Chapter IX: The Fated Battle
Hercule landed one final kick, sending Jule flying outside the ring. Giving a victorious howl to his fans, Hercule exited the ring.
The announcer watched the champion reenter the waiting room. To him, the fight had been disappointing. Everything beforehand, even Jugger's vicious assault, had been more exciting. Putting that aside, the announcer readied the audience for what he believed to be the main attraction, "All right, everyone! I know you love Mr. Satan, but I can assure you this next match will drop your jaws. Son Goku, the former world champion, will face off against Vegeta! If you think you've seen fighting, just wait."
Vegeta pushed himself off the wall he had leaned on for most of the matches. His grin said it all, "Ready for the beating of your life, Kakarott? If you though Cell was bad . . ."
"Well, miracles do happen, Vegeta." They began to walk out to the ring.
Hercule stopped midway on the path to look Goku up and down. He stepped forward and spoke softly, "So, you're my predecessor, eh?
Goku nodded, "I won the Tournament before you had."
Hercule nodded, "Well, make sure you win. I kind of like the thought of having two world champions in the ring. It'd give my fans a hell of a show."
"Kakarott! Hurry your ass up!" Vegeta waited on the ring floor, tapping his foot.
Goku hurried over to his position, the thrill of the world tournament, and a rematch with Vegeta pumping in his veins. The two warriors hunched down into their positions, waiting for the announcer to commence the fight.
"All right! Keep you eyes' on the ring people, because I can guarantee you that-"
"Just start the damned fight you baka!" Vegeta roared.
"Uh, right. It's Goku versus Vegeta! Begin!"
* * *
Gohan winced as he heard the unanimous and horrified cries of the audience. He was missing out on his father's fight. He could sense Videl in this area, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint where. Gohan had walked into a garden area of the tournament grounds. It spread out in a circular pattern, with a fountain at the heart. As Gohan explored around he saw Videl sitting on a bench. He walked over.
"What are you doing all the way over here?" He asked.
Videl sat staring at the fountain, "The last few tournaments my dad won, I never competed. I hated the thought of fighting a bunch of kids in the junior competitions, so whenever my dad never fought, I hung out here. I love it here."
"I can see that. It's very nice." Gohan said, appraising the scenery, "May I sit down?" For some reason, Gohan felt guilty around her now. Perhaps it was because she had seen him transform.
Videl motioned to the empty space next to her. She waited until he had sat down, "So . . . you were the gold fighter all along?"
"Yes. Videl, I'm sorry I never told you the truth. I just . . . I'm sorry I lied."
Surprisingly enough to him, Videl didn't seem upset. She instead smiled, "I've seen it before. On the videos of the Cell Games. Four of the fighters there had golden hair and blue eyes. Three of them were adults, but one was a small boy." She glanced to Gohan's downed expression, "It's you, isn't it?"
He nodded. Videl felt her smile widen, "So my dad never actually defeated Cell, did he? It was you! You were the one who saved the Earth, and he took all the credit!" She felt herself grow angry at the thought of her father doing such a thing, "Why did you never come forward?"
Gohan shrugged, "It didn't matter. Cell was dead, and that's what was important. I could care less for being praised as a saviour."
"Who were those other people there with you?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure if you plated the tape back you would recognize anyone who didn't have the gold hair thing going. But the other three were my dad, Vegeta, and . . . the third guy is actually one really long, really complicated story."
Videl whistled, "You father can do that? What am I saying, of course he can! Man, that makes three of you in this tournament. Three gold fighters!"
"That's referred to as a Super Saiyan transformation, by the way."
"Gohan, that sounds like something out a Saturday morning cartoon. What's a Saiyan?"
Oh, you just had to ask that question, "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to scream, freak out, or run away." Shit, Gohan, that didn't sound right. Why can't you ever think straight around her?
* * *
Goku slammed his foot back to catch the edge of the ring. Vegeta's last punch had packed a lot of power, and he almost fell out. The Saiyan prince resumed his charge with a powerful kick. Goku took to the sky and avoided it.
If one were to walk into the stadium after the first ten minutes of the fight they would think an alien abduction had occurred. Save the family and friends of the Z fighters, not one person could keep their mouth shut, or their eyes from popping out of their sockets.
Vegeta leaped forward, using his energy to increase his speed. They began to trade punches and kicks in the air, neither one landing a hit on the other. Goku had been expecting a challenge from Vegeta, but even this had exceeded his expectations. The two full blooded Saiyan now fought at their maximums, and both were evenly matched.
Vegeta threw a hard right at Goku's face, which the other caught. Vegeta used that as leverage, spinning around to Goku's backside and planting a solid kick into the small of his back. Goku stopped himself just before hitting the ground, only to be plowed into the ring floor as Vegeta slammed into him.
The Saiyan prince backed away. He held a grin, "Is that all? I thought you were made of sterner stuff, Kakarott."
"I am." Vegeta spun around and was greeted by Goku's fist. Vegeta hit the ground and rebounded. He stood, panting. Vegeta clenched his fists in anger, "That damned Instant Transmission of yours."
"Don't get mad at me, Vegeta! You're the one who forgot about it." Goku resumed his defensive stance.
Vegeta spit out blood that had collected in his mouth, "Perhaps I should go ahead and show you my true strengths then. I've been in intense training these past seven years, Kakarott, and I have changed."
Goku straightened himself, "So have I." Goku winced in concentration. The air around him electrified, and swelled. With a roar, Goku's aura shot out a brilliant gold. Lightning danced amongst his limbs as the transformation finished. He grinned, "Gohan's not the only one who is twice ascended."
Vegeta laughed, "I couldn't agree more!" He let loose a deafening cry as he too transformed to the legendary warrior.
Goku stared at his opponent in utter astonishment, "You've done it too . . . shit. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought."
That only made Vegeta laugh more. He placed himself in an aggressive stance, "Nor should it ever have been. This is our destiny, our battle!"
Goku resumed his position. The two stayed like that for a moment, calculating their next moves. A shadow passed over the tournament stadium. It blinked out all light, save the immediate area surrounding the afire Super Saiyans. As quickly as it came, it left.
Never one to let his guard down, Goku looked around the stadium. Nothing had changed, but everything also appeared several shades darker. It was as though someone had just sapped the light out of the area. Other than that, it looked the same as before.
The announcer blinked in confusion, "I have . . . no idea what had just happened, ladies and gentlemen. Fighters, please wait until otherwise instructed." He turned away just in time to avoid a death glare from Vegeta. The announcer ran over to the judges, "What happened just now?"
One of the three shrugged, "We're not sure. It's just a little darker, nothing more. It could be some infernal Capsule Corporation play again. I don't know if you remember ten years ago when they tested that strange dragon-like hologram was being tested. Scared the living daylights out of the people of that city."
The announcer nodded, "So there will be no delays?"
"We see no reason to."
He nodded, and turned back to the audience, "Sorry for the delay. The judges have decided to continue the matches. Fighters you may resume at any time."
Vegeta scowled, "Blasted humans trying to interfere with my fight."
"Oh, come on Vegeta. They decided to keep it going, so let's have some fun!"
"Fun?" Vegeta grinned, "You won't think this is so fun in a few more minutes."
* * *
(Author's Note: THIS IS JUST SO DAMNED
TOUCHING I CAN"T HELP MYSELF!)
Videl had kept her promise. She didn't scream, freak out, or run away. Thought the temptation had crossed her mind at least twice as Gohan recounted the events of his life since he was five years old. Come one Videl, get a grip. This is Gohan we're talking about here. He wouldn't make all this up. He's trusting you with his secrets. She mentally slapped herself, That doesn't change the fact that . . .
"All in all, it basically comes down to: you're an alien."
Gohan grimaced at her words, "Half alien. I could better prove it if I still had my tail, but it hasn't grown back in ages."
Videl didn't know what to say. That didn't stop her from talking, "I . . . I'm speechless. I knew you were special, different, and a little weird, but this is just too much!" She jumped off the bench. She didn't know what to do with her hands, "You've kept this all a secret from me!?"
Gohan never like it when people started to pace, "Videl, calm down. I just poured my soul out to you, and now you're turning it against me? That's not fair!"
"No! What's not fair is being lied to by someone you came to think as your best friend. In all the time during those two weeks that we just hung out and talked, you never thought you could trust me? I told you things about my life that . . . that I have never told anyone else! I trusted you, why couldn't you trust me?"
His blood had started to heat as she spoke, "Well you don't have a very good track record with secrets, do you?" Gohan pushed himself up, "I'm sorry I told you. Tell your dad, give it to the press, I don't care. Just leave me alone."
Videl grabbed onto his arm, "Don't you just walk away from me!"
Gohan pulled himself out of her grasp. His glare could melt ice, "Why not? Videl, I've tried to be nothing but nice to you, friendly, and what happens? Huh? I used my power to help you with crooks, and instead of thanking me you become obsessed with exposing me. You blackmail me even. I tell you everything you've wanted to know about me, and you throw it in my face! Just what the fuck do you want from me?" It was then he noticed the tears falling down his face. He was crying.
Videl had collapsed back onto the bench. Her shoulders twitch as her gaze fixed itself on the ground. Gohan was about to leave when she muttered; "Do you hate me?"
Do I? Do you? Gohan, what kind of a question is that to even ask yourself!? He rounded her and sat back down on the bench. His left hand gripped her arm, "No . . . no, I don't hate you, Videl. I don't think I could." Something sparkled as it fell from her cheek. Gohan ran his finger over her skin, and discovered it was a tear. She had been crying too.
Videl pulled her knees up and held her legs close to her in a cramped fetal position. She didn't look at Gohan as she spoke, "There was something I never told you. I'm daddy's little girl. I cry, moan, whimper, and he delivered whatever the hell it was I wanted. That's partly why I took up crime fighting, not just as a way to use my talents. It was as though I thought I could make up for being such a spoiled brat if I could help out everyone else. Still, it never changed things. I still always got what I wanted. I never wanted the possibility of there being something I couldn't have"
"Videl," Gohan spoke softly, "you still haven't told me what you want."
Her reddened eyes came up to his. She didn't smile. Videl threw herself onto Gohan, holding him even tighter than when he had been healed from near death. She burying her face into his chest, and didn't stop crying.
Gohan's arms embraced her, smoothing out her hair as she wept. He wondered why she didn't answer his question.
Then it hit him.
She had.
"Oh . . ."
* * *
They didn't bother flying. Neither of them used a ki blast since they had nearly taken out a bleacher's worth of spectators. The two Saiyans, the strongest warriors in the universe, decided to stick to something that would prove themselves despite any restrictions.
As Goku wearily tried to regain the upper hand on Vegeta, he smiled in memory. It reminded him of his first World Tournament. He had faced off in the final round against Jackie Chun, who was in fact Master Roshi. In the end, both of them decided to disregard tricks and techniques and instead focus on one thing: hand to hand combat.
Vegeta stumbled as Goku's last attack put him off balance. He cursed him momentary lapse in concentration as Goku followed up with several punches to the head and stomach, and nailed Vegeta with a roundhouse kick.
He would not be discounted so easily. Vegeta drove his left foot in the pavement, stopping the backwards motion. He pushed off again, catching Goku unprepared. The Saiyan prince swung his right fist into Goku's gut. Then he brought both his hands together, and slammed them down on Goku's head.
The younger man pushed off and did a back flip, hitting Vegeta in the face with his heel. The two stopped for a moment, breathing heavily. They were ready to resume their bout as the announcer called out, "Fighters stop!"
Vegeta let loose a threatening growl, "What does that baka human want this time?"
"Thirty minutes has transpired. The judges will now make a decision on who will advance to the next round."
Goku felt his jaw drop, "You're kidding!? Can't we both just agree to keep going?"
"I'm sorry, but tournament rules state that fights will last thirty minutes, and not one second more."
Goku dropped out of his Super Saiyan form, with Vegeta following. The short man looked ready to lay waste to the entire city. One of the three squat judges whispered something to the announcer, who then turned to the fighters.
With a grim look, he stated, "You have both shown strength and ability a bit beyond what anyone here today has expected. You should be proud for your efforts. However, the judge's decision has been made." He paused for the dramatic effect on the crowd, "Goku will be advancing!"
Vegeta's eye twitched. He had been declared the loser by these pathetic, weakling humans? His face contorted into a look of hatred and rage he hadn't worn in many years. That stopped once he heard Goku's voice from the other side of the ring.
It surprised him, "Well, I say to hell with their decision." Goku stated, "Neither one of us was anywhere near our end. Forget what they said, Vegeta. I never won." Goku brought his hand up to his chin as he thought. A grin played out on his face, "Perhaps we could finish this after the tournament ends."
"You only have one day on this world, Kakarott!"
"Oh yeah. Perhaps we could arrange you a visit to Other World. Then we could face each other again at full strength! I don't think there are any rules about the living existing there."
That idea appealed to Vegeta in a way. He would never show it, but Goku's words just then touched him. The clown was a true Saiyan. Vegeta left the ring, maintaining his gaze of death on the four ringside officials. Goku only laughed. I hate not finishing my fight with Vegeta, but now it's certain I'll get to face Gohan in the final round! I can't wait!
The announcer walked back up to the ring, glad that Vegeta had let him live. The time limit had been reached before, but he had never seen someone look so pissed off about it. He addressed the audience, "What did I tell you? Fighting like you would have never believed! Now, let's get the tournament moving again. Match number seven, Eighteen versus Killa!"
As Goku entered the waiting room, he noticed Gohan hadn't returned. He frowned, "Oh, rats. I was hoping that he would have watched our-" The crowd's cheering renewed outside. The announcer started off the seventh match of the tournament.
Everyone winced as they watched the fight. Or lack of, "OH MY! Killa is down and out! Eighteen is the winner! This must be some radical new tournament record. With one blow, Eighteen has knocked Killa out of the ring, and unconscious."
Goku blinked, "She just ended it like that?" He blinked as she strolled back through the entry, "You should have at least fought at his level. You know, given him the chance to test out his limits."
Eighteen snorted, "It's not my fault they're all weaklings."
"Goku, Vegeta." Shin spoke up. The two paid him attention, but didn't move. There was no need for hushed conversations anymore, "Stay on your guard. That shadow which crossed during your fight, there is something unnatural about it. I can sense an evil presence about the air. We must be cautious."
The two Saiyans nodded their approval, even if Vegeta only mildly cared. The Supreme Kai did well to hide his shock. How can this planet have such powerful warriors? Gohan's is far greater than my own, and these two seem to be just as strong! How could I have missed such an important detail?
* * *
Babadi cackled with delight as the meter on the Buu egg nearly filled up halfway. He grinned at his servant, "I can not believe how much energy was released during that one fight! Buu will be resurrected in no time at this rate!" He laughed with childish glee at the thought.
"Yes." Dabura agreed, "Has the Supreme Kai suspected anything?"
"Him? Of course he has! But the bastard won't know what has happened until it is too late. I really must commend you again for your creativity Dabura. I never would have thought to encompass the stadium with the ship. Every bit of energy used down there will be absorbed into Majin Buu!!" Babadi cried out in hysterical laughter again. There would be nothing to stop them.
Buu would live again.
(Author's Note: You know, this chapter's
title actually has two meanings? Funny.)