Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, & the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, & let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.
Author's note 2: The pole is still up. Should we stay on Earth, or head into space?
Written by: SparkerLightning.
Edited by: StevenBodner
Chapter 58
Age 767
Papaya Island
World Martial Arts Tournament
Final round
Two individuals rose to their feet near the edge of the ring. Dusting their hands off, they admired their handy work. Several tiles had been damaged in the massive stone ring, and they had saved the ground crew the trouble of replacing them by doing the labor themselves.
The Announcer, who stood at the edge of the ring, covered the microphone. "Is that good? We all set?"
"Yeah." Videl gave him a thumbs-up.
"That should just about do it." Yamcha nodded.
"Alright, in that case..." The Announcer heaved himself up onto the raised surface. "Let's to this thing."
Taking large steps, leading the fighters, he walked to the center of the ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!" He called into his microphone, his voice needing little amplification. "Welcome to the final match of the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament! And man, are we in for a treat today!"
He turned his back to Videl, thrusting a knife-hand at Yamcha. "On one side, we have the three-time quarter-finalist, the Desert Bandit, the one, the only, YAMCHA!"
The crowd went wild. Chants of "Let's go, Yamcha, let's go!" erupted from all directions. Seated men lifted their beers, and multiple women threw their unmentionables towards him, landing both in the grass and on the heads of other viewers in front of them.
"And on the other side..." The Announcer turned his back to Yamcha, thrusting a knife-hand at Videl. "This is her first time in the tournament, a young up-and-comer, an absolute prodigy, ten pounds of dynamite in a two-pound wrap, it's VIDEL HERCULE!"
The support for Yamcha may as well have not been voiced at all, for how drowned out the supporters were. Men, women, and children stood, lapped their hands and stomped their feet. Chants of "Videl, give him hell! Videl, give him hell!" were heard for blocks around the arena.
Yamcha shrank slightly at the discrepancy in support. However, seeing multiple fans blowing him kisses, seeing Bulma, and Jeice, made him straighten back up. He was the underdog, or at least not the favorite, but that was okay. He'd still win this.
Videl began to tear up slightly as she scanned the roaring crowd. But, when she caught her father's eye, right beside Gohan, she blinked her eyes dry and stiffened her spine.
The Announcer twisted back once again. "Yamcha, are you ready?
"Yes!" Yamcha thrust his fist into the air.
"And Videl, are you ready to fight?"
"Yes." She spoke under her breath, smashing her first into her closed hand.
"In that case." The Announcer took two steps backwards. "On my mark." He took several more steps backwards, until he was at the edge of the ring. "FIGHT!"
Yamcha cracked his neck. "You've come a long way." He slowly began to circle to his right, around the center of the ring to Videl's left. "Compared to where you were, where Sissy is, it's like night and day."
Videl nearly spat on the ground. Sissy was incredible, and no one would say otherwise. "It certainly wasn't easy, and Sissy as far beyond where I was at her young age."
She followed Yamcha's lead, circling to her right, keeping where The Announcer stood directly between them. As he pulled in closer, so did she.
"You're going to want to show me your best. Because I'm not going to make this easy. I'm not going to hold back." He continued closing towards the center.
"I'm happy to show you my skill, my reflexes, my strength, but we should keep the energy levels lower. We don't want to hurt anyone in the audience." She slowed to a stop as he did first.
Yamcha looked around at the noncombatants surrounding him. Yeah, skill was good, muscle was good, but this was probably not the place to go too hard with the energy blasts. Sheepishly he nodded at Videl.
"Very good point." Without hesitation he charged forward, pulling back his right fist as he did so.
Videl planted herself in place. Let him come to her. He had longer reach, he had more experience, and she'd be happy to let him trip over his own two feet. Widening her stance she slid her right foot backwards, raising her left hand and sinking towards her front knee.
Her guard was good, right out of the textbook. Quickly looking for an opening, he found it right where he expected to. A flash after starting his charge, Yamcha widened a single step to his right, let his left foot sweep out in front of him, and knocked Videl's leading leg out from under her. As Videl tripped forward, he planted his left foot in the ground, continuing to spin around it. When his right knee was under Videl, and they were both facing the same direction, he whipped his leg up.
Videl let Yamcha's leg sweep take her down. She leaned forward, into the fall, directly behind his next attack. As he brought his foot up, she rolled herself forward, somersaulting over his second kick. Rotating as she flipped, she landed with her right foot forward, facing left. Snapping her body, whipping her arm, she caught Yamcha's chin with the side of her fist. Her pinky would regret that later. Her counter was successful though, and she knocked Yamcha upright.
"Rub the tummy!" Videl shouted as she lunged her left foot forward, closing on Yamcha, and beginning a heavy barrage on the man's chest and stomach. As he was pushed back by the strength of her blows, she followed him forward. After a dozen punches and kicks, she missed, hand going through a fading After-Image.
Yamcha's kick came out of nowhere. Smashing into the base of Videl's spine, she was shot forward. Having already pushed Yamcha towards the edge of the ring, she was flung towards it. Taking a dive, accepting the low-ground, she smashed herself into the ground, using her face and chest as a break to stop herself from going over the edge.
Not staying down for long, she thrust two palms against the ground. The tile she was on shattered, but she was able to back flip back to her feet. Sliding back into stance, she met Yamcha head on.
Yamcha had his arms crossed in front of him. Charging forward he leaned forward. When nearly on the girl, he jumped into the air, before using ki control to launch himself towards Videl, bringing a cross-chop down on her.
Predicting the move, but not the direction of attack, Videl thought quickly. She planned to leap over him, let him run out of the ring, but that wouldn't work. No, his approach was too steep. Reacting in a blink, she palm struck his elbow, sending him bouncing back into the air, and allowing herself to slide under him, and back into the center of the ring.
Yamcha wasn't giving up that easily though. Recovering quickly from the sudden redirection, he spun and charged once more. This time it was simple, right hook, left jab, leg sweep, chop, knee, elbow strike, left hook. Half his attacks were being dodged, and the other half were simply glancing bows. She was slippery. She was small, fast, and hard to pin down.
She was stuck though. She wasn't being struck yet, at least not appreciably, but she was being pushed. She was leaning into instinct, into reflexes, and was hard pressed to find a chance to either counter or escape.
Yamcha aimed a wide hook at Videl's left cheek, and she reacted as her body forced her to. The threat wasn't there though, Yamcha pulled his punch, and quickly jabbed Videl in the rib. When she hissed in pain from the blow, he followed it up with a kick to the same spot.
The first hit hurt. The second one sent her sliding. Wincing in pain she stiffened once more, and allowed herself to skid away from the assault. With one hand kept high, she rubbed the sore spot. First her father, now Scar-Face.
Yamcha took two charging steps forward before jumping into the air. Continuing forward, he span a tornado kick at his target.
He was too far away though. Videl had time to think, to not just dodge or block. Stepping into the attack she grabbed Yamcha's foot and twisted it. She wouldn't break it, but she'd make him fall, get him on the ground, and pin him with one of the move's her father had taught her, before she taught it to him…
Yamcha lashed out with his other foot, making Videl thrust him away to avoid the attack. Landing on all fours he skidded to a stop. Not standing back up again, he powered ki into his hands. This was it, time for the Wolf…
Videl charged as Yamcha skidded. When he turned to face her, she was already punting. She meant to get his ribs, fling him against the barrier in front of the stands, but he spun. Her foot smashed into his face, launching him into the air once more.
Adapting quickly to the better-than-expected circumstance, Videl rocketed after him. Passing him, she used her flight to redirect herself back down. Weaving her fingers over her head, she smashed her hammerfists between his shoulder blades, sending him back to the ground.
Yamcha hit the ground hard. Dust and small pieces of rubble shot out in all directions. But before the mess settled, he was already back on his feet, Videl on him.
She didn't need to see him. She felt him, felt his energy, and that was a clear enough target. Each punch was met with a block, and countered. Each counter was met with a block, and met with another strike. Back and forth they hammered each other, neither gaining ground as the power of their attacks cleared the air around them. They were a nearly perfect match. Yamcha had only a slight advantage in power and skill, while Videl had only a slight advantage in reflexes and speed.
After two fists met between their faces, they broke apart. Rocketing backwards, they both charged. As they clashed, a dozen punches and a dozen more blocks and counters thundered across the ring. Then, they'd retreat once more, and the process began again.
As the audience watched, the two warriors collided over nearly every tile on the arena. For a moment, Videl would have the advantage. Then, after a slight misstep, Yamcha would begin to overpower her. After a slight overreach, Videl was back in control. But as she'd fall short of landing a blow, Yamcha would push her back once again.
Yamcha landed a jab to Videl's stomach. The girl recoiled to catch her breath.
Videl landed a knee to Yamcha's nose. The man flipped backwards, away from subsequent blows.
Yamcha hurled Videl to the floor with a chokeslam. She sprung out of the way of his follow up elbow drop.
Videl hammered Yamcha in the back of the neck. He rolled forward with the momentum of her attack, avoiding her follow up kidney jab.
After minutes of maintaining a strong, and defending against an equally strong barrage, Videl found her opening. Yamcha was off balance, over extended, and she was placed perfectly. Acting quickly she delivered a tooth rattling uppercut to Yamcha's jaw, far stronger than any successful blows she'd landed thus far.
Instead of shooting into the air like Videl expected, Yamcha curled backwards, landing hard in the ring floor. Ignoring the throbbing in the back of his head, he crossed his arms in front of his face, catching a smashing ax kick right before it would have cracked his forehead. Rotating his arm slightly, he grabbed onto her leg. Twisting, he brought her to the ground as well.
Quickly rolling, with an elbow out, Yamcha used Videl's prone body as a springboard to get back to his feet.
Not yet ready to stay down, Videl rolled away from where she hit the ground, before flipping back to her feet.
Not wanting to give the other a chance to recover, they both tensed. Both hoping they had the advantage, both feeling they were up against a slightly tougher, slightly faster, slightly more motivated foe, they charged. Both feeling the whirling energy in the air, their elbows clashed against each other. A sphere of sonic energy lapped out from them, shaking the grounds, and the people, around them.
"Is it just me." Videl began, leaning into her strike, trying to overpower Yamcha. "Or do you seem a little antsy? Like your body is here, but just fighting on instinct?"
Yamcha let out a grunt. His eyes reflexively scanned the audience. There was Bulma, cheering loudly beside Jeice. "I'm dealing with some stuff." He sank down, giving Videl the high ground, but reinforcing himself against the ring. He began to gather his energy, internally coiling himself like a snake ready to spring.
He released his energy throughout his body. With some effort, he managed to knock Videl back, and retake the high ground. As she pulled back, Yamcha lunged forward with a powerful jab.
Videl caught the punch. Seamlessly twisting around, she threw him over her shoulder. Once he landed hard, she grabbed his arm, twisting it into a cross-armbar. Leaning into him, making him reel in pain, she whispered into his ear. "Would you like to surrender?"
"NO!" Yamcha roared. Using his larger frame, his larger bulk, he lifted Videl off the ground with his locked arm, before slamming her back down. Her grip loosened, and he escaped her grasp.
While Videl recovered, Yamcha spun himself around to face her. Sinking low, widening his stance, he posed his hands like claws. Pausing for a moment he gathered his energy, giving Videl time to put up her guard.
"WOLF FANG FIST!" Yamcha howled. With barely traceable speed, he slashed at her. Her guard was strong, but it wasn't enough. His ki sharpened claws cut her skin, sliced through her shirt, and forced her backwards. He was overwhelming her defense. She could block bludgeoning attacks, but slashing damage was something she clearly had little experience with.
Being guided backwards towards the edge of the ring, Videl struggled to keep her guard up. Each block led to a new line of blood running down her flesh. Each dodge ripped her clothing in new and creative ways. Each step backwards got her one step closer to a ring out. But as Yamcha let up for just a moment, as he converted his claws to fangs, going for the final strike, she saw her opening. Quickly forcing her energy down, rotting her left foot to the tile, and stomping with her right, she smashed his toes.
Yamcha's energy dissipated nearly instantly. His eyes shot open as he yelped in pain. Hopping up and down on his good foot, he massed the one that Videl had injured.
Seeing another opening, Videl redirected her energy once more. Rooting her right foot to the floor, where it had just crushed Yamcha's foot, she infused her left knee with power. A moment later she had sent Yamcha flying backwards, and evil grin crossing her face. "How'd you like my newest technique?" She asked as Yamcha got back to his feet. "I like to call it, Kick the Dog."
Yamcha's jaw hung open for just a moment before he began to smirk. That was mean, impressively quick, but mean.
"Okay, that's enough." Widening his stance once more, he began to power up. His aura ignited and ripples of energy sprung from him.
"Woah, Yamcha!" Videl threw her hands into the air. "Take it easy. We're still surrounded by nonfighters."
"Oh, this is nothing new." His voice lowered as he continued to let his power climb to new heights. If that Saiyan prince tried to invade now, he'd take him on by himself. "Your boyfriend, Tien, Roshi, well, all of us, actually. We all have been here before. Hell, you already used a Kamehameha, didn't you?" His seemingly exponentially growing power began to taper off. "As long as we keep it in the ring, everyone should be fine."
Knowing that if she didn't go along with this, she'd be out of the ring in seconds, Videl sighed and nodded.
"Alright." With a single breath her aura roared up around her. She kept the match lit at all times, and with just a little air the kindling that was her body burst into flames. "Be careful though..."
A minute after he began to power up, and only a few seconds after Videl decided to do the same, Yamcha vanished. Reappearing nearly instantly, he came in low. Videl's guard was already up, but he snuck behind it, hammering her in the jaw with an iron fist, as she did with her knee to him.
As she was knocked backwards, he blasted a small Kiai towards her feet. As the energy burst out, it threw Videl into the air.
Expecting an immediate follow-up attack, Videl caught herself in the sky. Raising her guard to where he was, she looked around in all directions. He was gone. Not pausing to think, she whipped around with a roundhouse kick, she landed a mighty blow into his shoulder.
As Yamcha flew backwards, slowly catching himself, Videl through a blast of her own after him. It was large, but too slow…
Yamcha caught himself in the air before the attack caught up with him. Deciding the best path forward was straight ahead, he smashed through the energy as he charged Videl once more.
Videl didn't bother to put her guard up. Instead, she decided the best defense was a good offense. As Yamcha's fist connected with her left shoulder, her right fist was driven into his face.
Continuing to clash, part, and clash again, they made full use of the arena. Not stopping at ground level though, they rose and fell over the grounds. As they met, they became visible to the naked eye, although their movements were blurs. When they launched off of each other, only a few of the noncombatants could follow their movements.
Watching the clash heat up, feeling the energy boil higher and higher, Goku shared a glance with both of his sons. Goku appeared over the backstage area, arms straight out in front of him. His elder son, the one he'd only known a few years, appeared over the bleachers to his left. His younger boy, the one he watched grow up since birth, appeared to his right. Directly across from him, Piccolo lifted his arms as well. As if running off of a shared consciousness, the warriors shot their energy out, widening it and angling it downward. The four plains of energy touched the ground mere feet in front of the barricades, and angled backwards over the heads of the audience. An upside-down truncated pyramid of energy shot a hundred feet into the sky, far beyond the borders of the arena, granting protection to the watchers down below.
"TIME OUT!" The Announcer shouted into his microphone as a gong rang out. "TIME OUT!"
Both fighters appeared in the middle of the ring. They stood side by side. Yamcha had Videl in a headlock, and was smashing his fist into her face. Videl had a strong grip on one of Yamcha's legs with one arm, and smashed her elbow into his ribs with the other. A half breath later, they released each other and straightened up.
The Announcer, who stood directly behind one of the energy curtains, put two fingers to one of his ears. With a glance, he directed Goku to join him on the grass. As Goku joined him, he looked back at the building behind him, nodding as he listened through his earpiece.
After just a moment of listening, the Announcer thrust his microphone into Goku's face. "Sir!" He exclaimed. "I believe I know the answer to this already, but, for those who may not be as familiar with the past tournaments, please, tell us, who are you?"
Goku smiled and scratched the back of his head. "I'm Son Goku. Man, it's been a while." Disregarding the Announcer he looked around the stands, at the confused, and slightly nervous, audience. "Sorry, we didn't mean to make a scene."
"It's quite alright." The Announcer reassured him. "First of all, welcome back, Champion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Son Goku. Now, if you don't mind, the officials would like to know what you, and your friends, are doing?" Taking a moment to study the other intruding individuals, he realized that two of them appeared to be Goku's relatives, perhaps a child and an older nephew, and the other, the other was a bad memory. Swallowing back his fear, trusting the standing World Champion, he ignored Ma Junior… Piccolo…
"Oh, well..." Goku thought for a moment on exactly how much to share. "You remember how these fights kept getting bigger and bigger, until, well, I won? Well, I personally know both of these fighters, and they are far stronger now than Ma Junior and I were back then. So, to keep everyone safe, and make sure they could fight at their full power without holding back, I thought I'd put up a barrier to keep the fighting contained. And my sons and friend decided to help."
"Wow, sounds like we're in for something impressive!" The Announcer held two fingers to his ear. "So, what you're doing will not influence the fighters?"
Goku shrugged. "Well, they'll probably stop holding back, but otherwise, no."
The Announcer held up a finger as he continued to listen.
"Okay, folks." He nodded at Goku before turning back to the audience. "The officials have spoken. Son Goku's barrier will be allowed to remain, but physical contact with it will now be considered a ring out. Videl, Yamcha, do you agree to these new terms?"
Both fighters nodded as Goku flew back into the air, reforming his section of the barrier.
"In that case..." The Announcer waited for the faint blue curtain to cover him as well. "FIGHT!"
Yamcha swung a left hook at Videl, who countered with a palm thrust. The energy of their attacks shot them away from each other, and both settled in opposite corners.
As Videl considered different possible approaches, Yamcha was forcing his ki into his hand. When he had a baseball sized sphere, he threw it at the girl.
Videl saw the fast pitch coming, and slapped it away with her forearm. To her dismay though, it didn't defuse when it hit the barrier. Instead, it curled around, coming at her from behind. Spinning around she batted it away again, only for it to curl once more. As it pelted her, probing for weaknesses in her defense, she began to lose focus. One ball appeared to be two, or three, and she soon was acting on nothing but reflexes. As it hooked in from overhead, aiming for her face, her open palm shot up and she grabbed it firmly. Her hand smashed into her face, but that was better than an explosive ki ball.
Forcing her own ki behind her, she shot herself like a rocket towards Yamcha. Wrapping her own energy around the Spirit Ball, holding it steady, taking control of the energy, she snapped her hand out over her head. Like a rocket striking a battleship, she shot into his stomach. As his ki exploded upon impact, she pulsed her own energy, launching him away, and stopping her in midair.
Flying well beyond the arena, he pulsed his ki behind him. Stopping only inches from the barrier, a few feet above the audiences head, he regained his wits. Leaning backwards he shot like a bullet back towards Videl.
Rolling backwards Videl barely missed being skewered by Yamcha's spear kick. As his foot was momentarily stuck, she fired a series of ki bullets at close-range. None were dodged, but all were deflected, glancing blows at worst. Continuing forward, the blasts detonated harmlessly on the protective barrier, giving those directly behind it quite a light show.
Almost everyone in the crowd was screaming. Quite a few in excitement, just as many in fear, and several in a healthy combination of the two. This was a storied tournament, and expectations were high. This was the first tournament of such levels since, since Son Goku became the champion, and it was blowing that out of the water.
The ground shook with each impact between the warriors. The light glowed with each energy wave they exchanged. The power was palpable in the air. The hardcore fans had seen the times, or even seen the previous battles in person, and this was on an entirely new level.
As Videl's fist penetrated Yamcha's stomach, the stoic warrior faded to nothing. All around the young woman, Yamcha appeared. Anywhere from three to nine After-Images surrounded her at any point, and his energy was uniform in surrounding her.
She slowly spun in place, guard up, watching for any sign of which Yamcha was the real one. Feeling for any twinge in the energy around her, hoping for a sign. When one came, it was too late for her to respond.
A spear kick smashed into her lower back, sending her bouncing along the tile. She recovered quickly though, and charged back at the bandit. She telegraphed a left hook, receiving a crimson shower of blood as she smashed her head into Yamcha's face.
As Yamcha recoiled in pain, Videl stuck her landing. Planting her hands where his feet were moments ago, she smashed both feet, one after the other, into Yamcha's head, knocking him down to the broken tiles.
Rolling as he fell, Yamcha stopped on one knee. Hands at his side. Gathering his energy, Videl did the same.
"Ka...me!" They spoke in unison. The crowd went wild, stomping, cheering, and in some cases screaming.
"Ha…me!" The familiar blue spheres of energy appeared in both of their hands.
The Announcer was shouting into the microphone, although neither Videl nor Yamcha heard a word he said.
"HA!" Both beams shot forward at the same moment, meeting halfway between them.
As the warriors funneled more and more energy into their attacks, the point in which they met continued to expand. In just under a minute of immense effort, the sky became relatively dark. The sun was still shining bright, but the light coming off of the Kamehamehas was far more intense. Furthermore, while the barrier kept the people safe from the blast itself, wind was roaring as well.
Hot air shot out from the blast. Following the walls of the barrier, it shot into the air. As it rose, an overpower updraft, it brought the surrounding air up with it. Thus, a vacuum effect surrounded the arena, and the stadium entirely. Wind chaotically whirled around the stands. As hats, purses, and if not for a dad with great reflexes, a small child, were shot into the sky over the battle, so to were entire chunks of tile exposed to the blast.
Yamcha matched Videl's power output exactly. He tried to overpower her, but couldn't ever quite get the edge.
Videl matched Yamcha's width perfectly. She liked to keep her beams narrow, precise, focused, but that's not what he did. No, if she didn't mushroom her attack, he'd have bulldozed right over her. But, with effort, she managed to keep his attack at bay.
For a moment, as the ball of clashing energy reached a perfect balance, everything went still. All the energy was condensing, and the maelstrom mellowed out. But when the energy was dense enough, when it couldn't shrink any further, just a blink after it reached critical mass, it exploded outward in all directions.
A plume of smoke and dust filled the inside of the barrier. Thunder rang out from inside it, and the debris was quickly blown away. Both Videl and Yamcha suffered through just a portion of the energy they put into their attacks. The ring took a far worse beating. Several tiles remained in place, but a majority of the center of the ring was a crater, half as deep as it was wide.
The two warriors were in the air, clashing once more over the center of the where the ring once was. Yamcha side stepped a right hook, slamming his fist into Videl's chin. Chopping her side, he knocked her back slightly. He went to follow up with an ax kick, launch her into the ground, out of the ring, but she dodged by shifting her body horizontally in the air.
Grabbing Yamcha's wrist, she spun and hurled him towards the ground. Unfortunately for her, too much of the ring remained, and she hit one of the few remaining tiles, where he bounced before landing on his feet. She was gone, reappearing immediately behind him. She launched a Kiai at pointblank-range.
Yamcha expected the movement. He didn't know what she'd attack with, but years of experience pushed him to spin immediately. If the opponent isn't in front of you, she's behind you. He spun, launching a defense Kiai of his own.
The two blasts bounced off each other, sending both fighters backwards. Both caught themselves, and both landed on opposite corners of the ring. They were both panting. They were both sweaty and bruised. Both had torn clothes, and matted hair. Neither would surrender.
Videl pulled both her hands back. She could do this. She could win. Not charging the attack fully, knowing she could add more power as needed, as long as she had power to give, she fired a Kamehameha at Yamcha.
Yamcha's reflexes were slowing. Videl naturally attacked. He wanted to feel her out some more. He didn't know what she had left. But, those thoughts, that contemplation, was enough of a delay that Videl's attack was already charging at him before he even began a defense.
Crossing his arms in front of his face, Yamcha abandoned the idea. He could withstand the blast, he'd live, but he'd be knocked into the barrier. He then snapped his hands to his side, before abandoning that idea as well. He could hold her off. He could match her power. But the attack would be directly in front of him, the blast would knock him against the barrier. Rocketing up, the attack went between his rising legs, before following the barrier up, and harmlessly blasting into the sky.
Next time they'd get someone to catch rogue blasts like that. Wouldn't want to risk hitting a distant aircraft.
As Yamcha thanked his lucky stars for the narrow dodge, he focused back on Videl… who was gone… He span once more, energy blast already forming in his hand, but she wasn't there either. Snapping back around, he caught a spinning tornado kick to the chest. As his body shot backwards, towards the barrier, his hands reflexively reached out and wrapped around her leg. He took the hit, but he'd take her too.
With Videl off balance, Yamcha shot a ki blast behind him, roughly preventing him from smashing into the barrier. Bringing the same hand around, he sent another blast directly into Videl's stomach. Releasing her leg, he shot her towards the center of the ring, the ground, a ring out.
Just as Yamcha caught himself, so did Videl. A fresh plume of smoke, rock, and dust, shot into the air. Forming a ki ball in both hands, she shot back towards Videl, who mirrored her actions.
Over the next several minutes, hundreds of blasts were exchanged. Dozens of ki balls went off against each fighter, and fireworks filled the battleground.
Standing not too far from the Announcer, peeking out from the backstage area, Hercule's jaw hung open. This is what is daughter was capable of? This was so far below what Gohan and his family were capable of, that they could contain it effortlessly? He needed to step up his game. He never had a chance to become World Champion, not if anyone in their group decided to enter against him. And, and what was the title worth, if he wasn't actually the strongest? It didn't sound nearly as good. No, he had a long way to go. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, instead of being completely daunted by the size of the path in front of him, he began to grin. The road was clear. It was straight up, but it was clear, and he'd take it, step by step, until he was on top.
In a blink, Yamcha was behind Videl. Not bothering to hide his movements, he fired a right hook for Videl's face. Unfortunately for him, she matched his move. Both followed through with their attacks, both powered through the pain, and both shut their eyes in pain, for just a moment, as they began to fall.
As they struck the ground, on the grass, the crowd went wild. The barriers were dismissed, the Announcer ran over to their sides. Neither had gotten up, but both were breathing. Yamcha was flat on the ground, on his back. Videl was beside him, laying on her belly, face to the side.
"RING OUT!" The Announcer shouted into the microphone. "But, with that close of a match, the victor is yet to be known!" He touched two fingers to his ear. "If you would direct your attention to the digital bracket, we are about to see the INSTANT REPLAY!"
Yamcha shifted his eyes slightly to view the screen. A smile crossed his lips. He knew how it ended, but damn, it was close.
Videl rolled onto her back. Struggling to sit up, she leaned forward and watched the final exchange. It was close, but it would be clear who won…
Videl's forward momentum was canceled out by Yamcha's slightly more powerful punch. Yamcha's forward momentum was slowed by Videl's counter, but due to her shorter reach, she couldn't quite get as much stopping power into it. Videl hung in the air for just a moment, as Yamcha continued his arc, down. When they began to fall, she was right behind him. When they hit the ground, that is where she stayed.
"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!" The announcer turned his back on Yamcha, lifting the still seated Videl's arm into the air. "Our new World Champion, VIDEL HERCULE!"
A few minutes later:
Under what little of her own strength she had left, Videl left the backstage area behind her. The hug from Gohan and her father relaxed her. The hug zapped her adrenaline, and she felt like her arms and legs weighed thousands of pounds. But step by step, foot by foot, she walked to the edge of the ring. Slowly, one step at a time, she climbed the stairs.
Only small portions of the ring remained, but it was enough. They didn't think they'd need much space for this.
"And now, as a special treat!" The Announcer turned between Videl and Sissy, addressing the entire audience. After that display he half expected everyone to clear out, for safety sake. But the other half of him was right, the tournament reached a new level, and no one would miss even a single match. "The first ever World Martial Arts Tournament exhibition match! Our Junior Division Champion, and our World Champion. Eye-to-eye, fist-to-fist, who will be the winner?"
"Excuse me." Sissy lifted her hand to shoulder height. "May I ask a question?"
"Uh..." The Announcer blinked behind his sunglasses. Such good manners. "Of course. What is your question?"
"Could we get rid of the ring out rules?" She asked, looking around. She had cracked a tile herself, but her sister had destroyed the ring. They had a three by four tile area of almost good condition tile, but that was it. "I feel like this is a little limiting."
The Announcer held two fingers to his ear, then turned to Videl. "Is that alright with you? Battle to either a surrender or a 10-count?"
Videl stared at him blankly, before slowly, uncomprehendingly, nodding.
"And you're sure you're up for this? The Announcer asked.
Another moment went by and Videl nodded again. Sissy was strong, but she was stronger. It didn't matter if she was half unconscious, she was just a child. All she'd have to do is pin her for ten seconds, and it'd be over.
"In that case..." The Announcer scurried back to the edge of the ring, before hopping down. "Three, two, one, FIGHT!"
Sissy clinched her jaw. Reaching deep inside herself she wrapped her hands around her inner warmth, just as her father had instructed her. She'd seen it. She'd felt it. She knew what she had to do. All she had to do, was, pull. Screaming as the power rushed to the surface, flowed through her, her eyes shot open. Her tied back hair broke free of her hair tie, wildly whipping away from her. Her clothes rustled as her voice cracked.
Not expecting the display in front of her, Videl's mind blanked. Sissy could use energy? Instinctually, she reached inside herself. She found her ki, and pulled it to the surface. As she pulled on what little energy she had left, her body gave way, and she collapsed where she stood.
"One, two..."
Hercule stepped out from the backstage door.
"Three, four..."
The elder Gohan followed him out.
"Five, six..."
Sissy's aura vanished as she too fell. The drain on her body was far too much, and she couldn't hope to maintain it.
"Seven, one. Eight, two..."
The medical team pushed past Gohan and Hercule.
"Nine, three. TEN!" The Announcer shouted. "The victor of this, extremely unique, exhibition match is SISSY!"
As the medical crew ran out, Gohan vanished, appearing beside his partner and her sister. Dropping to his knees, he held a hand out to each of them.
Goku appeared in front of the stretcher team, holding up a hand. "Hold on, for just a minute. They'll be fine." He assured them, receiving glares in response.
Keeping a tight focus on his power, Gohan channeled ki into both the woman and the girl. It would be too easy to overwhelm their bodies. No, fine control was the name of the game. They didn't need much energy, not enough to fight, just enough to get back on their feet.
Sissy was the first to open her eyes, but only by a few seconds. As she climbed to her feet the crowd went wild once again. A lot were laughing, a lot were shaking their heads, and a lot were cheering her name. It took her a moment, but when she understood she had won, her eyes lit up. As her older sister began to get to her feet, their dad rushed forward.
Videl slowly climbed to her feet. When she stood, Gohan continued kneeling. Her father was there, beside her, helping her stay up. He was doing the same to Sissy. They were here, a family, center stage, center crater, of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"Are, are you ladies okay?" The Announcer asked, pointing the microphone first at Sissy, then at Videl.
"I'm great!" Sissy shouted, her voice needing no assistance to fill the stadium.
"I'm good." Videl nodded. "That, that was too much though..." She took a deep breath, realizing that Gohan was still in front of her. She looked at him quizzically, not saying a word.
The Announcer, Hercule, Sissy, and eventually the entire audience followed her gaze. Slowly the crowd died down, until not a word was spoken. The air was tense, just as it had been during the finals, but made more electric by the complete silence.
Gohan reached into his pocket, pulling out a square box.
A hundred squealing cheers rang out. The Announcer found himself speechless. Videl's eyes began to water.
Gohan opened the box. Inside was a platinum ring sporting two rings of aquamarine stones surrounding a single, larger, diamond. "Videl, will you marry me?"
The crowd silently roared as Videl couldn't hear a thing. Gohan spoke. Four words, five symbols. Years. She had spent years waiting for that question. She knew it was coming. She knew it was coming. They had discussed it previously, and he knew what the answer would be. It wasn't a surprise that he was proposing. But it was a surprise that he was proposing here.
Here, at the top, at the high point of her life, he pushed. He gave her a nudge. This was it, the climax for her. There was nowhere else to go. But Gohan, being Gohan, gave that little nudge, elevated her just that little bit more, shattering the self-imposed ceiling. Life was good. She hadn't thought it could get better. She was lost in her own mind. But Gohan pulled her out, he pushed her up, and while the future was unclear, one thing that was clear is that it would even better if Gohan was a part of it, permanently.
Videl swallowed as she extended her left hand. "Yes."
Goku gently lifted the ring out of the box, sliding it down Videl's left ring finger.
The world clicked back together. The loud was louder now than ever before. Gohan stood, wrapping his arms around her as her father stepped away. He kissed her, and again they were alone, and she kissed back.
Five days later:
May 12th, Age 767
In the interior garden of the Capsule Cork building, friends and family were gathered. Videl and Gohan were the guests of honor at one of Bulma Brief's world-famous parties. Today was a day of celebration for many reasons.
Videl had become the World Champion.
Videl and Gohan had become engaged.
And while she would not announce it for at least a few weeks, Bulma's pregnancy was going along swimmingly.
As the celebration was well under way in the gardens, a few guests gathered in the living room, away from the large groups. Tien sat on the couch with Chiaotzu at his side. Yamcha sat on the far end of the couch, and Panchy had just dropped off a tray of drinks. The show they had only been half watching as they quietly chatted suddenly cut away.
"Breaking news." A voice called out as the screen switched to show a slightly disheveled man, sitting behind a desk. "Two strange beings are actively attacking Amenbo Island. All residents are encouraged to stay inside, stay away from doors and windows, and shelter in place until the situation is under control. For more information, here's Kent Brockman."
The screen zoomed in on a previously unnoticed corner panel. A white-haired man in a red jacket stood in nature, a city behind him. Smoke rose from multiple skyscrapers, and flickers of fire could been seen periodically.
"Thank you, Mr. Tucker." He turned to face the city. "As was previously stated, the two individuals attacking the are using similar powers to those displayed at the World Martial Arts Tournament, just a few days ago. At this point there is very little known. Although it is reported that the attackers are both wearing the insignia of..."
Tien looked at Yamcha, who looked back.
"Oh, crap." They said in unison.
Author's note: Without much, or any, warning, something is going on … I wonder what that could be.