Gohan glanced around as he left the plane, Chi-Chi right behind him. "Where is he?"
she said, frantic. "Where's Goku?"
"I don't know," said Gohan. "But we all heard his voice from the afterlife! He'll be here, I know it!"
"You know," said Krillin, "We didn't actually hear his voice. I don't remember that being mentioned at all in this fanfiction."
"The author just forgot to add it. It's sort of implied," Gohan explained. They continued to move through the bustling crowds, both competitors and spectators, that filled the Budokai stadium grounds.
"The Budokai is a lot bigger than it used to be," observed Krillin.
"Maybe that or you're just smaller," said Yamcha, grinning. "Because, you know, you're SMALL. Haven't you ever wondered why you're so small? Whenever I see you, I think, 'Damn! Krillin is small!"
Krillin yawned. "#18, Yamcha here said that he thinks you're putting on weight."
"No! Krillin! Get her off me!"
Krillin chuckled. "I made that mistake once," he whispered to Gohan. "I only just got to the bag of sensu beans in time."
"Hey, look! It's Piccolo!"
Piccolo glanced over his shoulder. "Gohan."
"Have you seen my father?"
"No," said Piccolo. "I haven't seen Goku anywhere." He stood silently, staring into the distance, his arms folded across his chest. His cloak wavered in the breeze. Everyone waited.
"Er," said Gohan. "Want to stop looking mysterious and join us now, Piccolo?"
"Wait a second." Piccolo frowned into the distance, and then turned. "Right. I'm done. Let's go find Son." Then he noticed Gohan's outfit and his face spasmed. "You're fighting like that?"
"Why not?" Gohan performed a stylish pose, poised on his toes. "After all, I am the Great Saiyaman!"
"I should have let Nappa kill you," Piccolo muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
They contined on their way, passing various people who were creepily frozen in the background as Toei hadn't bothered to give them any animations, seeing as they weren't that important anyway.
"He'll be here," said Gohan. "I bet he'll just step in front of us and say 'Hi, guys!"
Goku stepped out in front of them. "Hi, guys!"
"Yeah, just like that."
The group continued to move on. Goku hesitated, and turned around. "Uh, hello?"
"You know, that man looked a lot like Goten, but bigger," said Chi-Chi thoughtfully. "I once knew a guy like that."
"It's me! Goku!"
Gohan froze. "Hey! It's dad!"
"Big hugs for Goku!" shouted somebody, and they all clustered around him, laughing and smiling and generally bringing a heartwarming tear to the eyes of all those watching, except for Vegeta, who was fighting back the urge to kill everything and everybody, and #18, who smirked and stood aside. Goku saw her and pointed a trembling finger.
"Watch out! It's Android #18! She's still alive! I've got to stop her now!"
"No! She's my wife, Goku!" Krillin jabbed Goku in the ribs. "Stop doing the Kamehameha RIGHT NOW."
"Your... your wife?"
"Yes, Goku, my wife!"
"Goku your wife? I'm your wife?" Goku gasped in horror. "I must have been so drunk!"
"That's the same old Goku!" said the Ox King, grinning immensely. Nobody laughed, and he sighed and disappeared into the background.
"That's the same old Goku," added Gohan, and everybody burst into laughter.
"This chapter sucks," said Vegeta, scowling.
They were lead to a large courtyard where all the potential fighters stood in confused groups, waiting for an official to step from the building in front of them and explain the situation.
Eventually a portly man in a robe stepped forward. "As there are too many contestants in this year's Budokai for preliminaries, we're going to allow qualification through a strength test. Each fighter must punch this machine, and those with the highest scores will enter the Budokai. Are there any questions?"
"Yes," said a ninja in the front row. "I think that this test discriminates against those who have trained their speed and martial arts ability over crude brute strength, ignoring the fact that some of us are ninjas who eschew the art of a powerful blow over a subtle but crippling blow, something that cannot be properly represented on a punching machine."
"You're absolutely right," said the official. "And I don't care. Now, to set the first score and to make you all feel insigificant, here is the World Champion Mr. Satan!"
Mr. Satan somersaulted into the courtyard, the camera flashes rapidly flickering in a way certain to cause epileptic fits. A crowd of watchers began screaming in pure devotion and ecstasy as Mr. Satan lifted two fingers high for the crowd.
"That's my dad," said Videl smugly. She elbowed a muscular man in the ribs. "That's my dad, you know." She tapped the shoulder of the woman in front of her. "Hey, that's my dad." She turned to Gohan. "Guess what? That's my dad."
"What a pathetic competition!" said Mr. Satan loudly. "But I'm sure I'll get a bit of exercise from some of you! So, you want me to set a high score for you chumps to try to live up to? How about this?" He faced the machine, staring into the red circle that marked the target zone. He tensed his body, his cape hanging slack over his shoulders, sweating beading his wide forehead. His muscles poised. He stepped back slightly.
"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" His fist slammed into the machine, rocking it and causing three numbers to ding into view on the digital counter. Mr. Satan smirked, raising his fists high. "Alright! I bet none of you will even come close to that!"
"137 points!" said the announcer. "Mr. Satan has scored 137 points!"
"My dad is the best!" Videl grinned. "Think you can beat that, Gohan?"
Gohan cleared his throat. He saw Vegeta cracking his knuckles and smiling a weird, disturbing smile. He saw the regular fighters scoring less than 100 and walking away, disappointed. He saw Videl step up and hit the machine with all her strength, scoring 112 points and the cheers of the crowd. He saw #18 step towards the punching machine, a calculating expression on her face. He saw dead people, although that was just Goku wiping his nose on his sleeve.
"Careful, #18, don't break it!"
#18 gave him a look of disgust. "I know that." She lifted her fist.
"I don't know," said Gohan. "But we all heard his voice from the afterlife! He'll be here, I know it!"
"You know," said Krillin, "We didn't actually hear his voice. I don't remember that being mentioned at all in this fanfiction."
"The author just forgot to add it. It's sort of implied," Gohan explained. They continued to move through the bustling crowds, both competitors and spectators, that filled the Budokai stadium grounds.
"The Budokai is a lot bigger than it used to be," observed Krillin.
"Maybe that or you're just smaller," said Yamcha, grinning. "Because, you know, you're SMALL. Haven't you ever wondered why you're so small? Whenever I see you, I think, 'Damn! Krillin is small!"
Krillin yawned. "#18, Yamcha here said that he thinks you're putting on weight."
"No! Krillin! Get her off me!"
Krillin chuckled. "I made that mistake once," he whispered to Gohan. "I only just got to the bag of sensu beans in time."
"Hey, look! It's Piccolo!"
Piccolo glanced over his shoulder. "Gohan."
"Have you seen my father?"
"No," said Piccolo. "I haven't seen Goku anywhere." He stood silently, staring into the distance, his arms folded across his chest. His cloak wavered in the breeze. Everyone waited.
"Er," said Gohan. "Want to stop looking mysterious and join us now, Piccolo?"
"Wait a second." Piccolo frowned into the distance, and then turned. "Right. I'm done. Let's go find Son." Then he noticed Gohan's outfit and his face spasmed. "You're fighting like that?"
"Why not?" Gohan performed a stylish pose, poised on his toes. "After all, I am the Great Saiyaman!"
"I should have let Nappa kill you," Piccolo muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
They contined on their way, passing various people who were creepily frozen in the background as Toei hadn't bothered to give them any animations, seeing as they weren't that important anyway.
"He'll be here," said Gohan. "I bet he'll just step in front of us and say 'Hi, guys!"
Goku stepped out in front of them. "Hi, guys!"
"Yeah, just like that."
The group continued to move on. Goku hesitated, and turned around. "Uh, hello?"
"You know, that man looked a lot like Goten, but bigger," said Chi-Chi thoughtfully. "I once knew a guy like that."
"It's me! Goku!"
Gohan froze. "Hey! It's dad!"
"Big hugs for Goku!" shouted somebody, and they all clustered around him, laughing and smiling and generally bringing a heartwarming tear to the eyes of all those watching, except for Vegeta, who was fighting back the urge to kill everything and everybody, and #18, who smirked and stood aside. Goku saw her and pointed a trembling finger.
"Watch out! It's Android #18! She's still alive! I've got to stop her now!"
"No! She's my wife, Goku!" Krillin jabbed Goku in the ribs. "Stop doing the Kamehameha RIGHT NOW."
"Your... your wife?"
"Yes, Goku, my wife!"
"Goku your wife? I'm your wife?" Goku gasped in horror. "I must have been so drunk!"
"That's the same old Goku!" said the Ox King, grinning immensely. Nobody laughed, and he sighed and disappeared into the background.
"That's the same old Goku," added Gohan, and everybody burst into laughter.
"This chapter sucks," said Vegeta, scowling.
They were lead to a large courtyard where all the potential fighters stood in confused groups, waiting for an official to step from the building in front of them and explain the situation.
Eventually a portly man in a robe stepped forward. "As there are too many contestants in this year's Budokai for preliminaries, we're going to allow qualification through a strength test. Each fighter must punch this machine, and those with the highest scores will enter the Budokai. Are there any questions?"
"Yes," said a ninja in the front row. "I think that this test discriminates against those who have trained their speed and martial arts ability over crude brute strength, ignoring the fact that some of us are ninjas who eschew the art of a powerful blow over a subtle but crippling blow, something that cannot be properly represented on a punching machine."
"You're absolutely right," said the official. "And I don't care. Now, to set the first score and to make you all feel insigificant, here is the World Champion Mr. Satan!"
Mr. Satan somersaulted into the courtyard, the camera flashes rapidly flickering in a way certain to cause epileptic fits. A crowd of watchers began screaming in pure devotion and ecstasy as Mr. Satan lifted two fingers high for the crowd.
"That's my dad," said Videl smugly. She elbowed a muscular man in the ribs. "That's my dad, you know." She tapped the shoulder of the woman in front of her. "Hey, that's my dad." She turned to Gohan. "Guess what? That's my dad."
"What a pathetic competition!" said Mr. Satan loudly. "But I'm sure I'll get a bit of exercise from some of you! So, you want me to set a high score for you chumps to try to live up to? How about this?" He faced the machine, staring into the red circle that marked the target zone. He tensed his body, his cape hanging slack over his shoulders, sweating beading his wide forehead. His muscles poised. He stepped back slightly.
"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" His fist slammed into the machine, rocking it and causing three numbers to ding into view on the digital counter. Mr. Satan smirked, raising his fists high. "Alright! I bet none of you will even come close to that!"
"137 points!" said the announcer. "Mr. Satan has scored 137 points!"
"My dad is the best!" Videl grinned. "Think you can beat that, Gohan?"
Gohan cleared his throat. He saw Vegeta cracking his knuckles and smiling a weird, disturbing smile. He saw the regular fighters scoring less than 100 and walking away, disappointed. He saw Videl step up and hit the machine with all her strength, scoring 112 points and the cheers of the crowd. He saw #18 step towards the punching machine, a calculating expression on her face. He saw dead people, although that was just Goku wiping his nose on his sleeve.
"Careful, #18, don't break it!"
#18 gave him a look of disgust. "I know that." She lifted her fist.