The group of Z fighters marched into the preliminary round building to see over a hundred other fighters all vying for a chance to fight out on the main arena. "Now," began the announcer, the same man who had narrated the previous tournaments, "the preliminaries will go as follows, every one of the 128 fighters here will be put into one of 16 blocks, with the winner of each block advancing to fight in the main tournament in front of all the adoring fan!" The was a cheer from the group of fighters at that. "Well," continued the announcer, "with the large number of participants this year I expect many awesome fights. Now, if you all would come get a number so we can set up the blocks and start this tournament!"
As the balding man finished, fighters began stepping forward to get their positions in the tournament. "I'm in block 8," Goku announced, "what about you guys?"
"Block 15," replied the saiyan's eldest son as he reached for his glasses out of habit, which were not there as he took them off before the tournament.
"Block 4," Goten continued, smiling widely, "What about you, Trunks?" the half-saiyan finished, turning to his childhood friend.
"I got block 7" the lavender-haired warrior replied.
"I'm in block 2," Krillin excitedly put in, "looks like I may have lucked out, not being put in the same block as any of you."
"Block 9," 18 said with the usual disinterested look on her face.
"I was put in block 1," interjected Vegeta, "good, I can get this over with quickly."
"I got number 3," squealed Pan, jumping up until she was eye level with her father.
As the group continued to walk through the large mob of fighters, Krillin made a discovery, "Hey! I'd recognize the bald back of that head anywhere, Tien!"
The Tri-clops turned to see many of his friends gathered, "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" he asked as chiaotzu hovered beside him.
"Oh, we just came to test ourselves against the world's greatest fighters, like always," The midget warrior joked, "what about you?"
"We came out of curiosity to see how the event had changed since we were here last," The bald warrior explained, "and I guess a bit out of nostalgia." he added as he looked around.
"Yeah," Goku spoke up, " it's too bad Piccolo destroyed the island all those years ago, they changed a lot when they rebuilt everything."
The large green warrior scowled a little at the memory, A different time, to be sure the namekian thought to himself.
"What blocks are you guys in?" Gohan asked the pair.
"I'm in block 5," Tien answered straightforwardly, "and Chiaotzu is in block 15." Everyone stared at Chiaotzu, "What?" Tien inquired, "do one of you have that block too?"
"Isn't that the one…" Trunks trailed off as he turned towards Gohan, who had a bit of a solemn look on his face, "yeah, I thought so."
"It's ok," the floating midget assured, "with how many of us there are, it's amazing more of us weren't in the same blocks. I'll still try my best," the black capped warrior raised his fist towards Gohan, who nodded in agreement.
"Ok!" The group heard from the podium, "It's time we get started, will all the contestants from block one come forward to begin the matches." Vegeta walked wordlessly towards the ring in the center of the room as the announcer continued, "Now remember, the rules of the tournament are as follows. First, when the match starts both fighters will fight one on one until one fighter loses. You lose by touching the ground outside the ring, being unconscious for a count of 10, or giving up. There are no weapons, and you will be disqualified if you use them. Groin and eye shots are forbidden. Finally, under no circumstances are you allowed to kill your opponent. Now, if I can get fighters one and two of the first block to come to the ring, we can begin the preliminaries!" The aged announcer finished his monologue by raising his free hand in exclamation.
The fights of the first block were altogether unremarkable, with a certain spiky haired saiyan easily defeating his opponents and securing a spot for himself in the main tournament. "... and Vegeta wins his final match, moving on to the main tournament!" the victorious warrior marched back to the general vicinity of the other z-fighters.
"Good job, Vegeta" his rival exclaimed happily, raising his right hand in a congratulatory gesture.
The prince of saiyans turned his head away, "Wasn't even a fight," he said with his signature scowl.
"Now…" the group heard the announcer from across the room, "If I could get the fighters of block two to come forward, we will start the next phase of the preliminaries!"
"That's my cue, wish me luck!" Krillin joked as he ran towards the ring, After several matches the short martial artist also advanced to the finals. The next group included Pan and, to everyone's amazement, the 4-year-old easily dispatched her opponents as well. Then came Goten's first match in block 4.
"Here we go," the teenage warrior stepped into the ring, His opponent was young man, possibly 25 or so, and was a bit taller than Goten was.
"That guy look kinda familiar," the saiyan's father scratched his head, trying to remember.
"And, fight!" called the announcer, beginning the fight. The dark-complexioned fighter took a fighting stance.
"I will make my grandfather proud!" yelled the messy-haired young man. The human charged, much faster than most people in the room could follow. Goten smirked, easily evading his much slower opponent, though surprised at the power of said opponent.
"He's pretty strong," Observed Piccolo, "He could certainly beat Hercule in his prime, though not exactly easily." Goten continued to dodge effortlessly, angering the other fighter.
"Stop playing now!" the adult martial artist yelled at the saiyan, "I will not stand for this!" Suddenly, the fighter began moving his arms so fast, he seemed to have eight of them, "Try to play with this!" he charged, his attacks picking up speed. This was to no avail however, as Goten continued to dodge every attack.
"Oh, I remember now!" Goku exclaimed as everyone turned to him, "he looks and fights like he must be related to King Chappa!"
"Now that you mention it, he does share a resemblance," Krillin agreed, "Ha! I remember when a fact like that would have worried me, but Goten's got this in the bag."
As if on cue Goten backed away from his opponent, "you want me to stop playing? fine," he warned, then disappeared. The human fighter looked around trying to find him, just to be karate-chopped in the back of the neck, knocking the impressive fighter out.
"The winner is Goten!" The announcer called after a count of 10. Goten left the ring with a big grin on his face, as his opponent was removed by medical staff. Goten went on to defeat every other opponent in a similar way, though they were not as impressive as his first.
"Will the participants of block 5 step forward for their preliminary fights!" called the announcer as Goten marched back to the group of Z-fighters as a finalist.
Tien smiled, "Well, it's my turn now," the triclops said as he walked up to the group of preliminary fighters. When he was out of earshot he said under his breath, "man, this is nostalgic." Tien easily defeated all his opponents, advancing to the final rounds. Afterwards the fighters watched the sixth block, none of them we in it, as a very large man with a long braid became the finalist.
"Block 7 fighters, please come forward!" called the blond announcer. Trunks confidently walked forward, rotating his arm at the shoulder in a warm-up gesture. He easily became a finalist.
"My turn!" Goku exclaimed as his block was called up. Goku easily defeated his first opponent. Then, he walked into the ring with his second opponent, a tall, tan colored man with a turban and a thick black beard. "Wait, Nam?" Goku asked, recognizing the fighter.
"What?" The puzzled martial artist responded instantly, "yes, and you're...Goku!" He finally remembered. "It's been so long!"
"Yeah it has!" Goku agreed, "how have you bee…"
"Um, guys," the announcer interrupted, "sorry to interrupt, but you guys are holding up the tournament. Can we get to the fight?"
"Yes," Nam smiled, "I want to test myself against you Goku! I know I can go all out from the start!" Nam charged.
"Ok," Goku stood motionless as Nam approached, then easily dodged his repeated strikes. "Wow, you sure have gotten stronger!" Goku exclaimed, "You're way stronger than I was when we first fought"
Nam paused, panting, "Why, then, can I not hit you?" the older warrior asked, crouching for his next attack.
"Well, I've grown stronger too!" The messy haired saiyan charged, far faster than his opponent could see, and lightly punched him in the gut. The aged warrior doubled over and was sent flying outside the ring, landing in a heap on the ground.
As the announcer declared Goku the winner, Nam sat up. Holding his gut, he smiled, "Wow, you really are on a whole other level," the turbaned fighter replied. Goku walked over to the old friend and helped him up, and they both walked over to the group of Z-fighters. With a mix of catching up with Nam and fighting another round, the saiyan warrior advanced to the finals.
18 easily advanced through her block, entering the finals as well. Block 10 was won by a young man with long brown hair and an orange bandanna named Nok. While the eleventh block was underway, Goku got a tap on the shoulder, "Excuse me," and deep voice came from above the saiyan as he turned to see a giant man behind him, "are you Goku?"
"Yes, I am" Goku looked up at the man's face, trying to remember who this was. He was tall with lightly tanned skin, very muscular, and had blue markings on his cheeks. "But, who are you?" Goku asked, puzzled.
"Oh, yes, you must not recognize me," Began the large stranger, "it's me, Upa!"
Goku almost fell over, "Upa! Your huge!" The saiyan exclaimed, " and it looks like you've been training."
A smile spread over the huge warrior's face, "Yes, I have, and I finally climbed Korin tower like I always said I would!"
"Really!?" Goku yelled excitedly, "That awesome! I am so happy for you!" After calming for a moment, Goku became a bit puzzled, "But why didn't Korin tell me?" the tall man wondered aloud.
"Oh, I asked him to keep it a secret, I wanted to surprise you." The large fighter explained, "I want a match with you, though I have seen you are much stronger than I am."
The two old friends reminisced as the eleventh block came to an end, with a man wearing a chicken suit coming out as the victor.
"Will the fighters of the twelfth block come forward!" called the announcer over the crowd.
"That's me!" Upa grinned, walking towards the ring. The first match fighters stepped into the ring. One was a young adult man in a white gi, and the other was the child Goku had seen previously at the sign-up station. He was wearing a pair of white, loose fitting pants and a brown sash over his shoulder. When the match began, the first fighter charged the child, who just stood there. A solid kick to the stomach set the child skidding back several feet.
"What? how did he not fly out of the ring?" The adult warrior asked aloud, "well, no matter, this next attack will end this. This kid is too terrified to fight back." He was right, the dark tan-skinned child was terrified, his whole body shaking.
"Come on," Goku called encouragingly, "you can do it!" The kid's opponent charged, readying a right punch to the child's face. At the last second the boy ducked under the fist, and countered with his own to his opponent's ribs. The latter was sent flying out of the ring, creating a crack in the brick wall with his body. The boy looked at his fist, astounded at what had just transpired.
"And the winner is Uub!" The announcer called, "Can I get the next fight's participants in the ring!"
Vegeta turned to his rival, "Kakarot, why did you encourage that kid, you hadn't done anything like that for any other fighters, even for Pan."
"Oh, Pan doesn't need the help, but I do have a reason," Goku responded, "That boy is the reason I came."
"What?!" The spiky haired saiyan retort disbelievingly, "that child? Why, what so special about him? He does seem strong for a human, but what is so special about him?"
"Listen," Goku began, "when I was finishing Majin Buu all those years ago, I made a request. I asked that he come back as a good person, and King Yemma granted my request. That child is the result."
"Really? How can you be so sure?" Vegeta countered, still not believing.
"Look at his name, 'Uub' is Buu spelled backwards, if that doesn't prove it, I don't know what does." Goku replied with a shrug, "I guess we will have to see for ourselves."
Vegeta turned back to the fighting still not convinced. Upa easily beat his first two opponents, and Uub beat his second opponent with much more confidence than his first.
The two fighter stepped into the ring, "Good luck," Upa smiled at his opponent, "you may need it."
"Oh, I don't plan on losing now," The boy smiled, expecting this match to be the same as the others. He charged, faster than most fighters could follow, but his kick met Upa's crossed arms. Upa retaliated by grabbing his unexpecting opponent's leg and throwing him onto the ground of the ring, cracking a tile. The young fighter recovered and charged again, more carefully this time. He punched his much larger adversary's left leg, causing him to lose balance. Using the downward momentum, Upa hammered both fists down on Uub, who blocked with his arms crossed above his head.
"Oh, Wow!" Tien commented while the two fighters continued their relentless assault, "They are both almost as strong as I was when I first fought here!" Genuinely impressed, the experienced martial artist noted mentally that while one fighter had a slight edge in power, the other had greater technique. The blows continued, neither fighter giving ground. Uub pushed off the ground with his hands, kicking the opponent's chin, but Upa stopped his fall and grabbed his enemy around the waist. Preparing to throw the mohawked fighter outside the ring, he lifted the child up. Uub used the position to slam his heels down on the giant fighter's head. The struck warrior dropped his opponent and the latter took advantage of the opportunity. He jumped off the ground and slammed into the dazed warrior's stomach with both fists out in front of him.
The fight became a grind, Uub's successful attacks slowly damaging his opponent, but Upa was able to block and counter most the attacks. Both broke combat, breathing heavily. Here's where it ends Goku thought to himself. The larger warrior charged once again, pulling back both his arms,then slamming them forcefully into Uub's. It became a test of strength, and Uub's exhaustion and lack of discipline showed. Upa began pushing the smaller fighter back. Step by step, Uub drew closer to the edge of the ring.
Feeling the corner of the ring under his heel, Uub began to lose hope of victory, I may be the strongest in my village by far, but obviously there are stronger people in the world. I can't win. He began to slip back the last few inches. "No!" he exclaimed suddenly, " I can't let my village down! They are counting on me! I can't let them down!" He screamed. Digging into reserves he didn't know he had, he began to push is overwhelmingly large opponent backwards. Faster and faster he pushed Upa back while the latter tried to break contact, but Uub held fast. By the time they reached the other side of the ring Uub was at a run and, still holding on, he jumped off the edge of the ring, landing on top of Upa as the latter hit the ground.
"His power just doubled for a moment there!" Krillin stared, wide-eyed.
"The winner of block 12 is Uub!" The announcer called out, " and what a match that was!"
The thirteenth block was won by a blond haired fighter sporting a white collared shirt named Nareg. Then, the fourteenth block was called up, and a familiar pink fighter walked into the room. The group greeted Buu, who went on to easily win his place in the finals.
"Ok, we're almost done folks, can I get the fighters of block fifthteen to come forward!" announced the referee. Chiaotzu and Gohan moved towards the ring through the group of fighters who remained. Both z-warriors defeated their first two opponents, then faced each other in the final bout.
"I know you are much stronger than me," began the midget, " but power isn't everything!" the white-skinned warrior thrust both arms out in front of himself. Suddenly Gohan felt his stomach flip inside his body, causing him great pain. The taller warrior knelt down, clutching his stomach. Chiaotzu phased into view behind his opponent, kicking him in the back, Gohan did his best to resist the attack, but his focus was on his stomach. The saiyan stopped just short of the edge of the ring.
Then, persisting through the pain, Gohan turned and stood up, "You know, that technique has only a limited effect on opponents much stronger than you," the scholar explained, his brow still furrowed in concentration.
Suddenly, Chiaotzu's power shot up, then the short human disappeared from view. Pulling back both arms, he bent his fingers and pushed them into the pain-relieved Gohan's back, "Dodon Barrage!" Shouted the human martial artist, as all ten fingers shot rays point blank into the adult saiyan's back, burning through his clothes easily.
Gohan grimaced in pain, but he turned, much faster than his opponent could react, and grabbed the latter's arms. "Good try," Gohan grinned, "If I had been at your level, that might have worked, but that was little more than a sting to me." The tall saiyan threw his opponent to the ground outside the ring. Though Chiaotzu tried to recover mid-air, he lightly touched the ground before he could stop.
"Gohan is the winner!" Cried the familiar voice of the announcer, "Can I get the last block to come up to the ring." Piccolo and the remaining non-finalists stepped up, and the Namekian unsurprisingly passed to the finals.
"OK, now that we have our finalists, it's time to show them to our fans!" The middle-aged man led the way out of the building, and to the entrance of the stadium. He ran on ahead to the ring where other officials were waiting with a tournament bracket set up in front of them. "Ladies and gentlemen," began the announcer, "welcome to the world martial arts championship!" He was met with an enormous roar from the crowd. "Here are the finalists that have passed the preliminary rounds!" he continued with a hand gesture in the fighter's direction as they walked up.
"Hey, Goten," Trunks said, elbowing his friend, "who was it that won last time we fought here?"
"That was last time." Retorted Goten with a smirk, " This time will be different."
"Here they are," the announcer continued, "The greatest fighters in the world! Each one is vying for the right to face Mister Satan in the championship match. Who will it be? Now it's time for the fighters to draw lots to determine their position in the tournament bracket! Can Wild Tiger come forward!" The announcer finished, pausing as the very large human stepped forward and drew a two.
Goku nudged Majin Buu, "Hey, Buu, can I ask you a favor? I want you to change the lot numbers so I can fight a certain person in the first round."
As the bandanna wearing Nok drew a four, Buu responded, "Sure, OK. Buu do!"
"It's not like you to break the rules, Kakarot," Vegeta stated, his arms crossed in familiar fashion.
"I know," the messy haired saiyan replied, "but I want to fight him in the first match, that way were both at one hundred percent.
"five" The announcer called out, "Captain Chicken pulled a five."
As the blond human nareg stepped up to pull a 12, Buu turned to Goku, "Is it time for Buu to use magic now?"
"Not yet," replied Goku, "there are still plenty of slots left, I'll let you know when."
Pan was called forward next, "I got a one!" She exclaimed, "I'm number 1!"
"Krillin!" The announcer called as the short human stepped forward, drawing a 3. Tien pulled a seven, and then 18 pulled an eight.
Then Uub was called up, "Ok now, Buu" Goku notified the Majin, "make this guy's number a 16." Buu made it so. Then Piccolo stepped up, "Make his a ten," Goku instructed. Goten went to get his, Buu causing him to pull a 14.
"Goku" The announcer called out.
"Ok, Buu, Make mine a 15." Goku asked his friend. After he pulled the lot, he returned to the Pink monster's side, "Thanks, Buu. I don't care what the rest are." Buu nodded in understanding.
After all the lots were pulled, the announcer turned to the crowd, "OK, we have all the preparations done! We can finally start the tournament!" He was met with huge applause. "The first rounds are," continued the man when the crowd had died down, "Pan vs. Wild Tiger, Krillin vs. Nok, Captain Chicken vs. Gohan, Tien vs. 18, Trunks vs. Piccolo, Vegeta vs. Nareg, Buu vs. Goten, and finally Goku vs. Uub. Now, let begin the World's Martial Arts Tournament!"
Thank you for reading my second chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I liked the call back to older Dragonball characters, especially Upa who I always felt was never revisited when he should have been. Feel free to review.
R: This is absolutely amazing! I have never read Dragon Ball Z writing that I liked, other than the original. I love how you write the canon characters. This is really cool to read because I feel like the real characters are here on a new adventure. Fantastic writing!
A: Thank you! I hope to live up to your expectations and create a story you can enjoy!
R: This has a lot of potential. It is still early, but I hope it gets all the love it deserves. You depict the characters as they should behave and have decent writing skills. I hope you will stay motivated and I will be awaiting further updates. Kudos~
A: Thank you! I hope to give this as much love as it deserves, improve my writing, and create an enjoyable story.