DRAGON BALL NEXT EPISODE 5
The Brothers' Amazing Power!!!
Enveloped in a fiery aura of astounding proportions, Goten held his brother Gohan's fist in his own. His hair, golden as the blinding light he was now projecting, had acquired a razor-sharp quality, now standing on his head like a crest of knives, the proof that the young warrior had reached the second level of Super Saiyajin power. Gohan was still astounded by his young brother's transformation, a secret he'd kept so well that not even during the hardest of training fights had the elder brother been able to scan it.
Goten did not waste any time. He knew his brother would at least be shocked by the transformation, so, even as he caught his fist, he'd already prepared his attack. Switching his hold on Gohan's hand to his wrist, he pulled his surprised brother to himself. Before Gohan could react, Goten punched him with devastating force on the face. Gohan was blasted to the other side of the box of energy like a rocket. Knowing he had to press his advantage while Gohan was still unfocused, Goten zipped out of sight and reappeared over his brother, falling on his chest feet first and driving him into the ground. The resulting explosion lifted up a huge cloud of smoke, steam and debris that filled the stadium. The largest pieces of concrete crashed against the superstrong protective windows in the stands, harmlessly crumbling into pieces before the terrified spectators' eyes.
-SO COOL!!!-, Akira exclaimed, wide eyed. Vejiita smirked and turned to his son, who had the same smile as the magician who explains how he got the rabbit out of the hat.
-Is there any other thing you want to tell me, Trunks?-, he asked in a sarcastic tone. Trunks' smile broadened even further, and the look on his eyes reflected Vejiita's own. The Saiyan Prince then knew that his son had not forgotten his heritage completely. He'd begun to understand this when Trunks had renounced the life of a simpering corporate executive (how he hated their ilk! Always whining about some insignificancy or the other) and taken the path of the warrior, but he had not been fully convinced his son took it seriously until now. It was obvious that if Kakarot's simpleton son had achieved this amount of power, his own brat, having the blood of Vejiitasei's royal family in his veins, could not have done any less. He turned his eyes back to the fight, a strange sense of relief mixed with excitement washing over him.
At the other side of the waiting room, Samba and Tango broke into cold sweat.
-By the Dark One, just how powerful do these monkeys get!?!-, Samba muttered. Tango was asking himself the same question.
-Regardless, little brother, the outcome will be the same. You know our mission.-, Tango answered. Samba nodded, yet his expression was the one of the man being led up the gallows.
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-WHOA!!! Is that Goten!?!-, Bra asked, wide eyed, looking at the fight as she, Pan and Marron walked down the aisle towards the VIP box.- I thought he couldn't do any more than SS1!!
-So did I! By Dende, I can't believe he's going toe to toe with your dad, Pan! And he's actually winning!- Marron said, then realized she'd just put her foot in her mouth when she saw Pan shooting swords through her eyes.
-SHADDAP!! My dad will beat him, he's just giving him a break because he's his little brother! He just hasn't kicked into high gear, that's all!
Within the smoke, lights started to flare all over, like the thunderbolts inside a storm cloud, only with the frequency of a machine gun. The crowd started to murmur, then scream out loud that they couldn't see anything, what's going on, do something, ya old buzzard...
-LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE REMAIN CALM!!-, Master Roshi shouted.- EVEN AS WE SPEAK, THE FIGHT IS GOING UNDERWAY IN ITS UTMOST INTENSITY!!! MAINTENANCE, REMOVE THIS SMOKE NOW!!!
Two huge vents opened at the sides of the platform, revealing a man-sized fan on each. The machine hummed into action, sucking out the cloud of smoke. The air cleared, just in time for the audience to see Goten pummeling Gohan relentlessly. The older brother could only block some hits, but most of them were finding their way to his body as he was driven back while flying in every possible direction within the energy cube's boundaries.
Gohan grunted as his brother, having feinted an energy ball that had turned out to be plain light, smashed his fist against his elder's ribs, causing him a sharp pain that shot up all his torso. That's when Gohan decided he'd had enough.
-YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!-, he roared, his ki rising like a supernova. The whole stadium started trembling as the Pocket Dimension machine struggled to absorb the astounding power being released. The crowd bellowed and cheered their approval at the incredible display of power by the eldest Son.
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-Man, just how high can Gohan go!?!-, Krillyn said. Juuhachigou said nothing, absolutely absorbed by the fight. She was the only one in the VIP box who could really see what was going on, and even her amazing cybernetic- enhanced senses were having trouble registering their movements at the speed they were fighting. I've been away from these fights for too long, she thought, feeling a strangely off-beat electric pulse running in her chest. It was the same as when she'd first made love to Krillyn, when she'd first held Marron in her arms, when she'd gone up against her brother Juunana ten years ago knowing he could turn her into dust with just a flick of his finger: she was excited as hell.
-Hah! My Gohan can take on anybody in the universe!-, Videl said, enthusiasm incarnate.
-Take him down, Gohan!!! Punch him out, Goten!!!- Chi Chi shouted, her motherly condition disabling her from taking sides in the fight.
-Chi Chi, aren't you even a little worried that they might hurt each other?- , Bulma asked, surprised at the pro-violence stand her friend had taken.
-Oh, well, as long as they're going to get beaten to a pulp, it might as well be by each other! After all, at least they're not trying to kill each other. Besides, I learned that a little roughhousing helps keep their Saiyajin genes at bay, and it makes them docile enough to do what I say without whining.
-Boy, I wish that worked with Vejiita-, Bulma said mockingly. Suddenly, the intercom went off.- Who is it?
-Mom, it's us! Let us in, would you?- Bra's voice said through the speaker.
-Us? What's she talking about? Oh, maybe Marron's with her!-, Bulma exclaimed, and pushed the button for the door. The first one in, surprisingly, was short, muscular and black haired.
-PAN!?!-, Videl growled.- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?!
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Back at the platform, Gohan's moves were still being blocked and countered by Goten. Damn, he's augmenting his power to match my own! Just how powerful is he!?!, Gohan thought.
Suddenly, he dropped to the platform like a rock and stood there, looking at Goten, who stopped in mid-air and hovered over to the other side, dropping to face his brother. Goten wore a little smile on his face, a smile of excitement.
-I thought you said you were going to fight at full power, Gohan-, Goten said. Gohan was at first shocked, then reflected his little brother's smile.
-So you noticed. I guess it's a little bit out of habit that I don't use my full power when I fight you.- Gohan cracked his knuckles.- But you haven't been using your full power either, have you?
-No. I wanted you to play your hand first.-, Goten answered, cracking the joints in his neck.- But I'm gonna start using my full power from now on. So you better stop kidding around, or you'll get really hurt!
Gohan dropped into fighting stance, as did his brother.
-ALL RIGHT, IT'S FOR REAL THIS TIME!! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!!!!-, Gohan said. With a thundering roar, both fighters started to power up, their auras flaring like man-sized stars, expanding around them and crashing against each other, fighting for supremacy over the Universe around them. The whole stadium started to shake like crazy, the Pocket Universe machine's limits being strained and nearly overcome within seconds. The crowd's roars only increased in magnitude, so lost in the emotion of the fight were they that the veritable cataclysm that unfolded before their eyes was dismissed as a minor inconvenience.
-YEAH, NOW IT'S REALLY GETTING HOT!!!-, Trunks said, a savage grin in his face reflecting the excitement he felt within. Vejiita was absolutely surprised at the turn the fight had taken. He had thought that the brat's limit was SS2, but now it seemed as if his power was actually matched with his elder's. Indeed, this fight was growing hotter by the second.
-WHOA, MAN, THIS IS TOO INTENSE!!!-, Pan screamed with enthusiasm. Everyone else in the VIP box, save for Bra, lacked her cheer.
The strain in the brothers' face grew in accord with their ki. Veins started bulging out of their foreheads, and their teeth grinded against each other with enough force to turn coal into diamond, then crush it.
-GRRRRRAAA--!!!
-AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!-, they howled in unison, their ki's exploding in a burst of light. The ultimate clash of their auras caused lightning to appear between the now glowing warriors, to then be absorbed by the walls of the already much strained Pocket Machine.
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-NO... PLEASE!!! STOP!!!! AIIIYYYYEEEEEE!!!!!!-, the warrior screamed, and was absorbed.
The conqueror smiled as the absorption augmented his already huge powers tenfold. His teeth glimmered crimson under the fire that consumed the formerly rustic-yet-tidy village. His cruel, evil eyes scoured the perimeter, sensing the presence of other life-forms. These were far away. No matter. With his new powers, a hundred miles were a minute away.
The warmth of the golden jewel hanging from his neck receded as the last warrior was completely assimilated within his own body. Only a few hundred others remained, and yet each one of them was precious to his objective. Each one would augment his power in unimaginable ways. Of course, they would not surrender their life-force and personalities so easily, but they would be conquered. With a small measure of concentration, he checked on the status of his agents in Earth. Anger grew within his chest. The accursed Earth-warriors were strong, perhaps stronger than ever.
But there was no need to worry. The strongest of them was gone, no longer the main cause for concern. Still, the strenght of the rival and their spawn had grown in response to his departure. That only made the necessity for that which he had to do even greater.
And so, in the blink of an eye, the conqueror was gone.
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The first blow delivered nearly destroyed the Pocket Machine's energy distributors. Despite the technicians' effort, the next few blows broke three of the four main storage batteries.
-MISS BULMA!!!! YOU MUST MAKE THEM STOP!!! AT THIS RATE, THE WHOLE CITY WILL BE DESTROYED!!!-, Dr. Manhattan, one of the scientists assigned to the machine, cried into the intercom, as valves blew all around him.
-Relax, doc! I have a contingency plan underway-, Bulma answered, followed by static and silence.
-MISS BULMA?!? WHAT DO YOU--!?!
He could not finish his sentence. One of the far walls exploded, and an azure blur zoomed into the steam-surrounded main engine.platform. When it settled, an enormous cable, about twelve feet wide, was across the room, entering from the hole in the wall. All that dr. Manhattan could see was a short, spike-headed figure that removed the huge circular steel plug for the emergency outlet and plugged the monstrous cable in. Then, it zoomed back out through the ceiling.
-WHAT THE--!?!-. The astounded doctor was again cut short, as the machine's status went from critical to normal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- -Well, that was an anticlimax!-, Videl said, rubbing her head. The stadium had all of a sudden stopped shaking.
-It sure was. Let's see how the maintenance crew is doing-, Bulma said, and pushed another button in the console.- How're you holding up, Vejiita?
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Floating in the Earth's orbit, Vejiita finished locking up the cable to the Capsule Corp satellite's energy input port. The satellite was enormous, ten miles of diameter and four miles tall. It looked like a huge gyroscope, only this one had an energy cannon in the middle. By what he could understand of Bulma's techno-blabber, the cannon focused all the energy contained in the Pocket Machine and released it in a steady beam into space, calibrated so that it wouldn't hit any astral bodies and inadvertedly start an intergalactic war. Not that he would mind one very much. He could use some enemies.
As he looked down towards the earth, and the cable dwindled out of sight, he was amazed at the lenght of the thing. Bulma said it was enough cable to wire a whole country. She was probably right. Not that he would ever admit it.
He set the final lock in place. His ki created a barrier between him and the cold and vacuum of space, and he wore a miniature oxygen mask, that unfortunately was also outfitted with a communication system.
-I'm fine, how else could I be, woman?-, he growled back at his wife.- I'm all done here. I hope this will be enough for the rest of the battles, because I will NOT do this again.
-Relax, Vejiita. This'll do.
-Are you sure the station won't just move away from the Tournament's grounds and rip the cable apart?
-Don't worry! The station's orbit is geostatic, that means it moves along with the Earth, and stays above one point all the time.
-Hmmph. Figures that you couldn't find a more better way to do this. And you call yourself smart- He let out a smile of satisfaction as he heard Bulma sigh through the radio.
-Though I find it ironic that a half-pint monkey with a brain the size of a pebble has the nerve of calling me dumb, I really don't feel like arguing with you right now, Vejiita.
-I guess you're just getting old then, Bulma-, Vejiita said, and dropped to the Earth.
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Long golden manes twirled and danced in the air as the two warriors fought fiercely. Both Gohan and Goten had reached Super Saiyajin level 3 at the same time and started pummeling each other savagely. The video display had started to become unable to track their movements, and the two warriors would often disappear off the screen. The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Gohan, others for Goten, most of them for blood.
Gohan drove his fist into his brother's nose, then opened his hand and blasted his face with Masenko. Goten fell halfway to the ground, twisted in the air and flew straight up towards Gohan, ramming him in the guts with both fists. Giving his brother no time to recover, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him to himself, meeting Gohan's ribs with his knee. The elder Son grunted in pain, then grabbed the hand Goten was using to hold him and threw him over his shoulder. The surprised Goten had no time to react as Gohan fell on him in a frenzy of kicks and punches.
-Whoa, would you look at that!-, Akira said, wide-eyed. Uubu put a hand on his shoulder.
-You can actually SEE their fight? You must be at least as powerful as they, my friend!-, the dark-skinned fighter said. Trunks turned towards them, surprised. He hadn't realized that, in order for him to be able to see the fight, he had to be able to move at their speed.
Man, this is nuts!, he thought. I don't understand how a normal human being can have that kind of power. And this guy's no older than Pan! Tenshinhan's at least the same age as dad, and he doesn't have NEARLY as much power as this kid. But what does it mean?
Goten blocked his brother's last punch and headbutted him in the face. He then cupped his hands to his side and released a kamekameha of enormous intensity that cost him a medium amount of effort, and worked, as it stunned Gohan long enough for him to execute his new technique.
-GALACTICA DONUT!!!-, he screamed, and let loose from his palm four discs of light that surrounded his brother and exploded upon contact with an enormous flash. Goten stood there, breathing heavily.
The Gotenks techniques... those have to work... I'm running awfully low on fuel here, and Gohan's not down by an inch...
Amidst the cloud of dust and steam, a body flared up. An explosion cleared the dust, and Gohan was in the middle, short of breath but not as fatigued as his brother. Oh, man!, Goten thought. He's powered up! I may be in some trouble here.
-Whew... not bad, little bro'! You almost had me there for a minute... I see you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve, huh?
-You ain't seen nothin' yet!-, Goten shouted. Straining his limits, he pushed himself even further, and his ki flared dangerously. With a loud roar he charged his brother and suddenly multiplied in mid-air into four people. He and his clones were bright as stars.
-You're wasting your time, Goten! Unless you're gonna pull Tenshinhan's multiplication trick-- huh!?!- As his fist was close to one of his brother's clones, he realized his mistake. The clones weren't shining because of their ki, they shone because they WERE ki! The Phantom Army!!! He couldn't pull back his punch in time, and the ghost's demise engulfed him in a huge explosion. The rest of the phantoms followed suit and created a blast a supernova would envy.
Goten didn't even have time to rejoice from the success of his stratagem, for Gohan immediately surged from the explosion's cloud, burnt and bruised in a thousand places, but his ki now dwarfing his brother's. Howling like a savage he rammed his right hook into the side of Goten's face and sent him plummeting towards the ground. Despite the shock from the planet-breaking punch and the pain in his face, Goten managed to turn and fall on his feet. The ground was completely obliterated, all that was left was a few pieces of debris over a shining surface. The concrete had been compressed so that it had crystalized.
Gohan fell upon his brother and proceeded to shower him with blows. The mismatched Goten could barely put up any defense, as even blocking Gohan's punches became unbearably painful, and the rate of his attacks had become undodgeable. With all his soul, he pushed the limits of his power even further, his ki rising in intensity. His defense improved a little, but it was obvious he was going to lose the battle unless he did something soon. He backflipped away from Gohan, and stood there a minute, trying to regain his breath. Gohan was not breathing heavily anymore.
-Give it up, Goten. If this goes on any longer you'll only end up getting hurt-, Gohan said, concern in his voice. Goten's reply came in his unfocused telepathic projection.
-Like hell... I don't give up a fight... what would dad think of me!?!- That's when Gohan started to see what was wrong.
-Goten... dad would be proud of you... don't you see how strong you've become? Look at the level you've reached!- But Goten now seemed on the verge of tears.
-NO, DAMMIT!!!! I'M NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS HE WAS!!! IT'S MY FAULT HE'S GONE!!!- Gohan was taken aback by this. He'd never expected this from his lucky-go-happy brother.
-What the hell are you talking about!?! You couldn't do anything, neither could the rest of us!
-Don't you see, bro!?! IF I'D BEEN STRONGER THEN, MAYBE DAD WOULD STILL BE AROUND!!! IF I'D TRAINED HARD AS HE WANTED ME TO, I MAY HAVE HELPED HIM!!! BUT NO!!! I WAS WEAK!!! I NEVER TRAINED, EVER!!!
Goten's ki was now reaching dangerous levels. Gohan knew what happened. His ki was reacting to his anger, just as it happened to him when he was enraged.
-Goten, can't you remember what dad said when Shenlong took him away? "Is it that time already?" Remember that? For some reason, dad knew that someday he'd have to go!
-HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE!?! HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THAT IT WASN'T THE STRAIN FROM THE FIGHT THAT MADE HIM GO AWAY!?! HOW CAN YOU KNOW!?!- Tears now ran freely down his face. His ki was almost as great as his brother's.
In the VIP box, Chi Chi finally understood the reasons for his youngest son's behaviour. Her boys didn't know, but for a time she'd been able to track their telepathic communications. You can't live with the world's greatest warriors for so long and not pick up a few tricks. Oh, Goten, why didn't you ever tell me? But then again, she'd hardly ever been one to listen to her son's arguments. That was one on her lists of changes to be made.
-Goten, I don't know for sure! But...
-BUT NOTHING!!! DAD WOULD NEVER GIVE UP A FIGHT, AND NEITHER WILL I!!! GOTTA RISK IT!!!-. Goten pulled his elbows to his sides and closed his eyes.
-NO!!! HE CAN'T DO IT!!! HE HASN'T PERFECTED THAT TECHNIQUE YET!!!-, Trunks shouted.- GOHAN!!! YOU GOTTA STOP HIM!!! HIS KI'LL GO OUT OF CONTROL!!!
-WHAT!?! WHAT'S HE GONNA DO!?!-, Gohan screamed back, then looked at his brother. His ki was starting to take on a strange nature, becoming enormously powerful, yet increasingly unstable.
-KAAAAAAA--!!!!!-, Goten screamed. His aura started taking an orange hue.
-WHAT'S HE DOING!?!-, Gotan shouted at Trunks.
-HE TRIED TO DUPLICATE GOKUU'S TECHNIQUE FROM WHAT HE'D SEEN!!! BUT HE'S MISSING SOMETHING, AN ELEMENT OF CONTROL!!!
-YOU DON'T MEAN--!?!
- --IIIIIOOOOUUUUU--!!!!!!!- Goten's ki reached monstrous proportions, and the light of his aura became a deep crimson.
-HE'S GONNA TRY KAIOU-KEN!?!-, Gohan cried in horror. Trunks nodded.
-YOU GOTTA STOP HIM, OR HE'LL KILL HIMSELF!! AND PROBABLY YOU TOO!!!
-RIGHT!!!-, Gohan acknowledged. He powered up, his ki rising to surpass his brother's still-growing own, and charged him.
- --KEEEEEEEE--!!!!!- Goten couldn't finish the word. A double-fisted blow slammed against the side of his head and blasted him towards the ground. Gohan followed after, and again slammed him over the head. With one final roar and all the might he could muster, the eldest Son drove his fist into Goten's face. Goten crashed into the ground and remained there, unconscious and breathing slowly. His golden main retreated into his head and changed back to its usual jet-black color, and his ki went back to normal, regaining its stability.
Gohan stood above his brother, at the same time glad he'd saved his life and guilty that he'd had to put his lights out to do it. He'd never realized the enormous amount of guilt his little brother carried within. But that was something he could relate to himself.
The energy cube went down with a hum, and Master Roshi came up on the platform. He realized Goten was uncounscious.
-LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER!!! SON GOHAN TAKES THE FIRST FIGHT!!!!!
The crowed gave a standing ovation, throwing confetti and other assorted stuff. Medics rushed to the platform, only to be sent away by an awakened Goten. The younger son was cheered upon with the same intensity. He and Gohan walked back to the waiting room, Goten needing his brother's help to walk. Behind them, maintenance crew started to replace the platform with solid steel blocks.
-AND NOW, A SHORT INTERMISSION WHILE THE PLATFORM IS RESTORED!!! PLEASE WAIT ON YOUR SEATS, OR MAKE USE OF THE CAFETERIA!!! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO SMOKE...!!!
-Man, guys, that was SO COOL!!! I can't wait to fight either one of you!-, said Akira, the very incarnation of excitement.
-Indeed, good fight, my fri-- -, started to say Uub, but was cut short by Trunks.
-GOTEN, YOU CRAZY ASSHOLE!!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN', PULLIN' A KAIOU- KEN!!!! I OUGHTA KICK YOUR ASS!!!-, the lavender-haired warrior said half jokingly, giving his friend a noogie.
-Not bad, brats. Not half bad at all. Gohan, I hope to see you in the finals. It's gonna be a world of fun-, said Vejiita, smiling wickedly. Gohan nodded, returning his smile. He moved Goten over to a bench, and they both sat down. Akira was gonna follow, but Vejiita put a hand on his shoulder.
-Hey, what gives!?!-, Akira asked, looking quizzical as usual. Vejiita just shook his head with a stern look on his face.
-Those two need to have a talk. ALONE. Understand?-, he said. Akira looked at the brothers. He nodded, and went to talk to Uubu.
-Ohhh, man... you really rocked my head on that last one, bro'-, Goten said, clutching the side of his head.- I'm sorry I went overboard back there. I don't know what got into me.
Gohan smiled and put his hand on Goten's shoulder.
-I know exactly what got into you, Goten. Did I ever tell you about Perfect Cell?
-Huh?-, Goten grunted.- No, bro' you never talk about that stuff. That's like, before I was born.
-Yeah. Well, you know how I beat Perfect Cell and all. What you don't know is what happened before I did. When I fought Cell, I got too cocky. I gave him time to think. It was a bad mistake. Turns out, he had a bomb on him. I'm not talking four sticks of dinamite, I'm talking a bona fide doomsday device here. It would have destroyed the whole planet.
-Whoa. So, what did you do?
-Not me, Goten. Dad. He teleported Cell and himself to King Kai's. He sacrificed himself to save us all.
Goten's eyes went wide upon hearing this, and fell silent.
-I beat myself up every day since then over it. I didn't want to train anymore, I just buried myself in my studies. Oh, I never let mom know about it, of course. I always put up a brave front. Only Piccolo knew about it, but that's another story. I didn't much feel any better until dad came back. I thought it was my fault, that dad wouldn't be with us anymore ever again.- He looked at Goten apollogetically.- And I guess that was my mistake. Our mistake.
Gohan put his hand on Goten's shoulder. The youngest Son looked at him with reddened eyes.
-You see, little bro', dad won't ever stop being with us. I thought we'd lost him when he'd died, and again when his day on Earth expired. Heck, you remember, you were there! And then when he left to train Uub, I thought he'd abandoned us. But the truth is, Goten, when dad chooses to leave, it's because he knows we'll be strong enough to handle whatever comes our way without him. And because he knows that he'll live on in us, in our fighting legacy, in our love for this world.
Goten smiled, and Gohan knew he understood. For both it was a revision of their relationship. Goten had always seen his older brother as a wise, flawless, loving entity against who all his standards were set; the wise and loving parts remained, but he had exposed a part of himself that was flawed, that was allowed to be flawed, because he was human. And if his brother could be human, then so could he.
And for Gohan, it shed a light over his younger brother that he'd failed to see before, as well. For a long time he'd believed Goten to be molded in his father's image, lacking any sort of existencial reflection. Gokuu had always been the natural man, who bore no grudges and had no real hate, only momentary anger. He was always willing to forgive, and never even once wondered abot the meaning of his life, because he'd always taken things as they came. In that way he'd always been somewhat inhuman, as he lacked the things that were both the virtues and the shackles of humanity. He'd always believed Goten to be like that, and in that belief had overlooked the very deep humanity of his soul.
-Dad would be real proud of you, Goten. Real proud.
From the other side of the room, Trunks smiled as he saw the brothers hug.
-Glad those two worked that out. Goten's weird front was getting kinda annoying.
The repair crews finished restoring the plaform, and exited the stadium. Goten and Gohan went to the regeneration tanks, as they'd both taken somewhat heavy damage.
Master Roshi came up on stage. A young lady in a skimpy bunny attire came up carrying a board with the number two printed on it.
-...UUUHHH.... AAAAHHH.. OOOHHH.... EH, I MEAN, LADEEEEES AAAAANNND GENTLEMEEEEENNNN!!!! WE NOW RESUME THE TOURNAMENT!!!! THE NEXT FIGHT PITS OTHER TWO TENKAICHI BUDOKAI REGULARS!!! ONE OF THEM IS THE SUCCESSOR OF THE LIVING LEGEND OF THE CELL WARS, THE DEARLY DEPARTED MR. SATAN!!! LET'S HEAR IT FOR... UUB BUU!!!!
The crowd stood up and boomed their support for the fighter with the mohawk, who walked onto the platform with majesty and waved. Would they cheer so loudly, Uub thought, if they knew about what my past incarnation did all those years ago? I wonder if Piccolo went through this same situation.
-AND ON THE OTHER CORNER... THE SON OF ONE OF THE GREATEST WARRIORS OF THE BUDOKAI AND THE OWNER OF CAPSULE CORP... THE BLUE COMET... TRUNKS BRIEFS!!!
The lavender-haired warrior walked onto the platform, a smile from ear to ear, and the wolf-whistling from the women (and some of the men) actually suffocated the clapping and cheering.
-Hey, nice intro, Master Roshi.
-Remember that when you're writing my check, sonny. AND NOW, LET'S GET IT ON!!!!
The two fighters wasted no time in talk. As soon as they looked at each other, they started fighting. After a lenghty and gut-wrenching fight, Trunks, who put up a slightly better fight than Goten, fell under Uub's superior power and training. They didn't end up as bruised as the two brothers, for at the end, a tired Uubu transformed Trunks into a cookie and ate him (much to everybody's, specially Vejiita, Bulma and Bra's, horror), refusing to release him until he gave up the fight, which he finally did when he realized that he didn't have the strenght to release himself and Uubu would end up absorbing him completely. After the fight they shook hands with no hard feelings, but Bulma came backstage and kicked the living crap out of Uubu with a 100t hammer, having to be restrained by the combined might of every z-warrior.
The next fight was announced. Akira vs. Samba. Trunks faced Akira before the fight.
-Don't let up for an instant. I know you're pretty strong, but we have no idea how powerful this guy really is. You saw what happened to Pan.
-Got it! Don't worry!
The two fighters walked onto the platform. From the VIP box, Pan got his attention, much to her mother and grandmother's surprise (and no small delight).
-HEY, AKIRA!!! KICK THAT GREEN SLUG'S ASS INTO HELL FOR ME!!!- Akira smiled and raised two fingers in a victory sign. Samba sneered.
-Heh. Don't be so cocky.
As Pan sat down, she was bombarded with questions and sly remarks from everybody in the VIP box. She shut them all up when she pointed out who Akira looked like.
-RIGHT!!! YOU BOTH KNOW THE RULES!!! FIGHT!!!-, Master Roshi said. The energy cube rose, and the fighters stared at each other.
-Heh. I'm gonna make you suffer, brat-, Samba said.- That your woman over there? Maybe she'd like another session with me after I'm done with you.
Akira smiled confidently, causing Samba to lose some of his smugness.
-Is that right? Show me.
-WHAT!!!- Akira aimed at his own nose.
-C'mon, you noseless nightmare. Give me your best shot.
Samba went a dark shade of olive. He gritted his teeth and fell into fighting stance.
-YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE ME!?!? YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!! I'LL SHOW YOU!!! I WAS HOLDING BACK AGAINST THE LITTLE BRAT, BUT I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD WITH MY TRUE POWER!!!
Akira's smile grew. His eyes became slits.
-Stop talking so much and do it then!!!
-GRAAARRRGHH!!!- Samba powered up. His power grew beyond Super Saiyajin, and past Super Saiyajin 2. He smiled, sensing no change in his opponent's ki.
-Ready to give up, now, are you?? WELL, IT'S TOO LATE!!!- He placed his hands in front of him, palms open.- DEATH CANNON!!!!
An enormous beam of purple energy shot out of the palms of Samba's hands. It streaked towards Akira, who didn't even move, and exploded upon contact with his face. The blast was huge, the light from it blinding everyone in the stadium. A cloud of steam surrounded the blast site.
-Heh. So much for that-, Samba chuckled.
-Yeah. You'd think a beam that big would be a little faster-, a voice said behind him, freaking him out and making him jump off his boots (well, not really. But he did get scared). He jumped to the other side of the platform. Behind the place he had been, there was Akira, arms crossed, smiling.
The crowd cheered loudly, but nowhere as loudly as in the VIP box. The z- fighters were awestricken with the youth's power. He demonstrated speed beyond Super Saiyajin 2, but was that his limit, or just a small demonstration?
-I-- I-- I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!-, Samba stammered, falling back. He took a fighting stance, the outline of a thick vein showing in his forehead.
-You better believe it, pal... FOR WHAT YOU DID TO PAN, YOU'RE GONNA PAY!!!
BITTER VENGEANCE!!!! SAMBA'S IN BIG TROUBLE NOW!!! BUT, JUST HOW POWERFUL IS AKIRA!?!?
The Brothers' Amazing Power!!!
Enveloped in a fiery aura of astounding proportions, Goten held his brother Gohan's fist in his own. His hair, golden as the blinding light he was now projecting, had acquired a razor-sharp quality, now standing on his head like a crest of knives, the proof that the young warrior had reached the second level of Super Saiyajin power. Gohan was still astounded by his young brother's transformation, a secret he'd kept so well that not even during the hardest of training fights had the elder brother been able to scan it.
Goten did not waste any time. He knew his brother would at least be shocked by the transformation, so, even as he caught his fist, he'd already prepared his attack. Switching his hold on Gohan's hand to his wrist, he pulled his surprised brother to himself. Before Gohan could react, Goten punched him with devastating force on the face. Gohan was blasted to the other side of the box of energy like a rocket. Knowing he had to press his advantage while Gohan was still unfocused, Goten zipped out of sight and reappeared over his brother, falling on his chest feet first and driving him into the ground. The resulting explosion lifted up a huge cloud of smoke, steam and debris that filled the stadium. The largest pieces of concrete crashed against the superstrong protective windows in the stands, harmlessly crumbling into pieces before the terrified spectators' eyes.
-SO COOL!!!-, Akira exclaimed, wide eyed. Vejiita smirked and turned to his son, who had the same smile as the magician who explains how he got the rabbit out of the hat.
-Is there any other thing you want to tell me, Trunks?-, he asked in a sarcastic tone. Trunks' smile broadened even further, and the look on his eyes reflected Vejiita's own. The Saiyan Prince then knew that his son had not forgotten his heritage completely. He'd begun to understand this when Trunks had renounced the life of a simpering corporate executive (how he hated their ilk! Always whining about some insignificancy or the other) and taken the path of the warrior, but he had not been fully convinced his son took it seriously until now. It was obvious that if Kakarot's simpleton son had achieved this amount of power, his own brat, having the blood of Vejiitasei's royal family in his veins, could not have done any less. He turned his eyes back to the fight, a strange sense of relief mixed with excitement washing over him.
At the other side of the waiting room, Samba and Tango broke into cold sweat.
-By the Dark One, just how powerful do these monkeys get!?!-, Samba muttered. Tango was asking himself the same question.
-Regardless, little brother, the outcome will be the same. You know our mission.-, Tango answered. Samba nodded, yet his expression was the one of the man being led up the gallows.
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-WHOA!!! Is that Goten!?!-, Bra asked, wide eyed, looking at the fight as she, Pan and Marron walked down the aisle towards the VIP box.- I thought he couldn't do any more than SS1!!
-So did I! By Dende, I can't believe he's going toe to toe with your dad, Pan! And he's actually winning!- Marron said, then realized she'd just put her foot in her mouth when she saw Pan shooting swords through her eyes.
-SHADDAP!! My dad will beat him, he's just giving him a break because he's his little brother! He just hasn't kicked into high gear, that's all!
Within the smoke, lights started to flare all over, like the thunderbolts inside a storm cloud, only with the frequency of a machine gun. The crowd started to murmur, then scream out loud that they couldn't see anything, what's going on, do something, ya old buzzard...
-LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE REMAIN CALM!!-, Master Roshi shouted.- EVEN AS WE SPEAK, THE FIGHT IS GOING UNDERWAY IN ITS UTMOST INTENSITY!!! MAINTENANCE, REMOVE THIS SMOKE NOW!!!
Two huge vents opened at the sides of the platform, revealing a man-sized fan on each. The machine hummed into action, sucking out the cloud of smoke. The air cleared, just in time for the audience to see Goten pummeling Gohan relentlessly. The older brother could only block some hits, but most of them were finding their way to his body as he was driven back while flying in every possible direction within the energy cube's boundaries.
Gohan grunted as his brother, having feinted an energy ball that had turned out to be plain light, smashed his fist against his elder's ribs, causing him a sharp pain that shot up all his torso. That's when Gohan decided he'd had enough.
-YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!-, he roared, his ki rising like a supernova. The whole stadium started trembling as the Pocket Dimension machine struggled to absorb the astounding power being released. The crowd bellowed and cheered their approval at the incredible display of power by the eldest Son.
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-Man, just how high can Gohan go!?!-, Krillyn said. Juuhachigou said nothing, absolutely absorbed by the fight. She was the only one in the VIP box who could really see what was going on, and even her amazing cybernetic- enhanced senses were having trouble registering their movements at the speed they were fighting. I've been away from these fights for too long, she thought, feeling a strangely off-beat electric pulse running in her chest. It was the same as when she'd first made love to Krillyn, when she'd first held Marron in her arms, when she'd gone up against her brother Juunana ten years ago knowing he could turn her into dust with just a flick of his finger: she was excited as hell.
-Hah! My Gohan can take on anybody in the universe!-, Videl said, enthusiasm incarnate.
-Take him down, Gohan!!! Punch him out, Goten!!!- Chi Chi shouted, her motherly condition disabling her from taking sides in the fight.
-Chi Chi, aren't you even a little worried that they might hurt each other?- , Bulma asked, surprised at the pro-violence stand her friend had taken.
-Oh, well, as long as they're going to get beaten to a pulp, it might as well be by each other! After all, at least they're not trying to kill each other. Besides, I learned that a little roughhousing helps keep their Saiyajin genes at bay, and it makes them docile enough to do what I say without whining.
-Boy, I wish that worked with Vejiita-, Bulma said mockingly. Suddenly, the intercom went off.- Who is it?
-Mom, it's us! Let us in, would you?- Bra's voice said through the speaker.
-Us? What's she talking about? Oh, maybe Marron's with her!-, Bulma exclaimed, and pushed the button for the door. The first one in, surprisingly, was short, muscular and black haired.
-PAN!?!-, Videl growled.- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?!
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Back at the platform, Gohan's moves were still being blocked and countered by Goten. Damn, he's augmenting his power to match my own! Just how powerful is he!?!, Gohan thought.
Suddenly, he dropped to the platform like a rock and stood there, looking at Goten, who stopped in mid-air and hovered over to the other side, dropping to face his brother. Goten wore a little smile on his face, a smile of excitement.
-I thought you said you were going to fight at full power, Gohan-, Goten said. Gohan was at first shocked, then reflected his little brother's smile.
-So you noticed. I guess it's a little bit out of habit that I don't use my full power when I fight you.- Gohan cracked his knuckles.- But you haven't been using your full power either, have you?
-No. I wanted you to play your hand first.-, Goten answered, cracking the joints in his neck.- But I'm gonna start using my full power from now on. So you better stop kidding around, or you'll get really hurt!
Gohan dropped into fighting stance, as did his brother.
-ALL RIGHT, IT'S FOR REAL THIS TIME!! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!!!!-, Gohan said. With a thundering roar, both fighters started to power up, their auras flaring like man-sized stars, expanding around them and crashing against each other, fighting for supremacy over the Universe around them. The whole stadium started to shake like crazy, the Pocket Universe machine's limits being strained and nearly overcome within seconds. The crowd's roars only increased in magnitude, so lost in the emotion of the fight were they that the veritable cataclysm that unfolded before their eyes was dismissed as a minor inconvenience.
-YEAH, NOW IT'S REALLY GETTING HOT!!!-, Trunks said, a savage grin in his face reflecting the excitement he felt within. Vejiita was absolutely surprised at the turn the fight had taken. He had thought that the brat's limit was SS2, but now it seemed as if his power was actually matched with his elder's. Indeed, this fight was growing hotter by the second.
-WHOA, MAN, THIS IS TOO INTENSE!!!-, Pan screamed with enthusiasm. Everyone else in the VIP box, save for Bra, lacked her cheer.
The strain in the brothers' face grew in accord with their ki. Veins started bulging out of their foreheads, and their teeth grinded against each other with enough force to turn coal into diamond, then crush it.
-GRRRRRAAA--!!!
-AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!-, they howled in unison, their ki's exploding in a burst of light. The ultimate clash of their auras caused lightning to appear between the now glowing warriors, to then be absorbed by the walls of the already much strained Pocket Machine.
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-NO... PLEASE!!! STOP!!!! AIIIYYYYEEEEEE!!!!!!-, the warrior screamed, and was absorbed.
The conqueror smiled as the absorption augmented his already huge powers tenfold. His teeth glimmered crimson under the fire that consumed the formerly rustic-yet-tidy village. His cruel, evil eyes scoured the perimeter, sensing the presence of other life-forms. These were far away. No matter. With his new powers, a hundred miles were a minute away.
The warmth of the golden jewel hanging from his neck receded as the last warrior was completely assimilated within his own body. Only a few hundred others remained, and yet each one of them was precious to his objective. Each one would augment his power in unimaginable ways. Of course, they would not surrender their life-force and personalities so easily, but they would be conquered. With a small measure of concentration, he checked on the status of his agents in Earth. Anger grew within his chest. The accursed Earth-warriors were strong, perhaps stronger than ever.
But there was no need to worry. The strongest of them was gone, no longer the main cause for concern. Still, the strenght of the rival and their spawn had grown in response to his departure. That only made the necessity for that which he had to do even greater.
And so, in the blink of an eye, the conqueror was gone.
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The first blow delivered nearly destroyed the Pocket Machine's energy distributors. Despite the technicians' effort, the next few blows broke three of the four main storage batteries.
-MISS BULMA!!!! YOU MUST MAKE THEM STOP!!! AT THIS RATE, THE WHOLE CITY WILL BE DESTROYED!!!-, Dr. Manhattan, one of the scientists assigned to the machine, cried into the intercom, as valves blew all around him.
-Relax, doc! I have a contingency plan underway-, Bulma answered, followed by static and silence.
-MISS BULMA?!? WHAT DO YOU--!?!
He could not finish his sentence. One of the far walls exploded, and an azure blur zoomed into the steam-surrounded main engine.platform. When it settled, an enormous cable, about twelve feet wide, was across the room, entering from the hole in the wall. All that dr. Manhattan could see was a short, spike-headed figure that removed the huge circular steel plug for the emergency outlet and plugged the monstrous cable in. Then, it zoomed back out through the ceiling.
-WHAT THE--!?!-. The astounded doctor was again cut short, as the machine's status went from critical to normal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- -Well, that was an anticlimax!-, Videl said, rubbing her head. The stadium had all of a sudden stopped shaking.
-It sure was. Let's see how the maintenance crew is doing-, Bulma said, and pushed another button in the console.- How're you holding up, Vejiita?
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Floating in the Earth's orbit, Vejiita finished locking up the cable to the Capsule Corp satellite's energy input port. The satellite was enormous, ten miles of diameter and four miles tall. It looked like a huge gyroscope, only this one had an energy cannon in the middle. By what he could understand of Bulma's techno-blabber, the cannon focused all the energy contained in the Pocket Machine and released it in a steady beam into space, calibrated so that it wouldn't hit any astral bodies and inadvertedly start an intergalactic war. Not that he would mind one very much. He could use some enemies.
As he looked down towards the earth, and the cable dwindled out of sight, he was amazed at the lenght of the thing. Bulma said it was enough cable to wire a whole country. She was probably right. Not that he would ever admit it.
He set the final lock in place. His ki created a barrier between him and the cold and vacuum of space, and he wore a miniature oxygen mask, that unfortunately was also outfitted with a communication system.
-I'm fine, how else could I be, woman?-, he growled back at his wife.- I'm all done here. I hope this will be enough for the rest of the battles, because I will NOT do this again.
-Relax, Vejiita. This'll do.
-Are you sure the station won't just move away from the Tournament's grounds and rip the cable apart?
-Don't worry! The station's orbit is geostatic, that means it moves along with the Earth, and stays above one point all the time.
-Hmmph. Figures that you couldn't find a more better way to do this. And you call yourself smart- He let out a smile of satisfaction as he heard Bulma sigh through the radio.
-Though I find it ironic that a half-pint monkey with a brain the size of a pebble has the nerve of calling me dumb, I really don't feel like arguing with you right now, Vejiita.
-I guess you're just getting old then, Bulma-, Vejiita said, and dropped to the Earth.
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Long golden manes twirled and danced in the air as the two warriors fought fiercely. Both Gohan and Goten had reached Super Saiyajin level 3 at the same time and started pummeling each other savagely. The video display had started to become unable to track their movements, and the two warriors would often disappear off the screen. The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Gohan, others for Goten, most of them for blood.
Gohan drove his fist into his brother's nose, then opened his hand and blasted his face with Masenko. Goten fell halfway to the ground, twisted in the air and flew straight up towards Gohan, ramming him in the guts with both fists. Giving his brother no time to recover, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him to himself, meeting Gohan's ribs with his knee. The elder Son grunted in pain, then grabbed the hand Goten was using to hold him and threw him over his shoulder. The surprised Goten had no time to react as Gohan fell on him in a frenzy of kicks and punches.
-Whoa, would you look at that!-, Akira said, wide-eyed. Uubu put a hand on his shoulder.
-You can actually SEE their fight? You must be at least as powerful as they, my friend!-, the dark-skinned fighter said. Trunks turned towards them, surprised. He hadn't realized that, in order for him to be able to see the fight, he had to be able to move at their speed.
Man, this is nuts!, he thought. I don't understand how a normal human being can have that kind of power. And this guy's no older than Pan! Tenshinhan's at least the same age as dad, and he doesn't have NEARLY as much power as this kid. But what does it mean?
Goten blocked his brother's last punch and headbutted him in the face. He then cupped his hands to his side and released a kamekameha of enormous intensity that cost him a medium amount of effort, and worked, as it stunned Gohan long enough for him to execute his new technique.
-GALACTICA DONUT!!!-, he screamed, and let loose from his palm four discs of light that surrounded his brother and exploded upon contact with an enormous flash. Goten stood there, breathing heavily.
The Gotenks techniques... those have to work... I'm running awfully low on fuel here, and Gohan's not down by an inch...
Amidst the cloud of dust and steam, a body flared up. An explosion cleared the dust, and Gohan was in the middle, short of breath but not as fatigued as his brother. Oh, man!, Goten thought. He's powered up! I may be in some trouble here.
-Whew... not bad, little bro'! You almost had me there for a minute... I see you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve, huh?
-You ain't seen nothin' yet!-, Goten shouted. Straining his limits, he pushed himself even further, and his ki flared dangerously. With a loud roar he charged his brother and suddenly multiplied in mid-air into four people. He and his clones were bright as stars.
-You're wasting your time, Goten! Unless you're gonna pull Tenshinhan's multiplication trick-- huh!?!- As his fist was close to one of his brother's clones, he realized his mistake. The clones weren't shining because of their ki, they shone because they WERE ki! The Phantom Army!!! He couldn't pull back his punch in time, and the ghost's demise engulfed him in a huge explosion. The rest of the phantoms followed suit and created a blast a supernova would envy.
Goten didn't even have time to rejoice from the success of his stratagem, for Gohan immediately surged from the explosion's cloud, burnt and bruised in a thousand places, but his ki now dwarfing his brother's. Howling like a savage he rammed his right hook into the side of Goten's face and sent him plummeting towards the ground. Despite the shock from the planet-breaking punch and the pain in his face, Goten managed to turn and fall on his feet. The ground was completely obliterated, all that was left was a few pieces of debris over a shining surface. The concrete had been compressed so that it had crystalized.
Gohan fell upon his brother and proceeded to shower him with blows. The mismatched Goten could barely put up any defense, as even blocking Gohan's punches became unbearably painful, and the rate of his attacks had become undodgeable. With all his soul, he pushed the limits of his power even further, his ki rising in intensity. His defense improved a little, but it was obvious he was going to lose the battle unless he did something soon. He backflipped away from Gohan, and stood there a minute, trying to regain his breath. Gohan was not breathing heavily anymore.
-Give it up, Goten. If this goes on any longer you'll only end up getting hurt-, Gohan said, concern in his voice. Goten's reply came in his unfocused telepathic projection.
-Like hell... I don't give up a fight... what would dad think of me!?!- That's when Gohan started to see what was wrong.
-Goten... dad would be proud of you... don't you see how strong you've become? Look at the level you've reached!- But Goten now seemed on the verge of tears.
-NO, DAMMIT!!!! I'M NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS HE WAS!!! IT'S MY FAULT HE'S GONE!!!- Gohan was taken aback by this. He'd never expected this from his lucky-go-happy brother.
-What the hell are you talking about!?! You couldn't do anything, neither could the rest of us!
-Don't you see, bro!?! IF I'D BEEN STRONGER THEN, MAYBE DAD WOULD STILL BE AROUND!!! IF I'D TRAINED HARD AS HE WANTED ME TO, I MAY HAVE HELPED HIM!!! BUT NO!!! I WAS WEAK!!! I NEVER TRAINED, EVER!!!
Goten's ki was now reaching dangerous levels. Gohan knew what happened. His ki was reacting to his anger, just as it happened to him when he was enraged.
-Goten, can't you remember what dad said when Shenlong took him away? "Is it that time already?" Remember that? For some reason, dad knew that someday he'd have to go!
-HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE!?! HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THAT IT WASN'T THE STRAIN FROM THE FIGHT THAT MADE HIM GO AWAY!?! HOW CAN YOU KNOW!?!- Tears now ran freely down his face. His ki was almost as great as his brother's.
In the VIP box, Chi Chi finally understood the reasons for his youngest son's behaviour. Her boys didn't know, but for a time she'd been able to track their telepathic communications. You can't live with the world's greatest warriors for so long and not pick up a few tricks. Oh, Goten, why didn't you ever tell me? But then again, she'd hardly ever been one to listen to her son's arguments. That was one on her lists of changes to be made.
-Goten, I don't know for sure! But...
-BUT NOTHING!!! DAD WOULD NEVER GIVE UP A FIGHT, AND NEITHER WILL I!!! GOTTA RISK IT!!!-. Goten pulled his elbows to his sides and closed his eyes.
-NO!!! HE CAN'T DO IT!!! HE HASN'T PERFECTED THAT TECHNIQUE YET!!!-, Trunks shouted.- GOHAN!!! YOU GOTTA STOP HIM!!! HIS KI'LL GO OUT OF CONTROL!!!
-WHAT!?! WHAT'S HE GONNA DO!?!-, Gohan screamed back, then looked at his brother. His ki was starting to take on a strange nature, becoming enormously powerful, yet increasingly unstable.
-KAAAAAAA--!!!!!-, Goten screamed. His aura started taking an orange hue.
-WHAT'S HE DOING!?!-, Gotan shouted at Trunks.
-HE TRIED TO DUPLICATE GOKUU'S TECHNIQUE FROM WHAT HE'D SEEN!!! BUT HE'S MISSING SOMETHING, AN ELEMENT OF CONTROL!!!
-YOU DON'T MEAN--!?!
- --IIIIIOOOOUUUUU--!!!!!!!- Goten's ki reached monstrous proportions, and the light of his aura became a deep crimson.
-HE'S GONNA TRY KAIOU-KEN!?!-, Gohan cried in horror. Trunks nodded.
-YOU GOTTA STOP HIM, OR HE'LL KILL HIMSELF!! AND PROBABLY YOU TOO!!!
-RIGHT!!!-, Gohan acknowledged. He powered up, his ki rising to surpass his brother's still-growing own, and charged him.
- --KEEEEEEEE--!!!!!- Goten couldn't finish the word. A double-fisted blow slammed against the side of his head and blasted him towards the ground. Gohan followed after, and again slammed him over the head. With one final roar and all the might he could muster, the eldest Son drove his fist into Goten's face. Goten crashed into the ground and remained there, unconscious and breathing slowly. His golden main retreated into his head and changed back to its usual jet-black color, and his ki went back to normal, regaining its stability.
Gohan stood above his brother, at the same time glad he'd saved his life and guilty that he'd had to put his lights out to do it. He'd never realized the enormous amount of guilt his little brother carried within. But that was something he could relate to himself.
The energy cube went down with a hum, and Master Roshi came up on the platform. He realized Goten was uncounscious.
-LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER!!! SON GOHAN TAKES THE FIRST FIGHT!!!!!
The crowed gave a standing ovation, throwing confetti and other assorted stuff. Medics rushed to the platform, only to be sent away by an awakened Goten. The younger son was cheered upon with the same intensity. He and Gohan walked back to the waiting room, Goten needing his brother's help to walk. Behind them, maintenance crew started to replace the platform with solid steel blocks.
-AND NOW, A SHORT INTERMISSION WHILE THE PLATFORM IS RESTORED!!! PLEASE WAIT ON YOUR SEATS, OR MAKE USE OF THE CAFETERIA!!! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO SMOKE...!!!
-Man, guys, that was SO COOL!!! I can't wait to fight either one of you!-, said Akira, the very incarnation of excitement.
-Indeed, good fight, my fri-- -, started to say Uub, but was cut short by Trunks.
-GOTEN, YOU CRAZY ASSHOLE!!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN', PULLIN' A KAIOU- KEN!!!! I OUGHTA KICK YOUR ASS!!!-, the lavender-haired warrior said half jokingly, giving his friend a noogie.
-Not bad, brats. Not half bad at all. Gohan, I hope to see you in the finals. It's gonna be a world of fun-, said Vejiita, smiling wickedly. Gohan nodded, returning his smile. He moved Goten over to a bench, and they both sat down. Akira was gonna follow, but Vejiita put a hand on his shoulder.
-Hey, what gives!?!-, Akira asked, looking quizzical as usual. Vejiita just shook his head with a stern look on his face.
-Those two need to have a talk. ALONE. Understand?-, he said. Akira looked at the brothers. He nodded, and went to talk to Uubu.
-Ohhh, man... you really rocked my head on that last one, bro'-, Goten said, clutching the side of his head.- I'm sorry I went overboard back there. I don't know what got into me.
Gohan smiled and put his hand on Goten's shoulder.
-I know exactly what got into you, Goten. Did I ever tell you about Perfect Cell?
-Huh?-, Goten grunted.- No, bro' you never talk about that stuff. That's like, before I was born.
-Yeah. Well, you know how I beat Perfect Cell and all. What you don't know is what happened before I did. When I fought Cell, I got too cocky. I gave him time to think. It was a bad mistake. Turns out, he had a bomb on him. I'm not talking four sticks of dinamite, I'm talking a bona fide doomsday device here. It would have destroyed the whole planet.
-Whoa. So, what did you do?
-Not me, Goten. Dad. He teleported Cell and himself to King Kai's. He sacrificed himself to save us all.
Goten's eyes went wide upon hearing this, and fell silent.
-I beat myself up every day since then over it. I didn't want to train anymore, I just buried myself in my studies. Oh, I never let mom know about it, of course. I always put up a brave front. Only Piccolo knew about it, but that's another story. I didn't much feel any better until dad came back. I thought it was my fault, that dad wouldn't be with us anymore ever again.- He looked at Goten apollogetically.- And I guess that was my mistake. Our mistake.
Gohan put his hand on Goten's shoulder. The youngest Son looked at him with reddened eyes.
-You see, little bro', dad won't ever stop being with us. I thought we'd lost him when he'd died, and again when his day on Earth expired. Heck, you remember, you were there! And then when he left to train Uub, I thought he'd abandoned us. But the truth is, Goten, when dad chooses to leave, it's because he knows we'll be strong enough to handle whatever comes our way without him. And because he knows that he'll live on in us, in our fighting legacy, in our love for this world.
Goten smiled, and Gohan knew he understood. For both it was a revision of their relationship. Goten had always seen his older brother as a wise, flawless, loving entity against who all his standards were set; the wise and loving parts remained, but he had exposed a part of himself that was flawed, that was allowed to be flawed, because he was human. And if his brother could be human, then so could he.
And for Gohan, it shed a light over his younger brother that he'd failed to see before, as well. For a long time he'd believed Goten to be molded in his father's image, lacking any sort of existencial reflection. Gokuu had always been the natural man, who bore no grudges and had no real hate, only momentary anger. He was always willing to forgive, and never even once wondered abot the meaning of his life, because he'd always taken things as they came. In that way he'd always been somewhat inhuman, as he lacked the things that were both the virtues and the shackles of humanity. He'd always believed Goten to be like that, and in that belief had overlooked the very deep humanity of his soul.
-Dad would be real proud of you, Goten. Real proud.
From the other side of the room, Trunks smiled as he saw the brothers hug.
-Glad those two worked that out. Goten's weird front was getting kinda annoying.
The repair crews finished restoring the plaform, and exited the stadium. Goten and Gohan went to the regeneration tanks, as they'd both taken somewhat heavy damage.
Master Roshi came up on stage. A young lady in a skimpy bunny attire came up carrying a board with the number two printed on it.
-...UUUHHH.... AAAAHHH.. OOOHHH.... EH, I MEAN, LADEEEEES AAAAANNND GENTLEMEEEEENNNN!!!! WE NOW RESUME THE TOURNAMENT!!!! THE NEXT FIGHT PITS OTHER TWO TENKAICHI BUDOKAI REGULARS!!! ONE OF THEM IS THE SUCCESSOR OF THE LIVING LEGEND OF THE CELL WARS, THE DEARLY DEPARTED MR. SATAN!!! LET'S HEAR IT FOR... UUB BUU!!!!
The crowd stood up and boomed their support for the fighter with the mohawk, who walked onto the platform with majesty and waved. Would they cheer so loudly, Uub thought, if they knew about what my past incarnation did all those years ago? I wonder if Piccolo went through this same situation.
-AND ON THE OTHER CORNER... THE SON OF ONE OF THE GREATEST WARRIORS OF THE BUDOKAI AND THE OWNER OF CAPSULE CORP... THE BLUE COMET... TRUNKS BRIEFS!!!
The lavender-haired warrior walked onto the platform, a smile from ear to ear, and the wolf-whistling from the women (and some of the men) actually suffocated the clapping and cheering.
-Hey, nice intro, Master Roshi.
-Remember that when you're writing my check, sonny. AND NOW, LET'S GET IT ON!!!!
The two fighters wasted no time in talk. As soon as they looked at each other, they started fighting. After a lenghty and gut-wrenching fight, Trunks, who put up a slightly better fight than Goten, fell under Uub's superior power and training. They didn't end up as bruised as the two brothers, for at the end, a tired Uubu transformed Trunks into a cookie and ate him (much to everybody's, specially Vejiita, Bulma and Bra's, horror), refusing to release him until he gave up the fight, which he finally did when he realized that he didn't have the strenght to release himself and Uubu would end up absorbing him completely. After the fight they shook hands with no hard feelings, but Bulma came backstage and kicked the living crap out of Uubu with a 100t hammer, having to be restrained by the combined might of every z-warrior.
The next fight was announced. Akira vs. Samba. Trunks faced Akira before the fight.
-Don't let up for an instant. I know you're pretty strong, but we have no idea how powerful this guy really is. You saw what happened to Pan.
-Got it! Don't worry!
The two fighters walked onto the platform. From the VIP box, Pan got his attention, much to her mother and grandmother's surprise (and no small delight).
-HEY, AKIRA!!! KICK THAT GREEN SLUG'S ASS INTO HELL FOR ME!!!- Akira smiled and raised two fingers in a victory sign. Samba sneered.
-Heh. Don't be so cocky.
As Pan sat down, she was bombarded with questions and sly remarks from everybody in the VIP box. She shut them all up when she pointed out who Akira looked like.
-RIGHT!!! YOU BOTH KNOW THE RULES!!! FIGHT!!!-, Master Roshi said. The energy cube rose, and the fighters stared at each other.
-Heh. I'm gonna make you suffer, brat-, Samba said.- That your woman over there? Maybe she'd like another session with me after I'm done with you.
Akira smiled confidently, causing Samba to lose some of his smugness.
-Is that right? Show me.
-WHAT!!!- Akira aimed at his own nose.
-C'mon, you noseless nightmare. Give me your best shot.
Samba went a dark shade of olive. He gritted his teeth and fell into fighting stance.
-YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE ME!?!? YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!! I'LL SHOW YOU!!! I WAS HOLDING BACK AGAINST THE LITTLE BRAT, BUT I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD WITH MY TRUE POWER!!!
Akira's smile grew. His eyes became slits.
-Stop talking so much and do it then!!!
-GRAAARRRGHH!!!- Samba powered up. His power grew beyond Super Saiyajin, and past Super Saiyajin 2. He smiled, sensing no change in his opponent's ki.
-Ready to give up, now, are you?? WELL, IT'S TOO LATE!!!- He placed his hands in front of him, palms open.- DEATH CANNON!!!!
An enormous beam of purple energy shot out of the palms of Samba's hands. It streaked towards Akira, who didn't even move, and exploded upon contact with his face. The blast was huge, the light from it blinding everyone in the stadium. A cloud of steam surrounded the blast site.
-Heh. So much for that-, Samba chuckled.
-Yeah. You'd think a beam that big would be a little faster-, a voice said behind him, freaking him out and making him jump off his boots (well, not really. But he did get scared). He jumped to the other side of the platform. Behind the place he had been, there was Akira, arms crossed, smiling.
The crowd cheered loudly, but nowhere as loudly as in the VIP box. The z- fighters were awestricken with the youth's power. He demonstrated speed beyond Super Saiyajin 2, but was that his limit, or just a small demonstration?
-I-- I-- I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!-, Samba stammered, falling back. He took a fighting stance, the outline of a thick vein showing in his forehead.
-You better believe it, pal... FOR WHAT YOU DID TO PAN, YOU'RE GONNA PAY!!!
BITTER VENGEANCE!!!! SAMBA'S IN BIG TROUBLE NOW!!! BUT, JUST HOW POWERFUL IS AKIRA!?!?
