The sky turned pitch black. It wasn't night; it was the unnatural darkness of the Eternal Dragon, Shenron.
I stood on a cliff overlooking King Castle City. King Piccolo had gathered the Dragon Balls. He had murdered the guards, destroyed the royal army, and now, he stood in the center of the palace courtyard, his hands raised to the heavens.
"Come forth, Dragon! Grant my wish!"
A bolt of lightning struck the ground. The golden dragon erupted from the balls, winding its serpentine body through the clouds, its red eyes glowing like twin suns.
"SPEAK YOUR WISH," Shenron boomed. "I SHALL GRANT ANY ONE WISH."
Piccolo laughed. It was a sound of pure triumph. "I wish for eternal youth! Restore me to the peak of my power!"
"IT SHALL BE DONE."
Shenron's eyes flashed.
I watched closely. This was the turning point. In the original timeline, Piccolo became young and killed Shenron. His power level jumped to roughly 260.
But as the wish took hold, something went wrong.
The energy around Piccolo wasn't just white; it was tainted with purple and black. The corruption I had introduced into the ecosystem—by eating his sons, by using Netherrealm magic—had a resonance effect. When I ate Cymbal, I didn't just digest him; I connected my chaotic energy signature to Piccolo's bloodline.
Piccolo roared as his muscles swelled. His wrinkles vanished. He grew taller, broader.
But he didn't stop growing.
His aura exploded outward, shattering the windows of the palace. The ground cracked.
"POWER!" Piccolo screamed. "UNLIMITED POWER!"
His Power Level skyrocketed.
260...
400...
500...
800...
It kept climbing.
1,200.
1,500.
2,000.
He stopped at 3,000.
He wasn't just restored; he was evolved. The chaotic energy I had fed back into the system had mutated him. He was a Super Namekian before the term existed.
"YOUR WISH IS GRANTED," Shenron said. "FAREWELL."
"Wait," Piccolo grinned. He opened his mouth. "Explosive Demon Wave!"
He fired a beam at the dragon.
BOOM.
Shenron didn't just explode; he was obliterated. The Dragon Balls turned to stone and scattered.
"Now," Piccolo shouted to the terrified city. "No one can undo my reign! I am King of the World!"
I crouched on the cliff edge. My sensors were screaming. 3,000. Even with my reactor fully charged (hovering around 1,100), I was a bug to him.
"Calculation error," I muttered. "My interference made him stronger."
Suddenly, a new Ki signature appeared in the courtyard.
It was an old man in an orange shirt and sunglasses. He carried a jar.
Master Roshi.
He had arrived too late to stop the wish, but he was here to stop the King.
"Piccolo!" Roshi shouted, stepping over the rubble. "Your reign ends tonight!"
Piccolo looked down from his floating throne. "The Turtle Hermit? You're still alive? I thought I killed your master Mutaito centuries ago."
"You did," Roshi said, dropping his cane. He ripped off his shirt. "And today, I join him."
Roshi began to power up. His skinny frame bulged. Muscles expanded like balloons. He grew to massive proportions—MAX Power Roshi.
"Kame..." Roshi chanted.
"A Kamehameha?" Piccolo laughed. "Against me? I'm at 3,000, old man! Your power is barely 180!"
"Not the Kamehameha," Roshi whispered.
He produced a small rice cooker from behind his back.
"The Mafuba!"
Piccolo's eyes widened in genuine fear. "The Evil Containment Wave?! Impossible!"
Roshi began the dance. Green swirls of wind gathered around him.
I watched from the cliff. If Roshi succeeded, Piccolo would be sealed. The threat would end. But if he failed... Roshi would die.
And with Piccolo at 3,000... could the jar even hold him?
"Intervention required," I decided.
I didn't jump down to fight Piccolo. I jumped down to help the jar.
Teleport.
I appeared in the shadows behind a pillar near Roshi.
"MAFUBA!" Roshi screamed.
The green spiral shot out, grabbing Piccolo. The Demon King struggled, his massive aura flaring against the magic.
"NO! I WILL NOT GO BACK!" Piccolo roared. He dug his heels into the stone. "I AM A GOD!"
He was resisting. He was physically overpowering the magic. Roshi's nose began to bleed. His arms shook.
"It's... too strong!" Roshi gasped. "The container... won't hold!"
I saw the rice cooker vibrating. It was cracking under the pressure of Piccolo's enhanced Ki.
"He needs a reinforcement," I realized.
I stepped out of the shadows.
"Roshi!" I shouted.
Roshi glanced at me, sweat pouring down his face. "Demon?!"
"Focus on the stream!" I commanded.
I ran to the rice cooker. I placed both clawed hands on the ceramic pot.
Technique: Netherrealm Seal.
I poured my black, viscous energy into the jar. I coated the inside with shadow matter, reinforcing the physical structure with magic from another dimension.
"Push him in!" I yelled.
Roshi gritted his teeth. "HAAAAA!"
Piccolo was dragged inch by inch toward the jar. "YOU! THE WRAITH! YOU DARE?!"
"Get in the pot," I growled.
Piccolo was sucked into the vortex. He swirled around the rim, shrinking, screaming curses.
THUMP.
He went in.
"The lid! The lid!" Roshi yelled, collapsing.
I grabbed the lid. I slammed it down.
"Saibot! Seal!"
My shadow clone slapped a talisman onto the lid—a paper charm I had prepared using the Paper from Goku's Rock, Paper, Scissors as a base, inscribed with Netherrealm runes.
The jar shook violently. It hopped on the ground. Green light leaked from the cracks.
"It's... it's still not enough!" Roshi wheezed. "He's breaking out!"
CRACK.
A fissure appeared on the side of the jar.
"3,000 is too much for a rice cooker," I hissed.
I grabbed the jar.
"If the jar won't hold him," I said, looking at Roshi. "Then I'll take him somewhere that will."
"What are you doing?" Roshi asked.
"I'm taking out the trash."
I opened a portal. Not a travel portal. A dimensional rift.
"Where does that go?" Roshi asked, horrified by the grey abyss inside.
"The Dead Zone," I lied (it was just deep Netherrealm space).
I threw the shaking jar into the portal.
"NO!" Piccolo's muffled voice screamed from inside the pot.
I closed the portal.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Roshi lay on his back, reverting to his skinny form. He was breathing, but barely. The Mafuba had drained his life force to the absolute limit.
"Is... is it over?" Roshi whispered.
"For now," I said, standing over him. "He is trapped in a dimension of infinite gravity and zero light. He will eventually break out—he is too strong to be held forever—but it buys us time."
"Time for what?"
"Time for Goku," I said.
Suddenly, the sky rumbled.
Not from weather. From Ki.
A massive explosion rocked the city.
I spun around.
Floating above the palace was a figure. It wasn't Piccolo.
It was a young Namekian. Green skin. Pointed ears. Wearing a gi with the Demon symbol.
Piccolo Jr. (Ma Junior).
"What?" I blinked. "How?"
"Before he was sealed," Roshi gasped. "He must have... spit out an egg..."
Ma Junior descended. He looked exactly like Piccolo, but younger, sharper. His Power Level was... I scanned him.
2,500.
"He inherited the power," I said, summoning my Sickles.
Ma Junior landed. He looked at me. Then at Roshi.
"My father is gone," Junior said calmly. His voice was smooth, dangerous. "But his will remains."
He pointed a finger at me.
"You. The traitor. You helped seal him."
"I did," I said. "And I'll seal you too."
"I don't think so," Junior smiled.
He raised his hand.
"Makankosappo."
He knew the Special Beam Cannon? Already?
"DODGE!" I yelled at Roshi.
I kicked Roshi out of the way.
The spiral beam hit me.
It pierced my Chaos Reactor.
CRUNCH.
The green crystal in my chest shattered. The energy I had stored—the energy of the tower, of Cymbal, of the dinosaurs—vented instantly in a catastrophic explosion.
"NO!"
I was blown backward, my body disintegrating as the containment field failed. My arms dissolved. My legs turned to dust.
I was reduced to a torso and a head, lying in the rubble.
Ma Junior walked over to me. He looked down.
"Garbage," he said.
He turned and flew away. "I will return in three years for the Tournament. Tell Son Goku... I will be waiting."
I lay there, my vision fading to black. Roshi crawled over to me.
"Demon..." Roshi whispered. "Hang on."
"No..." I gurgled. "Vessel... destroyed..."
I looked at the sky.
"Goku..."
My eyes went dark.
System Reboot Initiated.
Location: The Netherrealm.
Status: Critical.
Repair Time: 3 Years.