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(quicknote: this was my first story written, made 10 years ago when I was junior highschool. There will be writing mistakes and typos, since I don't feel like updating stuff. This here is mostly for archival purposes.)

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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE

THE KING PICCOLO SAGA

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Our story begins at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, in the final match between Tenshinhan and Son Goku. They were fighting and moving faster than anyone could see, only being able to catch mere flashes of what happened. By the end, Tien had opened a perfect square hole on the arena grounds with a dense light that outshine the sun, and Goku barely was able to dodge it. The result was the two fighters falling down from the sky at the same speed. Goku got the short end of the stick, hitting a moving truck and getting knocked to the ground first. Tien had done it, although he didn't think he deserved it, he was crowned the strongest man on earth.

The whole tournament had ended and the crowd had settled out. Tien was now committed to follow his own path to become strong, having his vision changed by seeing the turtle students achieve such great heights while being so casual. He began to truly admire them, and as his first acts of repayment for being an idiot earlier, he apologized to Yamcha for breaking his leg, and he forgave him immediately for it. And now that he had a big fat check of prize money, he invited everyone to come to a restaurant to celebrate. They all agreed and head out for the day, but suddenly, Goku sprang up and ran back inside the waiting hall, shouting that he forgot his grandpa's dragon ball.

Krillin followed Goku, hoping that both of them searching together would make it easier. But when he entered, he saw Goku picking up the dragon ball from the middle of the room, weirdly put there, but that wasn't the only thing that caught his eye. A shadow was hiding in the ceiling above Goku, and once he picked up his dragon ball, that thing fell towards him really fast. Goku didn't have time to react, but once he turned around, he saw Krillin taking the attack head on to save his life.

Krillin was launched at the other side of the room and broke through the wall, alerting the others to run inside with all the noise. The shadow creature revealed itself to be Tambourine, and he snatched the dragon ball from Goku's hand before flying to the window and taunting Goku, saying, "You better give me a real challenge next time, or you might die just like the bald one." And just like that, he was out of there.

Master Roshi and the others arrived to see a crying Goku holding Krillin in his arms, not waking up at all and with blood coming out of his mouth. In a rage, Goku calls for his flying nimbus and goes after Tambourine against master Roshi's orders. The team was shocked and in complete denial of Krillin's death, but once Bulma started crying on his chest, she heard a very weak heartbeat. Master Roshi used his surprise thunder technique in one hand, and used it as a defibrillator to make Krillin's heart rate increase. At the end, he was alive but unconscious. Turns out that receiving the attack head on allowed him to prepare for the impact, and survive it in a pinch. Krillin survived but Goku didn't know that, as he was taken by emotion too quickly.

He followed Tambourine all the way to a jungle sky, where they fought. But Goku was in his worst condition; flying, hungry, and tired. Tambourine made quick work of him, and finished him off with a barrage of punches that sent him flying to the other side of the land. He didn't expect Goku to be alive after that, but that was a bad assumption. Goku was incapable of moving at that point, but he was saved by someone.

Yajirobe made the save just because he found Goku in the ground and thought he looked tasty, but he guessed that someone so dumb and innocent might give him a stomach ache. And for Goku, he found a guy that rescued him and fed him roasted wild animals, so that meant friendship for life.

Meanwhile, Tambourine returned to Piccolo's hideout where he realized that the dragon ball wasn't with him anymore, Goku managed to take it back from him when he was distracted, beating him up to a pulp. Piccolo dispatched Cymbal to go and loot his dead body, but he arrived there and in short work of two minutes, he was roasting on Yajirobe's giant spit. Turns out that the monster man from the jungle is pretty strong. Piccolo had a mental link with all his demons, and he got the feeling that Cymbal was killed, prompting him to send Tambourine to go clean up his mess and kill Goku for good.

He arrived even faster, but it was a lost cause, Goku was fully healed and rested, and he made good use of Tambourine. The rage for Krillin's murder didn't die out in the slightest, and he ended up killing Tambourine with a Kamehameha.

Now, having his best fighter killed, King Piccolo had to go kill Goku himself. He assumed responsibility for his friend's murder, and that sent Goku in a fit of rage, attacking Piccolo nonstop. But that quickly turns for the worst once Piccolo revealed to be holding back, and he destroys Goku, finishing off by taking his dragon ball and nearly killing him with a blast. Goku survived by ceasing his heart beat just as Piccolo went to check, by purpose or not, that made him live another day.

He ended up so broken that he asked Yajirobe to carry him up Korin's tower, which he did under the promise of delicious beans at the top, and that made him go extra fast, taking short of a few minutes to do so after arriving.

Korin has been keeping up with the current events by using his godly vision. After giving the Senzu Beans, he fills Goku in on what had happened since late yesterday; about Krillin's survival, Piccolo's return and his plan to kill all the world's martial artists and get the dragon balls for his own evil purposes. Korin's training alone would never suffice to defeat Piccolo before he conquers the world, but there was another way.

Turns out that there is indeed a magic water that can boost up one's strength, but Korin stop sending people on a quest to find it as no one ever comes back alive. The Ultra Divine Water was hidden somewhere in the demon realm; drinking it was the only way to beat Piccolo, so Korin made a Goku-sized and shaped hole through the dimension, and Goku jumped in.

He found himself in a dark cave with endless rooms that seemed more like a maze than anything else. Eventually, he starts hearing whispers from the dark, and from there emerged a goku with shadowy tones to his skin and clothes, and red eyes. Shadow Goku revealed to be a part of Goku, hidden inside his mind. He was violent and uncaring, mocking Goku at every wrong turn in the cave. He questioned why Goku was doing all of this for such weaklings. Reflecting, Goku realized that he truly has nothing beside his friends, and that all the training he did would serve nothing if he can't even protect them. Shadow Goku gets annoyed from his response and they end up fighting, both completely equal in every way, none would win.

But then suddenly Shadow Goku stopped fighting and retreated back, turning into a creature with a bulky chest, but with limbs thin and lanky, and a big M in his stomach for a mouth. The Shadow Majin realized that Goku's pure heart and courageous nature would give him a terrible stomach ache if he were to devour him, so he just tells him to grab whatever he wanted from his house and buzz off. The shadow majin fades away, along with all the darkness, revealing that Goku was in the same room as the Ultra Divine Water all along.

He instantly drank the entire jug, and just like the cold water going down his throat, he could feel a wave of power bursting through his insides. It made him stop and look at his hands; just like that, the water unlocked Goku's hidden potential, almost doubling his power, and continues to steadily increase. Korin then opened the portal once more, and Goku jumped inside.

Unfortunately, according to Korin, those thirty minutes Goku spent in the demon realm were translated to three days in the mortal world. That shocked Goku, and he asked if something happened while he was away, and Korin began to tell…

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After Krillin was rushed to the hospital and put to rest for an entire night, the dragon team saw in the news a bunch of reports about a series of murders, all linked together by the demon symbol left behind with the bodies. And what's more, all the victims were once finalists from the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Roshi knew all too well what that meant, and he began to tell the others the story of King Piccolo, a demon that appeared on Earth and caused a big old ruckus, but with the sacrifice of his master Mutaito, he was sealed away. Roshi knew it was his responsibility as his disciple to seal Piccolo once more. He knew by his earlier encounter with Tambourine that he was collecting the dragon balls for some reason, and if they managed to get their hands on some of them, their paths would eventually meet.

Yamcha and Krillin wanted to help master Roshi any way they could, but in their current conditions it would be too dangerous for them to come along, so they wish their master good luck, putting their trust that he can solve this. Roshi did enlist the help of Tien and Chiaotzu, since they can fly it would make the hunt for the dragon balls way easier.

Once they were done, they gathered them on some green plains, and planned an ambush for Piccolo. The technique Roshi was going to use against him was the Mafuba, but it would be hard and he's out of practice. He had the great feeling that he would fail; he damn near knew it that he might not be able to, so he decided to teach it to Tien and Chiaotzu as a last resort. Tien managed to pick up on the technique instantly, proving beyond all doubt that he was truly a genius. But using the technique is the easy part, but the stronger the enemy, the harder it is to keep the technique going. Tien came to the conclusion that Roshi was gonna sacrifice himself to take out Piccolo the same way Mutaito did in his story from 300 years ago.

Once Piccolo caught wind that the dragon balls were gathered somewhere, he took the two that he already had and it was game on. Tien saw the two remaining dragon balls approaching in the dragon radar, and Roshi told them to hide and back him up if everything fails; counting that they will make the right decision.

Piccolo soon arrives and sees the dragon balls behind Roshi. He was so sure of his victory that he had no problem telling this worthless old man his plan, to wish for his youth and with it his power back. He was sure of his victory but he failed to grasp who master Roshi was, and as soon as he took advantage, he was surprised by the same technique that did him dirty three centuries ago. He was screaming desperately from the memories and trying to fight it at all costs. Roshi's every muscle and limb was being crushed under the pressure of the technique, and to push Piccolo down would cost him his life. The rice cooker was set in place to trap Piccolo, and Roshi shot him down with the energy vortex.

But something went terribly wrong. The technique caused a terrible gust of wind that knocked over the rice cooker, making Roshi miss. Piccolo was laid to the floor, pretty much fine although winded and breathing heavily. He laughed knowing that Roshi failed and was about to die from fatigue, but that wasn't enough to put him out yet, not before his last words.

Roshi made one last remark, not about Piccolo, but about what he came to learn in the past three hundred years of being a master.

"No matter how hard or how long you reach, there will always be someone better, younger, and stronger than you, that will achieve much more than what you can possibly imagine. I know that these young ones will take you down; I don't need to worry one bit. My only regret is not being able to make their life a little bit easier."

Just then, master Roshi fell to the ground, dead. The winds came by and made Piccolo smile. He reunited the last remaining dragon balls and called for Shenron, and the sky turned black as the great green dragon rose from the light.

Just as Piccolo was about to make his wish, he was surprised by a kick at the back of the head coming from Tien. He briefly got the upper hand with the surprise attack, but his annoyance at the finish line made Piccolo mad, and he used all his power to put Tien down as fast as he could and with unnecessary force. Once again, he went to make his wish, and now it was all up to Chiaotzu. He missed the window that Tien gave him to wish something to Shenron, both because he couldn't think of something to solve their situation, and also because Piccolo scared the crap out of him. In the end he decided to pick Tien by the leg and fly away in retreat, leaving Piccolo to make his wish uncontested. And so, the Evil King Piccolo was now back at his prime, and his first action as the world's most powerful being was to kill Shenron, preventing anyone from making a wish ever again, as the dragon balls turned to stones and were left there.

Piccolo turned back to ask Roshi's corpse if he was so sure of their pupil's victory now, but Roshi's body had mysteriously disappeared. Chiaotzu didn't grab it, and no one else was there, it simply faded away, leaving nothing behind. It didn't matter, he had better stuff to do, like taking over the world.

He went back to his hideout and took his entire crew of goons to the king's castle at the center of the world. The king of Earth's army couldn't do absolutely nothing to him or his servants, so they took control of it fairly easily and had King Furry as a hostage. By then, Piccolo declared on live television that he was the new ruler of Earth; that all the fighters of the world were now dead and no weapon could withstand against him. Everyone must submit, or else he might do something. And that something was blowing half a city with a single blast as he did as an example in that same interview. "Fear must run loose," and that was the last of his messages.

Naturally, that caused just a bit of chaos. The dragon team saw the news and were shocked and desperate at the notion that Roshi had failed, and that he, Tien, Chiaotzu and Goku might be dead. As everyone started to lose hope, Yamcha took charge of the situation. Even if they're gone, they can't let it get to them; even if it might look hopeless, they can't let their sacrifices be in vain. He suggested one final assault to defeat Piccolo, but Bulma knew that Yamcha mostly runs on blind arrogance and doesn't stop to think that they might be killed. He and Krillin were determined nonetheless.

As much as they fight for dumb reasons, Yamcha and Bulma still love each other. But his bold suggestion worked a little too well, and suddenly everyone wanted to come along, even if they couldn't fight. Together, the dragon team heads out for king's castle in a capsule corp flier.

After their crushing defeat, Tien and Chiaotzu found shelter in a little village; to rest and think of a plan. Chiaotzu was terribly sorry and ashamed for having failed Tien and Roshi, but Tien consoled him saying that even if he wished for something else, Piccolo would still have killed them both anyway. Now that they survived, they can use the Mafuba to seal him once again. With the seal and rice cooker in hand, they both fly to the king's castle in order to end this.

Thankfully, the two groups met when they arrived, both glad to see each other standing. They recount their plans and decide to unite in a last charge to seal Piccolo away, they just need to get to him. Bulma and the others were told to stay in the flier and not come out, and seeing the green demons, Bulma suddenly lost all that bravado she showed earlier; Launch was still raring to snipe out some head from the back line.

The turtle and crane students are confronted by the demon goons at the front yard of the castle. They were strong, for normal people that is, but they can't hold a candle to the trained fighters they're up against. Even Yamcha can take them out relatively easily, and he can't even stand on two legs to fight.

Eventually, they cause enough of a bother to take Piccolo off his throne, and he goes outside to punish them for their transgressions. The first one was Yamcha, he was the worse for wear in that fight, and Piccolo put him out cold with a flicker to the forehead that sent him flying away. Krillin tried to attack, but Piccolo grabbed him and slammed him to the floor, finishing him with a kick that sent the baldy flying to the skies above, landing unconscious.

In five seconds, the turtle students were down and out for the day. Piccolo now turned to Tien and Chiaotzu, who were a bit freaked out; but no problem, they still got their trump card, the Mafuba. Tien and Chiaotzu used the Solar Flare technique at the same time and blinded Piccolo for a few seconds, just enough for them to set the rice cooker under his feet and get into position. When he could see again, Tien unleashed the Mafuba on him, struggling severely but not as much to kill him. Chiaotzu was using his psychokinesis to hold the rice cooker in place, but he felt something was wrong. Piccolo wasn't desperate like he was when Roshi did it, and that's when it happened. Tien got attacked and launched through the air by a fast enemy, and crashed through a tower nearby; canceling the Mafuba. It was Drum; Piccolo knew that might happen again, so he set up Drum as backup just in case someone tried to use the technique against him.

Chiaotzu fired a quick Dodon Ray at Drum, but he disappeared instantly. Despite his fat size, he was quick, and reappeared beside Chiaotzu and knocked him to the floor with a bash to the head. Tien walked out of the rubble just to be punched in the gut and fall once more. Piccolo ordered Drum to kill him; the world's last hope could only look down in shame of losing; disappointing himself, his friend and master Roshi.

But just then, when all seemed lost, an ultimate hope arrived on the battlefield. Goku, having now been told by Korin of master Roshi's fall and the battle that was taking place at king's castle, arrived in his Nimbus just in the nick of time to save Tien's life. He kicked Drum's head off in a split second, sending bad vibes through Piccolo's soul. His friends awoke just in time, glad to see their little friend alive. But there was no way that wimp could've gotten that strong in just three days, thought Piccolo. He would finish him off this time. Third time's a charm, right?

Wrong. Goku completely and utterly overpowered Piccolo. No matter how much he tried, no matter what he tried or how much of his life force he sacrificed, Goku owned him all the way through the battle. Finally, Piccolo unleashed a huge blast that caused the entire castle ground to become a barren wasteland; the warriors barely survived, coming out of the ground for air, and Goku slowly rose from the center of the explosion, holding on to the nimbus tail.

Piccolo was absolutely desperate at that point. He knew Goku was too strong for him, so he had to play it dirty. He saw Krillin burrowing from the ground, and made his plan. Piccolo ran towards him, grabbed him by the neck and had him as a hostage. If Goku moves an inch, Krillin is a goner, and Piccolo uses this opportunity to break Goku limb by limb until he falls to the floor. He threw Krillin next to him, and floated towards the clouds, planning to blow this place up again, along all of them.

Krillin apologized for putting Goku into this situation, saying that they all tried their best, but it was still not enough. Goku retorted saying, "It isn't enough yet! we have to win for it to be enough!"

With one last arm at his disposal, he challenges Piccolo one last time. Launching himself and Krillin up with a Kamehameha, they flew towards Piccolo like rockets, who were pointing at them ready to fire. They would die with this blast head on, but they still had even more help. Suddenly Piccolo is surprised by a blast of energy to his back that disrupts him; It was Yamcha, using the last he got while on the ground to distract Piccolo, a last Kamehameha. Then, he was surprised again, as he was heavily bashed in the head by Krillin's bald scalp at mach five, shaking his brain and losing his defense. Just then, with all the power he had left reunited at his fist, Goku punches Piccolo so hard in the stomach that he goes through his chest, opening a large hole through him. All three of them slowly fell to the ground; Goku, Krillin and Yamcha passed out from lack of energy, and Piccolo was mortally wounded.

For all intents and purposes, that was the end of King Piccolo, but there was still one thing he had; one final card up his sleeve. He started to shake violently, looking older and older, until he was way older than he originally was when this all started. Now he was a decrepit being, but that last spark of energy did something. The hole in his chest started to close in, until it was fully healed. Piccolo was breathing heavily, but still victorious. He laughed as purple blood came out of his mouth. He won.

But just then, he looked back and saw Tien standing up, a rice cooker in front of him. Piccolo started to scream, and Tien used the Mafuba one last time. Piccolo was so weakened that he couldn't fight at all. For Tien it was as hard as shoving a marshmallow down a tube. As Piccolo realized his fate while on the vortex, he had one last plan. Tien caught a glimpse of something flying out of the vortex, but he couldn't see what it was; it was launched very far. No matter, he had to seal Piccolo, and so he did. The vortex locked him up in the rice cooker. Chiaotzu was still holding it in place while on the ground, and as Tien collapsed, Chiaotzu locked the rice cooker and put the seal tag on it. Piccolo was no more, and everyone in the battlefield was left lying on the floor. Victorious, but damn near dead.

Bulma landed the flier, and the entire dragon team gathered to help them out. First aid wasn't enough though, but soon Yajirobe arrived. He simply entered the scene rudely, told them to eat these beans, and then he left; telling Goku to go to Korin's tower once he was done with whatever. Turns out he was useful for something, as the Senzu Beans completely healed the warriors, even mending Yamcha's broken leg.

It was all hugs and kisses as they celebrated in a circle, sitting down for a while just recollecting all that crazy stuff that just transpired. They all came to realize the undeniable fact that Roshi was dead. Bulma thought that with Shenron they could revive all who were killed by Piccolo and his goons, but she ended up being shut down by Tien. He said that Shenron was destroyed by Piccolo once his wish was granted, and that the dragon balls were no more. But Goku had another reason.

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He told the crew of what happened after Baba's tournament that they participated. He reunited the dragon balls at Korin's tower, to revive Upah's father who was killed. But once they tried it, Shenron revealed that the wish cannot be granted, as he did not have power to bring back those who died. Goku was crushed by that notion, and so was Upah, but he thanked Goku anyway, for all his trouble, and for trying to help him even if they didn't know each other that well. Shenron had a remark, saying that he could bring the dead for nothing but a single day, if they wished. Goku agreed to that, bringing Borah back with a halo over his head. For one last day, father and son got to play, talk and cry together, as Borah disappeared for the other world the next morning, thanking Goku for all of this. In his journey to take back his grandpa's dragon ball, he made someone lose their father, and Goku didn't know what to think of it.

All they had now were good memories. Even if he was a creep sometimes, or a plain fool, and a big old pervert, he was still a wise man, with a big heart. And that shall never be forgotten. Together, the dragon team left, and the entire world beside King Furry wasn't any the wiser of what happened in the king's castle that day.

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A little memorial was arranged for Master Roshi back at kame house. All his photos with all his friends that he met on this strange and epic journey. His purple cane and turtle shell were put by the ground, and Bulma finished it up by placing his sunglasses beside his photo with Goku, Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, Launch and Oolong. It was the least they could do for him. Not long after, everyone returned to normality; Yamcha and Bulma sat on the couch and slept on each other's shoulders; Goku and Krillin went to throw rocks by the sea; Launch was cooking supper, and Puar was playing cards with Oolong. Tien and Chiaotzu left after paying their respects, being welcomed to come whenever they wanted by Launch. What else can the dragon team do, if not enjoy the peace the master died for.

Knowing that not everything can be solved by magical powers of a wish-granting dragon, the warriors suddenly had a fire lit inside them. To become their absolute best, and never let anything like that happen again to their friends and loved ones.

Goku had one last spar with Krillin that night, Yamcha just watched from the window. He had to visit Korin right about now, and he doesn't know when he'll be back. He can't wait to see what lies ahead, and he wishes Krillin and Yamcha good luck on their training, before jumping on his nimbus and flying away; sealed rice cooker in hand. Until they meet again, don't slack, study well, play nice and eat and sleep plenty. That is the turtle way.