Author's Note: Here we are everyone! I apologize for the updates on this story not being very...scheduled, for lack of a better word. I have learned that I need to focus on one story at a time versus trying to write multiple ones at a time, ha! Anyway, thank you all for being patient, and I hope you enjoy!
Best,
~Dragonwing
Ch. 7 – The Tournament Begins
The Guardian Porgia stood on the balcony overlooking the garden paths that stretched out behind the reception hall, feeling the cool night breeze blow across her face. The opening ceremony had gone rather well, people were excited about the start of the tournament the following day, and now it seemed that Vegeta and Flare had acknowledged their feelings for one another. Her telepathic perception had picked up on the change in both of the warriors' moods before they'd even made it back to the party. They had walked back into the reception hall hand-in-hand, startling many of the other Earth visitors, but merely confirming the suspicions of Bulma and the other two Guardians. Porgia had congratulated them both before moving out of the way to let the others share their reactions to the sudden pairing.
Having retreated into the solitude of the night, she allowed herself to let her mind drift, thinking fondly of how much she had been hoping for Flare to find happiness like this. She had often seen flashes of the Saiyan Prince in Flare's memories, particularly when the redhead was feeling anxious or overwhelmed, and now he had returned to her life. Porgia leaned against the balcony railing, feeling the cold silk material of her sari shift and reform against the marble. She stayed that way for several long, uninterrupted minutes before a rustle of cloth alerted her to the presence of someone else beside her.
"Hello, Piccolo." Porgia said without opening her eyes.
"Did you read my mind?" The Nemak asked, amused.
"No," She smiled and shook her head. "I could just feel you coming."
"I see." He turned and leaned his back against the railing next to her. After sitting in silence for a while, Piccolo inclined his head down towards her and spoke again. "So I take it you weren't surprised by Vegeta and Flare's new…relationship?"
"Nope," Porgia finally opened her eyes and turned her violet gaze up at him. "I saw it coming a long time ago."
"Thought so," The Nemak chuckled and shook his head. "I've been around the Saiyans long enough that I really shouldn't be surprised by anything they do anymore but…"
"But you continue to be in a constant state of shock?" She giggled, turning so that she was facing the same direction he was.
"Something like that." Piccolo crossed his arms, gazing through the windows at the opening reception that was finally beginning to break up.
They stood in companionable silence for a while longer, watching the people mill about as the crowd began to disperse. "Are you looking forward to the start of tournament?" Porgia asked suddenly.
He seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "Of course…it's a chance to compete against the best fighters in the universe, is it not? Why do you ask?"
"No reason," She shrugged and straightened up off of the railing. Piccolo watched out of the corner of his eye as she adjusted her gown, the silk material rippled beneath her fingers like water. "Ready to get the last of this dreaded event over with?" Her violet eyes shone with laughter, though she tried to keep her voice even.
Piccolo nodded, chuckling to himself as he followed the telepathic Guardian back into the reception hall.
OOOOOOOOOO
The following morning found all of the residents of the yellow Guardian house up at dawn to prepare for the first day of the tournament. As it turned out, Goku and Piccolo were the only ones out of their group who even had a match that day. So many fighters had shown up for the competition that the first round of matches had to be split between two different days of fighting.
"You're going to win for sure, dad!" Goten crowed, popping up onto the edge of the kitchen island to grab a piece of bacon that Avery had just prepared.
"Yeah, and it'll be fun to watch all of the other matches too!" Trunks agreed as his friend tossed him down a slice of bacon as well.
"Thanks, guys!" Goku grinned around his own massive amount breakfast.
"Karkarott, could you manage to not talk with food in your mouth for once?" Vegeta scoffed as he strode into the room. The Saiyan prince accepted the cup of coffee Flare handed him and casually wrapped an arm around her waist. He had come to the conclusion the night before that if he was going to enter into whatever type of relationship he and the Incendian woman had, he might as well go all in regardless of what the others thought.
Porgia smiled and shook her head before heading out of the kitchen with two mugs of tea in hand. She wove her way through the people congregated in the living room and used her mental powers to push the front door open. Piccolo and Zero were in their customary seats on the front porch, getting in one last bit of mediation before the tournament started. Porgia placed one of the mugs on the porch railing in front of Zero, and then moved over to the chair Piccolo occupied, nudging the Namek on the shoulder with the warm cup. He cracked an eye open and looked up the short distance that separated them.
"Yes?" Piccolo rumbled, his mind still making its way back from his meditative state.
"Green tea." She said simply and waited for him to take the mug out of her hands.
He raised an eye ridge at her but said nothing as he wrapped one long-fingered hand around the cup and took it gently from her. Porgia nodded once and leaned on the porch railing between Piccolo and Zero's chairs. The rising sun glinted off of her violet hair, giving her an amethyst toned halo. Piccolo smelled the steaming liquid and took a sip, it was definitely green tea but there was some other underlying flavor that he couldn't identify.
"Thank you," He said after draining half of the mug, noting the pleasant sensation of hot tea moving down his throat and into his stomach. The tea seemed to settle there and radiate out a feeling of contentment and increased energy. "What else was in it?"
"You could taste that?" Porgia asked, her purple eyes showing the slightest hint of surprise. "I use so little that most people don't even notice it." She grinned. "Lilac."
"Lilac?" Piccolo glanced down into the murky green liquid before downing the rest of it. That satisfying feeling in his stomach intensified slightly before settling into something a little less noticeable.
"It wards off bad energy." The telepath explained. She used a tiny ball of ki to re-warm the mug that Zero had yet to touch before turning back to Piccolo.
"Did you offer Goku some of this?" He smirked.
She shrugged. "I did, but he said that he doesn't usually prefer green tea." The guardian chuckled and hopped off of the railing before taking the empty mug from him. "I'm sure he'll be fine though, that man has optimism in spades." Porgia moved behind Zero's chair and gently ruffled the meditating young man's hair. "Time to wake up now, darling. Drink your tea."
Zero opened his dark grey eyes and tilted his head back to look at her. "Yes, mother." He grinned up at her as she lightly flicked the back of his head before going back inside the house. The pale young man smiled wryly at the Namek beside him before picking up his own cup of tea and taking a large sip. "She makes me drink this nearly every day." He remarked casually.
Piccolo didn't answer right away. The way Zero had responded to Porgia's request reminded him of something they'd been told on their first day on Terra. "Did Porgia really raise you?" He asked cautiously.
"Yes, she did." Zero nodded, the fully risen sun glinted off of the small horn on his forehead. "Porgia is the closest person I've had to a parent."
"She doesn't seem like she's old enough to have raised another person," Piccolo mused, his brow knit in confusion. "Unless she simply doesn't age quickly, like Flare or the Saiyans."
"It's partially that," Zero nodded in agreement. "The telepaths live for a very long time, although I'd venture to say she's far older than you might guess. She's most certainly older than anyone in your group from Earth."
"What?" The Namek's head snapped up. "That seems unlikely. I myself am over fifty Earth years old."
"Oh, she is much older than that." Zero grinned again. "But don't tell her I mentioned that, she doesn't like for people to feel uncomfortable about her age."
Piccolo was saved from having to respond any further by Goku bounding out onto the porch. "We're getting ready to leave!" The tall Saiyan was practically vibrating from all of the excitement over the tournament starting. "Are you ready, Piccolo?"
The Namek stood smoothly and nodded at the other warrior. "Of course."
OOOOOOOOOO
A massive stadium had been built in honor of the Terra's first Intergalactic Tournament. It was large enough to accommodate three different matches at one time, with nearly 100,000 seats available for onlookers and fighters who currently didn't have a match. Two huge digital boards hung at each end of the stadium to show how fighters were moving up through each round. There was also a holding area for competitors waiting for their turn, with a miniature version of the score board posted so that everyone could keep up with how things were progressing.
When the Earth visitors entered the stadium with the three Guardians, the roar from the crowd gathered was almost deafening. The Earth warriors joined the other competitors in the center ring while the Guardians moved up to a raised platform to welcome everyone to the opening day of the tournament. Each of the three women had something to say: Flare did the initial welcome to both the natives of Terra and the intergalactic visitors, Avery went over the methods that would be used to judge the matches and move fighters up through the rounds, and Porgia highlighted the rules of the competition as well as what actions could be considered grounds for disqualification. After that was finished, they declared the tournament officially begun. The crowd cheered again as the fighters who would be competing that first day moved into position, while the others either found seats in the stadium or stood along the sidelines to observe.
Goku was scheduled to face his first opponent in the center ring at 10:30am, so he had a little time to kill before his match, and Piccolo wasn't fighting until 4:00pm. They all stood along the sidelines of the center ring, watching the first few matches with interest. There was one fighter in particular, a native Terran named Enzo, who showed particular skill and strength during his first fight. He was fairly tall and well muscled, with an olive complexion and shoulder-length blonde hair. Enzo was in one of the first matches of the day, and made quick work of his opponent, ending the bout before the allotted three rounds had even happened. As he stepped down out of the tiled ring, the blonde fighter strode right over to where Flare was standing with Vegeta and the other Earth visitors.
"Flare!" Enzo grinned down at the lithe woman. He made a move as if to hug her, but one well placed look from Vegeta made him pause. Instead he opted for clapping her on the shoulder. "It's good to see you. I wanted to say hello to you and the other Guardians at the opening ceremony last night, but you were pretty hard to track down." The blonde man glanced around. "Where are Avery and Porgia anyway?"
Flare shrugged. "Avery is working with some of the younger fighters nearby, and Porgia is judging over at ring one." She grinned up at him and then at the still glowering Saiyan prince beside her. "I honestly wasn't sure if you'd be back in time for the tournament. Either way, I'd like to introduce you to the fighters representing planet Earth. This is Vegeta, and…" Flare introduced everyone in the group except for Goten and Trunks, who were off training with Avery. All of the fighters greeted Enzo politely enough, while Bulma simply stared at how handsome the Terran was.
"Nice to meet all of you." Enzo nodded.
"You too," Goku shook the younger man's hand. "I have to say, you fight really well. Did you train only here on Terra?"
"Yes," He nodded, hooking his thumbs into his pockets. "I also spent a little time off planet, but most of my training was done not far from here."
"Well, if we don't get put up against each other in the tournament, we'll have to spar together sometime before we leave." Goku grinned, relishing the idea of picking up on a new fighting style.
"Sounds good," Enzo smiled back before turning to Flare again. "So I guess I'll be seeing you around? And, uh…" He lowered his voice slightly. "Please tell Porgia I said hello, would you?"
"Sure," Flare nodded and casually slipped her arm through Vegeta's to stop the growl that had risen in his throat when the blonde fighter had leaned in towards her. "Good luck, Enzo."
The Terran fighter bid goodbye to everyone and disappeared into the crowd. As soon as he was out of sight, Flare sighed and shook her head.
"Something wrong?" Vegeta asked tightly, he hadn't liked the familiarity the other man had tried to show with her.
"No, not really." She pushed a handful of curls out of her face. "I was kind of hoping he wouldn't show up for the tournament though."
"Why is that?" Goku asked, clearly puzzled. "He seemed alright."
"Oh, he's not a bad person or anything." Flare quickly clarified. "It's just that, well, he kind of has a…thing for Porgia, and it makes her a little uncomfortable."
"Really?" Bulma had finally broken out of her trance. "I can't imagine why, he's gorgeous!"
"Hey!" Yamcha's face turned an odd shade of purple to match his indignation.
"Oh, you know I don't mean anything by that!" The blue-haired woman scoffed and swatted him away. "I just meant that I certainly wouldn't mind if a handsome young man had a crush on me, it's flattering."
"Yes, well, Porgia doesn't really look at it that way. Plus there have been a couple of times before where Enzo has been a little…pushy. Porgia practically kicked him off of our property the last time." Flare shrugged again and let it drop at that.
Piccolo raised an eye ridge at the direction the conversation had gone, but said nothing. It seemed unlikely to him that anyone could misinterpret anything the telepathic Guardian said or did, she was very straightforward. 'The boy must be truly dense.' The Namek thought absently.
OOOOOOOOOO
Goku's first match came up soon enough, and was over barely after it had even started. Porgia, who had switched over to the middle ring so she could judge the fight, had to actually project the memory of the match into the other referees' heads so that they could rightly determine the correct sequence of events. Goku was the obvious winner, however the rules dictated that if a fighter moved faster than the referees could clearly see, then a review had to be conducted. Afterwards he was congratulated by the rest of the Earth fighters and the Guardians, and his name moved up on the board to the next round.
The rest of the day was spent watching the matches, talking with other fighters in the competition, and discussing the techniques that they were witnessing, both new and familiar. Soon enough it was time for Piccolo's first fight. His opponent made it through one round with the Namek, but suddenly forfeited after the second round had scarcely begun. They shook hands and the referees declared Piccolo the winner. Gohan clapped his former mentor on the back while Goten and Trunks zoomed excitedly around his head until Piccolo finally snapped at them to quit wasting ki and get away from him. There were only a handful of other matches scheduled after Piccolo's, and it didn't seem like very long at all before the Guardians were announcing the end of the first day of the tournament and biding everyone goodnight.
That evening was very low key compared to how most of the week had been leading up to the start of the start of the competition. In fact, after a rather light dinner, most of the current residents of the yellow house went to bed very early. The excitement from the day coupled with the knowledge that every day for the next two weeks was going to be very similar, gave them plenty of reason to get as much rest as possible.
After saying goodnight to Gohan and the others, Piccolo ventured out onto the front porch, hoping to have one more mediation session with Zero before the ethereal young man went home for the evening. However, as he came to the threshold of the front door, the Namek heard low voices talking and stopped.
"It would seem that everything went well today, didn't it?" Zero asked softly, his chair slowly rocking back and forth.
"Yes," Porgia agreed. She was sitting in the chair next to him, her knees drawn up to her chest. "I believe it went very well, all things considered."
They were silent for a moment before Zero spoke again. "I also heard that Enzo has returned to participate in the tournament. And that he wishes to speak with you."
"Hmm…" She closed her eyes and leaned back against the rocker. "Flare told me."
"Will you talk to him?" Zero's voice remained calm and neutral.
Porgia considered this for a moment. "If I must, I suppose so. But I will not tolerate even a little bit of the behavior he showed the last time he was on Terra. It's simply unacceptable."
"Because he is so young or because you are not interested in him?" Her adopted son asked innocently.
"Both, of course!" She admonished. "Though mostly the latter, I should say."
"I see." He sighed contentedly and the two sat for a few more minutes in silence. Then he spoke again, his whispery voice carrying to where Piccolo still stood hidden in the doorway. "And will you ever acknowledge anyone who has feelings for you?"
"I…" Porgia cut herself off and sighed. "I am getting too old for this."
Zero chuckled and took her hand in his as they continued to rock back and forth. "And yet you don't look a day older than twenty-five, mother dear."
Her laughter rang out and the Guardian quickly brought it down to a soft chuckle. "Zero, darling? Do me a favor, and shut up."
