Berter Beginnings: A Ginyu Force Outlook
By Son Rhandi
Part 12
*Dedicated to Lordess Vegeta (^_^)
Hachuurui's sun had barely shown its face when the tournament resumed. The early morning air carried the chirps of various insects and the mild scent of flowers and dew.
"Berter. Berter, awaken. You'll be late in your continuation."
The combination of Tage's smooth and gentle voice and moderate shaking stirred his friend from a peaceful sleep. A deep rumble rolled in his voice as he sluggishly turned to prop himself up on his elbow. Surveying his given area with disconcerted eyes, Berter threw his sheets back over his head and plopped back on the thin futon. Tage just kneeled beside him and chuckled softly.
"Come now," he said, placing a hand on what appeared to be his friend's head under the sheet. "The 10th year tourneys have already ended, and everyone else is already up. You'll be late if you don't get up and get yourself ready now."
"Bah." Berter reluctantly rose from the less-than-comfortable futon, muttering a few curses in the process.
"Good morning, good morning, good morning!!! And welcome to the final day of the Plateau Regional Championships!! Our final ten of both genders will be competing on this greatest and last day of the Championships, so let's hear a round of applause!!"
"First, we will start the final tourney with the Male Bout with Spears! This will commence in a round-robin tournament in which everyone fights everyone once and only once! In the event of a tie, the two with the highest matching scores will face off. Let it begin! The Bout with Spears!!"
"So early they like to start things..!" said Frieza with a slightly lilt in his voice. "That's good. It shows these Tokage are hard workers."
A bit too early for my taste, thought a cross Zarbon as he lightly pushed a few stray tendrils of hair out of his face. Ginyu…. Zarbon's face twisted into a distasteful sneer. He'll be here in a while's time. Then I'll have to put up with seeing his damnable self for Azur-knows-how-long… The cerulean soldier would have continued to stew, but Dodoria's loud and nasal breathing rudely interrupted his thoughts.
Zarbon sneered at the slumbering lummox and hissed, "Wake up, baka..!" But his discommend failed to deter him from sleep. Frieza, looking over his shoulder, spied the snoozing oaf and shook his head.
"Zarbon, a rude awakening, please."
"Quite."
With immense pleasure, Zarbon kicked the chair out from under the fat slob, giving him a chance to meet the hard wood. Apparently, it did the trick.
Jarred awake from the fall, Dodoria let out a loud curse. "Damn it!!" He sat up, only to be greeted by the smirk of a familiar cobalt face. "You!" Striking out like a snake, he pulled Zarbon to him by his armor's collar. This turn of events only spread Zarbon's smirk wider.
"Why, Dodoria, I didn't know you felt that way about me."
"Feel this, moron!" With a fat fist drawn back, the angry oaf was ready to rearrange Zarbon's face.
"Now, now, boys. Behave yourselves," Frieza scolded. "You're behavior reflects on me, so I suggest you be at your best at all times. Understood?"
"Yes, Master Frieza," they said in unison.
"We're all so very excited now! The last and sure to be a most spectacular fight is about to begin!"
The fights whirled through the day, and the air was filled with the hopeful cheers and shouts of the fighters' families and friends. Berter and Jerin were tied for ranking first place. The tension between them couldn't have gotten any thicker.
"With the leading two fighters' scores tied, this will determine who is best of the best!"
That damned announcer wasn't helping things much, either.
"Final Bout! Berter of Kyôrusan versus Jerin of Ren'nin!"
The roar of the crowd did little to up Berter's spirits. The young man felt a lump form in his throat, but did not hesitate to join his rival in the ring. Suddenly, a familiar warmth found itself on his shoulder.
"Berter," Tage said, smiling. "..Best of luck." With a smile and a nod, the Tokage turned to the exit, spear in hand, and marched out to the ring, feeling a bit more confident.
The spectator's excitement peaked as the two fighters emerged onto the ring. They stood facing each other, weapons at the ready, waiting to start. The announcer made his exit, and the referee stepped in to take his place.
"Bout with Spears- Final Battle: BEGIN!!"
As soon as the word to fight was given, Jerin rushed at Berter with great speed, spearhead aimed straight at his heart. Reeling back, Berter swung his spear like one would a baseball bat, making contact with his opponent's and resulting in a loud wooden smack and being pinned to the ring floor. Growling, Jerin bucked his head against Berter's. A sharp hiss escaped the latter's lips, but he had no time to comfort the pain. Jerin had already freed his weapon, and was ready to lunge it forward. Making swift, he managed to evade its pointed tip, for the most part.
A few drops of Tokage blood stained the ring. Jerin had managed to rip part of his tunic and catch a piece of his flesh. Lucky for Berter, it didn't penetrate the first layer of skin totally. Studying it further, the light wound was approximately where the liver would be located in humans. Judging by its placement, it was meant to be fatal.
He was going to run me through… He's really trying to kill me…
A small smirk spread across Jerin's face. He seemed to relish in the fact that he had drawn blood from object of his hatred. After I win this, I'll be sure to keep this spear. It'll be a sort of trophy for my greatest achievement…
Filled with a new sense of determination, Berter was prepared to defeat this most abhorrent rival. This time, Berter was the one to charge. A smirking Jerin crouched slightly, not taking the assault seriously. But, to his surprise, instead of making contact, Berter flipped right over him. Before Jerin even had time to make a complete turn, he found himself skidding halfway across the ring, but managed to roll back to a standing position. Unfortunately for him, he had skidded too close to the ring's edge for comfort.
His opponent's equilibrium shot, this was the perfect time for Berter to strike. Pushing off with a single foot, the Tokage rushed, spear wielded, ready to win. Weapon drawn back, he prepared to deliver what could be the final blow. As if on cue, Jerin held his spear horizontally, blocking the blow. One more hit, and he'd be feeling the dirt. Thrusting his weight, Berter shoved his opponent, who was now fighting for balance, and with a single-handed twirl of his spear, jabbed through his rival's bow, breaking his spear. Then fell Jerin, tumbling backwards out of the arena.
"Defeat times two! The final bout goes to Berter of Kyôrusan!!"
Never had there been a louder shout of excitement from the concourse. The same could be said for the cheer in the Berter's heart. Not only had he won against Jerin, but he also now ranked first place in the Plateau Regional Championships. The emotions he felt at that very moment couldn't be described with words, but if they could, the words that fit best would be:
'Proud, accomplished, happy.'
I am happy.