Author's Note:
Note on the Saiyajin Empire: The land it covers is mostly very dry
and dusty, but not sandy, and contains no surface bodies of water. As such,
it is semi-arid desert. It does have a lot of scrubby plant life, to support
the dinosaurs the Saiyajin eat. ^_^
I have no idea what the names of Bojack's warriors are, so I made them up: Dia (the girl), Spade (guy with beard), Eratsu (guy with sword) and Lubu (guy with turban).
Chapter Six: First Rounds! The Island Tournament begins!
Warning: Violence, Language
Papaya Island is a beautiful place. The sun shines most of the year,
the temperature varies between just too hot and pleasantly warm, and the
sky is always an incredible blue colour. Kakarott examined one of the strange
palm trees that grew there while Master Roshi and Vegeta spoke to a short
man who claimed to be the Tournament organizer. Like the other Papaya Islanders
that they had seen since arriving, the man had dark green-blue skin and
fiery coloured hair.
"Wow, this place looks really nice," Kuririn said, glancing around.
"Too much water," Radditz said, glancing off towards the beach which was still visible in the distance.
"Heh," Kuririn grinned, remembering how long it had taken Kakarott to get used to the ocean - and he still occasionally got freaked out by it.
Radditz snarled silently at him, then turned to Kakarott. "So, what have you been doing? Father thinks you've gotten lost again. I think we should just declare you dead and kill you if you accidentally wander back," Radditz said, folding his arms over his chest as he stared hard at his brother.
"If you can kill me," Kakarott said, standing straighter. "I've been training with Master Roshi!"
"Why would someone notorious for holding the Saiyan Empire within it's borders train a Saiyan?" Radditz asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I don't know," Kakarott shrugged.
"One might suspect some kind of treason," Radditz drawled.
"What?!" Kakarott growled, glaring up at the taller Saiyan. "I'm not a traitor!"
"That remains to be seen, little brother. Lucky for you, Father and the King have decided that since you tend to be a bit slow, you might just have gotten temporarily led astray," Radditz sneered.
"Wow, you guys are really paranoid, aren't you?" Kuririn commented.
"What?" Radditz blinked.
"You think your brother is a traitor because he didn't come home?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow.
Radditz stared at him.
"Radditz is just trying to annoy Kakarott," Vegeta said, walking up to the group. "Although it is unusual for a Saiyan to wander around outside of the Empire. Most of the ones that do that are exiled - by my Father or by themselves," Vegeta shot Kakarott a meaningful look. "Kakarott had better be careful people don't consider him in the second category."
"Are we in the tournament?" Kuririn asked Kamesennin.
The old man nodded his head. "Yep, all four of you."
"Aren't you participating?" Kakarott asked.
"Nope. That's for young, spry idiots," Kamesennin grinned. "Now, the first fights are tomorrow. Don't go sparring with anyone you don't know. If you get beat up today, you'll be in bad shape tomorrow. Be polite to the natives. If you need me, I'll be on the beach," He chuckled, and eyed a passing Island girl. (They wear skimpy tops and often show a lot of leg. They hang out on beaches. ^_^)
"Whatever," Vegeta sneered. They watched him set off for the beach at a casual shuffle. "It's hard to believe he is who he says he is," Vegeta snorted. "I think I'll have to fight him before we leave to make sure."
"He's got a high Ki, he just doesn't power up much," Kakarott said.
"Come on, Kuririn. Let's go train for tomorrow!"
"Didn't you bring your armour?" Radditz asked his brother as they gathered the next morning with the other fighters and spectators at the Tournament Arena. The group of five selected a nice spot with two palm trees to sit by for the day.
"No," Kakarott shook his head.
"So you're just fighting in that orange thing?" Radditz guessed disapprovingly.
"What's wrong with it?" Kuririn asked, eyeing his own gi, identical to Kakarott's.
"It's not Saiyan," Radditz pointed out.
"My armour's broken anyway," Kakarott shrugged.
"Doesn't that belt get in the way of your tail?" Radditz asked.
"A little bit," Kakarott conceded, "but I've gotten used to it."
Radditz opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud gong.
"Good morning everyone! Welcome to the 35th Island Tournament! This great tournament is an incredible tradition which is finally attracting fighters from outside the island kingdoms! That's right folks, we have quite a few Mainlanders among this year's competitors!" The announcer for the tournament leant over the railing of the small tower he was standing in. The wooden tower's floor was at head height on a tall man, and had a small roof to protect the announcer from the harsh sun. It was located beside the ground marked as the fighting ring. Beside it sat a large gong, and a burly man with a mallet.
"The matches have been decided, but before we begin the first one, here are the rules! First! You win by knocking your opponent down for a count of ten, by knocking them completely out of the ring, or by getting them to surrender! Second! Killing spectators or damaging my tower will get you an immediate disqualification! Third! Interference from someone not in the match will result in the disqualification of both opponents! That means anything physical, and any mental or Ki attacks! Fourth! Killing your opponent will get you disqualified with only one exception! The last competitor will fight last year's champion, and that's the only match where death of a fighter won't disqualify the winner!" The announcer continued yelling, pausing only to take a sip of liquid from half a coconut that was resting on the rail beside him.
"And now, to announce the first match, his Majesty, King Bojack of Papaya Island!" The announcer yelled. The crowd of Islanders began to cheer as the burly man banged the gong again.
Vegeta sneered from where he stood leaning on a palm tree. Kuririn clapped politely, earning a sharp glance from the Saiyan Prince.
A tall man stepped up beside the tower. His orange hair was held back by a pale bandana that highlighted his pointed ears. His clothes were baggy and colourful and reminded Kakarott of the pirate ghosts he had fought earlier. Several pieces of gold jewelry glittered against his blue-green skin.
"I am King Bojack," He declared in a voice that easily carried across the ring. "Welcome to my tournament. There are 20 competitors this year. Their names will be read in pairs, in the order of the matches."
"Only twenty competitors?" Radditz asked, surprised.
"This is their lauded tournament? The Saiyajin Budokai always has hundreds of competitors," Vegeta sneered.
"Oh, back in my days the Island Tournament was much larger. About eleven or twelve years ago most of the great fighters in the Islands were hunted down by someone and killed off. Bojack won that tournament and declared himself king. He won last time too, since the only other opponents were his loyal fighters," Kamesennin said, glancing meaningfully at the Saiyan Prince.
"He killed them?" Vegeta guessed.
"Did I say that?" Kamesennin asked, leaning on his staff. "No one knows who killed off those fighters, and those that speculate do so quietly."
"First rounds are Captain Gem versus Kakarott! Saltsu versus Dia! Kuririn versus Pepa! Yellow Shogun versus Garlick! Kiwi versus Thyme! Chives versus Radditz! Jackie Chun versus Spade! Lubu versus Cinamon! And Spider Girl versus Prince Vegeta, of the Saiyan Empire!" Bojack called out the matches. "The final competitor is Eratsu, but he will not fight in the first round."
Vegeta smirked. "He got the introductions right."
"He hasn't already met with you?" Kamesennin asked. "I would have thought he would want to meet you."
Vegeta shrugged. "Perhaps he wants to see me fight first, or he's not interested. Either way, I don't care."
"Will Kakarott and Captain Gem please enter the ring!" The announcer boomed.
"Hey, Kakarott! Look at that guy!" Kuririn pointed to the pale pirate entering the ring. "He looks just like those guys we fought in the cave."
"Yeah, maybe he's a ghost too," Kakarott said.
"Ghost?" Radditz asked.
"We'll tell you about it later," Kakarott informed him, hurrying over
to the ring.
Kakarott fell into a defensive stance on his side of the ring and eyed his opponent. The Captain was indeed very pale, and wore washed out clothes that might once have been much more vibrant.
"Fighters! Ready! Begin!" The announcer shouted. The crowd roared once, and then fell silent.
"Heh, they put me up against a little boy?" Captain Gem sneered.
"Eh, I got put against a dead guy, so you shouldn't complain," Kakarott said, watching him. Gem blinked once, then shook his head. Kakarott yelled a battle cry and charged forward, swinging a punch at Gem's jaw. He wasn't surprised when it went through, or when he followed it through the pirate. Instead he half-turned, landing side on to him, and sent a sharp kick through the Captain's midsection.
Gem turned around sneering. "Ha! Nice try, kiddo!"
"I'm just getting warmed up," Kakarott replied, a glint in his eyes.
"Ho ho! You can't beat me! You'll never land a blow!" Gem smirked, then spun around, using his momentum to launch a fierce kick at Kakarott's head. The small Saiyan moved at the last moment, blocking the blow for the instant the Captain's leg was solid.
"WHAT?! How the hell...?! You're so lucky, kid!" Gem snarled. "That's my warm up - prepare to get it!"
The ghost lunged forward, sending a fast punch at his opponent's head. Kakarott tensed, ducking an instant before it hit and driving an elbow hard into the pirate's gut. Gem doubled up as Kakarott danced back, keeping a careful eye on the ring line behind him.
"Gee, I guess you're not very hot, huh?" The Saiyan smirked.
"Uuuuurr," Gem groaned. "That's impossible. There's no way you can touch me."
"Well, I've fought people like you before. You're the Captain those ghosts in the cave were talking about, right?" Kakarott asked.
"What?!" Gem stared at him.
"You know, the cave with all that gold and stuff in it," Kakarott said, then dropped his voice to a low whisper, "and the dragonball."
"You... you fought my men? And lived?!" Gem gasped.
"Yeah, it's not that hard when you know how to. You and your men are pretty weak fighters," Kakarott cocked his head, bringing a hand up behind it.
"Weak? How dare you! I don't believe you could defeat my men!" Gem roared, leaping into the air. With a battle cry he descended, clasping both hands together and bringing them down towards Kakarott's head. The Saiyan promptly spun to the side, completing his 360-degree turn with a kick that impacted on the slower pirate's back and sent him half-flying, half-staggering forward.
Kakarott was turned around by the time he got his balance. "You're too slow," The Saiyan grinned at him.
"Out!" The announcer screamed. "The match goes to Kakarott!"
"WHAT?!" Gem roared as the gong sounded. Kakarott pointed down, and the pirate's gaze dropped accordingly to see the ring line quite prominently between himself and the Saiyan. Gem made a growling noise.
"Maybe you should go back and guard your treasure," Kakarott said.
"Huh?" Gem looked up at him. "You really did defeat them, didn't you?"
"Yes," Kakarott nodded. "They all disappeared."
"They passed on, hmm? Fine then. You can have the treasure, and the curse of guarding it!" Gem snarled. The ghostly Captain glared at him for another moment, then faded away.
Kakarott blinked, then staggered forward as Kuririn slapped him hard on the back. "You won!" Kuririn yelled triumphantly.
"Yep," Kakarott grinned.
"Please clear the ring for the next match!" The announcer called down
to them. The two boys quickly scurried back over to Roshi and the Saiyans
as the next two combatants moved into position.
The second match went to the woman named Dia so quickly that Kakarott had barely been able to give Vegeta and Radditz a quick version of the story in the caves before Kuririn's match came up. The short boy walked into the ring and waited. A few moments later a young Island woman entered the ring doing a series of forward flips. She finished easily and slid into a ready position, her orange ponytails bouncing up and down in the aftermath of her acrobatics.
"Oh great, I'm supposed to beat up a pretty girl?" Kuririn muttered, then frowned, assuming his own stance.
"Ha! I'm Pepa! I'm going to wipe your face through the dust!" She called, ponytails bobbing as a faint breeze picked up.
"Fighters! Ready! Begin!" The announcer yelled.
For a moment neither moved, then Kuririn charged her, throwing a punch at her stomach. The shapely girl jumped over it easily and landed on her hands, balancing while one leg fell forward and the other fell backwards. While Kuririn watched, not sure what was happening, she began twirling herself around on her hands, whamming a leg into the side of his head. Kuririn found himself on the ground several feet away. He watched as Pepa 'jumped' off her hands and landed easily on her feet, then flew into a cartwheel - her feet aimed at his head.
"Yipe!" He yelped, rolling frantically aside. Scrambling to his feet the boy launched himself at his opponent in a flying kick, hoping to strike before she moved into her next attack.
Pepa side-stepped and grabbed his ankle. She kept her grip on it, using Kuririn's momentum to set both of them spinning before she released him. Kuririn noticed spectators passing underneath and quickly focussed his Ki to keep him in the air. He righted himself and sped back to the fighting ring, touching down well inside the marks.
"Not out!" The announcer yelled.
"Good save, Kuririn!" Kamesennin shouted from the side.
"Yeah!" Kakarott nodded enthusiastically.
Pepa looked annoyed, and the two combatants began to circle warily.
Kuririn wondered vaguely if she thought he was cute, but decided not to ask. The expression on her face was all business.
Pepa gritted her teeth and with a yell she leapt into a forward flip, landing very close to Kuririn. Quickly he lunged forward with a punch, but Pepa was already moving. Her body arched backwards in a reverse flip, and her legs swung up towards his chin.
With a yelp Kuririn shot into the air faster then she was kicking, narrowly avoiding being hit. Thinking quickly, the short warrior shot past Pepa, dropping down behind her as she landed and ducking as he swept a kick hard into her ankles. As she staggered to maintain her balance Kuririn straightened and elbowed her in the kidneys before jumping back to avoid any counterattacks.
"Oooooooo," Pepa groaned, and hand on her back. "How am I supposed to fight someone so small? You're so short, I can't use my best attacks!"
"Has anyone ever told you that your hair is really cute?" Kuririn asked.
"And he hasn't even grown up yet!" Pepa snarled, giving the small of her back a good rub before tucking herself up and somersaulting towards her adversary.
Kuririn tensed, not sure what to expect. As she came out of her somersault Pepa stayed low, lashing out with a low, sweeping kick. Kuririn jumped over it, only to come down on an uppercut and go flying back several feet. He landed with a thud, and caught a glimpse of Pepa cartwheeling his way...
Thinking so fast he could barely follow himself, he levitated while prone and flew straight at her, striking her supporting arms with his feet. Pepa shrieked as she fell ungracefully onto Kuririn, knocking him back onto the ground.
Kuririn found himself grinning.
Pepa was off him like a shot. She shook her hands for a moment then glared over at the boy who was just struggling to his feet.
"Now we get serious!" Pepa shouted. "Hi-ya!" She screamed, darting forward and swinging a punch at his head. Kuririn blocked it, and proceeded to exchange a series of quick blows with her, each person easily blocking the other's attacks.
Suddenly Pepa launched into a backflip. Kuririn sped into the air again, narrowly missing a sharp kick.
"Damn," Kuririn muttered to himself. "I don't think I can take too many more of those kicks."
Gathering his energy, Kuririn fired a Ki blast at her.
"Ki no Tsurugi!" Pepa screamed. In an instant a long, narrow beam of Ki extended from her fist, and she swung it at the Ki blast, knocking the blast aside.
"What?!" Kuririn yelped. "A Ki sword?"
Pepa screamed a battle cry and leapt into the air, levitating easily for a moment before speeding towards him, 'blade' ready.
"Shit!" Kuririn swore. "She flies!" He quickly began to fly upwards, keeping the distance as he prepared for another attack. The short boy brought his hands behind him and cupped them, then began to power up.
"Kame-hame-ha!" Kuririn shouted, bringing his hands around to the front and releasing a large torrent of energy at his opponent.
Pepa gasped as the beam caught her directly, slowed her flight, then gravity and the beam's force smashed her to the ground.
Kuririn landed a small distance to the dissipating dust cloud.
"What the hell was that?" Vegeta snapped to Kakarott as the announcer started to count to ten.
"The Kamehameha! Master Roshi's technique. It's my favourite," Kakarott told him.
"You haven't heard about it?" Kamesennin asked the Prince. "I used to use it quite a bit."
"What changed?" Vegeta sneered at him.
"A great force divided cannot fight," Kamesennin said cryptically, before indicating to them to turn their attention back to the fight.
Pepa had staggered to her feet, coughing once or twice. She made a rude gesture to the announcer, although he had already stopped counting. Blood trickled from various scratches on her bare skin.
"Come on, lady, I don't want to hit you more," Kuririn said.
"Don't pander me," Pepa snarled. "I'm not out yet!"
"Oh well," Kuririn sighed to himself. "I warned you," He told her, before crying out as he raised his power into a flickering aura and sped towards her. Before Pepa could move, Kuririn landed a fierce uppercut on her jaw, knocking her off her feet and backwards.
Dropping the aura, Kuririn waited, perspiring. The announcer began his count down again.
"Eight... Nine... Ten! Out! Match to Kuririn!" The announcer screamed. The gong sounded over the cheers of the assembled crowd.
"Yes!" Kuririn yelled, jumping up in excitement. Smiling broadly he
made his way back over to the sidelines to watch the matches with the others.
Several hours later, while watching Radditz exchange blows with his opponent, a rotund Islander called Chives, a strange man with pale purple skin approached the assorted group. He had no hair, and wore pale white armour similar to Saiyajin armour, although he had a full length white cape as well. Ignoring Kamesennin and Kuririn, he cast a quick look at Kakarott before marching up to stand near Vegeta.
"Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin. A bit far from home, aren't you?" He asked in a monotone.
"Not as far as you, apparently," Vegeta remarked coolly.
"I didn't know the Saiyajin had heard of this tournament," The pale man commented.
"So go report it or something," Vegeta said dismissively.
"I shall indeed. I'd say King Cold would find it an interesting tidbit," The man sniffed.
"Whatever, icicle face," Vegeta insulted him offhandedly.
Kuririn nudged Kakarott. "Who is that?"
"Somebody from the Cold Empire, I guess," Kakarott shrugged.
"Does he know Prince Vegeta?" Kuririn whispered.
"I don't know, I've never seen him before this tournament," Kakarott murmured back, remembering how the man easily won his match. "His cape means he has some sort of rank, though."
"I do hope to be matched against you later. My name is Kiwi. Please don't forget it," The pale man said, his cape flaring as he turned.
"As if I'd bother remembering the name of a Coldie" Vegeta said loudly to the man's departing figure.
"'Coldie'?" Kuririn asked Kakarott.
"What do you call people from the Cold Empire?" Kakarott asked curiously.
"Um, 'people from the Cold Empire'?" Kuririn answered.
"'Coldies' is what most Saiyans call them," Kakarott said, "or 'Icicles' or something like that."
"What are they really called?" Kuririn asked.
"I don't know," Kakarott shrugged.
Kuririn nodded absently as he watched Kiwi stride off.
Later that evening, the five Mainlanders sat around a small fire where they had elected to make camp and discussed the day's matches. There had only been nine fights, since Island tradition dictated that the first match of a round couldn't take place on the same day as the last from from a previous match. If the Tournament had been as large and Kamesennin remembered them, the first round matches would have gone on for at least a few days.
"So where did you disappear to during that fight with that Jackie Chun guy?" Kuririn drilled Kamesennin.
"The beach," The old man answered without missing a beat. "You should come too, Kuririn."
"Why? He got a perfectly good look at the local girls during his fight," Radditz smirked.
Kuririn felt his face warm. "Hey, I didn't do anything improper!" Kuririn protested.
Radditz chuckled. "Sure, kid."
"Don't call me 'kid'. I'm eighteen," Kuririn scowled.
"You too?" Radditz looked shocked. "I'm surrounded by short eighteen-year-olds."
A Ki ball flickered into existence in Vegeta's hand and launched itself at the tall Saiyan without missing a beat. Radditz yelled, raising his power level to defend against it, but another blast knocked it off course.
"No Ki blasting near the fire," Kamesennin remarked mildly.
"At least today's fights cleared out most of the rabble," Vegeta declared, putting the last conversation behind them all after giving Radditz a scathing glare. "Tomorrow should be much more interesting."
"I liked Jackie Chun's fight," Kakarott said.
"It was the only decent one," Vegeta said, not quite agreeing with the younger Saiyan. Vegeta turned to Kamesennin. "I have heard stories of you using a super-powerful blast against your enemies. Is it that Kamehameha attack baldy there used?"
"Hey! I have a name," Kuririn protested.
Vegeta shot him a sharp 'shut-up, pitiful Human' look.
"That would be it," Kamesennin nodded.
"It didn't seem to be that powerful," Vegeta folded his arms.
"How powerful it comes out depends on several factors," Kamesennin said noncommittally.
"How come it has a funny name?" Radditz asked.
"Some warriors name special techniques they develop," Kamesennin said, resigning himself to answering questions. 'Baby-sitting Saiyans isn't how I planned spending any of my retirement,' He grumbled mentally to himself.
The old man continued out loud, "So that when someone uses that name, other people will know what technique they're talking about. If you Saiyajin got your act together you'd probably have hundreds of different ones. Then again, it probably doesn't matter since Saiyajin don't teach each other their special moves."
"Hmph, why let someone else know a technique that might mean the difference between your victory and defeat?" Vegeta snapped, glaring distrustfully at the old Master. Kakarott looked slightly troubled.
"I could list several reasons, but I doubt you'd consider them worthwhile. Continue calling whatever attacks you come up with 'Prince Vegeta's Special Attacks One, Two and Three'," Roshi said, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Why are you acting so damn polite?" Vegeta growled. "I thought you killed Saiyajin for a living."
"Used to," Kamesennin admitted.
"Well?" Vegeta exclaimed.
"Old men need their rest. I'm going to sleep, and you all should too,"
Came the reply. Glancing at the fire, Kamesennin gestured with a hand and
abruptly the fire began to die down. Several minutes later, when Vegeta
had finished growling, the four young warriors found their own places and
went to sleep in anticipation of tomorrow's fights.
Bright and early the next morning everyone was gathered once again at the Tournament arena. Kakarott and Kuririn did some warm up stretches while Vegeta made snide comments about the group of Island women demonstrating a local dance in the ring while Radditz watched with mild interest, pretending all the while to agree with whatever Vegeta was saying. Kamesennin had elected to visit the beach again that morning.
As they finished the announcer began his welcome.
"Good morning fighters! And to everyone who came along to watch the second rounds of the 35th Island Tournament! We have more great action today! First match is Jackie Chun - who yesterday defeated one of Papaya's champion fighters - against Lubu, who no doubt wants to beat the man who defeated his comrade! Then, two Saiyajin warriors! Radditz against Kakarott!"
"What?" Radditz coughed, straightening.
"I have to fight him?" Kakarott asked.
"Do not start with any family nonsense," Vegeta commanded. "You two make me sick enough as it is."
"The beautiful Dia of Papaya Island will then fight Kuririn from Kame Island!" The announcer was continuing.
"Another pretty Island girl," Radditz smirked at Kuririn. The boy glared back at him.
"Followed by Kiwi of the Cold Empire fighting Eratsu of Papaya Island!"
The announcer shouted. "And finally, the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta against
Garlick from Mango Island! Will Jackie Chun and Lubu please enter the ring!"
"Will Kakarott and Radditz please enter the ring!" The announcer yelled later, after screaming for several minutes about how amazing it was that the mysterious 'Jackie Chun' had beaten a second Papaya Island warrior. He'd made it quite clear Papaya Island warriors were considered superior.
"Hn," Radditz grunted, striding out towards the designated square. Kakarott made his own monosyllabic noise and wandered after him.
"Wow, this'll be an interesting match," Kuririn commented.
"Not really," Vegeta sniffed. "Radditz is a good warrior, but Kakarott was working on catching up with him before last year's fateful mission. I presume a year of training has only made him stronger."
"Oh," Kuririn said. "How strong is Kakarott anyway?"
Vegeta made a disgusted face. "The general opinion is he'll be the next most powerful in the Empire to me."
"Hmm," Kuririn paused to digest that. "Are you the most powerful now?"
"Not yet," Vegeta said, a warning note in his voice.
"I hope that makes me stronger than I thought," Kuririn commented neutrally.
"What kingdom are you from, anyway?" Vegeta demanded.
"Fishu Kingdom," Kuririn said. "My village was pretty close to the Saiyajin border."
"Fishu," Vegeta's tone left no doubt he thought it inferior. "I've heard they have a few semi-decent fighters there."
"You don't like admitting a non-Saiyan can be a good warrior, do you?" Kuririn asked.
"Say that again!" Vegeta snarled, eyes narrowed dangerously. Kuririn sensed a surge of power as the Prince raised his Ki.
"Um, I mean... Hey, look! They're starting!" Kuririn pointed to where Kakarott was leaping at his brother. The two fighters began exchanging punches before jumping back to reassess each other.
"Watch it, Human. You may become a good warrior compared to most Saiyajin,
but remember - I'm not most Saiyajin," Vegeta snarled nastily. Then he
turned to watch the fight.
Radditz watched as his brother as the two of them circled carefully. Thirteen years old and still pretty short, Kakarott's potential was estimated to be greater than his own. Radditz knew most Saiyajin didn't reach second class power until they were in their mid-twenties, and he was already at first class, if just. He wondered if Kakarott's power was high enough to be first class as well. Possibly, although Prince Vegeta wasn't quite into Elite class yet. Vegeta wouldn't like it if Kakarott was first class.
Still, after training for a year with some Humans his brother had probably picked up one or two new tricks. Best to be wary.
Suddenly Kakarott leapt up into the air. Radditz did the same, and they met in the middle, exchanging a flurry of punches and half kicks until Kakarott ducked a punch and met Radditz's shin and went flying back to the ground. The shorter boy rolled as Radditz landed with one foot firmly where Kakarott's chest had been just a moment ago.
Up on one knee, Kakarott fired a Ki blast at the older Saiyan, distracting him while Kakarott finished standing. With a yell Radditz leapt back and launched his own beam of Ki at his brother.
"Kame-hame-ha!" Kakarott screamed, also jumping back and throwing up a wave of Ki. The two beams crashed as they met, and began straining against each other. Radditz was aware, vaguely, of someone yelling some comment about showy battles as he strained against his brother's power. Kakarott screamed again, and suddenly the energy began to surge towards Radditz. Thinking fast, the long haired Saiyan leapt skyward, continuing to direct his beam on an angle, then he relinquished his blast and let Kakarott's beam tear through empty air.
He'd scarcely noted it's passing when he heard movement beside him. He turned to catch a punch in the gut. Radditz grunted and backhanded Kakarott across the face, meaning to knock him back a bit. However, Kakarott turned his head with the blow - barely taking any damage from it - then spun around, hoping to smash his heel into his brother's head.
Radditz saw it coming and grabbed at his brother's leg. He caught it, but was caught off-guard as Kakarott used the abrupt stop of it's momentum to swing his torso around. Radditz almost lost his grip under the sudden movement. He reacted quickly, blasting Kakarott with his free hand before the short fighter could try something else.
Snarling, Radditz hauled his brother closer and kicked him in the shoulder before throwing him at the ground. Kakarott hit with a thump, throwing up a small cloud of dust. Radditz began to descend, when several blurs of yellow energy shot up towards him.
Radditz dodged the Ki blasts, and was aware of someone behind him and
instant before something slammed into his back and sent him flying
into the ground.
Kakarott watched Radditz disappear into the dust cloud. He grinned
to himself as he panted and waited for Radditz to get up. He'd been careful
to propel his older brother towards the ground inside the ring. No sense
ending the fight prematurely.
The dust blew away quickly to leave a shaky looking Radditz glaring up at the boy in the sky. The announcer stopped counting.
"You're too old, Radditz! You move as slow as Father does!" Kakarott called down good-naturedly.
"Shut the hell up, brat! I'm going make you eat your tail!" Radditz howled back.
Kakarott dropped down inside the ring, taking up a defensive stance several feet from his opponent. He let his tail swing free a couple of times, then tucked it around under the cloth belt of his gi.
Radditz growled, then launched himself at his brother, intending to smash a fist into Kakarott's face, but the younger Saiyan dodged - straight into a blow from Radditz's tail. Before Kakarott could recover from the surprise, Radditz's elbow caught him under the ribs, knocking the breathe out of him. Radditz smirked and grabbed the front of Kakarott's gi in one hand, punching his brother several times in the abdomen with the other. A small stream of blood trickled out of the corner of Kakarott's mouth.
"'Family nonsense'?" Kuririn raised an eyebrow at Vegeta. "Doesn't look like they're letting it bother them."
"Hmph," Vegeta grunted. "Kakarott seems to have improved a bit."
"He's first class now," Kamesennin commented.
"Huh?" Vegeta blinked.
"Not too far off from Elite, actually," The old man nodded.
"You can tell Saiyajin class levels?" Vegeta asked, then realized the stupidity of asking that of someone who was renowned for fighting his people.
"Yes," Roshi admitted blandly.
"How far is he from Elite?" Vegeta demanded.
"Not too far," The hermit repeated. "Until I see you completely powered up, though, I can't tell which of you is stronger."
Vegeta made a growling sound in the back of his throat.
Kakarott growled silently as he ignored the pain in his stomach and ribs and summoned a Ki blast, which hit Radditz in the gut. The older Saiyan grunted, and Kakarott took advantage of the lapse to knee his brother in the ribs, before slipping that foot higher up and pushing off his brother. Kakarott put some Ki behind his push and with a strangled cough Radditz let go.
Kakarott levitated away from Radditz, who staggered a couple times but kept standing. Under unspoken mutual consent, they spent the next few moments recuperating.
Then Kakarott straightened, and formed a flat Ki disc on the palm of his hand, and launched it at his brother.
"Yipes!" Kuririn yelped, watching it speed towards it's target.
Radditz shot a Ki blast at it and it blew up.
"Hey, that's not a proper Kienzan!" Kuririn pouted.
Kakarott sped at Radditz in the aftermath of the blast. Radditz levitated slightly and they began exchanging another set of punches and kicks, faster and faster until Kakarott got a punch past Radditz's guard. Before Radditz could retaliate Kakarott launched into a flurry of blows, finishing with an uppercut that knocked Radditz across the ring. The tall Saiyan picked himself up out of the dust and looked up to see a booted foot speeding towards his face. Kakarott's kick connected cleanly, knocking his brother down again.
The smaller Saiyan jumped back, breathing heavily. The announcer began counting again. Radditz staggered up again, wiping the blood off his face.
"Damn brat," Radditz panted.
"I'm first class level," Kakarott said proudly.
"Me too," Radditz gasped, between breaths.
"You sure?" Kakarott grinned broadly.
Radditz shot him a glare. Kakarott threw back his head and screamed, summoning his Ki into a blast which he shot at his brother. Radditz tried to side-step, but ended up straight in the way of a second blast.
Kakarott sped around behind him brother, ramming his shoulder into Radditz's lower back and sending him sprawling forward. Then he jumped onto Radditz and stood on his back.
The announcer began to count.
"Get the hell off," Radditz mumbled, straining to push up with enough force to knock Kakarott off.
"You're too beat up," Kakarott replied. "It's no fun bashing you when you can't hit back."
"I'll show you hitting back!" Radditz snarled, then relaxed for an instant to gather his strength. With one last effort, Radditz pushed up again, but Kakarott screamed, holding a hand up and letting loose a raw beam of Ki that shoved himself, and Radditz, down.
"Nine... Ten!" The announcer screamed. "Out! Match to Kakarott!"
By the time Kakarott reached the palms trees, half-supporting half-dragging his brother, Kamesennin had returned from his beach trip.
"Nice show, Kakarott," He commented.
"You saw it?" Kakarott asked, letting Radditz go. The tall Saiyan staggered over to the second palm tree and sat down, leaning his back against it. Kakarott sat down as well, but didn't seem too badly done by. Radditz fixed a death glare on his brother.
"Mm hm," Kamesennin nodded.
"Hmph," Vegeta grunted, acknowledging the conversation.
"Nice job," Kuririn grinned.
"Well, you're up now," Kakarott smiled.
"Yep! See you later!" Kuririn said.
"After you get your ass handed to you by the pretty lady," Radditz mumbled.
"Hey," Kuririn glared at him, then left for his match.
Kuririn was propped up against Vegeta's palm tree later, trying to ignore the throb of his injuries and the sour taste of defeat while he watched Vegeta toy with his opponent, a bald, pale green Islander named Garlick.
"Is he always like that?" Kuririn summoned the energy to ask Radditz.
"Well, that guy got some good hits in, and now he has to pay," Radditz muttered.
"Great. I'll remember that he thinks like that," Kuririn grumbled. They fell silent as Vegeta deflected a series of Ki blasts back at his opponent, then rained a series of his own down. Garlick fell to the ground and lay panting as the announcer began counting. Vegeta levitated over and picked Garlick up by the front of his shirt.
"Do I want to see this?" Kuririn asked.
"Sure. It'll give you an idea what to look forward to if you piss Vegeta off enough," Radditz grumbled.
"Great," Kuririn repeated. "Oh, that reminds me. If Vegeta is eighteen, and Kakarott is thirteen, how old are you?"
"Nineteen."
"But you're so much taller."
"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one," Radditz said dryly.
Kuririn raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, they'll get taller," Radditz said.
"Hmph," Kuririn turned back to the battle. Vegeta had finished bashing Garlick one handed. The Saiyan Prince sneered as he tossed his helpless opponent into the air and raised his hands, both up, palms forward. Energy began to gather on his palms
"Garlick-Ho!" Vegeta cried, prompting his now falling opponent to crane his head around to see what the Prince was yelling about. The hapless Islander immediately wished he hadn't looked. Vegeta released the energy in a stream, the huge rush of energy catching Garlick in it's path and propelling him over the spectators and well into the distance. A cloud of dust rose where he landed.
"Out!" The announcer screamed.
Vegeta raised an eyebrow as one of Bojack's warriors flew off towards the defeated Garlick. The Saiyan Prince crossed his arms as he waited, rather impatiently. The warrior quickly returned, flying straight to the tower to conference with the announcer.
"Out and match to Prince Vegeta!" The announcer yelled. A second later the gong sounded as the crowd applauded the victory.
"Hmph," Vegeta growled as he stomped back to the group. "As if I would be careless enough to break one of their dumb rules."
"Eh, I thought you might have knocked him off," Radditz drawled.
"Shut up, Radditz," Vegeta snarled, then he turned to face Kamesennin. "I think I'll name that Ki beam attack the 'Garlick-Ho'," The Prince sneered.
"I'm sure he's honoured," Kamesennin chuckled. Vegeta glared at him.
"...have a good evening folks, and don't forget to be here tomorrow
after dawn for the exciting third round of our Tournament!" The announcer
called to the dispersing crowd.
"I find it very disturbing that only Dia has progressed to the third round," The tall figure said to the four warriors that knelt behind him. "And she's the only Islander still in the Tournament besides myself! But there are four Mainlanders. This is intolerable."
The four warriors shifted uncomfortably, unsure whether or not to speak.
"Eratsu, Spade, Lubu. After this Tournament you have five years until the next. You will not disappoint me in that one, you understand?"
"Yes, Majesty," The three men said in unison.
"Dia, you will sit out the third round. That will give the Mainlanders a chance to whittle down their numbers."
"Yes, Majesty," The woman nodded, her long orange hair bouncing slightly with the movement of her head.
"Good. Go prepare yourselves for tomorrow. Lubu, find out who Jackie Chun is, and where he's staying. Spade, keep an eye on those Saiyajin. Dismissed."
As one the four rose and departed, leaving their King alone to wonder about Mainland warriors.
'Could it be that there are warriors who pose a threat to my
Islands? Perhaps it's time that I aimed at larger ambitions.'
Story Notes:
Round One Matches (in order of occurrence):
Kakarott vs Captain Gem: Kakarott
Dia vs Saltsu: Dia
Kuririn vs Pepa: Kuririn
Yellow Shogun vs Garlick: Garlick
Kiwi vs Thyme: Kiwi
Chives vs Radditz: Radditz
Jackie Chun vs Spade: Jackie Chun
Lubu vs Cinamon: Lubu
Spider Girl (some girl with eight arms, not the comic heroine ^_-)
vs Vegeta: Vegeta
Sitting it out: Eratsu
Round Two Matches (in order of occurrence):
Jackie Chun vs Lubu: Jackie Chun
Kakarott vs Radditz: Kakarott
Kuririn vs Dia: Dia
Kiwi vs Eratsu: Kiwi
Vegeta vs Garlick: Vegeta
- Finis Chapter 6 -
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