"I heard you wanted to get in touch with me," Kami-Sama said when he felt the four young people's eyes on him. His aged face wore a kind smile, like a grandfather watching his grandchildren play from a distance.
"Hello, Kami-Sama!" Goku greeted him, waving his hand. The god nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hello, little Goku. Training with the Immortal Karin has clearly served you well, and I'm happy to see it," replied Kami-Sama. He looked at the cat, who was watching the situation with interest.
After all, it wasn't often that he got to see two generations of apprentices interact. Yes, Kami-Sama had to climb Karin's Tower in his time, too! To obtain permission to access the Lookout, where the god rested, one had to first climb the tower.
That was centuries ago, when he was just another person who had grown up alone and completely isolated from human society. He didn't even have a name.
Karin didn't suspect anything at the time except that he looked a bit like an ancient race that lived in the Demon Realm. The young man had no particular oddities except for his lack of a name and his unmatched talent.
He was perhaps one of Karin's most talented apprentices before meeting Bulma and the rest. Karin trained him like everyone else and gave him access to the Lookout, where he met and trained with the Kami-Sama of that time. This is how he earned his current position.
"Kami-Sama, who is that little boy?" asked Lazuli, already knowing the answer, but wanting the god to introduce the strange child who had descended with him.
"Oh? He is Piccolo Jr.," replied Kami-Sama casually. After all, there was no need to make a fuss about this matter, especially since Bulma was behind it.
Perhaps, as some stories about gods claimed, Kami-Sama could not directly observe the hearts of mortals, and he himself could fall prey to prejudice. However, as he interacted with Piccolo Jr., he realized that he was just a little boy, not an 'evil' being.
Evil is not inherited; it is taught! Had it not been for Bulma, Kami-Sama would have considered this child the continuation of Demon King Piccolo's will. He would have rejected his existence, which would have alienated him.
That might have pushed Piccolo Jr. toward evil, as the influence and rejection of others can be a powerful force. This time, however, Kami-Sama decided to use his power to instill good values in the child.
He didn't want to make him his successor or merge with him. This matter was unnecessary due to certain events that had occurred on both sides, which mitigated their mystical connection and returned their lost potential due to fission.
Instead, Kami-Sama simply treated him as another person living in this world, one of his many children. To him, every living being on Earth was a son or daughter.
"Come on, Piccolo. Introduce yourself. They're friendly," urged Kami-Sama, patting the little boy hiding behind him so he would step forward confidently.
"Hello, Piccolo! My name is Goku, but you can also call me Kakarot." Seeing the child's shyness, the young Saiyan decided to be more proactive. He approached Piccolo with his hand outstretched and his tail gently wagging, introducing himself with a big smile.
Piccolo looked at Goku. At that moment, he had certain flashes of memories inherited from his father. However, those conflicting emotions did not affect him. Instead, he raised his head and looked at Kami-Sama, who continued to urge him to be more sociable.
"Hmph! I am the great Piccolo Jr.!" Piccolo introduced himself as rudely as possible, but since he was just a child who hadn't explored the world yet, his words didn't carry much weight. The only offensive thing he did was slap Goku's hand away.
However, the reaction he expected did not happen. Instead, Goku looked at his hand with interest before moving closer to Piccolo and putting his hand on Piccolo's shoulder with complete confidence, as if they were lifelong friends.
"You're so strong! And yes, I'm a monkey. I can transform into one. Do you have a transformation too?" the Saiyan asked. His approach made the unsociable Piccolo feel uncomfortable; he didn't know how to react.
"I can become a giant! I should be able to. I haven't tried it," the little green boy replied with difficulty. He didn't know why this person was being friendly with him when they hardly knew each other.
"That's amazing! We have to fight someday. Besides, maybe you can learn how to introduce yourself to others. Not everyone can stand your particular way of greeting people." Goku's eyes narrowed and shone with cunning.
Goku was no idiot! He could tell that Piccolo had been rude, but he also sensed that the boy wasn't used to interacting with others. So, he used his innocent side to close the distance and make Piccolo relax and become more approachable.
Bulma watched all this and couldn't help but smile, realizing that her younger brother was using his unusual affinity to help Piccolo fit in better. The best part? It seemed to be working!
"Oh, I'm sorry for being rude..." Piccolo apologized before realizing what was going on. He wasn't a fool; he was much smarter than he appeared. He moved away from Goku and glared at him angrily.
"You stupid monkey!" Piccolo insulted Goku again, but Goku just laughed and whistled loudly. Soon, a golden cloud glided quickly toward the Saiyan.
"Hey, do you want to ride on my flying cloud? It's pretty fast!" Goku suggested, looking at Letty.
"Come on, Letty. Let's take a quick ride!" he said, inviting the Bio-Warrior. She looked at Bulma and Lazuli, who gave her the go-ahead. She approached Kinton and climbed on with ease.
"You should try it, Piccolo. It's good for you to see the outside world," urged Kami-Sama, causing Piccolo to wrinkle his face, clearly showing his refusal. However, the smile on the god's face seemed to have a special power, making the boy give in. He cautiously approached the golden cloud.
Goku, sitting further ahead, watched with interest as Piccolo touched the cloud as if testing its solidity. Seeing that the cloud could support two people, Goku decided to jump on it.
Under the watchful gaze of the adults present, Piccolo managed to sit on Kinton. Lazuli pursed her lips because she knew this annoying cloud judged people arbitrarily.
"Everyone on board? Let's go!" Goku shouted before making the golden cloud leave Karin's Tower. It traveled at high speed through the sky and became a tiny dot in the distance.
"And there goes the new generation," Karin commented before looking at Kami-Sama, who had a strange expression on his face.
"If you hadn't explained who he was, I would never have associated him with that person," the cat said to the god, who nodded as he stroked his chin.
"Isn't that right? We mustn't judge people by their origins. Although there are evil demons, not all inhabitants of the Demon Realm are evil. Just as there are evil demons, there are also evil humans.
Although Piccolo Jr. was born to Piccolo, he is not him. He is living proof that evil isn't passed down from generation to generation. Isn't it interesting that the son of a monster has a pure heart?" Kami-Sama's tone revealed his amazement, not because he was a god, but because he could foresee and know everything.
Before, he had been somewhat skeptical about Bulma's idea. Raising the descendant of his evil side that had caused so much harm to Earth? Unthinkable! But now, here he was, watching Piccolo Jr. fly away on a cloud that could discern evil in people's hearts.
He was happy to see the fleeting smile on the little green boy's face because he usually had a serious or grumpy expression and rarely smiled.
"You doubted me, but now you're playing the role of a new father," Bulma commented bluntly. Her confidence in Kami-Sama was high enough to speak to him informally.
"You have a good eye for people. Wouldn't you like to be the next Kami-Sama?" the god asked, narrowing his eyes. Bulma waved her hands and shook her head vigorously.
"No! I don't want such heavy responsibility. You should find someone else to take on that duty, maybe even a Namekian," Bulma suggested. This caused Kami-Sama to think about the matter.
"Well, let's put that topic aside. My question is: Do you have a plan? You've already trained with Karin," Kami-Sama asked, causing Bulma to look at Lazuli, who shrugged.
"I don't feel like going on an adventure right now. I'd really like to rest and spend time with Lazuli and Letty. I don't plan on stopping my training. I just want to admire what's going on around me a little more," Bulma replied, taking Lazuli's hand and making her blush.
"Then we have to plan a nice vacation! We can't fly to our destinations. We'll travel by car or plane like normal people," Lazuli suggested, sparking Bulma's interest.
"Okay! I like that idea. We can do it just the three of us, although I'll have to deal with my mom afterwards," said the blue-haired girl, grimacing. This made Lazuli laugh.
"You don't communicate with her either. No wonder she gets so upset," Lazuli criticized, causing Bulma to roll her eyes.
As the two women chatted, Kami-Sama looked at Karin, who looked back at him. They slowly left, leaving Bulma and Lazuli alone.
The couple organized a long vacation, which would be interrupted by a series of events beyond their control.
...
Deep in space, there was once a race of natural-born fighters who descended upon a planet, ravaged it, and sold it to the highest bidder. However, their destiny was cut short when an asteroid bombarded their planet, nearly wiping out their species.
This was the Saiyan race! Currently, only three members of this species are known to exist in the cosmos, not counting those who have not had significant contact with other civilizations, such as Goku.
The last three members of the Saiyan race were in the service of the evil emperor Freezer. One was the Prince of the Saiyans, Vegeta. King Vegeta's vizier, Nappa, and an unremarkable warrior named Raditz.
The three were always together, not because they wanted to be, but because they were forced to due to how hostile other species were toward them. It wasn't just one or two races that hated the Saiyans!
In fact, it was said that a remnant of the Tsufurus constantly ambushed the trio, wanting to end their lives. The Tsufurus managed to leave their home planet, Plant, before the Saiyans could exterminate them completely. The Saiyans then renamed that world Vegeta and considered it their new home.
All for giving the Saiyans refuge! The Saiyans fled their devastated home planet, Sadala. Perhaps that is why the Saiyans enjoyed invading worlds; after all, they obtained their new home that way.
Hatred like this, along with the subtle repression that Freezer's army exerted over them, made the trio seem out of place in this organization. They were harassed in subtle and direct ways.
They were traveling to a high-value planet, not only because of its exquisite environment but also because its inhabitants had particularly high power levels.
"Raditz, did you take advantage of your hibernation to meditate as we asked?" One of the Saiyans asked Raditz, who had recently awakened, from inside his ship.
This Saiyan was particularly tall with lush hair that covered his scarred body like a blanket due to the narrowness of the ship. Raditz heard the voice of one of his companions, Nappa, and made a sour face.
'Damn you, Nappa. You won't even let me recover from my daze,' Raditz complained mentally. However, his response was contrary to his thoughts.
"Yes! Although I just woke up and haven't scanned myself, I feel like my power has grown a little. Now I'll be able to help more," he replied, crossing his arms and thinking.
'Do you think I don't know that you've been monitoring my training and progress? Dad was right. King Vegeta only paired me with his son to maintain some influence over me. Father, did you really decide to stay? Is Kakarot really okay?
I'll find him, Dad. Mom, I'll find him. I hope he's in an advanced civilization and can access this 'forum.' I hope he can become stronger, just like I am. Bardock's sons are not mere tools of royalty!' Raditz thought deeply as he glanced at his scouter compartment, knowing what was coming next.
"Stop wandering and scan your strength! Don't waste time; do something useful. I don't know how someone like you can be Bardock's heir. Wasn't he a low-class Saiyan like you? At least he was useful, unlike you," Nappa ordered, taunting and laughing. This caused Raditz to clench his fists tightly, but he took a deep breath and relaxed.
'It's time to try my luck once more,' the Saiyan said to himself before taking his communicator and scanning his body. But Nappa already knew the data without having to send it, communicating with him again.
"One thousand two hundred? How useless! Only 100 units of growth after six months of meditation? Trash will always be trash. Look at Prince Vegeta. His growth is explosive! Now he has 24,000 units. He is truly a son of the purest royal blood," Nappa said, praising the prince of a non-existent village while Raditz listened.
He then took something from a secret compartment: another scouter. He had modified it himself. When he scanned himself, he saw a series of numbers that made him smile before he returned to his serious expression.
'It's not enough, but at least it gives me security.' Raditz hid the scouter again, but not before erasing its records.
He didn't care that he was weak; it only fueled his determination to become stronger. Only then could he fulfill the promise he made to his parents in their final audio recording.
He would find and take care of his younger brother, no matter what it took!