Welcome to the afterlife, son!



Chapter Eleven: Piccolo versus Vegeta!



Last time...

This time East Kai was particularly proud of her fosterlings, for the first time in 2000 years fighters of her had made it to the second round. That was a miracle, and one she thought to celebrate properly. And one of her fighters would actually proceed to the next round! Yeah, this was awesome!

Meanwhile Vegeta had rejoined the other Z-Fighters, and had taken all their compliments in stride. He was too thrilled at the prospect to fight Piccolo to be grumpy. Finally a real fight! He could hardly await it. But this feeling was mutual, and also Goku could hardly await to face Pikkon once again...



Now the continuation...

Again it was the alien announcer guys turn to announce the first fight of Round 2.

"Welcome back to Round 2 of this awesome Afterlife Tournament, brought to you by his Grandness, the Grand Kai!! Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, it is my absolute honour to announce the first fight of this round!!! This one will be decided between two of the North Kai's fosterlings, and both have proven to be strong an cunning fighters!!! And here, after having beaten the fearsome Maraiako with utmost ease!!! I am proud to present... Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans!!!" he exclaimed, and the crowd cheered loudly.

Gohan smiled. Obviously they had seen them fight full out before, and Gohan wondered just how strong they had really become. What he had seen until now had only been a glimpse, and he was curious as hell to see more...

Meanwhile Vegeta smirked and entered the ring from one side, to the loud cheers coming from the crowd. He was prepared, and already the battlesong began to grew louder in his veins...

"Heh, lets see how many hits Piccolo will have on Vegeta. If even Maraiako managed to hit him..." Krillin joked.

Vegeta had naturally heard him due to his Saiyan sense of hearing and turned an angry stare on him that said
What did you say, cueball?

"And in the other corner... he is another fosterling of the North Kai who has made it to Round 2, after having beaten the powerful Arrar in an awesome battle!! I am proud to announce... Piccolo, the Namekian warrior!!! Lets hear it for this great fighter!!!" the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd burst into a roar. They had enjoyed the battle between the Namek and Arrar, and they were looking forward to this fight...

Piccolo entered the ring from the other side, but before he stepped completely into the ring he took off all of his weighted clothing, something he had not even done in his intense fight against Arrar. And the increase of his power was rather drastically...

Vegeta however smirked.

Maybe I will get a decent challenge after all... he thought, powering up into Super Saiyan instantly, accompanied by loud 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs' from the spectators who always loved to see these power-ups.

They got into fighting stance, and seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal.

"You both know the rules!! Fight!!!" the alien-announcer guy said and walked out of the ring.

And now the battle was on...

Piccolo and Vegeta surveyed another before they suddenly disappeared in unison. The shock wave which resulted from the first blow being dealt was so strong that it would have blown the audience from their seats, had not the magical barriers been renewed and strengthened trough magic...

The whole audience had to look at the magical vid-screen from the very start, and even Tien, Yamcha and Krillin were not able to follow the movements of Piccolo and Vegeta, who were exchanging blows at uncanny speed.

Wow! Gohan thought, Piccolo is a lot stronger and faster than he showed us in his battle against Arrar!! Man, now we can see how much he has really improved! Cool!!!

And indeed, Piccolo was putting up a very good battle and gave Vegeta the challenge he had hungered for. The fight against Maraiako had merely been a warm-up to the Saiyan Prince, who now thrived completely in this battle. And obviously Vegeta had decided to take the battle up a notch, for he put more energy in his attacks.

But Piccolo was holding his own and matched the Saiyan Prince blow for blow. He had augmented his power-level to that of Vegeta, and both fighters were trading blows that produced sonic booms all over the platform.

The only ones who were able to watch the fight on the platform were Goku and Gohan, and they were smirking in sight of this good fight...

Meanwhile Vegeta and Piccolo had taken the fight into the air, and after a faster than lightning barrage of blows Vegeta was able to overwhelm Piccolos' defences for the first time.

The Saiyan Prince was able to connect a roundhouse kick, and Piccolo was kicked hard in the head and sent slamming into the ground. The platform beneath buckled from his impact and just the first crater of the fight formed beneath him.

"And Prince Vegeta has just landed the first hit of this fight!! His strength and speed are uncanny, and Piccolo seems to be in trouble!!!" the alien announcer-guy exclaimed, while the crowd cheered loudly.

But Piccolo got up faster than anyone could see (except for Gohan and Goku) and resumed the fight with a grim expression written on his face.

Suddenly Piccolo phased out and executed a chop-kick-roundhouse-kick-blast-punch-blast, and Vegeta was not able to block the last blast. This one penetrated his defences and sent him hurling to the ground.

But in difference to Piccolo Vegeta was able to stop his fall and touched down on the platform, feet first. Piccolo followed him, trying to press his advantage. Standing on the platform Vegeta suddenly fired rapid energy blasts at Piccolo, but the Namek dodged with ease and countered with energy attacks of his own.

Those were no problem for Vegeta, and he simply dodged or deflected everything thrown at him. Then Vegeta raced forward and tried to ram his fist into Piccolos' face, but the Namek caught the fist. Vegeta then intended to ram the other fist into Piccolo's gut, but also this time the Namek had his guard up.

Soon the fighters were again exchanging blows, this time on ground level. It seemed to go on for hours yet it was only seconds before Piccolo was knocked backwards by a devastating punch Vegeta had managed to land. Pressing his advantage the Saiyan Prince decked the Namekian with punches and kicks the other fighter was barely able to block any more.

Vegeta had decided to tap into his secret power reserves, for Piccolo had obviously improved a lot too. Not long, and the Saiyan Prince would have to demonstrate how strong he really had become. And he would do. After all, he wanted to win this fight. If he had to shock the other competitors to do so, well, the better!

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 deadly accuracy with Piccolo chest.

And Piccolo was indeed in trouble now. The Namekian warrior was nearly sent flying out of the ring, but caught himself early enough. Seconds later he touched down on the ground. Now he was angry. He would show this arrogant Saiyan what this Namek was capable of...

He concentrated and summoned all of his power, and once he had started his power-up the whole arena started to shake and rumble from the energies Piccolo was releasing. Yeah, Piccolo had indeed become stronger, but that was not only due to the fact that he had trained with King Kai.

"Now would you look at that, ladies, gentlemen and everything else!! Look at this phenomenal display of power coming from Piccolo!! He is radiating even more power than in his fight against the fierce Arrar!!! Just how strong is he???!" the announcer yelled, and the crowd applauded at this display of power.

Piccolo had merged with his other half, Kami, again before some time, 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 Super Saiyan. The only question was: would it be enough to beat Vegeta, who had also become much stronger?

What Piccolo did not know was, just how much stronger the Saiyan Prince had become. The Saiyans Goku and Vegeta often trained on their own, now that King Kai was not been able to teach them any more, and Piccolo joined them from time to time.

But he felt that the two Saiyans were holding back. What he did not know was how much Vegeta and Goku were holding back, but he intended to find out, even if it would be the hard way...

These thoughts ran through Piccolos mind in the fraction of a second, and mere seconds later he finished his impressive power-up.

Once again his body mass had grown and he had become two heads taller this time as he was using all of his power, and his muscle mass had increased most impressively. Even so his power that was now higher than ever...

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

Then he attacked, and it became obvious that his speed had increased as much as his strength. It was a good thing that the spectators could follow the fight on the magical screens, otherwise most of them, even if nearly all of them were fighters, would not have been able to follow Piccolos' movements.

Gohan however was able to follow Piccolos' movements with ease, as the Namek aimed a swift blast-punch-kick-combo for Vegetas gut. But the Saiyan Prince had his guard up, and was able to block the blows.

Then Piccolo and Vegeta launched at each other at the same time and started to strike at each other vehemently. The magical video display showed everything in detail and the warriors were exchanging blows with enough force to create even stronger shockwaves then ever before. It sounded like thunder was striking everywhere!

The only thing that could be seen on the platform were the disturbances caused by air being compressed trough their blows. The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Vegeta, others for Piccolo, but most of them once again for blood.

The intensity of these blows surprised the Saiyan Prince however.

Hmm, the Namek has improved. Maybe I've to show him the true extent of my powers... Vegeta thought, and just in this moment Piccolo managed to hit Vegeta in the face. The blow was strong enough to produce a remarkably loud sonic boom...

"And this time Piccolo has managed to land a blow!! And what for a blow!!" the announcer yelled while the audience held its breath, curious to see how Vegeta had taken the punch.

The right hook had been strong enough to shake the frame of Vegeta, but he did not float back. A single drop of blood flowed from the corner of the mouth, and he was smirking.

"Not bad at all, Namek. But that was the only time you'll be able to land a hit." he promised, and Gohan, who had heard this was curious what the Saiyan Princes' next move would be.

Suddenly every muscle in the Saiyan Princes' body tensed. The golden aura of a Super Saiyan engulfed him, and Vegeta began to scream, hanging in mid-air. The width of his aura tripled, and the light Vegeta was emitting became blinding.

Everywhere spectators where shielding there eyes, and one of them, a certain loud-mouthed human, mumbled

"It's all a trick!" while the others clung to their seats. And another young woman (have you guessed who?) sitting next to him only shook her head in disbelief. He would never learn...

"NOW GET THE HELL REAL, DAD!!!" was all she screamed, and the people next to her cringed in pain at the magnitude of her voice. And Hercule simply slumped back in the seat and shut the hell up...

Gohan smiled, but he felt oddly reminded of his mother...

Vegeta's aura grew even bigger, and his energy was growing at rapid speed. Goku, who was standing with the other fighters smiled. Yeah, that was the result of their training. Once they would be wished back, they would be prepared. Now only his son had to become stronger, too. But he would see to that...

The Saiyan Prince in the ring was grunting from the strain to ascend.

"Arrrrhhh!" he exclaimed, and suddenly every muscle bulged as a blinding light coming from his aura engulfed the whole arena.

"Whoaah, this is amazing!!! It seems that Prince Vegeta will show us what he is really capable off!!! The whole arena is rattling from his awesome power!!!" the announcer exclaimed, while thunder was flashing everywhere above.

But Vegeta was not finished yet. His power caused the ground to tremble, and the final release of his power made nearly the whole tournament asteroid shake.

Once the light cleared, Vegeta looked much more impressive. He had become much more powerfully built, and his hair was standing even sharper on end than as a normal Super Saiyan. Yeah, Vegeta had ascended, and the spectators were impressed.

After they had recovered they cheered loudly, and Vegeta smirked. Piccolo nodded. That was a sign that he was impressed, too, but he would never give up.

Vegeta nodded too. Now the real battle would begin.

Suddenly the Saiyan Prince shot forward, and his right-handed punch hit Piccolo with great accuracy in the abdomen. This time Piccolo had had no time to put of a defence, and Piccolo gasped from the sudden pain. He staggered back for some steps and regained his balance.

No, he would not be defeated this easily. He used his tactical knowledge and fazed behind Vegeta, aiming for his head in one fluent movement. But he only managed to hit thin air, as Vegeta had zanzokened out of sight, too.

Damn it, he's so fast! I can barely keep track of his movements! Piccolo thought before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Faster than he had been able to sense him Vegeta had reappeared behind him and had executed an elbow check to Piccolos neck.

This punch was nearly enough for Piccolo to render him unconscious, but he still had some reserves left. He sprang to his feet and aimed for Vegetas head, but Vegeta evaded his punch with ease. Even so the following punches.

Thus Piccolo decided to use some homing KI-blasts and fired them at a rapid pace, but Vegeta blocked them with ease.

This showed Piccolo just how much Vegeta had improved, and he had to admit to himself, that he was no match for him.

And then Vegeta fazed right in front of him and decked him with punches and kicks at a rate that soon became unblockable. As the first power punches coming up from this suped-up Super Saiyan penetrated his defences Piccolo knew that it soon would be over.

He made a back-flip and fired a Masenko at point-blank range, but Vegeta just smirked.

"Kamehame-ha!" came from the Saiyan Prince, and his Kamehame-ha wave, a technique he had learned from Goku, quickly overwhelmed the Masenko and sent Piccolo crashing into a wall outside the ring.

The fight was over!

"And the winner is... Vegeta!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd cheered. That had been one display of power!

Outside the ring Piccolo got up to his feet and smirked. He went over to the Saiyan Prince and reached out his hand to congratulate the fellow Z-Fighter to his victory.

Vegeta smirked, took the hand and shook it.

"Time that you train more, Namek." he said.

The Namek smirked.

"Don't you worry, Vegeta, I will. We all have to be in top form; that has been our goal from the start. But I am proud that the training resulted in such an enormous increase in power for you." he said.

Vegeta smirk widened.

"Yeah, but I know that there is more. And I will reach it!" he stated.

Piccolo smirked. That was the Saiyan Prince as they knew him... determined to be the best!

But what Piccolo did not know was the fact that Vegetas mind was evolving around other themes than his victory or increase in power.

I hope that my son will be able to reach these heights of power! If he does, he'll be able to beat the tin cans and avenge us. Make me proud, my son!

As the two Z-Fighters rejoined their comrades, congratulations for Vegeta and sympathies for the loss for Piccolo were exchanged.

Now the real tournament could begin, and Goku, Gohan and Vegeta would be the fighters for the North quadrant that had made it to Round 2. Yeah, that would be one tournament, and the Saiyans could not await it. Only one Saiyan was asking himself if he would be strong enough... ...

to be continued...

== Vegeta beat Piccolo in a display of his outstanding power!! But was that all the Saiyan Prince got? We will soon see! But now it is Gohan's turn to fight, and his opponent will be Jabadai! Will Gohan be able to beat the speedster with ease or will we come to see some surprises? Stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! I think I'll be able to post the next chapter Monday with all the motivation you give me...

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



REVIEWERS RESPONSES:


Marshmellow13Dragon: Yeah, and Vegeta had the upper hand in the hand, although Piccolo gave a very good fight (in my opinion). Hope you liked it, and good that you didn't hurt yourself, although your other half does not seem too happy 


dabaka: You're welcome. Glad that you liked it, and I'll try to cut it with the repetitions (although regarding transformations that will be hard...). Although I do it often designedly. As for the Ulibu-Gohan-fight and the Piccolo-Arrar-fight, I did it there because both opponents of our Z-Fighters displayed the will to fight till the end. 'No throwing in the towel here', and both Piccolo and Gohan acknowledged it. And no prob with you being critical, constructive criticism is always welcomed, no appreciated. How else should I improve? Thanks for helping (and I mean it)!


SupersayainkingTommy: Cool that you think those are good fights, thanks! Who will win the tournament is open to guesses, but Vegeta, Pikkon, Goku and Gohan are clearly among the favourites. And naturally I'll continue. This is as much fun to write than for you to read (hopefully)...        


Anthony1: Yeah, the first Round has ended with no real surprises. And the second round should get interesting (at least I try to make it). Videl simply had to react this way, cause Hercule will never learn and always need a good dressing down when stepping out of line...               


Digi fan: Videl showed him! Yeah! But Hercule is just too... narrow-minded to learn. Hope you liked the fight!

Kooriya Yui: Glad that you like it. I always wanted to write a story that reflects on what happened after Mirai Gohan's death. And I always wanted to write a tournament...
As for the beta reader, I already have one...


CW: Hmm, he has not tapped into his hidden powers (yet). He has 'only' received an enormous boost in strength and power trough his death. As known, Saiyans increase their strength and power greatly when brought to the brink of death, and through dying Gohan even crossed this border.
As for his arm, he knew how to fight with two arms before, it is no problem for him. Besides, he's a (demi-)Saiyan and adepts fast. And you're right, he's whole again in the afterworld. I dunno how old he's exactly, but I set his age in my fic around 24 years.


gaul1: Wait no longer, here it is .Glad that you liked the last one. And Vegeta got a bit teased, thanks for the idea!


Kitty86: No prob. I like signed reviews better, but I'm sometimes too lazy too. Glad that you love my story, I try to make it as good as I can.
I simply had to include Videl and Hercule here, for Gohan has a right to come to know her. And Hercule has a right to being yelled at.
Once you've finished your story (same nick?) tell me. Am always interested to read (and review) new stuff.
I am absolutely honoured that you want to advertise my story. Thanks!


animeprincess1452: Yeah, and she should do it more, don't you think? As for the update, you're served...


DBZ Chick1: I always try to keep my promises, and I am delighted that you like this story. And thanks for the compliment. You ppl are all really motivating me, and I think the next fights will be even better...



Dooleys: sometimes you need a good kick in the butt, Jason. But thx that you reviewed, pal, and I will surely go and write more!



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