Chapter 7
Strategic Collaboration
The three human masters decided to sieze on the opportunity the break provided to coach their students, and walked over to the tunnel where Goten and Trunks had been standing, only to find they were no longer there. They started to walk down the tunnel toward the contestant's lounge to find them, but were turned away by a staffer.
"Sorry," the man said, "The contestants lounge is for fighters only. Even masters aren't allowed inside."
"Well, crap." Krillin droned, "Guess we'll just have to wait for them to come out."
Yamcha was about to try to talk his way in when Piccolo walked by. "I'll send them out to you, but I'm going to speak with them myself first."
"I'll thank you for not doing that." Tien said, causing Piccolo to look back over his shoulder. The two glared at one another for a moment before Piccolo continued walking.
Inside, Trunks had sought out the Wolf School Students, sitting together around a small table, and made a beeline for them.
"Hey, guys. Let's talk." He said, walking up to the corner of the table between Hammur and Nein. He had his arms crossed, and a cocky smile on his face.
"No thanks." Gorra said without looking up.
"Look, I know what you guys are doing." Trunks continued, "I've been part of a fusion myself; one a lot more powerful than the one you guys are creating. Now, I don't know which two of you are making this Okami guy, but I can tell you don't know how to handle the power he's got."
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Gorra spoke again. "You done?"
"Almost." Trunks replied, "I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about holding back in the next fight. I don't know how well you can sense energy, but after that show I just put on you should be able to tell that I'm no Videl. You better come with everything you've got."
Trunks started to turn and walk away before pausing to make one last comment. "Oh, and if you leave yourself open against me like you did with Videl, you might not live over it. So be careful."
As Tunks turned to leave, he saw Piccolo enter the room and turn his direction. The big Namekian walked purposefully toward him.
"I'll be watching your next match closely." He said, "I suggest you try to impress me."
"If you watched my last match you should already be impressed." Trunks shot back.
"I'll put it this way, Trunks: You're lucky to be on the other side of the bracket. If we fought next I doubt I'd need to remove these weighted clothes. Tien's waiting for you outside, you should go speak to him. I've got to get ready for Goten."
Piccolo then walked away toward the Wolf School table, leaving Trunks standing with gritted teeth and clenched fists.
Piccolo's conversation with the Wolf School was more cordial and brief. "Your teammate was impressive." He began, foregoing any introduction. "In his next match, tell him not to attack so directly. His opponents from here on out will make him pay for that. Good luck."
He then turned and left, eventually finding Goten meditating in a dressing room.
"Wake up, Goten." He said dryly, "We need to talk." He began.
Goten opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. "What's up, Mr. Piccolo? Ready for our fight? I'm real excited."
Piccolo let out a half smile upon hearing his formal nickname for the first time since he'd trained Goten and Trunks for their battle with Buu.
"Goten, Krillin's waiting for you outside. I'm sure he's going to coach you to defeat me in our match; listen to him carefully. He's always been a fine strategist. I fought with him many times, and against him once. He gave me more trouble than he should have; I was much stronger.
"However, I'm sure he's going to remind you not to become a Super Saiyan in our fight. Obey him until I say otherwise. If I decide I want you to come after me at full power, you must obey me. Understand?"
Goten looked puzzled. "But, Krillin's my Master. If he tells me not to go Super Saiyan I can't just not listen."
"Goten, Krillin is trying to protect you. He's afraid that blonde hair will tip off people who remember us from the Cell Games, and he's probably afraid that power will get away from you and you'll hurt someone by accident.
"But I'm telling you now, do it if I tell you to. The only reason I'm here is to measure the progress you and Trunks have made. I can't do that if you're holding back. I'll have Gohan and the masters protect the crowd just in case, but even if something goes wrong, there's only two people in that audience who can't be brought back by our dragon balls, and Roshi and Chiaotzu aren't going to let themselves get hit by an errant blast. This is bigger than just obeying your master. If, and only if, I tell you, give me everything you've got. Understand?"
Goten fidgeted nervously, looking at the floor, before finally replying. "Yes sir…" he whined.
"Good. Now go see Krillin. I'm expecting a good fight, Goten." Piccolo said as he walked out of the room.
Back outside, Tien and Trunks had flown back to the perch where the three masters had watched the preliminaries to meet in private.
"I assume you paid attention to Okami's fight with Videl." The three-eyed master began as Trunks nodded. "Tell me what you've learned about him."
"He's a fusion," Trunks noted before continuing, "So he's fighting on a time limit, but hardly any tournament matches last a full half-hour, anyway. And he can't really control his power, but that probly looked worse just 'cause he was afraid he'd kill Videl if he hit her too hard."
"That's good. What else?" Tien asked.
"He's really aggressive, and he's powerful, but he tips his moves off too soon and doesn't react real quick either. I don't think he's great at sensing energy. If I'm a Super Saiyan, I can take him out in a few seconds."
"But you won't be a Super Saiyan. From the power you two showed in the first round, you've got an advantage on him, but I'm sure we haven't seen his full power yet. I want to see you win this fight with strategy, not by overpowering him. If I've done my job, that shouldn't be a problem. Think you can handle it?"
"Oh yeah, this'll be easy. The championship should be the real fight." Trunks said confidently.
"Careful, Trunks." Tien warned, "And I'm going to put one more rule on you: don't destroy the ring. I want us to have a platform for the last two matches."
"Man…fine..." Trunks whined, as the two levitated and headed back toward the arena. Trunks was confident, but Tien left with a tinge of disappointment that his student hadn't come to understand his opponent more thoroughly.
In the Master's lounge, Krillin and Goten had found the room empty, and the master was beginning to quiz his student. "So, what'd Piccolo tell you?" Krillin asked.
"He said he might tell me to go Super Saiyan when we fight, and that if he does I have to do it." Goten replied meekly.
"Uh huh. And why'd he say that?"
"He says he's only here to see how strong me and Trunks are, and that he can't do that if I'm holding back. I don't wanna disobey you, Master Krillin, but I told him I'd do it if he asks…"
"Good." Krillin said to Goten's surpise. "Look Goten, Piccolo's the one who brought us all together after your brother killed Buu, and he's been fighting for the world as long as any of us – even if he was the bad guy the first couple of times. Plus he used to be the Guardian of Earth AND the Protector of Namek. He might be getting a little paranoid, but he knows what he's doing. We all better listen to him."
Goten nodded as Krillin continued, "Now let's talk about how to beat him! Piccolo's no dummy – probably the smartest fighter I know, actually - so if you do any move more than once, he'll probably make you pay, so make sure to mix it up as much as you can. And I probably wouldn't waste my time with a Kamehameha unless you've got a clear shot, that weird drill blast thing he has would probably split it in half.
"He does spend a lot of time feeling his opponents out, though. He'll probably even wear those weighted clothes into the fight until he feels like he needs to take them off. If I were you, I'd hold back and try to lure him in, then spring on him with everything you've got. But you'll have a feel for the fight when it happens, just do what comes naturally. OK?"
"OK!" Goten exclaimed.
"One more thing. If he fires a bunch of blasts around you, he's not missing; get out of there. He's setting you up."
Yamcha was also meeting with his students, having gathered them around himself as he took a seat in the now-vacated Master's seating. "Guys, what happened in that last fight? Okami was completely out of control."
Hammur spoke first, "Okami's never had to hold back like that before, except with the punching machine. He nearly messed that up, too. I'm not great at sensing energy, but from what I got from that Trunks kid's last match, Okami shouldn't have to hold back much this time.
"That's probably true," Yamcha said, slipping deep into thought. "Power shouldn't be a problem against Trunks based on what he showed, but I'm almost sure he wouldn't show everything he had just to prove a point. You've gotta be careful against these Saiyans. They can do all kinds of crazy things between their energy and their bodies. We caught a break though; Okami had to show a lot more in his match than Trunks did. That little power-up he did gave us more information then he should've.
"Ok, here's what we're gonna do. Trunks is gonna wanna show off to Goten and Piccolo now that he knows he's got a real opponent, so he'll probably either go to his full power, or try something tricky. I know Okami's working against the clock, but it's worth the risk to take our time and make sure we know what we're up against. My money says Trunks opens himself up to an easy strike while he's trying to show off, before time runs out. What do you guys think?"
The four Wolf students nodded in agreement. "Good." Yamcha said, "Now get focused. I'll leave you guys to it." And then got up to leave.
Nein caught him on his way out. "Master," he began, "You should know, the Trunks guy spoke to us earlier. He was very rude. If Okami gets the chance, I believe he will hurt him. Badly."
Yamcha thought for a second before responding. "If Okami gets the chance, he should take it. I know Trunks, and I knew his father. A good beating would probably do him some good."
"Besides," Yamcha said, smiling now, "I don't think Trunks is going to allow himself to get killed. He can still become a Super Saiyan if he gets in trouble. Okami should probably try to end the fight before it comes to that."
Outside the arena in the concession area, Videl and Gohan sat alone at a table.
"I still don't get it," Videl said, "I felt-out all those kids before the fight, none of them were as strong as me. I know fusion's strong, but there's no way he should've been able to take that blast head-on. I put everything I had into that!"
"Don't worry about it, Videl, you were great out there! I know you wanted to win, but look what you were up against: two Super Saiyans, a Super Namek, and a fusion. You're the strongest human in this tournament, everybody saw that!"
Videl started to argue, but let it pass. Gohan was right, and staying mad at him was too much trouble, anyway. "Still," she said, "Those kids don't even know a lot of the basics yet, but they're carrying almost as much power as me. I don't know what kind of master Yamcha is, but he's got a good eye for talent."
It was here that Piccolo appeared, having left the contestant's lounge to find them. "Videl," the Namekian started, "your last fight was impressive. I'm proud of you."
"Why should you be?" she asked, "It's not like you did anything to train me. It's probably your fault I wasn't strong enough!"
"I did what was best for you." he answered, "When I sent you to Korin and Popo, I knew they'd teach you how to fight preemptively, and they did. You can dodge and attack before your eyes even gather what's happening around you, that's why you were able to stand up to such a strong opponent. Now you just need to develop strength. Your real training is ready to begin."
Videl smiled. "Thank you. We'll see. I wanna get strong, but a part of me is ready for some time off." She finished by smiling at Gohan, who smiled back.
The group then heard the overhead announcement for the crowd to gather back into the stands; the semifinals were about to start.
As they turned to leave, Gohan grabbed Piccolo and held him back for a moment. "Hey, did you see that look Trunks gave me before his fight? What was that about?" he asked.
"I saw it, but I'm not sure. I don't know that it's anything to worry about, but we'd better ask Tien if he knows anything." Piccolo responded.
The Announcer, primed from his break and eager after a relatively slow first round, was getting ready to introduce the next round when Yamcha approached him again.
"Why don't you introduce them one at a time to build suspense?" he said, "Do Trunks first if you don't mind, Okami doesn't like standing around waiting for a fight. Once you call him, he'll want to start right away!"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" the Announcer replied, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Semifinals are about to begin! Introducing the pride of the Crane School, student of a champion, undefeated in his tournament career, the great Trunks!"
Tien pinched his two lower eyes in embarrassment. Trunks stepped out of the tunnel, walked to the far side of the arena, and turned to face the entrance, a determined expression on his face. As he watched Okami appear in the tunnel, he removed his cape and threw it to the side of the ring, revealing his tight blue shirt and, through it, his chiseled physique. Okami began lumbering purposefully toward him.
"And now, the winner of one of the greatest battles in the history of the first round! The Wolf School's finest, the Alpha Male with the Ponytail, Okami!" Okami walked purposefully out to the stage with gritted teeth and furrowed brows, stopping once he was inbounds to lock eyes with Trunks.
"Let the Semifinals…Begin!" The Announcer declared, in typically dramatic fashion.
Okami once again exploded out of his stance directly at his opponent, but Trunks maintained his upright position, arms drawn close to his sides. As Okami closed in, the two never broke their stare.
