A/N - A bit of time has passed since the last chapter. Trunks has spent most of his time training in the Gravity Room at Capsule Corp., and Gohan has trained Videl to use Ki and cherished his new life. Once again, thanks to all reviewers! ^_^
Chapter 4 - Premonitions
"Laaaaaadies and gentlemen!" The blonde-haired announcer declared into his microphone, spinning extravagantly and waving his free hand. "Hello and welcome to the World Martial Arts Tournament!" To empower his dramatic voice, a brassy gong sounded in the background.
"We've reached the final rounds of the tournament, and my what a show we've seen so far! Young Videl, daughter of Hercule, has made her first appearance, and dominated the competition! Will she be able to dethrone her legendary father, who's also made it to these last few fights? I'll be your announcer for today..."
The announcer's voice was nothing more than an obscure prattling to the fighters waiting in the upper box, squelched by the deafening crowd. Trunks leaned against a wall casually, his eyes closed in deep thought. Mighty Mask and Killah were having a heated argument over whether or not to throw the fight against Hercule, (they believed fighting Mr. Satan was suicide) and Gohan was leaning over the railing, his head propped up on his hand. His hair drifted gently with the wind, and he watched as Jewel and Pintar bowed to each other on the center arena. He sensed their power levels, and mentally hit himself for giving away the outcome of the fight. He sighed. Things had changed so much since the Androids killed him. Normally he would've been excited by even a little fight, but now it was just boring to him. A soft hand suddenly grasped his.
Gohan turned around to see a face that he could never get enough of. He reluctantly made eye contact with Videl and smiled.
"What's wrong Gohan?" She asked sweetly.
"Nothing Videl.." He said, looking down. He had been feeling something odd in the air lately. It was something dark, he knew that, but he had never sensed any energy like it. It was like the energy had always been there, the evil that was in everything around him, but it had gotten stronger. He changed the subject.
"So Videl...when is your next matchup?" A gong sounded in answer. Jewel had easily beaten Pintar. Videl was being called to the ring. She kissed Gohan on the cheek, and hurried off, the half-Saiyan wishing her luck and secretly moving ringside to watch her.
Hercule was sitting lethargically on his couch in the champion's suite, munching on potato chips and watching the television. One of the tournament officials ducked into the room.
"Uhh...sir?" He said meekly. Hercule grunted, annoyed.
"Your daughter Videl is fighting now." Hercule smiled and looked to him.
"Who's the poor chump my daughter's going to trash?" He asked confidently.
"Some guy Spopovich."
"Spopovich huh?" Hercule smiled, closing his eyes and flashing back to his first World Martial Arts Tournament win, against the red haired brute. Spopovich was a kind fighter, but he didn't have any of Hercule's...special tricks. He had left with his head hung in disgrace.
"I don't need to watch Videl fight!" He sneered, "I already know the outcome! Now get, I'm missing my soap!"
The aide nodded, gulping, and left in a hurry.
Far down below, Ms. Satan climbed the short steps onto the brilliant white square of tiles that was the fighting arena. The crowd was booming all around, but accustomed to the sound, she shrugged it off, focusing on her competition through the dazzling sunlight. Her eyes narrowed in disgust.
Spopovich was a monster. His muscles bulged uncontrolled by any physics or reason, his hulking form a gigantic obstacle in her field of view. His body was deathly pale, and enormous veins bulged as if he had been taking steroids. On his bald forehead, above his hateful eyes, was a black M, apparently some tattoo of a cult or dojo. Videl assumed fighting position, ignoring the blonde announcer that had come between her and Spopovich, giving stats like weight and history. He moved away, and she focused her energy. Spopovich did not move, fixing his eyes on her.
His eyes disturbed her. They were full of cold hate and fury, without end or reason. The stare pierced her heart with an icy arrowhead. Maybe her father had beaten him once and rubbed it in. She wiped her mind clear, ready for the battle. She would destroy this eyesore.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG.
Before Videl even recognized the beginning of the match, the enormous man stomped toward her, his footsteps deafening, not even smothered by the curiously silent crowd. She moved toward him...
Gohan looked intensely at the fight, his eyes narrowed with inexplicable rage and concentration. There was something seriously wrong about the fighter Videl was put against. He was unnaturally strong. He doubted she could stand a chance against him. He swallowed hard and prayed to the Kaios that she'd be okay.
Videl smirked, and flew into the air with the grace of a swan and the ferocity of a tiger, her foot aimed at Spopovich's throat. She wanted to end the match quickly, this guy unnerved her. Her eyes widened in shock, however, when she realized the feeling in her foot wasn't her shoe connecting with the man's neck, but rather his hand clenched around it. Spopovich held her with one raised hand around her leg, a feat of strength immeasurable, as if she was some pencil or stick. Her world spun as they both rose into the air, everything seeming to freeze as his jump reached it's climax.
"Videl..." Gohan said weakly, defeated. How could he help her? He cringed, and moments later Videl had been slammed spine first into the ground, the very tiles cracking with the force of her impact. She choked, her mouth agape, and blood trickled down to her chin.
Trunks, hearing the noise and feeling the surge in power, sped to the railing out of the darkness of the fighter's hall. He looked down in shock at the horrible scene that had the crowd gasping for air. The girl Gohan had been training was being pummeled unmercifully by that...thing.
Videl hopped to her feet, cursing herself for mistaking the hulk as weak.
"Ladies and gentleman, even that mighty blow couldn't hurt the daughter of Hercule!"
Videl sped toward Spopovich with a soft fist punch, which he caught in his right hand, with a horrible smile. He squeezed furiously, and she felt her hand crack under the pressure. Enraged, she swung at him with full force with her left, successfully crossing him across the face and turning his head. Spopovich, not even bruised, turned his gaze to her, as she weakly lowered her fist, defeated. His teeth formed a hideous smile, and a mammoth hand had backhanded her to the ground. The crowd replied with a noise that suggested they sympathised with her pain. But she had never felt anything this horrible. Videl slowly raised herself up.
"Why don't you just leave the ring while you still can?" He laughed, "Save yourself the pain."
She only growled in protest and ran at him.
Across from the side of the ring that Gohan stood on, two oddly dressed men stood, discussing something in hushed voices. They were an ironic foil of each other, one small and fair, the other gruff and large, yet not as big as Spopovich. Both had soft purple skin and an aura of peace and serenity. Their golden earrings gleamed in the light. The younger one nodded, apparently a plan was in motion.
BAM. BAM. BAM. Videl was being given the beating of her life. Every time she got up, he would deal another blow that racked her body from head to toe. Blood had stained her skin, cuts crossing her arms from the tearing blows, and every time he grabbed her the wounds were slowly pulled open searingly. Her eyes watered with tears but there was noone to cry to. All she could do was keep getting off of the bloodied arena floor. His touch was so much unlike Gohan's...so gentle, and soft. Gohan was compassionate and gentle. She had never known anyone so kind. But every time Spopovich glanced her, her world was shaken. She gathered all the courage she had left and launched a gravity-defying kick, connecting directly with his nose. She fell to the ground, panting heavily, wiping fresh blood from her mouth as her feet clopped to the stone. Spopovich was down. She covered her mouth, trying not to throw up, something many spectators were already doing. She had over-done it. Spopovich's head had completely been turned around. He was dead. The announcer had already announced her disqualification for killing her opponent. She panted, and tears filled her eyes again. Was she really that horrible? She never wanted to kill him, however horrible he was. But something told her this evil thing wasn't done with her yet. Stay down, she told the limp monster, stay down. Her heart nearly stopped, and people began screaming all around her. It was a nightmare. Spopovich had stood up once again, and his hands clasped around his horrificly damaged head, and with a loud, disgusting crack, he twisted his head around to face Videl, pulling it up like putty as it snapped into place. The grotesque creature looked unscathed, and pissed. It slowly approached her, every moment excruciating to Videl.
"VIDEL! PLEASE! Stop the fight!" Gohan yelled at the announcer for mercy. He only nodded to Gohan, not looking away from the fight. The entire audience was afraid for the daughter of the champion. Videl smiled, realizing her only option. She freed her mind, and she felt a warm air meet her as she rose into the air.
NEXT Videl might be able to fly, but it won't be enough to save her from Spopovich. A horrible battle plays through, and then it's Gohan's turn to face off against Kibito. Gohan shows his true strength in an amazing display, but Kibito's smaller friend has crippled him, and Spopovich closes in on the half-Saiyan. Will Trunks forfeit his match and step in to save Gohan from getting his energy drained?
A/N: Okay, yeah, this is shorter than I intended but there's too much to fit in before there's a HUGE change in plot line. I know this mirrors the show but it's only one scene.
Chapter 4 - Premonitions
"Laaaaaadies and gentlemen!" The blonde-haired announcer declared into his microphone, spinning extravagantly and waving his free hand. "Hello and welcome to the World Martial Arts Tournament!" To empower his dramatic voice, a brassy gong sounded in the background.
"We've reached the final rounds of the tournament, and my what a show we've seen so far! Young Videl, daughter of Hercule, has made her first appearance, and dominated the competition! Will she be able to dethrone her legendary father, who's also made it to these last few fights? I'll be your announcer for today..."
The announcer's voice was nothing more than an obscure prattling to the fighters waiting in the upper box, squelched by the deafening crowd. Trunks leaned against a wall casually, his eyes closed in deep thought. Mighty Mask and Killah were having a heated argument over whether or not to throw the fight against Hercule, (they believed fighting Mr. Satan was suicide) and Gohan was leaning over the railing, his head propped up on his hand. His hair drifted gently with the wind, and he watched as Jewel and Pintar bowed to each other on the center arena. He sensed their power levels, and mentally hit himself for giving away the outcome of the fight. He sighed. Things had changed so much since the Androids killed him. Normally he would've been excited by even a little fight, but now it was just boring to him. A soft hand suddenly grasped his.
Gohan turned around to see a face that he could never get enough of. He reluctantly made eye contact with Videl and smiled.
"What's wrong Gohan?" She asked sweetly.
"Nothing Videl.." He said, looking down. He had been feeling something odd in the air lately. It was something dark, he knew that, but he had never sensed any energy like it. It was like the energy had always been there, the evil that was in everything around him, but it had gotten stronger. He changed the subject.
"So Videl...when is your next matchup?" A gong sounded in answer. Jewel had easily beaten Pintar. Videl was being called to the ring. She kissed Gohan on the cheek, and hurried off, the half-Saiyan wishing her luck and secretly moving ringside to watch her.
Hercule was sitting lethargically on his couch in the champion's suite, munching on potato chips and watching the television. One of the tournament officials ducked into the room.
"Uhh...sir?" He said meekly. Hercule grunted, annoyed.
"Your daughter Videl is fighting now." Hercule smiled and looked to him.
"Who's the poor chump my daughter's going to trash?" He asked confidently.
"Some guy Spopovich."
"Spopovich huh?" Hercule smiled, closing his eyes and flashing back to his first World Martial Arts Tournament win, against the red haired brute. Spopovich was a kind fighter, but he didn't have any of Hercule's...special tricks. He had left with his head hung in disgrace.
"I don't need to watch Videl fight!" He sneered, "I already know the outcome! Now get, I'm missing my soap!"
The aide nodded, gulping, and left in a hurry.
Far down below, Ms. Satan climbed the short steps onto the brilliant white square of tiles that was the fighting arena. The crowd was booming all around, but accustomed to the sound, she shrugged it off, focusing on her competition through the dazzling sunlight. Her eyes narrowed in disgust.
Spopovich was a monster. His muscles bulged uncontrolled by any physics or reason, his hulking form a gigantic obstacle in her field of view. His body was deathly pale, and enormous veins bulged as if he had been taking steroids. On his bald forehead, above his hateful eyes, was a black M, apparently some tattoo of a cult or dojo. Videl assumed fighting position, ignoring the blonde announcer that had come between her and Spopovich, giving stats like weight and history. He moved away, and she focused her energy. Spopovich did not move, fixing his eyes on her.
His eyes disturbed her. They were full of cold hate and fury, without end or reason. The stare pierced her heart with an icy arrowhead. Maybe her father had beaten him once and rubbed it in. She wiped her mind clear, ready for the battle. She would destroy this eyesore.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG.
Before Videl even recognized the beginning of the match, the enormous man stomped toward her, his footsteps deafening, not even smothered by the curiously silent crowd. She moved toward him...
Gohan looked intensely at the fight, his eyes narrowed with inexplicable rage and concentration. There was something seriously wrong about the fighter Videl was put against. He was unnaturally strong. He doubted she could stand a chance against him. He swallowed hard and prayed to the Kaios that she'd be okay.
Videl smirked, and flew into the air with the grace of a swan and the ferocity of a tiger, her foot aimed at Spopovich's throat. She wanted to end the match quickly, this guy unnerved her. Her eyes widened in shock, however, when she realized the feeling in her foot wasn't her shoe connecting with the man's neck, but rather his hand clenched around it. Spopovich held her with one raised hand around her leg, a feat of strength immeasurable, as if she was some pencil or stick. Her world spun as they both rose into the air, everything seeming to freeze as his jump reached it's climax.
"Videl..." Gohan said weakly, defeated. How could he help her? He cringed, and moments later Videl had been slammed spine first into the ground, the very tiles cracking with the force of her impact. She choked, her mouth agape, and blood trickled down to her chin.
Trunks, hearing the noise and feeling the surge in power, sped to the railing out of the darkness of the fighter's hall. He looked down in shock at the horrible scene that had the crowd gasping for air. The girl Gohan had been training was being pummeled unmercifully by that...thing.
Videl hopped to her feet, cursing herself for mistaking the hulk as weak.
"Ladies and gentleman, even that mighty blow couldn't hurt the daughter of Hercule!"
Videl sped toward Spopovich with a soft fist punch, which he caught in his right hand, with a horrible smile. He squeezed furiously, and she felt her hand crack under the pressure. Enraged, she swung at him with full force with her left, successfully crossing him across the face and turning his head. Spopovich, not even bruised, turned his gaze to her, as she weakly lowered her fist, defeated. His teeth formed a hideous smile, and a mammoth hand had backhanded her to the ground. The crowd replied with a noise that suggested they sympathised with her pain. But she had never felt anything this horrible. Videl slowly raised herself up.
"Why don't you just leave the ring while you still can?" He laughed, "Save yourself the pain."
She only growled in protest and ran at him.
Across from the side of the ring that Gohan stood on, two oddly dressed men stood, discussing something in hushed voices. They were an ironic foil of each other, one small and fair, the other gruff and large, yet not as big as Spopovich. Both had soft purple skin and an aura of peace and serenity. Their golden earrings gleamed in the light. The younger one nodded, apparently a plan was in motion.
BAM. BAM. BAM. Videl was being given the beating of her life. Every time she got up, he would deal another blow that racked her body from head to toe. Blood had stained her skin, cuts crossing her arms from the tearing blows, and every time he grabbed her the wounds were slowly pulled open searingly. Her eyes watered with tears but there was noone to cry to. All she could do was keep getting off of the bloodied arena floor. His touch was so much unlike Gohan's...so gentle, and soft. Gohan was compassionate and gentle. She had never known anyone so kind. But every time Spopovich glanced her, her world was shaken. She gathered all the courage she had left and launched a gravity-defying kick, connecting directly with his nose. She fell to the ground, panting heavily, wiping fresh blood from her mouth as her feet clopped to the stone. Spopovich was down. She covered her mouth, trying not to throw up, something many spectators were already doing. She had over-done it. Spopovich's head had completely been turned around. He was dead. The announcer had already announced her disqualification for killing her opponent. She panted, and tears filled her eyes again. Was she really that horrible? She never wanted to kill him, however horrible he was. But something told her this evil thing wasn't done with her yet. Stay down, she told the limp monster, stay down. Her heart nearly stopped, and people began screaming all around her. It was a nightmare. Spopovich had stood up once again, and his hands clasped around his horrificly damaged head, and with a loud, disgusting crack, he twisted his head around to face Videl, pulling it up like putty as it snapped into place. The grotesque creature looked unscathed, and pissed. It slowly approached her, every moment excruciating to Videl.
"VIDEL! PLEASE! Stop the fight!" Gohan yelled at the announcer for mercy. He only nodded to Gohan, not looking away from the fight. The entire audience was afraid for the daughter of the champion. Videl smiled, realizing her only option. She freed her mind, and she felt a warm air meet her as she rose into the air.
NEXT Videl might be able to fly, but it won't be enough to save her from Spopovich. A horrible battle plays through, and then it's Gohan's turn to face off against Kibito. Gohan shows his true strength in an amazing display, but Kibito's smaller friend has crippled him, and Spopovich closes in on the half-Saiyan. Will Trunks forfeit his match and step in to save Gohan from getting his energy drained?
A/N: Okay, yeah, this is shorter than I intended but there's too much to fit in before there's a HUGE change in plot line. I know this mirrors the show but it's only one scene.
