The old version of this story was probably too confusing. Here I have rearranged it. I would be very happy if you find yourself in a few readers!
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The gift
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a Piccolo Gohan friendship story
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(Ingredients: action, feelings, humor, drama)
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Note: This story takes place after the Trunks saga, in those three years where
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all prepare for the arrival of the cyborgs. Since at the time I started the story, I didn't know the manga or anything else that happened in the series, it may well be that something from the storyline contradicts later events in the anime.
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The spelling of some names and terms (Saiyan, Kililyn, Gokou, Dragon Balls) was based on my few Dragon Ball Z Hero Collection Cards.
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Now to the story:
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You could almost hear the silence. The midday heat hung like a leaden bell over the wasteland.A lizard crouched in its shady hiding place and occasionally cast a suspicious look at the white and green figure, which had been floating cross-legged in the air in front of its hole since early morning. Actually, the lizard would have wanted to take her daytime nap a long time ago, but the green lizard made her nervous.
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Suddenly the green antennae twitched and the eyelids slowly lifted. Far out, so far that not even an eagle would have noticed anything, the outline of a yellow cloud detached itself from the hazy blue of the sky and hissed steadfastly towards the red, dusty canyon.
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“What is he doing here?” It was little more than a whisper. With a fluid movement Namekian rose and looked towards the cloud, on which a black-haired Saiyan in red combat suit was standing and waving at him.
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“Hey, Piccolo!” The cloud stopped exactly three feet from Piccolo's feet and the Saiyan hopped down. "So this is where you've moved.Gohan wasn't happy at all that you gave up our training together. "
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"I'm sorry, but your wife ..." Piccolo couldn't stop a shiver running down his spine. "I just need a break ..."
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Since Gokou grinned understandingly at him, but otherwise didn't seem to move from the spot, Piccolo asked slightly impatiently: "Is there anything else, Son?"
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Gokou fiddled with his suit. "Where did I get it ... ah yes, here ..." He fished out a pale yellow envelope and held it out to Piccolo. "Here you go!"
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Piccolo raised an eyebrow. But since Gokou said nothing more, he took the envelope and turned it around. "For Piccolo", it read in precise characters, which would certainly have made a good place in any calligraphy competition. Piccolo raised both eyebrows. He opened the envelope with an unusual degree of caution and pulled out a sheet of paper that had been painted with a lot of elaborate flourishes.<br />
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"Do you like it? Gohan sat there a whole afternoon. You should have heard ChiChi once, she gave him hell because he didn't want to do his homework first."
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The message on the sheet itself was very brief but unmistakable.
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“Gohan invites me to his birthday party?” Piccolo frowned. He vaguely remembered that as a little devil on his lonely wandering he had happened to watch a birthday party through a window, and of the painful, empty feeling that had awakened in him at the time and that had made him so angry that he had .... but that was the past.
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"You know, a party with a cake, games and gifts," said Gokou. "I still have a list of books and such that ChiChi thinks suitable. But Gohan told me to tell you that he doesn't need a present from you, he's glad if you come at all."<br />
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"Hmmm....."
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"Don't worry about ChiChi, the beef devil is organizing the party, and there is plenty of room for everyone in his castle on the Bratpfannenberg."
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"All?"
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Gokou began to count with the help of his fingers: "You, Yamcha, Kililyn, the Lord of the Turtles, Tenshin han, Chaozu, Oolong, Bulma, ...., I had a whole package of invitations with me, the others I already had yesterday and dealt the day before yesterday, it wasn't easy to find you. "
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"So it's going to be a big celebration," Piccolo said more to himself. He didn't understand why the thought of it gave him a slight pang.
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"Gohan wanted all of his friends to be there. I told him that a hermit like you doesn't necessarily show up at a big party, but my son really cares that you come ..." The last sentence had a questioning undertone and so Piccolo looked up from the invitation.<br />
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Gokou's pleading look did not permit refusal. "I will come."
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“Great!” Gokou hopped back onto his cloud. "So in three days, at three in the afternoon at the castle on the Bratpfannenberg." With that he whizzed away on his cloud.
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Piccolo turned the invitation back and forth, somewhat perplexed. A gust of hot wind swept through the canyon, tugging at his white cloak. A second gust of wind, stronger than the first, tore the leaf from his hand and whirled it upwards. Piccolo shot after the leaf faster than lightning, but just as he closed his hand around it, an energy beam twitched out of the cloudless sky and burned the invitation to ashes. Piccolo clenched his fist around the still warm ash flakes and spun around.
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Just a few dozen meters above him hovered a thin figure with narrow, owl-yellow eyes and a pale face almost without lips.
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"Who are you damn it? Why did you do that?", Piccolo snapped at the uninvited visitor.
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"They call me Ramagi," replied the gaunt man in a hoarse voice that nonetheless had enough strength to drown out the howling of the growing storm. "I burned the smear because it means something to you, Namek!"
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Piccolo knitted his eyebrows. The hatred had been unmistakable despite the pretended calm with the word "Namekian".
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"Do you have any grudges against my people?" He asked, forcing himself not to show his anger at the destroyed invitation.
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"Resentment ...", the stranger who called himself Ramagi threw back his head and laughed. It was a completely humorless, contemptuous laugh in which there was a bitterness that reminded Piccolo of his first years of loneliness and anger against Gokou. "What a harmless word ..." Ramagi floated a few meters lower so that they were at eye level. "You can tell that you have been separated from your people for a long time, Namekians.I am an Irider. "
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Although Piccolo was certain that he had never heard the name, images suddenly appeared in his mind's eye that could only have come from Neil's memory. It was the memory of a tale by the elders of an early Namek expedition to a world called Irid, where they collected plants and water samples.
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"It was just a few seeds and a little water," he said in a low voice and blankly.
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The Irider's narrow eyes widened and his pointy ears twitched. "You know about it ... how can that be ...?" He caught himself quickly and shook his head. “It doesn't matter.” Slowly he raised his arms and energy began to gather in his palms into yellow, twitching balls. "The only important thing is that I wipe you out so that your corrupted race will disappear from the universe once and for all. I don't know who pulverized your planet, but I would like to thank them."<br />
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* He doesn't know that my people have moved to another planet, * thought Piccolo. * And it's better if he doesn't find out. *
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Piccolo crossed his arms and said coolly: "Someone's name was Freezer and it was made into fricassee a long time ago. If you insist on it, we can meet here in four days and settle the matter. Before that, I have something important do it. "He opened his fist and the storm wind swept away the last few flakes of ash.
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His opposite side twisted his barely visible lips into a mocking grin.
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"Fine, if it takes you that long to make your will ..." At first it seemed as if he wanted to add something, but then he shrugged his shoulders. “In four days at this point.” He floated up a little, turned sideways and made a short, sharp movement with the edge of his hand. Part of the rock on which Piccolo had previously meditated slid sideways as if a knife had cut the stone like soft butter.The rumbling and cracking of the stone masses was somewhat diminished by the wind, but it was still an impressive demonstration. “If you are not here, more will break in this world than just a rock.” With that, he shot off, faster than Piccolo's eyes could follow. Suddenly the howling of the wind stopped and only the stones that were crumbling from the ruined rock tower broke the dusty silence that had settled over the canyon.
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"I have a bad feeling about this," Piccolo muttered. But then he remembered Gohan's birthday. Whatever the outcome of this fight, the short one deserved a nice celebration first of all. With that, Piccolo's mind was back to where he had been before the stranger appeared. He needed a present for Gohan.
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A new rock tower was found quickly and Piccolo took up his meditation position again. He took a sip of water from the bag that he had fastened to his belt, then closed his eyes and tried to sink into that state of calm and serenity which he thought was indispensable for increasing his strength and regenerating it.<br />
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But the thought of Gohan's birthday did not let go of him. "Books ...", Piccolo's lips twitched contemptuously. “Gohan is a fighter and not a bookworm.” In addition, the stuff cost money and Piccolo had never liked to deal with such trivialities. So no books. Nothing at all that cost money ... for a moment Piccolo toyed with the idea of ​​dropping by God's palace to find something suitable