Dragonball Mae: Origins

Chapter Seven

Kami watched his counterpart from his lookout. He had concern on his face. Mr. Popo seemed to notice this and asked, "you seem troubled, my lord, what is the matter?"

"Piccolo," Kami replied. "It seems that he is different than before. He is definitely evil, but it feels like the crude, cunning violence he once had is gone."

Mr. Popo gave a slight nod, "that was my thought as well. One thing is for certain, he is no longer the demon king of old."

Kami continued to look down. "I knew something was strange when Raditz's soul, after being killed by Piccolo, wound up in the underworld. Usually souls killed by demons cannot rest in peace, drifting in space and suffering. The fact that the Piccolo-killed Raditz wound up in the underworld proves that this is not the same Piccolo." Kami paused for a moment in thought. "Perhaps he is aware of it. Aware that I, and thus he, have only one year to live."

Mr. Popo looked surprised, "...one year."

"I do not know if that is because Piccolo is going to be killed by the Saiyans in one year, or if that is when my life span ends," Kami continued. "My death is Piccolo's death, and Piccolo's death is my death. He knows this. He might be wanting to leave something behind, even if it is Son Goku's son."

"Then the dragon balls..." Mr. Popo said. 

"Yes, the next time they are used will be their last," Kami said solemnly.

Meanwhile Gohan sat on a rock and cried, "I'm scared. Mae where are you...I wanna be with you."

As he continued to cry for his sister a booming noise steadily got closer. Gohan rubbed his eyes and looked up. The boy was now face to face with a hungry T. Rex. Gohan's look turned to fear and he seemed frozen in place. The dinosaur roared at the boy. That's when Gohan screamed and started to run.

"Anybody!" He cried out for help, but none came. 

As he was running he tripped over a rock and hit the ground. Angry and afraid, Gohan snapped again and just as the dinosaur went to eat him he suddenly shot up into the air. When he opened his eyes he found himself on a large rock. He looked around for a moment before crawling to the edge.

"I can't get down!" he cried out.

Soon night came. Gohan curled up in a ball and hugged himself. His eyes were closed. "Im scaaared...I'm hungryyy. I'm starving...I'm gonna die," he groaned as his stomach began to grumble.

When he opened his eyes he was surprised to see two apples near him. He quickly got up and hurried over. "Apples! There's apples here!" He looked around, confused, for an apple tree. However there were none.

"Might as well," Gohan said taking a bite of the apple. "It's sour! It tastes bad!" He complained. "I wanna eat dim-sum," he said as he continued to eat the apple.

Piccolo watched from above, "damn brat. Is there no end to it? Know well, this is the last time. If you cannot survive on your own after this it only confirms your uses are limited as I first thought." He said as he watched the boy fall asleep.

Some time later, when the moon was at its fullest, Gohan sneezed and got up. Piccolo came from his meditative state to see what he was up to. 

Gohan looked around a bit, "what should I do? I can't get down from here, but if I stay I'll starve to death. Why is this happening to me? I miss my sister," he put a hand to his chest, still able to feel her. "Why is it so bright when it's night?" He wondered as he looked up to the sky. "The moon! Wow! It's round. I've never seen the full..." he trailed off as he continue to stare.

Something started to change in the boy. "The hell?!" Piccolo exclaimed.

Suddenly Gohan ripped through his clothed and began to yell. Fur erupted from his body as he began to grow, larger and larger, until a giant ape stood in his place. The rock pillar he was on shattered from the immense weight. Gohan roared up at the sky with his arms raised. 

"WHAT!" Piccolo yelled. "What the hell!!"

 Gohan landed on the ground and punched another rock pillar, destroying it. He turned and opened his mouth. A massive energy beam formed before flying off into the distance making an explosion causing Piccolo to brace himself. He looked back as Gohan continued to fire more energy beams. 

"Wh-What's going on?!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Such destructive power! At this rate the earth will be destroyed before the Saiyans arrive!" He suddenly thought back to what Raditz had said about Saiyans showing their true power under the light of a full moon. Piccolo turned his head up to the sky. "That's it! The moon!" He held a hand out and sent an energy blast, "begone!"

When his blast hit the moon, it destroyed it completely. No longer being powered, Gohan lost his form and shrunk down to his normal size. Naked and exhausted, he lost consciousness. Piccolo walked over, slightly out of breath.

"To think that he would transform," Piccolo said. "It must be his Saiyan blood.  I seem to have found the reason behind his and Son Goku's strength. It seems I was right in removing the moon's effect. I shudder to think what would've happened if that Saiyan bastard were to transform into that monster."

Piccolo looked down at Gohan, "he was saying something about the tail...seems both the tail and full moon are necessary for the transformation. Should I remove the tail too? There's no need for concern now, but the tail is a weakness for Saiyans." Piccolo reached down and pulled off Gohan's tail. 

"Very well, some clothes are needed. The same guise as your sire should serve," Piccolo reached his hand out and made clothing appear on Gohan. The same orange gi as Goku's. He also included a sword for the boy. "Though the sigil should send it's own message." The symbol on the back of the gi was Piccolo's. 

"There is training of my own, yet to be done. Should you emerge unscathed in the coming six months, I personally shall provide you hell's own training. So much so that you will think you were better off dead. Prepare yourself for you are about to be remade in my own image." With that said Piccolo flew off, leaving Gohan alone.

~~~

When Roshi, Krillin and Bulma got back to Kami house Mae began to stir and wake. She sat up on the couch they had placed her on. She rubbed her backside, which still hurt from Raditz grabbing her tail. She got up and looked around, "daddy? Gohan?" She called out. 

"Hey sweetie," Bulma came to her with a gentle look. 

"Where's my daddy? And Gohan?" Mae asked with wide eyes. "Did daddy save us from that bad man?"

Bulma sat down next to Mae, her eyes sad, "your daddy did save you and your brother, but he ended up dying."

"Dying?" Mae tilted her head. "No, my daddy is the strongest ever. Daddy can't die."

Bulma reached out and hugged the girl. She could feel her trembling, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, but we are going to bring him back to life."

Mae sniffled and looked at Bulma, "you can do that?"

Bulma nodded, "with the dragon balls."

"What about Gohan? Where is he?" Mae asked. She knew Gohan was still alive since she could still feel him.

"Gohan...Gohan was taken," Bulma answered. "He was taken by an enemy of your dad's, Piccolo."

Mae blinked tears out of her vision. "Wh-why?"

"In a year, two more Saiyans like the one that came today, are going to show up," Bulma told her. "Piccolo thinks that he can train your brother to help fight them?"

"But Gohan doesn't wanna be a fighter," Mae pointed out.

"Piccolo doesn't care about that," Bulma said. "And with your dad gone there's no one who can face Piccolo to get your brother back."

Mae looked down at her hands. Tear drops splashed on her skin as she balled them into fists. She closed her eyes remembering how her father would train. She was mesmerized by his movements and she knew, even before this, that that is what she wanted to do. She made a promise in her heart that she would go and find her brother and beat the man who took him. She would make Piccolo pay for taking her precious twin.