Chapter 8: Incoming Threats

Piccolo knocked on the door repeatedly until the owner responded, "Wait, I'll be there."

As the door swung open, Oolong was taken aback to find Piccolo standing right in front of him. He instinctively tried to close the door, but Piccolo held it firmly and questioned, "What do you think you're doing?"

With little choice, Oolong allowed Piccolo to enter his house, treating him as a guest and even preparing tea for him.

"Is there something you want from me?" Oolong asked nervously.

"I want you to teach me shape-shifting abilities," Piccolo stated bluntly.

"Can I ask what it's for?" Oolong inquired.

"That's my business. You don't need to know," Piccolo replied firmly.

Oolong swallowed hard. "I'll do my best then. When would you like me to start teaching you?"

"Right now," Piccolo responded.

Oolong quickly began teaching Piccolo the intricacies of shape-shifting, even offering his old notebook on the subject.

Piccolo learned with dedication, absorbing the knowledge until he could shape-shift at will. With ease, he transformed into a human form.

'The only thing is that this is restricting my power. It's like a chain keeping my power from fully manifesting,' Piccolo thought to himself.

Returning to his normal appearance, Piccolo thanked Oolong and offered him some money, creating several paper bills as payment.

Oolong was taken aback by the unexpected generosity.

After Piccolo left, Oolong reflected, "Teaching him gave me a lot of money? I should be more excited, but I already missed my chance."

Piccolo, flying in the sky, muttered to himself, "What a waste of time."

He sighed, realizing, "In that shape-shifted form, my healing won't work. It's just a restriction for me, but it could work well for training."

"I've killed three potential allies that could have helped me in the future, and possibly more," Piccolo muttered, picturing 16, 17, and 18 in his mind.

"Forget the original timeline. Let me do all the work," Piccolo declared as he flew back to the gravity chamber and began his training regimen.

Piccolo was particularly fired up and engaged in more intense training than usual. After completing his session, he exited the gravity chamber, only to find Bulma waiting for him outside.

"Here, use this to wipe your sweat," Bulma offered him a small towel.

"Thanks," Piccolo accepted it gratefully, using it to wipe the sweat from his face and neck.

"You seem to be more fired up than usual. Normally, you have a tired expression, and while you're training, you look like you're forcing yourself," Bulma observed.

"How long have you been watching me train?" Piccolo was surprised by Bulma's statement.

"Since day one that you started training at our place," Bulma admitted.

"Stalker," Piccolo teased.

"Well, I guess I am a stalker for you," Bulma replied with a smile.

The two of them chuckled together.

Frieza mothership,

"Where is the Saiyan prince and his little minion?" Frieza inquired.

"We haven't received any message from him," Dodoria replied.

"But his minion, Raditz, went to Earth to retrieve his little brother, but it seems Raditz has been killed. We can conclude that Vegeta and Nappa are already dead," Zarbon added.

"Great, fewer monkeys. But I'm quite interested in that backwater planet if they can easily kill Saiyans. Send our troops to invite them," Frieza ordered.

Zarbon and Dodoria were taken aback by Frieza's command.

"Perhaps I'll have something new to play with in the future," Frieza mused.

Zarbon and Dodoria complied with Frieza's command, sending a ship with a standard complement of troops. Leading the troops was Cui, a confident warrior.

As the ship approached Earth, Cui looked down at the planet with disdain. "The puny Vegeta lost to people on a backwater planet. What a pathetic prince," he sneered.

"Alright, everyone, let's see what the inhabitants of this backwater world are made of," Cui declared, boosting the morale of the troops as they prepared to carry out their mission.

Meanwhile, Piccolo was teaching Bulma how to fly. Sitting behind her, he placed his palm on her back, aiding her in sensing Ki.

"Remember that feeling," Piccolo instructed.

Bulma nodded, her eyes closed in concentration.

Piccolo ceased assisting her, prompting her to rely solely on her own senses.

"Can you still sense it?" Piccolo inquired.

"I think so," Bulma replied, determination in her voice.

"You won't be able to fly until you have basic control of Ki," Piccolo reminded her.

Bulma focused intently, beads of sweat forming on her brow as she concentrated on sensing Ki within her body. With a deep exhale, she halted her efforts, feeling the strain of the exercise.

"Just continue practicing this while meditating. Once you feel comfortable doing it without straining, let me know, and then we can move on to the next step," Piccolo instructed.

"You know, Piccolo, thanks for indulging my silly wishes," Bulma expressed her gratitude.

"It's not silly, it's endearing," Piccolo replied, kissing her forehead. "I'll be heading out to train now. If you need anything, just ask, okay?"

'He's so much better than Yamcha. He's even a better teacher than Yamcha,' Bulma thought to herself, feeling grateful for Piccolo's patience and support.

While Piccolo pondered, "I don't have much time, especially with Frieza possibly on his way here. I'm not strong enough to face him yet. Sure, with Kaioken, I could manage, but I want to confront him with confidence and say, 'I'm ready, perfectly.'"

"I'm going to borrow your wisdom of being cautious and prepared, Ryuguin Seiya" Piccolo said aloud.

Despite his abnormal strength, he still harbored a fear of death. He was a living being who had experienced death once before, and he had no desire to experience it again.

Outside of time and space, someone was observing the timeline. He was Fu, the son of Towa and Mira, and the next heir to the Demon Realm.

"For a reincarnator, he's really putting in the effort with his training. I wonder why he hasn't used any Dragon Balls yet. It would be entertaining to give the villain a power boost. I'm curious to see how he handles it," Fu mused. "But I suppose he doesn't want to make things too easy. He's far more interesting than other reincarnators or transmigrators. I want to see what he can achieve."

Excitement gleamed in Fu's eyes as he anticipated the outcomes of this new scenario.

"While I'm at it, I can gather more energy," Fu added with a smile. "I hope you can provide more entertainment for me."