What should have been

by TriggerhappySOB

(REMASTERED) Rewritten story-line of DBZ post-Cell. Focused mainly on Gohan, who I felt was not done any justice during the Saiyaman/Buu Saga. Goku is still dead, but not for the lame reason given in the Anime. Gohan is more scarred than he appears in the Anime, both mentally and physically. New roles for old characters, and a whole new sequence of events. Warning: Graphic

21. Preliminaries

Chapter 21: Preliminaries

"Wow no way! It's you guys!"

The Z-fighters paused, turning towards the excited voice calling out to them. Those that had fought in previous tournaments found themselves being hailed by the tournament announcer, now in his late forties judging by the lines on his face and the thick blonde mustache that matched his receding hair. He waved excitedly, pushing his sunglasses up further on his face and rushing over to meet them, "I can't believe it! Goku! Tien! Krillin! You're all here! And with some new faces I see. Wow, it's been so long, I thought you'd never come back to compete again! These things just haven't been the same without you. How've you all been?"

He grasped Goku's hand firmly in a warm handshake, beaming around at them all. Goku laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Oh, you know… I've just been busy. Started a family and... Well, I kinda died. I'm just back for today."

He pointed up at the halo floating above his head. The announcer seemed lost for words as he looked up at the halo incredulously. Seeming to make up his mind about something, he shook his head and beamed at the tall Saiyan, "Well after all the crazy things I've seen you do, I won't start doubting you now!"

The announcer looked around him at the other faces, acknowledging the ones he knew and politely nodding to the ones that he didn't. He glanced down and noticed that there were four children in the group; two that looked like they were brother and sister, then the Lavender haired kid and the little blonde girl. He beamed down at them, "I take it that these little ones are a part of that family? Are you guys going to be competing as well?"

The little girl just stared up at him with wide eyes and a finger stuck in her mouth. Krillin patted her head and smiled warmly at her, "Nope, not this one. Those three however…"

The two midnight haired children and the Lavender haired kid all nodded, and the announcer ruffled their hair affectionately, "Outstanding! You know, Krillin and Goku were the youngest fighters in the tournament before there was a junior division! If I know your guys' types, you'll put on a good show for sure! Speaking of shows…" He glanced around quickly and leaned in to speak in low tones to the group, "I know that was you guys at the Cell games, and I don't buy that story that Mr. Satan gave us. Tell me, it was really you all wasn't it?"

Most of the Z-fighters smiled knowingly at him, but Goku furrowed his brow in confusion, glancing in the direction of another easily recognizable figure that was making his way towards them, flanked by one Videl Satan. The announcer stood up straight, seemingly in awe of the masked super-hero and Satan City's crime fighting heroine. He returned his attention quickly to the Z-fighters, waving them towards the registration desk. He didn't appear to comprehend that Goku had just unintentionally told him exactly who had killed Cell, "Fantastic! Bardock and Videl made it. If you all would please make your way to the registration table, we'll get this under-way! Unfortunately, old rules still apply, and the guests won't be able to watch the prelims, but you can enter the waiting area with the fighters. I can't wait to see you guys in the ring! And let's try not to destroy this one?"

Without another word to the group, he turned and quickly made his way towards the heroes of Satan City, leaving Goku to watch after him with a curious expression. The tall Saiyan turned his quizzical stare towards the prince of Saiyans, who was watching the announcer with his usual glare, "Mr. Satan's story... Bardock... What's he talking about?"

"Bardock is the name of your son's alter-ego.", responded Vegeta dully. "For some reason he feels the need to hide his abilities behind a mask. The world doesn't know that he defeated Cell. They all believe it was that oaf, Satan."

Goku sighed and crossed his arms, watching his son as he was waved down by the announcer, "Man, a lot's happened… I can't believe I missed all of it."

Chi Chi grasped his arm, leaning into him and giving him a reassuring smile, "Come on sweetheart, let's get everyone registered and then we can fill you in over some breakfast! I hear that fighters have an all-you-can-eat buffet set out for them."

At the mention of food, his face lit up and the group made their way into the tournament grounds. Goku seemed to lose himself in thought for a second before glancing back down towards the little pig-tailed blonde girl skipping next to Krillin, "Hey, uh Krillin? I know it's been a while but, is that your daughter?"

The short fighter smiled down at the little girl and picked her up, cradling her with one arm, "Yup! This is my little Marron!"

"Wow, that's great! But…", said Goku, looking around uncertainly. "um, who's her mother?"

"I am.", responded a cold voice behind him. Goku glanced over his shoulder to look for the source. Android 18 was giving him her ever-present icy glare, no emotion evident on her face. Goku's jaw dropped and he looked to his friend with wide eyes, "Android 18? But how?"

Before the short fighter could respond, the android deadpanned at him, "Do you want to know how the act-of went, or should I spare you the details?"

Krillin coughed and sent his wife a nervous look, "Let's not go there babe. She's still human Goku, so you can ignore the whole Android bit for the sake of this conversation. 18 and I got married about five years ago, and Marron here came to us a year after. Simple as that."

Goku nodded, returning his gaze towards the front, still slightly stunned by this new information, "Yea, simple..."

*BACK WITH GOHAN*

The two crime fighters followed them at a distance, and were quickly intercepted by Lime and the blondes. Erasa made a bee-line for the tall demi-saiyan, crushing him in a back-breaking hug and staggering him slightly, babbling about how worried she was about him. Lime quickly pulled Videl to the side while Gohan was distracted and trying to console the blonde girl.

"Okay, now what happened?", asked Lime sternly, obviously still upset at being told to run from her adopted brother. "I half expected this entire block to go up in smoke for a second there. What did you do?"

Videl blinked a few times, thinking about what had just transpired as she pieced it together in her mind. Thinking back, she wasn't positive why she did what she did, or even why it worked. He'd been scaring the life out of her and she had still somehow managed to talk him down, "Well, to be honest with you I'm not exactly sure what it was I said that got him to calm down. I mean he went super and all that, I kinda scolded him a bit, and then told him he couldn't run from it. I don't really know how, but it worked. He and his dad talked, and Goku forgave him."

Lime cocked an eyebrow at her, her mouth slightly agape, "Let me get this straight… You, a normal human girl, yelled at a pissed off super-saiyan?". She trailed off, and Videl interjected, "Well… yea I kinda had to… it was windy.". Ignoring the humor in her comment, Lime raised an eyebrow and asked, "And that worked?"

Videl just nodded, blushing slightly when she realized how reckless it sounded when it was put that way. Lime stood there a moment, just staring at the raven-haired girl before breaking out into laughter. Gohan managed to wiggle his way out of Erasa's hug and looked towards the brunette, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "And what is so funny Lime?"

The girl only laughed harder, leaning on Videl for support as her sides shook with mirth. The crime fighter watched her with a quizzical glare and held onto her as she tried to recover enough to talk. Lime wiped a tear from her eye and met Gohan's gaze with a twinkle in her eye, "You – haha – you Saiyans! – hahahaha – Vegeta and you – haha – I just realized – hmmphfff!"

She tried unsuccessfully to suppress her laughter behind her hand, biting her knuckle at the glare the two black haired teens sent her way. "Realized what?", pressed Gohan irritably. Lime sputtered a couple times before struggling out, "You monkey boys are so whipped! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Both the black haired teens blushed furiously, to the point that even Gohan's face could be seen turning red behind his mask, and the two blondes shared a quizzical look.

"Monkey boy?", "Saiyan? What's a Saiyan?", the two of them asked, confused by Lime's statement. Videl pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to hide her blush behind her hand. She abruptly let go of the brunette at her side, allowing her to fall onto her back where she continued laughing and earning a snicker out of Sharpener. Videl sighed, and simply said, "Ask again later Erasa."

A pause came over the conversation and the four of them watched Lime as she unsuccessfully tried to fight her fit of laughter. It was contagious, and soon enough the two blondes were laughing right along with her, albeit not as hysterically. Videl crossed her arms and looked away from them, instead choosing to stare at a rather interesting pillar a few feet away from them. Sharpener elbowed Gohan lightly in the side, catching his attention. He raised an eyebrow and made a whipping motion with one of his hands while making a cracking noise with his mouth. Gohan just grunted and rolled his eyes before striding over to where Lime was laying. He quickly picked her up and set her on her unsteady feet, "Very funny Lime. Just don't say that around Vegeta, he might not take it as gracefully as I can."

"Pffft! All I'd have to do is get Bulma on him with her pan!", she snorted out. The tall demi sighed heavily and rolled his eyes as she broke out into a fresh bout of laughter. Now, even Videl had joined her, giggling at the mental image of the Blue-haired genius bossing around the short man and smacking him over the head with a frying pan.

"Lime, she doesn't use a pan… That's mom.", pointed out Gohan with a roll of his eyes. Lime giggled and said, "Heehee true! Shoot I don't know how many times I've seen you get hit with-…" She gasped suddenly, eyes shooting wide as she stared at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her, shifting his weight nervously as her shock faded into a devious sneer. She craned her neck to the side and looked right at Videl, who blinked a few times in surprise at the change in demeanor, "Before I forget… We need to get you a frying pan."

Gohan groaned and rolled his eyes sky-wards in a glare directed at the lookout as the others started laughing anew, "I hate you…"

*WAITING AREA – 10 MINUTES LATER*

"Wow really? Broly huh?", asked Goku through a mouthful of food. Gohan nodded towards the older Saiyan, sitting with his back to a wall and watching the crowds beyond the breakfast tables where they were all seated and waiting for the tournament to begin. Goku had an enormous mound of food before him, as did Vegeta, and both Saiyans were digging in at inhuman rates. The only ones present who seemed even remotely surprised were the blondes, who hadn't seen anyone with an appetite that large besides Gohan, and his didn't even come close to a full blooded saiyans. The gang watched as plate after plate disappeared into the abyss and listened to the conversation going on, occasionally pitching in during the story in an attempt to fill-in the dead Saiyan. For many of them, this was the first time they had really gotten anything out of the eldest demi-saiyan about the fight with the Legendary Super Saiyan, and they listened with rapt attention.

"Man, I thought we had seen the last of that guy on new Vegeta.", said Goku. Off at the other end of the table, Vegeta grunted through his mouthful of food, swallowing quickly, "As did I. However, he managed to survive what you did to him there, the brat here finished him after he attacked the other brats and the brown haired girl there."

Goku paused momentarily to glance over at the girl, who gave a small smile and shrugged. He swallowed his food and considered her again, cocking his head to the side, "I swear I've seen you before. We've met, haven't we?"

Ria answered for her, bouncing happily on her older brother's knee next to Goten and grinning at her adopted sister, "She's Lime! She's been our sister our whole lives! But she doesn't live with us, she lives in a village over in the forest."

Goku smiled, his memory finally clicking into place, "Oh, I remember! That village with the dome that Gohan blasted! You were the little girl he rescued from the river, right? And your grandfather is Mr. Lao!"

Lime nodded her head and smiled, "Yea that's right. He is still running his shop in town, but I've been living at Capsule Corporation with Bulma so I can attend high school with Gohan."

"High… School? Huh?", asked Goku, actually pausing his feast in order to blink at her in confusion. The three teenagers besides Gohan and Lime stared at him incredulously, causing him to laugh sheepishly and scratch the back of his neck. Chi chi giggled and rubbed his shoulder affectionately, gazing between the three newcomers with a small smile, "Goku didn't have any formal schooling when he was growing up like I did. Goku, dear, I asked our son to go to High school so that he could make friends his age. Speaking of, you still need to introduce them Gohan!"

Gohan started, emerging from his focused state as he watched a group of contestants pass by. He cleared his throat and glanced over at the three teens, who looked at him expectantly, "Well, guys you already know this is my dad. Dad, this is Sharpener, Erasa, and Videl."

Goku looked them over quickly, filing away their faces with their names with a grin plastered on his face. He noted that the two blondes seemed to be in a slight state of shock, evident in their paled expressions and distant gazes. They seem pretty out of it. Doesn't look like they know too much about Gohan like Lime does. The other one though…

He couldn't help remembering how well she had been able to calm his son down earlier and his thoughts immediately afterwards. But now, they seemed to be holding themselves apart like they were just friends. She didn't seem to be as shocked about the story of Broly, or the fact that Gohan had "blasted" a dome. She just watched the conversation, drinking in every word and watching every gesture with those bright blue eyes of hers. He quickly inspected her ki and was surprised to find the amount of energy at her disposal. Sure, she wasn't anywhere near the level of any of the Z fighters, but she certainly was way stronger than even the strongest normal human. His thoughts were interrupted by the loudspeakers over their table, screeching with feedback and causing the Saiyans and Piccolo to clamp their hands down over their ears.

"All adult contestants please report to the preliminary courtyard. All youth division contestants please report to the staging area for their fight assignments. Ladies and Gentlemen, the tournament shall begin shortly. A reminder: No spectators are allowed in the preliminary courtyard until after the matches have been determined."

An excited cheer went up all around the tournament complex and the fighters gathered in the waiting area began to make their way through the gates into the courtyard in question. The Z-fighters stood and began making their way towards the doors as well, waving their farewells to their friends and family who would be cheering from the stands. The three children had disappeared into the crowd as soon as the announcement came over the loudspeakers.

Gohan glanced at his father and locked eyes with him, and the two shared a serious look. Goku nodded and asked, "Well son, shall we go do this?" The tall demi nodded, immediately setting his eyes upon the tall pink form of Kibito parting the crowd before him as he entered the preliminary area. Goku traced his gaze and clapped his son on the shoulder, giving him a warm smile, "Relax Gohan, and let's have some fun with this one huh? It's been nearly twenty years since my last tournament, and I get the feeling this is going to be a memorable one."

Yea, the one where you disappear again right after it's over, thought Gohan Bitterly. Why do I get the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong today?

Gohan grunted and followed him with Videl by his side, carefully watching the other contestants as they wandered in. The group gathered together in the middle of the large courtyard which hosted eight open rings in two rows on either side. A monk stepped up onto one of the rings and waved his hand in the air to get the attention of the huge crowd gathered before him, and spoke into a microphone.

"Good morning fighters, and welcome to the twenty-sixth world martial arts tournament! As many of you may have noticed, there are quite a few people who have entered this tournament today. Two hundred and sixty-three to be exact. Now, there are only sixteen slots open for the tournament itself, so we need to narrow down the competition by noon. Due to the large number of contestants this year, we have decided to alter the selection process to expedite the preliminaries."

He waved off in the direction of an open-staging area where three more monks were gathered around a large black weighted machine with a red bumper on it, "First we will narrow down the competition with a strength contest. The top sixty-four scores will advance to the preliminary bracket to determine who will be fighting in the tournament."

The fighters all looked to the machine, and Krillin scratched his head with a confused expression, "Strength contest? That's new."

Videl crossed her arms and glowered at the machine, "My dad's idea no doubt. Raw strength has always been his go-to attribute, and he practically runs this show now."

Goku quirked an eyebrow, scratching at the back of his neck and considering her with a sideways glance, "Sorry, but who's your father?"

She glared even harder at the machine, refusing to meet his gaze. Gohan noted the tension in her muscles and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, looking over her head at his father, "It's okay Videl, he won't care."

She glanced out the corner of her eye at him and sighed. She straightened herself and took a deep breath, "My father is Hercule Satan. That guy who -… fought cell before you? If you could call it fighting."

Goku blinked in surprise a couple times, searching her face for any resemblance, "You're Hercule's Daughter? Wow, gotta say, you don't look anything like him! You're way stronger than him too, I can tell."

She smiled bashfully and reached up to grasp Gohan's hand that was still planted on her shoulder, returning her attention to the announcer. Again, he wondered if they were mated, if not married, and subtly glanced at her neckline out the corner of his eye. Well I don't see a mark… he pondered. They just seem that close though. I wonder if Chi Chi has picked up on this yet.

"Now if you would all please get in line to try your hand at the machine, we will begin! Please, as you go through, remember what number you are assigned when they call out your score! To give us a benchmark score, we invite the previous champion of the last two tournaments, and the savior of the world; Mr. Satan!"

The vast majority of the crowd broke out into cheers, excluding a small group of our favorite heroes, as Hercule strode over from a side-door that led to the private boxes overlooking the ring with a confident smirk on his face. He stepped up to the machine and faced the crowd, removing his cape and belt as he went. An assistant came to relieve him of the items and he scanned the faces in the crowd. His eyes met with Gohan's for a brief second, and Goku swore he saw the man cringe at the sight of his son. Without further ado, the fighter squared off against the machine, fist clenched at his side and a glare on his face. With a loud roar he lunged forward, driving his fist into the machine with a resounding thud.

"Wow, what a punch from the champ! And his score comes in at… One hundred and thirty-seven! A new record! Fighters; Hercule Satan!"

The crowd again broke into cheers, and the champ faced them with a hand on his hip and a victory sign held towards them. The monk strode over to stand next to him with a wide grin on his face.

"Champ, are there any words you want to say to the contestants before you return to the stands?"

Hercule furrowed his brow a moment, glancing nervously towards the tall demi-saiyan again, "There are some big names here today, but I want you all to fight hard. I'll be waiting in the final match to face off against the winner, and to present them with the championship belt. Now let's have some clean fights, and all of you do your best!"

Heh, don't know what you're asking for there, Hercule, thought Gohan dully. If I have to do my best, then there's something seriously wrong.

With that statement he strode off towards the door he emerged from to the applause of the crowd. Gohan snorted a little and crossed his arms, watching the man leave. Goku raised his eyebrow at the teen, "I don't get it Gohan, why'd he look at you like that?"

"Oh nothing dad. I might have convinced him to not compete in this tournament.", said Gohan lightly. Videl rolled her eyes and sighed, looking up at the elder Saiyan, "What he means is that he literally scared the piss out of my dad by almost throwing him off the top of a sky-scraper. Long story…"

Goku laughed nervously, scratching at his neck and watching as the champ disappeared behind the door, "Well, at least he's not showing off anymore. That was some pretty silly stuff he did last time I saw him."

Gohan merely snorted again and moved to get in line with the others, and the preliminaries began. Gohan watched from his spot, ignoring the babble of conversation going on around him, gauging the competition. The first dozen fighters or so were nothing particularly special, until one abnormally tall desert dweller stepped to the machine with a loud laugh and showing off his… blubber. Gohan deadpanned at the guy, glaring at him in disbelief, Sure, Hercule might not do much of the show-boating anymore, but this guy isn't lacking in it… How do people even get that large? He's got to be nearly nine feet tall and half a ton.

The giant of a man slammed his open palm into the pad, and the numbers began flashing rapidly, "And for number thirteen… One hundred and eleven!"

The giant man faced the crowd and threw his fists in the air with a loud yell before walking off to wait for the rest to go. The line began moving again, and none of the contestants were able to pass up the champ's score. A couple passed up the hundred mark, but none really stuck out from the rest. Gohan's attention to the others began to slip, and he focused his thoughts to the line behind him where he could sense the bizarre ki of Shin and Kibito.

About half the line made it through before the first Z-fighter stepped up to the machine in the form of Android 17. Krillin stepped out of the line and halted him before he could get too far, "Hey 17, I think we should take it easy with the whole punching thing. We don't know how much that chunk of metal can handle… Not to mention the rest of these guys probably won't be able to handle it either."

The android smirked and glanced at the line behind the fighter, "Hmph… fine."

He stepped directly in front of the machine and lazily threw his fist forward, shaking the machine violently and tipping it back on its legs, much to the shock of the monks monitoring it. The numbers flashed as it slammed back onto the tile before settling on 734. Krillin slapped his forehead with his palm, grumbling. The android frowned and crossed his arms. The monk taking score pulled his glasses down to stare at it critically before smiling nervously towards him, "Ummm I'm sorry sir, it appears the machine has had a malfunction. Would you mind trying again?"

17 rolled his eyes and held his hand out, knuckles towards the pad, and rapped on it sharply with the back of his fist. The numbers flashed for a moment before halting at 212. The android raised an eyebrow and glared at the monk, who just stared at the numbers dumbfounded, "And n-number one thirty-two sc-cores t-two hundred and twelve…"

The android crossed his arms again and strode away from the machine, parting the crowd that stared at him incredulously. 18 tossed her hair over her shoulder and glared after him, "Show off…"

The other Z-fighters followed him, starting with 18. Krillin, Piccolo and Tien took their turns shortly after. All of them were able to show a little more restraint, landing their punches at scores of just under 200. Silence hung over the courtyard as people watched the seemingly impossible strength of these strange people. As Tien marched off to join the others, Videl realized it was her turn to go. She gulped, wondering just how she was supposed to compete with even a normal fighter's strength with her small size. After all, even Gohan had told her that raw muscle power would not come easily to her, hence the change in fighting style. A firm hand on her shoulder interrupted her worries, and she looked up into those deep onyx eyes of his, "Don't worry about this one Videl, you're definitely going to be fine. Just hit it like you mean it. Trust me, you'll surprise yourself."

Emboldened, she nodded, setting her brow and striding forward to stand in front of the machine. A light buzz of conversation rose out of the crowd, and she heard her name get thrown around a few times. She shut out the noise and settled into the stance that she had adjusted to so well, balancing her weight between her two feet. Her hand clenched into a fist at her waist, straining her fighting gloves. She gathered her strength and her energy. The flow of ki to her muscles happened without her really noticing it. With a sharp rotation of her hips, she threw her fist forward with the full weight of her body behind it, slamming into the pad with a sharp thud. The machine shifted back an inch or two and the numbers flashed rapidly.

"And miss Satan, number one thirty-seven scores… Three hundred and sixty-nine?!"

It became so silent that Videl wondered if perhaps she had gone deaf. She stared at the numbers for a moment before turning her shocked gaze towards the tall demi-saiyan watching her with a raised eyebrow. She could just imagine the smirk decorating his face behind that mask. She cleared her throat nervously and stood straight, turning on her heel and quickly walking towards the other z-fighters who had already gone, avoiding looking at the crowd of people watching as she passed.

"Pretty impressive Videl. You've been training with him for what… a month? You're definitely learning quicker than I did.", asked an impressed Krillin. She glanced at the short monk, who was facing her with a broad grin on his face and hands on his hips. She gave him a weak smile and nodded, allowing his praise to stoke her ego a bit. She returned her eyes to the machine, where Gohan was now taking his place. He lazily backhanded the bag and strode over to them, not even looking at the number that flashed on the machine. He halted next to Videl and leaned in close to her, and she could tell he was still smirking at her behind that mask, "Told you…"

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms, and they turned to watch the rest of the tournament proceedings. Goku took his turn with the machine, tapping it lightly just like the others before him, and went to stand with the other Z-fighters. Vegeta took his place in front of the machine, glaring at it with barely contained frustration. Goku shuffled next to his son and quickly called out to him, "Take it easy Vegeta, there are still some people who need to go after you!"

"Hmph fine Kakarot!", he said irritably in response. He growled something at the monks on either side of the machine and threw his fist forward, crashing it into the machine and forcing it to skid backwards several feet. He stood there glowering at it as numbers flashed across it, ignoring the dumbstruck looks on everyone's faces around him. Goku covered his face in embarrassment, worriedly looking around him at the dumb-struck fighters around them, "Vegeta! That's not taking it easy!"

"I didn't break it Kakarot. They can still have their fun with this petty piece of scrap metal.", said Vegeta irritably. The prince crossed his arms and turned to walk towards them, parting the crowd like a wedge before the machine had even finished its calculations. The announcer continued to stare at the machine as four figures danced across the readout, his mouth hanging wide open. As the dust kicked up by the skidding machine began to dissipate, the monk managed to get his jaw working again, mumbling to the crowd through the microphone, "N-number… Number one forty… scores… Kami… it's over 9000..."

Vegeta halted in his tracks, his eyes staring off into nothing and a shocked expression on his face. Goku and Krillin blinked in surprise a couple times, looking at each other to make sure they had heard properly.

"Did… he just…?", asked Krillin numbly, to which Goku answered, "I think he did…"

The two of them abruptly burst into laughter, earning quizzical looks from the rest of the gang and a stern glare from the prince of Saiyans. Gohan chuckled and shook his head, watching the two turtle students laugh until tears flowed from their eyes. Videl nudged him and indicated towards the pair, who were holding each other up as they laughed at the short man's now pink expression, "Okay, I missed something. What was so funny about that?"

Gohan just chuckled and crossed his arms, staring down the fuming Saiyan to make it known he wouldn't allow any physical retaliation to his embarrassment, "Long story..."

"Short version?", she suggested. Gohan considered her for a moment, and said, "Hmmm… Suffice to say that those were Vegeta's exact words just before dad beat the crap out of him." Still not understanding the joke, Videl just watched the two hysterical fighters as they slowly recovered from their amusement.

*A LITTLE WHILE LATER – COMPETITOR WAITING AREA*

"Well that wasn't any fun…" Goku sighed despairingly and plopped himself down on a bench in the low-lit hallway outside of the preliminary courtyard and gazed up at the ceiling. Gohan stood across the hall from him, focusing at the ground hard. Things had progressed extremely fast after the initial strength contest, since many of the fighters dropped out after Vegeta's little episode. Some of the ones in line after them had still tried their hands on the machine, but none had really made a significant score. He had watched Shin and Kibito give their attempts, and was surprised when their scores came in just below that of the champ's, though neither of them seemed to really try. In fact, Gohan could have sworn they didn't actually contact the pad.

Then things progressed to the actual preliminary fights, resulting in Goku's current disappointment. None of the Z-fighters had been paired off against any good fighters, nor had the two mysterious figures of Shin and Kibito. Ultimately, all of the Z-fighters made it through to the tournament bracket, much to their surprise. None of them had expected to make it through the preliminaries without facing someone else from their group. Gohan couldn't help but think that somehow his father's "escorts" had a hand in events turning out as they did.

Something continued to pick at Gohan's nerves about the two of them as time progressed, and he wasn't the only one who seemed concerned. Piccolo was also lost in thought, and Gohan had a sneaking suspicion he was on the same page as the tall Namekian. The little bits that Gohan and Piccolo could see of their fights were uneventful and insignificant. Like the Z-fighters' fights, they only lasted a couple seconds either by ring-out or by their opponents surrendering. In the end, there were only five fighters who were not associated with the Z gang in some way or another. Of those five, the only one that managed to get the demi's attention was the behemoth of a man that had been showing off earlier. The large desert-dweller stood away from the rest of the fighters, grinning stupidly down at them like he had already won the tournament.

As much as I want to see what Shin and Kibito are all about, I'd rather just beat the tar out of lard-ass there, he thought, aggravated by the giant's arrogance. Kami knows he needs an attitude adjustment.

"Hey Gohan, what's up? You're looking kinda out of it there, bro.", said Krillin from next to him. Gohan emerged from his inner musings to consider his godfather, slightly surprised at his choice of words. It's been years since he last called me that. "Yea I'm fine Krillin, just have a lot on my mind.", he said calmly before turning to the rest of the group. "Don't you guys think it's odd that none of us had to fight each other? It's like we're being given this tournament, and I don't like it. Something feels wrong here."

He glanced over to the backs of the two fighters who were the source of his discomfort, a gesture that his father caught on to. The older Saiyan smiled at him in his usual care-free grin, stretching with his hands behind his head, "Oh lighten up Gohan! I'm sure it was all just a coincidence, really. Besides, now the tournament will be a lot more interesting!"

Piccolo chose that moment to finally speak from his secluded spot slightly away from the others, his low voice rumbling out from him with dark undertones, "No, I agree with Gohan here. Something isn't right. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something familiar about those two, and I'm not sure it's a good type of familiar. They're hiding something from us."

The rest of the Z-fighters turned their attention to the tall Namekian, and the air became filled with a tense silence. Goku recovered first, scratching at his head with a confused pout, "Well I thought about that, but what's to hide? Even if they're real good, why wouldn't they have attacked already? And why would I have been sent back to find them? I'm sure that it was planned for me to enter the tournament here, but I can't figure out why. Does anyone know who the other fighters are? Maybe it's one of them?"

Their attention was cast upon the other fighters milling about in the waiting area. Besides the Arabian wind-bag, there were four fighters not known to the z-gang. Two were speaking together and casting nervous glances in the direction of the Saiyan Prince. One of them was a rather large dark-skinned man wearing a black muscle shirt and camouflage bottoms with combat boots. The other was a shorter blonde pretty-boy wearing a traditional blue fighting uniform. Gohan checked their ki and noted that neither of them came close to even Videl's power, but were still high by human standards. The other two were a little more bizarre.

One was massive in stature, closely resembling Hans, the guy that Gohan had nearly killed for knocking Videl unconscious. The difference was that his brown hair was longer, falling down to his shoulders and framing his thinly bearded face, and that his bulging muscles were open to the air in his strong-man half leotard. The other man was significantly smaller, only standing at about chest height to his counterpart, and bare from the waist up. His was bald and clean shaven, in contrast to his partner. The two of them were extremely muscular, unusually pale, and disturbingly veiny. He noticed that both of them had what appeared to be a calligraphic "M" tattooed on their foreheads and were glaring at the two sources of his own suspicion with looks that could kill.

It seems I'm not the only one who doesn't like Shin and Kibito… Wonder what their problem is.

Videl spoke up, gesturing towards the fighters in turn and speaking to them all in general, "Well I only know four of these guys since they fought in previous tournaments. The black guy over there is Killa, a world class boxer and former military type. He made it to the semi-finals in the tournament five years ago when I was in the junior division. The blonde guy he's talking to is named Jewel. He's actually pretty good… He fought with my father in the finals last time. The tub of lard over there is Pintar, a semi-finalist of the last two tournaments, though the way he brags you'd think he owned the world. And… I don't know that guy right there but the other… Well, I'm not entirely sure but I think that he's Spopovich… The big guy over there? Yea I'm sure of it now, that's him. He was knocked out early in the last tournament by my dad. He's definitely changed since then… Blech… Those two kinda give me the creeps."

Gohan narrowed his eyes at the two bizarre looking fighters, scoping out their ki, Well, I suppose it's not impossible that they're who those two are after, but their ki is so weak. Spopovich is definitely the stronger of the two, but his power isn't even pushing Videl's level. No, it can't be them; dad wouldn't have been brought back to deal with such a weak enemy. Though I wouldn't put it past the Kais to just toss him down here for a day as a form of punishment. Fucking gods of the universe…

He glanced at his father, who was inspecting them for himself and seemingly coming to the same conclusion about the other competitors. Vegeta however, was the one to break the silence, "Bah! Why does it matter, none of them are even worth the time! No, Kakarot, you're the only one I care about fighting here. You and I will settle this, and I will be on top!"

"Oh, I don't think so Vegeta", said Goku in a knowing way. "I mean I have been training the whole time I've been dead you know."

"And you think I haven't?", retorted Vegeta with a snarl, "I'm the prince of all Saiyans! I have an inherent knowledge of battle that will give me the advantage even if you were still more powerful than me! A brain-damaged Saiyan like you should know already that you're out-matched!"

Gohan instantly felt his defensive side kick in, and he had to fight the urge to launch himself at the arrogant prince. He knew that the older fighter was trying to prove to himself he was better, but verbally degrading his father in front of him… Well it never sat well with the young demi when his father wasn't there to take it. He growled, tensing ever so slightly as he glared at the man, letting his voice to cut through the air dangerously, "Vegeta…"

"Stay out of it brat!", spat Vegeta in his direction. "This is between your weakling father and me!"

"Why you arrogant little…!", growled Gohan. He stepped away from the wall, his eyes glinting dangerously as he advanced on the prince. Goku stepped between the two of them, holding back his son and grinning nervously, "Whoa! Whoa, Gohan take it easy! I can still handle my own fights you know… Vegeta, if you think you can beat me on skill alone… then let's make an agreement right now. While we're in the ring; no transforming okay? That way strength will play less of a role."

Gohan never took his eyes off the shorter man's, daring him to say anything else with his looks alone. The prince glared right back, clashing with the demi in a battle of wills. Vegeta lost, breaking the eye contact to glare at Goku instead, "Fine Kakarot, you've got a deal. But only if the brat here stays in the base form as well."

Okay, fine Vegeta, you don't want me to go Super Saiyan three on you?, thought Gohan with some amusement. No matter, I'll still kick your ass if we meet in the ring.

Goku raised his eyebrows, looking to his son for a response with bated breath. The demi took one look at his father and grunted his consent before turning and re-taking his place against the wall to glare at the backs of Shin and Kibito again. Goku grinned and held a thumb up towards the prince, "Done! Man, this is going to be exciting! But hey, when is the junior tournament starting? Didn't they say that they were going to be assigned fights here pretty soon?"

"Ah my good friend, the junior division will begin as soon as we assign you all fights! If you would all gather around please?", came the announcer's voice. The group turned their attention towards him. The announcer had made his way in, followed by several monks, two of which were carrying a footlocker sized box between them with a large hole drilled in the top. The placed the box on top of a bench and the fighters gathered around it in a half circle. The announcer consulted his clipboard for a moment before smiling at the gathered competitors, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, we've got our sixteen fighters! Now we just need to assign you all to a fight! As I call out your name, please come forward and draw a number from the box… Let's see… Killa!"

The large ebony skinned man grunted and stepped forward, heavy boots clunking on the tile floor as he went, and plunged his hand into the box. He shuffled around for a moment before withdrawing and holding up a bright green ball with a number plastered on it.

"Alright, Killa takes slot number eight!"

The man nodded, glancing at the other fighters quickly before making his way to his original place away from the group to wait for the rest of the assignments.

"Pintar!"

"Ah yes! The illustrious Pintar will draw now yes? Oh, I shall!", sneered the large fighter. Gohan snorted and glared at the back of the giant as he lumbered forward to shove his thick arm in the box. Whatever he gets, I hope I get in the ring with him. I really want to kick him down a few levels.

"Pintar takes slot number two in the first round!"

"Ah, of course we must start with the best! I feel sorry for whoever has to fight me first!", he exclaimed pompously. With a high pitched giggle the giant waddled away to stand behind the group, watching them with a broad, arrogant grin.

"Ah! Here's one of the fighters I've been waiting for. Krillin, would you please take a number?"

The short fighter's face fell slightly, and Gohan's sharp hearing heard him grumble something about how he "always had to go first", and "never get any good draws". The tall demi smirked, amused at his godfather's discomfort as he drew his number.

"Well how about that, you are in the first round against Pintar!"

Gah! Lucky…

The short fighter sighed and grinned at the announcer, ignoring the scoffing of the giant who was offended to be fighting such a small fighter. The drawings proceeded quickly, with the numbers being relayed via radio to the tournament staff in the arena.

"Miss… number 18... is that your real name?"

The blonde bombshell rolled her eyes and drew a number, holding it up for him to see, "Not anymore... now I'm number twelve." She turned, tossing the ball over her shoulder at the startled announcer, who watched after her for a moment before shaking his head and returning to the task at hand.

"Alrighty then, next is… huh… Number 17?"

"Yea, yea I'm coming.", said the dark-haired twin in a bored tone. He drew a number, quirking an eyebrow at the announcer before handing it over and striding away to join his sister.

"Ahem… Right, Number 17 takes slot number nine… Hmmm ah! Goku! You're next!"

The tall Saiyan gave his usual Son grin and practically skipped to the box, reaching in and shuffling around a bit with a concentrated glare at the ceiling with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Gohan watched him, amusement bubbling up in him at the sight of his father's slightly immature antics. Seven years dead, and despite all the things that have happened, he's still exactly the same… He's exactly how I remember him from all those years ago; still care free and able to inspire happiness just by being... him. Man, I've missed that.

His momentary happiness was drowned quickly by regret and sorrow as he subtly reminded himself that he was the reason that happiness had been gone for the last seven years. He shook the thought from his head, determined not to let it get to him while his father was still there, and watched as the man pulled his number with a wide grin.

"Ah, you got number eleven! You'll be facing miss number 18 in your first fight!"

A short ways away, Gohan heard the Saiyan prince huff indignantly, and smirked, Well at least it won't be those two in the first round…

"Next is… Vegeta… Aaaand you got number fifteen!"

The Saiyan prince crossed his arms and strode over to where Gohan had previously been rooted, glaring over at his father with barely contained frustration.

"Ummm next is… Ah! Another previous tournament fighter! Ma Junior!"

The tall Namekian brushed past the others and thrust his long arm in the box, and Gohan noticed he appeared to be slightly sweaty. Hmmm… What's eating you Piccolo?

"And Ma Junior takes slot three!... Ummm Tien Shinhan! You're next"

The triclops confidently strode forward, earning wide-eyed stares from the human fighters who had heard of the previous champion. Tien pulled a number, and visibly paled with a scowl on his face, glancing over at the android twins nervously.

"Tien takes slot ten against number 17… Next, we have Jewel!... who takes… Slot number six!"

The blonde nodded and strode past him, pausing momentarily to look over Videl with a suggestive twitch of the eyebrows. He flashed her a toothy smile and strutted away to join Killa in conversation again. Gohan clenched his fists and glared after him, suddenly hoping he wound up in the ring with him instead.

"Bardock! You're up!"

Gohan glared at the blonde a moment longer before striding forward and uncrossing his arms. He reached into the box and grabbed the first ball he touched, pulling it out and holding it towards the announcer. The blonde man took it, and Gohan strode away to lean against the wall opposite Vegeta.

"Bardock takes spot number thirteen! Next is… Miss Videl Satan."

As she strode towards the box, Gohan ran the current fights through his mind, taking inventory of the fighters who had yet to draw. Hmmm… most of the fights still only have one fighter, and… yup it's the four creepiest ones left. Well… Hopefully Videl at least gets paired up with someone she can take.

"And miss Videl takes slot number five, and will be fighting Jewel in her first match!"

Gohan smirked, knowing full well that Jewel wasn't a match for her in the least. He looked back at the remaining fighters, thinking quickly about who she would be fighting in the second round. Okay so it's going to either be Killa or… one of these guys. Well, I hope she doesn't wind up with Shin or Kibito, I still can't figure out how powerful they really are. Those other two don't seem to be any more powerful than her first opponent though.

"Next is Spopovich!"

The behemoth of a man growled, stiffly walking forward and squeezing his hand into the box. The announcer watched him struggle to get his grip on one of the balls, adjusting his sunglasses to look at him better.

"You've been hitting the weights huh buddy? Well, you've definitely made progress! It's good to see you back here."

The large man snarled and removed his hand from the box, holding a ball out to the announcer. He dropped it in his outstretched hand and went to sit where he had been before, clenching his hands with what appeared to be barely contained rage. His brown hair shaded his face, but Gohan could just barely hear the sound of teeth grating together emanating from him.

"Next is Yamu!"

Unlike his partner, Yamu calmly strode forward and easily plucked a ball from the box, handing it over to the announcer.

"And Yamu takes slot number… Fourteen! He'll be fighting against Bardock in the first round."

Yamu, huh? I was hoping to face Shin or Kibito, but I suppose I can deal with that later. Let's see... That just leaves Piccolo's and Vegeta's fights open.

"Ummm mister Shin?"

The short purple man seemingly glided over, his posture firm and held high like a kings. He reached in the box and quickly pulled a ball from the box, glancing over at the Z-fighters with that same smirk he had worn before.

"Shin takes spot number four, matching him up against Ma Junior in the second round. Which leaves mister Kibito with spot number sixteen against Vegeta! Fantastic! With that taken care of, we can officially start the tournament, and a bit ahead of schedule to boot! First, we will have the junior division, which will be starting here in ten minutes or so! Just wait for the call, and I will see you all ring side alright?"

With a friendly smile and wave, he left the same way he came, trailing the monks and the box. The Z-fighters wasted no time, quickly gathering and leaving the dimly lit hall to rejoin the others in the arena. Videl led the way, pointing out places of interest on the way and conversing lightly with whoever happened to be near her. Gohan held back slightly from the rest, walking with his former mentor who was scowling even harder than normal and staring off into nothingness, "What is it Piccolo? You're not nervous about that Shin guy, are you?"

The namekian turned his eyes towards him, and Gohan had his answer even before his response came, "Yes, Gohan, I am. Something about those two is driving me nuts, like I know exactly who they are but can't place it. Every time I get close, it's like it jumps just out of my reach."

"I hear ya Piccolo, but I don't think they can take you.", said Gohan honestly with a shrug. "And besides, if things get out of hand, I'll step in. That was the reason I came in the first place."

The Namekian considered his former pupil out of the corner of his eye and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm, "Yea I know Gohan, and I appreciate it. But I don't know if that's necessary."

They walked in silence for a moment, watching as Goku talked excitedly with Videl about something that was making her turn beet red. Gohan smirked, just trying to imagine what story his father was telling the girl. Piccolo watched him for a moment before asking, "How are you holding up kid? I was worried for a while there that you would do something drastic when he came back."

Gohan furrowed his brow, averting his eyes from the orange clad figure of his father. In his peripherals, he could see Piccolo watching him with his scrutinizing glare, "My instincts are telling me to run or fight Piccolo. Every time I see him, I want to panic and flee. I feel so wrong here with him, but I know that I can't just leave. I can't run from him like that. Just like with the twins, I have to be there for those who still need me."

The Namekian nodded, smirking at the boy and rubbing his jaw, "At least this time you didn't take it out on my face. I'll be honest, I don't think I'd live through it if you did."

Gohan could feel his face getting hot with embarrassment as the memory of that particular event rose in his mind. Eager to change the subject, he cleared his throat, just as a loud cheer went up from the arena they were walking towards and a loud gong sounded over-head, "Well, shall we? I wanna see which of the demon trio is going to come out on top."

"My bet's on Trunks. Sorry Gohan, but he's a year older than the twins.", said Piccolo thoughtfully. Gohan raised an eyebrow at him and said, "And? You've got me beat by more than that and I'd still whoop you all the way back to the lookout."

"Hmmm true.", reasoned the Namekian with a smirk. "Fine, who do you think is going to win?"

Gohan smiled, running over the past years of training with the twins under his watchful eye. They were almost perfectly even in power, and both of them had a natural talent for fighting, despite the lack of a need for it in their case. On top of that, the both of them were way more powerful now than even he was at their age, probably rivaling his own strength when the androids first attacked. He often wondered why they were already so powerful, but always concluded it was the fact that they were constantly rough-housing.

But his little sister definitely had the advantage between the two of them. Goten was a brilliant fighter already with an instinct for it which could only be compared to his father's, but his little sister inherited an intelligence that was unfortunately lacking in her twin. On top of that, while Goten was very difficult to upset, Ria had managed to get a tempter that rivaled her older brothers. There was no doubt in Gohans mind who would win if she was pushed into a situation that stretched her too thin, "Well, unless Trunks has managed to go super-saiyan without our knowledge, I think that Ria is going to win."

"We'll see Gohan.", said Piccolo with a shrug. "Now come on, the others are waiting for us over there, and I'm sure Launch has cleared a spot for us."

She seemed so nice though... thought Gohan curiously, thinking about the few times he'd met the dark-haired woman. How is she going to "clear a spot", being as gentle as she is?...