Two small figures can be seen flying above the hot desert which seemed to be endless, even from high in the sky. Two best friends, Goten and Trunks, were competing against each other in order to find out who could fly around the Earth the fastest. They already surfaced three-quarters of the planet, and they haven't even grown tired yet, however, one of them was way ahead the other, and the victor was, of course, Trunks. Goten was hundreds of miles behind him, and he hated losing, so he decided to cheat and turn into a Super Saiyan just before reaching the "finishing line," thus taking his opponent by surprise in surpassing him. He was just about to go super, when, all of a sudden, he saw a very familiar person half-buried in the sand down below.
-Hey, Trunks!-Goten shouted, as Trunks halted-Come over here, quickly! I wanna show you something.
-Is this one of your tricks, Goten, just to fool me, and as I approach, you surpass me all of a sudden, then win, like the last time you did?-Trunks asked suspiciously.
-No, I'm serious, come take a look!
-Fine, but just that you should know, if you try something fishy, I will automatically be declared victorious. Got it?
-Ok, ok.-Goten agreed, then Trunks flew next to him.
-So, what is it?
-Look down there...-as he pointed down at the familiar figure-Isn't that Mr. Piccolo?
-Uhm, Goten...Piccolo is green, not purple like his clothes.
-But I'm telling you, that's Mr. Piccolo, and he doesn't look so good.
-And I think that the heat is messing with your eyes. Let's go before it gets to me too, and I also start seeing things.-but Goten completely ignored his remark by attentively starring at the figure, and just then, he flew down right next to it, while Trunks looked at Goten madly for not listening to him; then he too, decided to land next to the figure, and to his surprise, the figure was really Piccolo after all.
-See, Trunks? I told it was him.
-Yeah, but what happened to his skin? Why is it so purple like his gi?
-Mr. Piccolo, are you alright?-Goten asked him worried, putting his hands on Piccolo's back, which started screaming so loudly, that Trunks wet himself a bit; luckily, the heat quickly dried his pants and no one noticed.
-Don't...touch...my...skin.-Piccolo managed to say-It hurts like hell...-he continued, then Trunks closely examined his back, where Goten's hands left a very visible pink mark, as if they were stamped or tattooed there.
-Piccolo, did you get a nasty sunburn, by any chance?-Trunks asked wondered.
-Yes...-Piccolo slowly answered-I think I stayed too much on the sun...this never happened to me before...damn, it hurts a lot. But I'm also very weak from the training and also, very thirsty...so please, take me to the closest water...any kind of water, as long as isn't salty or...sandy.-he didn't even have the energy to blush.
-But how can we take you there, if we can't even touch your skin?-Goten asked, but Piccolo was unable to answer him; but after a short while, Trunks had a brilliant idea and grabbed Piccolo by his left foot.
-Goten, grab the other one and let's go!-Trunks said, as Goten grabbed it and they both lifted Piccolo upside-down.
-What are you kids doing?!-Piccolo asked them angrily, but had no energy to argue with them.
The kids hurried as fast as they could, they even turned into Super Saiyans, boosting their speed to its maximum. They left the desert and reached a forrest nearby, where the found a big lake. Piccolo was still conscious and couldn't be happier, as they were floating way above it:
-Get me down there, IMMEDIATELY!-he ordered them, while the kids just simply let go of his feet, letting him fall down from the high altitude-NOT LIKE THAAAAAAAT!!!-Piccolo shouted while falling down, and because he was very weak, he could't balance himself at all, so he ended up doing a belly-flop; it's hard to describe how much it hurt him, considering he was already in pain, while both kids made a "OOPS!" gesture.
Piccolo continuously cursed them, even after his whole body sank into the water, while the kids saw many bubbles surfacing it.
***
The Namekian spent hours in the water; he felt so relaxed like never before. Although, he still looked ridiculous being all purple like the gi he usually wore, and the burn was still irritating his skin, nonetheless, the cold, fresh lake water felt like a blessing. The two Saiyans, seeing that Piccolo would be staying there more than a while, decided to join him, so they completely undressed and jumped in. They immediately started splashing each other, even Piccolo, but this time, he didn't mind them doing that at all. The kids tried many stunts in the water, and after a few hours, they got hungry and bored, so they decided to leave. Piccolo, however, was still in the water; imagine that, a purple head Piccolo, popping out of the water:)
-Well, it was nice seeing you Piccolo...-Trunks started-And we're glad we could help you out, but our parents must be worried sick for not showing up for supper, so see ya'!-and as he and Goten were about to take off, Piccolo shouted at them:
-Trunks, wait!-as the kids turned back-Don't you humans have some kind of remedy against sunburn? Unfortunately, Korin doesn't have any Senzu Beans at the moment; not sure they would work in this case either.
-Sure, my mom has all kinds of sunscreens and lotions, but they should be used BEFORE and not after the sunburn.
-But still, you have to have something to heal this damn thing! I'm sure, many people accidentally burn their skin too, so there has to be some kind of treatment.
-I guess so. Come, and we'll ask my mom about it!
-I would prefer to stay here and wait for you guys while you bring it here.-he said a bit blushed, not wanting for anyone else to see him like that; but Trunks immediately figured that out, and thought it would be funny otherwise.
-Now that I think about it, my mom did build a machine about two years ago, which absorbs the ultraviolet radiation from your skin, and regenerates it within only minutes. Remember Goten, when we had our first sunburn?-as he turned towards his friend, giving him a wink.
-Oh, yeah, I remember. Boy, did it hurt; we couldn't sleep for two nights. Luckily, Ms. Bulma built that machine and cured us, otherwise I don't know how much I would have lasted.
-That sounds promising.-Piccolo said a bit unsure.-Very well then, let's go!-then he swam out of the water, made his gi reappear magically, and took off along with the kids, who were a bit ahead of him, smiling hard.
Piccolo survived the harsh desert with a little help, but can he survive the humiliation that awaits him? Find out next time on this epic fanfic!
