Goku and Piccolo were flying together at a leisurely pace. This gave them a chance to catch up on the information the Saiyan had gathered and what they'd been up to lately.
"So, you let your underage son face an enemy who was far stronger than him just so he could get used to it?" the Namekian asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Goku scratched the back of his neck as he flew.
"Well, if you put it that way, it does sound bad, but I was making sure nothing happened to him. I wouldn't be able to let anything bad happen to him," the Saiyan replied. This caused Piccolo to slap his forehead.
"Well, I won't tell you how to raise a child since, well, hehe," Piccolo laughed self-deprecatingly as he pointed at himself. After all, his origin was common knowledge, so he wasn't going to delve too deeply into that topic.
"But you'd better not neglect his mental health. Children are fragile creatures," the Namekian continued. Goku fell silent for several seconds before answering.
"I know, but thanks for the reminder, Piccolo. You'd make an excellent father," the Saiyan blurted out before realizing the implications of his words, but it was already too late.
"Son Goku! Namekians lay eggs! Having a child is a huge responsibility, and I don't think I'll ever be ready for something like that!" Piccolo shouted, clearly uncomfortable with the question. His cheeks turned purple from embarrassment.
"Hehehe, okay, okay, I apologize. But I stand by what I said," Goku said, ending the discussion. Piccolo hummed in frustration since there was nothing he could do about it.
What could the Namekian do? Could he really attack Goku over such a trivial matter? He wasn't a fool, blinded by his emotions. Even if he had a good reason to attack the Saiyan, knowing how powerful he was, why would he attack him head-on?
The best strategy would be to devise a plan for a sneak attack. Though despicable, he could poison a pastry with a laxative and offer it to the Saiyan. That would serve as revenge.
"I get the feeling you're thinking of something sinister," Goku said suddenly. He had sensed an evil vibe coming from Piccolo, who feigned ignorance with a cold snort.
"Anyway, since we're about to face a formidable enemy, do you have a strategy?" the Saiyan asked after flying for a few minutes. This time, both martial artists had picked up their pace.
"From the way you describe him, he seems to possess a certain level of power, even in a world as unique as the Demon Realm." Besides, his father was an apprentice to the former God of Earth. Who knows if he passed on relevant knowledge to his son?
The strategy that emerges from all those possibilities is simple: Go all out from the start, and don't let Garlic Jr. show his full power." Piccolo's response came almost immediately, showing that he had already thought of that answer and was just waiting for the right moment to say it.
"That's true. Besides, I don't know what kind of advantage his strength gives him. Mages are dangerous, but they're even more so when they fight on their home turf," Goku replied seriously, aware of the danger he was about to face.
After all, having grown up with and married a witch had given the Saiyan a great deal of insight into how magic worked and just how troublesome it could be. Garlic Jr. wasn't just a wizard; he was also a skilled fighter who knew how to wield Ki, as Goku had seen in the memories stolen from that demon whose name he had forgotten.
Usually, pure mages didn't have excellent physical conditioning unless they resorted to certain methods. However, the combination of fighter and mage always resulted in formidable opponents. The perfect example was his wife, Chi-Chi.
Despite all his strength, Goku didn't take fights with his wife lightly. It wasn't because of the typical husband-wife dynamic; it was simply because Chi-Chi never stopped training her Ki or magical power.
Another excellent example is Piccolo, with whom Goku has had several sparring sessions over the years. The Namekian is a perfect warrior because he has mastered and practiced all three power systems. He keeps them in balance and uses them to elevate himself to the next level, rather than letting them hinder him.
Not only did Piccolo know how to use Ki properly, but he also had the unique Dragon Magic of his species at his disposal. Above all, he possessed powerful psychic abilities. Goku wanted to do something similar, but he had no talent for magic and mediocre psychic abilities, so he focused on Ki. He wasn't missing out on much.
Every master he'd had taught him about energy, especially the Immortal Cat Karin. Karin showed Goku that he could replicate effects that a normal fighter couldn't with Ki, effects that would generally be seen in a magician or a psychic.
"Then we should destroy that fortress or its core, cutting off any possibility of it being used against us," Piccolo replied, snapping Goku out of his daze. Goku nodded in agreement.
"Hey, in those memories, I saw that the fortress was huge. Wouldn't it be good to take it over and refurbish it into a training and fighting camp? What do you think?" Goku asked, interested in the matter.
Since Bulma wasn't there and didn't seem interested in taking charge of the fortress, the Saiyan had no choice but to ask Piccolo for his thoughts on the matter.
"Who will manage it? Who will be responsible for its power, cleaning, and security? A structure as complicated as you describe, well, I don't think just a couple of guys can handle it, right?" Piccolo fired back with questions, but it was obvious that he wasn't expecting any answers from the Saiyan. In fact, he had grown fed up with the slow pace of the journey.
"Son, we're done talking. Why don't we hurry up and go after Garlic Jr.?" the Namekian asked, intrigued by the matter. This caused Goku to smile as he gazed absently at the sky.
"Ah! You finally noticed this. I don't want to arrive at the fortress during the day. I want it to be nighttime," Goku revealed in a low voice as if sharing a secret in a crowd. This would have been true if they weren't flying through the clouds at high speed.
The Namekian simply stared at the Saiyan, who withstood those inquisitive eyes for a while. However, as he felt increasingly pressured by Piccolo's unflinching gaze, he gave in.
"All right, I'll explain. Today is a full moon. Saiyans react especially strongly to the full moon, you know? We transform and all that. I've learned to stay conscious during the transformation. I can also create an artificial moon, but I prefer the natural one," Goku revealed without hesitation, trusting Piccolo completely.
After all, he considered the Namekian a friend, a very close one at that, not an enemy. Even though Piccolo acted grumpy, Goku knew it was just his personality and that he didn't have anything against him. As Bulma once said, the Namekian was a tsundere.
"Wait, are you waiting for nightfall just to use that transformation you're talking about?" Piccolo had to admit that the carefree Goku was taking the Garlic Jr. situation much more seriously than he'd thought.
"Exactly! I still can't access 100% of my transformation's hidden power without actually transforming into her. I hope there's a full moon tonight to help me feel more relaxed," Goku said with his classic confident yet innocent smile. Behind his words and expression, however, lay incredible seriousness.
After all, he couldn't afford to be complacent, no matter how powerful he appeared right now. He knew there were many beings in the universe capable of defeating him and threatening his world and everything he held dear.
Although he had a fervent desire to fight increasingly stronger beings, he wasn't obsessed with battles to the point of ignoring what was important. The people close to him made sure he understood that he could enjoy fighting as long as his defeat didn't endanger Earth or his loved ones.
He learned to let loose while training with Karin, to give free rein to his true self but not to indulge. There was no doubt that he had a way of being the rowdy, capricious monkey that he was, but he was aware of his "monkey business."
"I understand, so I should prepare some of my best spells for tonight. I'll show you that I'm much stronger than before!" Piccolo exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm, making the Saiyan laugh again.
"Great! Once we're done with this, would you like to come train with us? They must have already told you about the Saiyan threat..." Goku began trying to convince Piccolo to join their training, which sparked an argument that lasted for the rest of the journey.
...
Just as Goku said he would, he brought on nightfall, allowing a honey-colored full moon to slowly appear in the sky. Garlic Jr.'s fortress floated above the clouds and remained shrouded in darkness because of the spells cast upon it.
Garlic Jr. sat on the throne, staring into nothingness. His servants hadn't returned, and the talismans he'd given them had been destroyed. The spells cast on them revealed one thing: all three were dead.
He was a bit surprised by how quickly everything happened, but it was something he had expected. No inhabited world was simple, especially one with a relatively complete divine system like Earth's.
'Could it be Kami-Sama? No, it can't be him. His position as the god of Earth limits him. Warriors of this world? Did they act because my servants bothered them, or were they sent by Kami-Sama? Questions...and it seems my answers are flying right over my head,' Garlic Jr. mused. The fortress's detection spells had picked up the energy signatures of two beings approaching at high speed in his direction.
He didn't need to think too much about those questions because all of them were going to be answered by these two people. Garlic Jr. stood up nonchalantly and walked toward the outside of his domain, keeping his hands behind his back the whole time.
When he stepped outside, he saw the two visitors floating in the air. The first had unruly hair and a brown tail, giving him away as a Saiyan. This impressed the demon, though not as much as the other figure.
He looked just as his father and the other legends of the Demon Realm had described. The second visitor had green skin, was tall, had antennae, and wore an arrogant expression despite showing nothing. He was undoubtedly a Namekian. If he was correct, then he was either Kami-Sama himself or closely related to him.
Garlic Jr. wasn't as angry as he thought he would be upon encountering something related to Kami-Sama. On the contrary, he felt quite calm. Seeing something belonging to that imaginary enemy made it more real and tangible.
Seeing that Namekian calmed his restless, doubt-filled heart and brought him peace. This was what had been missing from his mental training in martial arts and magic.
Without speaking, an invisible, powerful, and ominous aura surged from him, spreading throughout the world. He might be weak and unremarkable in the Demon Realm, but on Earth, he was a figure to be reckoned with.
"So, dear visitors, is there anything I can offer you? I have cups of sugar if you'd like," Garlic Jr. joked, containing the aura resulting from his advance. He now felt much more confident dealing with these two fighters.
It seems that God blesses everyone!
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AN: TheAnPlayer2 gave me a tip: Promote my original stories every 5 chapters. So, read my original novels: Steam and Heart, Lunar Mechanism, Blood Sequence, and Witch's Adventure. You may or may not like them, but give them a chance. c: