??? 745, Orange Star City Tournament, Orange Star City
"And finally, Sam against Oki." I looked over at the one beside the announcer. He was considerably shorter than me. He wore glasses and had a bowl haircut. He was quivering about as much as I was.
He doesn't look very strong and he's looked pretty terrified. Why would he join the tournament if he's not confident? I guess I'm not one to talk.
Hopefully, he doesn't hold any hidden surprises or I'll be toast. "Alright, the rules are simple." The announcer got our attention back at him. "You will fight your chosen opponents so no switching partners before the battle. Secondly, in order to win the battle, your opponent must be thrown out of bounds. If he only collapse or faint, you must throw your opponents out of the ring. The rules forbid a challenger to kill their opponents or do anything to disable their opponents for life. A challenger must not cheat in any way possible. Is that clear?" He stated loudly for everyone in the room to hear.
The blond man stepped forward and questioned, "How much zeni do we get if we win?"
"We haven't told you guys? Darn, we really should work on being more organise." He mumbled to himself. "Well, it's around 100,000 zeni if I'm not mistaken."
Everyone was shocked to hear that. Except me that is. I have no idea how much a 100,000 zeni is.
"That's a lot! Alright, I'm winning this thing." The blond man stated confidently.
"All clear?" The announcer asked everyone for clarification. Everyone just nodded their heads. "Good. Head towards the door over there." He pointed to a door at the corner of the room. "Afterwards, just head down the hallway and take a left. You'll reach the arena there. Your names will be called out and you can start your match, the rest of you can watch from the side. Good luck."
"Luck? I don't need it, I'm gonna pummel whoever gets in my way." The blond man boasted as opened the door and went the path given. I'm starting to think there's a lot of assholes in the Dragon Ball universe.
The rest of us decided to follow the path given by the announcer. As we took a left, we were entranced by a similar stage like the World Tournament. Crowds of people were seated and cheering as we walked towards the ring. The arena was also open field like the World Tournament. The only difference was the size of the ring.
The people cheering cause me to feel more tense than before. The kid, Oki felt roughly the same way as he sweatdropped intensely. "And here are the challengers for our tournament!" A different announcer announced. He looked a little like the announcer for the World Tournament. Weird.
The crowd went wild after we walked out from the shadows. Some spectators gave us weird looks but I once again choose to ignore it. This is the exact same feeling when I first sang on stage for the singing competition. Don't ask me what happened.
"Please settle down. We're about to start our first match." The enthusiastic announcer insisted the spectators to calm down.
The announcer cleared his voice as he pulled out a card. "Our first match will be Yun against Joy!" Cheers were shared throughout the crowd once again before silencing themselves. "As you all know, Yun and Joy have been tough competitors fighting in our annual tournament. They gave their best and were very close in beating our champion." Champion? Why didn't I hear about this before? "Sadly, she can't make it due to certain events. But let's put that aside and begin our tournament!" She can't make it? Does this have something to do with the Red Ribbon Army?
Before I could think further, Yun and Joy walked onto the stage while the rest of us were told to keep to the side. The announcer got down the stage to make room for the two girls. Yun fancied a formal white gi that goes with a black belt. As for Joy, she wore some pretty casual clothes like a T-shirt and just some long jeans.
Yun and Joy took their place at their sides of the ring, getting in their preferred stance. Yun seem like she traded some words with Joy but I could barely make it out. I don't exactly have sharpened hearing. I leaned closer to try and make out what they are saying but to no avail. I really should stop trying to listen in.
Anyway, the match started as Yun came in and dive kick Joy, only for Joy to duck down. As Yun had noticed, she followed up with a right punch towards Joy's back but Joy dodged out of the way. Soon after...my eyes could not keep up with their skills. I'm an amateur at fighting.
All I could see were a furry of punches thrown towards each other and kicks were thrown into the mix. They kept going at it until Joy made a mistake and let her guard down. Yun managed to throw a punch, successfully hitting her in the gut, making Joy stagger. Yun took this chance to grapple her and push her out of the ring. Joy managed hold her balance at the edge of the arena.
Yun came rushing in to shove her out of bounds but what came next was unexpected. Joy stepped out of the way in time, making Yun the one who fell off instead. Yun made contact with the floor, assuring Joy's victory. "And there we have it, folks! The winner of this match is Joy!" Joy jumped for joy a little before stopping herself. She knew she had to win the rest of the challengers to get the prize money. She stepped down the stage and went back into the stadium. Yun got up and went into the stadium soon after.
"Don't cheer so fast yet, folks. Let's enjoy the rest of the tournament first, shall we?" The announcer emphasized on the word 'joy'. The crowd seem to get his bad pun and deadpanned. "Heh heh, sorry. Anyways, the next match will be Juyo and Itami!" Both Juyo and Itami got on stage, the spectators weren't as loud as before, in fact I heard some boos from them.
"Hey, what's with all these booing, huh? Come on, let's hear some cheers." Itami the blond man raised his hand to his ear, hoping to hear some cheers from the crowd. But it only managed to get a spectator to throw a can at him.
"Go back home, cheater!" The man who threw the can shouted.
"Hey, don't worry. I won't cheat this round because I have trained very hard." He smirked slightly. Oh yeah, that isn't ominous at all.
"Get in your position, Itami. We don't have all day. You better not cheat." The announcer pointed at Itami accusingly from below the ring.
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up. You said you don't have all day." Itami said as he got into his stance.
"Alright, we have Itami, the cheater on our left whose known for cheating in this tournament since last year. We allowed him in because we decided to give him a second chance. If anyone catches him cheating, please let us know." Itami glared at the announcer for his intro. "On our right, we have Juyo. This will be his first appearance so we may expect some great things from him." Juyo got into his position and crouched. His pose resembles Goku's and Yamcha's a lot. I feel a chill down my spine.
"Alright, let the match begin!" The announcer announced and stepped towards our side. Itami grinned and dash forward. He jumped upwards and slammed his hand on Juyo. Only for Juyo to sidestepped. Itami followed up with a punch that went for Juyo's shoulder. Juyo stepped back a little and punch went right in front of him instead.
Itami started to look slightly pissed as he throws a barrage of punches toward Juyo who just dodges them quickly. Juyo's speed was terrifying to say in the least. No, he wasn't fast, he was making moves that were efficient. He moved like fluid as he dodged every hit thrown at him. What suprised me was how my eyes managed to keep track of his movements. My eyes seem to have adjust slightly to rapid movement.
Itami got tired of sending fast blows as he started throwing heavy ones instead. This made Juyo dodged the blows easier. "Come on, counter already!" Itami swing his leg at Juyo. Juyo heed Itami's command as he grabbed onto Itami's leg. Itami freaked out as he tried to pull back his leg. Juyo grabbed his leg and pulled, making Itami backwards. Juyo let go of his leg as he tackled Itami on the ground, punching him repeatedly. My eyes could not keep up with the movement this time.
As it was shown that Itami could not fight back, Juyo grabbed the collar of his shirt and tossed him out of the ring. Juyo's victory was guaranteed. "U-uh...the winner is Juyo..." The announcer could not find the words for the brutal display he just witnessed. I looked over at Itami's laying body, he was barely recognizable. I feel concern for him now. Juyo walk into the stadium as Joy walked out. She glanced a little at Juyo before walking to our side.
"O-okay, folks! Let's move on to the next one. We have two long rivals who has yet to win our prize money for two whole years. They always end in a draw. Maybe today they can finally settle their score. Let's welcome, Shizu and Ken!" All the spectators started shouting and cheering loudly. Some even started citing their names as if they have already forgotten the previous match.
Shizu and Ken walked on the stage. Shizu threw away his hood and revealed his looks. All the female spectators started to scream in delight of seeing his face. "This is gonna be the time you're going down." Shizu called over to Ken. Huh?! I thought he was a quiet guy?! The Juyo guy seem more like the quiet one to me. Wait...rivalry. These two are like those characters who has never-ending rivalry.
"Let's see how strong you've gotten" Ken prepared herself. They're even talking out loud too.
"Time to begin!" Shizu dashed forward and punched Ken. Ken sidestepped and kicked Shizu in the ribs.
Shizu was kicked back, blood spilled from his mouth. Shizu regained his posture. "It that all you got?" I could hear them from here.
"That's only the beginning." Ken dashed forward and drop kicked Shizu. Shizu dodged and hit Ken in the back.
"Now we're even." Shizu commented They both shouted and clashed at each other, trading blows as equals. Every move they did were the same. The same blows were traded between them. A right for a right, a left for a left. Both of them were starting to get weaker with each hit. Both of them were taking the same damage and both of them were shouting at the top of their lungs. I had to cover my ears to prevent myself from getting deaf. Now this is the kind of anime battle I know.
Their fist finally collided at each other's cheeks, making them both fall on the floor. Most of the spectator didn't seem suprised as this is most probably something they've expected. "The match is a draw as usual." The announcer stated unamused. I looked over at him to see that he has stuffed some tissue into his ears. Both Shizu and Ken were carried down on stretchers.
He took out the tissues from his ears and tossed it to the side. "Okay, for our next match. We have two newcomers! They are Sam and Oki!!" Everyone cheered a little before silencing themselves. I need to put up a good show for them.
I got up on stage, Oki standing opposite me. I got into my stance, so did he. Both of our stance was off. We're clearly not meant for fighting. I still had to keep my guard up, there must be a reason why he got qualified. "Alright, our final match for the quarterfinals shall begin now!" I stood guard at my spot. He did the same.
We had stayed at our positions for several minutes. The spectators seem bored. This was not my idea of a good show. I decided to make the first move and dashed forward. Oki immediately got taken off guard, I punched hard into his ribs. He collapsed on the spot a little too fast. He curled up and started crying a little on the ground.
I thought he was going to dodge it. Did I hit too hard? "Bully! He's just a kid." Someone shouted from the crowd. This wasn't my intention. I decided to just drag him out of the ring.
However, something unexpected happened. As I was about to place him on the floor outiside the ring, Oki pulled me towards the edge of the ring. He kicked me in the back, making me topple over. Shit! I don't wanna lose that quickly!
I was going to lose until my body felt light. I feel like I could fly a little. My body pushed myself back up, barely standing on the edge. I sighed in relief. I looked back at him, his eyes went wide. He was shocked at how I was still in the ring. I was shocked too but I figured it had something to do with ki. "So it was just a trick, huh?" I said to him.
Oki paled a little. I dashed at him and tried punching him again. However, Oki ran and jumped out of the arena instead. Uhh...I won? "Oki has jumped out of the ring, making Sam the winner!" The announcer still confused as to why Oki just ran out. I was too. He only wins by trickery? He was pretty good at what he does though.
"Alright, that's the end of the quarterfinals! The challengers who made it in are Joy, Juyo and Sam. Sam will automatically make it into the finals as his opponents for the semi-finals has both been eliminated due to ending in a draw." I felt so lucky that I didn't have an opponent for the semi-finals. "Now, time for the semi-finals!"
Joy got on the stage. Juyo soon came out from the stadium and stood on stage as well. Joy got into a loose stance as Juyo kept his eyes on Joy. Both of them are good fighters howeverJoy is at a disadvantage in this battle. Juyo had seen what Joy could do but Joy had missed the match. Joy is in for a surprise.
"Begin!" Joy got a little closer as Juyo kept his position. Juyo didn't move a inch, he didn't even got into a stance. Joy suddenly moved in quick and tried jabbing Juyo's head, shoulder and rib simultaneously but Juyo moved his head back a little while blocking the two that was aimed for his shoulder and ribs. Joy switched her footing and kicked Juyo, Juyo grabbed her leg like he did to Itami.
Joy didn't try to pull her leg back instead kicked Juyo's head. Juyo let go of her leg as he clutched his head slightly. She took this chance and punched Juyo's body rapidly. Juyo withstand the hits and grabbbed Joy's head and used his knee to hit it. Joy stepped back, her footing loosened. She looked a little dizzy. Juyo rushed at her and punched her in the face. She spun around in the air before hitting the ground. Joy tried getting up but her body said otherwise.
Juyo grabbed her by her hair and dragged her body over to the edge. He dropped her body out of the ring. Everyone was scared at Juyo's performance. The announcer's jaw was wide opened. He was terrified of Juyo. I was more scared than everyone else because I was gonna fight him next.
"The winner is J-Juyo, let us rest for 10 m-minutes before we start our next match." The announcer somehow managed to speak out.
~~~
I sat down on a bench in the stadium. My hands were shivering as I was holding a soda drink offered to me by the announcer. I never felt this nervous before. I should've known that this was a bad idea to join the tournament. If Joy, a actual martial artist couldn't defeat him, what chance do I have?
"So you're here." A voice came from my left. My blood ran cold as I turned my head. I saw Juyo standing beside me, his eyes glaring at me seriously. "I have not seen your battle but I hope you're a challenge." A chill ran down my spine. Shit! I shouldn't have kept my eye on Shizu, this guy is the one I should've kept my eye on. I chose to keep silent as I do not know how to respond. "I hate people who take martial arts as a joke. They treat them as entertainment. I hope you're not the same. Goodbye. For now." He walked away, leaving me as still as a statue.
Fuck! What have I done? Why can't I just get a normal job? He hates people who treats martial arts like a joke?! I'm so screwed! I need to practice my ki! It's my only chance at winning this thing. I laid my hand on my lap, my palm facing the ceiling. I focused my energy onto my palm, waiting for something to happen. I tried so hard but nothing happened.
There were only a few times where my ki came into play and it was only during emergency moments. I didn't want to wait until then. What if was eliminated before I even have a chance to use ki? What do I do?
"Hey, the match is starting." I heard the previous announcer's voice. I looked up to see him. "It's time for you to go." It's time. I got up and threw my partially empty can into the trash can. I could not drink much due to my nervousness. I'm not sure if I'm ready but I knew I have to do it.
I have to win.
~~~
??? 745, Yamcha's hideout, Desert
(Yamcha's POV)
I have gotten a few good grabs today. People should have been more careful when they cross here. Well, their loss, my win. That guy that I saved yesterday, I didn't knew he would want to live with a bandit like me. He must have been pretty desperate. He seem older than me, my 12th birthday is soon arriving. I have always been living alone and celebrating my own birthdays. Maybe he could celebrate it with me.
Did he have his breakfast this morning?
~~~
A/N: Finally, I have finished with chapter 3. For some reason, the more I write this, the more it feels less Dragon Ball-ish? I mean so far the battles had been pretty normal. No bright ki performances. Only in future chapters there might be 'light' shows. Anyway,
Here you go,
Joy: 8
Yun: 7
Itami: 6 (drug enchaced) 7
Juyo: 8
Shizu: 8
Ken: 8
Sam: 5
Oki: 4
Yes. Juyo and Joy have the same power levels. However, Juyo was more brutal and quick witted, making him stronger. Besides, Juyo had already seen Joy's moves. And yes, Itami's actually took drugs before the battle. That's why he was grinning, he thought he will win but sadly, Juyo was more superior. That's all for today, hope you guys enjoy.