Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am nothing. I am writing this simply for my own pleasure and am not making any money from it. Dragonball Z and its characters are the property of Akira Toriyama and other various and associated peoples. I would like to say thank you to my lovely beta reader, CLeighM, who practices martial arts and helps me keep my fight scenes fun.
"The time has come," the Walrus said.
"To talk of many things.
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."
Lewis Carroll – Through the Looking Glass
Chapter 1: Of Fists and Ki
Marron was alone and it was her father's fault. She understood of course. He wanted her to be able to put on a good show without having to compare herself to the others. Yes, she understood, but it was of little solace right now.
Instead of trying to talk to anyone, she found herself sitting against the wall trying to play with her hair. Unfortunately, her mother had insisted that it be braided out of the way and the ends tucked under for safety. She thought about taking her hair out of the braids simply so she would have something to do then quickly discard the thought. She'd never be able to put it back.
Marron assumed that after the draw the tournament would start. Instead, the contestants had been left in this sweltering room for an eternity. How long could they possibly make everyone wait? She looked at the other 15 combatants: 14 men and 1 woman. The men joked loudly amongst themselves, flexing their muscles and trying to intimidate each other. The only one that had tried to intimidate her was her opponent for the first round, a large ugly man by the name of Grendel. The others didn't seem to bother; probably just assumed that she wouldn't make it past the first round although four of them had hit on Marron already. She managed to brush them off with her mother's patented look of complete disinterest. The other girl in the room sat quietly in an opposite corner. Marron watched as one of the men approached the girl. He spoke at her, his hands on his hips and his chest out. He must be her first opponent, Marron thought. The girl's eyes expanded to take up half her face as the color drained and she began to tremble a little. The guy, sensing his intimidation was successful began to strut off only to fall on his face. He stood up, quickly looking around to see who saw. The girl's color returned to normal and a repressed smile played upon her features. Marron hadn't seen it, so she couldn't be sure, but somehow she knew that the girl had tripped him.
She was about to start playing mental games of Tic Tac Toe with herself when the crowd cheered and the announcer could be heard outside. Finally!
As the first two combatants walked out, the other fighters gathered around the arena entrance jockeying for a good viewing position. Unfortunately, there was only so much space for 14 fighters to look through on either side of the dividing wall. Marron, deciding not to join in the pushing contest, jumped onto the wall's top then sat down. She watched as the only other girl roughly climbed up the back of another fighter to sit comfortably down next to her.
"They tried to push you back too huh?"
"They would not have for long. I just decided your way was easier." That little repressed smile reappeared as the girl looked at Marron and then back out at the ring.
Marron studied the girl for a moment and almost felt sorry for her. She appeared to be Marron's own age if not a little older. Her hair, like Marron's, was put up but hers was tied in intricate knots that ended in a series of unusual spikes. She was fairly muscular as well, more so than most women. She had very little chest to speak of, probably due to the physical conditioning needed for those muscles. Either that or the almost corset like wrap she had tied around her otherwise loose fitting red gi top. She wasn't ugly; might even be somewhat pretty if she ever tried. She was just … butch. Marron hated the word; but at the time it was the only apt description.
Marron looked back at the ring as the first fight finally seemed to be winding down. She hoped the entire tournament wasn't like this. That would be excessively boring. The second fight was announced and proceeded much the same as the first: No ki blasts, no flying, not even good Martial Arts.
Marron jumped down off the wall as they announced her appearance in the third fight. As she walked into the arena she looked up to the private box her family was supposed to be in. Sure enough, there were Pan and Bra making faces against the glass. Her dad's ki rose so that she knew he'd be cheering for her. She even felt the low fluttering of her mother's energy. She waved up at the box and then faced her opponent. Grendel looked down on her and said, "Don't worry little girl, I'll make this quick."
The wall separating the audience from the fighters cracked sending out small clouds of dust as Grendel impacted.
Marron jumped back onto her perch after her win was announced. She felt heady, couldn't help but laugh and had to bite her bottom lip to stop it from pouring forth. She had done it. She had faced her first opponent and won. Granted, he wasn't much of an opponent but she still walked away victorious. 'He was right, that was quick.'
The other girl looked at her. Monotonely she said, "Interesting technique."
"Thank you. By the way I'm Marron."
"So I gathered from the announcer." She never took her eyes off the ring. "Seloli."
"I haven't seen you compete in one of these before. Is this your first tournament?"
"It is the first time I have been in this one. You might want to watch this fight you know. That brunette is going to be your next opponent."
Marron began to watch the fighters in the ring. Sure enough, the dark haired one was doing really well. He was even using ki to back up his attacks. How had she not felt this earlier? As she began to fidget, she wondered who taught the man. All of the Earth's known ki masters were in the extended family known as the Z senschi and, thanks to her father's interference; none of them were entering today. He moved with an effortless grace that did not resemble anyone else. He circled around his opponent managing to dodge and block every attack thrown his way. Eventually, he landed a solid kick knocking his opponent unconscious and causing a chain reaction of ki flares from the private box that Bulma had rented for the day.
The next two fights passed as expected, without incident. Seloli remained all business. She watched each fight only speaking to discuss or comment on style and technique. She sprang off the wall when she was announced for the seventh fight. "Good luck." Marron called. "Not that you'd need it. You could always just trip him again."
"I do not know what you are talking about."
"Earlier, when he tried to intimidate you, I saw you trip him as he walked off."
"You are wrong. I did not trip him," Seloli responded as she walked toward the ring.
Marron just grumbled as she watched the girl go. "Yeah right and I'm a super saiyan."
Seloli stopped and gave Marron a hard stare before turning quickly back around to scan the audience as she climbed the steps onto the fighting platform. When she faced her opponent, that odd smile was back in place. Although seemingly effortless, the fight was slow. The man seemed to taunt the other girl as he attacked. His blows were usually deflected and those that were not landed with a minimum of force, only pushing the girl back twice. It appeared, however, that Seloli was not the easy match her opponent was planning on as her punches always contacted with an efficient and unerring accuracy. Marron found herself fidgeting again. No ki was being used, but there was no doubt which was the more experienced fighter in the ring. She felt the low rise of ki from the women in the private box. At least someone was enjoying the fight. Videl's ki spiked when Seloli took a kick to the gut that sent her flying backward. She landed and rolled, regaining her feet. Her smile spread across her face into a large grin as she went on the offensive with a series of blows that slowly pushed her opponent back and off the edge of the platform his arms flailing as he touched the grass.
Marron watched as Seloli walked back, jumped to grab the wall, and hoisted herself back up top using a movement similar to getting out of a pool. Marron kept quiet as they watched the next fight knowing that any comments would not be appreciated until the other girl knew who her opponent would be for the next round. As the first round came to a close, Marron climbed down off the wall and tried for conversation again. "That was a really good fight? How long have you been training?"
"My entire life. And the fight was good I suppose."
"You don't sound too excited about it."
"I am actually disappointed. I caught a few old broadcasts of this tournament and was looking forward to a higher caliber of fighter. As it is, the only decent fight I will get, is with you in the finals." With that said, Seloli walked off, her boots thudding across the concrete. Yes, Marron was going to kill her dad. Well, she had thirty minutes before the start of the next round. No time like the present.
---
As Marron walked into the box, she was attacked by two demon twelve year olds screaming her name. She grabbed both girls in a headlock, one under each arm, black and blue hair spilling downward, and rocked them back and forth. "Hey, Chibis. Are you guys having fun up here?"
"No," The darker of the two, Pan, dragged out. "Watching fights is boring."
"Trust me kid; today, it's not much more fun fighting in them. I'm bored, there is no one to talk to, and my opponents are too easy." The last part was directed at her father with a subtle lift of her eyebrow.
Goku spoke up from behind the bowl of noodles he was eating. "I'd wait until after your next fight, with that guy Rentz, until you start saying things like that. He kind of reminds me of Yamcha in our first tournament." The dark haired, scar faced ball player started and looked at Goku as if to figure out if that was a compliment or an insult.
"How about that other girl," Videl asked. "She had a really good fight too. I saw you on the wall with her. What's she like?"
"I don't know much; she's not very talkative. Although, she is mad that none of you entered."
Her father's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. "Us?" He glanced around the rest of the room to see similar expressions of confusion on the faces of all but Vegeta and Piccolo. "Why would she want us in the tournament?"
The blond entrants face scrunched up and she waved her hands in front of her wildly. "Oh, not you specifically. I think it had more to do with the style of fighting. Something about old tournament footage."
The purple haired man sprawled out over one of the cushy chairs gave a rather inelegant snort. "She wouldn't have lasted long."
Piccolo stopped pretending to ignore the conversation. "Don't be to sure about that."
When the questioning glances produced no explanation, Vegeta sighed and stated, "Her ki is too low." As if that answered anything. How could someone's ki be too low anyway?
---
Rentz slid across the ring. He managed to stop just inside the edge before launching himself at Marron. He began with a punch which changed to a roundhouse kick then an elbow to the ribs landing with a soft thud. His ki fluctuated wildly allowing Marron to realize that, although he used his inner energy, it was instinctual and he probably did not even know he was using it. No wonder Goku thought he resembled Yamcha. She felt the kis from the audience cheering her on including a particular bright clear one. 'He noticed.' She wrapped that Ki around her like a blanket and looked at Rentz. There was no way she was letting him win now. She blocked his last attack and turned the onus back to herself and finishing the fight.
"You look way too pleased with that fight." Seloli was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.
Marron beamed. "He noticed."
"He?" Seloli raised an eyebrow.
Marron looked down and then back up into the other girl's black eyes. Nothing was going to ruin her mood. "There is a guy in the audience I've been trying to impress; trying to get him to notice me as more than just some blonde."
"By fighting?"
Her sarcasm bothered Marron. "Well… yeah. He's also a fighter, a very strong one, and I've always been some weak little fashion plate." She shrugged. "Now I get to show him otherwise."
"You probably do not want this but I will give it to you anyway. A word of advice; if all he is interested in is your power level, he is not worth your time."
Seloli was right. Marron most certainly did not want her advice.
Seloli stepped into the ring for her third fight of the day. Her opponent was being loud and obnoxious which did not surprise Marron. Both women had come to expect loud arrogance from their opponents. Seloli just rolled her eyes not bothering to fall into a stance. The man rushed toward her, his fist raised. She caught his fist and threw him. As he landed on the grass, she turned to Marron. "We do not really need that thirty minute break, do we?"
Marron swallowed and shook her head as she walked forward. 'She just threw him. Her other two fights were rather dragged out affairs. Oh Kami, she was toying with them. Her ki is too low Vegeta said. Her ki is too low.' Marron now understood what Piccolo meant; this would not be an easy fight. The announcer realized that his finalists were not going to wait and began espousing the skill of both fighters and the rarity of finding two female combatants in the finals. Seloli ignored him and assessed Marron. "Do you really think that this guy is worth your time?"
Marron's smile lit up her face as she glanced at the family box. She squared her shoulders and faced her opponent. "Yes… he is."
Seloli sighed. Closing her eyes she dropped her head shaking it. "You remind me of my sister." When she looked back up, she slid into a fighting stance. "Let us see what we can do to impress this guy shall we?"
The daughter of Kuririn and Eighteen sunk into stance and watched Seloli. The other girl's stance seemed more polished, on center, and more natural than the one she had used in her other fights. They stared at each other for a while before the darker girl closed in and aimed a kick to the stomach. Marron successfully blocked the kick by grabbing the offending foot and turning it, dropping the other girl to the ground. She was thrown off balance as the other foot swept her feet. Both of them rolled apart and regained their stance. "I really wish your fights had been longer." Caught a little off guard by the statement, the fairer girl could only watch as the punch entered her personal space. Instinct told her where the punch was directed and how to block it.
"I guess I was lucky yours were." Marron then went on the offensive. The rest of the fight was a blur of motion. Yet it seemed so slow. Marron always wondered what her father meant when he told her to find her zone. Now she knew. Her ki rippled out in waves keeping track of the movement around her but her concentration was on the current engagement. Nothing aside from her and her opponent existed. A dodge, a punch, a kick, a leap. The onus changed throughout the fight as the two moved around the stadium. Man this was fun. As a unit they moved to the edge of the platform. Now all she had to do was get their positions reversed and… She almost did not see the kick meant to take out her feet and send her to the grass.
Marron barely avoided the last attack by lifting up in to the air. As she hovered above Seloli the other girl looked up looked up at her and smiled. She then lifted up into the air, even with Marron, to deliver a punch to the gut. Marron caught her breath and moved out of range. She cleared her mind and focused (her father wasn't the only parent she had been training with.) Marron concentrated on the other girl's form looking for the hole. Seloli shot forward delivering a series of punches and kicks. Marron continued to block until she found the small gap she had waited for. She grit her teeth and delivered the kick that sent her opponent rocketing toward the arena platform. Before her opponent could recover, Marron lifted her hand above her head and created a flattened disk of ki. She sent it flying just as Seloli touched down and stood. Her opponent was forced backward as she blocked the destructo disk. 'Oh no, this is not good.' It wasn't the strongest attack she'd ever thrown, she didn't want to kill the other girl, but it was not supposed to be blocked. When the attack dissipated, Seloli flew into the air above Marron. "Why did you not just say you wanted to play with ki," she asked before bringing both hands in front of her and releasing a beam of her own. She followed the beam in and, as Marron knocked it aside, delivered a boot to the blond girl's middle. Marron caught herself before she hit the audience. She looked at the darker girl and brought her hands together in front of her.
"Ka
me
ha
me
HA."
Seloli took the hit head on. When the smoke cleared, she hung in the air. Her gi top and sash were in tatters but she was smiling. "That was … the most … beautiful beam cannon … I have ever seen." She looked down at herself. "Your man should be suitably impressed. Unfortunately," she ripped off the remainder of the sash around her torso, "This means that I will be ending this now." Seloli shrugged out of the gi letting it flutter to the ground. Underneath, she wore a black body suit and a narrow belt. A belt which unwrapped itself, stretched out to its full length, and resettled tightly around her right leg.
TBC
A/N: In accordance with this site's policies on Review Responses, all previous responses have been removed and future responses will no longer be placed at the end of the chapters.
Thank you for reading my humble fic. –El-