For the next few weeks, Trunks and Goten lived and breathed ping-pong. They would train non-stop. In addition to the weekly training with Ruttager and the other students who play ping-pong, Trunks and Goten would play against each other at every chance they got. And when Goten wasn't around, Trunks would hit balls from the kitchen table onto the wall for practice.
After hearing the way Vegeta reacted, Goten was a little nervous about telling his family that he was quitting martial arts to play ping-pong, but he needn't have worried. Chi-Chi, naturally, was happy to hear that Goten no longer had an interest in martial arts. Gohan sat there in stunned silence and stared at Goten, before agreeing that having an outside interest was a good thing.
As a matter of fact, there was only one person who didn't like the thought of Trunks and Goten playing ping-pong – Vegeta. He started destroying Trunks' paddles whenever he saw the teenage boy training, and it got to the point where Trunks would train only at night whenever he knew Vegeta was at home.
Except that didn't work, because Vegeta could still hear the balls flying around the kitchen and would keep Bulma awake for hours on end by pacing back and forth in the bedroom, muttering about the "damn brat betraying his Saiya-jin heritage."
"You know, Vegeta, I think you're jealous of Trunks," Bulma stated matter-of-factly on one such night, "You were forced to fight from the time you were a child, and I think you resent the fact that Trunks has a choice."
Vegeta shot his wife a glare that could freeze the Sun, "I resent the fact that Trunks has taken up a sport for complete losers and wimps, a sport that requires no technique and no speed."
"Whatever, just stop destroying his things. Break another paddle and find somewhere else to sleep," Bulma rolled her eyes and tried to get back to sleep.
* * *
Orange Star High School is a very expensive and exclusive private school. Naturally, the Briefs could afford to send Trunks there, and Gohan was, in his days as a student, able to go thanks to a scholarship. Despite his rather average intelligence, Goten also became a student, thanks to a new scholarship funded by Capsule Corp (also known as a rather large bribe). Being a private school, Orange Star prides itself on its excellence in many areas, and sport is no exception.
One of the oddest achievements that Orange Star bragged about was ping-pong. Orange Star has an excellent ping-pong squad who have held the Inter-School championship for quite a few years running now. Being one of the few sports that Orange Star can win easily without bribing officials or bringing in college ringers, it is no surprise that ping-pong tournaments are a big thing in the school, with every student encouraged to attend and support the squad.
Such a tournament was being held just two months after Trunks and Goten quit martial arts. This tournament would have all members of the Orange Star ping-pong squad competing, with the first place, second place and two equal third places being the official squad that would represent the school in the inter-school championships next month. Bulma was so excited that she hired a bus to transport all her friends to the tournament, which was to be held at the school gym. While all the adults talked about boring things and made really lame jokes, Trunks and Goten sat quietly in the back of the bus, wearing the official sports uniform of Orange Star, which consisted of a black t-shirt with "Orange Star" written on the front in white text and white shorts. Of course, nobody wears such a uniform until major sporting events, when they are forced to, lest they get disqualified.
Gohan glanced back from his seat in the bus to where Trunks and Goten were sitting. Goten was staring at the floor, while Trunks was absently hitting a ping-pong ball into the air with his paddle (like one of those ball and string games minus the string). He correctly guessed that Goten was nervous about the tournament, but incorrectly guessed that Trunks was also feeling nerves.
"Hey, don't worry guys," Gohan offered reassuringly, "You'll do great."
'Of course you'll do great," Chi-Chi stated from the 'co-pilot' seat of the bus, "You two are unstoppable."
Goten offered a nervous smile as a reply, but Trunks was miles away. He wasn't like Goten – he doesn't get nervous before these things – but there was something bothering him. The bus was full of family and friends – his grandparents, Gohan, Videl (and baby Pan of course), Yamucha, Krillin, #18, Marron… even the normally anti-social Piccolo was riding in the bus. But one person was missing, and with the absence of that one person, the bus may well have been empty for Trunks.
When he was warming up before his match, Trunks used his ability to track ki to find the missing person. He was at Capsule Corp, no doubt training. The ki was slowly getting stronger and stronger, but Trunks knew that it was still nowhere near its peak. After a quick pep talk by Coach Ruttager, which Trunks didn't listen to a word of, Trunks stepped up to the table, not taking his mind of the ki. He glanced at where his family and friends were sitting in the throng of people and half-expected to see the flare of black hair that was missing, but it wasn't there, so he went back to tracing its ki. A sudden flare of ki distracted Trunks, and the ball went whizzing past his head…
* * *
"Don't worry, guys, you'll win the next one," Krillin offered his condolences to both the boys on the way home. Goten was lucky enough to make equal fifth, just missing out on representing the school by one round, but Trunks was so distracted that his first-round opponent beat him without Trunks getting a single point (or serve for that matter) in.
"Hey, Trunks," Goten spoke up later that evening when the bus was pulling into Capsule Corp. By this time, everyone except for the Sons and the Briefs had been dropped off home – the Sons were staying at Capsule Corp that night because they lived so far away, "What happened out there? You play much better than that."
"Nothing happened, Goten, I just… got a little nervous," Trunks replied unconvincingly, "I wasn't expecting so many people to turn up."
Bulma shook her head from the driver's seat. She knew what really went on, and so did everyone else on the bus. A glance at Chi-Chi, then at Gohan and Videl, confirmed it. Something had to be done about Vegeta.