Welcome to the afterlife, son!



Chapter Nine: Piccolo versus Arrar



Last time...

Piccolo actually waved at the audience, and Gohan was very surprised.

Is my old mentor and sensei actually defrosting? Hmm, seems as if his stay up here is affecting him... he thought.

"And here, from the South quadrant, I give you Arrar! He's a fierce fighter from the planet Grizzlor who gave his life defending his home planet against the invading troops of Oregar!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed, and again the audience cheered.

Piccolo surveyed his opponent. Arrar was very tall and broad-shouldered, muscular and seemingly well-trained. And, most important of all, he looked like an intelligent version of the grizzly bear from Earth.

This will be one interesting fight... Piccolo thought and readied himself for the battle...



Now the continuation...

Piccolo nodded and cracked his knuckles. He had not fought other aliens in a long time, but he had gotten a lot stronger since the days he had been back then when he had had to fight the Saiyans long ago.

The Namekian warrior stepped into the ring, and Arrar did the same from the opposite site. The smile he wore told Piccolo 'I will not be an easy victim!', and Piccolo nodded. He had understood...

They got into fighting stance, and seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal. The battle had begun...

Piccolo and Arrar surveyed each other before they suddenly disappeared at the same time. The shock wave which resulted from the first blow being dealt was so strong that the spectators would have been blown of their seats had it not been for the protective enchantments Uranai Baba had cast around the tournament ring. Those absorbed energy attacks, but allowed bodies to pass.

Wow! Gohan thought, Piccolo has become a lot stronger since I last saw him! Man has he improved!

And indeed, Piccolo was putting up a very good battle, but Arrar was also no piece of cake.

A quick feet sweep for Piccolos legs only managed to kick thin air, but the punch that followed once Piccolo had jumped into the air connected with cunning accuracy with Piccolo ribcage.

Piccolo was nearly sent flying out of the ring, but caught himself early enough in mid-air.

Seconds later he touched down on the ground. Now he was angry. No one did that without paying...

He concentrated and summoned all of his power (he had without taking his weighted clothing off), and once he had started his power-up the whole arena started to shake.

Yeah, Piccolo had indeed become much stronger since his death, but that was not only due to the fact that he had trained with King Kai.

Some time ago (although time did not really play a role in the afterlife) he had merged with Kami, who had died too after Piccolo had been killed.

One could not exist without the other, and Kami had stood before the decision to ascend into heaven or become one with Piccolo again, who had chosen the path of good and been allowed to train.

Well, Kami had chosen the latter, and the reunion of the two halves that had once been the first Namekian warrior had created a warrior that was even stronger than a new Super Saiyan.

With that power at his command he should be able to beat Arrar. Sure, the Grizzlorian was strong, but Piccolo loved a good challenge...

Too bad that he had not had this kind of power when he had still been alive. Supposedly he alone would have been able to reduce the Androids to the scrap they were. But during his lifetime he had never been able to convince Kami to fuse with him and become one being again. Well, better too late then never. And who knows, maybe we will be wished back and get the chance to pay the tin cans back...

All this thoughts were shooting in a nano-second through Piccolos mind, and seconds later he finished his impressive power-up.

His body mass had grown and he had become a head taller, and his muscle mass had increased impressively. His power had increased as well and was now higher than Arrars'.

The assembled crowd cheered and yelled at this display of power coming from the Namekian, and Piccolo allowed himself a sly grin.

Then he attacked, and it became obvious that his speed had increased as much as his strength. He was amazingly fast, and most spectators were not able to see him move.

But this time the Grand Kai had taken good care of this problem and thought far ahead, as he had wanted his spectators to be able to watch the fight at all events, regardless how fast they were. Thus he had held conference with Uranai Baba and other strong witches and wizards before the tournament, and together they had been able to conjure magical video screens that were able to show the fighters move regardless their speed.

Thus the Grand Kai nodded towards Uranai Baba who got the message and nodded herself. She cast the charm, and suddenly video screens appeared all around the arena out of thin air. The audience gasped, and the Grand Kai grinned. He informed his announcer telepathically, and the little guy did his job.

"Ladies and Gentlemen and everything else, you will be delighted to see another stroke of genius coming from our Grandness, the Grand Kai! Due to his Grandness' genius we are able to present this fight even to those who can not see Piccolo and Arrar move! These fierce fighters are moving so fast that even most of our best fighters have trouble following their movements! But fear not and look at the screens!!!" he yelled into his magical mike and pointed at the large video screens that had magically appeared there.

Uranai Baba activated the screens with another charm and just at this moment the crowd looked. Loud 'Oohs' and 'Aaahs' went up once they saw the display of the fighters trading punches. This time the Grand Kai had had a really brilliant idea, and he had used his resources to its fullest.

Yeah, a happy crowd is a good crowd... the Grand Kai thought smiling as all the spectators cheered for him.

The whole audience clapped and bowed towards the Grand Kai, who was extremely pleased with himself and nodded towards the crowd.

Especially a young woman named Videl Satan was looking forward very much at finally being able to watch a certain Son Gohan fight...

Said Gohan however saw clear, and Piccolo aimed a swift punch for Arrars abdomen. The punch was too quick for Arrar to counter, and he was hit hard.

The intensity of this punch surprised the spectators and a certain Saiyan Prince however.

Hmm, the Namek has improved. And that very much... If I should face him in a fight I may have to show off my new found power... he thought, and just in this moment Piccolo let a blow to Arrars' chin follow which sent the Grizzlorian flying upwards.

The right hook was strong enough to sent Arrar high into the space above, and Piccolo fazed out of sight.

"Wow!!! This has been one punch!! Let alone watching hurt!!!" the alien announcer yelled, and the crowd cheered loudly.

Meanwhile Piccolo reappeared before Arrar, but the Grizzlorian had meanwhile recovered.

He launched himself straight at Piccolo and aimed a punch for his nose, but Piccolo had his guard up and blocked this punch easily.

The Namekian was as concentrated as possible, and he was determined to end this match as quickly as possible. After all, he wanted to commence with the real thing and join the others in the next round...

So he zanzokened out of sight and reappeared behind Arrar.

This fast movement coming from the Namekian startled the Grizzlorian, for he had never fought someone this fast ever before. Even the Oregans who had invaded his homeworld and who he had fought back had not been such a challenge...

Piccolo aimed a punch for Arrars neck, but the tall alien fighter had his guard up this time, too.

He blocked the punch that would most probably been strong enough to embed him in a crater down below and upped the anti himself by hitting Piccolo as hard as he could into the stomach.

He penetrated Piccolos defences, but it seemed as if he had hit a solid steel wall, despite all his strength. And it had as much effect. None whatsoever. Only his fist hurt.

Man, just how strong is this warrior? Arrar managed to think before he felt a sharp pain from a kick that sent him flying towards one of the celestial bodies.

Arrar crashed right through the planet and continued his uncontrolled 'flight' until he was finally able to get a grip on himself.

"And he has been hit hard by this shot coming from Piccolo!!! Will Arrar be able to fight back???" the announcer yelled.

Unnoticed to the Grizzlorian fighter Piccolo had moved a fast roundhouse kick (too fast for him to see) and sent him flying, through the celestial body.

The crowd cheered loudly as they could see everything that was going on above their heads on detail. This was awesome!

Arrar recovered fast, for he had obviously thought that his strength before so many Oregans had fallen would be enough to defeat this green-skinned warrior. He did not know if he was strong enough to do so, but he would never give up and give this fight his best!

He roared and powered up. Then the Grizzlorian flew straight at Piccolo and aimed a fast punch for Piccolos face, but the Namekian simply caught the incoming fist, despite the extended claws and waved his hand away. Piccolo then countered Arrars attack with a punch of his own, but Arrar blocked this one with ease.

Piccolo nodded. Obviously the power-up from Arrar had enhanced his strength. Good! Maybe he would get a challenge after all...

They exchanged blows and kicks at jackhammer speed, but soon it was becoming obvious that Piccolo was the better fighter.

However the combatants were moving so fast that they seemed to become blurs to the audience, and only very few people were able to keep track of them with their own eyes. The vast majority had to watch the fight at the numerous magical vid-screens.

The video screen was even able to keep track of the fighters even if they were fighting in the space above. After they had enough experience from the previous tournaments, the Grand Kai and his assistants knew that most of the spectators were not able to keep track with the best fighters. And a lot of the previous fights had been taken in the space above...

Very few had been able to watch the fights between Goku and Pikkon or Goku and Vegeta, for those fighters were simply too fast.

But these were the fights that were really interesting, and he was proud of himself that his spectators were finally able to watch even those fights.

Videl, who was still sitting in the audience with her father, watched the fight in awe, while her father was only shaking his head.

And he had thought that he was a good fighter, but when he looked at those fighters go he slowly got a glimpse on his real importance on the universal scale...

The shockwaves from the blows that were being dealt by Arrar and Piccolo caused thunder that could even be heard down below. And the crowds cheered, for they were able to finally see a high-class fight for the first time...

Piccolo and Arrar exchanged blows at breakneck speed, and on one occasion Piccolo managed to land a hard blow to Arrar's chest.

Arrar drifted back and chose to use one of his favourite attacks on this fearsome fighter. His best attack, those had to work...

He gathered the necessary energy within seconds.

"Grizzly attack!" he yelled, and fired the energy blast at the Namek. Instead of using a blast of his own the Namekian simply powered up and crossed his arms before impact.

The Namekian warrior wanted to show his opponent that he was able to take his best shot. And after his opponent would have realised just how strong he was he would put the fight to an end...

Arrar watched confidently as his blast approached Piccolo, and he made a triumphant gesture once the blast hit. And it hit head-on!

"And this time Piccolo has been hit hard!! Has Arrar managed to land the decisive blow???" the announcer yelled, and the crowd watched with rapt attention.

But once the smoke cleared the triumph faded from Arrars face. The Namekian was completely unharmed! Apparently the blast had impacted into Piccolos KI-shield and exploded there harmlessly.

Said Namekian warrior put his arms slowly, nearly lazily to his sides...

"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, this is awesome!!! Piccolo took this blow without the slightest scratch!!! Fantastic!!!" the announcer exclaimed, and once again the crowd burst into a roaring frenzy.

The announcer had just finished when Piccolo suddenly disappeared!

Arrars' eyes widened once he witnessed the extent of this fierce fighters powers, and silently he wondered again if he would be able to win against this one.

And suddenly Piccolo reappeared right in front of Arrar and decked him instantly with a shower of punches and kicks.

The Namekians' movements became blurs to Arrar, and the video screen magically enhanced its frame rate to keep up with the Namekian.

The other Z-Fighters on the ground smirked, especially Gohan. Now they became a glimpse of what the Namekian was really capable off...

Arrar was not able to keep his defences up and was hit several times, and that quite hard. One roundhouse kick from Piccolo hit his head, and he was sent flying once again.

"Arrar has been hit hard by those world-shattering blows coming from Piccolo!!! Will the Namekian warrior end the fight now???" the announcer exclaimed.

The force of Piccolos kick was such that it was strong enough to send the Grizzlorian all the way down into the tournament ring again, where he made a crash landing. Embedded in an impact crater Arrar staggered to his feet.

His face contorted in rage, and the fury fuelled his powers. No, he would not give up that easily! He flew straight at his opponent with a battle cry Arrar aimed a punch for Piccolos stomach, but Piccolo blocked this one with ease.

And again the fighters began to disappear. Seconds later however Arrar reappeared, but not the way he had planned.

Piccolo had punched him very hard in the face, faster than he had seen it coming and this punch send him straight towards another celestial body and pushed him nearly out of the ring.

Piccolo then raised his KI and reappeared in Arrars flight path. A quick double fisted blow at full strength sent the Grizzlorian deep into the concrete of the ring.

"Ouch!!! This had to hurt!! Arrar is down once again!!!" the announcer exclaimed.

The crowd cheered its approval, and by now a certain Hercule Satan was buy-eyed. He could not believe just how powerful all those guys were! This simply could not be!!

So he sat there in his seat, muttering "It's all a trick, I know it, I'll wake up in a short while and everything is back to normal again..."

Videl on the other hand ignored her father (the best thing to do) and tried to find out who this Piccolo was. He had been talking to Son Gohan, so they would know each other.

Wait... she thought, his name is Son Gohan, and the other fighter who fought this A'Raskar guy was named Son Goku. And the announcer said that they are father and son. Could this be the Son Goku who won the 23rd Tenkaichi Boudokai? Could this be?

She turned to look at her dad.

"Dad, could this Son Goku be the winner of the 23rd Tenkaichi Boudokai? I mean, he looks familiar..." she said.

Her father made a thoughtful face, finally snapping awake from his trance.

"Hmm, you right, my dear. He looks familiar. Maybe it is him. Pity that I don't have the chance to fight him..." he said.

Videl looked at him disbelievingly.

"You say that after you have seen what he is capable of? Dad, sometimes I don't believe you." she said, shaking her head, while her father muttered something indecipherable.

Down in the ring Arrar had managed to stagger to his feet and pulled all of his remaining strength together.

Time to show off my new move... he thought and then he glowed golden.

"Super Bear attack!" he exclaimed and shot a golden glowing beam at Piccolo at point blank range.

The Namekian warrior could have zanzokened out of the blasts way, but he chose to end it right here and now. After all, his opponent was standing at the edge of the ring...

"Masenko-HA!" Piccolo yelled, and the two beams collided.  At first Piccolos Masenko struggled against the Super Bear attack of Arrar, but then, within seconds it made its way towards the Grizzlorian fighter.

Arrar had no chance to evade the blasts coming right at him, and the explosion from the impact catapulted Piccolos opponent out of the ring where he hit a concrete wall and remained laying on the ground, unconscious.

The fight was over!

"Arrar has landed outside of the ring AND is out cold!!! There is really no worse way to lose!!! Ladies, gentlemen and everything else, we have a winner!!! Piccolo takes this fight and proceeds into the next round!!! Lets hear it for this great warrior!!!" the announcer exclaimed.

Piccolo winked at the crowd and the audience was celebrating him with speaking choirs. Piccolo smirked while he continued to wink at the spectators. This had been fun...



to be continued...


== Piccolo has shown everyone what he is capable of and has moved into the next round! A feat the proud Prince of all Saiyans has still to accomplish! How will his fight go? Stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! And don't forget, more reviews = more motivation, and more motivation = faster updates and a better story, so please review! With enough motivation I might be able to release the next chapter by Monday...

And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx!



REVIEWERS RESPONSES:


Dooleys: Believe me, will do so! There will be a lot more fighting = ass kicking in the future...


Candy the Duck: Let's just declare this as thinking, otherwise the others know that we talk to our... ehm, don't talk to ourselves!
And you're cruel! Melting the poor, poor Piccolo... shame on you! :D  


Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Thank you! Writing those is a lot of fun, and to know that people appreciate my work is really cool and motivates me. Well, when facing a Saiyan no one knows if they (the Saiyans' opponents) will come out alive. Good for the opponents that they're already dead... as for Piccolo and Kami, I think this chapter answered the question better than me...               


gaul1: Thanks, will do so. And it's good to see you again!


Marshmellow13Dragon: Yup, would say Piccolo did exactly that :D
Will one of the Z-senshi lose, you ask? Well, maybe if they fight each other, which could happen sooner than thought. Lean back and see...               


animeprincess1452: Wow, thanks! Cool to be a source of inspiration, I never was before! But as I said before, reviews are a source of motivation and thus inspiration, this way you and all my other reviewers keep me going and are my source of inspiration! Cool that you like my fights, but I think with the right motivation I'll be able to make the upcoming fights even better. And I am looking forward to read yours!               


Digi fan: Exactly! K, I've never been dead before and don't intend to be sooner than in 70 years or so, but I think you come to think about what you've done in life and realise that all your attitude (like in Vegetas' case) was... misdirected. Vegeta is still proud, but he has lost a lot of his arrogance. As you said, just like in the other time line when Vegeta gave his life to stop Majin Buu.


Rose Vaughn: Well, Gohan will concentrate primary on the tournament, and we will see what happens during the fights and after the tournament is over. But until that happens a lot more fights will take place. Glad that you like it!   


Anthony1: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the fight between Piccolo and Arrar, I tried to make it as interesting as possible. And you're welcome, as said, I always answer to every review I receive, they make me feel appreciated. And if I can answer my reviewers' questions, well, the better!


DBZ Chick1: Glad you liked the humour. And the fighting. You can be sure Gohan will do exactly that, although I can promise you that the next rounds will heat the tournament up...    


Goten's Girl12: Thanks, due to all the motivation you readers are giving me trough the reviews I am quite sure I can. And I don't take it personally, was just joking. But I am honoured that I got 9 out of 10, :D
I checked out the stories, and you're right, they are awesome! Thanks for the info. If you have more good stories to check out please leave them in the reviews!