Chapter Four - The Contenders
Everyone was packed into Bulma's air boat. Her, Chi-Chi, Trunks, young Trunks, Goten, Gohan, Vegeta, Krillin, 18, Marron, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar. It was rather cramped inside but no one seemed to care. Bulma glanced back at the others, "I think you guys shouldn't transform during the tournament. You'd just draw to much attention."
"I think she's right." Gohan said. "They could recognize us from the Cell Games, that wouldn't be good. They'd start asking a lot of questions, that goes for you two as well." he said to Goten and young Trunks.
"Aw, alright." they said in unison.
"Good." Bulma said looking forward again. "Then it's settled."
"Hmph." was all Vegeta said as he crossed his arms.
"There's the island where the tournaments going to be." Roshi said as the mountains peaked over the horizon. Hundreds of little dots could be seen flying in from every direction. "Boy, it looks even more crowded then before."
Gohan turned and looked back at Trunks. He'd gotten better after a good nights sleep. "What was that you were saying this morning? I heard you telling Trunks to be careful around you. Why?"
"Hmm? Oh that." he said. "I was lucky the last time I was here. When I caught me I we didn't touch, at least not our skin. We're not sure what would happen if our skin comes in contact but there would be an effect. You see, the exact same matter can't exist at the same place at the same time. One theory we have is that both of us would cease to exist."
"Oh." Young Trunks said. "Um, that's not good."
"Uh-uh." said Goten. "That would be bad. So are you going to compete too?"
"Maybe. It could be dangerous though. I mean if I go up against myself…"
"Don't worry about it." Bulma said. "They've changed the rules. There's two divisions now. One for everyone under sixteen and one for the adults. They even changed qualifying."
"How so?" Krillin asked. "Don't they do the qualifying matches anymore?"
"No. They've got these new punching machines. You punch the mark and gives you a strength reading. The top sixteen scores go on to be in the tournament. Hercule, since he's champ, is in automatically."
"Oh." said Krillin. "That's new, but how did you know that?"
"I built the machines." Bulma said with a smile.
The air boat set down just outside the arena and they got off. "Let's go sign up before there's a big crowd. The Junior division starts at noon, that's just six hours away." Bulma said leading them off.
The group began on it's way toward the sign in desk. "Any sign of Goku?" Chi-Chi asked looking around.
"Not yet mom. But I do sense another energy we know." Gohan turned and saw Piccolo standing in the shade.
"Hey Gohan." he said walking up to them.
"Mr. Piccolo!" Goten cried in delight.
"Heh, relax kid." Piccolo said smiling down at him. "I expect you to give it your all too squirt."
"Yeah, sure!"
Suddenly Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Roshi all stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes locked at point in front of them. "Da…Dad." Gohan said as he suddenly appeared.
[A/N: Okay, we all know the basics of how this goes. I'm going to skip this part, don't want to make this chapter last forever. So the basics, everyone says hi to Goku, Goten meets him, and they set off again. They check in, (This time they already know about the Junior Division), yada yada yada. So now we move on to the punching machine, which Hercule scored 134 on.]
"What are our numbers?" Goku asked.
"We're 237 through 245." Gohan replied.
"Okay, would contestant number 237 please step up to the machine!" the announcer called out over his microphone.
"Remember guys." Gohan said as Krillin walked up the Machine. "Don't hit it too hard. Try and keep it near Hercule's level, but make it look like you tried."
"Right." Krillin said stepping up to the Machine. He took his stance and with what looked like all his strength he punched the machine.
"Number 237 scored 135 points!"
Next was Goku with 140. Then Piccolo with 138, 18 with 142, Vegeta with 145, and Trunks with 130. That's when Videl spotted Gohan and came running over. "Hey, what's your number?"
"I'm next, you?"
"Right after you." Videl looked around. "Did you see Hiroshi here?"
"Huh? The new kid?"
"Yeah."
"No, why? Is he here?"
"I saw him earlier. I think."
"Oh, my number." Gohan said walking up to the machine.
"Number 245 scored 134!"
Videl stood there blinking at the machine for a moment. /But dad got 134. And those other fighters, they all scored high too. Wow, I guess they've spent all these years training but not competing till they thought they were ready. I guess they are./
As Videl's number was called and she neared the machine the crowd began to talk among itself. They'd just seen her talking with a man who scored equal to her father, and had been talking to others who had done close or better.
"Number 246 scored 138!"
The crowd cheered as Videl joined Gohan. The others had gone off to get seats for the Junior Championship. "Hey look," she said looking back at the machine. "That was Hiroshi I saw earlier."
Gohan looked back over. Sure enough it was. Hiroshi was about the same height as Gohan. His head always looked like it was on fire cause of the bright red hair that sticks out in ever direction. He was wearing a black outfit with black boots and a gray belt. On his back was a gray circle with a red symbol that Gohan didn't recognize. He wore black gloves with cut off fingers that also bore the same symbol.
They watched as he took his position. "Number 247 scored 165 points!"
"What!" Videl said eyes wide.
Gohan was also shocked. /Wow, he's strong. I wonder how?/
Next up they watched a tall bald man score 140, a shorter bald man score 145, a blond teen score 142, and a black haired teen score 143. After that was a short purple man who scored 137 and a tall red man who scored 136. Everyone was very surprised with all of these scores, even Gohan. More so since the closest score to any of them was only 101. Gohan and Videl turned away and started into the stadium.
Everyone was packed into Bulma's air boat. Her, Chi-Chi, Trunks, young Trunks, Goten, Gohan, Vegeta, Krillin, 18, Marron, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar. It was rather cramped inside but no one seemed to care. Bulma glanced back at the others, "I think you guys shouldn't transform during the tournament. You'd just draw to much attention."
"I think she's right." Gohan said. "They could recognize us from the Cell Games, that wouldn't be good. They'd start asking a lot of questions, that goes for you two as well." he said to Goten and young Trunks.
"Aw, alright." they said in unison.
"Good." Bulma said looking forward again. "Then it's settled."
"Hmph." was all Vegeta said as he crossed his arms.
"There's the island where the tournaments going to be." Roshi said as the mountains peaked over the horizon. Hundreds of little dots could be seen flying in from every direction. "Boy, it looks even more crowded then before."
Gohan turned and looked back at Trunks. He'd gotten better after a good nights sleep. "What was that you were saying this morning? I heard you telling Trunks to be careful around you. Why?"
"Hmm? Oh that." he said. "I was lucky the last time I was here. When I caught me I we didn't touch, at least not our skin. We're not sure what would happen if our skin comes in contact but there would be an effect. You see, the exact same matter can't exist at the same place at the same time. One theory we have is that both of us would cease to exist."
"Oh." Young Trunks said. "Um, that's not good."
"Uh-uh." said Goten. "That would be bad. So are you going to compete too?"
"Maybe. It could be dangerous though. I mean if I go up against myself…"
"Don't worry about it." Bulma said. "They've changed the rules. There's two divisions now. One for everyone under sixteen and one for the adults. They even changed qualifying."
"How so?" Krillin asked. "Don't they do the qualifying matches anymore?"
"No. They've got these new punching machines. You punch the mark and gives you a strength reading. The top sixteen scores go on to be in the tournament. Hercule, since he's champ, is in automatically."
"Oh." said Krillin. "That's new, but how did you know that?"
"I built the machines." Bulma said with a smile.
The air boat set down just outside the arena and they got off. "Let's go sign up before there's a big crowd. The Junior division starts at noon, that's just six hours away." Bulma said leading them off.
The group began on it's way toward the sign in desk. "Any sign of Goku?" Chi-Chi asked looking around.
"Not yet mom. But I do sense another energy we know." Gohan turned and saw Piccolo standing in the shade.
"Hey Gohan." he said walking up to them.
"Mr. Piccolo!" Goten cried in delight.
"Heh, relax kid." Piccolo said smiling down at him. "I expect you to give it your all too squirt."
"Yeah, sure!"
Suddenly Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Roshi all stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes locked at point in front of them. "Da…Dad." Gohan said as he suddenly appeared.
[A/N: Okay, we all know the basics of how this goes. I'm going to skip this part, don't want to make this chapter last forever. So the basics, everyone says hi to Goku, Goten meets him, and they set off again. They check in, (This time they already know about the Junior Division), yada yada yada. So now we move on to the punching machine, which Hercule scored 134 on.]
"What are our numbers?" Goku asked.
"We're 237 through 245." Gohan replied.
"Okay, would contestant number 237 please step up to the machine!" the announcer called out over his microphone.
"Remember guys." Gohan said as Krillin walked up the Machine. "Don't hit it too hard. Try and keep it near Hercule's level, but make it look like you tried."
"Right." Krillin said stepping up to the Machine. He took his stance and with what looked like all his strength he punched the machine.
"Number 237 scored 135 points!"
Next was Goku with 140. Then Piccolo with 138, 18 with 142, Vegeta with 145, and Trunks with 130. That's when Videl spotted Gohan and came running over. "Hey, what's your number?"
"I'm next, you?"
"Right after you." Videl looked around. "Did you see Hiroshi here?"
"Huh? The new kid?"
"Yeah."
"No, why? Is he here?"
"I saw him earlier. I think."
"Oh, my number." Gohan said walking up to the machine.
"Number 245 scored 134!"
Videl stood there blinking at the machine for a moment. /But dad got 134. And those other fighters, they all scored high too. Wow, I guess they've spent all these years training but not competing till they thought they were ready. I guess they are./
As Videl's number was called and she neared the machine the crowd began to talk among itself. They'd just seen her talking with a man who scored equal to her father, and had been talking to others who had done close or better.
"Number 246 scored 138!"
The crowd cheered as Videl joined Gohan. The others had gone off to get seats for the Junior Championship. "Hey look," she said looking back at the machine. "That was Hiroshi I saw earlier."
Gohan looked back over. Sure enough it was. Hiroshi was about the same height as Gohan. His head always looked like it was on fire cause of the bright red hair that sticks out in ever direction. He was wearing a black outfit with black boots and a gray belt. On his back was a gray circle with a red symbol that Gohan didn't recognize. He wore black gloves with cut off fingers that also bore the same symbol.
They watched as he took his position. "Number 247 scored 165 points!"
"What!" Videl said eyes wide.
Gohan was also shocked. /Wow, he's strong. I wonder how?/
Next up they watched a tall bald man score 140, a shorter bald man score 145, a blond teen score 142, and a black haired teen score 143. After that was a short purple man who scored 137 and a tall red man who scored 136. Everyone was very surprised with all of these scores, even Gohan. More so since the closest score to any of them was only 101. Gohan and Videl turned away and started into the stadium.