AN: Sorry this took so long! I'm typing this now on my dad's laptop. ^^;; I've had lots of work this week. Even though that isn't a very good excuse, it's all I have. Since we're nearing exams, projects and et cetera are being piled on. I'm getting excited about the end of the Tournament Saga, because I have a few plot twists that I'm eager to pull off a couple chapters after the tournament is over. ^^;; Oh! I just reminded myself- I've realized that Yamcha hasn't made an appearance yet, and YES, he will. I have a special purpose for him! ::evil grin:: But anyway…I had fun writing this chapter, especially Bulma's dialogue. Listening in on conversations in the locker room at school can prove quite benefiting! (Yes, the girl's locker room. I'm a girl.)
Disclaimer: Dragonball doesn't belong to me. I'm just helping you big producers advertise, so lay off.
Through Thick and Thin
Chapter Twelve: Remember That
Chi-Chi was silent as Bulma babbled on about things such as the latest fashions, the dramas of her life, and a few tidbits about her journey with Goku. The black-haired girl giggled as Bulma explained Goku's innocence towards the ever-so-important teenage girl issue: privacy. Chi-Chi blushed for and respectively with Bulma at the appropriate moments, and reminisced with her female friend about he time that the group spent of Fire Mountain.
"By the way, how's your father? Where are you two living now? I imagine that you would have to temporarily live elsewhere while you are rebuilding Fire Mountain." Bulma questioned.
"Oh, well, we're living in a small capsule house that we set up near a lake. Not the best house and furnishings, but the scenery is beautiful."
"Really? Maybe I'll visit sometime. You know, the swimsuit season is coming up, and I might as well start soon!" Bulma grinned cutely, and Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh. She didn't succeed, and fell into a fit of giggles.
"Really, Bulma… But, sure, you could visit sometime. Maybe bring Goku with you, too? …he could bring Krillin if he wanted." Chi-Chi said nonchalantly. "It gets somewhat lonely just having your father around the house. I mean, he's great and all, but…it would be really nice to have someone about my age around for a change."
"Okay, Chi-Chi. I'll remember that."
:::::::::At the ring:::::::::
"Bulma took care of Chi…-Chi, right?" Goku asked his friend, who was standing next to him. The two were waiting for Goku's opponent to arrive at the arena.
"Uh, huh." Krillin nodded. "She told us the hurry up to your match, remember?"
"I remember, but…why do you suppose Bulma wanted us to hurry up? We had plenty of time." Goku added as an afterthought, "I think."
"Who knows? Let's just hope that she doesn't corrupt Chi-Chi." Krillin put on a mocking, horrified facial expression. Goku laughed.
"I don't know. I think Chi-Chi's already picked up a bit of Bulma's evil-ness." Krillin looked rather frightened.
"Oh, great…just what I need, another Bulma." Krillin said sarcastically.
"Well, a Bulma with great fighting techniques." Goku added. Krillin sighed again.
"Those two will be the end of us yet."
"HELLO! MISS BOTOUKU [1], WILL YOU PLEASE REPORT TO THE ARENA? YOUR OPPONENT IS WAITING! THANK YOU!" The announcer impatiently tapped his foot against the tiled floor. A couple minutes later, a blonde came running up to him, apparently angry.
"CAN'T YOU %*#%^%# WAIT?! GOD, PEOPLE!" The blonde yelled into his ear. The announcer rubbed the inside of his ear with his finger, tapping his head.
"Excuse me! Are you Miss Botouku?!" He said rather loudly, apparently still experiencing the effects of his ear-drums nearly being blown apart.
"YES!" She growled. "NOW! CAN WE GET THIS THING STARTED, YOU ^*&^%?!"
"Yes, of course, Miss Botouku!" The announcer exclaimed nervously.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! NOW, FOR THE LAST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND!"
BONG.
:::::::Chi-Chi and Bulma::::::
BONG.
"Hey, Goku's match is starting! Come on, Bulma!" Chi-Chi grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her in the direction of the arena. Soon, Krillin came into view.
"Hey, Krillin!" Bulma exclaimed, breathless.
"Oh…hey, Bulma!" Krillin exclaimed nervously. Bulma grinned.
'I just love inflicting fear in the hearts of others.' [2]
"Krillin, how much of Goku's match have we missed?"
"Oh, not much," he glanced at Chi-Chi. "Goku's opponent has just been shouting at him. I think she's trying to get him to back down, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, if I know Goku." Krillin smiled. Chi-Chi did the same.
"You're right- Goku would never give up. Not even if he knew he would lose." Chi-Chi stated. Bulma nodded.
"Exactly. The only time that Goku would EVER purposefully back down from a fight without hesitation would be when-" Krillin stopped talking.
"When…?" Chi-Chi prodded.
"Nevermind," Krillin muttered.
'Goku doesn't even know it; I shouldn't tell these two.' [3]
"Okay," Chi-Chi said, confused. The conversation died down as the three turned their attention to the match.
Goku and his opponent seemed to be equal in strength. Unfortunately, Miss Botouku was three times as large as Goku, which gave her an advantage. Punches and kicks were exchanged rapidly, yet neither one appeared tired. Miss Boutoku prepared to kick Goku, but he quickly jumped straight into the air. Goku sighed in relief as the kick missed him by a millimeter. At the peak of his jump, he heard a rough voice.
"Good-bye." And Miss Botouku kicked him once more. He sailed to the far side of the ring; as he hit the ring floor, he slid roughly to the edge of the ring. Slowing, he felt the sharp marble edge of the arena. Goku flipped himself onto his stomach and quickly grabbed the edge. He stayed clinging onto the edge for a couple seconds, and then effortlessly launched himself over the edge towards his opponent. He brought back his fist for a punch. Miss Botouku's eyes widened, and she started to duck.
One's strength may often prove to be their weakness.
Miss Botouku, being as tall as she was, couldn't duck down far enough or fast enough to avoid Goku's flying fist. It connected, and she flew out of the ring.
SLAM.
The impact of her landing was so powerful, the ground vibrated. The audience stared; the match had ended so quickly. Goku had unexpectedly gotten the upper hand (if you could call it that). Suddenly, the onlookers burst into applause. Miss Botouku easily regained her poise and stood up. She stomped over to Goku, and he winced; preparing for a barrage of yells.
Surprisingly, she smiled warmly.
"That was the best fight I've ever had, Goku. You should be proud…you never cowered under the glares and words. I've never fought someone quite like you. No, it's not that you were brave. It's something else; something that I've never found in someone before. If you are to remember one thing about this match, remember this: always follow your instinct, my friend. Sometimes, an enemy could be a friend; a strength, a weakness. Never judge too quickly. See, that's what I try to teach my opponents. So far, you're the only one who has learned the lesson well. Remember that, Goku."
And with that, Miss Botouku walked away.
AN: Yay! This chapter's done. I must say, I'm quite proud of the results. I think Miss Botouku is the best original character I've ever created. Who knows? Maybe I'll use her again someday. ^_^ I'm really sad to let her go…I had so much fun with her, even though if it was only for a short while. A VERY short while. Oh, great, now I've become attached to one of my characters. This can't be good. ^^;; Oh, well.
Kat's Advertisement Corner!
Here we go! A shameless self-advertisement. ^^;;
For those of who love Card Captor Sakura, namely, Eriol/Tomoyo fanfiction, read Aratamete, by me. That is, by kat. I'm quite proud of it, even though it's moving rather slowly.
Now, seriously. An actual advertisement:
Dragonball Eternal Love. The only fic (other than mine) that I've found that's set in Dragonball, remotely follows the storyline, and is a Goku/Chi-Chi romance! Only a couple chapters so far, but showing great potential. The author's…second fanfiction, I think? But anyway, if you like this sort of plot, read it. I forgot the author's name, and my dad's laptop internet connection is very slow, so I'm not going to look it up. It's going to take me forever just to POST this thing.
To the brackets! ::insert heroic music::
[1]: Yes, another one of my so-called creative names. Derived from Japanese (again). Let's hold a little contest again, shall we? Who can guess what word it's derived from? (Trust me, it's not hard at all to figure it out.)
[2] Yes, Bulma IS a great character, isn't she? No wonder Vegeta and her get along. Oh! I almost forgot. The whole purpose (or at least some of it) of this bracket was to hint that YES, there will be a b/v romance later in this fic. MUCH later. But don't worry, Bulma/Vegeta fans, it will happen. It's all part of the strange plot twist that'll arrive sometime after the tournament's over. Which, by the way, will be very soon, as I only have one more fight to go! (What? One? Yup, you heard me correctly! ONE!)
[3] Ah, another one of Krillin's…interesting…comments. Seems that he's the very image of…uh, UN-naïve-ness. (What the heck?) What does he mean by this one? Well…Actually, I'm not going to tell you. Hehe, another contest type thing! See if you can figure out what he means. Although…if could be ANYTHING. But, kudos to whoever's wild guess is right! ^^;;
One last rant. ^^;; YAY! Almost 80 reviews! ::sniff:: I feel so loved. I'm going for the big double-o now! (100) Review, please. It's not THAT hard! ::coughs:: plus, it gets me one step closer to my goal! So, REVIEW!
-kat