PICCOLO
"So, you've finally shown yourself, you monster," I said to that… thing.
The creature stared at me with such intensity that my muscles tensed. Beads of sweat trickled down my back.
The silence was deathly.
Suddenly, the man trapped in the creature's hand regained consciousness, still dazed. When he realized his situation, his eyes went wide, and he stretched out a hand toward me, screaming, "HELP ME! PLEASE!!!"
I couldn't focus on the man—I was too busy panicking. Why was that monster radiating such an absurdly powerful Ki? It was impossible! What did it mean?! I had never felt anything like it in my life!
"PLEASE, I BEG YOU!!!" the man kept yelling. "Ah! Look!" He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. "I'm the richest man in the city! I'll pay you anything you want—just save me, please! HELP!!!"
I tried to hide how much I was shaking and looked the creature straight in the eye. "I don't know if you can understand me, but let that man go. Everyone has a right to live."
The creature studied me for a moment, then dropped the man to the ground with a thud.
I narrowed my eyes. Just like that?
Desperate, the man began crawling toward me—but it was too late. The creature's sharp tail pierced the man's back, and he let out a gut-wrenching scream.
I simply froze, horrified.
Then the man started to melt. Yes, melt. The tip of the creature's tail began to absorb him—his blood, his fluids, his life. He kept dissolving, melting… until he was gone.
Only the wad of cash and his clothes remained on the ground.
I swear I nearly threw up.
The creature then looked directly at me. "You're next, Piccolo Daimaoh."
It was like getting punched in the gut. With an iron fist. The creature's voice was deep and coarse like sandpaper, scraping with every word.
I didn't even have time to think. The creature clenched its fists and raised its Ki even further, creating a violent whirlwind around us. The asphalt beneath our feet cracked. Cars went flying. Windows shattered. A blinding flash of light burst from him, nearly blinding me.
Then—silence. A small crater had formed beneath us.
"You know how I know your name?" the creature said, grinning wickedly. "It's because I'm your brother."
WHAT????????????????????????
W-W-Wait a minute. "Brothers" as in… actual brothers?! Like, blood of my blood??
No. That had to be some kind of sick joke. It was impossible. It was… disgusting!
And to top off my complete revulsion, the creature kept staring at me, opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and let out a scream—as if trying to scare me.
And it worked.
I didn't understand anything anymore. It felt like I was trapped in a psychedelic nightmare with a lunatic monster.
However, something caught my attention. That creature wasn't just emanating a high level of Ki. Its Ki had an identity—a DNA.
Through it, I could feel the presence of Frieza, his father Cold, Vegeta, Goku, Lettie… even myself, like a reflection.
All those Kis gathered in that creature.
But how was that possible? Frieza and his father Cold were already dead!
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Tell me!" I demanded through clenched teeth. "What is your real identity? I want details!"
"That won't be necessary," the creature replied. "Because you're about to become my meal."
Now he was starting to annoy me.
"Fine," I shot back. "I can see you don't want to talk."
The creature gave me a cunning smile—and I smiled back.
"In that case," I continued, "I'll just have to kill you without knowing where you came from."
"Well, well…" the creature sneered. "So the great Piccolo Daimaoh wants to kill me?"
I laughed, pretending to be surprised. "I see you've known Piccolo Daimaoh, but…" I took my fighting stance. "I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!!!"
I raised my Ki. The crater beneath our feet expanded fiftyfold; the windstorm became a full-blown hurricane; and the blast of energy radiating from me lit up the entire city.
A wave of fear washed over the creature. His emotions were clear. He stared at me with dread and horror, as if he hadn't expected me to be this powerful.
But he was wrong.
I had Kami's power.
Okay. I'll admit—even I was impressed with that display of strength. There were lightning bolts flying off me! It was… it was incredible!
"You know what?" I said to the creature. "It actually helped a lot that you wiped out all the inhabitants of this city."
"W-What do you mean?" he asked, clearly confused.
I curled my lips into a sly grin. "It means I can use all my power without worrying about hurting any innocents."
The next second, I extended my hand and fired a powerful yellow energy blast at the creature, launching it far, far away. A massive shockwave rippled through the ground.
When the dust settled, my eyes widened.
My energy blast had obliterated a large part of the city. Streets, buildings, cars… all destroyed and piled into a mess of rubble and dirt.
So this was my power level now? Wow. Unfortunately, something told me that creature was still alive, somewhere up ahead.
And I was right. My super-hearing picked up movement beneath a slab of concrete about fifty meters away. I wasted no time and flew straight in that direction.
The creature barely emerged from the rubble and tried to punch me mid-air, but I dodged at the last second. I spun around and landed a solid kick to its back—strong enough to snap its spine in half. But the creature merely dropped forward, grunted, and recovered, turning just in time to receive another spinning kick from me.
I missed. The creature backed off, but I quickly caught up again and landed another kick that sent it flying. Just as I prepared to strike again, it stopped in front of me, flew upward to hover in the sky, and spread its arms, legs, and wings wide.
Gross. It looked like a disgusting cockroach.
Then, the creature placed two fingers on the center of its forehead, where yellow sparks began to flicker, and pointed them at me, firing two combined energy beams.
I blocked the attack with my forearm, but it ricocheted off and slammed into a building—bringing it down in an instant. Still, something strange caught my attention. That move—it was the Special Beam Cannon; Makankosappo. Only I knew that technique… maybe Lettie and Gohan, at most.
I hadn't used that attack in a long time. Despite its power, the meaning behind that technique was a painful reminder of my past and my connection to Piccolo Daimaoh.
But how did that creature know it?!
I didn't have time to think about it. The creature lunged at me again, and we fought hand-to-hand for a few moments, until I gained the upper hand and punched it, sending it crashing into a pile of debris.
Silence. I needed to buy time.
"So… this is your level?" I taunted, energy still crackling off of me. "I thought you were some monstrous powerhouse—but I guess I was wrong."
"You don't fight too badly," the creature laughed, rising from the wreckage. "But I should warn you—I'm not in my perfect form yet."
I held my breath. "Perfect form?" My theory had been right. This thing wasn't what it seemed. There was more to it. A bead of sweat rolled down my face.
"Is that why you're attacking humans?" I tried my best to keep my voice steady.
"Yes. I feed on them as a source of energy."
Now I was starting to get angry. That was unacceptable.
"Answer me!" I demanded. "Who sent you to this timeline using the time machine?!"
"I sent myself," he smiled. "My body was too large to fit inside that tiny time machine, so I had to reduce myself to an egg. Still, I'm impressed you know about the time machine."
No, no, no! The others are not going to like this news.
"However," the creature continued, "I don't think you know I can do… this."
That disgusting bug planted its feet firmly on the ground, pulling its arms back as a sphere of energy began to form between its palms. A soft blue glow sparked and swirled, pulsing like a living orb.
"Ka… Me…" it began.
No… It couldn't be!
"Ha… Me…"
That was… Goku's ki! Coming from this thing! How is that possible?!?!
The air around us swirled. The ground cracked beneath the pressure.
The creature gave me a wicked smile and shouted, "HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"