Disclaimer: Not in the best mood right now so stay away from me...I don't own DBZ. : P thhhhh!

Chapter 3: Illegal Arena

Gohan landed in a dark and empty alley where he changed his clothes. After mumbling something to Chichi about going out to the mountains Gohan headed in that general direction but masked his ki and turned towards the city. He brought some clothes with him in a capsule so he wouldn't be recognized at the "Arena", besides it was illegal and he wouldn't want to be caught there. He pulled off his blue training gi and put on a black tank top and grey baggy pants. (Think Marai Trunks.) He also wore a black leather jacket which he got from Krillen as a gift recently. And to be cautious he wore a black bandana around his head and slid on dark shades. No one would think shy and quiet Gohan was this dark looking stranger.

The teen made his way to where he guessed the warehouse was. He sensed a huge gathering of human ki at an old, beat up, rusting building that didn't look safe enough for a cat to climb. A single person stepped out of another alley nearby and after a short pause disappeared behind a door that didn't seem like it was there. Curious, Gohan forgot all worries and walked out of the shadows up to the spot previously occupied by another person. When he got there he came face to face with a gray decaying wall but through a few holes he heard someone speak to him. "Password." Gohan cleared his throat and made his voice drop to have more bass to it. "Red Widow." Immediately the wall slid open and he stepped in hurried by a giant guy with piercing everywhere along with tattoos. He shot Gohan a long stare before he retuned to his post. Gohan now noticed that the wall he saw before was actually made of material that you could see through, like at police stations. He turned away from his observation to check out the rest of his environment.

The whole interior was dimly lit except for the middle which held a white arena larger than normal. (Think Spiderman.) Everywhere was so crowded that there could have been hundreds of people present. At the far corner was a bar and next to it was a staircase guarded by two thugs. Gohan's eyes followed the stairs and found that there was a room above all the chaos watching down on everything. The windows were tinted black so he couldn't see who was inside but guessed it was whoever ran this engagement. All around you could see people placing bets on the up coming fight. The arena lit up and an announcer appeared in front of the enormous audience. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Arena! For the first fight of the night we will have an insane lover of baseball with a thirst of violence. Say hello to MAD BATTER!" The crowd went wild for the fighter who appeared on stage. He was a tall guy with a strong posture and short blonde hair. He had on what seemed to be a black and red baseball uniform but the sleeves were torn off exposing his hard muscles. In his left hand he held a long black aluminum bat. He looked over at the ladies with his sparkling green eyes and gave a seductive smile; they swooned and soon after fainted. "Next," the announcer began again, "we have a truly insane man who says he is a modern day vampire. To tell the truth I believe him, one look into his eyes and you will be frozen by fear. Please welcome FREAK!" Someone with a black trench coat stepped into the arena. He wore black and white makeup to appear more frightening and it looked like he had sharpened his canines so they looked like fangs. Long black hair was slightly in his face covering his blood red eyes, contacts most likely. The crowd went wild at this mad man as he turned around slowly to look throughout the warehouse. Gohan heard a clinking sound when he moved and noticed that he had long spiked chains hanging from both hands.

People of all ages gathered around the two deadly fighters in anticipation of the fight. Gohan sensed for their ki's and was a bit surprised to find that they both were stronger than any normal person. With his interest peaking he moved through the crowd to get a better view of the fight. There was a short gate surrounding the arena ten feet from it so Gohan got right up to it and ended up behind the one called Freak. The two were pacing around the square eyeing each other carefully. Mad Batter saw the dangerous chains and Freak saw the long and rock hard bat. Freak ran forward swinging one of his chains anticipating that Batter would block with his bat, which he did. The Freak swung his other chain at Batter's ankles and it wrapped around it and he fell to the floor. His first chain was wrapped too tightly around the bat so he let it go and dropped the weapons on the ground. He was about to swing again at the defenseless fighter but Batter kicked him on both shins and he backed up in pain. Batter quickly got back up and punched the other guy directly in the jaw, sending him into a corner. He came after him but Freak ducked his fist and grabbed him from behind. He securely held Batter's arms and dropped him to the ground where he executed a very painful hold, bending both arms back and his boot against the back of his head.

Mad Batter was able to get out of the hold and the two exchanged blows and moves on each other. Gohan was amused at first but now got quite bored and turned around to look for the exit. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and ran straight into a large black guy that had to be at least seven feet tall. Gohan came up to his shoulders and could see the veins popping out of his biceps. He wore a flimsy green vest and brown pants and looked irritatedly down at Gohan with beady black eyes. The dim light shined on his bald head and he eyes turned into slits when he spoke. "Watch. Where. You. Go. KID." And he pushed Gohan back making him fall over the gates and slam against the edge of the platform. Gohan got up quickly angry from embarrassment that he was taken by surprise and pushed over like he was a child. The big guy jumped over the fence and the two glared daggers at each other. "Got a problem?" He asked with acid. The young saiyan felt the blood boiling in him and the intense urge to decapitate this stupid fellow. Before he could do anything though the man had his huge bulking arm soaring at him in a blow meant to kill. On instinct Gohan jumped up and unintentionally landed in the middle of the fight between Mad Batter and Freak. The black guy also joined on the stage and he was surrounded by three menacing looking guys.

Everyone stopped cheering the fight on and watched this dumb ass break the fight. Boos rose up from all directions and beer cans were thrown at the square. Mad Batter spoke after getting hit on the head with a Bud Light. "Crusher what are you doing, you broke my fight." Crusher looked at Gohan while he answered. "This punk needs to be taught a lesson about messing with Soul Crusher. You two sit down, a new show's about to start." Mad Batter looked at Freak and they both knew better than to mess with Crusher on a bad day. "Hope you had a nice life kid." He said to Gohan before he stepped out between the ropes.

Gohan's mind was racing, how did he get into this mess? It seemed like the only way out was to fight this guy, but he didn't want to hurt him; not too badly anyways. He thought the situation over in his head. "Shit. Everyone will be watching someone could recognize me. I shouldn't have come here, damn my curiosity! As long as I keep the shaded and bandana on no one will see me. Look at that damn idiot smiling like he won the lotto. I guess that I'll have to teach him a lesson instead." Gohan gave an evil sardonic smirk thinking of the many ways he would make Crusher look like a fool. Sometimes the city could be fun after all. Gohan let his saiyan side take control for a while.

"So big guy are you gonna stand there like a statue or run around like a chicken without a head?" Gohan's open mockery gained oohs and ahhs, who was this guy? If it was even possible the black guy blushed at being made fun of. Rage was clearly evident in his small eyes when he charged at Gohan. Crusher ran forward to deliver a blow to the nose but Gohan lazily moved his head to the side to avoid the punch. His opponent then used his momentum to turn and execute a round house kick but that was also easily dodged. Crusher grunted then tried a different attack. He faked a right hand jab then swung with his left. He was disappointed when he found that Gohan had blocked with his forearm. Soul Crusher looked at this teenager with disbelief. His blows were so hard and fast that they could take down Hercule himself but here stood some punk able to dodge and block them without looking fazed one bit. He gazed down at Gohan's face; his shades had slid down and he was able to observe a fatal yet calm look about him, reminding him of a panther stalking his prey. Crusher became unnerved but refused to show it. "You're pretty good kid, but I won't let you leave this arena alive."

"You don't know who you're dealing with." Gohan used his unoccupied hand to punch Crusher right in the gut, just fast enough so he couldn't stop him and just hard enough to have him feel it. The wind was knocked out of his lungs and he bent over trying to catch his breath. Gohan gave him some time and waited till he got back up. Without warning Crusher ran at him, still slightly bent, and tried to take him down to the floor. He dove at his feet and Gohan let himself fall to the ground so he could use his feet to flip his opponent over him. Crusher did a quick roll so he would end up on his feet again and jumped up hoping to land his feet on Gohan who was still on the floor. Gohan reached out his hands to grab both of Crusher's feet and twisted them so he fell next to him face down. Gohan and Crusher got back up and stared across at each other. Gohan got restless and took the offensive first. He aimed a couple of fast kicks here and there along with some devastating blows. With one last punch he sent Soul Crusher to the floor unconscious. Gohan's mind transferred out of saiyan mode and back to reality as he heard cheering and hooting from the multitudes. The announcer reappeared on stage and grabbed Gohan's hand to raise it up. "And the winner is..." He looked at Gohan for a sec then whispered away from the mike to him. "Make up a name son." Gohan in his uneasiness said whatever came to mind. "Umm, Saiyaman." The announcer looked at the teen and the ridiculous name he came up with. "... ladies and gentleman your winner, DARK PRINCE!"

An uproar of approval resounded within the warehouse at the only man able to take down Soul Crusher. Gohan hated all the attention he was receiving and he just wanted to become a fly at that moment. He was about to make his getaway when the announcer spoke to him again. "He he, like your new name, go up those stairs, the Ringleader requests your presence." Gohan looked at the announcer warily then stepped out of the ring. Gohan didn't know whether he should see whoever the "Ringleader" guy was or just go home now. He walked past the crowd till he came to a point between the exit and the staircase. He eyed both with consideration, which way should he go? "I could leave right now, but whoever is up there wants to see me." Gohan scrutinized the tinted windows above. "I have no clue what I got myself into; I should at least apologize for breaking the fight. Then I'll just leave and no one will be the wiser." Gohan walked by the two thugs stationed at the opening of the stairs and continued to go up. He counted forty steps before he finally came to a steel door. Before he was able to think if he should knock first the door was opened by the one he remembered being the Mad Batter.

Gohan, or the Dark Prince, cautiously entered the well lit room. His eyes absorbed every little detail about his new surroundings. It seemed to be the security room with monitors and computers lining the walls; a handful of people accompanied them. The room was actually small and Gohan thought there had to be more to it from the observations he made earlier. This small room could only be a small portion of what he saw of the upstairs room from the outside. He was right when Batter directed him to another steel door hidden by a curtain. He input a number code that Gohan couldn't see and the door automatically opened. In contrast to the last room this one was almost completely dark. The only light source was that of a dim lamp that sat on a desk. Through the slight light Gohan made out a leather chair that was occupied behind the desk. Whoever sat on the chair was smoking a cigar, Gohan could smell the offending stench, and the tip burned as he took another drag.

"Hello Dark Prince, you may call me Ringleader, for now, please take a seat." Batter pushed a wooden chair at Dark Prince and forcefully pushed his shoulders down to have him sit. Ringleader inhaled his cigar another time before he spoke again. "It has come to my attention that one of my fighters was pushing you around. Since he can not apologize himself, I do in his place. Usually this would be the end of it but it seems that in a fight between you two he was knocked unconscious. Now I hope you can understand when I say that this fighter, Crusher, was to be tonight's main event and now I am short one fighter. This is greatly unfortunate." Mad Batter, who was standing behind Gohan pulled out a gun and pressed it against Gohan's head. "I run a very tight circle here and anything that disrupts the flow of my business causes me to loss money. And that I will NOT have happen." Clearly the gun and the malice in Ringleader's voice were supposed to intimidate Gohan but it did the opposite. Gohan let out an audible sigh of relief. "So what do you suppose we do about that?" He said.

Ringleader got off his chair quickly to turn on a switch to a brighter light then held a shiny silver silencer straight at Gohan's forehead. Gohan was finally able to get a good look of this man and wasn't too shocked when he saw that his eyes were completely white. Ringleader obviously intended to scare him but Gohan looked directly into his white orbs without a hint of emotion. Ringleader put some pressure to the trigger but this boy still wore a stern look. Just as quickly as he got up he put his gun on the desk and sat back down, Batter did the same. "It seems to me that you are made of finer material than the goons who flock here every night. Also you have a knack for fighting which I could use in a situation like this. This is what I propose we do about this dilemma." Another puff of the cigar. "I will not kill you in exchange for your services. How does that sound to you, and don't think I won't kill you." Ringleader looked at Gohan with his white eyes, or Gohan thought he did, he couldn't tell. "What exactly are these services?"

Ringleader's mouth turned up into a grin, he knew the boy was being reeled in slowly. "Very simple, just fight for me. You will enjoy all the benefits of any of my beginning fighters which include a $500 pay per any type of fight. Also unlimited access to the bar and the kitchen, really they have the best food." Gohan's attention was caught like a fly to a Thanksgiving dinner. "Before I give you my answer I would like to ask some questions." Gohan proceeded with caution. "Alright kid, go ahead." "Does anyone get killed during a fight and how do I know when I fight?" Ringleader chuckled, this kid was a laugh. "He he, USUALLY no one is killed in the ring, but accidents can happen." He then pulled out one of the drawers from the desk. "And this is how we will communicate." He threw a sleek black cell phone at Gohan to catch. "Never use that for anything; I will always be the one to call you. And if I do call you I expect you to fight that night no matter what. For your information you will be Crusher's replacement for tonight's main event, Batter will show you were to go and answer anymore of your questions. Now go." Gohan stood up in acceptance but before he left he turned around. "Just one more question, for how long?" Ringleader let the question hang in the air before he gave an answer. "You can leave whenever you want to." Gullible Gohan was satisfied and left with Batter.

"Come on, Prince." Batter joked, signaling Gohan to follow him to a back room on the ground floor. They now stood in a humongous space decorated with all luxuries one could imagine. There were flat screens, games, couches, pool tables, and the work. "Here is where the fighters lounge around before they fight. And those double doors over there lead to the kitchen with chefs waiting for orders." Gohan took a step in that direction but Mad stopped him. "Not too fast. First you need to understand something. Anything that goes on here stays here, especially information about other fighters and the Ringleader. We all lead normal lives but somehow got caught up here, let bygones be bygones, any questions?" Mad saw Prince's right eyebrow raise. "Who will I be fighting?" "Oh, no one special. Some weirdo that you could take down in a second if you can beat Crusher. I think he calls himself Hero he's a total loser but the crowd loves him." "Ok, Mady you want to join me for a snack in the kitchen?" "Mady" looked at the kid who was only a couple years younger than him, he reminded him of his brother. "Sure, what the heck Prince. Just remember your fight stars in an hour."

My Corner:

Just think about it for a while, get into Gohan's head. Your young and you lose your father because of a stupid action you did when he warned you about it. Blame yourself. Then brother comes along with no father but looks and acts exactly the same. Double-edged sword. Next you devote yourself to being able to protect your loved one and lose yourself in the process. Shut away from the world. Then you are reintroduced to civilization and your original traits, like curiosity and want return. All in all he goes to this place because he is curious with nothing better to do. I have justified my story.

And thanks to all who read and just read this, replies graciously accepted. Peace!