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Chapter 20
Unlikely Alliance
Yamcha suddenly blurts out, "P-piccolo, what a-are you doing here?" Kakarot's eyes shoot open as he glances at Yamcha and then stares back at Piccolo. Recognizing the name Kakarot thinks to himself, "So that's the guy Chichi told me stories of… Looking at em' now…" Kakarot couldn't help but question where he had seen him before. He looked familiar but Kakarot couldn't quite figure out exactly were. Kakarot soon discarded the thought, deciding that it was more important to deal with him rather than figure him out. Kakarot glared at Piccolo and then raised an open palm in his direction.
Piccolo however raised his hands as if to surrender before saying, "Calm down, I'm not here for a fight." Kakarot paused for a moment before dropping his hand. He then said, "Then what was with the stray blast?" Piccolo calmly said, "I figured it was the best way to get your attention." Kakarot paused for a moment but then said, "Then whyr' you' here? You clearly have the look of a warrior. Why wouldn't you be here for a fight?" Piccolo said, "I want to work with you?" Kakarot raised an eyebrow out of surprise while Yamcha blurted out, "W-what…?"
Kakarot then said, "What are you talking about, what possible reason would you have to side with me? Surely you know that siding with me means siding against your planet." Piccolo replied with, "I know that it's suicidal to even consider siding against you. I felt your full power, even if the strongest warriors among us all fought you at once, we would come up short." Piccolo let out a humorless chuckle as he added, "I doubt it would even count as a warmup for you." Yamcha could hardly believe what he was hearing.
He had never known Piccolo to make deals or alliances, least of all with people who he viewed as obstacles to his conquest of the Earth. Kakarot asked again, "Why the hell–?" Piccolo then interrupted him which would normally earn him a show of aggression however the words he spoke interested Kakarot greatly. "What if I told you, you could be spared from Chichi's hatred and have your brother back?" Kakarot froze, unsure if he should take him seriously or not. Yamcha on the other hand knew exactly what Piccolo was getting at. He suddenly raised his voice, as much as someone in his state could, "N-no Piccolo, you can't–!" Kakarot's eyes darted at Yamcha as if his response alone was of great importance. Before Yamcha could say another word, Kakarot swiped his hand at Yamcha.
Suddenly a solid yellow Ki construct flew from Kakarot's hand wrapping itself across Yamcha's mouth gagging him. (Think of something akin to the Ki restraints Majin Vegeta used on Goku during their fight in the Buu arc.) Yamcha grabbed at the Ki binding with his good hand and attempted to pull it off but it looped around to the back of his head, latching itself to him. It proved too tough to break with one hand. Yamcha attempted to talk through it but it only resulted in his voice being muffled. Kakarot said while walking toward Piccolo, "Save yer' breath Yamcha, I no longer need ya for information."
Yamcha struggled in vain while Piccolo grinned at having finally caught Kakarot's interest. Kakarot then said, "Explain." While keeping a serious look on his face. Piccolo then said, "Don't you want to know about those responsible for your brother's death?" Kakarot threw out an irritated response, "I won't need to if yer' words have meaning behind em'." Piccolo let out a chuckle and said, "You really do care for that woman." Kakarot's patience was beginning to run thin, but Piccolo decided to quit with the games and got straight to the point. "On this planet exists a set of mystical objects. They are called Dragon Balls and when gathered together they can grant any one wish."
Yamcha began to raise his voice out of desperation but it was too late. Kakarot doubted Piccolo but Yamcha's continuous reactions brought weight to Piccolo's words. Kakarot said, "Why should I trust you, you've caused a great deal of pain to her. I ought to put you down for her sake alone." Kakarot clenched his fists to show he was serious. Piccolo however retorted with, "But then you would have to kill all of her friends." Kakarot took a step back in surprise and frustration.
Piccolo added, "That's right, every one of the men she told you about, the ones who she felt so guilty for insulting are the very men responsible for your brother's death." Kakarot's eyes opened wide as he said, "You were eavesdropping." Kakarot let out an angry growl, "She really did sense you!" Piccolo said back with a frown, "I have good hearing. I thought if I observed you, I could learn some sort of weakness. Instead, I found you growing attached to that woman. Honestly, I don't understand it, human relationships always confuse me." Kakarot suddenly raised his voice, "Why the hell does it matter?" Piccolo immediately said back, "Because you either trust what I have to say, or you will be forced to cause more pain to that woman than I ever could in a lifetime. It's either revive your brother or avenge him, which do you choose?!"
Kakarot looked ready to lunge at Piccolo but he managed to restrain himself. Kakarot then said, "What's stopping me from learning about them from Chichi, what makes you so important?" Piccolo answered him, "Not only am I willing to tell you exactly how they work, I'm willing to work with you to find them, I even know where a device is located that can locate them. If Chichi finds out your true intentions then she'll hate you regardless." Kakarot didn't look convinced until Piccolo added, "Haven't you wondered why the victims of that Farm Village and South City haven't been revived yet if the options exist to bring them back? It's because for one reason or another they haven't been gathered."
Kakarot's face grimaces, he realizes that if he takes that wish then Chichi will surely hate him for it. Not only would he be reviving a man who murdered hundreds of her people, but he would come back in place of the very people he killed. Piccolo finally said, "Siding with me gets you your brother back. She will hate you but at least you won't take her chance to apologize." Kakarot wanted to reject him but no matter how desperately he wanted to ask for Chichi's help, he knew in the end he would have to betray her and though he didn't want to admit it, that wasn't a situation he wanted to find himself in.
Kakarot's arms hung to his side in defeat but then he said, "Fine but I'm the one in charge." Piccolo frowns and argues, "What makes you think you have any say here? I'm holding all the cards. I alone hold the information you need to revive your brother." Kakarot gives Piccolo a viscous glare before saying, "Because I don't need you in one piece. I could break yer' arms and legs and force you to do as I say. I've been in enough fights to know where I can hit a guy without killin' em'. And unlike with one of Chichi's pals, I wouldn't feel bad about it… hell, I might enjoy it for once."
Piccolo stared Kakarot in the face for half a minute trying to gauge if Kakarot was bluffing or not. Eventually however he relented, "Fine, but don't think I'll act as some worthless peon." Kakarot gave him a nod and then followed Piccolo into the air while suppressing their Ki just enough to fly and then took off in the direction of West City. Piccolo was leading the way, "The device in question is in Capsule Corp, the CEO's daughter will know where it is, she's the inventor." Kakarot clicked his tongue in response but continued to follow. Ten minutes pass and Krillin and Tien arrive and rush to Yamcha's side. Krillin immediately examines Yamcha's wounds and grimaces at his injuries. "Damn it, he really messed you up."
Tien adds, "His arm's in rough shape too. We'd better get this thing off his mouth." Tien and Krillin both gripped the Ki binding and began to pull it apart and after a few seconds of pulling. Yamcha suddenly gasped as he was finally able to talk, "W-we got to hurry." Tien immediately gives Krillin a Senzu bean, Krillin immediately said, "Yeah, here's a Senzu." Yamcha quickly swallows it before jumping to his feet and saying, "No, they're headed for Bulma's place, we gotta hurry!" Krillin stood up but waved his hands in front of Yamcha in an attempt to get him to slow down. Krillin asked, "Hold on Yamcha, what do you mean "they're"? Was there an extra alien we didn't know about?" Yamcha shook his head and said, "No, Piccolo made a deal with him."
Both bald warriors repeated the name in unison, "Piccolo!" Tien immediately added, "That's impossible, we just fought him." Krillin added, "He was in no state to move, he couldn't have beaten us here." Yamcha then said, "I know what I saw, he made a deal with Kakarot, he told him about the Dragon Balls." Krillin and Tien once again said in unison, "What?" Krillin then added, "Why would he do that?" Yamcha answered him immediately, "The bastard wanted to join him, he's probably just abandoning the planet to save his own skin."
Tien had a doubt-filled look on his face, "Piccolo might be a bastard but I didn't take him for someone to give up on the Earth after all of his years of trying to conquer it." Yamcha shook his head and said, "Nevermind his damn motivation, he's bringing Kakarot right to Bulma. Chichi's there too, they're both in danger!" Krillin then said, "Yeah, you're right, we better hurry." They then flew off in the direction of Capsule Corp at full speed. On the way Yamcha catches his friends up on what he's learned from Kakarot. Back with Kakarot and Piccolo, they manage to reach Capsule corp but Kakarot suddenly halts his advance, stopping in mid air. Piccolo did the same but asked, "What is it?"
Kakarot suddenly asks, "What exactly are we looking for?" Piccolo raised his fist and then lifted his index finger up before saying, "The first thing is a small circular device with a green screen. It should fit in the palm of your hand. It's called the Dragon Radar." Piccolo then said, "If we can't find it on our own, then the Capsule Corp woman will have to be "persuaded" to hand it over." Piccolo stuck up his middle finger and said, "The second is the Dragon Balls that may still be in their possession. If we find the radar first then we won't have much trouble with locating the balls. From there we'll just have to collect the other balls."
Kakarot nodded in confirmation and then said, "You stay outside, I'll get the items." "What!?" Piccolo blurted out, Kakarot immediately explained, "This will go smoother if I go in as a friend, you'll cause too many questions." Piccolo scowled at Kakarot, "You're too soft, she'll find out eventually, how do you explain how you found out about the balls?" Kakarot slightly raised his tone, "Yamcha will have told me and I'll claim to be open to helping her find the balls. She'll find out the truth from her friends, I won't be around for her to confront me." Piccolo realized arguing with him is pointless so he just agrees.
Kakarot enters the building through the back door and immediately begins his search. Kakarot stops at a larger room full of mechanical parts. Kakarot guessed it was where Bulma's father worked. What caught his attention was Chichi sitting alone on a chair next to a table. Kakarot approached her and said, "Hey, uh, sorry fer' disappearing all of a sudden." Chichi didn't respond which confused Kakarot greatly. He wondered if disappearing so suddenly upset her. He suspected she was giving him the cold shoulder. He then said, "Um, Chi-" She suddenly stood up and turned toward him, locking eyes with him. This surprised Kakarot so much he stopped in the middle of his sentence. Kakarot was puzzled by her strange behavior but an unwelcome thought entered his mind.
He then noticed the faintest traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. He subconsciously began to reach for her face but stopped when she flinched at the motion. At this point Kakarot realized what was going on but he refused to acknowledge the possibility in question. Out of all of his days of planetary conquest, of near death experience and of arguments with his brother Kakarot never felt this uncomfortable, this vulnerable. Right then without any warning at all Chichi launched a dropkick aimed at Kakarot.
He didn't make an attempt to defend himself, instead he stood still and let the blow land on his neck. Kakarot is pushed back by a foot but it didn't do any real damage. Kakarot didn't feel any pain other than the growing regret he was feeling at the moment. Kakarot couldn't bear to look her in the eye, her fiery glare was something he didn't want to confront. Kakarot couldn't even bring himself to ask why or more accurately how she found out. Her angry expression soon twisted into a bitter one as she mumbled, "...How much…" Kakarot built up his resolve until he finally started to say, "When… how did–" Suddenly Chichi angrily yelled, "How much of you was a lie!" Kakarot grew silent as he turned his head slightly left while looking at the ground.
Chichi suddenly started repeating the question, "How much was the lie?" while accompanying each question with a punch to Kakarot's chest, each one shortening it to "How much?" Kakarot let every fist land, not even bothering to defend himself. He was pushed back up until his back touched the wall behind him. Chichi's tone began to slowly dip into a tearfilled chant of "why." She began to say, "Why…why…why…why…why…w-why…why…w-w-why… Why me?" Chichi's voice dropped into a barely audible whimper as tears streamed down her face.
Her fists were clenched but were being used to lean against Kakarot's chest. She looked down at the ground as her tears clouded her vision. She then peered up at Kakarot's face where she saw he was now looking to his far right, as far from her face as possible. She saw a single tear at the edge of his only visible eye. She then asked, "Why do I keep hurting my friends?" Hearing this Kakarot realized how much she knew, he finally said, "It wasn't your fault." Chichi's face didn't change, Kakarot continued, "What happened to Yamcha was my doing, you had nothing to do with it." Chichi then said, "Another lie."
She pushed herself off of Kakarot and said while wiping her tears off her face, "I led you here, I taught you how to suppress your Ki. You used me to stay hidden, t-to find my friends… w-was I just a tool to you?" She then said, "All to revive your brother, the man who destroyed South City and that farming village. In the place of so many lives you would revive someone so… evil." Chichi fell to her knees mentally exhausted, waiting for Kakarot to say whatever he was going to say. Kakarot paused for a moment before wiping a single tear from his face.
He took a step forward, looked Chichi in the eye and said, "I ain't a proud warrior from a far off land, I'm a ruthless Saiyan warrior from the distant Planet Vegeta. I belong to a warrior race, my brother was sent here three months ago. I arrived here to discover what happened to my brother. He was sent here because of a mistake I made." Chichi had a look of distrust as she asked, "H-how can I trust what you say?" Kakarot immediately said, "Because I hate trickery, cowardice, and lies. Above all I hate what I am right now. The Saiyan people were not always such a barbaric race. The stories my brother told me were of my people, the stories I preached to you,they were stories of before they became detestable Space Pirates."
Chichi's expression softened but she still had a look of distrust in her eye. Kakarot closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "I can't promise you I'm trustworthy but If you believe one thing I say then it's that you may be the first person I would consider a friend. I didn't like lying to you but it was the best option to find my brother." Chichi sniffled before standing up and asking, "Why would you want to revive your brother. He… he murdered so many people… and in a single day. Why would you want to revive someone like that, even if their family? You… you helped me so much, w-was that just a part of the act?" Chichi's gaze dropped to the floor.
Kakarot's expression softened, he then gripped his left forearm showing the back of it to Chichi, showing the scars on his arms. Chichi looked at it with a confused gaze, "These are the scars I suffered after invading an innocent world and cleansing it of its people, there was no accident. They didn't do anything to deserve it, they were just sitting on valuable land." Kakarot let go of his forearm but then raised his hands to his face. "Your people's blood are just as much on my hands as they are my brother's. The whole reason he was sent is because he took the blame for the blast that gave me these scars, a blast I stupidly caused because… because I felt guilty for murdering a warrior defending his people."
Kakarot could feel his voice wavering as the guilt he was holding back flowed freely. Kakarot then dropped his hands to his side and said, "My brother was a coward but I'm something worse, I'm a coward. A monster who pretended he was a warrior, all this pride only served to kill my brother and your people." Kakarot then said while looking at Chichi, "I know I'll be dooming your people when I revive my brother. I can't bring myself to stop him, I've caused him so much suffering already." Kakarot then said, "I can't save you or your people, but if you want to survive then I have an extra Space Pod I left on Mount Paozu–"
Chichi shook her head before he could continue and said, "Do I look like I'd just abandon my planet, my home?" Kakarot paused before giving her an honest smile and said, "Good, I hoped you would say that, I didn't take you for a coward." Chichi suddenly asked, "Why did you offer the pod, how did you plan to leave the planet if I said yes?" Kakarot became silent and averted his eyes. It spooked Chichi but before she could ask an important question she heard Bulma screaming and yelling, "Get your hands off of me you damn brute!" Suddenly they heard Piccolo yell out angrily, "Argh, stop struggling you moron!"
Bulma began to scold him for the insult, Chichi's face took a serious tone as she yelled out of panic, "Bulma!" Before she could take another step Kakarot circled to her back and said, "I'm sorry, you need to sleep." Kakarot then struck her in the back of the neck. Chichi was about to fall to the ground but Kakarot caught her halfway there. He then gently laid her on the ground, he then said to her, "Sorry, there ain't a bed around here." Kakarot then looked at the open doorway and yelled, "You can come in now." Piccolo strolled in looking aggravated while holding Bulma by the back of her shirt.
She squirmed around like a wild animal, Piccolo grumbled, "She stumbled onto me." Kakarot then said, "You weren't even supposed to be inside." "Krillin and the others are coming, you were taking too long." Argued Piccolo. Kakarot let out a frustrated grunt which was interrupted when Bulma screamed at him. "Hey, what did you do to Chichi!" Kakarot glared at her and said, "No, you don't get to ask the questions, woman!" Bulma froze out of surprise, "W-woman, I'm Bulma you brut!" Kakarot ignored Bulma's correction and instead pointed at Chichi and stated, "She found out everything! Her suppression is damn good but she's not fast enough to beat us here. The only other person who was with her was you, how did she find out?."
Bulma bit back, not caring for Kakarot's attitude, "Don't get snippy with me, you're the one who hurt her! With your lies and the rest of your crap." Bulma then flipped Kakarot off out of anger. Kakarot bit back, "I know, that's why I'm angry. Now tell me!" Bulma was confused by Kakarot's odd way of showing guilt so she said, "Sh-she felt you and Yamcha flying away so I decided we could see what you were up top with one of my drones." Kakarot repeated the word "drones" in an inquisitive manner. Piccolo answered, "It's an object that can be controlled from a distance. It has a camera connected to it so whatever it sees she sees. It's a robot, so that's why we didn't sense anyone watching us."
Bulma began to correct Piccolo, "Actually it's more like a miniature plane–" Piccolo shook her out of irritation which she didn't care for. While Piccolo and Bulma were bickering, Kakarot took a deep breath and said, "Enough, where's the Dragon Radar." Bulma rejected the order saying, "No, you can't have it, Yamcha went to a lot of trouble collecting the balls with it." Piccolo was getting more irritated at Bulma's continued resistance but stopped when Kakarot said, "Bulma, please don't make me hurt Chichi's closest friend." Kakarot's expression was serious but had a sense of unease to it as if begging for Bulma to do as he says.
Bulma's expression wavered before looking down in defeat. She then said, "I-its the second drawer." Bulma pointed at another cabinet in the corner of the room. Kakarot quickly searched the location and found a small, thin round device with a green screen and a notch at the top. Kakarot turned to Bulma and said with a stern face, "Thank you." Kakarot then approached the two of them, Bulma was unsure what he was going to do next. She squeezed her eyes shut, fearing what came next only to feel her hand being lightly grabbed, turned palm upward and opened. She then felt something placed into her hand, she opened one eye before opening the other.
She saw she was now holding a small device with a green visor on it. It was Kakarot's Scouter, "As a thank you and an apology." Kakarot then began to walk out of the room but upon passing Piccolo, the green man asked, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Kakarot stopped and said, "we're leaving the balls here." Piccolo suddenly blurted out, "What!? What about the wish?" Kakarot turned to him and said, "They can have the ones here." Kakarot then looked at Bulma and said, "Tell your friends when they arrive to take their Dragon Balls and select where we will fight for them."
Bulma gave Kakarot an uncertain look, Kakarot then said, "No more tricks, no more schemes, we'll fight for the right to the wish on a stage of their choosing, it's their planet after all. Tell them I'll track them with the Radar, they don't have long." Kakarot clenched a fist while saying this emphasizing how serious he is making this decision. Kakarot then added, "One last thing, Bulma. Leave Chichi out of this, If she shows up to confront me It's on your head." Bulma's face froze out of fear for that ominous threat.
Piccolo then yelled, "What's the point!? You already know you're superior to every warrior on this planet." Kakarot gave Piccolo a glare and raised his voice, "No, as I am now I'm worthless! I have to become the Saiyan warrior I preached to my brother. No more schemes, no more cowardly trickery, no more hiding, this will be my last battle as a warrior." Piccolo was speechless, he didn't expect Kakarot to be so stubborn or so prideful. Kakarot let out an irritated groan and said while walking beside Kakarot, "Fine, we'll do it your way, but don't blame me if you lose your wish." Kakarot and Piccolo then leave the building and fly off to the nearest Dragon Ball while leaving Bulma with a message that will lead to one last battle between the alien Saiyan and the Warriors of Earth.
Author's Note: I'm hoping the Chichi and Kakarot scene lands well. This is a scene which I've rewritten more times than any other scene I've ever written due to the complexity of showing Chichi's reaction to learning of Kakarot's true nature and the sins that come along with it. As always please leave your thoughts on the chapter in "reviews" it helps me know how everyone is feeling about the chapter. (I'll probably repeat this last part in every future chapter for consistency sake)
Power Levels:
Kakarot: 4,000
Piccolo: 2,300
Yamcha: 1,500
Krillin: 2,000
Tien: 2,200
Chichi: 800