Reda: Vee, come on now. It's the fight! I thought you liked this part.
Vee: It's the tournament?
Reda: Yes.
Vee: Ok, I'm coming, but I'm only staying for the fighting.
Reda: Because you watched it...
Vee: (comes walking in) Yes, I did, and you'll need my help explaining a few things.
Reda: Exactly.
Goku: Hey, I watched it too. I was there fighting!
Reda: Uh...yeah...well...I guess you could help me too.
Vee: (cracks up) You think Kakarot can describe the fights better than me?
Goku: Yes I can cause I was right there in front of the action, not sitting scared half to death in Psyfoam's lair.
Vee: (gets serious) Fine, you want to see who can describe it better, you're on...
Reda: (rolls her eyes.)
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Quarter FinalsChapter 21: Friend Against Friend
Trunks vs. Goten; a match that rocked the junior division in the World Martial Arts Tournament before Buu was unleashed on the world. That was the most interesting fight of the tournament, an unforgettable match. Goten lost there. Will Trunks be able to bring about another victory?
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Trunks and Goten climbed onto the homemade arena, each taking separate sides. Goten immediately got in his defense stance, ready to block anything Trunks had to offer. The purple haired hybrid noticed his friend's stance and took the offensive.
"This should be good," Trunks said.
"I'm ready, Trunks," Goten told his friends with a little anticipation.
Goku cheered from the sidelines. "Come on, Goten. It's time to show how much you've learned over the years!"
Vegeta smirked, "Would that brat of yours happen to have trained harder than mine? Trunks has continued to train constantly, not going out on dates like your son."
In the ring, Trunks faltered, hearing his father's words. Not exactly right about that, Dad.
"Uh...Let the match begin!" Gohan shouted, not knowing what else to say to get the fight started.
Videl giggled, "Gohan, if you knew how much you sound like that announcer at the real martial arts tournament, I'm sure you'd freak." A charge from Trunks broke Videl out of her giggles and brought her attention to the front.
Goten blocked the assault from Trunks with his hand, and then attacked with his own punch. Trunks jumped away, but came back with a high kick, forcing Goten to duck. Goten attacked with another punch, but this time hitting his opponent in the gut. Trunks grabbed his stomach as spit flew out and then found himself on the floor after Gohan's kick to the head.
Goten tried to continue the assault, but he was surprised by Trunks appearing right in front of him and pushing him square in the jaw. Goten brought his head back up and blocked a low kick from his rival.
Trunks glared at him, then smirked. Before Goten could blink Trunks zanzokened behind him and began preparing a burning attack. Goten turned around just as the lavender-haired adult finished his hand movements. Goku's son decided to jump out of the way, but it wasn't good enough for Trunks already had a lock on him.
"BURNING ATTACK!" Trunks yelled, shooting his energy attack at the highflying Goten.
It hit its mark, sending Goten flipping backwards through the air. Goten stopped himself above some trees and turned back to face his opponent, still on the ring floor. The Goku-copy decided to fight fire with fire, putting his hands in the position for the family's trademark move.
"KA...ME...HA...ME...HA!" Instantly a large blue beam shot out of Goten's hands and headed for Trunks.
The Saiyan hybrid put up his arms in front of his face to block the attack, but he still felt the burning as it hit him full force. It trickled up and down his arm, crisping his purple hair, and damaging his nice pants. Trunks held onto his position as Goten fired more energy through his hands, but sooner or later it got the better of him. The Saiyan hybrid screamed as the blue energy of the Kamehameha Wave pushed him back. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes as friction burn occurred underneath his feet, adding more smoke and noise as he was pushed by Goten's blast. When he felt nothing underneath his heels, he knew he had to hurry to find a way out of this. But what? Then he had it.
Trunks concentrated for a moment. And then he sent a power packed punch to Goten's cheek. He had zanzokened away from the blast and up to where the blast was coming form. A smart move, but that was to be expected from a genius like him.
Goten fell through the air, a little angry that Trunks had outsmarted him. He clenched his fists and teeth in anger, lowering his eyebrows as he flipped to the ring floor. Trunks appeared in front of him, now opposite of where they started the fight. Goten couldn't control his anger, barely giving Trunks time to get in defense mode before charging after him.
He attacked like a missile filled with rage, shoving blow after blow in Trunks's face, but just getting more upset as his opponent blocked every one. Finally, he caught Trunks off guard, after already pushing him to the edge of the ring. Goten did a swing kick, causing Trunks to jump and flip out of the way.
Before Trunks could complete his flip, Goten appeared above him and landed his body right on Trunks's back. Vegeta's son barely had a second to think before he would hit the ground, causing a ring-out and losing the match. Just at the last minute he got an idea that could win him the match.
Trunks used the zanzoken technique, which he was beginning to love, and appeared right above Goten, switching places with him. He drove his elbow into Goten's back to make certain Goku's son did not have the time to back out of his loss. And just as he predicted, Goten fell flat on his face in the dirt while the lavender-haired young adult continued to hover in the air.
Goku looked on as Goten yet again lost to Trunks. "That boy needs to work harder to harness his anger. He's getting too carried away with it."
Vegeta chuckled, "Good job, Trunks. That's another win for our family."
"Gosh, Vegeta, you seem happy," Goku said, stretching his arms as he watched Goten get up and pout in the grass.
Vegeta placed a hand on his rival's shoulder. "Just returning the favor." Oh, he loved to do that.
"Huh?" Goku said, confused, but not asking further, as Vegeta had already let go and was now climbing up to the ring to congratulate Trunks.
Goku shrugged his shoulders and walked over to his pouting son. Goten hit the grass, obviously mad at himself, as his father crouched beside him.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I lost again," Goten said, still angry.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Losing's not all that bad," Goku said.
Goten snorted, "Easy for you to say. You've won every battle you've fought in."
Goku laughed at that, keeping his smile as he spoke, "Not exactly."
"You mean you've lost before?" Goten sounded stunned.
Goku chuckled as he sat down in the grass beside his son. "Yep, more than you can imagine." Goten seemed to perk up, just now beginning to realize his father was (or at least used to be) right when he said he wasn't the strongest guy in the universe. "First there was Jackie Chun; he was really hard to battle in the last round of my first tournament, but he was a nice guy. I barely lost that match; he was a smart old man, kind of reminded me of Mater Roshi. Then there was Tien, who I fought last in my next tournament, but that made me continue to train to get stronger. Let's see...I won the next tournament...yeah, that's where I beat Piccolo and then fulfilled my promise to marry your mother."
Goku scratched his head, pausing long enough for Goten to think he had stopped. "Two fights? That's not bad; at least it wasn't against the same person."
"Hey, you'll get better, son. Don't worry, you'll beat Trunks one day."
"I doubt that," Vegeta said, peering over them.
"Oh, hi, Vegeta," Goku greeted smiling.
Vegeta leaned up against the arena wall. "Go on, Kakarot. Whom else have you lost to?"
Goku thought about this for a moment, trying to remember the next battle he lost. "Well...I died against Raditz. So I guess I could say I lost against him. Of course, I only died because Piccolo did his technique while I held Raditz still..."
"So, technically, you didn't lose," Vegeta pointed out.
Goku shrugged, "I would've had Piccolo not been there." He thought for a moment, "Hey, Vegeta, would you say I won or lost in our first battle?"
Vegeta snorted, "You won."
"Well...are you sure? Because you were still moving and fighting after I..."
"You won, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted, "Don't argue with me about that!"
"All right, sheesh! I was trying to really think about it," Goku said. "Hmm...I guess the next person I lost to would be Cell."
Vegeta rolled his eyes, "You didn't lose that either, Kakarot. You stopped fighting because you knew Gohan was better than you. Had that baka son of yours continued to train he'd be a lot stronger than he is now."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Now let's see...who else did I lose against?"
"Don't you dare even bring up Buu, Kakarot! You definitely, for certain, won that battle," Vegeta pointed out rather forcefully.
Goten decided to speak on this subject. "Yeah, Dad, you did beat Buu."
"I don't know guys...He's got a reincarnation..."
Vegeta instantly reacted, slapping his hand against Goku's head as hard as he could. "Kakarot, you baka, I..."
"Ow...Vegeta, I was only joking! Sheesh!" Goku said, clutching the back of his head where Vegeta had smacked him.
Vegeta could feel the sweat drop on the back of his head. "Kakarot...that's enough. We've listed all the damn idiots you've lost against. Can we get back to the tournament now?" You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to realize Vegeta was really pissed now.
"Not really," Goku pointed out, still clutching his head, but with only one hand now. "I know I lost against Psyfoam."
Goten froze, knowing exactly why his father had lost that battle. Vegeta had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. "Psyfoam? Who the hell..." Then it dawned on him. "Wait...is Psyfoam the one you were talking about earlier?" Goku nodded. "He's your..." Vegeta glared once and then went silent.
"So, you see, Goten. Losing's not all that bad. It just gives you a better reason to train, and one day you just might find that you trained harder than your opponent and you've reached a higher and better level. You'll beat Trunks one day, Goten. You two are so close in power levels all you have to do is train harder."
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Reda: Well, that went well.
Vee: So...how many enemies have you lost against?
Goku: (shrugs) From what I remember...three.
Vee: I've only lost against one.
Reda: Yeah, same here.
Goku: (nods) Yeah, I know...Psyfoam.
Reda: Don't even say his name. It's hard enough just to tell about our experience with him for you to remind me about him 24/7!
Goku: Jeez! What'd I do?
Vee: (leans against a wall with his arms crossed as Reda walks out of the room) Don't worry about her; she's just strange.
Goku: But...she forgot to ask about the rev...
Vee: Don't worry about it Kakarot! She doesn't have to ask every single chapter! As far as I'm concerned, she just needs to ask on the first chapter and the last one.
Goku: (changing the subject) Vee, how long is this story going to be?
Vee: How should I know? I'm not the idiot writing it!
Reda: I heard that...
Vee: Uh...I'll be right back...