Chapter 9
"What the... how did... what the hell just happened?" stammered Yamcha as Krillin hit the ground.
"That blast knocked Krillin out of the air," Chiaotzu replied.
"Well, that much is obvious, but I want to know how. That was one of the weakest ki blasts I've ever seen! Yamcha turned to Master Roshi, "Krillin must have been going easy on him... or maybe he threw the match." His eyes darted over to 18 who glared at him coldly.
Master Roshi's eyebrows were furrowed as he leaned on his cane and thought for a moment. "Krillin was going all out, and I doubt that he threw the match..." he paused for a moment, still deep in thought. "No, I think what we are dealing with is an amazing young man."
Videl and Chi-chi beamed at each other both very proud of Pan's 'boyfriend.'
"I don't know... I mean, at the end he looked okay, but up until then he barely looked average," Yamcha scoffed, "Krillin must have underestimated him to much."
"I suppose only time will tell," the old man said with a smile.
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"Wow" was all Gohan could say as he watched Krillin and Akira walking away from the ring. He hadn't really watched the match; he'd just figured that no normal human could possibly beat his old friend and the early goings of the fight had simply reinforced that notion. Now that Krillin had lost, Gohan was wishing he had more attention so he could have seen what happened. He hadn't felt any sort of a power up from Akira and while it was obvious that the boy had some training, he still couldn't possibly have been stronger than Krillin.
Gohan looked down at his daughter who seemed to be torn between a desire to cheer for Akira and wanting to feel sorry for Krillin. ~You've got a very interesting friend, Pan. I only hope he's truly your friend,~ he thought.
"The boy has impressive skill," Vegeta said as he walked up behind Gohan, "it will be interesting to see how he fairs against you."
"He's definitely strong," Gohan replied as he watched Akira and Krillin walking towards them, "but I think he won mostly because Krillin underestimated him."
"Is that what you saw out there? Luck?" Vegeta shook his head at Gohan's ignorance. "That boy just toyed with one of the strongest fighters on the planet and you think it was some sort of luck? Idiot! Weren't you paying any attention at all?"
Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the announcer calling for the next fighters.
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"Our fourth match of the day will be between Knock and Gohan."
Gohan followed Knock out to the ring in autopilot; he was pondering what Vegeta had said moments ago. He didn't hear the announcer tell the crowd about his father and father-in-law both being former champions or about Knock being a member of some street gang. His meticulous mind just kept replaying the little he'd seen of Krillin and Akira's fight.
~What did I miss that had Vegeta so worked up? I felt that ki blast, it was the kind of thing a person makes when they first lean energy manipulation, Krillin should have been able to block that with ease... unless it was stronger than it felt. But that's impossible, once a blast leaves a person's hand, its power can't be hidden. You can only pour more power into it or change its direction and Akira didn't do either of those. There must be something else that I missed.~
The bell sounded, but Gohan's eyes remained glazed over as he thought. In fact, he barely saw Knock run up to him and throw several punches at his face, badly injuring the gang member's hands. Eventually Gohan's instincts took over and he caught Knock right between the eyes with a light jab. Knock was unconscious before he hit the floor. The ten-count was given, but it was just a formality, the medics were already bringing out the stretcher before the announcer got to five. As soon as Gohan was declared the victor, he walked off, still deep in thought.
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Krillin and Akira had walked into the waiting area at about the same time that Gohan and Knock were leaving; a small crowd of people immediately greeted them. First, Pan came up and congratulated Akira and told Krillin how sorry she was that he had lost. Then came Tien, Uubu, Goten, and Trunks wanting to talk to Krillin and see how he had lost; while Vegeta quickly pulled Akira into to hallway so they could talk in private.
"Alright, who are you?" Vegeta whispered harshly. "There's no way a normal human could fight like that."
"I guess I just got lucky then," Akira replied with a disarming smile.
"Don't play games with me boy, I could see that last attack. Luck had nothing to do with it! You outran your own ki blast, knocked Krillin out of the sky, and were back to where you started before your after-image faded. Now, you better start explaining before I get really pissed off!" One look at Vegeta's eyes told Akira what he was not bluffing.
The young fighter's smile faded. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
Vegeta blinked, he hadn't expected the boy to give in so quickly. "Who are you?" he finally growled.
"You already know the answer to that, I'm Akira."
"Okay, then WHAT are you?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that, you see—"Akira stopped and turned as Pan rounded the corner, looking for him; he gave Vegeta a semi-apologetic look and then walked over to join her. The Saiyan prince scowled as he watched him walk away, the boy was a mystery and mysteries could be deadly. Vegeta's gut told him that the boy was not here to hurt anyone, but he would be sure to watch him carefully none-the-less.
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"So Krillin, what happened out there?" Tien asked as he, Goten, Uubu, and Trunks gathered around the short man.
"I don't know, we got out there and he asked me not to hold back against him, so I didn't. After I hit him the first couple of times, he seemed really hurt. I asked him to give up and end the match, then he just got up and smiled at me. I swear it was the scariest smile I've seen in years, it was like that smile Goku used to get when he was about to finish someone off. Anyway, all of a sudden I couldn't hit the kid, he just blocked or dodged everything I threw at him."
"Yeah, we saw all that, we just want to know what happened at the very end." Trunks asked impatiently.
"Well, when I started flying and he didn't come after me I figured that he probably couldn't fly, so I was just going to sit up there and catch my breath a little. Then he threw that ki blast, it was so weak I decided to just stay where I was and swat it away, but when I touched it, it felt like I'd been hit by a truck. It was weird."
"The four men stood quietly for a moment and then turned as they heard the announcement of Gohan's victory.
"I guess that means I'm up," Uubu said as he headed for the door.
Gohan gave Uubu a nod as he walked through the door and headed straight for the group crowded around Krillin.
"Alright Krillin, what happened out there?" Gohan asked.
Krillin looked around and then shrugged. "He doesn't know," Goten replied for him.
"Alright, then where's Akira?" Gohan was not going to waste anymore time figuring this mystery out; he headed in the direction they pointed. What he found startled him. Akira and Pan were sitting close together on a bench and talking.
~Too close together,~ Gohan thought. Then, after clearing this throat to get their attention, he said, "Akira, may I speak with you for a moment?" the young man looked up and smiled, then stood and the two walked a little ways away.
"What can I do for you Gohan?" Akira asked pleasantly as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else in the room.
"You can start by telling me exactly who you are?"
"Ah, the million dollar question that everyone keeps asking, but that's not really your question?"
"Oh? Then what, pray tell, is my question?" Gohan's voice was tight with agitation.
"You want to know if I'm planning on harming your friends or family," Akira's usual happy demeanor fell away and his voice became very serious. "I'm not here to hurt anyone Gohan, I'm just here to compete in the tournament." Gohan stared at him for a moment, looking for any hint of deception; Akira did not look away either. Finally Gohan nodded uneasily, still not sure if the boy was telling the truth. He wanted to believe Akira, but he was not willing to trust his daughter's life and heart to feeling or desire. Gohan promised himself that he would keep his eyes on this young man.
"Is there anything else that you wanted to know?" Akira asked.
~Yeah, what's going on between you and my daughter,~ Gohan thought, then looking over his shoulder at Pan, he decided to keep that one to himself for now. After all, she was a Super Saiyan; she could take care of herself. So, with his parental instincts in check, he asked, "Where did you come from and who taught you to fight like that?"
Akira shook his head sadly and said, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Can't tell me, or won't?"
"Does it make a difference?
"It does to me."
"Alright, then I'll promise you this, when the tournament is over, one way or another, I'll give you as many answers as I can."
Gohan thought about the response for a moment and nodded, "I guess I can live with that." Akira smiled again and walked away as a cheer went up from the crowd, signaling Uubu's victory.
A/N: I think that part of the conversation between Akira and Vegeta might have come from Dragon Ball Next... better safe than sorry.
"What the... how did... what the hell just happened?" stammered Yamcha as Krillin hit the ground.
"That blast knocked Krillin out of the air," Chiaotzu replied.
"Well, that much is obvious, but I want to know how. That was one of the weakest ki blasts I've ever seen! Yamcha turned to Master Roshi, "Krillin must have been going easy on him... or maybe he threw the match." His eyes darted over to 18 who glared at him coldly.
Master Roshi's eyebrows were furrowed as he leaned on his cane and thought for a moment. "Krillin was going all out, and I doubt that he threw the match..." he paused for a moment, still deep in thought. "No, I think what we are dealing with is an amazing young man."
Videl and Chi-chi beamed at each other both very proud of Pan's 'boyfriend.'
"I don't know... I mean, at the end he looked okay, but up until then he barely looked average," Yamcha scoffed, "Krillin must have underestimated him to much."
"I suppose only time will tell," the old man said with a smile.
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"Wow" was all Gohan could say as he watched Krillin and Akira walking away from the ring. He hadn't really watched the match; he'd just figured that no normal human could possibly beat his old friend and the early goings of the fight had simply reinforced that notion. Now that Krillin had lost, Gohan was wishing he had more attention so he could have seen what happened. He hadn't felt any sort of a power up from Akira and while it was obvious that the boy had some training, he still couldn't possibly have been stronger than Krillin.
Gohan looked down at his daughter who seemed to be torn between a desire to cheer for Akira and wanting to feel sorry for Krillin. ~You've got a very interesting friend, Pan. I only hope he's truly your friend,~ he thought.
"The boy has impressive skill," Vegeta said as he walked up behind Gohan, "it will be interesting to see how he fairs against you."
"He's definitely strong," Gohan replied as he watched Akira and Krillin walking towards them, "but I think he won mostly because Krillin underestimated him."
"Is that what you saw out there? Luck?" Vegeta shook his head at Gohan's ignorance. "That boy just toyed with one of the strongest fighters on the planet and you think it was some sort of luck? Idiot! Weren't you paying any attention at all?"
Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the announcer calling for the next fighters.
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"Our fourth match of the day will be between Knock and Gohan."
Gohan followed Knock out to the ring in autopilot; he was pondering what Vegeta had said moments ago. He didn't hear the announcer tell the crowd about his father and father-in-law both being former champions or about Knock being a member of some street gang. His meticulous mind just kept replaying the little he'd seen of Krillin and Akira's fight.
~What did I miss that had Vegeta so worked up? I felt that ki blast, it was the kind of thing a person makes when they first lean energy manipulation, Krillin should have been able to block that with ease... unless it was stronger than it felt. But that's impossible, once a blast leaves a person's hand, its power can't be hidden. You can only pour more power into it or change its direction and Akira didn't do either of those. There must be something else that I missed.~
The bell sounded, but Gohan's eyes remained glazed over as he thought. In fact, he barely saw Knock run up to him and throw several punches at his face, badly injuring the gang member's hands. Eventually Gohan's instincts took over and he caught Knock right between the eyes with a light jab. Knock was unconscious before he hit the floor. The ten-count was given, but it was just a formality, the medics were already bringing out the stretcher before the announcer got to five. As soon as Gohan was declared the victor, he walked off, still deep in thought.
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Krillin and Akira had walked into the waiting area at about the same time that Gohan and Knock were leaving; a small crowd of people immediately greeted them. First, Pan came up and congratulated Akira and told Krillin how sorry she was that he had lost. Then came Tien, Uubu, Goten, and Trunks wanting to talk to Krillin and see how he had lost; while Vegeta quickly pulled Akira into to hallway so they could talk in private.
"Alright, who are you?" Vegeta whispered harshly. "There's no way a normal human could fight like that."
"I guess I just got lucky then," Akira replied with a disarming smile.
"Don't play games with me boy, I could see that last attack. Luck had nothing to do with it! You outran your own ki blast, knocked Krillin out of the sky, and were back to where you started before your after-image faded. Now, you better start explaining before I get really pissed off!" One look at Vegeta's eyes told Akira what he was not bluffing.
The young fighter's smile faded. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
Vegeta blinked, he hadn't expected the boy to give in so quickly. "Who are you?" he finally growled.
"You already know the answer to that, I'm Akira."
"Okay, then WHAT are you?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that, you see—"Akira stopped and turned as Pan rounded the corner, looking for him; he gave Vegeta a semi-apologetic look and then walked over to join her. The Saiyan prince scowled as he watched him walk away, the boy was a mystery and mysteries could be deadly. Vegeta's gut told him that the boy was not here to hurt anyone, but he would be sure to watch him carefully none-the-less.
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"So Krillin, what happened out there?" Tien asked as he, Goten, Uubu, and Trunks gathered around the short man.
"I don't know, we got out there and he asked me not to hold back against him, so I didn't. After I hit him the first couple of times, he seemed really hurt. I asked him to give up and end the match, then he just got up and smiled at me. I swear it was the scariest smile I've seen in years, it was like that smile Goku used to get when he was about to finish someone off. Anyway, all of a sudden I couldn't hit the kid, he just blocked or dodged everything I threw at him."
"Yeah, we saw all that, we just want to know what happened at the very end." Trunks asked impatiently.
"Well, when I started flying and he didn't come after me I figured that he probably couldn't fly, so I was just going to sit up there and catch my breath a little. Then he threw that ki blast, it was so weak I decided to just stay where I was and swat it away, but when I touched it, it felt like I'd been hit by a truck. It was weird."
"The four men stood quietly for a moment and then turned as they heard the announcement of Gohan's victory.
"I guess that means I'm up," Uubu said as he headed for the door.
Gohan gave Uubu a nod as he walked through the door and headed straight for the group crowded around Krillin.
"Alright Krillin, what happened out there?" Gohan asked.
Krillin looked around and then shrugged. "He doesn't know," Goten replied for him.
"Alright, then where's Akira?" Gohan was not going to waste anymore time figuring this mystery out; he headed in the direction they pointed. What he found startled him. Akira and Pan were sitting close together on a bench and talking.
~Too close together,~ Gohan thought. Then, after clearing this throat to get their attention, he said, "Akira, may I speak with you for a moment?" the young man looked up and smiled, then stood and the two walked a little ways away.
"What can I do for you Gohan?" Akira asked pleasantly as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else in the room.
"You can start by telling me exactly who you are?"
"Ah, the million dollar question that everyone keeps asking, but that's not really your question?"
"Oh? Then what, pray tell, is my question?" Gohan's voice was tight with agitation.
"You want to know if I'm planning on harming your friends or family," Akira's usual happy demeanor fell away and his voice became very serious. "I'm not here to hurt anyone Gohan, I'm just here to compete in the tournament." Gohan stared at him for a moment, looking for any hint of deception; Akira did not look away either. Finally Gohan nodded uneasily, still not sure if the boy was telling the truth. He wanted to believe Akira, but he was not willing to trust his daughter's life and heart to feeling or desire. Gohan promised himself that he would keep his eyes on this young man.
"Is there anything else that you wanted to know?" Akira asked.
~Yeah, what's going on between you and my daughter,~ Gohan thought, then looking over his shoulder at Pan, he decided to keep that one to himself for now. After all, she was a Super Saiyan; she could take care of herself. So, with his parental instincts in check, he asked, "Where did you come from and who taught you to fight like that?"
Akira shook his head sadly and said, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Can't tell me, or won't?"
"Does it make a difference?
"It does to me."
"Alright, then I'll promise you this, when the tournament is over, one way or another, I'll give you as many answers as I can."
Gohan thought about the response for a moment and nodded, "I guess I can live with that." Akira smiled again and walked away as a cheer went up from the crowd, signaling Uubu's victory.
A/N: I think that part of the conversation between Akira and Vegeta might have come from Dragon Ball Next... better safe than sorry.