It would have been evil to set up a scenario with no twists whatsoever... but such was not the case. Don't hold your breath, but this will not be a simplistic tournament.

-

His search was not long. They met in the hallway a ways down. Almost in unison, they nodded to one another.

"How were your rounds?" Goku asked, as they both redirected themselves to the central arena.

"Not good. Very little competition. The last guy I fought was pretty good."

"I wouldn't expect much of that in the Preliminaries. Or from any normal person, for that matter."

"No, some of it really was pretty bad. Is it tradition for jerks to sign up for the tournament?"

Goku gave it a second's thought, "Yes. Always have, always will. By the time we reach the finals, however, the chaff should have been removed."

"That's a relief."

"Actually, someone always slips past somehow. I just hope I don't have to fight him."

"Yeah. How about you, though?"

"I was slightly impressed. Most of my fighters had something up their sleeves. Useless, but at least they weren't completely incompetent. If what I got was about average, this tournament shouldn't be bad at all."

"I can't compare my experience to any previous tournaments, of course."

"Right. Here we are, anyway."

In front of them the hallway linked back to the outside of the building, where they headed toward another entrance. This one was obviously the beginning of a garden, as the vine-covered archway showed. Walking to the entrance, Goku and 18 stopped by the large door, where a small portly man stopped them with an orange stick.

"This entrance is for finalists only, I-"

"We are finalists," Goku said in a voice not quite his own, becoming softer and more persuasive. The guard seemed confused, and quickly took their names and checked them with a list. Seeing that they had been cleared, he let them enter the area behind him. There was a stone pathway into the arena at the far side, with a grassy area around it for a short distance. Only six others were in the area now, all at various places.

Walking down to nearer the end, Goku and 18 took the time to size up the competition. Goku knew that something was bound to happen, and he fully expected the usual mix of contestants. He wasn't disappointed, either, as there were all types.

18 mentally checked off the contestants in her mind. The thug flexing in the corner was written off as the usual muscle-bound bruiser. Sitting in one corner was the young girl she had ran into before. This time, she didn't look up, but 18 made a note to ask Goku about her. Sitting so still he looked nearly dead was another hulking warrior, but 18 sensed a dark ki radiating from him. There was something more there than simple muscle.

"If you want incompetent," Goku whispered to her, "look in the northern corner."

Glancing over, 18 saw a sadly out-of-shape man dressed up in something that almost made her gag. A orange and green suit covered his body, and a large C was written across his chest. On his head was what appeared to be a giant fake chicken head. Looking at Goku, 18 wondered how he kept a completely straight face. Still, his eyes danced, and they enjoyed that instant. Finding their spot, 18 risked another look and saw the light purple cape, this time she had to look away to keep from vomiting.

"How could he have finished the Preliminaries?"

"I don't have it from a very good source, but I hear he bribed his way into this position."

"That makes more sense. Most of even the fighters I met could have taken him apart."

All the rest of the contestants appeared to be looking the others over as well. Something caught Goku's eye, and he focused on the opposite corner. Most interesting.

"We have a few who look strong," Goku said softly, "especially those two off under the eaves."

Directing her attention that way, 18 saw two people at the same time. Barely more than a silhouette, a warrior stood in what appeared to be a suit of armor, the surface of which seemed to conform around him. Obviously not from this planet. But even stranger was the other one, who sat, legs folded, hovering above the ground. Purple skin and lighter purple hair set him apart, and his garb didn't help either. There was a large amount of energy coming from his direction, and it appeared that he was hiding at least some of it.

"Very interesting."

"I'm guessed they'll be the competition. Either that or the big guy over on the other side."

"Who's that girl?" 18 asked, gesturing back to her. Goku glanced over where she indicated and nodded.

"Hercule's daughter, Videl. Don't know much about her, but if she inherited her father's genes, we can't expect much of a challenge there."

As if he felt their eyes on him, the purple-skinned warrior got up and walked over to them quickly and purposefully. Goku stood up to meet him.

"Hello," the stranger's voice was melodic and soft, "my name is Shin."

"Glad to meet you," Goku answered just as politely. Shin nodded.

"I could not help but notice the magical shield the two of you are surrounded by. I do not wish to pierce it now, so I fear I must ask, why do you have need of hiding your identities?"

Goku shrugged and muttered a few words. Shin's eyes seemed to blur, and then he looked at them again, very closely. With the illusion taken from his eyes, he could see who they were quite clearly. Sighing slightly, Goku felt the strain of holding the spell lessen slightly.

"I see. You must be the ones I have heard something about. Goku and 18."

Nodding, Goku shook his offered hand. Shin smiled a dark little smile, wished them good day and left back to his spot, where he sat motionless once more. 18 watched him go and glanced at Goku. He shrugged.

"There's something different about that guy. I should know who he is, but I just can't put my finger on it..."

"Strange guy. I don't trust him."

"I don't think we'll have a problem," Goku answered. "I don't think anyone has ever killed another person in the tournament, the rules and tradition are too strong. Still, he should be a contender."

They continued talking quietly in the corner, until eventually another official opened a door and called them all over. Getting up, they went over with the six others to listen.

"It is almost time," he told them, "and I apologize for a slight change in schedule. I assure you, however, that this will have no impact on the tournament itself, which will take place as before. Please follow me."

As they walked down a hallway, the official explained this to them.

"They have a new system of measuring power that they are testing this year. Ideally in the future this could be how they decide which warriors get into the tournament itself. But for this year they are merely giving it a trial run, and they'll use it to decide in what order you draw for positions in the tournament."

Opening another door, he ushered them into the stadium itself. People packed the stadium surrounding them, and Goku was slightly surprised. Even with the population so decreased they were still sold out. At first the strain of the spell jumped intensely, as he was forced to shield them from so many more eyes. Shrugging past that, Goku concentrated on his surroundings. This arena outshone those of the past, but gave a definite nod to the tournaments of the past. In the center of the newly built arena itself was a large, round cylinder. The official quickly gave them instructions.

"Just hit the bag for about 10 seconds. It will then judge your strength, which will be displayed on the board above. The highest score will get to draw for their position first."

The man in the garish costume stepped up first and made peace signs to the crowd with both hands.

"The first contestant- Captain Chicken!"

Rushing to the punching bag, he hit it with all his might. A second later he stumbled back, clutching his hand. Kicking and hitting in a frenzy, he continually bashed the bag, each blow not even denting the surface. When the timer rang he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. The scoreboard lit up with a large white 0. Booing and hissing, the crowd waited for the next contestant to step up.

"The second contestant- Mafu!"

This time the large musclebound man stepped forward. He roared to the crowd so loudly that for a second they were all stunned. Then he turned to the bag and punched it head on. It shook and was knocked a few feet away. Running up to it again, he slammed it with both hands, then before it flew very far, hit it straight down. Landing with a loud thump, the scoreboard rang up a 67.

Having nothing to gauge by except the complete failure before, Goku and 18 weren't sure what to make of it. Shrugging, they saw Videl step up to the podium and be announced. The entire crowd cheered wildly as she was announced, and then she turned to the bag, which had been set up properly again.

Hercule watched from the highest box above as his daughter prepared to attack the bag. Sweat was pouring down his face, but it had nothing to do with the heat. A 67! That was an awesome score! He didn't know anyone could produce such results! Before, in private, luckily, he had tried to beat on the bag himself- and his score had only been an 11. Merely getting that score had taken a lot out of him.

"This new guy is really strong," he muttered. "Videl could have a hard time beating him!"

A crack sounded as Videl karate chopped the bag, sending it flying. Jumping to it again, she launched a flurry of blows that pummeled it from all angles. At the last second before her time expired, she uppercutted the bag with her full strength, and it gained a few seconds of hang time before hitting the ground again.

The scoreboard gleamed 122, and Hercule was even more amazed. "That's my daughter," he chuckled. Still, he wondered if there had been some sort of cheating going on. He should have scored a lot higher than an 11. Maybe he had softened it up for them, or they must be using an easier punching bag.

"Yeah, that's it," he rationalized. "On this one, I'd get at least a 400!"

18 felt rather than saw the dark ki step up as well. The hulking mass of muscle didn't say anything, just waited for the signal to begin.

"The fourth contestant, Suppopovitch!"

Roaring loudly, Suppopovitch didn't move for a second. 18 realized on the center of his forehead there was a large M written in black. Something about that disturbed her deeply, and it was even more troubling that she didn't know why. A second later, he jumped into the air and came down on the bag, knocking it to the ground. Kicking it, he sent it falling to the ground a ways away.

Jumping on top, he began stomping on the bag, then just got down and started beating on it with his full strength. Even after the buzzer sounded, he kept hitting it. A few seconds passed before he calmed down and got off the bag, still growling slightly. The crowds cheered as they saw a magnificent 374 light up on the screen. Goku and 18 looked at each other, eyebrows raised slightly.

Next up the armored man jumped to the arena, landed softly and waited for his name to be called out.

"Our next fighter asks to remain anonymous, but will go by the name of Saiyan Hunter!"

The crowd let out a huge cheer, as did a few of the contestants. Goku sighed slightly and folded his arms. 18 shook her head and Goku gave her a sad smile. The instant the time began, the saiyan hunter extended a hand toward the bag. His armor seemed to spring to life, it moved out and wrapped around the bag, then drew it back to him where his fist slammed into it. Instantly on the other side, he pounded it down. As it fell, he fell with it, a laser knife extending from one hand and hitting the bag innumerable times.

As he landed the time expired and a 250 appeared on the board. The crowd went wild and Goku found himself wondering where he got that suit of armor. Not that he was sure, but he thought he saw a missile launcher in the other arm. Unless they had changed the rules on him, there shouldn't have been any weapons, but no one seemed to care. Shrugging, Goku continued waiting.

"Our next contestant- Kakkarrot!"

That was his signal to step up. He still thought that was a good idea, and it appeared that no one recognized it as a saiyan name. Stepping up to the bag, Goku waited until the time began. From the other fighters he wasn't sure how strong the bag was, but it seemed to be fairly weak. Was it as weak as he thought it was? There was only one way to find out. The instant the timer began he moved to the bag, hand curling into a flicking position. Tapping it lightly with his index finger, he got an instant reaction.

Speeding across the arena and striking the opposite wall before sliding to the ground, the bag fell and a score of a flat 1000 rang up on the board. Goku was struggling with a cross between amused and disgusted. A hush fell over the entire crowd for a second as he walked back to his position.

"Was it difficult? How much power did you use?" 18 asked him. Goku stroked her hair then smiled wryly.

"I just used more power in doing that than I did on the bag. I was holding almost all my energy in and I still topped everything."

18 gritted her teeth, "so it's pretty much worthless."

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to submit to such a weak standard," 18 looked decidedly annoyed. Shin stepped up and was announced next, and both of them carefully watched to see what he would do. He jumped at the same time as the starting bell rang, almost as if he knew when it would sound. His first blow sent it flying into the air, he matched pace with it and struck it down.

Appearing behind the bag, he hit it again, and continued the time with a series of swift, clean moves. Shin smirked as he looked at the 200 that was shone on the board. Walking off, he gave them all a superior glance. Goku knew that he wasn't using his full power, that had been a show to deceive everyone. So this Shin was a schemer too; Goku couldn't wait to face him.

"The last contestant, Juuhachigou!"

Most had no idea what her name truly meant, but Shin nodded to them, seemingly in appreciation. Goku nodded to 18, who stepped up next to the bag, which was still looking fine. In only a few seconds, the dents in it filled out and the bag was as it had been before. Soon after, the bell sounded.

The first instant, 18 flitted forward and sliced diagonally across the bag. At first it seemed nothing had happened, charged energy tensing the air, and then the bag slowly slid apart, cleanly sliced in two pieces. The board flashed all 8s, then sizzled and went completely blank. 18 smirked and moved back, and everyone seemed a bit in shock.

"Well," the announcer was visibly shaken, "we will begin the drawing for placement in order of the tournament in a few minutes when things are set up. Remember that the concession stands are in the lower right and left corners. In just a moment, we'll be bringing you more of the worlds best fighting! Thank you!"

After the official led them back into the waiting room again, the contestants milled around just outside the arena itself for a while, and Goku soon found himself sought out by Shin, who made a beeline toward him at his first opportunity. Goku turned to face him and raised one eyebrow. Shin smiled politely, but he didn't seem as smug as before.

"Why did you hold in so much power?" Goku asked, deciding to speak first.

"There is no need for anyone here to know my strength before the due time," Shin told him, "and I must say I did not expect anyone here to be even as strong as they proved here. Still, you and 18 might both prove to be potential challenges to me."

"You seem sure of yourself," Goku said quietly; Shin shook his head.

"Not at all. The amount of mental training the average person has here is above average. Mind-reading is difficult and I can't pierce your mental barriers."

"So you've been trying to read my mind?"

"Yes, but I am having trouble. I can't read 18's mind either, but I sensed another presence in the way."

"That would be me."

"Ah," Shin nodded, and for a second they were silent. "You will most likely have to fight her, you know."

Nodding, Goku responded simply, "she could well be placed second."

"If not for me," Shin responded, smiling slightly. "But you will almost certainly have to fight her before the final round."

"Not necessarily. They decide the order by chance."

"But the chances of any two given individuals not meeting each other before the championship is unlikely, at best."

Goku merely smiled, not answering. The uncomfortable silence was broken as a bell indicated it was finally time for them to enter the arena again and select positions in the tournament charts. This time a large board had been placed with the tournament lineup on it. Before it sat a box. Coughing slightly, the announcer waited to get everyone's attention before speaking.

"Ahem, due to destruction of the testing bag, Juuhachigou will draw first."

Stepping forward, 18 stuck her hand into the box and pulled out a green ball. Shin shot Goku a cocky glance that was returned with even more force as she showed number one. Edging through the other contestants, Shin got next to Goku and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Very good," Shin said, "but it means nothing. There is still only a small chance you will pick the ball that won't pit the two of you together."

"We will see" was all Goku said.

Shin watched Goku walk to the box. He smiled to himself, there was no way that they wouldn't meet together before the final. The chances were low, and in any case, Shin had taken no chances. Goku thought he was playing fairly; he never suspected anyone would bend the rules, much less reality. This would certainly serve to shake him up a little, as well as being proof of his influence. Some would argue it was a waste of his power, but Shin believed the psychological edge was enough.

His mental images were shattered as Goku held the green ball out toward him, displaying a number seven. Shin was severely surprised, though his face betrayed no emotion. How was that possible? His power should have made it impossible for Goku to draw a seven or an eight, but he had already done so. Something about him seemed to make the impossible possible.

Storming inwardly as the remaining numbers were chosen, Shin quickly picked his and left to the contestant's box. He was disgusted with this whole thing. His only comfort was the fact that he would beat all of them when it came to the actual tournament. Ignorant mortals.

-

I feel somewhat like typical DBZ... an entire chapter passes and we still haven't gotten to the main event. Trust me, however, I'm not just attempting to stretch the events out a long time. Quite the opposite. The first four matches are all contained within the next chapter.