Chapter 25

PICCOLO

Goku's arrival lifted everyone's spirits. Damn it, even I was happy to see him come out of that space pod, looking all confused by the unexpected reception. Lettie and Gohan cried with emotion as he floated out of the crater towards us.

"DADDY!!! DADDY!!!" Gohan jumped in place. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!"

I don't know why, but his emotional intonation upon meeting his father moved me. Unintentionally, the image of Naíma appeared in my head.

"Hey guys!" greeted Goku. "What a surprise to find you here! How did you know that I would arrive at this place?"

"It was this lad!" Lettie smiled at the mysterious boy. "He knew the place and time you were going to land!"

"Daddy, do you know him?" asked Gohan.

"No idea. Who is he?"

Huh? Goku didn't know him? Ohhh, I knew, I KNEW there was something wrong about that boy! I wasn't the only one who thought that. Everyone was perplexed by his negative response.

"Are you sure?" asked Bulma. "You're kinda forgetful, Goku."

"I swear. I've never seen him in my life."

Lettie and I looked at each other, troubled, and turned to the boy, who remained in anxious silence.

"This really is a mystery!" claimed Bulma. "Because he seems to know EVERYTHING about you, Goku."

"Really? That's weird." He placed his hand on his chin, thoughtfully. "I realized that Frieza's men located me and knew what time I would arrive at Earth, but I just don't understand one thing. Who was the one that defeated Frieza and everyone else? I felt an amazing Ki! Uh... Was it one of you, Piccolo or Lettie?" He turned to us. "Or… maybe you, Vegeta?"

"No." My voice rang out. "It was this boy here. He finished off Frieza and his entire army in just a few seconds. Besides, he can also turn into a Super Saiyan, like you."

"WHAT??" Goku widened his eyes. "A Super Saiyan?!"

He and the boy stared at each other for long seconds. Nobody said anything.

"Wow!!!" Goku rejoiced. "This is fantastic! And he's so young! It's a surprise to know that there's another Saiyan besides the four of us, isn't it, Gohan, Lettie, Vegeta?"

"Indeed, it is surprising..." began Lettie.

"YOU'RE WRONG, KAKAROT!" Vegeta cut it short. "We're the only Saiyans that exist! This is absurd!!!"

You could see Lettie mustering all her patience to avoid the inconvenience of replying something to Vegeta. Goku, however, continued smiling, "Well, that doesn't make any difference to me. Anyway, you're a Saiyan, aren't you, boy?"

"Of course it makes a difference!" Bulma placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, Goku! You, as always, don't take anything seriously!"

Poor little Gohan looked from one to the other, perplexed and confused, next to his aunt. I believe that, in his mind, the whole matter was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that his father was back. And I don't blame him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the boy spoke first, "Goku, I would like to talk to you. In private, please."

The strange atmosphere in our group only increased. However, Goku agreed, and the two flew until they landed a few meters away beyond the crater. Gohan was very disappointed and downcast, and hugged Lettie's leg.

"What is it, sweetheart?" She stroked his hair.

"My father…" sniffed Gohan. "My father didn't even hug me…"

A shot would have hurt less. Lettie was pretty embarrassed by her nephew's observation, and opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but, apparently, she couldn't find any comforting words to do so. All she could do was hug him back and stroke his head. The others didn't seem happy with all those secrets either and grumbled.

Surreptitiously, I started walking.

"Where are you going?" asked Lettie, without looking at me. I should've known she didn't miss a single move of mine.

"Putting my super hearing into practice." I winked at her.

"Ohhh!" she whispered. "I want to know everything later, okay?"

We exchanged a smile as if we were two old gossip ladies, and, at last, I took a few steps away and concentrated on listening to the conversation between Goku and the boy.

"Look, I have to thank you, for real," began Goku. "Thank you for defeating Frieza and the others. I think I took it easy in our fight. I should have finished him off back on Namek."

"Yes, perhaps you could have defeated Frieza and his men," replied the boy. "But it wasn't possible due to the time. So, I was forced to intervene in the battle to eliminate him."

"Yeah. Frieza's ship was faster than mine and got here earlier. I had already decided to defeat him because he hadn't learned his lesson, but it wasn't necessary because you already did it for me. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Mr. Goku. It would be impossible for you to save planet Earth, after all, you arrived three hours later, right?"

"No. I don't think so." Goku chuckled. "Because I learned a new technique!"

"A-A... A new technique??" exclaimed the boy. That also left me quite surprised, and I narrowed my eyes to concentrate better.

"Yup!" replied Goku. "I learned Instant Transmission"

"Instant Transmission?!" repeated the boy.

"It was the inhabitants of the planet Yardrat who taught me. My space pod crashed there, after my escape in the battle against Frieza. They're quite strange, they have no strength, but they know many special techniques. I could teleport to Frieza's ship or here to Earth in just a few seconds. It's fantastic!"

So, does that mean that Goku was now able to move from one galaxy to another in the blink of an eye? I confess that it was really impressive. However, I felt an uneasiness in my core and was surprised when the boy expressed a question that had been haunting my thoughts, "Wow, Mr. Goku..." He sounded nervous. "Sorry for my audacity in asking, but if you could teleport at any time and from any place, why didn't you return to Earth sooner? Why were you away for so long?"

There was silence. Then, Goku replied, "Oh, dunno! I wanted to keep training a little longer!" And he laughed as if it were the most innocent answer in the world.

I glanced at Gohan. His eyes were still swollen from crying silently in his aunt's arms. I read his feelings: disappointment and sadness. Upon reading them, my happiness at having met Goku again gave way to a slight wave of anger. I don't think Goku would find it so funny if he knew how much his father's absence was destroying his six-year-old son.

My thoughts were interrupted by the boy's words, "Wow... I... I didn't know you had learned to teleport. That's why I scheduled my ship three hours in advance." His voice became serious and filled with concern. "I just made a big mistake. I changed History for no reason. And instead of just finding you, Mr. Goku, I found everyone else. Including people who shouldn't have seen me."

Goku was as confused as I was with all this "changing History" talk. What did that boy mean by scheduling his ship three hours in advance? Why did he speak in riddles?

It was all very odd and, I confess, scary for me. When I felt Frieza's Ki approaching Earth, I almost freaked out. All the destruction I witnessed in my dream threatened to come to reality with the imminent arrival of that psychopathic lizard. Frieza's presence could mean the death of Lettie, Naíma, and Gohan. My dream could come true at any moment! But then, this boy appeared, defeated Frieza as if he were a mere insect, and left more questions than answers in my mind.

"Well, Mr. Goku," he continued. "In any way, I have another question. Can you turn into a Super Saiyan at will, or do you have any difficulty doing so?"

"Hmm, at first, it was impossible for me, but after I trained a lot, now I can transform without any problems."

"Could you please turn into a Super Saiyan now?"

"Huh?" asked Goku. "Really?"

"Please."

They were quiet for a moment. I didn't understand anything. Suddenly, Goku's Ki rose to exorbitant levels. Everyone was alarmed on my side of the crater. Then, an aura grew around him, his eyes lit up a light blue, and his hair turned yellow, flaming like a living fire.

Lettie gasped, in a mixture of disbelief and astonishment. Not only her, but also some of the others, as it was the first time they had seen Goku turn into a Super Saiyan.

"Th-Th-That's... That's..." she stuttered, covering her mouth with her hands. "Magnificent! I've never seen anything so… splendid!"

"So, this is what a Super Saiyan looks like?!" exclaimed Tien.

"It's an impressive Ki!" added Yamcha. "And he's not even fighting!"

Indeed, Goku even looked like a celestial being. It was impossible not to show how amazed I was, too, witnessing his transformation.

"Well, I did what you asked me to do," said Goku.

"Thank you very much, sir," replied the boy. "I'm surprised! You look a lot like me when I turn into a Super Saiyan."

"Alright. What now? What do you want me to do?"

"I'll also transform."

Just like Goku, the boy turned into a Super Saiyan. Our group was even more astonished. Vegeta even called them idiots, such was his envy. However, above that, I felt Goku also become perplexed. After all, he hadn't seen the mysterious boy defeat Frieza.

"Look at that!" he exclaimed. "We look alike!"

"Yes. Now, if you allow me..." The boy took out his sword in a quick movement and, just like that, he jumped at Goku, ready to slice him like he did with Freeza.

Everyone screamed.

But the boy stopped.

Silence.

"What's going on, Piccolo???" Lettie poked me desperately. "What are they doing?! Why did the boy attack my brother?!"

"Wait!" I replied. "Let me finish listening to everything and I'll tell you!"

Lettie didn't like my response that much, but she returned to position herself next to a terrified Gohan at the possibility of losing his father for the third time.

From far away, the boy asked Goku, "Why didn't you run away from my attack?"

"Because I didn't sense bad intentions in you. I knew you would stop."

The boy lowered his sword and, after a moment of silence, continued, "I understand, but this time, I won't stop." He braced his hands on his sword's grip and positioned himself. "Are you ready?"

"Bring it on!" Goku raised his right index finger in front of his face, and his hand lit up in his Super Saiyan aura.

A fight broke out. Like two yellow rays, the boy attacked Goku with his sword, who blocked all the blows with just his finger, with an ease and dexterity that I've never seen before. It was incredible!

"Oh!!! I can't take it anymore!" Lettie popped up next to me again. "Tell me what's going on, Piccolo! Please!"

"Everything's fine." I tried to reassure her. "The boy is just testing Goku's abilities. Just that. Your brother is not in danger."

Lettie grumbled but accepted my explanation. However, confirming my words, the boy returned to his normal form and put away his sword, returning to talk, "Exceptional, Mr. Goku! The stories I was told about you are true. No, they're even better!"

"Thanks." Goku also returned to normal. This act at least made Lettie and Gohan sigh in relief.

"Well then," said the boy. "Now I see that I can trust you. I'll tell you everything, but please keep it a complete secret."

"Go on. My lips are sealed."

I read the boy's feelings and they exuded concern and fear. He took a deep breath for a moment and finally revealed, "It's going to sound crazy, but I came from about twenty years in the future. I got here via a time machine."

Huh?

Future?

Time Machine?

Now, what the heck was that about?! Were we, by any chance, in a science fiction movie?

The problem was that that boy's feelings were true. My reading skills detected his honesty.

He wasn't lying.

A chill ran down my spine as I realized that.

"What??" exclaimed Goku. "You came from twenty years in the future??"

"Yes. My name is Trunks. Now, you must be wondering why I have Saiyan blood. The answer is simple: Vegeta is my father."

WHAT???????????

W-Wait a minute! That boy... That... Trunks... was Vegeta's... son???

Does that mean that... OH, NO!!!

Could it be that... he is Vegeta's son with... Lettie?! That bastard forced her to do what he had in mind when he fought us???

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!

"Piccolo? Are you okay?" Lettie touched my arm. "You're as pale as a sheet of paper. What are they talking about now?"

"I-I-I'm fine!" I lied, in a cold sweat. "It-It's the heat! It's quite hot. Don't worry." And I turned to hide my complete despair and listen to the conversation again.

"Gee!" squealed Goku. "Is Vegeta really your father?! Wait a minute, so, OHHHHHHHHHHHHH, y-you mean that he married... MY SISTER?!?! You're Lettie's son??? Are you my nephew???"

Who knows how I didn't have a heart attack hearing Goku saying one of my worst nightmares out loud.

"No, no," replied Trunks. "Lettie is not my mother."

OH, WHAT A RELIEF!!! Now I can breathe!

"Ms. Lettie," continued Trunks, "has an adopted daughter named Naíma, who's like an older sister to me. Naíma told me that her mother had a complicated romantic relationship with Mr. Piccolo, who she considered to be her father."

I swear, I swear I almost broke down listening to Trunks' account of my love life with Lettie and my fatherhood with Naíma.

"WHAT?!?!?" Goku's tone was happy and surprised. "Lettie and Piccolo??? What an… unlikely couple! HAHAHA! Well, I never imagined that Piccolo would be carried away by romanticism! People really change! Explain this story properly!"

I overlooked Goku's stupid comment because Trunks replied, "Naíma doesn't remember it very well either, as she was little at the time. The only thing she remembers is that Ms. Lettie and Mr. Piccolo loved each other very much, but they only declared their feelings when..." Trunks paused for a moment, and I heard sadness in his voice, "When it was too late."

I felt a shiver throughout my body.

What did he mean by "too late"? What happened to me and Lettie in the future?

Goku was also confused. Trunks' anxious feelings grew stronger and stronger, and then he paused again, took a deep breath, and revealed, "Mr. Goku, pay close attention because I'm going to tell you something very important. Three years from now, on May 12th, around ten in the morning, on an island nine kilometers southwest of South City, two powerful beings will appear. They will be terrible monsters that no one will dominate, and everyone will think they're not from this planet.

"Wow." Goku's intonation was grim. "And who are they? Aliens?"

"No. They're gifted Androids, made here on Earth. Also known as cyborgs or cybernetic humans. Their creator is one of the mad scientists from the famous Red Ribbon, Dr. Gero."

Goku was very perplexed to know that one of his childhood enemies would return, with full force. From what I understood, Dr. Gero survived Goku's attacks many years ago and continued his research.

"But why this nonsense?!" inquired Goku. "Does he still have that stupid idea of ​​world domination? What a cliché!"

"That's what Ms. Lettie said when she also found out," chuckled Trunks. "I don't know what Dr. Gero's real goal was, but I think he wanted to satisfy that ambition."

Despite my troubled spirit with all that information, I laughed internally and also felt a pang of shame when I realized that all that "cliché-villain-who-wants-to-dominate-the-world" talk started with me, when I met Lettie at Master Roshi's island.

Well, like Goku said… People really change. Fortunately.

"However…" continued Trunks. "The Androids that Dr. Gero built over so many years killed him. They turned against their own creator."

There was silence.

"In short," concluded Trunks, "these Androids, who only decimate people and entire cities, are still alive and much strong."

"Well..." sighed Goku. "If a boy like you, who was able to defeat Frieza and his men in Super Saiyan form, comes here and tells me that these enemies from the future are monsters, then it is a very serious matter!"

"Yes, sir." Trunks' voice shook with clear sorrow. "I tried to fight them, but they were two invincible opponents and I couldn't do anything! Since there was only me, I had no other option but to run away and hide."

"W-Wait!" exclaimed Goku. "What do you mean that only you fought? What about the other warriors?! There was no one to help you?!"

"No, sir," Trunks replied darkly. "I'm sorry to say, but I'm the only warrior left after twenty years."

Goku gasped in horror and my heart raced in panic. What happened to me and Lettie??? And Naíma?!

"That's what you heard, Mr. Goku!" Trunks held back a cry. "In the fight that will happen in three years, my father Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo and your sister Lettie… will all be killed by these Androids!" He paused to catch his breath. "Besides me, Gohan was the only one who survived, and barely! He became my Master and taught me everything I know, but unfortunately… h-he died after a few years."

Just like me, Goku was stunned. His feelings were of profound desolation. To be honest, I can't say how I managed to disguise all my reactions to Lettie standing next to me, still intently watching that mysterious boy and his brother talk about who knows what.

"However, Mr. Goku," continued Trunks, "you know very well that, if Mr. Piccolo dies, the Dragon Balls disappear, that's why we can't resurrect anyone."

"See, Piccolo?" threatened my Enemy. "See how death pursues you in any place, time or space? There's no escape for you, nor for those you love. Lettie died and you left Naíma an orphan."

My head throbbed with pain and anguish. No... That couldn't be happening...

My dream was coming true in Trunks' future. Lettie and I were dead, and it looked like Naíma was in great danger! Was she okay or… had she also perished?

"B-B-But, Trunks…" Goku was as nervous as I was. "Didn't you try to stop all this misfortune with the Dragon Balls, before Piccolo died? Why didn't you ask Shenron to destroy these maniacal Androids?"

"Excuse my tone, Mr. Goku, but do you really think that this wasn't the first thing that crossed our minds when we were faced with such a threat? However, when we summoned Shenron and made the wish, he refused. He said that the appearance of the Androids is a canonical event and cannot be stopped. The only thing we can do is change the consequences of this event. And that's what I'm doing here and now with you. You see, as time went by, the Androids started killing people as if it were fun. And because of them, the future of this world turned into a living hell. They're very strong!!! More than we can calculate!!!"

"HANG ON, HANG ON!" exclaimed Goku. "What about me??? What happened to me? Did I also die in the fight?!"

"No, sir. You didn't even get to fight. Soon, you will catch a serious illness and will die from it."

"WHAT???????" retorted Goku.

"You'll have a serious heart disease, caused by a rare and powerful virus. And, even though you're a Super Saiyan, you won't be able to overcome the disease."

Damn. That took me by surprise. Will Goku die due to an... illness? And not in a fierce fight against an opponent?

"I can't believe it!" replied Goku. "I thought the Senzu Beans cured diseases!" His voice then became fearful, "Listen, will Gohan or Lettie get sick too? After all, we share the same blood."

"No," assured Trunks. "Don't worry about that. It's not a genetic disease. Since it's a virus, anyone can catch it and, unfortunately, you did."

Phew. One less weight on my shoulders. It would be terrible for me to have to worry that Lettie could have a heart attack or Gohan could get super sick at any moment. However, Goku's feelings were one of pure indignation.

"OH, DANG IT! So, am I going to die??" he shouted. "It's so unfair, I wanted to fight these Androids so much!!!"

"Are you more worried about not fighting than about your heart disease?" asked Trunks. "Don't you fear death?"

"Of course I do! But these guys seem really strong, and I really wanted a chance to face them in battle!"

Trunks chuckled, "With no doubt, you are a true Saiyan warrior. Everything they told me about you was true. You're someone worthy of trust. I'm glad I came to this timeline." From afar, I saw Trunks take something out of his jacket pocket and hand it to Goku. "Listen, if you feel sick, take this. It's your medicine. Currently, your disease is incurable, but in twenty years, a cure will have been developed. If you take it correctly, the virus will be exterminated and you will live for a long time."

"Ohhh, are you kidding me?!" Goku rejoiced. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"Pay attention, sir. What I'm doing is not correct. I just changed History by coming here and warning you of all these dangers. But, it's better than you going through all the difficulties I faced. I have full confidence that you can do something to save this planet." Trunks' voice was filled with emotion. "You know... Before dying in the fight against the Androids, Ms. Lettie told Naíma that, even if everything seemed lost, even if we couldn't see any other way out, there was still hope. I confess that, until now, I cannot see such hope for my future. But, my mother also believes in what Ms. Lettie said, so she tried her best and built the time machine with Naíma's help. Your niece gave up on her dream of becoming a ballerina and dedicated herself entirely to being my mother's assistant, after all, people don't have time to appreciate art in a world where chaos reigns. It was Naíma who built this sword that killed Frieza."

Oh!!! So this is what happened to my daughter in Trunks' future?!

Who would have thought... My little Naíma, the little baby who was now with Chi-chi, would become a ballerina if it weren't for the misfortunes that fell on our world? That was why she loved classical music and dancing so much! I remember well in my dream seeing her watching a movie with dancing princesses.

But, would she have that same chance in our timeline?

"W-Wait a minute, Trunks," stuttered Goku in sudden nervousness. "Now I realized something! If Lettie isn't your mother, and your mother built the time machine... S-S-So... S-S-She's... She's...!!!"

"That's right." Trunks pointed in our direction. "It's Bulma."

I barely had the same reaction as Goku, which was almost falling to the ground in bewilderment.

"Look..." said Bulma at a distance from me. "It seems that something surprised Goku…"

"Argh!" complained Vegeta. "This whole conversation is nonsense! I'm already getting impatient!"

Man...! Does that mean Trunks was the son of… Bulma and Vegeta? Really, it was quite a news. I just wonder how these two managed to have a son with such a gentle temperament, and who seemed to have a pure and righteous heart. He must have taken after Bulma's family...

"Oh, my..." Goku laughed like a happy fool. "That's funny! And I thought Bulma would marry Yamcha, but in the end, she ended up with grumpy Vegeta! Poor thing, hahaha!"

"Well," replied Trunks, "from what I heard, Yamcha was a playboy, which made my mother angry, and they broke up. She then noticed how lonely my father was and, when she least realized it, she was in love. But they never got married. You know how my mother is."

"Yeah, I do." Goku glanced in Bulma's direction. "She never changes!"

"My father died when I was also very little," said Trunks. "Therefore, I have no memories of him. I confess that meeting him here again made me quite emotional. I bet Naíma would also be happy to see her mother and father again."

With that said, Trunks looked at us, and my heart skipped a beat.

I must be getting old, or crazy, but his words touched me. Through his feelings, I realized how much he truly felt deep affection for his father. And to think that Vegeta mistreated him so much just now, even making him embarrassed.

It is true that I had no appreciation or consideration for that scoundrel Vegeta in light of everything he made me, Lettie, Gohan, and the other warriors suffer, and for what he still made us suffer. Like it or not, Vegeta's presence triggered Lettie's PTSD. And, when you're around the man who makes your precious beloved feel scared, it's not a pleasant thing to experience.

However, when watching Trunks and hearing him talk about his father with so much appreciation, I found myself thinking: if I, the son of the abominable Piccolo Daimaoh, was able to change and transform my character, could... Vegeta change as well?

I glanced at Bulma and Vegeta. Man… It was very difficult to imagine them having any involvement, especially romantic.

However, above all this, hearing about how emotional Naíma would be upon meeting her parents touched the depths of my soul. So, does that mean that, in Trunks' future, even if for a short period before our deaths, Lettie and I were together?

But the question remains: what happened for me to finally admit my feelings towards the woman I love? How did my Enemy's voice stop dominating me?

Who was responsible for taking away all the fear that lives in me?

"Mr. Goku, please," asked Trunks. "I beg you, keep everything I said secret! If my parents find out something, they might not like each other and then my existence will be at great risk! I might even disappear from this world!"

After his words, I thought better and concluded that not even I would tell everything I heard to Lettie, who was still very anxious by my side, eager to know what they were talking about. She couldn't find out about the two of us or Naíma's horrible future in Trunks' timeline. I just hoped Goku would keep his mouth shut too.

He reassured Trunks, and finally, they both ended the conversation. Trunks claimed that he needed to go back to give his time travel report to his mother and Naíma, and Goku thanked him for the medicine and all the information.

"If I'm still alive in three years," concluded Trunks. "I'll come back to help you face the Androids. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Goku waved back. "We will also train a lot over the next three years. Don't worry. Everything will be alright!"

With that said, Trunks flew away, leaving a very, very distraught Goku.