Oh, btw, Kaika Hasu means 'blooming lotus'
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The preliminary positions had been drawn. Nozomi was in the first block, tenth round; and Lynn was in the fourth block, fifth round.They stood along the wall and talked, watching and sizing up the competitors. There were several very good fighters this year, and the competition was going to be excellent.
"There's more people here than the last time," Nozomi commented, looking over at the match chart, "This may just get to be as popular as the Tenkaichi Boudaki."
"Have you been to the Tenkaichi Boudaki?" Lynn asked.
"No, maybe eventually. I think next time Piccolo's going to enter, and I heard the competition's really fierce. I'm not ready yet, when I get to Piccolo's level, maybe I'll enter, but right now this is where I am," she said.
"You don't act like a fourteen year old," Lynn said.
Nozomi smiled, she was used to being told that she acted much older than she was, "I get that a lot. Then again, Yume doesn't act like she's thirteen. You don't act your age when you have a job to do."
"But don't you ever have any fun?" Lynn asked, her nose wrinkled in confusion.
"Sure, training's fun. And when I'm at the Temple I go riding and have my weaponry lessons," she said naively.
"I mean real fun, like shopping, go out with boys, drink, go to clubs," Lynn said.
"I shop occasionally, boys don't notice me, and I wasn't old enough to drink by Temple law until my birthday, and Piccolo would kill me if I went to a club," she said, "At least I think he would. I don't know, I've never been. Don't you have to be eighteen to even enter a club?"
"Seventeen," Lynn said, "But you look it if you wear makeup. And boys do notice you, you just haven't realized it yet. Still, you have an odd sense of what is fun. I like training, but I'd never rank it up there with buying shoes."
"Suit yourself," Nozomi smiled, "I think you're up next."
xxxx
The day passed by slowly, Nozomi and Lynn moving up on the board. At the lunch break, everyone watched Nozomi shovel down plate after plate of food, wondering where it all went, and noticed Piccolo was just drinking water. Nozomi was about to stick a whole riceball in her mouth when Tholi narrowed her eyes at her.
"It'd be a shame if you choked, died, and the announcement was made that: 'Due to an errant rice ball, Nozomi Sensono is dead due to her own gluttony'," she said dryly, seeing Piccolo smirk around his glass.
Nozomi blushed and took a small bite, chewing it thoroughly before she swallowed, andPiccolo suddenly found a plate in his face.
"Here," Yume said, "You better eat before Nozomi finishes off everything."
"I'm not hungry," he said, wondering what these women's obsession with forcing food on him was.
"C'mon, Tholi made it, so you know it's safe," she urged, "Everything needs food every once in a while.
He picked up a riceball and began eating it slowly, watching Nozomi take a huge bite out of hers.She reached and grabbed two apples, and ate one ina singlebite.
"Chew Nozomi," Tholi said, closing her eyes in frustration.
"Sorry Tholi," she murmered with her mouth full.
"And don't speak with your mouth full!" Tholi added, an eye beginning to twitch.
"Okay," Nozomi said, her cheeks bulging.
"If the judges of the pageant ever saw her eat, she'd be eliminated immediately," Yume said to Lynn.
"Hey, maybe I should eat for my talent next year," Nozomi said brightly, grabbing a peach.
"No, you will not!" Tholi said, "You will conduct yourself as a lady!"
"This is Nozomi we're talking about," Yume said with a small smile.
"Five miles, now!" Tholi yelled at her.
"Yes ma'am," Yume sighed, getting up.
She walked off and Tholi scowled at Nozomi, "You want to try for ten?"
"No, that's all right," Nozomi said, putting the whole peach in her mouth and wincing as she bit the stone.
Tholi sighed and shook her head.
xxxx
Both womenmade it to the semi-finals, facing different opponenets. Nozomi was facing a humongous woman who looked more like a man than a woman, and Lynn was facing the woman Nozomi had beaten the year before. Nozomi's match was first in the day, and Lynn's was the third match.
"It's been a good day," Nozomi said, stretching her arms over her head.
"It has," Lynn agreed, "Hey, let's go out and celebrate."
"Celebrate? Like, light fireworks or something?" Nozomi asked.
"No, we can all go out for a night on the town," she said, "I met this guy who knows about this really great club-"
"Hold on, I'm fourteen, there's no way Tholi's going to let me go to a nightclub.Alone," she said as they walked to Nozomi's tent.
When they arrived, Otaka was standing there talking to Tholi, and Nozomi looked around for Piccolo. Tholi spotted her and smiled, making Otaka turn around.
"Nozomi there you are!" he said, coming over, "How would you like to go out tonight?"
"Huh?" Nozomi asked, her eyes widening.
Piccolo walked out of the tent and looked over at them.
"Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Otaka repeated, slowly.
"Go out? Like on a date?" Nozomi replied, looking as if she had been shot.
Lynn nudged her and she looked at her, her mouth open. Lynn raised her eyebrows and mmuttered something at her.
"Yeah, like on a date," Otaka said, beginning to get disheartened. This was the first time a girl had taken this long to answer him.
"Uh," Nozomi looked around at Tholi, who shrugged, "Sure, I guess. Why not."
"Great," he said, "I'll be back in an hour."
He walked off and she looked at Piccolo, who was looking at her with a raised brow. This was the first time he had seen her speechless, and she looked quite funny.
"Someone tell me what just happened," Nozomi said, looking around, still in shock.
"Whoo, go Nozomi!" Teya said, giving her a big grin.
"You just agreed to go out with Otaka," Uta said, with a smirk, "The boy that only two years ago you said you wanted to cut up and feed to a wolverine."
"I cannot believe you said yes," Yume said stunned and a little angry at losing her only ally in the constant war with her brother.
"Neither can I," Nozomi said, turning pink.
"Better get cleaned up," Lynn said, "You can't smooch somebody smelling like dirt and sweat."
"I'm not smooching anyone!" Nozomi yelled, stomping into the tent.
"What's with Nozomi?" Ringo asked walking out and narrowly missing being trampled as Nozomi passed her.
"She has a date," Teya said with a grin.
"Oh my god!" Ringo said, "With who?"
"Otaka," Yume growled.
"Holy Goddess!" Ringo said, "Are you serious!"
"Dead," Yume said, a scowl on her face, "Dead serious."
"Woo woo! Nozomi's first date!" Ringo said, going back into the tent. They could hear her talking to Nozomi inside.
"NO WAY AM I DOING THAT!" they heard Nozomi scream before Ringo flew back out.
"What did you say?" Tholi asked.
Ringo only smirked, making them all laugh.
xxxx
The next morning, Nozomi had to endure the teasing of her friends, and only Tholi and Piccolo failed to join in the torture. Yume refusing to join because she was still sore about the whole thing. Nozomi made it worse, because she was incredibly easy to tease, and blushed just as quick as she got angry. Tholi made them stop an hour before the match, saying she needed to concentrate. Lynn arrived shortly after that and the girls crowded around her, wanting to know what had happened.
"Absolutely nothing happened," Lynn said, "They danced like two times and that was it.It was boring actually, like watching mold grow. He'd try something and she'd move away, or turn and pretend to be looking at something."
"That's Nozomi for you," Sakura said.
"That does sound like Nozomi," Yume said, smiling happily.
"Where is she anyway?"
"She's in the tent. Tholi's making us leave her alone. They've been teasing her the whole morning," Yume said, motioning at the others with her head.
"Can I go in and see her?"
"Sure, just don't mention last night," Ringo said rubbing a knot on her head, "She'll fly off the handle."
Lynn walked in and saw Nozomi and Tholi playing chess. They both looked up and smiled.
"Hey, you ready?" she asked Nozomi.
"I think so," Nozomi answered, moving one of her pawns, "If you're opponent gets you on the ground, don't take your eyes off of her until you're on your feet. She'll hit you while you're down. I fought her last year."
"Really? How about her fighting style?"
"None to speak of, more towards boxing," Nozomi said, looking intently at the board, "Her kicks are weak and she stays on her heels, at least she did last year. Her punches are what you need to watch out for, especially her right jab. But she uses a lot of hook punches."
"Any uppercuts?" Lynn asked, sitting down.
"No, not last time. She tries to keep you near arm's length, if you move in on her she moves back. Check," she said.
"Do you know anything about your opponent?"
"Very little," Nozomi said, "Other than she has a five o'clock shadow, and if you get in too close she'll put you in a hold or joint lock."
"That's vague."
"That's how I like it. That way you're not trying to anticipate anything, you just fight," Nozomi smiled, "Checkmate."
x
Nozomi was trying to convince Lynn to let her teach her to play chess when the announcement was made for the fighters to come to the stadium. They got up and left, walking through the growing crowd. They walked into the contestant's entrance and waited in the cool shade of the archway, out of the hot sun.
"It's going to be really hot today," Lynn said, "Radio said probably in the high ninties."
They called Nozomi's name and she gave Lynn a small smile before walking back into the searing glare; squinting for a moment before her eyes adjusted. She walked over to the ring, which they had apparently tried to cover with sand earlier, but it had been packed back to hard earth. She looked at her opponent and saw that she did indeed have a five 'clock shadow, and an adam's apple to boot. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head a little, studying her. The woman was glaring at her, obviously offended.
"Round one will be between Amazonia and the Four Time World Champion Nozomi Sensono!" the loudspeakers boomed. The crowd roared and Nozomi continued to look at her opponent, who was now clenching her fists.
"You're going down girlie!" she yelled, her voice was very odd, like she was trying to speak in a high falsetto.
Nozomi smiled politely and told her good luck, which seemed to infuriate her more. When the gong rang she rushed at Nozomi, who in one smooth motion, kicked her in the face and knocked her out.
The crowd roared and she went over and stood at the woman's head.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and noticed that her hair had apparently came loose.
Nozomi reached down and pulled it gently, and came up with a brown wig.
"Nozomi Sensono wins by a knockout in five seconds! She has just set a new tournament record!" the loudspeaker boomed again.
Nozomi looked around and then realized that her opponent was getting up, and that they had a head full of black hair. It was obviously a man, and he stared down at Nozomi, who held up the wig.
"You dropped something," she said, handing it back and walking off.
The man quickly put it back on as the crowd laughed, and ran out of the stadium as quickly as possible. Nozomi walked back to stand with Lynn and smiled. Lynn and the other contestants were busy staring at her. Who had ever heard of a fight lasting only five seconds? After the next match, Nozomi's opponent was going to be a very tall woman who looked a bit like a gorilla. Lynn won hers easily and her opponent was going to be a very shady looking woman with a mohawk. There was a lunch break and they met Tholi and the others, who began laughing when they spotted them.
"Imagine, a man dressing up in a wig and a skirt just to fight at a tournament," Tholi said, "Even worse was you knocked him out in a matter of seconds."
"I have Piccolo to thank for that," she said shyly, "Where is he anyway?"
"Behind you."
She turned and smiled up at him, "So how did I do?"
"All you did was kick once," he said, "Not much to tell if you ask me."
"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes, "I'll hold back some."
"I didn't say do that," he said.
"Then what would you suggest?" she asked, getting angry.
"Thinking," he said, "That man would have just ran out of the ring if you'd moved out of the way, if he had hit you, you would have flown out of the ring."
"Okay," Nozomi said, "Right."
"I'm saying think a little," he said, "Watch your opponent for a while before you make a move."