Goku Strikes Back! Final Showdown with the Demon!
Piccolo Daimaou flew back up into the ship and walked back towards his throne. Like the worthless sycophants that they wore, Pilaf and his slaves crowded around him and smothered him with hollow praise.
"Congratulations, Lord Piccolo!" Pilaf said with a terrified false earnesty. "You have recovered your youth! Soon, we shall all rule the world!" Piccolo glowered down at them before turning his attention to Piano.
"Do you know this technology well enough to fly this ship?" he asked. Piano nodded and Piccolo gestured towards the bridge. "Then do so." Shu looked nervously at Pilaf as Piano walked towards the controls and took the chair.
"I-it's fine," Pilaf assured Shu unconvincingly, "I'm sure that Lord Piccolo is just giving you a break. You've worked very hard flying the airship for the last few days. We've all worked hard to help Piccolo regain his youth, r-right?" He looked up at Piccolo pleadingly and Piccolo… smiled.
"Yes," Piccolo told him in a reassuring tone, "You certainly have. In fact, I think it's time you all received your reward." Pilaf and Shu grinned widely although Mai looked suspicious. Their expressions all unanimously turned to horror as Piccolo pointed his palm towards them. "Your eternal reward." The trio barely had time to scream before the white-hot blast stripped them to the bone and blasted a hole in the bottom of the ship. Piano fought to regain control while Piccolo was unmoved by the rocking of the vessel around him.
"You might have waited," Piano muttered under his breath, "To kill them until after I had landed?" Piccolo ignored his son and settled down into his throne.
"My mind is clear. My youth restored. My body strengthened. Take me to my throne."
OoOoOoO
It was a perfectly normal afternoon at the palace of King Furry, the ruler of the world. Four golden spires atop alabaster towers, around a center spire that topped a wider blue tower that all stretched towards the sun. There was a soft breeze blowing through the trees and the guards were making their way around the perimeter as King Furry shuffled papers on his desk and enjoyed a rare moment of peace in his usually busy days of running the world. The breeze blew through his open window and he sighed pleasantly before he leaned back in his chair with his hands on his lapels. It was a lovely day.
Then an airship dropped out of the sky and smashed into one of the towers before violently exploding. The guards charged towards the fire with the logical assumption that it had been a crashed landing and there might be survivors inside. So they were shocked when ten lances of light shot from the flames and pierced through their skulls. Piccolo Daimaou walked through the flames with Piano following closely behind, neither worse for wear after their landing. Piccolo smiled to himself as other guards charged them and rolled his shoulders.
"I do love the way humans die," he said before he waved his hand in a wide arc to blast them all to bits. It was a simple enough path to the king's office. He could have flown, honestly, and been done in minutes. However, it was far more fun to make him sweat. They had such strange little weapons, these humans. Full of sound and fury but in the end accomplishing nothing. Soon enough, he stood before the door to the king's office and blasted the door down with a kiai. He strode into the room as bullets bounced uselessly off his skin and simply waited for them to stop. "Who is the king among you?" he demanded before settling his gaze on an orange fox-man sitting behind the desk the other men were crowded around. "Is it you?" The fox-man nodded. "Rise." The fox-man stood slowly from the chair with trembling limbs and walked towards the front of the group. "Kneel." The fox-man knelt before Piccolo… and twin threads of death flew from Piccolo's eyes and punctured through his skull. His shocked expression was frozen onto his face as he slumped to the floor. "No one who leads so many could kneel so quickly."
"I'm the man he died for," a gruff, older voice said from amongst the crowd of men and animal-men. They parted and a blue wolf-man stepped forward, "I am the King," he told Piccolo, "I'll kneel, if it will save lives."
"For a time," Piccolo told him, "Starting with your own." King Furry walked towards Piccolo Daimaou and stood before him, face wracked with turmoil before he slowly bent his knee.
"Oh God," King Furry sobbed as he looked down at the floor. Piccolo smirked.
"He will not help you," he assured the now-former King.
OoOoOoO
Goku frowned as she looked up at Korin's lookout. It looked like it was getting closer but it just didn't feel like they were going fast enough. Something really bad was happening with that Piccolo jerk, she just knew it!
"How much longer?" Goku asked Suno as the other girl made her way swiftly up the tower while carrying Goku on her back.
"I don't know," Suno muttered through gritted teeth. "I don't mean to be rude, Goku, but this isn't as easy as it looks!" Goku recoiled slightly and Suno sighed. "I'm sorry, Goku. I guess I'm just as worried as you are." They climbed in silence for a little bit before Suno said something. "How are you feeling? Can you move at all?"
"A little bit," Goku said as she wriggled her tail. She was still in a lot of pain but she could move a little. She wasn't going to try and move too much because she didn't want Suno to drop her. Then Suno would have to climb all the way back down and up again!
"Okay," Suno said after they climbed for a little longer, "I think I see the top! Hold on tight!" Suno reached her arms out and pulled herself up through one of the holes in the bottom. For a few seconds she was dangling in the open air by just her fingertips before she pulled herself and Goku up into the lookout. "Can you walk?" Suno asked Goku. Goku nodded and hopped off of Goku's back. She was still sore but she didn't want Suno to keep carrying her around. She felt kinda bad and besides that, she wasn't a baby!
"Korin!" Goku called out as she and Suno climbed the stairs to the next floor, "Where are you?"
"No need to shout," Korin said as they climbed up the stairs. "Where else would I be?" He leaned on his cane and looked at the two of them suspiciously as his whiskers bobbed. "Hmm. Sure looks bad down there. So what the heck are you doin' here?"
"We were hoping you could train us again," Goku told him. "Last time I got strong enough to beat up that Tao Pai Pai jerk. If you trained me again, I could defeat Piccolo for sure!"
Korin stared at her for a minute before walking off to grab something. "Hold on. You're in pretty rough shape. Lemme fix that." He returned a moment later with the pot of senzu and threw one at Goku. "Here, eat this." Goku stared at the bean for a moment, confused, before shrugging and eating it. She and Suno were both surprised as Goku's body was instantly healed and Goku was reenergized. Korin laughed at this before saying, "See? More than just an easy meal, isn't it?"
Goku laughed as she stretched her now pain free body, "Wow, you're right! So will you train us again?"
"Nope," he told her flatly. "There's nothin' left for me to teach you." Goku was crestfallen. This had been her only idea!
"Why not?" she asked. "We need to get stronger to fight Piccolo Daimaou!" Korin sighed and shook his head.
"There's no way I could train you to get stronger. You're already stronger than me, Goku, and getting Suno up to your level wouldn't help you." Korin looked at them with as genuinely apologetic expression as you could get from a cat whose eyes were always closed. "I'm sorry but there's nothin' for you to learn here. I know it's hard, but there's just no way to win against Piccolo Daimaou. He's unlike anything on this planet, and I've seen it all in these eight hundred years I've lived." Goku was quiet for a while and stared uselessly at her hands. Was this it? Was it all over? Then Korrin said something that shook Goku to her very core. "Not even Muten Roshi could stand against him."
Goku was frozen. Master Roshi was… dead? She had a bad feeling earlier before the sky went dark and Shenron was summoned but… was that what she was feeling? At once, her memories of her old Master returned to her. The first time she met him, when she went to him for help with Frypan Mountain, the year-and-a-half she spent training with him and Krillin before the 21st Budoukai, her fight against him at the finals, getting the Itetsuku Sphere from him, the raid on the Red Ribbon Army's base, the tournament at Uranai Baba's palace, and everything at the 22nd Budoukai. She had loved being around Master Roshi because, in a way, he reminded her of her grandpa. When he was around, she missed her grandpa a little less. And now… he was gone.
A rage surged inside Goku the likes of which she hadn't known before. Even the rage she had felt from Krillin's death could not compare for it had been tempered by her guilt whereas her anger over Master Roshi's death only added more hatred to the one who took them away from her. Never before had Goku been so thoroughly consumed by the desire to kill someone before. No matter what it took, even if it killed her, she would make Piccolo pay.
"That…! That monster! I'LL KILL HIM!" Goku turned around and started to run towards the edge of the platform but was stopped by Korin's voice.
"WHAT?! What do you think you're doing?! Do you want to get yourself killed this time?!"
Goku turned to look at Korin, "I'm gonna do whatever I can! I can't let him get away with killing Master Roshi!" This seemed to take subdue Korin as his words were much softer as he held out his paw.
"But wait… Please… You're gonna die for sure this time!"
"I don't care! I can't just do nothing!"
Korin was silent for a moment as he contemplated something, his face scrunched up in many different emotions.
"Please," Suno said softly, "There must be something, Master Korin. Anything. Whatever it is, whatever you're hiding, we're willing to take the risks."
"Very well," he muttered. "If you're already willing to die, there's something you can do. Hang on." He quickly puttered off down the stairs and returned with a teapot and a tea cup. "You know that water I had you two chasing? This is the real deal. This is the Water of God." Korin poured the water into the cup and offered it to Goku. It was the darkest water Goku had ever seen and she could feel the cold moving through the cup and up her arms. It smelled kind of funny, too. She wasn't looking forward to drinking it.
"So, if I drink this, will I get stronger?" Goku asked.
"I can't say for certain. The Water of God isn't some game like the "Super Holy Water", it's a magnificent elixir that can draw out any and all hidden strength within you. So if you're already as strong as you're gonna get, this won't do anythin' for ya."
"Hmm…" Goku hummed and looked at her fists, "I wonder… Do I still have any hidden powers…?"
Suno smiled at her friend, "Knowing you? Of course. You probably have more power than we can even imagine. Why don't you drink it and see?"
"Not so fast," Korin interrupted. "The Water of God is also a potent toxin. If you don't possess tremendous stamina, spirit, and will to live; you'll die instantly." Goku's eyes bugged out wide and so did Suno's. That certainly explained why he had been so hesitant to bring it up.
"Wait, what?!" Suno asked in shock. Goku stared down at the water again and frowned. Now she really didn't like it.
"It's only after your body battles and defeats the poison that any hidden strength can be drawn out."
"Di-Did you drink it, Master Korin?" Suno asked.
"I tried but I couldn't take it and spat it right out."
"How many people had drunk it and lived?" Goku asked. If not even Master Korin could stand it then anyone who has must be really strong!
"Do you really wanna know?" Korin asked. Goku nodded but Suno wasn't so sure. "Fourteen people have drunk the Water of God… Every one of them a skilled and powerful fighter… But nobody lived to tell the tale."
"Not even one?!" Goku exclaimed. This certainly raised the question of how Korin knew that the water would, in fact, make you stronger but both of them trusted him enough not to question him. Goku had a determined look on her face as she said, "I'll try it!"
"Are… Are you certain? This is a decision only you can make…"
Goku nodded, "I'm not gonna die. If I don't do it and fight Piccolo then I'm dead anyway. I've got to avenge Krillin and Master Roshi so I have to get strong enough to defeat Piccolo no matter what!"
Korin nodded slowly as Goku brought the cup to lips. Just before she could drink it, an unexpected voice made her stop.
"Wait! Goku…" Suno paused and close her eyes before taking a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, they were as clear and determined as they had ever been. "If… If you're going to drink the Water of God then… Then I'll drink it too!" Korin stared at her for a moment and shrugged before heading back downstairs.
"Suno," Goku said softly as she looked at her friend, "You don't have to do this." She'd told Suno before that she didn't want any more of her friends to die and if something were to happen to Suno, this would be even worse than if Suno were killed in a fight. It would be Goku's fault. Again.
"Yes I do, Goku," Suno said firmly, "I… I don't want to li–"
"Okay," Korin said as he appeared again with another cup, "Got it!" Suno's face was bright red as Korin poured the cup and handed it to her. "This is your last chance to ba–" Goku immediately slammed the cup back and drained it before letting it fall from her fingers. "...Wow." Suno grimaced and chugged the Ultra Divine Water as well. For a few seconds Goku felt… okay. It didn't even taste that bad. Then she was on her back and screaming because everything was pain.
OoOoOoO
Tenshinhan had woken up Yamcha and Launch after Piccolo had flown off and had to tell them the bad news. Launch's hair had turned blue while she was unconscious and her personality had been extremely different. Which confused Ten but hadn't seemed that important at the time. It was a sullen flight back to the Kame House and the Bulma girl's reaction had been… distraught, to say the least. Ten had left them to their grief and flew off to the south and found an island where he could be alone.
For several minutes he had wept, miserably and bitterly. It had been such an alien experience to Ten that for the first few moments he hadn't even understood what was happening to him. Tears were for other people, weaker people. Yet he had wept all the same. He wept for Chaozu, his only friend. He wept for Muten Roshi, who had seen the light in him. He wept for the world and how it would suffer under the heel of Piccolo Daimaou. Quickly enough, however, Ten's despair had given way to determination. As he stood atop a rocky outcrop and laid the rice cooker down on the ground, he told himself that the age of demons hadn't begun just yet. He thrust out his hands and a green cyclone of light began to swirl between them.
"Mafuuba!"
OoOoOoO
Yamcha glowered on Roshi's couch at the TV while the news was playing. Launch was in the kitchen and staring out the window again and Bulma was curled up on the couch beside Yamcha. Part of him knew that he should put an arm around her, comfort her, do something. He'd promised her that no one would die and he'd let her down. He couldn't do it, though. He was in too black of a mood. They'd failed. Big time. He just felt so… helpless. So useless. The anchor-cat suddenly announced that King Furry had an important announcement and Yamcha's stomach tightened into a miserable knot. The king stood stock-still in front of the camera in a nervous sweat and looked like he was being held hostage. That only made Yamcha feel worse.
"Citizens of the world," King Furry said slowly, as though he could delay whatever awful news he was about to reveal by taking as long as possible to say it, "I come to you today with tidings graver than I could possibly imagine. I am afraid I must tell you that as of this moment I must step down as King. Your new ruler is… Piccolo Daimaou." The camera swung around and Piccolo Daimaou's face filled the screen. Bulma shrieked in shock and gripped Yamcha's arm as Launch ran into the room to see what was happening. Bulma had never actually seen Piccolo before.
"Hello," Piccolo said smugly. "For those of you who do not know who I am, I am Piccolo Daimaou. I am now the ruler of this world! I despise 'peace' and 'justice'. As of this moment, I dissolve all peacekeeping and law enforcing agencies. Terror, violence, and death shall reign! To commemorate my ascent to the throne, this day, May 9th, shall forevermore be known as Piccolo Daimaou Day!" Then he chuckled and said, "And just wait until you see how I plan to celebrate." The camera panned out slowly to show Piccolo seated in a throne with a globe beside him. He spinned the globe idly and smirked. "As you all know, y–" he paused and chuckled, "My planet is divided into 43 sectors. Each year, on the anniversary of this day, I shall draw a slip of paper containing one of these sectors. That sector will host the Piccolo Day celebration… before I destroy it." He chuckled again. "After all, you do seem to love your fireworks, don't you?" Then he threw back his head and let out a booming and boisterous laugh. Yamcha growled between his teeth and his fingernails dug into the couch as Piccolo rummaged through a box containing the slips of paper. "Ah, it appears that the first sector shall be… Sector 29! West City!" Bulma brought her hands up to her mouth in horror. Her parents! All her friends! "I am a merciful king, of course. Your deaths shall be instantaneous." Then he laughed again and Yamcha grabbed the TV suddenly, raising it high overhead with a roar before smashing it to pieces on the floor.
"That is it!" he declared furiously as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "I am not going to just stand around and wait for him to wipe out the entire planet!" Yamcha turned his attention to Launch. "Launch, go sneeze. Then we're gonna find Tenshinhan." To his surprise, Launch shook her head.
"No," she said emphatically, "If we're going to fight, I'm going to be me!" Yamcha nodded and admired Launch's courage. He supposed it didn't make a difference either way.
"Alright," he said, "Now let's–"
"No!" Bulma cried out as she grabbed Yamcha's arm with a desperate urgency, "You can't do this to me, Yamcha. Not again! How many more people are going to die this time?! I have to go with you! He-he's going to blow up my city!" Yamcha's first impulse was to wrench his arm away and scold Bulma for what could only be described as insanity but when he looked at her eyes… her beautiful blue eyes that were shining with barely-held tears, he thought better of it. That wasn't what was needed right now.
"Look, Bulma…" he sighed and put his arm around her, "This is our last shot. Launch, Ten, and me; we're the only ones left strong enough to try and fight Piccolo. If we lose, there's no coming back either way." Bulma whimpered and clung to Yamcha tighter. He smiled at her and turned her chin up to look at him. "Hey, there might not be anyone strong enough left but I know there'll be someone smart enough." Bulma's eyes widened with understanding and Yamcha nodded. "Between you and your dad, you'd be able to find somewhere that Piccolo couldn't get to you and however long it took, you'd be able to think of a way to beat him. That's why you need to stay behind, Bulma. If we lose, you're the only one left who could save the world. I believe in you." Bulma smiled and wiped her eyes before grabbing Yamcha's hair and pulling him into a kiss. It was a kiss like they might never see each other again. A kiss like the end of the world. After an all-too-brief eternity, Bulma smiled and stroked Yamcha's chin, looking a bit more like her old self.
"Well, you two better get goin'," she said with a grin before giving Yamcha a smack on the butt. He jumped and blushed before he ran out the door and Bulma grabbed Launch's arm as the other girl started to leave. "Hey," she said perhaps a bit too harshly and Launch looked… angry? Could Blue Launch get angry? "I mean…" Bulma sighed and let go of the other girl's arm. "Just keep Yamcha safe, okay?" Launch smiled and gave Bulma a quick hug.
"Sure thing," she told Bulma as she broke the embrace and gave a little wave as she ran out the door. She hopped onto Yamcha's Flying Squirrel and wrapped her arms around his middle as they flew south to find Ten.
OoOoOoO
Tenshinhan guided the swirling green light down into the rice cooker and watched it snap shut with a satisfied smirk. This had been the third time he'd successfully performed the Mafuuba and he was feeling fine.
"I knew I could do it," he muttered to himself as he wiped sweat off his brow. "I knew I was strong enough." He felt a little more of the confidence, the arrogance he had felt before meeting Son Goku when he heard a horn from above. He turned around to see Yamcha and Launch, the girl who could apparently change the color of her hair.
"Well," Yamcha said as his flying contraption hovered down to be level with Ten, "Looks like you're makin' progress. Wanna go fight the Demon King?" Tenshinhan raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
"I did not have any other plans," Ten told him with the tiniest bit of a smile. Yamcha's eyebrows raised up on his face in surprise.
"Was… was that a joke?" Yamcha asked in almost disbelief before he waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind. Between the three of us, especially with the Mafuuba, we have a real shot at beating Piccolo. One final, all-out assault. No going back, no retreat. Just so you know what you're getting in for." He held his hand out for Tenshinhan to shake. "Last chance to back out… although I don't really have a plan if we don't have the Mafuuba…" Ten stared down at Yamcha's hand for a moment before he clasped it firmly and shook it.
"You know," Ten said with a chuckle, "It's funny. Until yesterday, I wanted to be the greatest assassin of all time and had trained all my life to kill people. Now I'm off to save the world." Yamcha grinned and shrugged.
"Eh, I was a desert bandit. I've killed like five people directly and… I dunno, more indirectly by stealing their stuff. Launch used to rob people at gunpoint and steal cars and planes." Launch nodded and Tenshinhan's eyes widened in surprise.
"It doesn't matter what we were or what we did," Launch said, "All that matters is who we are and what we're going to do." Yamcha nodded and turned the flying machine towards the horizon.
"C'mon, Triclops," he said as he revved the engine. "World ain't savin' itself."
OoOoOoO
Goku sat up with a groan and slowly opened her eyes once everything stopped hurting. As she rubbed her eyes and blinked them a few times, she realized that something was different about her and it wasn't just that she was stronger. She could feel something different. She could feel… energy. She could sense her friends' energies and Piccolo's terrible, evil power. She could feel Suno and Korin's powers, too!
"Wow, Suno," Goku said to her friend as the other girl sat up and held her head, "You got stronger, too!" Suno slowly shook her head and opened her eyes.
"Whuh?" she muttered as she looked at Goku. "Oh! You can sense ki too, now?" Then she gasped in surprise and clapped her hands to her cheeks. "Goku! Your power's huge!" Goku grinned and stood up before she helped Suno to her feet.
"Well," Korin said with a smile, "Glad to see it didn't kill either of you. Would have been a pain to push your bodies off the edge of the tower." They stared at him and he sighed. "It was a joke."
"Master Korin," Suno asked, "How long have we been out?" Korin frowned and started counting on his fingers while muttering under his breath.
"I'd say, oh… about six hours now." Suno and Goku's eyes bulged at that statement.
"Six hours?!" they asked together in disbelief. That was so long!
"Well," Korin said, "The good news is that Piccolo hasn't killed anyone else yet. Although people have started killing each other since Piccolo got rid of the police and military. Your three friends are going to go try and fight him so I'd get a move on if I were you." Goku frowned at that. There was no way Ten, Yamcha, and Launch could beat Piccolo but she could sense how far away they were.
"We'll never be able to get to wherever they are in my car," Suno muttered with a hand under her chin in thought. Goku shook her head and balled her fists resolutely.
"We have to get there," she said firmly. "We have to help them!" She wasn't going to let any more of her friends die! Piccolo Daimaou wouldn't be killing anyone else! "If that jerk hadn't blown up my Nimbus…"
"Oh," Korin said, "Is that all?" He hopped up onto the railing around the platform and whistled loudly. Goku and Suno ran to look over the railing as they heard a deep rumbling from just underneath. Goku gasped and stared as an enormous Nimbus hovered just under them. It was as big as a whale! "Take as much as you want," Korin told her. "That's the original cloud that yours broke off of." Goku grinned and was prepared to jump before Korin put a paw on her shoulder. "Oh, almost forgot. Can't have you runnin' off to fight to the death lookin' like that, can we?" He gestured to the torn and tattered remains of Krillin's suit and pointed his staff at her. "Bazam!" Goku was suddenly hit with a bright light and her clothes were replaced by a full Turtle School gi! There were, Goku noticed, a few changes. The black shoes, blue wristbands, and blue belt were now all white, and so was the character for "Turtle". Korin shrugged and grinned. "I jazzed it up a little." Goku hugged Korin before she jumped onto the huge yellow cloud and bounced as she landed.
"Make sure it's a big piece," Suno told her as Goku started gathering the cloud up in her arms, "The old one was getting kinda cramped." Goku nodded and made sure she had a big pile of clouds in her arms before she threw it into the sky and it hovered just over her head. She jumped onto it and Suno landed behind her.
"Let's go, Nimbus!" Goku told the cloud as she thrust her fist out towards the horizon. The cloud streaked across the sky and the two girls laughed as Korin watched them fly off. He could tell Goku was about Piccolo's equal in power now. He only hoped that it would be enough to be equal. He turned his gaze towards the ceiling and sighed.
"You sure you don't wanna come down and help?" he asked. As usual, there was no answer.
OoOoOoO
Piccolo Daimaou sat idly in his throne and smiled in contentment. All his enemies were defeated. There was nothing left to fear, no challenge left to overcome, and he was too great a coward to face him. He could close his eyes and feel all those worthless ants slaughtering each other. Not all of them, of course. Some were trying to hold onto their "goodness" or "humanity". In time, however, they'd all be murdering each other like rats fighting for a scrap of cheese. It was their nature to be cruel, after all.
Yet now, in his moment of greatest triumph, he suddenly felt a strange… emptiness? His adversary was long dead. All the Earth was his domain and there were no worlds left to conquer. It was tedious enough to make him weep and yet… and yet… there were other worlds to conquer, weren't there? Even before he had begun his conquest over mankind centuries ago, Piccolo could remember looking up at the stars and feeling them calling to him, calling him home. As if… as if the stars were singing, only to him. Yes, Piccolo decided, that would be it. He did not care how long it would take, he had eternal youth after all, but some day he would leave this worthless world and spread the terror of Piccolo Daimaou out across the stars.
Piccolo suddenly felt the smallest pressure on his mind that snapped him out of his reverie. It seemed that there were still some fools who sought to oppose him. As he did not feel that the three worthless powers were worth his time, he quickly made the chant and opened his mouth. The egg flew out and shattered on the ground and Piccolo smirked as he felt no strain from the exercise whatsoever.
"You," he gestured to his newest son, "Shall be Drum." Drum was a tall, robust creature. He was nearly as tall as Piccolo himself with mottled green skin and pointed ears and no nose. Like all his brothers except for Cymbal, he had clothes; a pair of blue pantaloons and blue boots with an orange sash around his middle. "There are interlopers coming that seek to do me harm. Destroy them!" Drum nodded and charged through the nearest wall… and immediately plummeted several stories to the ground below. Piccolo groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew the fall wouldn't kill the boy but… why were they all so stupid when they were born?! "Piano," he bellowed, "Get in here!" It was time to see what his bright, young boy knew about rocket ships.
OoOoOoO
"All right," Yamcha said as the King's Palace drew near, "Let's go over this one more time." He felt like a bit of an asshole for saying that, they'd been coming up with and going over the plan, and backup plans, for the last six hours. Still, it was better to be over prepared than underprepared. "We'll all go at Piccolo at once to take him off-balance. When Launch and I get him to ourselves, we'll try and give you an opening, Ten. That's when you hit him with the Mafuuba."
"I still don't understand why I don't attack with the Mafuuba immediately," Ten objected. "He won't be expecting it. The only person he believed to know the technique is dead. He was even surprised that Muten was capable of it." Yamcha sighed and shook his head.
"Ten, I'm telling you," he'd said as he'd said several times over the past several hours, "It's because he didn't expect it to happen before that he'll be on his toes. That's why he had that monster of his steal the listings of all the competitors in the Budoukai. He's afraid that any martial artist might be able to use it. Once me and Launch get him to focus on us, that'll be your best chance."
"Uh, guys," Launch said with a tap on Yamcha's shoulder, "I think someone's expecting us." She pointed down to the ground and the three saw a large, green… creature staring up at them.
"Huh," Yamcha muttered, "That is an ugly sumbitch, isn't he? Hold on, Launch!" Yamcha suddenly pushed forward on the controls and brought the Flying Squirrel into a nose dive towards the strange green monster, down and down until he could see the white of its beady eyes. "Now!" He and Launch jumped away as the machine smashed into the monster in a ball of fire and rolled onto their feet as Tenshinhan landed beside them. Yamcha grinned as the flames roared but then he frowned as the demon walked out of the flames unharmed. "Man," he muttered, "As much as that thing cost, I would hope it did something!"
"Ha," the demon laughed, "You'll have to try harder than that, little man! I am Drum, son of Piccolo Daimaou, and I will–" suddenly Launch sprinted forward!
"Shut up already, you big dumb jerk!" She flew at Drum with a kick and pushed off the wall when he sidestepped to slam her elbow into the small of his back. Drum staggered forward but then swung back to hit her with a hammer-like blow that smashed her into the wall.
"He's fast for a big fellow," Ten muttered. Yamcha nodded and the pair charged him with a roar and attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. Launch joined in as well and the three kept him off-balance with an assault from all sides until Drum swatted Launch away with a backfist and sent Yamcha through a tree with a headbutt. He was able to handle Tenshinhan easily enough once the triclops was on his own and grabbed him by the throat. Ten let out a gurgle and kicked his legs as Drum raised him high overhead and squeezed. Launch bounded to her feet and let loose a huge kiai through a roundhouse kick that struck Drum right in the elbow of the arm that was holding Ten and forced him to release his grip with a cry of pain.
Yamcha leaped at Drum with the broken tree he'd been put through high overhead in both hands and smashed it down onto the demon, who snarled up at Yamcha as the tree burst into splinters. His eyes glowed and crackled with energy and Launch leaped onto his back to yank on Drum's ears, the twin lightning bolts from his eyes missing Yamcha by inches before he drove his palm into Drum's gut. Launch yanked back harder as Ten dove down and smashed into Drum's knees to bring Drum crashing to the ground. Yamcha and Ten stood side by side as Yamcha brought his hands to his side and Ten pointed a glowing finger at Drum.
"Dodonpa!"
"Kamehameha!"
The two beams flew forth and met another pair of lightning bolts that Drum launched from his eyes in a fiery collision. Launch smashed her elbows into Drum's kidneys to send him stumbling forward as Ten charged forward and drove both knees into Drum's chest to send him staggering back with his hands covering his face against a salvo of kiai from Launch. Drum roared and swatted the blasts away and prepared for another attack… when Yamcha's sword pierced through his back and burst out of his stomach. Yamcha grit his teeth and yanked up to split Drum's neck and head completely in half, coating his sword and face with purple blood as the dead demonspawn fell forward. The three gathered around the corpse and Yamcha wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt.
"Well," he muttered, "That wasn't so–" Yamcha was cut off by the sound of someone slowly clapping. The three looked up to see Piccolo Daimaou slowly descending towards them and Yamcha had to fight to keep his grip steady on his sword.
"Well, well, well," Piccolo said. "It seems that there are creatures left foolish enough to try to defeat me. Although I'm sure you'd prefer to think of yourselves as 'brave'. I'm afraid that you're actually quite mad." Yamcha raised his sword up as Ten and Launch got into their guards on either side of him. "Oh? No great speech? Nothing about how you won't let my evil stand or how I'll pay for all the lives I've taken?"
"Kiss my ass and go to Hell, you big green loser!" Launch blurted out angrily and Yamcha stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief. Her hair was blue, right? Piccolo threw his head back and laughed.
"Well," he said, "I've certainly never heard that bef–"
"Now!" Ten called and the three charged him at once. Launch got in close with knees and elbows while Ten had took the middle range with his kicks and spear strikes and Yamcha had the longest reach with his sword. Not that it mattered since none of them seemed to be able to hit the bastard! He was faster than anything they'd ever seen! Even Tenshinhan, who'd seen Piccolo fight Roshi, was unprepared for just how powerful Piccolo was with his youth restored. He swatted them all casually aside before Ten managed to spring up onto his feet and threw out his hand. "Dodonpa!" He called out. He couldn't risk the Kikouhou since he had to reserve his energy for the Mafuuba. Not that it mattered as the beam passed right through him and he was suddenly in front of Ten with a hand around his throat.
"That technique seems familiar," he said. "You must be a student of someone who opposed me." He squeezed and his claws bit into Ten's neck as Ten let out a croak of pain.
"D-did you ever see… this?!" he brought his hands up to his third eye with his palms facing out, "Taiyoken!" Piccolo cried out in pain and tossed Ten away as he was hit directly in the eyes with a blast like the glare of the sun. There was a high-pitched whistle as Yamcha hurtled his sword at Piccolo with all his might and bit into Piccolo's wrist before the blade shattered.
"What?!" Yamcha cried incredulously as he and Launch charged. "Oh, come on!" They let fly another flurry of punches and kicks before Piccolo suddenly slashed Yamcha across the face with one hand and his other hand sliced deep, bloody gashes into Yamcha's stomach to send him flying away. Yamcha cried with pain and clutched at his bleeding face as Piccolo drove a knee into Launch's chest to send her crashing into one of the towers. Ten jumped at Piccolo again and Piccolo smashed him into the ground with a slap before he turned his attention to Yamcha.
"You…" he growled, "You have been the first in centuries to wound me, the Demon King." He came closer and closer to Yamcha as the former bandit clutched his face and whimpered in pain, "So it seems only fitting that none in centuries shall have felt as painful a death as you!" In that moment, time for Launch slowed to a crawl. Tenshinhan was down. Yamcha was helpless. She was the only one who could save him. She couldn't be afraid! In that moment, something stirred in Launch that she'd never felt. A power and a courage that even her blonde self had never known. She brought her hands down to her side and felt that power build and build.
"Kaaaameee…" 'Sneeze!' the other voice told her. 'You're not strong enough! You don't have the guts! You need to be me!' "Haaameee…" 'You'll screw up! You'll be afraid! You're always afraid!' 'No. No I'm not!' "Haaaaa!" The blast raced out of Launch's hand like a bolt of lightning… and Piccolo turned at the last moment and backhanded it over the horizon. That was all the distraction they needed.
"Do it, Ten!" Yamcha cried out despite his pain, "Do it now!" Ten threw down the rice cooker and thrust out his hands.
"Mafuubaaaaa!" he called out and as the rush of green energy swirled out towards him, Piccolo's expression was almost as exasperated as it was terrified. Tenshinhan fought to control the swirling vortex of energy as Piccolo raised and fought inside it. Even the Kikouhou hadn't been this painful! His arms were on fire and his head was pounding like it was going to explode! He let out a roar and pulled Piccolo down towards the rice cooker and was so focused on fighting the Demon King that he couldn't see the spiderweb of cracks spreading across the bottom of the rice cooker from the damage it had taken during his training…
Until it exploded violently into shards. Some of the shards cut into Ten's legs and he was sent flying back as Piccolo collapsed to the ground. He rose quickly to his feet and stomped towards Tenshinhan with a hand drawn back to kill. Launch leaped at him and Piccolo swatted her away with the sound of a sickening snap when she landed awkwardly on her arm.
"I am so tired of that technique!" Piccolo growled as he stomped down on Ten's ribs. He raised his hand high and stopped when he heard a high-pitched whistle like something was falling towards him from high above….
OoOoOoO
Goku and Suno tore through the sky on the Nimbus, the new one flying far faster than the old one ever could. "They're fighting Piccolo," Suno told Goku. When they sensed that Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Launch had arrived at Piccolo's location; they had decided that Suno would keep tabs on the battle as a whole while Goku would focus solely on Piccolo to get as firm of a grasp on his ki as possible.
Goku grunted in response as she grit her teeth. The others already had to fight that new mass of evil ki that, according to Suno, was even stronger than the jerk that killed Krillin and now they were fighting Piccolo. Goku knew that Tenshinhan was just about as strong as she had been at the Budoukai and even she couldn't do anything against him when they fought. As it was, she could only hope that they'd make it in time to save them as she urged the Nimbus on faster.
"Yamcha just went down. He's still alive but…." Suno reported. Even as she focused on the battle, she could feel Goku's ki bristling with anger. "Launch's ki spiked. I think she did the Kamehameha but…." They were so close now. Just a little more time was all they needed. "I… I don't know what Tenshinhan's doing. It's like a ki attack but it feels… weird. It's kind of like the Kikouhou but not as fierce. I guess it didn't do anything but he's much weaker now. And now Launch's ki dropped sharply…. Goku… I think Piccolo's going to kill Tenshinhan!"
Goku growled before shouting "Hold on!" and setting the Nimbus into a steep dive. They rocketed towards King Furry's palace, the wind whistling through their ears as they plummeted towards the ground. As soon as a tall figured garbed in blue was visible, Goku launched herself off of the Nimbus and towards it. The figure looked up just in time to dodge out of the way before Goku's feet could crash into his face.
"G-Goku! And Suno, too! You guys are alive!" Yamcha cried out in surprise as Goku glared as Piccolo and Suno landed beside her.
"A-Are you really Goku?" Ten asked. The ki was sensing from the two in front of him, especially Goku, was insane. She wasn't nearly this strong back at the Budoukai!
"Well, this is a surprise. I was certain that I had killed you," Piccolo said. A shared look was all it took before Suno quickly started to get their friends away from the impending battle.
"I guess I'm pretty tough!" Goku said before she looked at Piccolo suspiciously. Something was different. "Hey, did you change your face?" Piccolo chuckled menacingly as he spread his hands out wide and gestured towards himself.
"I've regained my youth and true power. Do you know what that means? It means that the opponent who beat you utterly last time was only a shadow of the warrior you face now!"
Goku smirked, "You're not the only one who's gotten stronger! I'll beat for sure this time!"
Piccolo scowled, "You truly are a glutton for punishment." He slowly started walking forward until he was right in front of Goku, "You say that you're going to defeat me? The Great Demon King Piccolo? I beat you. Humbled you. How could this possibly be any different?"
Goku grinned as she clenched her fists and glared up at Piccolo, "Because this time, I'm not going to stop fighting until you're dead!" Piccolo scoffed.
"I don't have time for your games. I have a celebration to attend and a city to raze. You'll be dead in five seconds."
Almost faster than Yamcha, Launch, or Tenshinhan could see; Piccolo flashed towards Goku and struck at her with a powerful knifehand strike. Without giving any ground, Goku merely brought up an arm and effortlessly blocked it. Piccolo and Piano gasped in shock while Ten, Launch, and Yamcha looked on in awe. Undeterred, Piccolo sent a blindingly fast punch towards Goku with his other hand but she redirected it and flipped him over her head and into the central tower in one smooth motion.
All of the spectators except for Suno were stunned as the tower came crashing down on top of the Demon King. Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Launch in particular couldn't even believe that the person standing before them was Goku. They had thrown everything they had at Piccolo and couldn't even so much as get dust on him while Goku was tossing him around like he was nothing.
The rubble shifted as Piccolo got up, completely unharmed. He glared with murderous fury at Goku who merely smiled impudently and said, "I think five seconds are up."
Like that, something inside Daimaou snapped. The air became heavy with killing intent as he screamed in a voice full of venom, "YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER!" He jumped high into the air before flying down towards Goku at incredible speed. Just before he landed, he reached out with one hand and fired a powerful ki blast towards her and bellowed out "Obliterate!". Goku jumped to avoid it but Piccolo sneered as he landed and immediately fired another blast at her. Unable to dodge, Goku was forced to cross her arms and take the blast head on. The force of the blast launched her towards another tower so she quickly flipped and landed in a crouch on it, the massive structure buckling from the force, before launching herself back to the ground.
Piccolo stared at the unharmed girl in equal parts amazement, confusion, and trepidation. "Just what are you?! This is some kind of joke! Th-this is utterly ridiculous!"
Goku smoothly slid into her guard stance and hardened her glare, "Get ready! Now it's time for my attack!"
Goku drew back her arm as Piccolo looked on, amused, "Attack? You are going to attack me? The Daimaou?" His face then contorted with rage as he screamed, "YOU ARROGANT LITTLE BRAT! WHEN YOU SEE MY TRUE POWER, YOU SHALL KNOW DEATH!"
"You took away a lot I really cared about. You've hurt and killed a lot of people! You won't get away with it!"
The air between the two fighters froze with tension so thick that it was almost hard to breath. Neither Goku nor Piccolo so much as twitched as they waited for the chance to move. Then it happened. In a flash, Goku charged Piccolo and rammed the fist she had pulled back into the side of his face. Piccolo went flying backwards and ended up sprawled on the ground a fair ways away.
From where he sat on the sidelines, Yamcha blinked a few times. "Did- Did anyone see that?" Launch and Ten shook their heads, both of them staring in Goku in equal parts awe and fear. Noticing that someone was being left out, the trio slowly turned their heads to look at Suno. Feeling their eyes on her, Suno looked at them out of the corner of her eye before nodding and returning her attention to the fight "Hey, Suno, you don't happen to be as strong as Goku, are you?"
Suno shook her head. "I'm also a lot stronger than I was before but Goku's a lot stronger than I am."
Piccolo groaned as he slowly stood up. "You'll pay for that!" He charged at Goku and she ducked underneath his horizontal knifehand strike before countering with a sliding kick to his foot. She quickly jumped towards Piccolo but was caught off guard as he pushed himself off with his hands and sent a kick into her chest. Goku rebounded off the ground and managed to catch Piccolo square in the chest with a kick which stunned him long enough for her to follow up with a punch to the exact same spot and a kick to his head.
Piccolo stumbled backwards and glared fiercely at Goku but then the glare softened and he began to do the oddest, most disturbing thing. Piccolo Daimaou began laughing.
"Well done," he said as he wiped some purple blood off of his chin. "I gladly commend you, no other being has ever damaged Piccolo Daimaou's pride such as you."
"I'm tired of playing around! Show me what you've got!" Goku challenged. Piccolo smirked.
"Heh, so you noticed. I'm not surprised. I'm a bit out of practice, so fighting at my full power would leave me exhausted and I'd prefer not to do it since I still have things to do today but it seems you've given me no choice… my adversary."
Piccolo clenched his fists as he started screaming. Veins appeared on his hands and head as his entire body was enveloped in an aura of demonic ki that wavered and branched off like electricity. Ten, Yamcha, and Launch all moved back a few steps as they looked on in horror and even Suno took a half step back at this monstrous ki she was sensing. Goku, however, was completely unfazed.
"I hope you have made peace with whatever God you believe in," Piccolo said as he finished powering up.
"Same to you," Goku said, "Now I can fight you as hard as I want, too!"
"Do you expect me to believe that you weren't putting out your full strength either? You must take me for a fool."
"Well, you are a big jerk."
"And you are a walking corpse!"
Goku slid into her guard stance while Piccolo remained in his casual stance. He just smiled and waved his hand to send a powerful kiai at Goku who was forced a step back. Behind her, everything from the palace to the other end of the city was blown away. Even Goku was impressed by it.
"You really are strong. If anyone deserves to brag, it's definitely you," Goku said with a smile that dissolved into a glare. "Let's go."
Goku and Piccolo charged at each other and then promptly disappeared. All throughout the courtyard, shockwaves sprang seemingly from nowhere as the two fighters clashed at supersonic speeds. The remaining towers shook, the nearby walls were destroyed, and even the ground was being cratered by the power of the impacts. Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Launch could barely even stand their ground.
While their clash seemed simple to most of the observers, it was anything. Both Piccolo and Goku were anticipating and reacting to moves four or five steps ahead. Goku went for an uppercut to Piccolo's stomach so he tried to counter with a horizontal knifehand strike. Goku stepped deeper into her attack and ducked under his arm before leaping up with a roundhouse kick aimed at his face. Piccolo leaned backwards to avoid it only for Goku to abort that attack and bring her leg in to chamber a kick aimed at the side of his head. He leaned away and forwards to avoid it only be caught by Goku's true attack as she brought her other leg around and connected with his jaw.
Piccolo got launched away and quickly regained his footing before stretching his arm out to grab Goku before she could land. He pulled her over to him and slammed his fist into her face sending her bouncing off the ground and into a wall. He immediately fired off a ki blast and smirked as she jumped up to avoid it. As she was distracted by the blast, his arm stretched out once again to grab her only to sail through her afterimage. He was stunned for only a split second but that was all it took for Goku so slam the Power Pole into his outstretched arm and send it crashing into the ground.
Goku landed and grabbed Piccolo's arm as he started to pull it in and use a sweeping kick to launch a kiai at Piccolo's shins. As he was bowled over, Goku yanked on his arm as hard as she could to pull him over to her. While he was in transit, she brought her hands to her sides as Piccolo looked up at her. "Kamehameha!" The pure blue beam was met by a dark yellow beam from Piccolo's mouth and the resulting explosion covered the entire area in dust. Before Goku could even blink, Piccolo's fist rammed into her stomach and lifted her off the ground before he sent her away with a backhand.
Before Goku could regain her balance, Piccolo brought his overlapped hands in front of him as he began focusing his incredible power. "I'll show you a demon's wrath! Bakurikimaha!" Knowing that blocking would not be an option if she wanted to keep fighting, Goku used multiple kiai to launch herself out of the way only to realize too late that now her friends were being targeted.
Seeing that the blast was heading right for them, Suno did the only thing she could think of. Using a low powered kiai, she pushed the others out of the way before using the last instant to avoid a direct hit. The blast clipped her and sent her spinning away, her clothes ruined and her right side a bloody mess, went on and vaporized the city.
Goku tore her attention away from the scene and back towards Piccolo, trying to take solace in the fact that she could still feel's Suno's ki. With her rage rekindled, Goku launched herself at the recovering Piccolo and caught him square in the face with a dropkick. The instant she recovered, she flashed towards Piccolo as he turned to face her and sent a flurry of jabs hammering into his stomach before following up with a rising uppercut that sent them both into the air. She then brought her hands to her side and finished up with a powerful Kamehameha to his chest that launched him into the ground where he created a large, dust filled crater.
Goku landed and maintained her guard even as she struggled to catch her breath. They had only been fighting for a minute or two but the amount of energy she had already expended was far greater than any of her previous fights. At this rate, she only only keep fighting at this level for maybe another minute or so if she was lucky.
Just as they were beginning to wonder if Piccolo had fallen unconscious, a voice rang out, "Bakurikimaha!" Goku only had time to look stunned before a bright, white sphere crashed into her, the explosion destroying most of what was left of the courtyard. When the dust settled, Piccolo was standing in his crater, his gi in tatters and his purple blood trickling out from various wounds all over his body. Goku, meanwhile, was lying on her back in another crater, he gi similarly ruined and her body similarly covered in wounds.
Everyone froze for a moment as they waited for something to happen. Then Piccolo started laughing. It was a low chuckle at first but it started to build more and more as time passed. Before it could get into full blown maniacal laughter, however, he quickly stopped as Goku struggled to her feet.
"You're running out of energy," Goku said weakly. "That last one wasn't nearly as strong as the first."
Piccolo went wide eyed before he chuckled knowingly. "I see now. You are just like me, adversary. Your power is unlike anything else on this planet. How fitting. Come. We are both at the end of our strength so let us see whose will is stronger."
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Piccolo and Goku drug themselves out of their respective craters and faced each other on the bit of even ground left. Neither of them assumed a guard stance and both were panting heavily as sweat poured down their bodies. Using great effort, Goku drew back her and slammed it into Piccolo's stomach with a yell. He staggered backwards, coughing up blood, before sending a kick into Goku's shoulder. She stumbled sideways and caught Piccolo in the side of the knee with a hammerfist strike which brought him down to his knees. Before she could follow up, Piccolo caught her in the face with a sharp jab which sent her staggering back only to return with a left cross to his jaw. At the same time, they both thrust out their hands and let loose a kiai which sent them tumbling away from each other, Goku conveniently skidding to a stop near her friends.
As they struggled to their feet, Piccolo spoke up, "You have fought well, adversary. Never has anyone pushed me so far before. Tell me your name so that I may honor you after you die."
Goku spat out blood as struggled to stay on her feet, "I'm Son Goku and I'm not gonna die here!"
Piccolo laughed, "Very good, Son Goku! That's the kind of spirit I expect from my adversary. However, your time has come to an end. I will end you with this next attack!" Summoning up the last of his energy, Piccolo flew high into the air and began charging one last blast.
Goku looked up at Piccolo, despair and determination running through her body and shaking her arms. If she put all of her power into one more punch, she was sure she could defeat Piccolo but getting to him was the problem. If she were to use the energy needed to jump or launch herself with a kiai, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to beat him. Just as she was about to try, a hand grabbed her by what was left of the back of her gi. "Finish him, Goku!" Launch said as she used her good arm to throw Goku towards Piccolo.
Goku stared at Launch in shock before movement caught her attention. Yamcha was in the air beside her and threw her even higher while shouting "Kill that bastard, Goku!"
Goku regained her senses and started pouring all of her power into her fist as Suno appeared besides her and sent her even higher. "You can do it, Goku!"
Goku was almost there. Piccolo was so close and she could tell that he was starting to panic but she still didn't have enough speed. Even if she connected, it wouldn't be quite enough. Then someone else was beside her. One last friend who hadn't really seemed to be much of a friend at all before. "Do it now, Son Goku!" Tenshinhan yelled as he threw Goku with all of his strength.
Piccolo Daimaou looked down at the girl flying towards him. For the first time in his long life, he understood the one thing that he had instilled in everyone else. The one thing that had always been his mightiest weapon. The one thing that let him survive some of his first battles against foes that just might have been able to kill him before he became the Daimaou. For the first time in his long life, Piccolo Daimaou felt terror as he watched this girl, this beast, fly towards him with her right fist outstretched. There was no dodging. There was no blocking. The ki he had been charging for his attack was long forgotten. He could only helplessly watch as his death approached him.
With a mighty scream, Goku's fist tore through Piccolo's stomach as she flew straight through him. Tears started welling up in her eyes as she realized what she just did. "I… won…" It was finally over. Krillin and Master Roshi could rest in peace now. "I WON!" Goku cried tears of joy, relief, sorrow, and pain as she fell back down to Earth.
Meanwhile, Piccolo floated in the air, teetering between life and death. "Un… believable…. That I, the great Piccolo…. Would be defeated…. I can say nothing… but brilliant…. But do not imagine… that we demon-folk… will so easily… disappear…!" Using the last of his life energy, Piccolo created one last egg and shot it as far away as he could. "One day… my son… avenge your father's death! Don't… let the fire of evil… die out…."
With that, Piccolo's soul left him and his body fell to the Earth. Piccolo Daimaou was dead.
SSVC/N: So, guys, we need to have a little talk. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every review and I love you guys. You're the best. However.Some of you have some really,really weird insistently-suggested ideas that I have to address. I don't like to just outright tell people things that are happening, but... Goku will not be hooking up with Vegeta. She will not be hooking up with Piccolo. Even ignoring the biological impossibility of Piccolo being Gohan's father or the fact that Gohan not being born until after the Saiyan Saga would mess up a lot of things, the fact that some people think that because Goku has breasts and a vagina in this timeline would so drastically alter the personalities and relationships of these characters thatwant to kill her in a direction towards romance that is never, ever shown in the original series is, to honest,really disappointing. Come on, guys.