Earth
After blowing apart Piccolo's left arm with his aura burst, Son Gohan didn't press the attack. He hovered calmly, giving Piccolo time to finish charging.
"Gohan, you're a real monster!" Piccolo snarled through his teeth.
The corkscrewing beam at his fingertips his Special Beam Cannon (Makankōsappō) began to dim.
"Don't stop. Keep going I want to test it," Gohan said quickly.
"Are you mocking me?" Piccolo looked like an angry green songbird.
"No. I'm genuinely curious about that move. Keep charging. Maybe I can point out a flaw or two." Gohan's tone was earnest.
"…Fine. Since you're looking for death don't blame me." Piccolo shut everything out and poured all his ki into the drill of light.
One full minute later
"Gohan! Ready?"
"Come on. Kaio-ken x5." Muscle corded along Gohan's forearms.
At fivefold Kaio-ken, his power crested five hundred million.
"Special Beam Cannon!"
The ping-pong–sized point of condensed energy snapped into a spiraling lance and shot forward.
Gohan raised his right hand, sheathing his palm in a thin red sheen of ki
and chose to catch it with his body.
Szzzt
The instant the beam met his palm, it chewed through the red layer, and the air filled with the sharp sizzle of cooking meat.
" Tch. Underestimated it! Kaio-ken x7!"
His aura detonated, red pressure exploding across the globe. Anyone who could sense ki whipped their heads toward Gohan's position.
"Break!"
With the surge, a fresh film of ki snapped across his hand. He closed his fingers around the corkscrewing light
Crack!
and crushed Piccolo's strongest strike into glittering motes.
"Impossible! With your bare hand " Piccolo's eyes went wide.
"Hot damn that's hot." Gohan dropped the Kaio-ken, huffing as he blew on his scorched palm.
"Gohan… you're insulting me again," Piccolo said, livid.
"How is that an insult? I actually burned my hand!" Gohan shot back.
(Was that something a person should say to the guy who just unloaded his finisher? Piccolo's face twitched.)
"Don't be mad, Piccolo. That move is excellent. With that kind of penetration, even someone nine times stronger than you would have a hard time stopping it," Gohan said, serious now.
"Really?" Piccolo's anger faltered.
"Think it through. I had to go up to x7 Kaio-ken. My base right now's about the same as yours maybe twenty percent higher and it still burned through my guard and cooked my palm," Gohan said, rolling his eyes.
"…Makes sense." Piccolo exhaled, tension easing.
"But don't celebrate yet. The weakness is huge. First, the charge time. In that one minute you gave me, I could've killed you a hundred times. Second, once you dump everything, do you have anything left for a follow-up? Looking at you now, you're basically running on fumes," Gohan went on.
Piccolo's chest tightened; he grimaced. "You're right. But to trigger that kind of phase change, I have to keep compressing ki."
"Your penetration already rivals Frieza's Death Beam. At full output it might even exceed it. If you could fire it instantly, even at reduced power, it'd be far more practical," Gohan suggested.
"To get that penetration, I must compress the energy, and compression takes time. Your bodies can take that strain; mine can't. My outer shell is tough, but inside I'm… weaker," Piccolo admitted, a shadow crossing his features.
"Nothing the Grand Elder can do?" Gohan asked.
Piccolo shook his head. "He said the Dragon God gave our people regeneration, but traded away some intrinsic toughness. It's balance. He can't change it."
"What about the Dragon Balls?"
"The Grand Elder discourages leaning on them. The Balls are a blessing and a curse. Abuse them and you invite disaster. Unless it's absolutely necessary, Namekians won't use them."
"Old-fashioned… Disaster or not, if you're strong enough, any disaster is just weather," Gohan muttered. (He was thinking of a certain evil dragon born from accumulated malice the kind of 'disaster' old Namekians meant.)
"Piccolo, Frieza and his father will be here soon. I suggest you come watch the fight. You might pick up something from Frieza's Death Beam."
"What? Frieza? He didn't die?" Piccolo stared.
Gohan ran him through the short version the body was Frieza's, the soul inside was Ginyu.
"…Got it. I'll be there."
"And it's time to start thinking about fusing with Kami. His years are nearly gone. I'm hoping the Grand Elder can leave behind a worthy Dragon Clan successor to take the post Earth still has the Dragon Balls. Fusion would be a huge boon for you beyond the raw power-up, it might even fix some of your structural issues. With that, you might qualify to join this fight."
"Fusion, huh? …I understand." Piccolo glanced toward the Lookout.
"Alright, I'm off to school, or I'll be late." Gohan dropped to the lawn, slung his backpack over one shoulder. "Grand Elder see you!"
He arrowed away toward the city.
Piccolo looked back to Guru. The old Namekian seemed to have read his heart and gave a slow nod.
With that blessing, Piccolo shot upward, streaking toward the Lookout.
"Nail, bring Dende," the Grand Elder said.
"Yes, Grand Elder."
Five days later
A colossal ki flared from the Lookout and washed across the world.
Mount Paozu
"Heh. Finally fused… and way beyond what I expected," Gohan murmured, feeling Piccolo's new power.
Goku, Raditz, and Nappa froze mid-spar.
"That's… Piccolo. He's incredible," Goku breathed.
The Lookout
"This power… it's beyond words ha ha!" Piccolo let it all out. The trees around the platform bent to the gale.
Mr. Popo's eyes shone with a thin grief but he hadn't stood in their way. Kami's candle was nearly spent; without fusion, both would have been lost.
Because Piccolo and Kami were originally one, their reunion wasn't like any ordinary fusion. Even merging with a warrior like Nail couldn't compare.
In one history, after King Kai's training and his revival, Piccolo fused with Nail and managed around a million still not enough to face Frieza's second form. Later, when Cell first appeared, fusing with Kami vaulted him to Android-level power, perhaps beyond.
Here, though, Piccolo hadn't fused with Nail. He'd had Guru's instruction, Gohan's provocation, and Popo's quiet guidance. All that stacked together and when he reunited with Kami his power spiked to 1.8 billion.
Far past what Gohan had penciled in. He'd guessed maybe a clean billion. Nearly two? That was a surprise.
Systematic training, it turns out, matters.
Out in space, King Cold's armada closed the last stretch toward Earth. On the ground below, every fighter worth the name felt the press of that vast, malevolent aura approaching from the dark.
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