-Well today's my birthday, and I decided to celebrate by posting chapter fifteen! Damn, I'm feeling old right now… I'm over the hill as far as most fanfic writers go. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this! At least I didn't make you wait nearly a month this time!

Disclaimer: Still don't own DBZ, or the characters betrayed in this story. Only Taro belongs to me, and he ain't worth a Big Mac and a side of fries.

Chapter 15

"So, this is what it's like," Ryo gaped, looking a bit tentative as he stared out at the rowdy crowd, most of whom were on their feet cheering as the MC did what he did best. Running his mouth. "I expected the Tenkaichi to be a spectacle, but I had no idea it would be quite like this…"

"I know, isn't it great?!" Videl cheered with a pump of both of her fists. Ryo didn't seem as excited. "I've been waiting years for this chance… Now it's finally here in only a few more minutes!"

"It is kind of exciting isn't it?" Gohan asked, standing next to her.

Goku, who'd been standing behind them looking out at the scene himself, took in a deep breath taking in the smell of the air. "The adrenaline pumping… The feel of the excitement floating in the air ready to explode at any second. My body shaking in anticipation… Man, I love being alive again!"

Ryo looked up at him somewhat inquisitively. "Umm… Excuse me Goku sir, but technically you're still dead. Your body was just allowed to cross over to this plain for twenty-four hours."

Goku sweat dropped, and his body slumped dejectedly. "Oh yeah, that's right… I almost forgot…"

"Ryo! Why did you have to bring that up for?!" Gohan frowned at him.

"Hey, relax Gohan," his father told him. "It was no big deal, the fact just sort of slipped my mind. I'm glad somebody reminded me of it. It's still nice to be back on Earth though. Especially in this environment. My blood hasn't pumped this fast in ages!"

"Well, at least some of us are excited," Gohan commented, diverting his eyes over towards Piccolo. He was leaning against the wall while trembling slightly, apparently having difficulty carrying out his usual pre-fight ritual. "Piccolo never moves an inch while he's meditating normally. He's obviously got something on his mind."

"He does seem kind of stressed out," Videl noticed. "You think he's just nervous about his opponent for the first match?"

"I'd say that's exactly the problem." Goku looked serious as he said that. "This Taro most definitely must be something to make Piccolo act like this."

"Well, he does look kind of creepy, but size and looks only don't make somebody a good fighter," Videl snipped.

"It's not his looks that bother him Videl," Ryo told her. "This guy is strong… A very dark type of strength, and Piccolo knows it."

"Really? Well then, how strong do you think this guy is? Not stronger than my dad obviously…"

Gohan, Ryo, and Goku collectively frowned, and didn't bother to dignify that with an answer. Instead, Goku moved towards his old friend, with the boys following his lead.

"Hey Piccolo."

Piccolo jumped, a bit startled when Goku greeted him. "Oh Goku… Is something wrong?"

"You tell me," Goku said to him. "You're not acting like yourself Piccolo. Is this Taro really getting to you that much? I know he's strong but…"

"No, it's not Taro," Piccolo said quickly. "I'm concerned with where he comes from, and who sent him here more then his strength…"

Goku looked confused. "Then what's bothering you Piccolo?"

Piccolo gyrated again, and shot a glare across the room. "Him!"

Goku turned to his right to see Shin and Kabito staring back at them, Shin grinning like a madman plotting to disembowel his latest victim. "Shin?" Goku asked him. "Are those two still making you nervous?"

"Yes! I don't know what it is yet but… I know, I know him from somewhere… He's stared at me like that several times already… Not to mention everyone else… It's like he's surveying us… Analyzing our builds and demeanors… Like he's dissecting us for some methodical purpose… If he has to stare at us, I'd at least prefer it if he didn't grin that way!"

Goku eyed Shin suspiciously. The short purple man seemed a bit surprised to sense Goku's eyes on him, but that smile soon returned to his face. Goku's eyes widened a little at how calm and deliberate the little man appeared to be. "He approached me earlier you know?"

"What?!" Piccolo's head snapped around. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much… Just that he wants to fight me sometime during this tournament… He said something about me being sort of a legend where he's from, and that it would be an honor to climb in the ring with me."

Vegeta grunted at this. He'd been leaning up against the same wall Piccolo had been only a few feet away from the Namek. "Well, if he thinks you're a legend then he must've crawled out of a cave somewhere! Besides, he's delusional if he thinks he's going to get the chance to fight you. In case you've forgotten he has me in the first round, and he certainly isn't going to make it any farther then that!"

"Probably not, but keep your guard up anyway Vegeta," Goku advised him. "There may be something about him we can't see yet… Actually, that's probably a definite."

"Humph! You sound just as bad as the Namek over there! Don't concern yourself with my business!" Vegeta smirked hoping he knew what to say to rile him up. "You should be worrying about fighting your son."


Goku just smiled at this. "I know… Trust me I am, and I'm looking forward to it." Vegeta snickered softly, and continued looking towards the ground.

"Are Piccolo and your dad really that worried about that Shin guy?" Videl asked Gohan as she examined the little purple man, wondering what the hell anyone could find menacing about him. Except that devious little smirk that could scare the pokkadots right off of her dad's underwear. "He doesn't seem all that tough to me…"

"That's because you don't know how to sense Ki yet," Gohan informed her.

Videl frowned at this. "Well, you haven't taught me how yet?! All you did was show me how to use it, so I can fly!"

"It's not something anyone can teach you Videl," Gohan smirked. "It's a trait you have to learn to pick up on your own, but training you to control your Ki more effectively will go a long way in helping you learn. Still, I kind of agree with what you said about Shin though. There is something strange about him, but I don't see any major cause for concern. He's strong, but I don't sense any evil energy from him…"

Gohan was going to ask Ryo for his opinion, but he didn't have to. He could tell with just one look of Ryo's face, his brow furrowed low over his eyes as he stared a hole through the purple man. Ryo answered Gohan's unasked question anyway. "I don't know Gohan… I agree with Piccolo. I agree that I don't sense anything evil from him as well, and I don't think Piccolo does either. There's something else about him that's getting to him… His energy is just… I know I've felt it somewhere before, or at least something similar."

Gohan looked thoughtful as he examined Shin. "Hmm… Just who are you Shin?"

As if on cue, Shin smirked and turned towards the three teens that were observing him. "Be patient young ones. You'll know who I am soon enough."

All three of them jumped. "Damn, he overheard us!" Ryo groaned.

Man this guy is weird, Videl thought to herself.

"No, I'm not weird Miss Satan. Well… Then again, I can see why you humans might consider me strange. I suppose I forgot that I am a short purple man with a mo-hawk walking around in a world full tall pinkish creatures."

"How did you?!" Videl chocked out, then looked up at Gohan with surprise filling wide eyes. "Did I say that out loud?!"

Gohan shook his head in confusion. "I didn't hear you say anything."

"That's because she didn't…" Ryo whispered. "He must be able to read minds."

Shin overheard Ryo's soft words and grinned, walking causally in their direction. The trio tensed up a tiny bit as the mysterious Shin approached them. "Forgive me if I've frightened you at all, that wasn't my intention. I mean no ill will towards any of you, so if that's what's concerning you then I assure you it's pointless. I'll admit that I have had my eye on several of you, but I was merely curious. It's sort of my job to observe things I guess you could say. Life forms such as yourselves tend to interest me, that's all."

"What do you mean life forms?!" Videl frowned, not liking the thought of anybody observing her. At least not in the way that popped up into her mind right away. She didn't want anybody even thinking about observing her like that… Except for maybe Gohan…

"I mean humans in general," Shin grinned. "Measure their strengths and weakness. I can tell a lot about people just by observing them for a minute or two. Such as yourself young lady. I can see you have enormous potential, but you just seem to have recently even begun to realize it."

"What do you mean by that?!" Videl seethed, letting her temper get the best of her. "I'll have you know that I've been able to beat up just about anybody I wanted to since I was twelve, so how can you say I'm just now realizing my full potential?! I know I'm young but…"

"He's talking about your Ki Videl," Gohan interrupted her. "He means you've just started to learn how to handle your Ki."

Videl's brow furrowed low over her eyes. "What's that have to do with anything?!"

"I promise I'll tell you after the tournament Videl… It's one of those things, I'll tell you then so please just be patient."

Shin's smile widened at the pair's conversation. "That's one of the things that has always fascinated me about humans. You keep things from each other in order to protect one another… Very strange. And these attachments you grow towards one another… I can tell the bonds between the three of you are strong, especially the one between you and Videl Gohan. While many cultures would consider this petty or a weakness, there are those of you who drive on them and build strength off of that you hold most dear to you. If it wasn't for the desire to protect the ones you love Gohan, then you never would've achieved that next level of strength that ultimately helped you defeat that monster all those…"

Shin paused when he read some rather panicked thoughts that entered Gohan's head. Not to mention the blush creeping across the young Sayian's face. If Shin hadn't shut himself up, Gohan might have insisted he do so in another few seconds. Shin looked to Videl, and then back to Gohan and smiled. "I see… So, the girl doesn't know yet? Okay, then I'll allow you to be the one to tell her about that when you feel the time is right. I guess this does prove my point however."

Gohan nodded his head, and looked over at Videl who looked like she was about to explode. "What is he talking about Gohan?! What don't I know yet?! What level of strength did you achieve?! What monster?! What point?! What the hell is going on?!"

Gohan sweat dropped, as Videl began to shake his arm. "Later tonight Videl! I promised I'll tell you everything, and I will! Let's just concentrate on the tournament right now!"

Videl growled disgustedly, and let go of his arm. She crossed her arms over her chest, and turned her head to the side. "Fine! This better be damn good though Gohan! I feel like I'm about to pop a vein here if I don't find out something soon!"

While Gohan was trying to prevent Videl from tarring his arm off, Ryo had wandered off over towards where Piccolo was still standing. His eyes were shut tightly, and he was still shaking. He hated to bother his old sensei right before such a big fight, but he needed to tell him something. Something that might just ease his mind… He had noticed something from Shin while he was talking to them, and not to mention something strange about himself. "Hey Piccolo. Try not to act so tense, I'm worried enough for the both of us as it is."

Piccolo opened his eyes, and smirked slightly for his former student. "Thanks, but if it's all the same to you I think I'll worry for myself anyway. Don't tell me you're worried about that Yamu fighter now are you?"

"No, it's not him that bothers me… It's the crowd. I can't even sing in front of my cat without getting stage fright! To think all those eyes are going to be on me… My only hope is that I don't buckle under the pressure."

"Don't worry. Just relax yourself, and pretend the crowd's not even there," Piccolo suggested. "Once you get your mind into the fight, they'll become a moot point anyway. You know you should make it to the finals at least Ryo. I'll know you've dogged it if you don't. There's nobody on your side of the bracketing that should give you much trouble. Your closely matched, but you should be able to take out Eighteen. My only concern would be with that Kabito character. He shouldn't be too much for you to handle, but I just don't know yet."

"Only one way to find out I guess," Ryo laughed nervously.

"So, tell me... I know you didn't come over here just to tell me to loosen up. What's on your mind kid?"

Ryo looked around to make sure no one was listening in on them. "I think I might've found out something about Shin…"

Needless to say, Piccolo looked interested. "What have you learned."

"Well, for one I just found out that he can read minds… While he was talking to us, I picked up something… Actually, I was trying to concentrate on his energy when I picked up something… I think I read a couple of his thoughts…"

"You read his thoughts?" Piccolo asked, looking shocked. "Since when could you do that?"

"This is the first time as far as I can remember! I don't know how I did it but…I did pick up a name from him... More like a title or something actually. Does the name Supreme Kai mean anything to you?"


Piccolo's face erupted with shock in such a way that Ryo feared his mentor might've had a stroke. "The Supreme…"

"Whoa, are you alright Piccolo?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Piccolo grunted, after sucking in his breath.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that that name does mean something to you. What exactly is a Supreme Kai anyway?" Piccolo expression looked serious, as he stared Ryo in the eyes. He then proceeded to tell him about other world, and the role of the Kai's.

"Wow," Ryo marveled as he received a new perspective on this little purple man. "You mean he's like…"

"He's the overseer of the universe pretty much. As you can imagine that's a rather big job. No, he's not a God or anything, but he's the next best thing. Now the only questions left are why is he here, and what are we going to do about it?"

"I'd also like to know how in the world I managed to pick up on his thought patterns…"

That's because I allowed you to.

Ryo jumped, as a voice not belonging to him suddenly spoke up in his head. He quickly recognized it as Shin's. Shin?! What in the world?… How can I hear you in my thoughts?!

"Ryo, are you alright?" Piccolo asked with concern.

I'm communicating with you telepathically. It's something I can only do with people with strong psychic energy. Feel proud of yourself young man. This was a most unexpected surprise… I didn't know there were humans on Earth with psychic powers.

As far as I know I'm the only one… There are a lot of humans that claim to have psychic powers, but they're mostly con artists looking to cheat people out of their money. Anyway, why in the world did you let me read your thoughts? How could you have even let me?!

Because I know how to mask my thoughts when it's necessary. I let you see what I wanted you to see… Or hear whatever I wanted you to hear, whichever sense you want to contribute that ability too. Most likely your sixth. Still, if you could do me one favor and keep this little secret to yourself for now. I'll reveal my identity to everyone when the time is right. I understand that you've already told Piccolo… As I recall he was the guardian of this planet at one time, so I'm not surprised he's heard of me. Just let him know to keep it between the two of you for now for me alright?

Well… A couple minutes ago I might've said no, but now that's Piccolo's explained to me just who you are I'd have to be out of my mind to cross you. Still, if I agree to keep your identity secret, could you at least tell me what the overseer of the known universe is doing at an insignificant Earth tournament?

My presence here is more important then you could imagine Ryo. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you the details at this time. Trust me when I say you'll know everything soon enough. As I understand it, you have your own reasons for being here which are well founded. You better concentrate on protecting your friend, and I'll worry about my business for now. I also noticed that Piccolo's been concerned with the way I've been observing the fighters as have you. Tell him not to worry, I was merely surveying the field to see who was on my side, and whom I have to keep an eye on.

Really now?… So, whose side are you on anyway?

That's when the telepathic connection was cut off. If Ryo didn't know any better, he could've sworn he felt Shin smirk in his mind's eye. In the meantime, Piccolo was gawking at Ryo worriedly. The boy had been out of it for a good thirty-forty seconds, without moving a muscle except for to blink. He waved his hand in front of Ryo's face, wondering if he should shake the boy or something to break him out of his trance. "Ryo! Snap out of it kid! Can you hear me?!"

Ryo's brow furrowed. "I can hear you Piccolo, there's no need to shout in my face now."

Piccolo's ears tweaked upward. "What happened? You spaced out for a minute there."

"I was talking with Shin… Telepathically anyway."

"You were talking with the Supreme Kai?!" Piccolo began to shake slightly.

"Yeah, that's how I read his thoughts earlier. He said he let me do it. He also says that he doesn't want us to tell anyone he's the Supreme Kai just yet, so we might want to keep referring to him as Shin. He said he'd tell everyone whom he is when the time comes. Judging by what you told me about him, I thought it would be best to take his word for it."

"Yes, that would be the proper decision," Piccolo said, in a well duh type of voice.

"He also mentioned to tell you not to worry about the looks he's been giving you and the other fighters. He wanted to scope out the competition so to speak. Measure our strength , and decide who's on his side or not. He cut me off before he told me which side he was on, but I'm hoping he's on ours."

"Don't be ridiculous Ryo, of course he is! He's the Supreme Kai! His job is to protect the universe, not threaten it! If he's here, that could only something big is about to happen…" Piccolo turned towards where the two Ray Lien were standing. "Maybe it has something to do with them?…"

"No, I don't think so…" Ryo looked thoughtful. "Shin mentioned that I needed to take care of my own problems, and he'll worry about his for the time being. Since I'm here to help protect Videl from the Ray Lien, I can only assume Shin's here to check out somebody else."

"But who?" Piccolo surveyed the waiting room. His eyes soon found Taro, who grinned evilly sensing the Namek's piercing eyes. Piccolo ignored him, and shifted his gaze towards Spopovich and Yamu. "Then, it would have to be one of them… But what could they possibly?…"

"Hey Piccolo!" Krillen yelped excitedly. "The uh… What is his name anyway? Oh well, the MC is finishing up his introduction, and is just about to call for the first match! You might want to get ready."

Piccolo nodded his head, and headed for the entryway. "I'm on my way… Keep your eyes open Ryo… Don't take that Yamu lightly. We have no way of knowing what secrets he might be hiding."

"Don't be worrying about the boy right now green man," a burly voice snickered. Piccolo sneered as his opponent Taro walked up next to him. "Worry about your own problems… To be more exact me."

"Trust me, I'm not overlooking you." That was all Piccolo would say to him before moving towards the daylight. Taro smirked, and followed after him.

"Without any further delay, let the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai begin!" the MC announced to the massive cheers of the crowd. "We're going to begin the fighting with what's shaping up to be quite a grudge match, Piccolo vs. Taro! Let's get both fighters out here!"

Piccolo and Taro walked out onto the entryway. Taro shot Piccolo several sickening looks or grins along the way, but Piccolo ignored them all. "Piccolo is a veteran fighter who, if I'm not mistaking, almost blew this arena into dust the last time he was here. Not much is known about his opponent Taro except that this is his first tournament appearance, and he clearly has a monstrous size advantage over the other competitors."

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall as they say," Piccolo said to Taro from across the ring.

"Or the more bones they break," Taro jeered back. "We'll see which is which shortly."

"Well, I only have sixty-five bone in my entire body so…"

"Too bad. I guess I'll have to find some other way to entertain myself."

"Why don't you just shut your mouth and fight?!"

"But I'd much prefer to goad and humiliate you while I beat you into a green stubby pulp."

Piccolo just smirked at this. "Well now, you just try it."

In the meantime, the MC stood outside of the ring with his hand raised in the air to signal the start of the battle. "Okay fighters! On my mark… Now fight!"

Piccolo wasted no time, and with a howl charged towards his opponent. Taro stood his ground smirking an evil smirk, until Piccolo was right on him. The Namek threw a flurry of punches at him, that the demon dodged casually by moving his head to the side, taking a step back every so often. A good two dozen of those was more then enough for Taro who put an end to the little charade by catching Piccolo's fist in his hand. The Namek pulled desperately at his arm, but found he couldn't pry his hand out of Taro's grip even an inch. Piccolo took an ill-advised punch at Taro with his free hand, and Taro gave that blow the same treatment. Now with their arms crossed tightly in front of their chests, Piccolo sent a heated gaze his opponent's way. Taro just smiled at him.

"You know, normally I wouldn't have bothered to block, but you just might've done some damage to me. You're a lot stronger then I gave you credit for at first… Too bad it won't be near enough for you." Taro reared back his head, and slammed his horned forehead into Piccolo's face. Piccolo screamed out in agony, Taro laughing all the way as he let the Namek go and watched him stagger back.

"Whoa! What a vicious head-butt by Taro!" The MC announced over the microphone. "But Piccolo's still on his feet though stunned. That tells you what kind of competitor he is! Most lesser men would've had their skulls crushed in by an attack like that!"

"Damn, I should've seen that coming!" Piccolo berated himself. He probably should've saw what was coming next as well. That was Taro charging straight for him, before ramming his knee into the green man's gut. Piccolo doubled over, and released a hallowed breath, spit mixed with a bit of blood squirting out form his mouth. Taro raised his arm, and planted his elbow in the Namek's back sending Piccolo face first to the ground.

Piccolo groaned and tried to push himself up to his feet, but would get a little unwanted help. Taro assisted him by yanking on his cape, effectively strangling him as he pulled him up to his feet. He didn't waste any time letting Piccolo regain his balance, and quickly shoved his fist into his gut. Then he followed up with a right to his face, and then a left. Somehow, Piccolo managed to stay on his feet, but stammered around in a daze. Taro cackled happily, and launched three more quick attacks with one final blow to the face that sent the Namek sailing to the other side of the ring. Piccolo hit the surface hard, and bounced one time, barely avoiding tumbling right out of the ring."

"Piccolo!" Videl screeched as she watched Gohan's mentor getting pummeled.

"Don't worry about him Videl, he'll be fine," Ryo assured her. "Piccolo can take a lot more than that trust me… He's hurting, but he's barely winded right now."

"Is that true?" Videl asked Gohan, wanting to get a second opinion.

"Yeah he'll be okay. Remember, we've trained with this guy. He knows how to handle himself."

"So… Do you really think Piccolo can beat him?"

Gohan's expression fell a tiny bit. "Actually, no I don't… But then again, he might surprise me. You can't rely on strength alone to win a fight you know. I can guarantee you though that Piccolo is going to put up one hell of a fight win, lose, or draw."

"Wow! Piccolo is down hard, and might just be out!" the MC assumed, bouncing around the outside area of the ring where Piccolo had nearly landed. "Well, I guess I'll start the ten count now! One, tw…"

"Oh spare me, I'm fine," Piccolo grunted. He picked himself up quickly, and dusted himself off. "It's going to take a lot more then that to keep me down."

The MC's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Well isn't this a surprise… Piccolo appears to be just fine! Then again, what else can we expect from the Tenkaichi Budokai!"

"It's about time you got up," Taro cackled. "For a minute there I was afraid you were going to lay there and play dead."

"Not exactly," Piccolo smirked, as he removed his cape then took the turban off the top of his head. "I was just taking a second to think."

"Wow… I don't quite know how to call this fans," the MC murmured. "It appears that Piccolo has begun stripping in the ring!"

"Hardly," Piccolo muffed at the man's ignorance before tossing his weighted training clothes outside of the ring. "Here, hold this."

"What… WHOA!" the poor announced cried as he foolishly tried to catch Piccolo's gear. His training clothes plummeted to the ground, nearly taking off the man's arms in the process.

"I can see it's going to be this type of fight now. Let's go!" Piccolo wasted no more words before lunging at Taro again. The demon sneered as Piccolo approached, but this time was caught by surprise. He could still manage to dodge everything Piccolo threw at him, but it was a much more trying task this time around. Taro had to be that much quicker, and was forced to move around a lot more.

"You're much faster all the sudden," Taro smirked, as he dodged blows "I take it those were waited training clothes you were wearing hey? Too bad it's still not fast enough."

"We'll see about that!" Piccolo growled, rearing back for another punch, but it only came halfway. Piccolo suddenly phased out, leaving Taro staring at the stop he'd just been with wide eyes.

"What the hell?! I didn't see where he…" Taro got his answer when he felt something smash into his face. Namely, Piccolo's foot. The beast reared backwards, more stunned that he'd actually been hit than anything else. Piccolo took full advantage and charged the monster successfully landing several punches to the face and chest before Taro regained his bearings and began to block him. Irritated by his opponent's sudden surge, he threw a punch at Piccolo that the Namek easily dodged. Piccolo saw the opening, and landed a roundhouse to Taro's face. The demon spun around, and landed with a monstrous thud to the ground.

"Alright Piccolo!" Krillen cheered from the sidelines. "Don't give in to that freak!"

Videl smiled expecting similar reactions from Gohan and Ryo… But she frowned when she saw the exact opposite. Piccolo was in control, but they almost seemed worried. Especially Goku who was standing on the other side of his son. Videl was wedged in between her two peers. "What's with the looks guys? Is something wrong? Your friend is winning the fight, and you guys look like someone's about to get executed or something!"

"Taro's playing with him," Goku answered for the group. "Piccolo was lucky to land that last hit, and he knows it. Look at him, he's not exactly savoring the moment or gloating about that last move now is he? He's planning out his next move, waiting for Taro to get his head back in the game. He knows he's in trouble, but he's not about to just give in either."

Videl frowned at this. "What do you mean in trouble? How do you even know that? He seems to be doing just fine to me."

"Like I told you before Videl," Gohan jumped in. "We can sense people's Ki… And Taro's is monstrously strong, not to mention evil. I just hope Piccolo can keep his head on his shoulders long enough to walk out of the ring in one piece… Literally."

Piccolo stared at Taro intently, as he picked his face up out of the ground. "What did I tell you. The bigger they are…"

"The harder they fell, yes indeed." Taro gawked at the nice dent he'd left on the ring floor. "Unfortunately for you, I think I did more damage to the ring then you inflicted on me."

Piccolo growled with determination. "Maybe so, but I have a lot more where that came from!"

"I hope so… Because you're going to need all of it!"

This go around, Taro was the aggressor as he charged towards Piccolo. The Namek wisely would have none of this, and took to the air shocking most of the viewing audience. He avoided Taro's fist, and left him standing on the ring floor.

"Wow! This is amazing folks!" the MC gaped, as he stared up at the airborne fighter. "Piccolo has actually taken to the air, and is now floating! It looks as if those kids in the Jr. Tournament weren't the only flying aces in the arena tonight!"

Taro laughed at this. "Do you really think you can hide up there Piccolo?!"

"No, but it's buying me some time! Why don't you come up here and get me?!"

An evil grin spread across Taro's face, and she spoke low and maniacally. "If you insist."

Piccolo's eyes widened in horror, but his eyelids were all he'd have time to move. Taro came speeding towards him like a bullet, ramming his horned head hard into his gut. Piccolo folded over like an accordion, his mouth opened up wide screaming a silent scream. He felt something his stomach tare… Probably a muscle or something. The next thing he felt was Taro grabbing hold of his leg, and the momentum of his body as it was slammed back down into the ring. Piccolo grunted, and opened his eyes to the horrid sight of Taro raining down on him. Piccolo quickly rolled out of the way, and took back to the air while Taro's fist slammed into the section of ground Piccolo had just vacated.

Taro took back to the air, and sped towards him again. This time Piccolo was ready, and moved out of the way. Taro stopped on a dime and spun around, but Piccolo was ready. He reared back his fist, and socked Taro in the kisser with everything he had. The monster was knocked backward, as the crowd below marveled at the mid-air fight. Piccolo powered up, and fired a rapid set of Ki blasts in Taro's direction. Taro grunted at the annoying little tickles, as he blocked each one. The first blast had hit him flush, and nearly knocked him out of the air. The rest were doing little but managing to drive him back… That's when Taro realized what Piccolo was doing. He was trying to guide him out of the ring with his Ki blasts. "Grr… You annoying little green elf! You're not stealing this match from me that easily!"

Taro reared back, and fired a Ki blast of his own towards Piccolo. The Namek managed to block it, but it still packed a tremendous punch. Enough to knock Piccolo out of the sky, and down to the ring at least. Piccolo groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees. He looked up and growled as he watched the demon known as Taro stalk towards him. His sinister smile was replaced by an angered scowl. "So, you want to try and make a fool out of me?! Well, I'm through playing around with you! You're finished little green man!"

"That's your problem horn face!" Piccolo panted within heavy breaths. "You're all talk, and no action!"

Piccolo grunted as he shot up, aiming his fist for the big man's face. Taro caught his arm in mid-air, and smiled down at him. "So you want action huh? I won't disappoint you then."

Piccolo's eyes grew wide with fear, wondering what in the hell Taro had planned as he started to twist his arm around. Taro turned his back to the Namek, hung his arm over his shoulder… And promptly ripped his arm right out it's socket. Piccolo let out a sickening cry and fell to his knees, staring in shock at the bloody stump that used to attach his arm to the rest of his body. The majority of the crowd recoiled in horror at the sight, wondering just what in the hell this thing was and how he could be so brutal. One woman in the crowd fainted, two people vomited on the spot, and a few dozen warped and disturbed fans cheered Taro on.

"PICCOLO!" Gohan gasped, a horrified look plastered all over his face. Videl shoved her hand over her mouth, trying to fight back the urge to puke. Ryo looked just about the same as Gohan did, while Goku grimaced clinching his fists in anger.

"Uh… My…" Piccolo stuttered, still staring at the bloody stump underneath his shoulder.

"Looking for this?" Taro asked, shoving Piccolo's arm in front of his face. "Here, allow me to return it to you!"

Taro whacked Piccolo across the face with his own appendage, sending Piccolo down to the canvas. Piccolo rived around on the ring floor, while Taro repeatedly swung Piccolo's arm down at him as he rolled around.

"This is unprecedented folks!" the MC mumbled, after being stunned to silence for a short while. "I'm not trying to be funny at all, but I have to call the match the way I see it! It appears that Taro has ripped off Piccolo's arm, and is now literally beating him with it right in the center of the ring! I've heard fighters threaten to do this to their opponents before, but this is the first time I've actually seen somebody do it! "

"This is uncalled for!" Goku growled. "He should just win the damn match already! There was no need for him to go that far!"

"Humph! I don't see what you people are so worked up about," Vegeta snorted.

Videl looked up at him like he had some sort of disease. "What the hell are you talking about?! That guy just ripped Piccolo's arm off! I'd say that's plenty to get worked up about! He's going to be crippled now for the rest of his life!"

Vegeta stuck his nose up to this. "You don't even know what you're talking about girl! The Namek is far from crippled, he can grow back his arm whenever he feels like it!"

"Huh?" Videl was about to inquire into this matter further, when Gohan guided her away from Vegeta. "Just ignore Vegeta Videl. But he is right, Piccolo will be just fine. He can regenerate any body part he wants along as his head isn't damaged."

"He can? Well, that's a relief…" Videl's face lit up with realization. "Hey, wait a second! What's a Namek?!"

Taro grew tired of beating on Piccolo soon enough, and tossed his limp arm outside of the ring. "Get yourself up you worthless green gnome!"

Piccolo trembled on the ground, but somehow managed to pull himself to his feet. Slowly, but he managed. He turned around slowly and saw Taro looking back at him, wearing a look on his face that told Piccolo everything would be over soon. And his face wasn't lying. Taro streaked forward, ramming his head hard into Piccolo's chest. The Namek could barely even manage a scream, as his body flew out of the ring and slammed hard into a spot in the wall just a mere few feet to the right of where Trunks had knocked Hercule into the wall earlier in the day. The wall cracked slightly, and Piccolo slid down to this butt.

"Piccolo!" Both Gohan and Ryo cried out together. They flew over quickly to their old mentor, one boy landing on each side of him.

"Piccolo are you okay?" Gohan shook his head at his stupid question. "Well, obviously you're not, but are you any worse off then you look!"

"I'm fine boys," Piccolo smirked slightly, before wincing in pain. "Just help me up okay?…"

"No problem," Ryo said, helping Piccolo up with his right arm… The one that was still left.

"I've got one last lesson to share with you guys before your fights today," Piccolo groaned, as they started to walk back towards the entryway. "Did you guys see everything I did during that fight just now, especially at the end?"

"Yes?"

"Don't do any of that."

The MC watched as Ryo and Gohan helped Piccolo into the waiting room. "Well… Piccolo seems to be okay, despite being minus one limb, so I guess that makes Taro our winner!"

The MC pointed at Taro somewhat reluctantly. Taro did seem to be a accomplished fighter… But strong fighter or not, he didn't like Taro's type involved with his tournament. He qualified fair and square, so it wasn't like he could just disqualify him or something for playing rough. Besides, as far as he knew there weren't any rules stating that you couldn't tare body parts off your opponents. He just wished there was a way to screen these guys before he allowed them in the ring. The crowd had a strange reaction when Taro was announced the winner. A few applauded instinctively, but mostly there was just hushed silenced. Of course there were those idiots again that were hooting and hollering, chanting Taro rules as he walked nonchalantly out of the ring. It looks as if Mr. Announcer will have to screen the fans before they enter the arena as well.

Taro strolled back to the entryway casually, ignoring the lingering stares from some of the other fighters. All of them but one anyway… Taro stopped, and turned his head to find a short man with spiky hair scowling at him. "And what are you looking at?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Vegeta smirked. "You're definitely not from around here, but I don't know of any planets home to bull headed, hairy legged circus freaks right off the top of my head anyway!"

A small grin formed on Taro's face. "Why, such harsh words. If I actually cared what you thought, I might be offended. Now if you'll excuse me I only have a couple hours to savor my latest victory before my next match."

"Well, I think you need to spend less time savoring, and more time worrying about your next match because it's going to be against me! If you're expecting me to worry because of that little stunt you pulled with that green fool, then you're sadly mistaking! So, you can beat up on somebody whose weaker then you are? Big deal! We'll see just how tough you really are inside the ring!"

"Humph! Big words for a little man. I hope your fists are tough enough to back up your mouth. From what I understand you still have a first round match to fight yet, so there's no guarantee you'll even last to the second round!"

"I think I just did guarantee it!" Vegeta snorted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fight to go win!"

Shin glared at Vegeta through the corner of his eye as he walked by him, an eerie grin plastered all over the Kai's face. So, he really expects to defeat me hey? Well I'd hate to disappoint him.

The MC gave Piccolo's friends time to help him back to the waiting room before calling out the next match. "Well folks, that was quite a way to kick of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai wasn't it?! I certainly haven't seen anything like that in all my years hosting this… Well, on to the next match! Bout number two will feature two newcomers to the tournament. Introducing Vegeta and Shin!"

Vegeta didn't even bother to look at his opponent as they made their way down to the ring. Shin smirked, assuming Vegeta was assuming he already had this match in the bag. He wondered if Vegeta had good reasons to think that way, and if so how good were they?

"Make way, coming through!" Gohan said, as he and Ryo helped Piccolo into the waiting room. Goku, Videl, and Krillen all made way so they could bring the Namek inside.

"Thanks guys, but I can take it from here! I lost an arm out there, not my legs you know!" The boys didn't have to think twice about questioning Piccolo's decision, and they let go of him. Piccolo staggered over to the wall, leaned his back up against it, and slumped down to the ground.

"Are you alright Piccolo?" Goku asked worriedly.

"I'll live…" Piccolo moaned. "That Taro is a demon of the worst kind… You all best be careful if you end up fighting him. You saw what he did to me."

"Yeah well, he'll most likely be fighting Vegeta next, so I don't think we'll have to worry about facing him," Goku told him.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Goku looked confused. "Why not? You don't think Vegeta can beat that Taro guy?"

"That's hard to say…" Piccolo looked over at Goku, a serious look etched into his face. "I'm not sure he's going to get past Shin to get a chance to fight Taro! I just hope he takes my advice, and takes this match seriously. Knowing Vegeta however, that's probably too much to ask of him."

"You're really that worried about Shin huh?" Gohan inquired. "I guess there's got to be something to it then, if you're really that concerned over him. I wonder just who he is though?"

Piccolo didn't answer, just turned his head away so he was staring at the wall across the room. "I guess you'll figure it out when he's ready to tell us."

Goku's face reacted ever so slightly when he noticed something about Piccolo's demeanor. Like he was upset with himself over something, and Goku's wager was that it wasn't over the fight. Piccolo was definitely hiding something. Now all that was left for him to wonder was what?

"Man, Piccolo sure seems to be worked up over this guy doesn't he Ryo?" Gohan asked him. "You don't have any idea who he might be do you?"

Ryo turned his head, and blushed a bit. He despised lying, especially when he had to lie to a friend. It took him a few moments to come up with the right words, but much like Piccolo had done before him, he found a way to dance around telling an actual lie. "To tell you the truth Gohan, I don't think we should worry ourselves about it. Shin will reveal himself to us sooner or later, so why bother concerning ourselves with it?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow, and gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about Ryo?! Just a few minutes ago your were just as concerned with him as the rest of us were! What's with the sudden change of heart hey?"

"It's nothing Gohan… The second match should be starting any second now. I'm going to go check it out." Without waiting for a reply, Ryo walked off towards the entryway to look out at the ring. Gohan stood in place, and stared at him questioningly before following after him. His friend was definitely keeping something from him.

Vegeta and Shin stared each other down from across the ring for the better part of a minute. Vegeta scowled, growing horribly annoyed by that sickening smirk plastered all over the purple man's face. Why in the hell does he keep that ridiculous look on his face?! Just who are you Shin, and why do you have the little Namek all worried. Well… That green fool usually knows what he's talking about when it comes to things like this… I'll keep an eye open for you just in case Shin.

Vegeta wouldn't have thought it possible, but Shin's grin widened even more. "You might want to keep both eyes on me Vegeta. You'll find out who I am very shortly."

Vegeta's face recoiled in surprise. "You can read minds?!"

"Yes… Though in cases like yours, there are a few things I wish I hadn't if you know what I mean. I can also sense that you were looking forward to facing Taro in the second round… You'll need all the strength you can manage if you're going to fight him, so I think I'll make things easy for you this round."

"What are you…" Vegeta growled, when he realized what Shin was getting at. "Are you saying you're going to quit! That's absurd, I won't have it! I came here today to fight, not have my thoughts recited to me by some sort of purple… Whatever the hell you are! I have more then enough power in my left hand to annihilated both you and Taro!"

"Think what you will, but I'm sorry I have to disappoint you. I have no interest in fighting you Vegeta. I entered this tournament mostly for surveillance, and in hopes that I might get to fight with Goku. Now I'm afraid that my purpose here will already be complete before I have a chance to face him in the ring. It's too bad really, but that wasn't my main priority."

"What does Kakarott have anything to do with this! If you wish to fight someone, then it should be me! I'm twice the warrior that clown Kakarott is, so why settle for second when you can fight the best?!"

"Oh, spare me Vegeta," Shin said, accompanied by something that sounded dangerously close to a chuckle. "Yes, I'll admit you are strong, but I've seen your kind time and time again. Arrogant, self-centered, cold, uncaring, ruthless, and pompous, streaking across the universe screaming, look at me I'm the great Vegeta! Bow down at my feet, I'm the strongest man in the universe! Please! I've fought with countless warriors who were exactly the same as you, some stronger and some weaker. Fighters like you are a dime a dozen Vegeta. Now Goku, there's a remarkable warrior. Courageous, selfless, noble, and someone who gave his life to save this planet not to mention ensure your own survival Vegeta. Now there's a warrior you don't see everyday."

"What are they doing, they aren't fighting?!" Krillen complained, after Vegeta and Shin had gone a good minute or two without exchanging a blow.

"Well, it looks like they're talking," Gohan observed. "And Vegeta doesn't look all that happy… Not that he ever does. I wonder what Shin's saying to him?"

"Well, considering whatever he said managed to piss Vegeta off… I guess just about anything then," Ryo laughed weakly. He was trying to be himself, but he was too fixated on watching the Kai, and wondering what he was up to. Gohan noticed this change in his demeanor almost right off the bat.

"You know something don't you Ryo?"

Ryo jumped slightly, and blushed. "What? Why do you ask that?"

"Answer my question first," Gohan said wearing a slight frown. "You've been dancing around any question I happen to ask you about Shin for the past few minutes. I know you know something Ryo, so how come you're not telling me?!"

Ryo turned his head away so he was looking almost straight into the wall. "I'm not going to lie to you Gohan.. .But I can't tell you right now. Shin said he'll reveal himself when the time is right. You'll just have to wait until then okay?"

"No, it's not okay! This guy could be a serious threat! If he is, then we need to know about it, so we can put a stop to him!"

"He's not a threat Gohan!" Ryo fired back, unappreciative of the tone in Gohan's voice. "Trust me, he's on our side… At least I think he is… Think about it, he probably has good reasons not to tell anybody who he is. Just be patient, and wait until he's ready! I'd really like to tell you, but I promised I wouldn't okay?! If it's not then all I have to say is go to Videl right now, and tell her exactly who you are! Then I'll tell you who Shin really is!"

Gohan blushed, and immediately eased up. He sagged his shoulders, and sighed. "Fine. I get your point, you win."

"Look… I'm sorry I can't tell you, but I'd lose respect for myself if I fail to keep my word. I'm sorry I raised my voice, but I thought we were over this trust thing…"

Gohan smiled slightly. "It's fine Ryo. I'm sorry I got mad, but I get defensive when my friends and family might be endanger. I don't play around in situations like that, and I don't expect others to do so either. I made that mistake once, and it cost my dad his life."

"I understand Gohan. Don't worry, when you find out who Shin is you'll see why I couldn't tell you anything. It's a dozy… Trust me on that one."

"Well, at least you're admitting you know now."

"Piccolo, are you sure you're okay?" Videl asked him. He seemed to be in some sort of trance at the moment. His eyes were closed, and his body began to convulse. Videl continued to talk to him, but the Namek kept on ignoring her. Frustrated, and a bit irritated Videl put her hand on Piccolo's shoulder, and tried to shake him. To her surprise he was hard as a rock, and wouldn't budge… Not one inch. "Piccolo, snap out of it!"

"Don't talk or touch me! You'll break my concentration!"

Videl jumped back, surprised by Piccolo's sudden outburst. Besides his mouth, the rest of his body remained perfectly still. Piccolo began to shake more violently this time, as little grunts escaped his mouth. Finally, with one last shrill scream, a new limb came squirting out from Piccolo's shoulder, replacing the arm Taro had ripped off during the fight.

"Wow!" Videl marveled. "That was cool!"

"Now that you mention it, I guess it is," Piccolo smirked, as he examined his new appendage.

"How did you do that anyway?"

"I can regenerate any part of my body I lose just as long as my head is still intact. It's a special trait of my kind I guess you can say."

"Your kind huh," Videl began, never afraid to ask any question that might be on her mind. "So Piccolo… Can you tell me exactly what a Namek is?"

Piccolo gave the girl a bit of a look. "Are you sure you can handle it?"


"Piccolo, I've seen humans fly, watched my best friends shatter several different records on that damn punching machine, not to mention having to accept Gohan's father coming back from the dead, and on top of all that I just watched you grow back an arm out of thin air. I don't think there's a whole lot you can tell me right now that will surprise me!"

"You might be surprised at what I could say that might surprise you."

"Try me… Hold on a second, you're not going to give my any of that crap about having to wait for Gohan to tell me his story are you?"

Piccolo almost laughed at this. "Now why would I do that? My story has nothing to do with Gohan's, and I'm not concerned with keeping things secret like Gohan is."

Videl sighed with relief. "Good. I was getting really sick of hearing that."

"Hah! Hold it together kid, you'll know everything soon enough. Anyway, believe or not, but I come from a planet light years away from Earth called Namek. That's why my people are called Namek's. Let's just say that I came to Earth from there. The rest is a long story, and seeing as your match is next I might want to save it for later."

"So… You're an alien huh?" Videl interpreted. "I probably should've already guessed that huh?"

"Not necessarily," Piccolo replied. "I didn't even know I was an alien for quite some time. That fact doesn't bother you at all does it?"

"Well… Now that I think about it, I guess no. Hell, it's practically tame compared to everything else that's been going on around me lately."

"Kid, you better hold on tight, because you haven't heard anything yet," Piccolo told her, as his thoughts shifted to Gohan. If Videl could accept the fact that he was an alien… Maybe Gohan didn't have as much to worry about as he feared.

"Umm… Guys, you can start fighting any time now," the MC said to the two fighters in the ring, sensing that the crowd was getting restless. Either that, or they were booing and screaming to exercise their lungs.

"Sorry, but I don't think so," Shin said suddenly. "I'm afraid I must withdraw for this match. I concede victory to you Vegeta. Good luck with your next fight."

"You're not conceding anything! Get your purple ass back in here!" Shin ignored Vegeta's demands, and walked out of the ring. "Did you hear me Shin?! Coward!"

"Well… There you have it folks. Shin has withdrawn from the match, so that makes Vegeta our winner!"

"I never in my life!" Vegeta growled, and stormed out of the ring and back into the waiting area. He blew past the other Z-fighters, and only stopped to put his fist straight through the wall.

"Calm down for Kami's sake Vegeta!" Goku barked. "What's the big deal?! You won the damn match!"

"Shut up clown! What the hell do you know about anything anyway?!" Vegeta shouted, before turning his back to him. Damn that Shin! Kakarott's worth fighting, and I'm not?! Who the hell does that purple freak think he is anyway?! Damn that Kakarott! Why am I always in that clowns shadow?! I'm the Prince of the Sayians damn it!

"You're an antsy one aren't you?"

Vegeta shot his head up, and shot an angry look towards the party who'd said that. He realized he had wandered towards the back of the waiting room where Taro had been hiding ever since his fight with Piccolo concluded. "What did you say you overgrown piece of…"

"Calm down Vegeta before you give yourself a stroke!" Taro laughed at him. "You can look as mean as you want, you're not going to intimidate me. Besides, you got what you wanted, you get to fight me next."

"Oh, that's right isn't it?" Vegeta smirked. "I guess I'll just wait until then to wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face!"

"Well… What do you say we get things rolling fans, and get on with our third match?!" the MC asked to a crowd growing more restless by the second. "Videl vs. Spopovich!"

Videl smiled, sensing it was finally her time to step into that ring. Seven long years of training and high expectations were finally going to accumulate into something in a matter of mere seconds.

"Good luck Videl," Gohan wished before she walked out onto the entryway.

"Thanks."


"Same here, and try not to trip over your ego on the way to the ring okay?"

"Shut up Ryo," Videl chuckled before turning her head sideways so she was looking at Gohan. "Hey Gohan…"

"Umm… Yes Videl."

"I want to see you in the second round okay." she said, giving Gohan the thumbs up sign. All Gohan could do was blush, and shake his head yes.

Goku looked at his son through the corner of his eye, and then back to Videl smiling the entire time. "Don't get your hopes up Videl. He's a long way from the second round yet."

"We'll see about that dad."

Shin's head snapped around violently, as he passed Spopovich on his way back into the waiting room. There was definitely something off about him… And that 'M' on his head could only mean one thing. He and Yamu were the men he was looking for.

In the meantime, the MC was busy introducing the two new fighters as they walked to the ring. "I'm sure you know all about Videl. Ever since winning the Jr. Tournament seven years ago, Videl has helped our boys in blue catch villains all across the city! She's trained hard, and is now looking to step up to the next level. Spopovich is looking to avenge an early first round defeat in the last tournament. He's beefed up, and hoping to change his luck this year."

Videl strolled into the ring confidently, and stared down her opponent from across the ring. The fans cheered for their cities daughter, every last one of them expecting an easy win for Videl. Even Videl wasn't expecting much of a fight from a goof she watched her father beat in less then twenty seconds seven years ago. Little did she, the crowd, or fourteen of the sixteen fighters in the back know that they had no clue as to the horror they were about to witness.

End.

Well, that's all for now! We all pretty much knows what happened when Spopovich fought Videl, so I'm pretty much going to leave it as is. I'm not going to bothering reiterating on it, so chapter sixteen will most likely begin where that match leaves off. I'm trying to think up a good way to redo the hospital scene. I want to make it a little more personal for them I guess you could say, but of course that means I have to find a way to get rid of Hercule… Guess whose job that's going to be. He, he…

Chapter 16 preview! The big one is finally here, Gohan vs. Goku! While Goku may have had the clear cut advantage before, now that is son is pissed off after watching Spopovich pound Videl into the ground, Goku might have ground to start worrying. In the meantime Ryo and Piccolo decide to do a little extra spying on Yamu after seeing what Spopovich could do in the ring, faced with the fact that these two might be a legitimate threat. As for the rest of the fighters, they have the unenviable task of keeping Vegeta and Taro from ripping each other apart back stage! Bragging rights in the Son family are on the line next! Man, I'm loving this…