Chapter 7- "Tenkaichi Budokai" (Curbstomp Maximus)

Nam pondered. And pondered. And drew a number. And pondered.

"Match one! Piccolo Daimao vs. Tienshinhan!" screamed the golden haired announcer.

"I forfeit."

Nam pondered.

"I forfeit." said a dice headed monk.
"Me too." said the bandit of Diablo Desert.
"I was here to just fill the bracket." chided the old Turtle Hermit.
"Count me out." said a tiny, chalky white, floating man.

"Alright, well, I suppose only 2 contestants remain in the first round. Contestant Nam! Contestant Son Goku! Do either of you wish to forfeit?"

Nam looked up. He realized that since everyone forfeited before the numbers were selected for the next match, he now had the opportunity to fight Goku.

"Hell no, announcer! I can't forfeit now!" Nam could see through the window a tall man stepped out of the doorway. Even though he was no longer the height of a child, he could tell this young man was Son Goku. The spike headed man looked over to the window Nam stood at. "What about you? Want to take a shot at me before I fight Piccolo?"

Nam silently nodded and ran out to the arena. At least, that's how it appeared to the Z-Fighters. To everyone else, it appeared he simply materialized out of thin air, though the audience knew from previous tournaments it was just the extraordinary speed of the contestants.

"Well then, without further ado, shall we start the first and last match of the first round?" shouted the announcer.

Goku and Nam each super-sped into their places, taking a battle stance. Goku stood low, bent forward. One arm was pointed down, while the other was stretched behind him pointed upwards. Nam stood in a more traditional battle stance.

"BEGIN!"

Nam rushed forwards, going after Goku with a palm strike. Goku caught it, flipping Nam over, quickly turning around to face him. As Nam landed, all he could see as a blue and orange blur streak at him. The next thing he knew, he was hurtling back towards the arena's edge. He landed, dug his feet into the arena- literally- and threw one hand forward. He turned his palm outwards and place his other hand on it like a support. "HAAAAAAAAA!"

While Goku rushed, he was caught off guard by the golden beam coming from Nam's hand. 'That's new.'

Goku, however, was too fast and somersaulted over the golden beam. As he approached Nam, he used his ki to reorient himself, and swiftly spin-kicked Nam out of the ring.

"Hey, that was pretty good Nam. Learning how to use ki without someone like Master Roshi or the Crane Hermit is pretty impressive!" Goku walked over to were Nam had landed, offering him a hand.

"Perhaps it would've been better for me to not attempt to fight you. I knew I would fail, but your power was overwhelming," stated Nam, accepting Goku's hand.

"Heheh! Thanks! But you were pretty strong too. I didn't think you'd have an Energy Wave inside of you," Goku cheerfully complimented.

"It took me much time to master it, Goku. Perhaps you will show me the Kamehameha after the Tenkaichi Budokai. It seems far more efficient," Nam replied.

"Sure, as long as I'm not too weak to do one!" Though he spoke with his usual upbeat tone, something about his words seemed... unconfident, as if he expected to be in critical condition by the end of the Tournament.

"Ahem," came over the loud speakers. Goku and Nam looked over at the Announcer. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I believe most of the audience, the participants and the viewers at home would like to move on, and learn the fate of all of us." In typical fashion, the Announcer's tone never faltered from his own strong, upbeat voice.

"Yes, of course. Goodbye, Son Goku. I hope to see you sometime after the Tenkaichi Budokai." He bowed and walked out of the ring, before turning back. "And Goku, I hope you are able to teach me the Kamehameha after the Tournament. Because that will mean you will have achieved an easy victory."

"You have a funny way of saying good luck, Nam," Goku said, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, a very funny way indeed," boomed a voice from the sky.

Descending down, King Piccolo tac'd onto the marble grid that was the ring. As the Demon King, he made himself stand at an imposing 2.5 meters (or a little over 8 feet, for those of you readers from the the area around Kami's Lookout), making him look like a monster. More than he already did that is. Goku turned around to face him, and then looked up at him, and then up some more, because 2.5 meters is really tall.

'This mortal, Son Goku... This is the one who escaped my grasp. The one who nearly killed me. No, the one who would've killed me.' He clenched him fist, purple blood coming out of the holes dug into his hand by his claw like fingernails, running down onto his folded arms. 'This time, I shall assert my powerful. I shall prove I am King of Demons and King of the Earth.'

'Man... Did he get taller? Or did he get shorter, and I actually haven't grown. The tension between us... Sparks could practically be forming between our eyes. I can almost see the glow forming in his eyEOOH CRAP!' Goku sped out of the way as a pair of beam charred the arena tiles right behind him, seeming to ignite the air where his head and neck had been. "HEY! The fight hasn't started yet!"

"My sincerest apologies." Piccolo Daimao most insincerely said. "My burning hatred for you seemed to slip out into the world." The iciness in his voice could've uncharred the arena.

On the sidelines, the Z-Fighters seemed to be trying to look inconspicuous, embarrassed by Goku's almost childish behavior.

"Same as ever." Tien said, all three eyes closed.

"I taught him everything I knew. Except for discipline. That I could never teach Goku," said the perverted Roshi, who "hid his face" with the first issue of "Mangagirls", a spinoff of "Playboy", illustrated by Toyotaro and Akira Toriyama.

"It could be worse,"added Goku's best friend from underneath the window of the contestant building.

"If it did, we'd have to do more than just duck under the window," the equally short Chiaotzu said, also taking advantage of his stature.

"Well, at least we don't have any demonspawn to fight. So, if Goku starts losing and looking like a bigger idiot, we can help him," the scarred bandit pointed out with slight enthusiasm.

"Out of who is more impressive in terms of presence, it's definitely Piccolo," said Bulma, who had just walked in.

"How'd you get into this room? This is only for contestants?" questioned Krillin.

"That'd be me." Launch walked in, wearing a Capsule Corp. brand boxing glove. "Though, I don't think you cowards deserve this room if its Contestants only."

"Hey, this was our plan the entire time! We just wanted to keep people out of the bracket to protect them," Krillin retorted, trying to defend himself. It didn't help his case that Chiaotzu, Roshi, and Yamcha all looked away.

"Whatever." Launch walked out closing the door. She then bent over and pillaged the guard's unconscious form, taking all the money he had.

"Well, Goku, time to end this. Round 2..." Piccolo simply stood there, unmoving, unblinking, still as a statue.

"Yeah. Let's do it." Goku crouched down into a low battle stance.

"Let the Final Match of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai... BEGIN!"

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! Sorry it took a lot longer to do this chapter. School and stuff just slowing me down. I'm going to try not to wait so long between chapters. I have another story idea, but I've already got this going, and it's not a short story that would fit in my Tales from the Multiverse. So, I guess it'll wait. It'll give me time to think more about it, though.

As for TftM, I'm going to try to finish the first one (Prince of Destruction) and then I'm going to write "The Cold War". Hope you all enjoy it.

... I feel like I need to make a joke.

Hmmmm...

Donald Trump: "If I am not elected King of Earth, it will be proof that that blue carenterrier is rigging the elections. I will Zama-sue the World Government if I don't win. Supporters. Go out, and collect the Dragon Balls. Wish to make Dragon World great again. And by that I mean, make Trump King of Dragon World. I mean, come on, do you think Shenron can do it? He's just some illegal alien. I alone, can make Dragon World great again."

Yamcha: "Holy crap, this guy is worse than Mr. Satan."

Tien: "He does realize that we don't elect a new king unless the current one dies or abdicates, right?"

Anyone? Not funny? Okay, I'll go write stories now...