I told you this chapter wouldn't take long to be out. I'm sorry if it's
boring, but it was necessary. I tried to make up for the boring with just
a tad about the mystery character, Carolyn, but I want to take it slow with
her, don't want to ruin the surprise! (not that I'm even 100% sure what it
is yet, but that's beside the point). I have most of the tournament mapped
out already, so now it is just a matter of writing out the fights, and also
plot developments in between. I'll leave you to the story now.
A/N- Whenever I use -text- it is someone thinking to themselves, 'and this is telepathic', okay?
Disclaimer: Now why would I be doing this if I owned DBZ?
Chapter 3: The Drawing
"ATTENTION ALL QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS, THE DRAWING WILL OCCUR IN THE SAME AREA AS THE QUALIFYING ROUND IN 15 MINUTES!"
"I guess that means we should be going, huh?" stated Goku.
*15 minutes later, at the drawing*
Everyone seemed to be with their own, the largest group being the Z- fighters and Videl. They were the closest to the announcer. Kabito and Shin were not too far away. Vegeta was suspicious, as they appeared to be communicating, but neither one was speaking. "I still don't trust them!" was all he had to say. Two muscle-bound men, and one attractive young man were in a corner, and they seemed to be talking about some previous fights, and were comparing strength. Videl looked around, but there didn't seem to be enough people.
"Gohan! Look! What in Kami's name is Carolyn doing here? She couldn't have qualified! She must be writing for the school newspaper, but I know she doesn't work on that. But only qualified fighters and a few reporters are allowed here anyway! And without her it is only 14 people, not including my father who's bound to make some big entrance like he always does. I am so confused!" ranted a baffled Videl.
"I agree, we have to look into this, I guess it is somewhat possible that she qualified, I mean, looks can be very deceiving in fighting, but still." Of course Videl couldn't tell, but Gohan was perplexed by the fact that Carolyn's ki was only slightly higher than the average female teenager. -Weird- he thought.
"Okay, it's time for the drawing, and to start it all off, is the defending champion, Hercule!"
"I'm here! Gwa ha ha!" The giant buffoon yelled.
Only the three men in the corner seemed impressed, the others appeared to not care less.
Hercule got a stupid, confused look on his face and said "I guess everybody is just concentrating on their fights! Either that, they're struck with fear! Yea, that's it! Oh well, here I go!" Hercule got a look of concentration, and pulled out a ball. "HA! Number one! That seems to fit quite well!"
"Right, okay, now let's start everyone else!" said the announcer quite enthusiastically. "Now, first up is. Vegeta! Will Vegeta please come up and pick a number?"
"Hold on, I'm coming! Let's see, a 14, okay."
"Let's see, next up is Carolyn!"
"What the? That skinny female is fighting? I mean, feel her ki! Either she is weak, or she is very good at disguising ki" said Vegeta.
Carolyn just walked up, pulled out a number 7, and showed it to the announcer. "I guess I'm in the first half, huh?"
"Okay, next up is Videl! Okay, you're number 8, making the first pair up of Carolyn vs. Videl!"
Carolyn looked very disinterested, while Videl looked happy, "Good, I won't have to fight my father until the semi-finals. Now let's see where the rest of Gohan and his friends end up."
"Okay, it's time for Killa to pick his number!"
"I'mgunnapickagoodnumberyeakillais" Killa said (or mumbled) as he pulled out a 4.
"I'm not quite sure what you just said, but you're a 4! Next up is Shin!"
"Here you go, I am number 12"
"Thank you, and Kabito is up next!"
"I'm 13"
"This is getting along great! You are paired against Vegeta in round 1!" The announcer was starting to get excited, seeing that this would be an unforgettable tournament.
'Good, this way I can test one of the stronger ones.'
'I'm still not sure you will force him to use his full strength Kabito, but we will see something with who is going to be against me'
"Next up, Krillin!"
"I got number 5. that still makes it possible that I might have to fight Gohan or Goku in the first round, I'll just have to hope that I get lucky."
"Okay, Gohan can come up now! Okay, you're number 10!" At this Krillin breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized Goku still hadn't drawn.
"Goku, you can come up now! You're an old pro at all this by now, let's see if you can have two titles won! Okay, you're number 11, that puts you against Shin in the first round."
Goku glanced over at the purple stranger, who seemed to be sizing him up or something, but it wasn't the way he was used to, when enemies bent on destroying him were sizing him up, instead, Shin seemed to almost be impressed with his power, but also not the least bit intimidated, but also not cocky or threatening. Of course Vegeta noticed this, and made the comment "Hey purple boy, quit staring at Kakarot, you don't have to worry about being stronger than him, because there is no chance." Almost instantly, Vegeta realized this was almost a display of faith in Goku, so he backed it up with "I mean, how am I supposed to finally defeat Kakarot if he loses to some weakling in the first round?" During this commentary, Tien was called up and pulled a 16.
"Okay Jewel, let's see who you are up against! .Oh my goodness what a surprise, it seems the very first match of the tournament is a rematch of last tournament's finals! Jewel has drawn a 2, and will be facing Hercule!" -Wow! This is going to be great for the ratings!-
"Yamcha! Your turn!" When Yamcha looked at his number, he nearly collapsed. He couldn't believe his bad luck. -I know I wasn't going to get far in this tournament, but this is ridiculous! I might as well face the music- he thought to himself as he showed the announcer the 9.
"That puts you against Gohan! Okay, Mighty Mask is up next!"
"HAHA that match should prove to be very amusing, I only hope the boy doesn't hurt you too much, weakling human!" as Vegeta said this, Yamcha turned to Gohan with a worried look. Gohan just smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, besides, we don't want to disappoint the crowds, now do we?" Yamcha looked relieved that he at least wouldn't be too humiliated.
"That puts Mighty Mask against Tien in the final fight of the first round! I'm not sure if I have this name right, but next up to draw is Eighteen!"
"You got that name right, do you have a problem with my name?" asked a very serious and threatening 18.
"N-No, not at all, you can just pick your number now" 18 just picked up one of the two remaining balls and tossed it to the announcer. "That's a 3, putting 18 against Killa! Last, but not least, Piccolo! I think it's safe to assume that that is a 6, putting you against Krillin in the third fight of the first round. Okay, the final lineup is:
1. Hercule vs. Jewel 2. 18 vs. Killa 3. Krillin vs. Piccolo 4. Carolyn vs. Videl 5. Yamcha vs. Gohan 6. Goku vs. Shin 7. Kabito vs. Vegeta 8. Mighty Mask vs. Tien
"Well, it looks like we got the good half of the draw, Piccolo! No one on our side has to face the Saiyans until the finals!" exclaimed Krillin, but Piccolo countered this with the simple statement, "but you still have to go against me, and if you win that, you have to fight your wife eventually, and I think you know who will win that one." Krillin was upset at this, but let it go, still happy that even if a miracle occurred and he beat Piccolo, he would still eventually face his wife in the semifinals, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about facing any of the Saiyans in the finals and getting completely embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Videl and Gohan were talking about their upcoming fights.
"I didn't know that the Great Yamcha could fight! Is he any good?"
"I'd say so, he is very good compared to a normal person, but within our group he is actually the weakest, especially since he has given up fighting for baseball."
"You mean you're stronger than him?"
"Yes, I am, and both of us know that, but it will still be a good fight."
"So, where do you stand ability wise in your little circle of friends?"
"Well we're going to find out today, now aren't we? I am in the tougher half of the tournament-"
"What are you talking about?? The half I'm in has not only my father and 3 other veterans of the tournament, but it also has me, who got a 700 on the punching machine!"
"And the side I'm in has my father, a three time finalist and one-time winner of the tournament, and Vegeta, his almost equal opponent for over 10 years. But as I was saying, I am in the tougher half of the tournament, so I might not get as far as I would want, but we'll see won't we?"
*A/N I know this might sound a little OOC from Gohan, with the saying he has it harder, but he really does, and I don't think his Saiyan side would let him even lie about the half with no Saiyans to be tougher
"We sure will. So what do you think about Carolyn? Do you have any idea how she could have qualified? I mean, I know she won't be any match for me, but I don't know how she managed to out-punch some of those guys there!"
"I don't know either, it's all very confusing, but I think by the end of the tournament, we might know something about her, and for now we at least know that she exists, and we can see in the tournament whether this is something big, or just a girl that can punch hard."
"What do you mean, 'something big'?"
"That's one of those things that I'll explain after the tournament, okay?"
"Fine, but you had better tell me at the end of all this! I'm starting to get very impatient!"
"Don't worry, I will."
-Why can't Videl and Gohan finally recognize their feelings for each other? I mean, at school they've been close friends, and now they are even closer than always. I don't know how this tournament will go, but I know it is the best way to reveal to Gohan's group of friends that I am here, though I'm still not sure it is the wisest thing to do. Oh well, my sensei's orders were very clear, and I must obey my sensei's wishes. I can still remember the words- 'Carolyn, you must not tell anyone about yourself, instead let them find out on their own. This may lead to mistrust, but believe me, it is for the best.'-
__________________________
Finally something, even if something very little, is discovered about Carolyn. Who could her sensei be? Who could the mysterious Shin and Kabito be? (As if you don't know), and who is going to win in the first round of fighting in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament?
Next Chapter: The first round begins, and we may find out answers to some questions, but even I'm not sure if there will be more next chapter, I want to take my new character slowly, learning from BoomBubble in the story Some Dreams Come True (By far the best fic I have ever read), anyway, I'll be back!
A/N- Whenever I use -text- it is someone thinking to themselves, 'and this is telepathic', okay?
Disclaimer: Now why would I be doing this if I owned DBZ?
Chapter 3: The Drawing
"ATTENTION ALL QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS, THE DRAWING WILL OCCUR IN THE SAME AREA AS THE QUALIFYING ROUND IN 15 MINUTES!"
"I guess that means we should be going, huh?" stated Goku.
*15 minutes later, at the drawing*
Everyone seemed to be with their own, the largest group being the Z- fighters and Videl. They were the closest to the announcer. Kabito and Shin were not too far away. Vegeta was suspicious, as they appeared to be communicating, but neither one was speaking. "I still don't trust them!" was all he had to say. Two muscle-bound men, and one attractive young man were in a corner, and they seemed to be talking about some previous fights, and were comparing strength. Videl looked around, but there didn't seem to be enough people.
"Gohan! Look! What in Kami's name is Carolyn doing here? She couldn't have qualified! She must be writing for the school newspaper, but I know she doesn't work on that. But only qualified fighters and a few reporters are allowed here anyway! And without her it is only 14 people, not including my father who's bound to make some big entrance like he always does. I am so confused!" ranted a baffled Videl.
"I agree, we have to look into this, I guess it is somewhat possible that she qualified, I mean, looks can be very deceiving in fighting, but still." Of course Videl couldn't tell, but Gohan was perplexed by the fact that Carolyn's ki was only slightly higher than the average female teenager. -Weird- he thought.
"Okay, it's time for the drawing, and to start it all off, is the defending champion, Hercule!"
"I'm here! Gwa ha ha!" The giant buffoon yelled.
Only the three men in the corner seemed impressed, the others appeared to not care less.
Hercule got a stupid, confused look on his face and said "I guess everybody is just concentrating on their fights! Either that, they're struck with fear! Yea, that's it! Oh well, here I go!" Hercule got a look of concentration, and pulled out a ball. "HA! Number one! That seems to fit quite well!"
"Right, okay, now let's start everyone else!" said the announcer quite enthusiastically. "Now, first up is. Vegeta! Will Vegeta please come up and pick a number?"
"Hold on, I'm coming! Let's see, a 14, okay."
"Let's see, next up is Carolyn!"
"What the? That skinny female is fighting? I mean, feel her ki! Either she is weak, or she is very good at disguising ki" said Vegeta.
Carolyn just walked up, pulled out a number 7, and showed it to the announcer. "I guess I'm in the first half, huh?"
"Okay, next up is Videl! Okay, you're number 8, making the first pair up of Carolyn vs. Videl!"
Carolyn looked very disinterested, while Videl looked happy, "Good, I won't have to fight my father until the semi-finals. Now let's see where the rest of Gohan and his friends end up."
"Okay, it's time for Killa to pick his number!"
"I'mgunnapickagoodnumberyeakillais" Killa said (or mumbled) as he pulled out a 4.
"I'm not quite sure what you just said, but you're a 4! Next up is Shin!"
"Here you go, I am number 12"
"Thank you, and Kabito is up next!"
"I'm 13"
"This is getting along great! You are paired against Vegeta in round 1!" The announcer was starting to get excited, seeing that this would be an unforgettable tournament.
'Good, this way I can test one of the stronger ones.'
'I'm still not sure you will force him to use his full strength Kabito, but we will see something with who is going to be against me'
"Next up, Krillin!"
"I got number 5. that still makes it possible that I might have to fight Gohan or Goku in the first round, I'll just have to hope that I get lucky."
"Okay, Gohan can come up now! Okay, you're number 10!" At this Krillin breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized Goku still hadn't drawn.
"Goku, you can come up now! You're an old pro at all this by now, let's see if you can have two titles won! Okay, you're number 11, that puts you against Shin in the first round."
Goku glanced over at the purple stranger, who seemed to be sizing him up or something, but it wasn't the way he was used to, when enemies bent on destroying him were sizing him up, instead, Shin seemed to almost be impressed with his power, but also not the least bit intimidated, but also not cocky or threatening. Of course Vegeta noticed this, and made the comment "Hey purple boy, quit staring at Kakarot, you don't have to worry about being stronger than him, because there is no chance." Almost instantly, Vegeta realized this was almost a display of faith in Goku, so he backed it up with "I mean, how am I supposed to finally defeat Kakarot if he loses to some weakling in the first round?" During this commentary, Tien was called up and pulled a 16.
"Okay Jewel, let's see who you are up against! .Oh my goodness what a surprise, it seems the very first match of the tournament is a rematch of last tournament's finals! Jewel has drawn a 2, and will be facing Hercule!" -Wow! This is going to be great for the ratings!-
"Yamcha! Your turn!" When Yamcha looked at his number, he nearly collapsed. He couldn't believe his bad luck. -I know I wasn't going to get far in this tournament, but this is ridiculous! I might as well face the music- he thought to himself as he showed the announcer the 9.
"That puts you against Gohan! Okay, Mighty Mask is up next!"
"HAHA that match should prove to be very amusing, I only hope the boy doesn't hurt you too much, weakling human!" as Vegeta said this, Yamcha turned to Gohan with a worried look. Gohan just smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, besides, we don't want to disappoint the crowds, now do we?" Yamcha looked relieved that he at least wouldn't be too humiliated.
"That puts Mighty Mask against Tien in the final fight of the first round! I'm not sure if I have this name right, but next up to draw is Eighteen!"
"You got that name right, do you have a problem with my name?" asked a very serious and threatening 18.
"N-No, not at all, you can just pick your number now" 18 just picked up one of the two remaining balls and tossed it to the announcer. "That's a 3, putting 18 against Killa! Last, but not least, Piccolo! I think it's safe to assume that that is a 6, putting you against Krillin in the third fight of the first round. Okay, the final lineup is:
1. Hercule vs. Jewel 2. 18 vs. Killa 3. Krillin vs. Piccolo 4. Carolyn vs. Videl 5. Yamcha vs. Gohan 6. Goku vs. Shin 7. Kabito vs. Vegeta 8. Mighty Mask vs. Tien
"Well, it looks like we got the good half of the draw, Piccolo! No one on our side has to face the Saiyans until the finals!" exclaimed Krillin, but Piccolo countered this with the simple statement, "but you still have to go against me, and if you win that, you have to fight your wife eventually, and I think you know who will win that one." Krillin was upset at this, but let it go, still happy that even if a miracle occurred and he beat Piccolo, he would still eventually face his wife in the semifinals, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about facing any of the Saiyans in the finals and getting completely embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Videl and Gohan were talking about their upcoming fights.
"I didn't know that the Great Yamcha could fight! Is he any good?"
"I'd say so, he is very good compared to a normal person, but within our group he is actually the weakest, especially since he has given up fighting for baseball."
"You mean you're stronger than him?"
"Yes, I am, and both of us know that, but it will still be a good fight."
"So, where do you stand ability wise in your little circle of friends?"
"Well we're going to find out today, now aren't we? I am in the tougher half of the tournament-"
"What are you talking about?? The half I'm in has not only my father and 3 other veterans of the tournament, but it also has me, who got a 700 on the punching machine!"
"And the side I'm in has my father, a three time finalist and one-time winner of the tournament, and Vegeta, his almost equal opponent for over 10 years. But as I was saying, I am in the tougher half of the tournament, so I might not get as far as I would want, but we'll see won't we?"
*A/N I know this might sound a little OOC from Gohan, with the saying he has it harder, but he really does, and I don't think his Saiyan side would let him even lie about the half with no Saiyans to be tougher
"We sure will. So what do you think about Carolyn? Do you have any idea how she could have qualified? I mean, I know she won't be any match for me, but I don't know how she managed to out-punch some of those guys there!"
"I don't know either, it's all very confusing, but I think by the end of the tournament, we might know something about her, and for now we at least know that she exists, and we can see in the tournament whether this is something big, or just a girl that can punch hard."
"What do you mean, 'something big'?"
"That's one of those things that I'll explain after the tournament, okay?"
"Fine, but you had better tell me at the end of all this! I'm starting to get very impatient!"
"Don't worry, I will."
-Why can't Videl and Gohan finally recognize their feelings for each other? I mean, at school they've been close friends, and now they are even closer than always. I don't know how this tournament will go, but I know it is the best way to reveal to Gohan's group of friends that I am here, though I'm still not sure it is the wisest thing to do. Oh well, my sensei's orders were very clear, and I must obey my sensei's wishes. I can still remember the words- 'Carolyn, you must not tell anyone about yourself, instead let them find out on their own. This may lead to mistrust, but believe me, it is for the best.'-
__________________________
Finally something, even if something very little, is discovered about Carolyn. Who could her sensei be? Who could the mysterious Shin and Kabito be? (As if you don't know), and who is going to win in the first round of fighting in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament?
Next Chapter: The first round begins, and we may find out answers to some questions, but even I'm not sure if there will be more next chapter, I want to take my new character slowly, learning from BoomBubble in the story Some Dreams Come True (By far the best fic I have ever read), anyway, I'll be back!