Dragon Ball ZGX Rated T: Blood, Cursing, Suggestive themes.
Description: The conflict between Bardock and the Elite Assassins is over, and Turles has met his end at the hands of his most trusted ally, Tundra. With the knowledge that Gine is still alive, Bardock is bound and determined to find her. But how? Without any clues, Bardock feels the search could take years. However, he receives a willing hand from an unexpected ally. The adventure continues, now.
Act 4: Reunions Saga
Chapter 42: The Pit
xXxXxXx
Capsule Z: One Week Later…
The clocks aboard the ship were all set to Earth time, and it was about three in the morning. Everyone aside from Bardock was asleep, and he was laying in his bed wide awake, staring at the ceiling. This had been his every night since the day they left. All he could think about is the first time he'd see Gine after 30 long years. What would he say? Would he freeze and not say anything? Would she care that he was still alive? It kept him awake. The sleep he did get wasn't nearly enough to keep him from feeling like an animated corpse. He spent most of his time meditating with Piccolo, which kept him occupied enough to not go completely mad during the trip. Gohan spent most of his time studying. His logic was; study heavy on the way there, enjoy his time on Vortano and not have to worry about catching up.
One of the very few things Bardock found annoying about the trip was that they all knew when Vegeta and Trunks were training. No one downstairs had done much sparring since Vegeta was at it every day. Gummo insisted that the ship could handle both gravity machines running at the same time, but no one seemed to be in a rush to train while Vegeta was. It always started early too. Bardock looked at the digital clock on a small stand next to his bed, and realized that he had two, maybe three hours to get some sleep before Vegeta woke everyone with his routine.
Bardock sighed, then sat up and got off his bed. He quickly threw on a white shirt he had in a dresser, then left the room and went upstairs. He entered the main room and sat down in one of the chairs by the terminal. The lights were dim, only a few of them were actually lit. He looked out the window, at what was a blend of multi-colored streaks whipping by. That's how everything looked during the hyperspace jump.
Bardock sighed in his seat. "Three more weeks…"
The door to the living area opened up, catching Bardock's attention. He looked and saw Sheamus walking through the door.
"Can't sleep?" Bardock said, startling Sheamus.
"Nightmares." Sheamus said awkwardly before a sigh. "Why are you up?"
"Anxious, restless, bored." Bardock replied. Sheamus walked over to the seats and sat down next to Bardock. "I've had too much time to think. She's not expecting me to show up. She probably thinks I'm dead. What if she moved on?" Bardock sighed.
"Are you… looking for an answer?" Sheamus asked tentatively.
"Well, no. But if you've got something, shoot."
"Alright. If she has moved on, you just have to deal with it."
Bardock sighed again and slumped over in his chair. "Forget I said anything."
"Alright, hold on." Sheamus said sharply. "I lost basically everything in my time, I came back here to kill the root source of all of my misery so that it doesn't happen again, and all anyone's been telling me is 'tough shit'."
Bardock sighed and shook his head. "Tundra isn't someone you want to make an enemy out of. Besides, I was mad at you for ditching me in a field."
"I know. You really laid in the punches during training." Sheamus replied.
Bardock looked away and stared at the colors out the window. "Tundra killed me. I could tell by the end of the fight that he didn't want to. But he was an assassin Turles hired to kill me, and he was loyal until the job was done. After that, he had no interest in helping Turles anymore. He's the one that killed him."
"And you think you can trust him because of that."
"And he's the reason we're on this trip. He didn't have to bring me the information, he wanted to. To repay me."
"Yet he's protecting someone who can't be redeemed."
Bardock huffed and glared at Sheamus. "You know, this is why our training always turns into a brawl that Gohan has to break up."
Sheamus sighed heavily and sat back in his chair with a thud. "You of all people should share my hatred for him. His father enslaved your people, then destroyed your planet."
"I didn't say 'I don't hate Eyce', Sheamus!" Bardock snapped. "But like I said before, Tundra isn't someone you want to make an enemy out of. Besides, I can't let myself hate an entire alien race because of what Frieza did to us."
Sheamus sat in silence for a few moments, trying to calm himself so he didn't blow his top again. He took a deep breath and just sat there. He didn't have anything else to say to Bardock. He couldn't stop thinking about how stupid it sounded. He was right, you can't hate an entire people because of what one of them did and how evil they were.
Sheamus sighed and finally spoke up. "I don't think Tundra is evil. I just think he's making a bad decision based on his history with Eyce."
Bardock side eyed him. "I think he'd say the same thing about you, Sheamus."
Sheamus just stared at him for a moment, making an uneasy eye contact. Both of them were getting tense, and this had been a regular thing for the last three months while they'd train while waiting for the ship to be finished. Somehow, Eyce would get brought up in a conversation, their conflicting opinions on the matter would lead to a scrap, and sometimes it would get so bad that Gohan would have to interject and separate them until they cooled off. This got in the way of them getting to know each other. Sheamus would oftentimes fly off and be gone for hours. Then he'd come back and avoid acknowledging what had happened. In this situation, there was nowhere for Sheamus to fly off to. He could hide in his room, but he couldn't get his energy and anger out like he could on Earth, flying as fast as he could through valleys and forests.
Sheamus stood up and began walking back towards the door. Bardock watched quietly, and Sheamus went through the door, shutting behind him. Bardock turned around and sat back in his chair.
"This is gonna be rough."
xXxXxXx
Planet Vortano: Gallance
Life went on as usual for Gine and the kids. It was mid-afternoon on Vortano, and they were dropping off another meat and goods delivery. Gine was talking to Davey and helping him count everything they brought while Matto and Luffa sat on the ground against part of the brick wall that surrounded the depot. Matto looked bored and distant, and Luffa was looking at him with concern. Matto turned his head to the left and looked towards the center of the city.
Luffa perked up for a moment since he hadn't moved in a while. But after a moment, her expression shifted from concern to annoyance.
"I hope you aren't thinking about The Pit again, Matto." She said with some authority.
Matto didn't respond in any way. He just kept gazing towards where The Pit was located. He was hugging his knees to his body, and just kept quiet.
I just wanna see him fight. Matto thought.
Gine was on her way over, counting bills in an envelope that Davey handed her. As she finished, she tucked them back in and closed it. She tucked it into a small bag on her hip as she reached the kids, and she looked at them.
"Alright, guys, we're all set." She said, before registering Luffa's expression directed at Matto, and Matto's distant gaze. "Uh, what's wrong?"
"Matto hasn't said a word since we got here." Said Luffa. "I think he's thinking about The Pit."
Matto turned his head and glared at his sister in one swift motion. "Shut up, Luffa!"
He quickly stood up and stormed off towards the wall on the other side of the courtyard. Gine hadn't even had time to form a complete thought. She could tell that his anger wasn't coming from a place of annoyance, but rather a place of sadness. Gine knew he liked to fight, but wasn't sure why he was so obsessed with The Pit when he knew he wasn't old enough or strong enough to handle himself in there.
And Luffa was angry because she was worried about her brother getting hurt badly, and she didn't want to be responsible for Matto's poor decisions. Gine wasn't a mean spirited person, but when she had to discipline them, she wasn't someone to be crossed. And knowing that she lost her husband and both of her sons, Luffa wasn't going to be one to cross her.
Gine watched as Matto reached the other side of the courtyard and sat down against the wall. He was sitting criss cross with his head down. She sighed and started walking over to him. He was aware of her approach, but ignored it as if he didn't know. She stopped just ahead of the boy and waited to see if he'd say anything. He did not, then Gine walked up to the wall beside him, turned around and sat down next to him. She waited a few minutes to say anything. She'd been through things like this before with Matto. He was more rebellious and stubborn, and he'd give her the silent treatment. She knew that if she sat there for long enough, he'd get annoyed and finally say something. It took a little longer than normal, but she wasn't gonna get up until Matto said something. Matto finally made a noise as he huffed. He didn't look at Gine, but she knew he was gonna say something.
"I wasn't thinking about fighting in The Pit." Matto said, followed by a lengthy pause. He sighed. "I just want to see that Broly guy fight."
Gine simply watched him as he was slumped forward against his knees. "You know how I feel about The Pit, Matto."
"I know." he replied dejectedly. He stood up and brushed his pants off, and still didn't look at her. "That's why I haven't said anything."
Matto then took to the sky and slowly flew towards their home. Gine sighed and got up, then looked across the courtyard at Luffa and signaled for her to follow. Then, Gine took off behind Matto, and Luffa behind her.
The journey home was an awkwardly silent one. Matto flew ahead of Gine and Luffa the whole way. Gine didn't understand why he was so annoyed, she wasn't mad at him. It's not like he ran off to try and sneak into The Pit again. But Matto didn't say a word, didn't look back, and didn't stray away at all. He just flew with his eyes straight forward. Gine and Luffa exchanged worrisome looks, but they didn't talk to each other. Soon, they arrived at the homestead and Matto quickly made his way inside and headed upstairs to his bedroom. Gine and Luffa stood outside as a light breeze passed, ruffling both the shaggy black hair of Gine, and the side ponytail and bangs of Luffa.
"I wasn't mean about it." Gine said with a sigh.
Luffa looked at her and walked up to her. "You aren't, Miss Gine. You're concerned, any good mom would be."
Luffa gave her a brief hug, then walked up onto the porch and into the house. Gine stood silently watching Luffa go inside.
Good mom? Did she mean…? She was hung up on it. Neither of the kids had acknowledged her as a mother figure since she took them in, which never bothered her. Luffa didn't say it directly, but just the inference of it made Gine's heart skip a little.
She walked inside and looked around. The house on the homestead she had raised them in, from children to teenagers. She walked a ways down the hall and stopped at a half-table against the wall and turned to it. On it was a framed picture of the three of them together. Gine in the center, and Matto and Luffa on her left and right, both looking a few years younger.
She picked it up and smiled at it. Tarble took this of us. They were both 11. She said in her head.
Matto's hair was the same length as Luffa's in the photo, which made them look more like the twins they were. They weren't identical though, and Gine remembered that Luffa would get annoyed with people for comparing them to each other.
She got so angry that she went and got her haircut. And she knows our hair doesn't grow!
Gine chuckled at the thought, then sighed a moment later. They were both 15, they were growing up, and Gine started feeling sad about it. She started thinking about Matto's odd change in behavior. He was usually rambunctious, impatient and generally happy. But today, he seemed depressed, and rarely did he ever get like that.
Gine sighed and shook her head. "Okay, I'll cheer him up."
She reached into the right pocket of her tights and pulled out an oval shaped device with a few buttons on the bottom of it, and a circular screen towards the top. She pressed a few buttons with her thumb, the screen went dark and had "connecting" in green pop up. Moments later, the face of Paragus appeared on the screen.
"Oh! Why hello, Miss Gine." Said Paragus.
"Hey there, Paragus." Gine responded with a smile.
"You don't make calls often, what's the occasion?"
"Well, I was kinda wondering when Broly's next fight is."
Paragus raised an eyebrow. "That's an odd request coming from you."
"I know." Gine said. She looked around to make sure the kids weren't around, then back down at the screen. "I want to bring Matto to see him fight at The Pit. He hasn't been himself lately, and I think that would cheer him up."
Paragus rubbed his chin for a moment before responding. "It's not until next week. But I'll get you guys in. Is his sister going to be attending?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. And you don't have to do that, I can afford it."
"Oh, I insist. You're an important part of our Saiyan community, and Gallance as a whole. Don't worry about admission, they'll know you're coming."
Gine chuckled and nodded. "Alright, have it your way. I'll let you know about Luffa soon. Thank you!"
The transmission ended, and she put her communicator back in her pocket. She sighed again, then walked back towards the front door and turned left into the kitchen. She had some chores she needed to catch up on, and it was time for her to get started.
xXxXxXx
Tarble's Palace
Paragus was walking through one of the palace corridors, and as he walked, Tarble came out of one of the doorways ahead. Tarble looked at Paragus and smiled.
"Hey, Paragus." Said Tarble. As he said this, he noticed the puzzled look on his number two's face. "Something wrong?"
"No. Gine wanted to know when Broly's next Pit fight is." Paragus replied.
"That's unusual for her."
"She said she wanted to cheer up her boy because he's not acting normal."
"Ah." Tarble said with a nod. "I bet he's itching to start fighting for real."
"Hopefully, seeing my son dominate a match the way he does will put things into perspective for him. When I saw them after Broly's last fight, it looked like he was getting ready to fight the guard." Paragus sighed.
"Gine's an amazing mother. She's not gonna bring him to a fight without a plan to deal with however he feels afterwards. Trust me, if you're thinking she's making a mistake, I can assure you she isn't."
Paragus nodded at his superior's words. "I trust your judgement, sir."
xXxXxXx
The next week came and went pretty quickly. Matto and Luffa busied themselves with training as usual, and Gine didn't have a lot of chores for them to do. Matto acted like nothing had happened the previous week, and Luffa was just going with it, while awaiting some sort of outburst or meltdown from her brother. They were sparring over the lake, it being their favorite spot to duke it out.
Gine was walking over to the lake, thinking about how Matto would react once she sprung the news on him. She had already talked about it with Luffa, who wasn't completely on board with the idea at first. But she couldn't say she wasn't interested in a Broly fight. She could see them sparring in the sky over the lake, and soon she was standing along the shoreline.
Luffa and Matto were phasing in and out all over the place. Mid-air shockwaves and splashes happening at different points over the lake. Matto was on the defensive from a barrage of his sisters strikes. He knew all of his sister's moves, and he was shifting and moving to block and deflect her attacks. High punches, low kicks, she'd switch it up and try to land a high side kick to his face, but he was just too familiar with her move set. However, she knew this and was doing this purposely to tire him out. She was cunning, and dangerous because of that.
And it worked like a charm. Luffa threw a forearm strike at him, which he blocked with a knee. He backflipped away, then sped in rapidly with his right arm cocked back. As he closed in, Luffa spun around and attempted a side kick. Matto stopped and ducked it, otherwise she would've caught him. However, she spun once more, that momentum carrying over and getting stronger, and caught him with the second one. It sent him straight down and he hit the lake with a loud splash.
"Oh! Whoops…" Luffa exclaimed as she covered her mouth with both hands.
Gine winced at the shot. She heard the strike and the splash, and she imagined how painful it might've been.
Matto popped up out of the water, gasping for air and groaning in pain. Luffa's eyes widened, she felt so bad. She didn't mean to kick him as hard as she did.
"Damn, Luffa! Are you trying to kill me?" Matto exclaimed angrily.
"I'm sorry, Matto! I didn't realize how much impact there'd be!" Luffa called back.
"Yeah right." Matto scoffed. He floated up out of the water and flew over to the shore, near where Gine was standing.
He stood there and started powering up, heating up his body and using it to dry out his clothes. Once done, he started rubbing the side of his face when Luffa kicked him, then looked up and saw Gine approaching.
"Oh, hey Miss Gine." Said Matto.
"Hey. So, I've been thinking." Gine said nervously. Luffa landed nearby and started her approach while Gine continued. "I get a little overprotective sometimes. It scares me that you're growing up, and I know I can be hard on you sometimes. Especially when it comes to The Pit."
Matto huffed and looked away.
"But," Gine said, drawing Matto's attention back. "I know how much you want to see a fight, so I made a call. And you, me and your sister are going to watch Broly fight in The Pit tonight."
Matto looked confused at first, then excited, then confused again. "Are you serious? I thought you…"
"I know what I said about it." Gine said before letting out a sigh. "I know you want to fight, so I figured seeing one would just let you know what you'll be getting yourself into when the time comes. And I thought it would make you happy."
A smile slowly crept across Matto's face. He couldn't believe it, and it was exciting to him. "Thank you! Thank you so much Miss Gine!"
His excitement warmed her heart. She didn't know what to expect when they got there, but she didn't want to bum him out by getting discouraged. She already told him they were going, she would've felt awful if she changed her mind.
Matto turned around to Luffa and cocked his head with a confused expression. "Did you… have anything to do with this?"
Luffa shook her head. "This was all her idea. You'll really see Broly fight."
Matto smiled again. "C'mon sis, you can't tell me you aren't looking forward to it."
Luffa tried to fight it, but a small side smile escaped and she closed her eyes briefly. "Alright, yeah a little."
Matto smiled again, then turned to Gine once more, went up to her and gave her a tight hug. "Thank you so much."
Gine simply smiled and ruffled his hair a bit.
xXxXxXx
The next few hours came and went, and Matto was so amped up from the news that he was outside throwing punches and kicks at the air, visualizing a fight so he could get some of this extra energy out. When it was time to go, Matto took off first, and he was in front of Gine and Luffa the entire trip back to Gallance. The sun was almost down, the sky was clear and stars dotted the sky, varying in brightness. They landed on the street outside of the Pit, and walked up to a double doorway, guarded by a tall, pale-blue skinned man with slicked back black hair. And another man was there, shorter, darker in skin shade and with blond shaggy hair. He was checking people into the building and taking payments for entry. Paragus walked out the doorway to talk to them, but spotted Gine amongst the civilians standing around the entrance.
"Miss Gine!" Paragus said, catching the attention of her and the kids.
She looked and saw him and smiled. "Hey, we made it!"
"You did." He replied with a nod. He turned halfway and gestured towards the open door. "Follow me, I'll get you seated. You're just in time for the fight."
Paragus then went inside, and Gine, Matto and Luffa followed. The lobby they entered was huge and very empty. There were only a few people occupying it, and there were a few doorways along the furthest wall from the front door. Near the front of the room was a long desk and several drawers and file cabinets nearby, but the desk was unoccupied. It confused Matto and Luffa at first, but they continued to follow until they reached a stairwell leading downstairs.
"Downstairs is The Pit itself. If you need a restroom break, you come upstairs." Paragus explained. He began walking down the stairs, the others followed. "I will say, it is quite packed. Broly's a fan favorite, and undefeated in Pit fights."
The foursome made it to the bottom of the stairs, leading them to a circular hallway. Dotting the hall were several concession stands. On the inner wall, there were curtained off doorways leading into The Pit proper, and Paragus led them through one. Upon seeing The Pit, Matto's eyes bulged. The fighting area itself was an actual pit; an oval filled sand-pit surrounded by a fifteen foot tan stone wall. At the top of the wall were several pylons with purple light bars on each side.
"Those pylons provide an energy barrier that keeps the action contained." Paragus explained as they walked along the first row of seats that sat behind the top of the wall.
There were two main seating sections that surrounded the battleground in The Pit. The rows were angled so that everyone could see everything, and there was just enough space between rows to keep people from being too clustered together. The arena was packed, even the balcony above the section that they sat down in.
The pylons helped split off seat sections so that no one had the displeasure of sitting behind one and not being able to see anything. The stone wall was really strong, not even Broly could damage it. That and the pylon wall made it secure enough so that warriors could go all out without endangering the audience. There were two circular tunnels with closed doors at each end, each decorated with multiple light bars that were cycling through colors. There was a window beside each tunnel which served as the place where combatant managers, family members, VIPs and executives could watch the fight up close.
Gine, Matto and Luffa sat down, and Paragus sat down next to Gine on the other side.
"You're gonna watch the fight up here with us?" Gine questioned.
"Why not? It's your first time here. And Broly doesn't need me to be down there." Paragus said with pride.
Matto's eyes were glued to the arena floor, and walking out to the center in a black suit was a skinny Vortanian man about six feet tall, bald with sunglasses on and a microphone in his left hand. Once he reached the center, he took a big look around at everyone in the seats. Moments later, the lights in the arena went down, and a spotlight shone on the announcer. He brought the microphone to his mouth and looked up towards the now blackened audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer said with a deep, mature and commanding voice with a little grain and a lot of power. "Coming up next, your main event of the evening!"
A generic pop-like song started playing over The Pit's speaker system while the lights started flashing to the beat, changing color as it went. One of the tunnel doors started rolling up, and steam rolled out of the tunnel, the color of it distorted by light bars from within the tunnel. Coming through the smoke was a dark-blue skinned man with a bodybuilder-like physique, long orange hair with a wild beard to match, standing about 6.5 feet tall, wearing only black shorts and fighting boots.
"Introducing first, fighting out of the town of Riddleton, Chazz!" The announcer finished.
The large Vortanian walked across the arena until he was about ten feet away from the announcer, and stopped. The music stopped, the lights went back down, and the spotlight again was on the announcer. Then, a loud rumbling noise came over the speakers, crescendoing. The audience started to go insane, and Matto looked around excitedly. This excitement transferred to him as he got goosebumps.
Then, a loud heavy metal melody started playing, most of the lights went red while a bunch of other lights remained normal and shone all over the arena. Then, the other tunnel door opened up. Accompanied by significantly more smoke, Broly slowly walked through the doorway and stopped several feet in front of the tunnel. A spotlight shone on, he was shirtless and chiseled, had a large X shaped scar on his left pec, a few other scars down his arm, and a scar on his abdomen. There was what looked like a white and gold necklace around Broly's neck, black and white wrist guards, white pants with black and white combat boots, and a large red sash around his waist.
"His opponent, fighting out of Gallance, with an undefeated streak of 398 and 0, your reigning and defending Pit Fight Champion, BROOOOOOOLY!"
As the announcer finished his announcement, fireworks shot up from the floor behind Broly; the champion receiving a grand introduction. The man stood there silently though, the pyro behind him didn't faze him, neither did the music or the roar of the crowd. He didn't look around at all, he just kept his eyes locked firmly on his opponent. He finished his entrance and walked until he was the same distance on the other side of the announcer. The lights returned to normal, a spotlight on the announcer, and one for each competitor. The audience fell silent in anticipation, yet the room still felt electric.
"And now, the rules. This match is a fight to the finish. The only ways to win are via knockout, or submission. If a competitor cannot answer the referee's ten-count, they lose the match. If a competitor quits, they lose the match. If a competitor is killed, the other will be disqualified, fined, and consequences will be determined post-match."
Hearing the rules got Matto jazzed up. Gine was a bit unnerved by this, but Paragus was right beside her. Luffa was excited too now that she was in the arena. The energy was intoxicating, the audience was getting riled up again, and the fight was just moments away. A referee walked out to the arena from one of the tunnels, a man shorter than the announcer, black shirt, black pants, brown hair and a cleanly shaved face.
"You ready, bro?" Luffa asked her brother.
"Hell yeah!" Matto exclaimed.
The announcer looked back and forth between the two warriors. "Do you both understand the rules?"
Both the challenger, Chazz, and the champion, Broly, nodded once each. The announcer nodded back and stepped away so that the referee could get between them. He looked at both men, and once the announcer was out of harm's way, he pulled out an air-horn, raised it in the air and blew it.
The fight had officially begun.
To Be Continued...