"That felt so damned good!" Kirillin thought as he waited for his name to be called to draw a number to start the preliminary round.
"Kuntar!" The announcer called out. Kuntar was a huge man that looked strikingly like Pintar did all those tournaments ago. As Kuntar made his way to the front to draw a number, he purposefully shoved Kirillin, without much effect. "Your granddaddy beat my granddaddy! I assure you shrimp, it will not be that way today! I will kick your little butt!"
"I never knew that stupidity was such a genetic trait." Kirillin said under his breath.
Kuntar drew the number 9 ball.
"Next we have Bandit!" The announcer called. "Bandit was first runner up last tournament and is highly favored as the best chance at defeating Tien this year."
Kirillin sensed Bandit's power level, and while it was quite high for a human, roughly the same as Videl's when he first met her, it was certainly nothing to worry about.
Bandit draws the number 2 ball!
"Next we have Kirillin III! Kirillin III's grandfather Kirillin has fought in this tournament on many occasions and was a tough competitor. He made the finals as a child competitor before they even had a child's division! We expect great things from Kirillin III!" The announcer exclaimed.
Kirillin walked up and stuck his hand in the box and pulled out the number 11 ball, handed it to the monk who wrote Kirillin III on the tote board.
"Next we have Sir Crusher Sir Crusher!"
A large man, as tall as Kuntar, but not an ounce of fat on him walked up to the box, removed the number 5 ball, and crushed it in front of the announcers face. Then laughed evilly.
"Ulp! Well, okay then! Sir Crusher has picked the number five ball!" The announcer stammered.
"Next we have Pure Poison!!"
A young lady came forward dressed in a tightly fitting lavender body suit with a rose silk-screened on the front and back. She reached into the box and picked the number 10. She handed the ball to the monk and walked back to her original spot. "Looks like it's you and me big man!" She said to Kuntar on the way by.
"Imagine me, fighting a sissy woman!" Kuntar shot back.
Pure poison just smiled.
The numbering process went on in this manner until all the contestants were called. The final preliminary bout schedule ended up like this:
Bout One: Jarhead versus Bandit
Bout Two: Charlene versus Grathor
Bout Three: Sir Crusher versus Python Man
Bout Four: Lady Paine versus Mr. Marvel
Bout Five: Kuntar versus Pure Poison
Bout Six: Kirillin versus Big Frank
Bout Seven Shoulin Warrior verses Fighting Dame
Bout Eight: Crazy Legs MacDuffy verses Mystery Man
"The Preliminary Bouts will begin immediately! Will Jarhead and Bandit please step into the ring?" The announcer said.
Jarhead and Bandit walked into the ring eyeing each other warily. The announcer called them to the center of the ring.
"Okay, since this is the first bout, I will explain the rules in detail. A contestant has won the bout if the opponent lands outside of the ring, is knocked out, or cannot stand by the count of ten. A contestant is disqualified if they kill their opponent, or they break the Videl Ruling. The Videl Ruling is violated if one contestant refuses to defeat their opponent when the opponent is obviously unable to go on for the sole purpose of cruelty. Does everyone understand?" The announcer looked at the current combatants, and back to the waiting room to see if the others also acknowledged his explanation. Everyone did.
Videl had heard that they had added such a rule after her match with Spopovich some years ago. It was a good rule.
"Good! Now if you gentlemen will retire to your corners of the arena, we will be starting the match at the gong! Good luck to you both!" The announcer then scrambled for a safe area just outside of the arena.
As soon as everyone was in his or her place, the announcer nodded towards the monk who swung and rang the gong. The match was on!
Then the match was over. Bandit put Jarhead out of the arena with just one punch.
"Whoa!" Kirillin said, "That guy is fast for a human!"
"What happened?" Gerald was surprised. "I didn't even see that guy move and then the other guy was flying out of the ring!
"He's very fast Gerald." Yambia said.
"He's not all human." 16 said.
Everyone looked at 16.
"What do you mean 16?" Bulma finally said.
"I detect micro-nanite technology implanted in various parts of his body." The big android said. "Not nearly as sophisticated as Dr. Gero's inventions that 17 and 18 were implanted with, but sophisticated enough to drastically increase his speed and strength." 16 explained.
"So this Bandit guy is cheating?" Gerald asked.
"Well, no, I suppose not. There doesn't seem to be any rules about the contestants artificially enhancing their abilities. Just as long as they are not doing so with drugs. Things like steroids are, or course, prohibited." Bulma said. "I don't believe that micro-nanite technology is covered in the rules.
"It's not going to matter, either Tien and Kirillin are going to kick his butt regardless, whichever one Bandit faces first. He may have augmented speed and strength, but he can't match either of those two guys." Videl said proudly.
"You got that right!" Chi-Chi echoed.
"Bandit moves up to the quarter finals!" The announcer cheered.
The next three matches were mostly uneventful the winners were:
Charlene
Sir Crusher
Mr. Marvel
"Let the fifth match begin! Will Kuntar and Pure Poison please step into the arena?" The announcer exclaimed.
The contestants stepped into the arena and faced each other in the middle. The match almost seemed ludicrous. Kuntar, like his grandfather, was a huge bulk of a man measuring almost 9 foot in height, and weight in at 1450 lbs. Pure Poison, on the other hand, was a petite 5' 2" tall and weighed in at 105 lbs.
Kuntar smirked. "You should just run on home to your mommy! I really don't want to hurt a little girlie like you!" Kuntar laughed out loud.
"You worry about yourself fatso, because you're going down." Pure Poison smiled at him. "I hope you have a good insurance plan."
"For that Kuntar will have no mercy on you!" Kuntar practically spit his words in her face.
The announcer urged Kuntar and Pure Poison into their perspective corners, and then the gong rang.
It became obvious early in the match that pure poison held the advantage where speed was concerned. But she was doing something strange. Every time Kuntar would swing at her, or kick at her, or try to grab her, she would quite nimbly escape the attack, then reach back to let him hit/kick her hand. And whenever she did this, a small cut would show up on Kuntar's hand, or foot. After about five minutes of this, Kuntar looked decidedly ill, and his movements slowed considerably.
"My Dendi! She really is poisoning him!" Kirillin exclaimed as he ran to the announcer.
The announcer, already a step ahead of Kirillin, stopped the match just as the lumbering Kuntar fell face first onto the arena floor.
"I'm sorry miss, but I cannot declare you the winner quite yet." The announcer said.
"And why not?" Pure Poison said shooting daggers from her eyes towards the announcer.
"The rules specifically state that all use of poisons must be naturally created from your own body. Can you show that the poison you used was naturally crated from your own body?" The announcer said.
"Why you!" Pure Poison screeched and lunged her fingernails towards the announcer. Instinctively, Kirillin grabbed Pure Poison's wrists and stopped her mere millimeters from the announcer's face. Kirillin took her wrists and slammed her fingernails into the concrete floor of the arena.
The announcer went immediately over to Kuntar and checked to see if the big man was still alive. "I feel a heartbeat!" He said.
"Is there an antidote for this?" Kirillin said as thick purple fluid seeped out of the broken fingernails.
"No need for an antidote. It won't kill him, just make him sick for a couple of weeks!" Pure Poison tried to explain.
"I'll call for a stretcher." The announcer picked up his microphone and called for an emergency team.
Kirillin took the opportunity to rip away one of Pure Poison's sleeves and revealed a rubber bladder about half full of the same thick purple fluid that was seeping out of her broken fingernails. Definitely not a naturally derived substance. Kirillin then reestablished his hold on her wrist.
"Let go of me you little pervert!" Pure Poison screamed trying to get away.
"I'm not in charge around here, but I'd bet real money that you're disqualified, and the civil authorities are probably going to want to talk to you as well. So just consider yourself under arrest unti……." Suddenly Kirillin felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and heard Pure Poison making a raspy, gurgling sound. He looked to his shoulder to see the point of an old, rusty spear impaling his shoulder. His eyes followed the shaft back to discover that it was sticking through Pure Poisons chest, through her heart. He felt the pulse of the woman in the wrist he still held ebb, then die away. He was holding a dead woman. Still holding the left wrist, Kirillin reached up and removed the point of the spear with his right hand, then gently lowered Pure Poison the ground. His anger began to swell and he went Super Saiyan before he even stood back up to face his assailants. When he did face them, he almost wretched. Standing all about him were some three or four dozen long decayed corpses all dress in warrior garb with a dragon as their crest. The dragon looked suspiciously like Shenlon.
"You are to die today!" One of the dead men hissed through decayed throat. This one had an air of nobility about him, and a more elaborate helm and armor. He also had the added attraction of being on a long dead horse.
"Why?" Kirillin asked.
"Because my son, Emperor Cordell has ordered it!" The thing hissed again.
"Well tell your son that he can go to the same hell that you crawled out from!" Kirillin powered up to Super Saiyan Two and flew into the monstrosity exploding it into a milling pieces, horse and all. Kirillin turned to examine his handy work when the bones and bits of flesh reassembled themselves almost immediately.
"We cannot be killed by so primitive an attack." The horrid thing hissed.
"Well, let's try something a bit less primitive then. Kaaa… Meee… Haaa…. Meee.. HAAAAA!!!!" Kirillin launched his most devastating attack straight up into the air.
"SO!! You know the Turtle Hermit attack? And such poor aim!! Are you a Turtle Hermit?" The thing asked.
"Of a sorts, but we've added some new features." Kirillin smiled as he mentally guided his attack to turn and head straight down at his intended target. "Look up you monstrosity."
"Wha? Arrrrggggghhhhh!" And day became a blinding light.
Then the smoked cleared, the creature was standing in place having reconstructed himself once again.
"Not bad, not bad at all. But not good enough I'm afraid." The creature hissed.
It was about this time that the audience stopped thinking that this was all part of the show, and began to panic and pile out of the stadium. It was also that time that Yambia and 16 appeared by Kirillin's side. Kirillin looked to make sure that Kuntar had been taken to safety as well. The announcer and the monks had the big man on two lashed together stretchers and were taking him out to an awaiting ambulance.
"Yambia, I really must protest you being here!" 16 said hoping to draw Kirillin in as support. "You should not be fighting in your condition!"
"Our friend is in trouble! I will not let him face this evil alone!" Yambia replied.
"Her condition? No! Yambia go on now! 16 and I can handle this!" Kirillin yelled.
"Dragon Elite! Attack!!!" The leader hissed.
"Too late! Here we go!" Yambia yelled as she powered up to Mystic Super Saiyan.
A warrior rushed in with his sword held high ready to remove Kirillin's head when 16 launched one of his fists and took the dead thing out. It immediately reassembled itself and was prepared to attack again. 16 reconnected his hand and shot a laser beam at it. Kirillin powered up to Super Saiyan Three, which seemed to cause the warriors of the dead to pause for just a second.
Meanwhile Bulma, Videl, Chi-Chi and Abigail was busy helping the spectators exit in an orderly fashion so that no one got crushed in the process, with mixed results.
Yambia couldn't understand it. The warriors tried to attack her, but when they got close they seemed to cringe and shy away.
Kirillin seemed to be their main target. He could hold his own in Super Saiyan Three, but his attacks only barely slowed them down long enough to reassemble themselves. At the rate of power consumption of the Super Saiyan Three form, he was tiring out quickly.
16 was grappling with one undead creature that 16 caused to drop its sword. Suddenly someone slashed the creature's head off. 16 looked to see who did it and was surprised to find Gerald standing their holding the creature's sword. "Gerald! Get out of here! This isn't…" 16 tried to warn, but the creature's head flew back up to it's shoulders and reattached itself to its neck, then backhanded Gerald across the arena into the stadium wall. Gerald slumped to the ground unmoving.
"Damned you to hell!" 16 yelled and picked up the creature and threw him straight up into the air. He removed both hands, holding them under his armpits. "Hell's Fire!!" And completely disintegrated the creature. Or so he thought. The creature was slowly reassembling itself, and that attack took a lot of energy from 16.
Yambia tried to fly to her fallen father-in-law, but the creatures flew up to block her way. "Damned you!" Yambia launched a powerful ki attack taking out three of the creatures blocking her. To her surprise, they did not reassemble. Something seemed funny though. They almost looked pleased that Yambia had blasted them. "What's going on?" Yambia thought.
The Elder Kai broke into her thoughts. "It's your mystic abilities Yambia. They cannot stand up to that! They are creatures of mystic darkness; only a creature of mystic light can defeat them! You are that creature of mystic light!"
Yambia smiled. "I know what to do now." Yambia screamed and powered up to Mystic Super Saiyan Four.
Kirillin had almost run out of energy and had dropped out of Super Saiyan three altogether. He had destroyed each of his attackers countless times, but they kept coming back almost instantaneously. Kirillin watched helplessly as their leader raised his sword and plunged it towards his chest. Part of him wanted to let it happen. He was tired, so battered and bruised and in so much pain. But something else was inside him now. His "Saiyanness" screamed to fight, to defend himself. And just as the point of the sword pierced his skin, he reached up and grabbed the sword blade with his bare hand.
"No, NO! You will not defeat me!" And with bleeding hand, he pushed the blade and the creature back.
16 had taken a spear to the back, and was fighting with only one arm since the motor relay for his other arm was damaged.. They were closing in on him for the final kill like a pack of undead wolves.
Then the sun went nova.
Yambia let the mystic power of her being pour out like rain from the sky. Where that power touched, the undead creatures that Cordell summoned ceased to exist When Yambia's power up was complete, only the helm of the leader remained to mark their passing.
Yambia powered down and flew to Gerald's side.
Sixteen hobbled after Yambia as best he could.
Kirillin found that his hand was now empty of the sword, looked down and seen the helmet. He gingerly picked it up. The Helmet spoke into Kirillin's mind for just one sentence.
"Thank you for releasing us!" This was not the same dead hissing voice that issued from the helmet earlier, but the strong voice of a warrior born.
"Y-your welcome," Was all Kirillin could think of to say, and then the helmet fell silent again.
"Gerald! GERALD!" CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Yambia yelled, tears starting down her face. There was no response.
"He is still alive, but just barely. His heart is beating irregularly." 16 said.
"That thing hit him hard." Kirillin said as he ran up to the group. "Here is one of the Senzu Beans that Vegeta gave me in case I got hurt training for this tournament."
Yambia snatched the bean away from Kirillin and shoved it into Gerald's mouth. "C'mon Gerald, chew this up and swallow it!"
Gerald didn't respond at first so Yambia was manually working his lower jaw trying to get him to chew the bean. Gerald finally seemed to respond and chewed the bean and swallowed it.
Gerald's eyes flew open. "YYYYYYUUUCK!!" he exclaimed. "What the hell was that?"
"A Senzu Bean. You get used to them." Kirillin smiled. "They heal all your wounds and restore your energy."
Gerald got up off the ground. "Looks like you could use one of those too."
Kirillin looked down at himself, he was a total mass of bruises, cuts, and abrasions, but nothing immediately life threatening. He was proud of himself though. Even after his long association with Saiyans, and his now being a Saiyan, he really had never once thought about what it means to be Saiyan, until the point of that sword was threatening to pierce his heard. He felt like he'd passed some sort of rite ot passage. He wondered vaguely if Goku and Vegeta would be proud.
"Sure could!" Kirillin said as he dug the last Senzu Bean from his pocket and scarfed it down.
Yambia turned to check out 16's damage by Bulma was already there looking him up and down.
"Looks like you'll need to spend some time at Capsule Corporation big man." Bulma said. "It will take a few hours to repair this damage."
"I must remain with Abigail and Yambia." 16 answered flatly.
About that time the announcer and five or six monks in battle helmets poke their heads around the corner.
"Is the danger over?" The announcer said.
"Yeah, it's over." Kirillin said feeling more powerful than ever. "We can resume the tournament if you want."
"Yeah! We could do that! Just give us a half an hour to clean up and get everyone back to their seats." The announcer exclaimed.
"What about her?" One of the monks pointed to where Pure Poison's body lay in a heap.
Gerald walked up to the announcer.
"You should write down that she gave her life in defense of this stadium." Gerald said. "And give her a hero's burial."
The announcer thought about the publicity that was going to
come out of this. "Yeah, that's what
we'll do."
"What about Kuntar? How's he doing?" Kirillin said.
"Well, he won't be fighting any more this year, but we've given him a guaranteed spot next year so he won't have to qualify.. He seems happy with that." The announcer said.
"Ok, I'll be in the contestant's waiting area if you need me then." Kirillin said.
16 turned to Bulma. "Other than the loss of movement in my arm, I've in no other immediate danger. I would like to stay and watch the rest of the tournament."
"Sure. I really don't see a problem with that. The repairs will wait." Bulma smiled.
"Well, it's back to our seats then." Yambia smiled, turned and took three steps before clutching her stomach in pain.
"Yambia! What's wrong!" Gerald exclaimed.
"Damned Saiyan babies kick hard I guess." Yambia straightened up smiling.