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"It-It can't be! It's impossible!" Roshi uttered, his hands gripping the paper and trembling.
Everyone was now worried. Whatever it was that managed to shake two of the most respected Martial Arts masters on Earth, it must have been extremely serious.
"What is it, Roshi?" Bulma asked, now truly afraid. Gine was disturbed too. But all she heard was Roshi muttering one word to himself.
"Piccolo..."
They all stood there for a long time, wondering what to say.
"Master Roshi?" Turtle broke the silence and braved to ask what it was. Roshi didn't seem to acknowledge Turtle but answered.
"This is the crest...of King Piccolo." He said, shuddering.
"King Piccolo?!" Everyone repeated, unsure if they heard that name correctly.
Gohan shuttered too and turned towards his master. "The...very same that claimed, your former Master, sir?"
Roshi nodded slowly. "The very same."
They both looked back at the paper, petrified and not believing what lay in their hands.
"Someone actually admits to having that name?" Launch said disbelievingly, she was the only one who didn't feel the least bit worried about what it all meant.
"I've heard that name." Said Tien. Everyone turned to him. "It's a legendary creature that was said to have thrown the world in the depths of terror, ages ago."
Chi-Chi mused over Tien's words and said, "I think my father might have mentioned a monster with that name before too, but I always thought it was just some ghost story."
"It's true." Roshi said. He starred off towards the horizon. Talking to them but not seeing them, as if looking back in time.
"His name may sound funny, but I assure you that there is nothing humorous about that savage beast. With him, came darkness and chaos. His minions of terror wreaked havoc across the planet, destroying all in their path with indiscriminate fury. No one knew where they came from or what they wanted, but they were here, laughing as our world crumbled around them..."
Gine felt a cold chill run through her, this type of genocide sounded all too familiar.
"Piccolo and his army destroyed one city after another with no one to oppose him, save for one school of meager but determined martial artists which I was a part of. When the horde closed in, we banded together for one final assault to push back against the demon king's evil forces. Though hopelessly outnumbered, we were united. And with our combined strength, we offered a formidable defense. Many great demons fell that day, but even more great men fell alongside them..." Roshi paused, his eyes glistened as if remembering those who fought and died beside him. Gine felt a moment of kindred spirit with him.
"When the battle was over, there was only myself and the Crane Hermit left standing. But our skirmish barely put a dent in Piccolo's forces. Desperate and out of time, we concentrated our energy into a shield that absorbed the horde's attack and reflected back at them. One bright light, that's all I remember. By some luck, it worked as the horde was vanquished somehow. We thought it was all over, but it turned out the horde was just an opening act for the demon king himself. We barely got a glimpse of his ugly mug before he simply dismissed us with a wave of his hand. We were but rag dolls caught in a storm."
No one spoke as he talked, Gine both captivated and uncomfortably reminded by the fact that the infodump's only info on Earth's population was during some sort of crisis almost a hundred years ago, during which almost half the planet's population was dead. Was this what it was referring?
Roshi continued. "Shen and I were young and in our prime, we gave everything we had but still King Piccolo prevailed. All those lives lost, and we didn't even lay a scratch on him! He was immune to anyone, even Mutaito!"
"Who's Mutaito?" Bulma asked.
"He was my master. And Shen's as well." He answered, sounding mournful.
"Crane never mentioned him before." Tien added.
Roshi nodded. "No, I'm sure he didn't. This was a very long time ago. And Mutaito was by far the greatest Martial Artist who ever lived. For he faced Piccolo himself, but even he was still defeated and nearly beaten to death until Shen and I rescued him. We nearly lost him, but thanks to a strong immune system and my extraordinary bedside manner, Master Mutaito made a full recovery. But I suppose exterior wounds heal faster than those we keep inside. For my master, the shame of being dishonored in front of his students, and the loss of the ones he couldn't protect was more than he could bare. So, unwilling to continue his teaching, he left. Hoping that time could heal what his heart could not."
"It's strange picturing you and the Crane Hermit as friends." Yamcha said, "And what you went through, I had no idea."
"Neither did I." Said Tien. "Crane Hermit never spoke of his past. Not to us."
"Yeah." Chiaotzu confirmed.
"Something changed in Shen that day. I could see it in his eyes." Roshi explained. "It was as if goodness itself had betrayed him. Whether it was our master's leaving or the alluring power of evil, who knows. He snapped, and the man I once knew as my friend was gone. Another casualty..." He said, staring off into the horizon.
Gine thought for a moment about Crane. How he, the human she had beaten and broken and almost killed for him trying to murder her son, one of the few people trying to save the world. A funny, but sad thought. And she felt somewhat guilty for hurting him after what little good he tried to do...
"Gee, that's too bad." Oolong said, interrupting their thoughts. Gine glared at him when he didn't notice and asked, "So what happened next? Did you defeat King Piccolo?"
"I didn't. Piccolo continued his rampage across the globe, covering the land with fire and ash. Unable to defeat him, I fled-"
"You ran?! I would've stood my ground." Oolong interrupted again, Roshi wheeled around to face him.
"Obviously you've never fought a titan before! If
flesh and blood were as strong as pride, we'd all be invincible!"
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
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(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)