King Piccolo Saga: Part II
Darkness – cold, unrelenting darkness – persisted as the pair of a somewhat obese man and a young, yet powerful child made their path to the illustrious Korin's Tower. Though the sky had only just recently changed colour, the shock and awe plastered across the face of the samurai never once faltered.
"What happened? The heck? Why'd the sky go all dark?" the fat samurai asked, looking at the pitch-black atmosphere above him.
Goku remained silent, simply staring into the endless abyss of darkness above. As multiple thoughts coursed through his mind, his fist clenched as he recognized just what might've happened—or, rather, what had happened.
"Shenron…" the monkey-tailed boy finally responded, unable to tear his gaze away from the sky. "Shenron was summoned!"
"Shenron? The hell is that suppos—"
Just then, the two stopped, the samurai's jaw dropping at the sight of the vast, large pillars above him. Though the tower above was a first-time sight for Yajirobe, the alabaster structure was all too familiar to Goku.
"Korin Tower!" Goku cried out, elated by the fact that their journey had finally come to a close. We're here!"
"Yo...you...!" the demon snarled, clutching his head and digging his nails into his scalp, absolutely livid. Had this old...now young, man stolen his wish?
"It's over, Piccolo!" Roshi declared, his voice sounding lighter and more energetic than before. No longer hindered by age, his stamina and strength had increased drastically. As he felt his heart beat with a vibrant THUMP-THUMP, he still couldn't believe that he could ever feel this way ever again. It had been hundreds of years since he had felt this sense of youthful power… and to be feeling this all over again… it was like some kind of Half-Remembered Dream.
Nearby, Tenshinhan and the others were astonished by the recent turn of events. They thought it would've been over right then and there, but somehow, someway, Roshi was able to pull off the unthinkable. 'M-Master Roshi? Is that really him?'
Though his inner consciousness was still enraged and fuming at the old man's trickery, all Piccolo did was smirk—that dastardly, cunning smirk that showed nothing but pure evil. "You must think that outsmarting me now has assured your victory... but if you think you can defeat me now, then you're quite mistaken." Summoning his energy, he quickly formed a small ball of ki in his hand, beginning a low, chilling cackle. "Because your luck just ran out!"
He fired.
Nobody, not even Piccolo's minions, had expected his shot to be at anyone other than Roshi for his insolence. Everyone had assumed that, in his blind rage, he would attack the turtle hermit for daring to interfere with what the demon believed to be his destiny.
But they were wrong.
"No, wait! Stop, Piccolo!" yelled the martial arts master, being the only one with the sight to see the sphere fire off the aged demon's creased palm.
Shenron could do nothing as Piccolo's blast detonated upon him, exploding in a vicious maelstrom of light. Its form was swallowed whole by the epicenter of the blast before it ultimately dissipated into nothingness.
Shenron, the eternal dragon, was dead.
All the spectators gasped in horror and awe. It was hard to imagine Shenron could even die in the first place, but to be destroyed at a time like this was truly the worst-case scenario. How would they revive the tournament fighters now? How would Pilaf even achieve world domination without the dragonballs? So many questions continued to go through their minds, yet none of them could be answered quite yet. There was only one thing that could control their destiny: the winner of this bout.
As the sky reverted to daylight, Shenron's demise had truly been set in stone. It was simply all over.
"Now even if you somehow defeat me, you'll never have the power to revive your friends!"
The youthful turtle hermit clenched his fists in absolute anger. Though they may have been lost to him for the moment, there was always the hope of the Dragon Balls. But now… there was simply nothing. "That's it, Piccolo! You've just taken away any chance for those poor souls to live! For that… I'm going to kill you and show you what they're going through!"
Atop of the airship, Piano chuckled heartily. "The fool! He thinks just because he's regained his youth he's going to be a match for Piccolo!? Master is still capable of beating any opponent as an old man!"
Though he would never admit it to his face, even Tien thought Roshi's idea was ludicrous.
Although he was young again, the three-eyed-man still had serious doubts he could win alone against the mighty terror that was Piccolo. Even with the hermit's newfound power, could he really measure up to the horrifying demon?
"Hehehe, don't you realize that if you succeeded in sealing me up you still would've given up that opportunity yourself?" the Demon King taunted, hoping to strike a nerve within the former old man.
Roshi paused for a moment, thinking about what Piccolo had just said. After a moment, he responded. "It was to ensure that you would be out of the picture, which I know they'd sacrifice themselves for." Even as the man spoke, he wasn't exactly sure if he believed his own words. All he knew was that what he had attempted was, in the end, for the greater good...in his mind, they'd already accepted death. They had had no other choice to make.
"And now that you've failed, I'll just have to make you learn what it means to become a warrior of my caliber." King Piccolo crouched into his fighting stance, preparing for battle. "The Demon King Piccolo is second to none!"
"Are we going to finish this or are we just going to talk? I'm ready for you!" he yelled as he rushed on Piccolo, aiming for a roundhouse kick to the ribs, but instead, his shin met with thin air as the green demon jumped backward at the split-second it would have made contact.
'He's so fast!' Roshi thought, dumbfounded. 'Even with an increase in power, he's as quick as lightning!'
At supersonic speeds, Piccolo slammed his fist into Roshi's jaw hard enough to send him spiraling backward. He then rushed forward, drilling the now youthful warrior with a series of brutal blows to the abdomen before sending him packing with a mighty headbutt to the brow. As a result from this mighty barrage, Roshi was sent tumbling backwards and into the ground.
"Like I said before... you are no match for me!"
'He wasn't bluffing!' thought Chiaotzu, visibly concerned for Roshi's safety.
"Huh? The light came back!" Yajirobe exclaimed, looking around at the odd reemergence of daylight. 'M-Maybe that kid was telling the truth... some mystical dragon granting wishes may not be so far-fetched after all.'
The monkey-tailed boy looked at his Dragon Radar, nervous sweat pouring down his face. "The radar's not picking up any Dragon Balls." There was only one possibility going to through the young boy's mind at this point.
"Piccolo must have summoned Shenron." Goku hung his head, upset that he hadn't been able to quell the demon's power. What could someone like him possibly want?
Yajirobe and Goku both stepped out of the flying car. "Tell me, what do you plan to find here?" the sword-holding man asked.
Behind a tree, Upa was holding a small axe, afraid of the newcomers to his village. For all he knew, it was another member of the Red Ribbon Army coming to kill his father... again.
However, as soon he saw who it was, the boy smiled broadly in the sight of his friend. "Goku!" he exclaimed as he ran toward them. "I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Hiya, Upa!" came the high-pitched response of Goku as he met the child halfway. "How's it goin'?"
"Father!" the boy yelled with childish glee, "Goku is here!"
"Where's my feast, Goku?" Yajirobe rudely interjected, nudging the tailed child with his elbow. "Don't forget, you promised me a big meal for bringing you all the way out here."
"Oh yeah..."
Bora came from out of his tipi with a large smile on his face. "Goku!" Just then, the tall native noticed how sickly his young saviour looked—it was almost as if he were on the verge of unconsciousness. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Huh?" Upa asked, oblivious to Goku's pain—his childlike demeanor had completely bypassed Goku's suspicious wounds and injuries, instead choosing to focus on the fact he had returned to their village.
"Yeah! I got beaten up! Badly too!" the boy replied, almost as if nearly getting killed by an eight-foot, mutli-decade old green demon wasn't a big deal to him.
"D'AHH!" King Piccolo went for a horizontal swipe; Roshi quickly ducked, just barely feeling the wind from demon's claw raking across the air.
On the way up, he threw a strong punch that broke past Piccolo's defenses and caught him in the jaw. A second fist soon followed, connecting with the elderly king's stomach. Roshi leapt back before rushing forward with an outstretched leg, hoping to deliver a lasting blow to his opponent. As he raced forward, however, Piccolo soon regained his momentum and sidestepped the turtle hermit, gripping him by his left arm and pulling him in close for a rapid kick to the abdomen.
"Hehe." King Piccolo smirked as he tightened his grip on Roshi's arm, lifting it up and twisting it, bringing out grunts of pain from Roshi. Just then, the tall demon placed his hand under the Turtle Hermit's elbow before using his mighty strength to throw Roshi several feet.
Hurtling through the air upside-down, the youth reached his hand to the earth below, his palm dragging across the ground, gradually slowing him down until he could twist his body around and place his feet on the terrain.
"I underestimated you... Someone like me should've known not to think an old man wouldn't be a formidable opponent," Roshi admitted aloud, to which Piccolo grinned, baring his fanged teeth. '...especially him.'
"King Piccolo sure does seem to be holding his own rather easily," the woman of the group pointed out.
"Well, of course," the demon's most faithful offspring replied calmly. "My master is peerless."
Mai believed those words. On the likely chance the Demon King will be victorious in eliminating this foe, she had to let him believe she was still on his side. "C'mon, King Piccolo! Kick his ass! Show him who the real master is!" Mai shouted enthusiastically. In reality, she simply hoped that she would be able to escape with her life intact, especially now since there were no dragonballs to fall back on.
Looking over to the group, she saw the blue imp and Shu bundled together in fear and surprise at her sudden exclamation.
"Huh?" Piccolo looked up to the airship, wondering just who that could've been. 'So... I have another fan, it seems...'
"Roshi..." Tenshinhan was slowly but surely regaining control of his body; he could feel as if he'd be able to jump in and fight by his mentor's side in no time. Unfortunately for Roshi, his body was still aching and throbbing in pain. 'Damn it! Why couldn't you just trust me to follow your lead?!'
But he knew why. Roshi was just trying to save him from what he himself had been forced to experience – battling against a true monster, a true demon. In a way, he was almost thankful, but that didn't excuse the fact that his generosity could've potentially cost them victory.
— Chioatzu, no matter what happens just stay put! Even if I muster up the strength to help him!
— Al-Alright!
Back in the Land of Korin, Goku brought Bora and Upa up to speed on the Piccolo situation. He told them everything: Krillin's death, the tailed-boy enacting his revenge on the murderer, how he met Yajirobe – ending with how the green demon ultimately defeated him in battle.
"He was that strong?" Bora gaped and gasped; he couldn't believe that there was such a powerful creature that existed in the universe today.
"Yeah! That's why I'm here. I came to ask Korin for help." Goku turned his gaze to the sky, his eyes glowing with determination. "If there's anyone who can help, I know it's him."
"You can't climb the tower in your condition!"
"Yajirobe will help me."
"What?!" Yajirobe spluttered, stunned that this child had the audacity to think that he would just so willingly help him climb a seemingly endless tower.
"I'm counting on you... My friend!"
"Are you nuts or what?!" came his reply, turning his back on the spiky-haired warrior. "You've gotta be kidding me, thinking that I'd do that for you."
"The feast I promised you is at the top of the tower!" Goku hastily said, hoping and begging that Yajirobe could find it in his heart to help him out. He wasn't in any condition to climb on his own; he needed the samurai's help if he was to have any chance at succeeding.
"Eh?" said Yajirobe, his curiosity being piqued once again. "Promise you're not lying?"
"I promise! It's called senzu," Goku explained. "If you eat just a few, it'll be the feast you've been looking for!"
"Senzu, huh? Odd name... Well, all right then. So we're not there yet..." Wanting the feast as quick as he could get it, he helped Goku get on his back. "Hold on tight! If you fall, I'll have worked for nothing."
"I'll give you a hand!" The bulky native offered.
Roshi was on the offensive again. A punch. A kick. Another. Each of which were parried swiftly by the demon.
The Turtle Hermit attempted a knee strike, to which King Piccolo blocked by bringing one of his hands down to block the blow. His other hand was now ringed around his opponent's neck, which the demon didn't fail to capitalize on, lifting Roshi by his throat. Dashing forward at rapid speeds, he smashed the youth's form against one of the rock formations in the area, causing it to buckle and begin to collapse. Unfortunately, the now-shattered rock formation King Piccolo had smashed the ruffed up martial artist into was the one that had been obscuring Chiaotzu from sight.
"Oh, no!" Chiaotzu wailed.
Averting his gaze from Roshi for the quickest of moments, Piccolo shot a fanged, sinister grin towards the white-faced boy as he trembled in fear.
But that quick moment was all Roshi needed.
Just then, Roshi brought his leg up and kicked the bastard in the chin, releasing him from his grip. "Chiaotzu! Get out of the way!" the master yelled.
"Right!" The young emperor did just that, dashing away at the fastest speed he possibly could.
Placing his clasped hands to his side, Roshi began the mantra for his signature attack. "Ka... Me..." An azure wave glowed intensly between his palms, flickering with untapped power. "Ha... Me... Ha!"
"Damn it!" Piccolo shouted, trying to orient himself after Roshi's kick had connected with his jawline. "That bastard dared to...?"
He was cut off by the pure blue stream of light that made its way towards him, ultimately crashing and detonating against his abdomen.
The smoke and dust from the impact rose up within 10 meter radius, asphalt and debris littering the battlegrounds. Though the small echoes of his blast rang out through the battlefield, all was silent otherwise.
"He-He killed King Piccolo," Pilaf murmured, in absolute shock. Just what were they to do now?
The smoke cleared and revealed King Piccolo alive, but this time he wasn't smirking. He wouldn't want to admit it, but that blast had hurt; it hurt enough to wipe away his sullen facade and clutch his arm to try and null the pain.
"Argh..." the demon growled, removing his hand from his arm as a sinister glare appeared in his eyes. "You're dead." He looked around – once at Chiaotzu, and once in the direction he knew Tien was lurking in the shadows. "...all of you."
'It's time,' Tien thought to himself, pounding his fists together.
The effects of the knockout gas seemed to be a thing of the past; he was ready for action. The time had come for him to reenter the fray, and he would do just that.
'You're going down, Piccolo.'
"Are you ready?" Yajirobe asked.
"Yep!"
"I'll give you a boost," Bora offered as he lifted the fat samurai and loaded him on his giant hand.
Yajirobe was surprised by the ease of which the native man carried the task.
"Thanks!" Goku cheerily said.
"Are you sure of yourself?" Yajirobe wondered. Although he was strong enough to lift them, he'd be truly surprised if he could throw them even a few feet high.
"Good luck! You're the best!" Upa yelled.
"AAH!" Bora thrusted his arms forward, throwing the pair hundreds of feet into the sky; they even shot right through a cloud on the way.
Yajirobe and Goku were starting to slow down. Before it was too late, Yajirobe quickly grabbed hold of one of the ridges of the tower.
"I don't even see the top! We're not there yet..."
"It's a long climb! Be patient." Yajirobe clutched the pillar tightly as he began his ascension upward.
From that moment on, the pair began their expedition to the top of Korin Tower.
Phew! This actually took a while to write. I had to do a lot of thinking about how powerful I was going to make Roshi and what exactly I was going to do with Goku and Yajirobe. I didn't want to start it until I had done so, but, here it is. I hope you enjoyed! I'd like to thank my friend, Super Vegetarott for editing this chapter. Miraculously, even while being swamped with homework, studying, tests, and other things in his personal life, he was somehow able to take time and do the favour of editing this for me. In appreciation, I encourage you to read his new story, Shimmering Crystals!
C: An interesting premise for a fanfiction, to be sure. I'd always been a bit curious about Master Roshi when he was young, from the few glimpses we got in Dragonball via flashback. Are you going to reveal his real name & past? I figured that since Muten Roshi is, directly translated, a title rather than a name, he must have stopped using his true name before the events of Dragonball. It will be interesting to see a more "traditional" approach to Kame style martial arts, too.
R: I actually thought Roshi was his first name. In the filler episodes in Dragon Ball when Goku met him in the past, he was still being called Roshi. Revealing some things about his past and showing more traditional styles aren't out of the question though.
C: Like I said when I heard the idea, I love it. The central premise alone is good, but the set up for the story itself is great. I'll be keeping a close eye on this to see where it's going to go from here.
R: Thanks! It definitely means a lot coming from you.
C: This will be an incredible story I think. After writing my own little Roshi Vs King Piccolo rematch story, I actually considered doing a story very much like this, but time and real life hasn't allowed me that luxury, so I'm happy to see someone else had the same idea, in fact you've already handled the story better than I ever could have, so well done.
R: You're rematch story is truly awesome, the characterization and everything was great, and I'm really glad you like this. I hope you join the ride from herein; I have big plans for this story.
C: (From Hatred) Roshi, apart of the Z-fighters? This seem really interesting now. The thing is, will Roshi be stronger than Goku? I'm pretty sure he already is if he can defeat Piccolo (which is why he asked for his youth restored, most likely) But after Goku die against Raditz, if he does that is. I am curious. Or maybe Roshi will die and learn the Kaioken, becoming the strongest. So many possibilities.
R: Why, thank you. Such a nice review from such a menacing pen name.
C: I really liked this. I think it's going to be really interesting to see Roshi interacting with the "new generation," and I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll handle it. As is always my advice to authors working with the whole character-who-is-normally-not-present-gets-to-do-t he-thing concept, I suggest taking care that the fic takes a true divergence and doesn't read as a retelling an extra guy. I also suggest not getting too caught up in power levels and that nonsense as you go. It's important, sure, but it can really distract from a story
R: I definitely plan to not have this be a rehash of canon, or to make Roshi a Goku. 2.0. Thanks for the advice, and about the power levels, I agree; I feel it takes the suspense out of the fights :)