board. Chi-Chi climbed on, as well. If it was possible, she looked even more furious than Goku did. Her red eyes and puffy cheeks did little to hid her obvious fury.
"Piccolo," Goku said, "I need you to start looking for the bunker. We'll search that way, but you need to look in the opposite direction. If you find it, flare your energy, and we'll meet you, there."
He nodded. He wasn't used to seeing Goku act so authoritative. It was a bit of a nice change of pace, in his opinion.
"I'll do the same, if we find it first." With that, Nimbus took off in a flash.
Piccolo started flying in the other direction. This was going to be a wild goose chase, looking for this bunker. They weren't given any directions or signs of what it was supposed to look like. He didn't even know what a bunker was. It could take them days to find wherever this was located. He knew they didn't have that kind of time.
He sighed, and closed his eyes. "Old man, I know you're listening," he said. "Make yourself useful and help us find the brat."
"Well, Piccolo, I'm afraid I can't search for a specific energy if I am not familiar with it. I've never met Goku's young boy, so searching for him, in particular, would be difficult."
"Look, they said they're nearby. Can you find a cluster of energies that's anywhere close? That might narrow it down."
"Alright. Let me look." Kami hummed, as he searched for what he was looking for. "Well, there's a small group of people right below you – I think there may be four of them."
"I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get."
He lowered himself to the ground, and scanned his surroundings. There were only trees. However, he noticed something odd about a certain cluster of them. They looked off. He couldn't explain why, but they didn't look like they belonged there. He walked up to it, and tapped his fist against it. It didn't sound like he was hitting wood; it sounded more like metal. The image flickered slightly, as well.
He reeled his fist back, and punched the tree hard. The image glitched and flickered until it revealed a metal fixture, with a door in front of it. He quickly flared his ki.
In a matter of seconds, Nimbus came flying overhead. Goku jumped down, carrying Chi-Chi, in his arms. She jumped off of him, as the three looked at the small bunker.
"So," Piccolo said. "What's our plan?"
Chi-Chi rolled her shoulders back, and walked up to the door. She banged her fist against it. "WHERE'S MY BABY?! IF A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD IS OUT OF PLACE, YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY!" She kept screaming at the door, and the metal began to dent, beneath her first.
The ground started shaking. The roof of the bunker opened, and a light shined from inside of it. Goku pried Chi-Chi off of the door, and pulled her back, as something slowly revealed itself. A large robot stood up straight, and rose into the air. Once it was completely out, it jumped out of the bunker and onto the ground. The trio jumped backwards, trying not to get squashed.
The sound of speaker feedback turned on. Something was fiddling with the microphone, cursing as it tried to get a handle on it. They grunted, as they finally got it out of wherever it was stuck. "Ah, there we go," muttered the person on the other end. They laughed. "So, you finally decided to show up!" Now, they spoke with a theatrically evil flare in their speech. "How wonderful that you will finally be able to witness the next step in achieving my empire! You are very lucky, indeed!"
Piccolo rolled his eyes. Not another one of these kooks.
"For years, I have built up my armies and resources, and now, I will finally rule the Earth! All thanks to you!"
"What are you talking about? I only came here for one reason and one reason, only," Goku shouted. "Where is Gohan?!"
"Oh, the boy is quite safe. He's sitting up here, with me. Isn't that right, Shu?" There was a long pause. "I said: isn't that right, Shu?" Another long pause. "SHU!"
Another voice came on the other end. "Uh, yeah, sire! The little tike is safe and sound, right here! Isn't that right, you adorable, widdle thing?" An infant laughed.
Chi-Chi gasped. "Gohan! It's okay, sweetie! Mommy's coming to get you real soon!"
"Ah, ah, ah: not until you've held up your end of the bargain. Now, give us your Dragon Balls!"
"I want to see my son, first," Goku said. "Put him down here, and we can do an exchange."
He groaned. "Fine. Have it your way."
Piccolo looked over at Goku. "You're not serious about giving these morons the Dragon Balls, are you?"
"We can worry about that after I have my son back." He looked back at him with a hardened glare. Piccolo wisely shut up, after seeing that.
The mecha squatted on the ground, and plopped a basket down, in front of them. "There's your son. Now, give me the Dragon Ball!"
Goku reached into his pocket, and pulled out a capsule. He gestured it out towards him, and the mecha quickly swiped it away from him. With the exchange over, Chi-Chi rushed down to the basket, quickly scooping up the moving bundle inside of it, and clutching it close to her.
"Well, I'll be off! Ta-ta!" The mecha stepped over them and stomped away.
Goku and Piccolo knelt next to Chi-Chi, as she tearfully rocked her son. "My precious baby boy! It's okay! Mommy's here!" Goku put a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned against him. "I was so scared that we lost him…"
"Me, too…"
Piccolo looked back, at the retreating mecha. That was far too easy. These types were never that subservient to anyone else's wishes; they'd try and find a way to talk themselves out of holding up their end of the deal. There had to be some sort of catch. While Goku and Chi-Chi were still talking, he decided to follow them. Now, he had to know, for sure.
The mecha's movements were slowing down to a crawl. Its movements were growing jittery, and it wobbled back and forth, with every step. Eventually, the mecha came to a slow stop, and fell onto its knees.
Someone screamed, inside of the mecha. The top window opened, and a short, blue man with pointy ears jumped out and stomped onto the ground. "WHY HAS THIS STOPPED WORKING?! I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PERFECT BUILD! WHAT ARE YOU LAZY BUMS GOOD FOR?!"
The middle window opened, containing an older woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She kept her head down. "I'm sorry, Emperor. I'll get to fixing it, right away."
The blue man stomped his foot once more, before walking to one of the mecha's arms. He pried the capsule out of its grip. He pressed the plunger, and threw it on the ground. Sure enough, their Dragon Balls were there. Pilaf grinned, as he knelt down, and held the balls, in his arms. "I suppose it's of no worry! The Dragon Balls are mine!" He laughed. "Only three more and I shall finally become emperor of the Earth!"
The woman knelt down, next to him, bowing her head. "I cannot wait to see the day that happens, emperor."
"Shu! Come out and celebrate, with us!"
The bottom window opened, and a dog wearing a ninja suit jumped out. Upon seeing the Dragon Balls, his tail began to wag. "Amazing, sire! I always knew you could do it!"
Piccolo's attention was taken away from the celebration. There was a very soft noise coming from inside of the mecha. It was faint, but it was there. He carefully stepped around, to get a better view of it. He could see something moving inside of the vessel, but he couldn't tell what it is.
It finally popped its head over the top of cockpit. Just as he had suspected, they didn't hold up their end of the bargain – Gohan was still sitting in the ship. He didn't look distressed or scared – he was more confused.
They locked eyes. Gohan immediately perked up, and started waving at him.
"Pikkoyo!"
Piccolo leaned backwards, with widened eyes. The brat had never spoken to anyone. Goku and Chi-Chi were constantly trying to bait him into saying something. He had overheard a few worried rants from her over Gohan being able to speak. Despite that, he had said his name, while waving at him. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter.
The blue man hit the dog over the head. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GIVE THEM THE BABY!"
"But he's so cute, sire! I couldn't give the little tike up!"
"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW BAD THIS WILL LOOK?! Other nations won't think I'm trustworthy. They'll think if I make a deal with them, I won't hold up my end. Then they'll start talking to other nations. And then, not even the Dragon Balls will be able to make me emperor!"
"Well, you know, sire," the dog said, as he walked back up to the ship, and picked Gohan up. "We might as well keep him, now that we have him. Playing with babies and all that stuff is great for publicity!"
Now was probably as good of a time as any to step in. Piccolo stood up, and walked to them. "That won't be necessary. I'll be taking the brat, from here."
The trio of villains looked up at Piccolo and balked, at his size. Gohan clapped his hands and kicked around in joy, unintentionally hitting the dog in the stomach a few times.
"What makes you think you'll be able to take him from me, you overgrown green bean?!"
Piccolo pointed his finger up. Gohan started floating into the air. The dog tried to pull it back down, but he fell onto his back. He waved his arms in the air a few times and looked down, unsure of what was going on. He floated across the small plain of grass until Piccolo was able to grab him, holding him under his arm. Gohan immediately started giggling again, and snuggled closely into Piccolo's hip.
The dog and the woman grabbed each other, in fear. The blue man stepped backwards, growing even bluer in the face. "He's a witch! There's no other explanation!"
"E-emperor," the woman stuttered. "What do we do, now?"
The blue man immediately threw his hands up and started running away, leaving the Dragon Balls on the ground. The remaining two looked down at the balls, then back at their retreating leader. Soon, they, too, started running after him, begging him not to leave them behind.
Piccolo grunted. Just like always: show a little bit of authority and power to these spoiled brats, and they'll run away with their tails tucked between their legs.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!"
Chi-Chi jumped out from behind the trees, and landed on the ground, in a pure, unbridled fury. She threw the blanketed bundle onto the ground, revealing some electronics inside of it. They sparked and flickered, as the parts moved around on their own. Her fists were to her sides, and her teeth were tightly clenched. He swore that he could see the faintest flicker of an aura around her.
"You just missed them," Piccolo said.
She looked over at him. Upon seeing her son, she ran towards him, grabbed Gohan, and pushed Piccolo to the ground. She nuzzled her cheek against his, making the infant smile. "Oh, Gohan! I'm so sorry! From now on, you're never leaving my sight!"
Goku came running over, shortly after, looking even more panicked than he was, earlier. After seeing Gohan, he breathed out, in relief. Without hesitation, he pulled his wife closer to him, resting his hand on his son's head. Gohan reached out to him, and Chi-Chi carefully handed him to her husband. Goku looked as if he was trying desperately hard not to cry, as he held his son.
Piccolo stood up, and brushed the dust off of him. He picked up the discarded Dragon Balls, holding them under his hand. As he walked over to join them, he noticed that they were glowing, once again. He took a step backwards, and the glowing slowed down. He took a step forward, and the glowing sped up, once again.
He looked up at the ship, and a theory popped into his head.
He peaked into each of the windows, looking through the cockpits one by one. As he floated higher in the air, the flickering became more static. When he reached the top cockpit, he stuck his hand inside, and started moving it around, trying to feel for something. It was too small for him to see the interior, completely, so this was the only way he could know.
His hand touched something, and it rolled away. Using his quick reflexes, he caught it and slowly pulled it out. Just as he had expected, he was holding another Dragon Ball. He turned it over in his hands: four stars were engraved into its face.
He lowered himself to the ground. "Goku," he said. Goku and Chi-Chi looked at him, as he turned around. "Is this what you were looking for?" He held out his hand, showing him the Dragon Ball.
Goku handed Gohan back to Chi-Chi and stepped closer to him, to get a better look. His eyes widened and a large smile grew on his face. "Hey, alright! You found it!" He grabbed the Dragon Ball out of Piccolo's hands and jumped into the air, holding it to the sky. "Woohoo! We got the four-star ball!" As soon as he landed, once again, he hugged Piccolo tightly, who tried to get out of his tight grasp. "You did it, Piccolo! Thank you so much!"
Gohan wriggled around in Chi-Chi's arms, reaching out towards Piccolo. "Pikkoyo!"
Goku immediately stopped what he was doing, and looked at his son. Chi-Chi looked shocked, as well. "Gohan," she said, shifting him up. "What did you just say?"
He waved and reached out, further. "Pikkoyo! Pikkoyo!"
Chi-Chi lifted her hand to her mouth, looking between her son and Piccolo. Goku let go of Piccolo, and looked at him, as if he wanted an explanation. He closed his eyes and shifted his head down.
"That is too precious!" Chi-Chi walked up to him and held Gohan out, towards him. "What's his name, Gohan?"
"Pikkoyo!" He started kicking, trying to get his attention. Piccolo glanced at him. Gohan closed his eyes and clapped his hands.
Goku laughed, and put his hand on his shoulder. "What do you know? His first words are your name!"
Piccolo put his head down and gritted his teeth. This was mortifying. He didn't know which was worse – the bouncing brat or the fact that he thought it was kind of cute.
Goku tossed the Dragon Ball into the air. "Well, we've got what we came here, for! How about we head back home?"
Chi-Chi shifted Gohan so that his stomach was leaning against her torso. She sighed. "Yes. I've had enough excitement for a while."
"Oh, come on. You have to admit that it was a little fun. I haven't had that much adventure in a while." He slapped Piccolo on his back. "And we couldn't have done it without you, Piccolo! Thanks for coming along!"
He breathed out, through his nose. He wasn't used to this kind of praise.
Goku patted him on the back twice more. "Anyway, let's get going: we should be home in time for dinner!"
Piccolo trailed behind, on the flight back home. It was strange for him to use that term, but he supposed that there was no other way to refer to it. This adventure had been a lot more eventful than he anticipated. At least he gained some peace of mind, knowing that the Dragon Balls would be out of villainous clutches, for the time being – even if they were about as useful as a rock to them, in their current state.
He had begun to understand what attracted someone like Goku to these kinds of searches. For the first time in years, he had felt accomplishment. Regardless of how small or incomplete the task might have seemed, he felt satisfied, knowing that they had succeeded in their mission. When Goku had said they'd only look for one of the balls, he had thought that he was mad. Why would someone go through all of that trouble only to stop at only one piece of the puzzle? Because it wasn't about the wishes – it was about the adventure and the experiences gained along the way.
To think that he once scoffed at that sentimental garbage.
