I seem to have been confused about which chapter we were currently running, which amounted for the delay this week. This should be the next chronologically, and should cover all four of the first round matches of the tournament. Later matches will take up more time, I merely see no reason to overextend these matches, most of which are very mismatched.

An interesting thought... I had never considered the fact that Shin's view of mortals is more or less justified. Interesting. In all honesty, I cannot say that I blame him either.

-

18 and Goku watched carefully from the contestant's box. The first fight was one that they could have predicted the outcome of with their eyes closed. As the contestants entered the ring, the crowds calmed down for an instant before wildly cheering for whoever they wanted to win. Both of them remained silent, as this fight consisted of Videl and Captain Chicken.

"Captain Chicken is the long-beloved super hero of the city," the announcer told the crowd. "But he is facing the untested daughter of Hercule, Videl! Who will win this fight? Let's cut to the chase and begin the round!"

A pain lanced through his forehead, and Goku rubbed it. Casting a spell over that many people was wearing him out mentally. He needed a break, but that wouldn't come for some time yet. Settling back, Goku waited for what he hoped would be an amusing match. Captain Chicken was just as incompetent as he had hoped for. In his first charge, he tripped and fell to the ground. Videl seemed a bit surprised, and didn't take advantage of the situation. Struggling to his feet, Captain Chicken ran forward again, but it could have been described as more of a waddle.

There was no chance of him connecting. Videl darted out of the way with about the fastest speed you could achieve without using ki. Grabbing his cape, she hurled him across the arena, and he landed just barely within the ring. As Videl went over to push him out, she discovered he had already been knocked unconscious by the short fall. The crowds cheered wildly as Videl triumphantly left the ring.

"I'm next," Goku told 18 as he stood. She nodded and he quickly moved out to the ring. From the opposite side of the arena stepped his opponent, the dubiously named saiyan hunter. The two of them stepped into the ring, eyeing one another carefully. Goku was a bit surprised that they allowed him to wear that armor, as it was most likely a weapon in and of itself. Still, the rules seemed to have changed. Feeling his opponent, Goku was mildly surprised at his strength, considerable for his particular race.

The instant the fight began, the saiyan hunter began to charge, but he stopped and gawked. Goku was puzzled, and looked at him oddly. What had he been so surprised at? A second later, he found out exactly what it was.

"You," the saiyan hunter hissed softly. "I know you. Saiyan! I knew you were here, and I've found you at last!"

Surprised that the saiyan hunter knew who he was, Goku rechecked the spell and found that it had slipped up enough to cause a disturbance. Apparently this saiyan hunter hated saiyans enough that he was able to pierce the illusion and see who he really was. Ignoring him a while, Goku reconfigured the spell to exclude the hunter, there was no point in keeping that up now that he knew.

"It is my lifelong mission to kill you," his opponent hissed, eyes blazing with unnatural fury. "It was you saiyans who eradicated so many planets! Well, the victims of your crimes have gotten together, and we will have our revenge! I am the ultimate instrument of our vengeance, and I will destroy you! With every part of your life I take from you, think of the thousands of lives you destroyed!"

The crowds were murmuring angrily, they had wanted to see a fight, not two people arguing so far below that words were inaudible. A second later, they got what they had asked for. As he flew forward, the saiyan hunter's fist barely missed Goku's head. They clashed in a flurry of movement, Goku calmly dodging everything that was thrown at him. It really wasn't difficult. The saiyan hunter may have been strong enough to kill most saiyans, maybe even some Super Saiyans, but Goku had gone beyond a normal saiyan.

"Listen," he said, ducking a right cross. "You don't have to hate this much. I didn't destroy all those planets."

"Murderer!" his opponent dropped away, then dove at him again. Flipping backward, Goku saw several chances to strike his opponent, but didn't take them. Pounding him right now might have been seen as a vindication of the saiyan hunter's point.

"The saiyans are dead," Goku told him, "your revenge has already been carried out. If you think you'll find closure in the death of those who destroyed your planets, it's already come to pass."

"No," his opponent's breath was a hiss. "You will be destroyed. I think you lie, dog, but even if you speak the truth, every one of your kind will be eliminated!"

Dodging to the side of another kick, Goku found himself in an unexpected bind. How could he win the match while showing his opponent that he wasn't the bloodthirsty murder that the saiyan hunter assumed he was? Thinking on it, Goku realized he didn't have to dodge any more blows, as they weren't coming. He focused his attention on his opponent, who was standing on the other side of the ring.

As his attention was diverted, the saiyan hunter was instantly near him, slashing at his chest with a blade seemingly made from a laser. Glancing at it in the split second before it hit him, Goku decided it wasn't a threat and let it connect. The blade bounced off him, and the saiyan hunter immediately attacked again.

Slicing and slashing a furious storm, the saiyan hunter soon dropped back and was surprised to see Goku still perfectly fine, brushing a bit of dust off his unscathed gi. The saiyan hunter bounded backward and floated up into the air, Goku floated up as well to buy more time.

An idea came to him almost instantly. He was fairly sure that he had figured out how the Namekiian telepathy worked, but the only person he could contact yet was 18. Still, that was the only person he needed to talk with, either. Working to open the link, his attention was diverted as his opponent began to shine brightly. The surface of his armor writhed and then tentacles of metal shot out toward him. Slightly puzzled, Goku didn't bother to dodge and was soon wrapped up in a mass of metal.

The saiyan hunter laughed bitterly and then flipped a switch on his suit. Instantly sparks began to fly from the tentacles, and they grew white hot in a glow that spread down to Goku. Electricity danced along it and toward him. But when the energy met his skin, the electricity either was absorbed into him or reflected back along the tentacles. While only a fraction of the original was reflected, the saiyan hunter was still blasted toward the ground by the sheer electrical voltage that came back into his body.

Flexing, Goku snapped the metal apart, breaking it from his body in an explosion of shrapnel. The metal retreated back into the armor once again, like a living thing, and the saiyan hunter barely kept floating in the air. Goku still looked unharmed, but now electricity danced around his body in spurts, sometimes arcing from him but always staying close. He grinned. This was interesting, he hadn't even tried to block the electricity consciously.

"I will destroy you!" The saiyan hunter laughed again. He began powering up, and Goku let him. As long as it wasted enough time for him to establish a telepathic link. It didn't take long, and then 18's consciousness was there, alongside his. Goku sent out a tendril of himself and got an immediate response.

If I were you, I'd just take him out now.

But I can't do that, Goku insisted, I'll just prove his point.

I don't see why you should care about that, but in any case it doesn't matter. All you have to do is knock him from the ring. You know there's nothing wrong with a friendly fight.

Goku shook his head. Overlooking the obvious again, Thanks for reminding me, even the most civilized of us need a bit of chaos to even things out.

Yeah sure, anytime. The whole electricity thing is pretty interesting, by the way.

Indeed, but I have to go now.

Just then a yellow flash burst out and something flew toward Goku from the saiyan hunter. His mind instantly began working on what had happened. Collecting from the evidence, it didn't take long to figure out. The saiyan hunter was transformed entirely into a yellow acid, and he had dove toward Goku. The true question was what he could possibly intend to accomplish with the unorthodox attack.

For an instant the yellow liquid covered him, and then it seeped down into his pores. Goku searched inside himself to try and figure out what was going on, but then there seemed to be an explosion, and Goku had to brace himself against a time-space rip that suddenly echoed throughout his mind. Recovering from that, Goku found the saiyan hunter, in material form again, looking at him, extremely shocked.

"No," he gasped. "It isn't possible. You should be dead!"

"What was that? Could you clarify?" Goku asked him. The saiyan hunter glared at him.

"That is the ultimate finishing attack. I transform into acid, enter my foe's body, then reform, killing them. But somehow, saiyan, you've survived. Which just means that I have to kill you another way."

Silently congratulating him on the stroke of genius, Goku decided to end the match soon. His opponent fired off two missiles from guns concealed in his hands. For an instant Goku smirked because they were too far off course to hit him. He realized the next second that they would strike the stands and immediately made sure he got in the way. As the explosion and dust cleared, he found himself staring at a horrified saiyan hunter.

Jumping forward, Goku kneed his opponent in the stomach, sending him flying. Speeding over him as he flew across the edge of the arena, Goku kicked him straight downward, where he struck the ground and was removed from the tournament. The announcer called out his victory to the crowd as he walked back to the contestant's box. Needless to say, the crowd no longer complained about lack of a fight.

Suddenly someone hit Goku in the back. He turned, but by that time he was already forced into the air above the stadium. The saiyan hunter held him in a full nelson, which Goku easily twisted out of. They faced off a second, the saiyan hunter seething with hatred and rage.

"You've beaten me," he roared, "but I will make sure that you do not destroy anyone else!"

"Please," Goku told him, "you don't need to-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as the saiyan hunter dove for him, and then exploded in a fiery conflagration that lit up the entire sky. A mushroom cloud of smoke drifted down into the eyes of the crowd. When the dust had cleared, however, Goku still hovered in the sky, untouched. Drifting down and ignoring the shocked expressions, he sat back down beside 18 and waited for the next round.

It was longer in coming than normal, especially because of the entire last round. Almost every year something odd happened in the tournament, but rarely did anyone commit suicide. Goku's display of power had impressed a few people as well and the odds could be seen changing at the betting tables. As the arena had been highly damaged, work crews quickly rushed out to make it an even battlefield again.

As soon as the next round was called, 18 entered the ring easily and waited for her opponent. A loud thump shook the arena as Mafu jumped in, roaring. 18 casually watched him. Nothing serious, she'd seen stronger humans during her two years of destruction. As the announcer talked briefly, she ignored him and mentally assessed her opponent's weaknesses. Not enough power, far too little speed. He had bulked up to the point that it restricted his movement, a mistake humans often made. The final diagnostic: pushover.

The bell sounded, and 18 prepared for his first leap. Showing more self-control than she had expected, he began to speak instead.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you," he rumbled. "Give up now and this ends peacefully."

"Do you want to attack first, or are you going to let me?"

"Mafu would never attack a helpless woman."

"Would Mafu like everyone to think he was afraid of a fight?"

Roaring, he somewhat clumsily charged at her. Jumping, she cleared him easily and landed as he teetered on the edge of the ring. Turning, he ran for her again. Deciding to end it all now, she didn't try to dodge this blow. Holding out one hand, she caught him in midair, completely stopping his momentum. Knuckling him under the chin, she sent him flying out of the ring, creating a small crater where he landed.

Getting to his feet slowly, Mafu stared daggers at her.

"I will have my revenge!" he called, but he went back into the contestant's booth calmly enough. Moving back to her spot, 18 sat beside Goku again. He nodded to her, indicating he approved of her handling of the last match. Soon, the last match of round one began and they waited for the next contestants.

"This match is between the two most mysterious competitors in this tournament, Shin and Suppopovitch! They've proved their strength in the test, and now they'll see which is the stronger in the ring!"

Both of them walked up to the ring side by side, as if unwilling to allow the other to enter first. A glare of barely masked hatred shot between them. Goku puzzled over that a second, but couldn't think why they should even have met each other, much less hate each other. They both quickly took their places in the arena and then waited for the announcer to call for the match to begin.

In an instant both contestants flew forward, clashing in the center. Both fell back, but Shin recovered sooner and knocked Suppopovitch backward. They recovered their footing and watched each other warily. Moving quickly enough to take Suppopovitch off guard, Shin leaped forward and elbowed his opponent in the chest, then struck his head with a roundhouse kick that sent him stumbling back across the arena.

Suppopovitch seemed to be dead, but then got to his feet slowly. He leaped again, but the Kioshin evaded the blow, following up with another kick. Getting up, Suppopovitch attacked again, and this time they met in a flurry of quick strikes. Eventually Shin got a fist through and knocked his opponent backward. Things seemed over for Suppopovitch, but he somehow managed to get to his feet again.

The next time they clashed, it was Shin's defense that failed and he hurtled backward, barely landing within the ring. Suppopovitch leaped forward and attempted to stomp his head, but Shin was gone and above him. A second later he hammered him across the ring again.

Now as Suppopovitch got up, his energy seemed drained. Goku was impressed with his recuperative powers, but it was obvious the amount of damage he had coming his way was too much. Apparently Suppopovitch did as well, for he didn't attack again. Shin wiped blood off his lip and folded his arms, calmly waiting. Before they could begin to fight again, Suppopovitch pulled from his back a tiny orb that suddenly expanded in size to a large brass lamp. Holding it out before him and chanting something, Suppopovitch was discolored in a green glow from the lamp, which seemed to shine from a strange source of power.

There were four responses to this, all varied. Most bystanders had no idea what was going on and were curious about it. The announcer was frantically yelling that such a weapon violated the tournament rules and that Shin would win the match by default. Goku cringed at a wave of decidedly evil energy coming from the lamp. Shin himself staggered and fell to his knees.

Observing more carefully, Goku found that energy was sapping from Shin and into the lamp. Looking inside it, Goku found it awash with the energy of hundreds of beings. Why would anyone take energy from so many people? Why would anyone need that much in the first place?

Shin appeared to be getting weaker, but, summoning strength from somewhere, he threw his head up in defiance and charged. His blow hit Suppopovitch directly in the jaw, and sent his opponent flying across the arena and through the wall. The glow from the lamp vanished, but Shin appeared to be severely drained.

There was a second of silence, and then pandemonium reigned across the stadium.

"Shin has won, both on account of his opponent being disqualified and his being removed from the ring!" the announcer was barely heard above the crowd, but Shin nodded and left the ring. Goku and 18 flew down to meet him immediately.

"What was that?" Goku asked. Shin seemed to look him over, as if considering his answer.

"An incredible evil, something I do not know. Whatever it is, it collects vast amounts of energy from other beings. Even now, my energy is down to about half of what it was."

"Do you know what caused it?"

"A spell of some sort, but it was cast on the lamp itself, by whom I am not certain. It will take me around ten minutes to return to full power. I have no idea what manner of problem this is. However, I suggest we find out soon."

"What can we do?" 18 asked. "We can't kill him in the tournament without getting disqualified."

"Nothing," Shin said bitterly. "I will try and trace him. Where is he now?"

They all looked and saw the huge figure limping away in the distance, the lamp now back to its original size, but they could still sense the energy from within. Gritting his teeth, Goku resigned himself to solve that problem later. All three returned to their places just as order began to be restored in the arena. The announcer came back out into the open and brought the crowd to a murmur.

"In the last match, Suppopovitch cheated by using an illegal foreign object in the ring. Shin has won the match, and will be the last of the four qualifying contestants. It appears that Suppopovitch has left the area and will not return. There are only 3 matches left, folks, but they'll be the best yet! For now, we'll have fifteen minutes of a break to allow all the contestants time to recover, and then we'll move on with our lineup. First match is Kakkarrot versus Shin! See you in fifteen!"

Everyone got up and left the arena, except a few who didn't want to give up their seats. The contestants, minus Suppopovitch and the saiyan hunter, went back into the garden again for the time. Shin sat down cross-legged and began meditating a few feet off of the ground. Some of the other contestants began talking with each other, the ones who had lost bitterly wishing they had done better. Looking around, 18 realized that she didn't see Mafu anywhere. A dark wind began to blow...