Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.
I would like to give my most sincere thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and most of all to those of you who are reviewing! You inspire me so much; you're all just spectacular! So here are my dedicated thanks to Spring Rain of Harusame, Trugeta, Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, animeprincess1452, Western Master 3, Brutal2003, and TIGERGRRrr!
To Spring Rain of Harusame: Thank you! And don't worry; the fighting's going to get here soon enough. Hope you enjoy this chapter, too, then!
To Trugeta: Thank you so much for letting me know! I try real hard, you know. And yes, the action's coming...hm...soon!
To Katana Midori-Fading Shadow: Thanks! Well, um...no, Hanna's not in here anymore. But not to worry, I haven't taken that type of action out completely. In fact, I'm planning a little surprise for later on! I think (and hope) that you'll like it!
To animeprincess1452: Thank you once again! And that's a great word, too. Prelims! I think that's got to be one of the coolest words I've heard, second only to sassafras!
To Western Master 3: I'm glad I caught your interest, and I hope you like how this chapter goes!
To Brutal2003: Thank you! And oh, don't I know it! I'm still wearing a pair of glasses to keep Gohan from hitting me (inside joke with Trugeta.)
To TIGERGRRrr, chapter 1: Thank you so much! I am glad that I've done a good job in your opinion (as you may have noticed, I value everyone's opinions!)
To TIGERGRRrr, chapter 5: Here you go, then! A quick update if I say so myself, no?
On with the chapter, then, guys!
Coincidentally, Gohan, Videl, Pan, and Bra all made it to the stand to sign up just when the others did. Goku and Chi-Chi arrived alongside them, as well as Bulma, Vegeta, and Chain. Many 'Hello's' were exchanged, including some fond embraces between the women.
"Bra. Haven't seen you in a while," Vegeta told his daughter with that rare tone of voice that, for once, wasn't deep and aggravated. But he was usually like that with his favorite daughter.
"Hey, Chain," Pan greeted the fellow part-Saiyan before blinking in shock. "What happened to your face?"
"Nothing," she snapped, shooting her mother a sharp glance that said 'I told you so...'
"Would you look at the size of this stadium," Bulma commented, barely noticing her daughter's anger as she marveled at the wall before her with a dropped jaw.
"I know," Chi-Chi chimed. "It's huge."
"I wonder what the interior looks like," the latter said, and turned to her friends. "You guys going to head inside now, or later?"
"Now," Goku replied, and wrote his name in the book that was on the stand. "This place looks great. I'm excited to see what it's like in there."
"Sir," the employee in uniform said to Goku. "If this is your family here, I was given instructions to let them know that there are special seat reservations specifically for them."
"Wow, good service," he grinned.
"Seat reservations?" Chi-Chi wondered, a curious smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Yes, ma'am," the man nodded. "For any family members or close acquaintances of our contestants. Your seats are in a safe location that also provides an excellent view of the battles. You may also request refreshments and items from our attendants at any time during the matches."
"Wow, that is good service," Bulma proclaimed, and the three women smiled. At last they were getting the treatment they deserved, having putting up with their Saiyan mates for so long.
"Also, the preliminary rounds have been extended for approximately four days, due to the number of participators we have."
"Four days?" they all (excepting Vegeta, of course) exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yes. Thus, we hope that you will enjoy staying in our hotel these next few nights while the matches continue."
"I had no idea you guys had a hotel," Videl said.
"It's behind the other side of the stadium, so unless you arrived from over there, you will not have seen it. We've reserved rooms for all of you, from which you may choose where you would like to stay. In the meantime, please enjoy the preliminaries."
"That we will," Bulma nodded after swiftly recovering from her shock of how long the beginning rounds were to last. 'It might be a nice type of vacation, anyway,' she thought. And the best part was that it was free, for the man hadn't mentioned any prices, and she was sure that he would have if there were any.
Gohan, Pan, and Chain each enlisted after Goku, Vegeta, and Bra, and turned to their families. The three women bid them all good luck, waving and smiling as they departed.
So they and their participating family went their separate ways. Goku and the others headed straight for the anteroom, while Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Videl headed for the entrance to the stadium seats.
They pushed their way past the tightly packed crowd forcefully until they made it next to one of the employees. "Excuse me, sir," Bulma said to him as people passed her by. "We were told that we have seats reserved for us. We're family members to some of the contestants."
"Of course, ma'am," he smiled politely. "If you will please follow my coworker there," he motion to one of the attendants, "he will promptly escort you to your seats."
She nodded, and turned to follow the attendant, Chi-Chi and Videl close behind her. Now they would get to see exactly how the stadium looked, and how well it was built for the rough fights in store...
Another chapter done! I hope you guys liked it, please let me know! Review!